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Ofcom ready to release 4G auction results
The results of the long-awaited sale of the airwaves needed to support 4G services will be revealed tomorrow when Ofcom, the telecoms regulator, will detail the proceeds of the sale.
George Osborne, the Chancellor, factored in £3.5 billion into this year’s budget in November and the results of the first round of bidding will prove whether that gamble has paid off.
The Times revealed this week that the first round of bidding - called the “clock” stage - had closed and that bidding for some of the most desirable lots of spectrum, the frequencies used to carry mobile phone signals, had proved to be higher than expected.
The auction will allow the mobile phone companies EE, Vodafone, O2 and Three to offer faster 4G mobile


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December 27, 2019
After tackling upcycled juice and beer, Loop has now launched a lime-and-ginger gin. The Quebec gin was launched in December, just ahead of the holiday season.
December 18, 2019
For the first time, Avebe has combined its annual financial report with a detailed report on its strategy and sustainability policy. The result is an integrated annual report that sets a new standard in the potato starch sector.
December 17, 2019
The FAO Food Price Index* (FFPI) averaged 177.2 points in November 2019; up 4.7 points (2.7 percent) from October and 15.4 points (9.5 percent) from the corresponding period last year.
December 06, 2019
Givaudan, the world’s leading flavour and fragrances company, recently officially inaugurated a new extension to its Nantong, China manufacturing facility
December 04, 2019
The FAO Food Price Index* (FFPI) averaged 172.7 points in October 2019, up 1.7 percent (3 points) from September and 6.0 percent higher than in the corresponding period last year.
December 03, 2019
A study initiated at the University of Manitoba will look into the potential benefits of the consumption of (potato-based) resistant starch on renal (kidneys) health
November 27, 2019
Egyptian snack manufacturer, Future Foods, has launched a new pretzel range after collaborating with tna, a leading solutions provider in the food processing and packaging industry, to successfully install a seasoning, processing and packaging line.

domain: news


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The midengine HCD6 sports a 215-horsepower, 2.7-liter, V-6 engine and a six-speed manual transmission.
"It's our vision and version of the roadster of tomorrow," Dave Weber, Hyundai's vice president of marketing, said. Senior Hyundai designer Dragan Vakadinovic said the car is unique in that its rear air intakes are fused with the rear-wheel wells. Air turbulence created by the tires is directed to the engine, which helps keep it cool.
The HCD6 also has identical "floating" bumpers. They helped cut tooling costs by allowing the same interchangeable bumper to be used in the front and back. The car also has a built-in roll bar.
Weber said the HCD6 likely would follow the path of Hyundai's five previous HCD concepts: It won't make production, but some of the styling cues and technical innovations likely will be used on upcoming cars.
Said Vakadinovic: "It's purely a design exercise."
Meanwhile, Hyundai is looking at expanding its U.S. lineup with a bigger sport-utility and a luxury sedan based on the Korean-market Equus, a V-8-powered sedan about the size of an Infiniti Q45.


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Acadia Parish residents oppose oil waste facility
But one resident is already busy rallying the troops. Resident Judd Gautreaux is placing signs around the parish, asking residents to join in opposition against the project.
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voices heard, and we want to try and see if we can buy ourselves a little more time to where we can talk to these people who want to come in here and do this," said Gautreaux.
"A lot of farmers that plant rice and raise crawfish, they have legitimate concerns," said Gautreaux. "As well, if they were to be pumping water on their crops would it be tainted."
totally against anything that will endanger our children, the livelihood of our people and the livelihood of anything in acadia parish, including the production the Ag side of it," said School Board President Gene Daigle.
The facility will be located in the 5800 block of Church Point Highway. Gautreaux says citizens across the parish are namely worried about water contamination, but also have other concerns.
We reached out to LA Tank, LLC who is behind the project. Our calls weren't returned. A public hearing will be held July 12 at 6 PM at the Rayne Civic Center.
purpose of putting these signs out," said Gautreaux. "To have the citizens be able to voice their concerns and voice opposition and to get as many people aware and to go to this meeting as possible."
Last night the Acadia Parish School Board unanimously voted against the construction of the well injection waste facility.
Gautreaux is pushing for people to show up at an upcoming meeting.
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The Winklevoss twins are back in the limelight (well, sort of) by starring in a US telly advert for pistachios that sends up the brothers' legal fight with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.
The twins' well-publicised claims that Zuckerberg stole the idea for Facebook from their Harvard network ConnectU bagged them a $65m settlement. And despite being immortalised in film by having their saga dramatised for The Social Network, they couldn't resist padding out their package with a little light lampooning on American television for Wonderful Pistachios.
The Winklevii have sued Facebook more than once in an attempt to get a bigger wedge of cash from Zuckerberg's online empire, eventually giving up earlier this summer after a judge dismissed their claim that Facebook had "intentionally or inadvertently suppressed evidence".
Apart from Facebook-bothering, the twins are also famous as Olympic rowers, and will be pulling oars for the USA at London 2012. ®


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Schweizerzug starts first direct train shuttles to Rotterdam
On January 1st, Schweizerzug started operating a direct train connection between Basel (Frenkendorf), Zürich (Niederglatt) and Rotterdam. The 650-metre-long shuttle drives three times a week and has a capacity of 96 TEUs.
Schweizerzug is part of Swissterminal AG, which was founded in 1972 and celebrated its 50th anniversary last year. ‘Ever since, Rotterdam has strategically been important as a hub for our activities,’ says Roman Mayer, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Swissterminal. ‘Since its foundation in 2016, Schweizerzug has had Rotterdam as its destination. We are proud that this year, in 2023, our direct train connection to and from the largest seaport in Europe has become a reality.’
‘We used to serve Rotterdam via Neuss but keeping a good schedule for us and our clients in the past year proved to be quite a challenge,’ Mayer explains. ‘This was caused by the large number of rail works in Germany as well as by geopolitical factors and disruptions in container shipping. We want to have the most stable timetable possible, and that is exactly what a direct connection via the TEN-T Rhine-Alpine Corridor between Switzerland and the Rotterdam World Gateway terminal can provide. Our clients set great store by reliable service, as it allows them to optimise their supply chains. So it is not surprising that we receive favourable responses to this shuttle.’
Matthijs van Doorn, Commercial Director at the Port of Rotterdam Authority: ‘The contribution of the Swiss market to the portfolio of the port of Rotterdam is crucial. We are very pleased with the decision of Swissterminal and DP World to launch this direct rail service, which will further enhance the ties between Switzerland and the Netherlands. Supply chains have been under tremendous pressure in the past few years. This supplementary service will make them more resilient, and it is a great additional option for clients.’
Switzerland and France
Swissterminal boasts five terminals in Switzerland and three in France. The Frenkendorf terminal is the largest privately owned container terminal in Switzerland. Since 2020, the international terminal and logistics company DP World has held a 44 percent stake in Swissterminal and complements the European network with terminals in Germany and Belgium.


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Twitter-owned video sharing service Vine has rolled out its web profiles, allowing users to browser their feeds and visit the profiles of other users.
After announcing the plans, and inviting users to sign up for vanity URLs last month, the company has wasted little time in launching the profiles.
Users can now log in at the Vine.co page, where the experience is much the same as it is within the mobile apps for Android, iOS and Windows Phone.
However, there is one major difference, a new TV mode, which allows users to browse through Vines in a neat full screen mode. Within TV Mode the videos will play in sequence, meaning no loops and no endless scrolling and stopping.
Vine's online launch comes after Instagram made the leap with photos and then videos in 2012. Like Instagram, Vine users will be unable to upload videos directly to the website, with that feature remaining mobile only.
The company said the roll out of web profiles is just the "first step" so perhaps uploads shouldn't be completely ruled out?
"This release is just a first step toward bringing you a richer, more enjoyable web experience. We look forward to introducing more improvements in 2014," Vine wrote on its company blog.


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Participants at the UN ham carving training in Beijing on April 20. [Photo provided to China Daily]
A ham carving training that was financed with aid from the European Union was held in Beijing on April 20. The Beijing event was the second session, with the first one taking place in Chongqing in March, and was aimed to popularize European hams among gourmands and food business players in the capital city.
Ham is a signature in Spanish cuisine, says Jesus Varela de Leon, the economic and commercial counselor at the embassy of Spain in Beijing. "It can be used not only to prepare tapas, a classic Spanish snack, but also as an ingredient in cooking dishes," he says. "Ham cutting is a kind of performance, and many people think it is also an art."
Joao Falardo, the economic and commercial counselor at the embassy of Portugal in Beijing, was also present at the event.
Besides pork meat, the Chinese market has been showing growing curiosity for Portuguese wine; beer and spirits; as well as Portuguese fruits; the frozen fishery products, like live lobster and crabs; canned food and dairy products, Falardo says.
In the past 10 years, the Portuguese agri-food products exported to China have increased by more than 10 times, he says. In 2021 alone, pork meat, fish, seafood, wine and beer were among the most exported Portuguese products to China, amounting to 73 million euros ($79.56 million). "Pork meat is, without surprise, among the most exported Portuguese food products to China," Falardo says.
A ham carving training that was sponsored by the European Union was held in Beijing on April 20. [Photo provided to China Daily]
Sanlian Machinery was invited to attend the | 2023 (3rd) National Innovation Forum on Comprehensive Utilization of Tail Industry.
Overseas Talents Innovation Competition of The 6th Zhangjiagang Suzhou Global Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition - Competition Announcemen


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New Recall on Folding Chairs and Barstools Purchased at Walmart
If you own folding chairs or barstools that you bought from Walmart, check them over carefully. Cheyenne Products Mainstay recently recalled nearly 800,000 of these types of chairs because they may pose a falling hazard.
Chairs May Break, Causing Occupants to Fall
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recently announced this recall, which affects multiple styles of metal folding chairs and barstools sold under the Mainstay brand name. The recalled chairs reportedly all have padded seats upholstered in vinyl or microfiber. A white sticker label on the bottom of the seats should include the name Cheyenne Products or Cheyenne Industries and should list the production date by month and year.
Another white sticker on the bottom of the seats should show a barcode with the model number printed above it, and the UPC printed below. You can find the affected model numbers at the CPSC site.
These recalled chairs and stools were made in China and imported by Cheyenne Industries Inc. of Rogers, Arizona; Cheyenne Products LLC of Austin, Texas; and Walmart of Bentonville, Arkansas. All of the chairs and stools were sold at Walmart stores nationwide and online at Walmart.com from January 2014 through April 2021 for between $30 and $42.
The problem is that the weld attaching the legs to the seat bottom can break, posing a fall hazard. Cheyenne Products Mainstay has received 41 reports of incidents of this weld breaking, resulting in 19 injuries, including four reports of fractures and one report of a torn ligament.
Customers are advised to stop using the chairs and stools immediately and to contact Cheyenne for a full refund. You can call the company at 833-351-1707 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, email firstname.lastname@example.org, or check the online recall site.
Furniture Defects Frequently Cause Injuries at Home
Furniture defects cause thousands of injuries in the U.S. every year. Because of poor construction, defective design, or inadequate assembly instructions, these items can lead to accidents in the home that cause not only bruises, cuts, and scrapes, but head traumas, broken bones and teeth, neck and spine injuries, and more.
Common issues include poor welds like those mentioned above, as well as legs that are improperly glued, weak and splitting parts, and missing nails, screws, or other fasteners. Chairs may wobble and tip because they weren’t manufactured or assembled correctly, which can also lead to falls.
All people are at risk for injuries from falls, but children and the elderly are particularly vulnerable to more serious injuries. To be sure you won’t be a victim, regularly inspect your chairs to be sure they are stable and safe.


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Speaking in good morning great britainDeputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab said wage moderation is needed to avoid “a vicious cycle of inflation going up and staying up longer”.
Similarly, Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey, who is paid £575,000 a year, has repeatedly asked workers to “think and reflect” before calling for pay rises. This is due to concerns that additional wage costs will be passed on to consumers, further increasing inflation.
But with the consumer price index hitting a 40-year high of 9.1%, this will be a bitter pill to swallow for many UK workers. When adjusted for inflation, real wages fell 3.4% in April compared to a year earlier. This represents the biggest drop in income in real terms since 2001, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Do employers have to meet wage demands?
Many employers will find themselves caught in the middle: should they listen to ministers’ warnings about the risks of spiraling inflation, or provide staff with the necessary pay rises to help them keep up with rising costs of living?
George Dibb, director of the Center for Economic Justice at the IPPR think tank, believes that looking at inflation solely in terms of wages is an oversimplification. He says that although inflation is a measure of rising prices, there are different components that currently contribute to it, from energy prices to the cost of goods to rising profits.
“I don’t think anyone is served by a debate where we pretend it’s just one factor influencing inflation,” he says. “Talking only about salaries does not help the discussion.”
While the Bank of England has expressed concern that companies could raise prices if they don’t exercise wage restraint, leading to a wage and price spiral, Dibb believes two factors show this is not a current risk. Wages are at a low point and falling at their fastest rate in more than 20 years when measured against inflation. And IPPR research found that the earnings of the largest non-financial companies were up 34% at the end of 2021 compared to pre-pandemic levels.
“When prices go up, profits go up and wages go down, that translates into a transfer of wealth away from workers and shareholders and we don’t think that’s fair,” Dibb adds. “Wage moderation may be a concern in the future, but not at the moment. The most pressing thing we need to worry about right now is the earnings squeeze.”
Many leading economists agree. Last week, 65 academics wrote a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, saying cutting wages is “the exact opposite of what is needed in response to this current wave of inflation.” Instead, they suggest the government should “use every tool at its disposal to keep energy costs down, clamp down on excessive profits and unlock global supply chains.”
What happens if salary increases cannot be met?
But not all companies are seeing these record profits now. Most of those gains (90%) were concentrated in 25 companies, many of which are in the gas or commodity markets.
“For companies that are seeing higher profits, the answer is clear. They should pass those benefits on to their employees and lower their prices,” says Dibb. “For companies that are not, I understand that they are in a very difficult situation and there are no easy answers. I think the question then becomes political: how to get out of this inflationary period without seeing the economy enter a recession and these companies collapse?
Calls for pay restraint from the likes of the prime minister and the governor of the Bank of England may provide some sort of justification for employers seeking to limit wage increases. But James Willis, head of employment law at Stevensdrake Solicitors, warns: “Legitimate concerns about the looming cost-of-living crisis are likely to weigh much more heavily on the minds of many workers than the views of politicians and technocrats.”
It admits that “most employment contracts reserve broad discretion to grant any salary increase an employer deems appropriate or not to grant any salary increase.” However, the risk remains that employees who do not feel adequately compensated will seek employment elsewhere.
Adding to this challenge is the broader labor market which, due to a combination of record vacancy rates and low levels of unemployment, is extremely tight at the moment.
Steve Tonks is Senior Vice President of EMEA at WorkForce Software employee management platform. He thinks employers face a tough choice. “Either raise employee wages, when many businesses are just beginning to recover from pandemic-induced losses, or risk losing staff to higher-paying employers,” he says.
Some companies have looked for alternatives that recognize the challenge that many people now face, while being mindful of the ongoing business costs.
Following the action by Unite, the union representing Lloyds Banking Group staff, the major bank has offered 95% of its staff a one-off payment of £1,000 to help with cost of living increases.
Similarly, publisher Bloomsbury will reward staff with a 6% bonus, following record annual sales. In these cases, the advantage of offering a one-time bonus means that employers are not required to pay higher wages the following year, in case inflation or their earnings drop again.
Tonks suggests that access to earned wages, a payroll scheme that allows employees to access their pay as soon as they’ve worked hours, could be another way to alleviate current pay pressures. He adds: “Although increasingly important in the current climate, salary is not the only consideration for many employees. Considering the overall experience of employees is one way to retain staff when salary pressure is high.”
While some employers may be aware that they are adding to current inflationary pressures, many economists believe that wage restraint is not the right course of action today. Similarly, unless some form of employee support is offered, the consequences of losing staff to better-paid competitors can end up being more challenging.
Objective Recently announced the launch of a new wallet to support value interaction in Metaverse. Objective Paymenta new Facebook branding Paymentwill continue to perform these same functions in the past. However, it will expand as a universal way to pay for goods and services in Metaverse.
Objective Payment will replace Facebook Pay.
The company announced the launch of a new digital wallet that supports the utility economy in the next iteration of metaverse of Objective. The wallet, nicknamed Objective Paymentit will be an evolution of Facebook Pay. He Still support the range of payments it currently handles. However, a new focus on digital identity and land forecasting will be added.
According to the CEO of ObjectiveMark Zuckerberg Objective Payment it will be a solution to two problems of the metaverse Nope Accessibility with digital assets and property protection.
I declared: ” A the future, there will be all a lot of digital items you might create or buy – digital apparel, art, videos, music, experiences, virtual events, etc. Proof of ownership will be important, especially if you want to take some of these items with you to different departments. »
To discover: eBay announces the acquisition of the NFT marketplace KnownOrigin.
Objective Payment to aim for standardization in the metaverse
Ideally, anything purchased in part of Metaverse Should be available on another platform with the same functions and features, Zuckerberg said. This is one of the goals that Objective try to achieve with Objective Pay. It is aboutan identity Web3 that binds the purchase of digital goods to a single digital identity.
Zuckerberg added: ” THIS type of interoperability will provide much better experiences for users and greater opportunities for creators. That is, the more easily you can use your digital assets, the more you will value them, which is the most important market for creators. »
Learn more: Matrixport offers new institutional security services for NFT through Cactus Custody.
Additionally, Zuckerberg believed that a common global payment method would provide many opportunities for content creators. Indeed, the benefit of consumers could buy their content. However, this can only be achieved with a certain degree of standardization.
pay the reminder, Facebook changed its brand image to Objective in October to capture the progress of the company’s main ambition, which is to build the metaverse. After then, Objective I started renewing these products to match the company’s new brand image. For example, Oculus quest is now Objective quest and Facebook Portal is now Objective Gate. It is logical that Objective also change its payment experience, especially since it get ready for the metaverse.
Google faces a legal problem in Mexico: it will pay 5,000 million pesos for moral damages – Marketing 4 Ecommerce
The internet giant faces a new legal problem, now in Mexico: Google must pay 5,000 million pesos for moral damages to Ulrich Richter Moralesa Mexican lawyer who sued the internet giant for authorizing the creation and dissemination of the blog “Ulrich Richter Richter and his chingaderas a la Patria”, where It is linked to crimes such as drug trafficking, money laundering and document forgery..
On June 13, the Eighth Civil Chamber of Mexico City ruled that Google is responsible for creating and distributing the blog, which is hosted on Bloggerplatform of Google Inc, and which is always available on the Internet.
The background to the legal problem Google is facing in Mexico
According to the Mexican justice, Google violated the rights to personality and honor of the lawyer, who in 2015 sued the American companyits subsidiary in Mexico and the author of the blog.
Ulrich Richter Morales has denounced Google for distributing the blog, where he is accused of serious crimes and of teaching his partner to falsify documents. Photos of Richter and his family were released in the publication.
The attorney is working on a court case for the recreational use of marijuana in the country and has extensive legal experience, He has represented companies such as TV Azteca, Revista Proceso and Mexican politicians. like the former governor of Coahuila, Humberto Moreira Valdez.
The tech giant failed to appeal the conviction
In 2021, when Judge Judith Cova Castillo sentenced Google to pay 2 billion pesos for “tolerating and authorizing illicit advertising and unwarranted dissemination of illicit blog content worldwide”, the tech giant appealed the decision.
The call hurt Google since the resolution is a new court sentence where he is forced to pay 5,000 million pesos to the lawyer.
Mexican justice condemns Google Inc
With votes in favor of magistrates Manlio Castillo Colmenares and Álvaro Augusto Pérez Juárez, the Eighth Civil Chamber resolved the lawsuit in favor of Ulrich Richter Morales, named Alejandro Gutiérrez Torres as the author of the text and indicated that Google Inc, an American company, is responsible for spreading the accusations against the lawyer Mexican.
The branch of Google in Mexico was exempt from liabilitybecause you have no control over the Blogger platform.
According to a Google spokesperson, the phrase is “arbitrary, excessive and without any basis”, assured that the company will defend itself until the last resort. “Decision infringes freedom of expression and other fundamental principles and we hope that the federal courts will act in strict accordance with the law“, said.
As, Richter Morales celebrated the sentence and says that the sanctions are taken according to the income of the offender.
“Punitive damages are based on the offender’s financial capacity and must be exemplaryTherefore, any amount fixed in the case of Google according to the parameters indicated by the doctrine and the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation is important, since we are in the presence of one of the five richest companies in the world.“, said.
Finally, Richter Morales concluded: “This must have been taken into account by the tech giant when asked to take down the blog, which they ignored and now there are the legal consequences. at the end of the road the Supreme Court will rule in due time and definitively on the amount of the sanction”.
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When Klarna launched its Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) service in the UK in 2016, interest-free credit at the point of sale seemed like a sideshow. But with the payment method attracting growing interest from consumers and retailers, established banks like NatWest are now entering the field.
It’s still early days for BNPL, which continues to be overshadowed by the credit card market. There are currently 35 million active credit cards in the UK, according to UK Finance, with £16.2 billion spent in January 2022 alone. BNPL, on the other hand, was used at least once by around 15 million people, or around 28% of the adult population in October 2021, according to Equifax, and the average user paid £125.32. That suggests BNPL’s overall loans are about a tenth that of credit cards.
However, banks are willing to take advantage of the new market. NatWest looks poised to be the first incumbent bank to enter the BNPL arena, launching a new product this summer. It promises to bring one of the main advantages of a credit card to BNPL: “consumer protection on all purchases”. BNPL will also be part of the NatWest mobile app, with the aim of offering an “effortless” customer experience.
The bank strikes back
NatWest has not provided details of what it might charge retailers. However, its size may help it undercut fintech providers BNPL. It can also have another advantage: the incumbents know how to comply with the regulation.
NatWest will not be alone. Monzo was the first UK bank to enter BNPL with ‘Monzo Flex’ late last year. It offers interest-free payments in three installments, although it has an interest rate of 19% APR when the client chooses six or 12 installments. From the consumer’s point of view, this is similar to a credit card.
BNPL could eat up a much larger established business, so why are the banks interested?
It all comes down to consumer expectations, increased choice, and why BNPL took off in the first place.
BNPL appeals to consumers in part because it’s accessible to people who can’t get a credit card or don’t want a hard credit check. In the UK, you’re still subject to rules that allow informal credit, for example setting up a relationship with a newsstand at the end of the week, though those arrangements will change shortly. Mainly, though, it’s because it’s cheaper and less complicated.
It is particularly important that BNPL costs less than a credit card or an overdraft, according to a survey conducted by Bain. Some BNPL providers, such as Klarna, do not charge interest or late fees on smaller sums. Klarna has a regulated credit offer for larger amounts that does charge interest, but there is a fixed total cost and no revolving credit.
In contrast, the average cost of credit card loans was 18.28% in January 2022, while the effective interest rate on overdrafts was 20.83%, according to the Bank of England.
Klarna has described credit card markets as “rigged” against both merchants and consumers and only working in favor of banks that charge excessive fees. It is not the only fintech that sees a business opportunity in the margins of established players and better customer service.
“Buy now, pay later can absolutely displace credit cards in the UK,” says Shachar Bialick, founder and chief executive of Curve, which aggregates multiple cards in one card and app and also offers BNPL.
The BNPL benefit
BNPL offers a range of other advantages. Card providers like Visa, which have large economies of scale, charge retailers less than 2% for credit service. BNPL can demand more than double.
At first glance, that seems potentially off-putting to retailers, who have long complained about overcharges on cards. However, the magic sauce of BNPL is that it increases sales compared to other payment options. That matters in an online world where the competition is just a click away. Bain says that about 57% of merchants see an increase in “basket conversion” and about 46% saw an increase in order value.
BNPL also appeals to a broader range of consumers, including the less well-off. In general, retailers find that BNPL pays for itself, even if it comes with a higher percentage fee than a card payment. The bottom line is that consumers are flocking to such solutions, which means that both retailers and banks will have to provide access more and more.
“The fintech sector grew out of the demand for more diverse financial products that work for both consumers and providers.” says Claudio Alvarez, a partner at GP Bullhound, a technology investment and advisory firm. “Klarna and others have revolutionized the consumer lending space. It was only a matter of time before incumbents caught on and started adapting their product offerings to keep up with the new emerging fintech.”
A sea change in retail financing
Although retailers are willing to offer BNPL, it is not lucrative for financial providers, at least not yet. Klarna, the largest BNPL player in the UK, had global revenues of around $1.6bn and net losses of around $758m in 2021 as it expanded. It now serves 45 countries. For comparison, Visa’s net income in 2021 was $12.3 billion.
But Klarna, like many tech companies, wants to reshape its entire market for the long term, not make money now. Its goal is to be a major aggregator that only takes the smallest margins by removing what it sees as unnecessary financial taxes on the economy. If it is successful, some banks will need new business models.
There are also regulatory issues to consider. UK regulators began taking a hard look at BNPL with the Woolard Review in February 2021. It concluded that “as a matter of urgency, the FCA [Financial Conduct Authority] must work with the Treasury to ensure that the necessary amendments to the legislation are made to bring BNPL products into the realm of regulation.” That is expected this year.
Established payment companies, including banks, already comply with long lists of often onerous regulations globally. This underpins its scope and scale. Some challenger banks, on the other hand, have struggled to keep up with the essentials of domestic market compliance, as the Prudential Regulation Authority recently noted.
Banks’ deep compliance skills could be a distinct advantage in regulated BNPL. No one has suggested that companies like Klarna are not doing their business well, and Klarna itself welcomes the regulation.
However, while some fintech challengers are being punched in the knuckles for poor back-end processes, incumbents are built to respond to regulation. With BNPL regulated, you now have the opportunity to enter a growing, out-of-the-box market that is tailored to your particular skillset.
He didn’t test me. Pay impulses I say. In the end you can’t help it if you’re looking to grow faster. You need financing as leverage in your business. There is no other.
Everyone has to pay taxes. The stupidest thing you can do is try to defraud the state to save yourself miles or even millions of money. Your freedom is priceless. Going to jail for money is not worth it. In addition, we do not want to live in a society where breaking the rules of coexistence is something normal and well seen.
Then there is the part of having a strategy when it comes to paying taxes. If you try the theme there are options to pay more or less in a 100% legal way. There are even more options if you operate between several countries, as is the case with me. One thing is essential for this. You have to know more than your tax advisor. Yes, he heard me correctly. A media consultant listens to the “normal things” to call it something. You have to put your batteries to check taxes and structures that allow you to save legally. It’s what I always do. I call up advisers and tell them “I have an idea…”. Then you are an advisor who tells you where the risks are and if your plan can work or not.
Last year things have been going well financially. The downside of all is that this entails a significant payment of taxes. 2 or 3 years ago I always wanted to minimize this part. Now I allow accumulating a minimum amount of benefits that entail a relevant tax payment. Why? For a very simple reason: to demonstrate solvency to the bank.
Banks are an essential instrument to continue investing and use your existing capital as leverage. Right now I am closing a financing in Germany of 305k for the purchase of a local. It is not yet 100% confirmed, but it looks good, although you can close the purchase without having to put a single euro on the table. They even lend me 7k to do a little reform.
When they do the studies they always look at your income from last year. A person who does not pay taxes consequently has no income (or very little). Many entrepreneurs act in this way to maximize the cash flow available to invest. I always tell my advisor that my goal is to maximize cash flow. I don’t need to have the money on a personal level. As long as I have it in the company, I can use it to grow assets.
What little has been taken into account in the past is the impact of paying taxes. Let’s say we pay 30k taxes. This amount can serve as leverage to get 300k financing. That is why it makes no sense to minimize the part of paying taxes. You have to find a good balance. The issue of accumulating debt is a dangerous game. You have to know very well what you are doing because things can go wrong. When I get into debt, I take into account different scenarios and I do so if I really think that a possible catastrophe of any kind is not going to ruin me. You will never be able to anticipate everything that can happen but you have to at least give it some thought.
So things have changed. I like paying taxes, if it opens doors for me with banks.


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Multiple business groups have pushed back on proposed Commerce Department rules on information and communications technology supply chain security, citing concerns about lack of transparency and potential overreach .
The proposed Commerce rules Securing the Information and Communications Technology and Services Supply Chain would execute May’s Executive Order 13873, which banned United States entities from purchasing information and communications technology from “foreign adversaries.” While the rules are written to be country-agnostic and does not name any companies, they are understood to mean United States companies cannot buy from Chinese telecom equipment providers Huawei and ZTE.
The “proposed framework would likely have only a marginal impact on improving supply chain security, while severely constraining US companies’ ability to innovate,” said BSA, The Software Alliance. BSA represents companies with supply chains that are highly dependant on international partners. U.S. intelligence agencies have warned over the years that Huawei and ZTE’s close ties with the Chinese government posed significant risks to national security. Using equipment from these companies in U.S. critical infrastructure could potentially give the Chinese government the ability to infiltrate and compromise U.S. networks for espionage.
In the rules, the Department of Commerce outlined the process for identifying, assessing and addressing certain information and communication technology and service (ICTS) transactions that pose a risk to the U.S. critical infrastructure, digital economy, or national security. The evaluations would be on a case-by-case basis, since the rules do not designate which technologies, participants, or transactions are exempt or prohibited.
“Nothing less than a very significant reconsideration of both substance and process will render such a rule workable or effective in terms of American national security, U.S. economic competitiveness, or overall due process,” said the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), while urging the department to rewrite the rules, which were “fundamentally flawed.”
The scope was “staggeringly” broad, as the department would be able to intervene with any transactions involving anyone (“any person subject to the jurisdiction of the United States”), involved any property a foreign country may be interested in, and was initiated or completed after May 15, 2019. If a transaction was “an undue or unacceptable risk,” then the Secretary of Commerce would be able to impose measures to mitigate the risks, or prohibit the transaction entirely. Even if the technology was already deployed and in use, it would need to be suspended.
The rules would give the Secretary of Commerce “unbounded discretion to review commercial ICT transactions, applying highly subjective criteria in an ad hoc and opaque process that lacks meaningful safeguards for companies,” Christian Troncoso, BSA’s director of policy, wrote in the comment letter. The vague terms (what makes something a ‘transaction’?), the lack of transparency, and the fact that there was no way to know what transactions were being reviewed, put unnecessary pressure on companies.
“This undefined scope would leave industry in a constant and irremediable state of uncertainty about whether their operations are, or soon will be, subject to regulatory scrutiny,” Troncoso warned.
ITI called the scope and breadth of the proposed rule “alarming and unnecessarily undermines” all ICTS transactions that may touch the United States, even peripherally. The executive order gives authority to block transactions with “a clear connection to a foreign adversary and pose unacceptable risks to national security or undue risks to critical infrastructure or the digital economy,” but the proposed rules do not limit the Commerce Department’s authority to only those situations, wrote John S. Miller, ITI’s vice president of policy and senior counsel. In fact, as written, the rules would allow Commerce to evaluate and block transactions that present no or low risks to national security.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce (not a government agency) was also concerned about the rule’s reach, as ICTS can be found in “virtually every type of company in every industry, with thousands of ICTS transactions happening every day,” the Chamber of Commerce wrote in its comments. The rule would provide the Department with “nearly unlimited authority to interfere in virtually any commercial transaction,” wrote Neil L. Bradley, chief policy officer for the Chamber of Commerce, and Christopher D. Roberti, the senior vice president of cyber, intelligence, and security at the Chamber. The uncertainty associated with operating in an environment where any and all ICTS transactions may be subject to review could disrupt global supply chains and make investment and sourcing decisions very
difficult, Bradley and Roberti wrote.
The broad and vague language used would make it difficult for organizations to know what they have to do in order to make sure they are following the rules.
The rules as drafted are “too broad to be practically implementable,” Miller said.
USTelecom, which represents larger telecommunications operators, recommended modifying the rules “to draw clearer lines between prohibited and permitted transactions.” That could mean publishing a list of persons or governments that are foreign adversaries providing ICTS, or a “policy guidance with unmistakably clear criteria,” USTelecom wrote. That would help organizations understand what types of transactions would fall under the scope of the rules.
The Chamber of Commerce also noted that there are several national security programs already working on this problem, such as the Bureau of Industry and Security’s Entity List and the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). The supply chain may be an “attractive target for espionage, sabotage, and foreign interference activity,” but supply chain security which leaves out the U.S. business community cannot be done. This proposal provides “little in terms” on what businesses can do to make sure they are planning around potential threats.
“A more deliberate discussion of how this proposal would complement existing programs without overlapping them is necessary,” the Chamber said.
USTelecom said the department needed to coordinate its evaluations “formally with other agencies at every step.” One way to do so is to look at the ongoing work done by the Department of Homeland Security, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s Supply Chain Risk Management Task Force, and other arenas to develop a framework on how subcomponents are evaluated instead of trying to come up with their own approach.
The Rural Wireless Association, which represents smaller rural carriers in the United States, noted in its comments a parallel effort at the Federal Communications Commission to block Huawei and ZTE from collecting funds from the Universal Service Fund. The fund is an annual pool of $ 8.5 billion collected from consumers for expanding broadband access. RWA members would be particularly affected by the proposed rules because they rely on low-cost equipment from Huawei and ZTE to extend internet connectivity to hard-to-cover rural areas.
ITI’s Miller also noted the challenge of providing comments to a rule “with such vast legal scope and economic implications” within an “expedited timeframe.” As the draft provided “almost no specifics, industry cannot meaningfully comment on it,” Miller said.


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Companies like FedEx, UPS and DHL deliver millions of packages worldwide. The websites offer trading features such as artificial intelligence, trading robots, market analysis, live clients and much more for bitcoin traders. However, these logistics companies now have to deal with new technologies that can improve their business operations. you can click Bitcoin for more information.
One such technology is blockchain technology which could benefit the shipping and logistics industry by removing specific barriers such as counterfeiting, fraud, and security risks. The part mentioned below outlines the possible ways it can benefit the shipping and logistics industry along with some recent developments that have come into play in this space.
Blockchain could profoundly reshape global supply chain management by bringing interoperability between carriers and shippers, in different jurisdictions, as well as new levels of security for transporting materials from one point to another. The technology could also contribute to the interoperability of shipping containers, which are tracked using a system of tags, such as RFID and QR codes. Large companies such as Maersk and IBM are now exploring these use cases.
According to an IBM white paper, the company uses distributed ledger technology to scan, track and verify shipping containers across an entire supply chain network. The report says this could increase the security of the container shipping system while reducing overall costs. The solution builds on existing technologies and networks in the shipping industry today. A blockchain-based solution can tell how people manage a shipment’s journey across borders. Let’s discuss each potential use case for blockchain technology in the shipping and logistics industry.
Faster and leaner logistics in global trade:
The shipping and logistics industry has been an industry that has faced many challenges, such as delays and cost overruns. As a result, companies are now turning to blockchain technologies to improve their efficiency in supply chain management. In the ICS Logistics report, 35% of companies surveyed said they have already implemented digital technology in their processes, such as logistics driver location tracking, real-time shipment tracking, authorized personnel and the optimization of order processing times. . These real-time solutions are likely to be further enhanced by blockchain technologies that could reduce the overall costs of transportation and delivery services by avoiding penalties for errors or improvements in security procedures.
Product quality control:
The shipping and logistics industry is a significant contributor to the global economy, with annual revenues estimated at over $3.3 trillion. The global market is also expected to grow at an incredible rate of 15% per year until 2022.
The vast potential has attracted many players with access to a significant amount of capital, including large companies such as IBM, exploring possible use cases for blockchain technologies in this industry. For example, according to a report by IB Times, IBM has embarked on an experiment with shipping containers where it plans to use blockchain technology to track containers as they travel from port to port.
Smart contracts could lead to better shipping times and reduced incidents across the entire supply chain network. According to a PwC report, blockchain can increase transparency and efficiency in the supply chain industry by eliminating points of failure. The global supply chain is huge and complex, and the movement of goods occurs under a variety of conditions. As a result, this will increase the risk of fraudulent activities such as product counterfeiting and smuggling.
The introduction of blockchain technologies could bring transparency to these processes, which could affect their operations in Europe, Asia and Africa. A significant percentage of trade in these regions crosses multiple jurisdictions, which opens the door to potential threats such as smuggling that can be eliminated using blockchain technology. Blockchain technology has a wide range of advantages for senders in terms of usability and security, as well as transparency issues.
Blockchain technology could enable businesses to completely ditch paper documents for electronic transactions. A report recently published by IPTS suggests that the available storage space of the blockchain is such that it could support more than one million documents per second.
This would allow documents to be stored on the blockchain network, allowing faster and more efficient access to those documents when needed. The report indicates that supply chain management is one of the areas where companies could implement blockchain technology without affecting existing operations or processes. Shipping and logistics paperwork can be time-consuming and tedious, especially when multiple parties are involved in a transaction or business relationship.
The highly secure nature of blockchain technology makes it ideal for use in the transportation and logistics industry. Moreover, users could also use blockchain technology to automate the verification process, storage and management of documents in this space. This would significantly reduce the high costs associated with searches and storage, since documentation is usually stored in multiple locations.
The overall benefits can result in operating cost savings by reducing the time between order processing and delivery and eliminating points of failure in various processes. Additionally, it leads to better customer satisfaction through higher quality standards, faster delivery times, reduced shipping incidents, and greater efficiency.


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Tesla, formerly known as Tesla Motors, Inc., but actually formally known to most everyone on the planet as Tesla, is changing its name, as of Wednesday, to . . . Tesla, Inc!
(Note: there’s a period after Inc – not an exclamation point)
And, if you’re feeling really frisky, you can just call it Tesla.
The name change for the Palo Alto-based electric car pioneer makes perfect sense. Tesla, after all, is no longer just about ”motors,” or cars. The company run by Elon Musk last year bought panel-maker SolarCity, which is actually officially known as SolarCity Corp.
Tesla CEO Musk — who is also chairman of SolarCity — would like to sell his panels through Tesla’s stores. Customers can buy them to power their homes and charge their Tesla electric vehicles. The synergy, he’s hoping, will be dynamic.
Musk said in November that the companies’ first joint product — solar roof tiles that resemble traditional tiles — should be ready for installation by this coming summer.
As part of its efforts to create a sprawling energy empire, Tesla has constructed a massive factory in Nevada to crank out lithium ion batteries. Tesla also sells a battery system that can power a home.
Shares of Tesla, like most of the market on Wednesday morning, were down a fraction to $250.83 shortly after 8 a.m. Pacific Time.


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(STILLWATER, OKLAHOMA / Sept. 24, 2015) — Registration is underway for the 9th Annual Downtown Stillwater Car & Bike Show slated for Oct. 9-10.
Classic, modified and new cars, trucks and motorcycles are invited to participate in the show. A variety of awards will be presented.
“The car and bike show has grown every year,” said Amy Jo Frazier, Business Improvement District Coordinator. “We are expecting over 175 entries this year with car and bike enthusiasts coming from all over the state to enjoy the day in Downtown Stillwater."
The show is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 9 starting at 6 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 10 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The event begins on Friday, Oct. 9 with the cruise-in to 8th and Main. Festivities include live music, food trucks, vendors and over $1,000 in giveaways. The Car & Bike Show runs between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 20.
Entry forms for this year’s Car & Bike Show can be found online at www.downtownstw.com/car-show.
Entries can be submitted online, in person or by mail. Registration closes at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 10. Local businesses and organizations interested in sponsoring the 9th Annual Downtown Car & Bike Show can also contact Frazier.
For more information, contact Frazier at 405-742-8359, email or go to www.downtownstw.com/car-show.
About Downtown Stillwater: Established in 2007 and funded through annual assessments, Downtown Stillwater (Business Improvement District #1) is a formal organization of property owners and commercial tenants. With support from the City of Stillwater, Downtown Stillwater is dedicated to economic development, cultural growth, and a commitment to create a welcoming environment for all who live, work, play and dine in the area. For more information, call 405-742-8359 or visit www.downtownstw.com.


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Marex Spectron Sponsors LME Tokyo GalaDecember 15, 2016
Marex Spectron, the global commodities broker, was a proud sponsor of the London Metal Exchange’s Tokyo Gala held on 28 November 2016
This half-day conference included many of the biggest commodity producers, industrial consumers and trading houses operating in the Japanese market.
Also in attendance was Simon van den Born, Marex Spectron’s Global Head of Metals, who commented: “Given our lead position on the LME, we have long brokered metals products for Japanese clients. From the many discussions we had both at the Gala, and more broadly from travels in the region, we are seeing new growth opportunities within this market.”
Marex Spectron’s Asian business is carried out through Marex Spectron’s group of companies in Hong Kong and Singapore, with extensive clients and products brokered across the region.


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Bosses rapped over mis-selling
THE bosses of building societies, banks and insurers, like Sandy Crombie, have been ordered to take personal control of their complaints handling as part of a major clampdown by the Financial Services Authority in the mis-selling scandal.
Financial Mail has seen a letter that is being sent to 80 chief executives in which the City watchdog warns that it holds them responsible for the way complaints are being handled.
The authority is expecting a flood of new complaints from consumers who were mis-sold endowments in the late Eighties and it has given the chief executives a deadline of August 31 to 'stress test' their complaints systems and convince it they can cope.
The letter, described by one FSA insider as a 'kid glove with an iron fist inside', demands that firms now provide the authority with monthly reports on the number of complaints they are receiving, including how many have not been dealt with by the required eight weeks. At present, reporting is carried out quarterly.
The tough approach from FSA chief executive John Tiner has been prompted by the growing number of complaints rejected by firms, but later upheld by the Financial Ombudsman Service.
It is understood that with some companies, up to 60% of cases dealt with by the Ombudsman are upheld, indicating that many firms are failing to treat complaints seriously enough.
Worst offenders, according to insiders, are Friends Provident, HBoS and Legal & General. By contrast, those companies that resolve a majority of complaints are Norwich Union, Prudential and Standard Life. Two months ago,
Abbey was fined £800,000 for endowment complaints mishandling. The get-tough letter, which some executives have yet to receive, has put endowment firms on red alert, with one industry insider saying: 'The industry knows its handling of complaints is a scandal and the Financial Services Authority is saying enough is enough.
'The upshot is that the FSA believes that companies should be settling more complaints rather than forcing the Ombudsman to act. That merely means a bigger cost for firms.'
A spokesman for the FSA said that the letter was an attempt to 'up the ante' and warn endowment companies that they were being 'tightly monitored'. He said that firms not tackling complaints adequately would be forced to divert staff to cope with problems. Fines would be used only as a 'last resort'.
Chief ombudsman Walter Merricks said the letter 'represented an important step towards ensuring consumers' complaints are better handled by the industry.'
He added: 'Uphold rates of between 40% and 60% is not where we should be at today. After all, the industry has had four years to deal with this problem.'
Two thirds of the Ombudsman's workload is connected with endowments. John Lister, chief actuary of insurer Norwich Union, welcomed the move and said that his company's complaints systems were robust enough to deal with the new demands.
Sandy Crombie, chief executive of Standard Life, said he was 'not scared' by the FSA letter. It is receiving 1,000 endowment complaints a week and upholding 90% of them.
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Volvo recalls 8,406 model S80 vehicles
August 02, 2011
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently announced that Volvo has issued a recall of 8,406 S80 sedans due to potential problems with power steering system.
In its report to the agency, Volvo said the recalled vehicles are 2007 models manufactured between March 8, 2006 and May 16, 2007. Apparently the recall is connected to problems with the power steering function on the vehicles. Problems with the power steering fluid line may lead to a leaking of fluid and the potential loss of power steering, and could lead to accidents. Improperly routed hoses are thought to be the cause of the problem.
Volvo estimates that around 6 percent of the recalled vehicles are defective. The company has not received any reports of accidents or injuries connected to the defect.
According to Volvo, their recall was voluntary. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration noted in its announcement of the recall, however, that the company was required to inform the agency of its recall.
Volvo said that dealers would be inspecting the recalled vehicles for defects and repairing the problem free of charge, beginning sometime in August. Consumers can see whether their vehicle is implicated by looking on the label affixed to the driver-side doorjamb.
Defective motor vehicles can be a large cleanup job for manufacturers. Consumers injured by defective motor vehicles have multiple protections on their side. The massive 2009-2011 Toyota recalls, litigation for which is still ongoing, are a testament to that fact.
Source: Reuters, “UPDATE 1-Volvo recalls 8,400 cars in US for steering issue,” Ben Klayman, 29 July 2011.
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Stores introduced a new trend of "contactless Claus experience" to keep the Christmas magic alive due to the ongoing pandemic. They want to make sure that children still get to enjoy the holiday while they safely practice social distancing.
This year, "Bass Pro Shops" and Cabela's, a sister store, announced their new trend for the holidays. They started a "contactless Claus" program to keep everybody safe from the virus. On "Cabela's" Instagram, the company shared a video to give a preview of how they planned to make the festive season jolly.
A contactless visit with Santa
When you play the video, a voice-over would tell you that you could enjoy a safe way to celebrate the season with Santa. The voice-over tells you that thanks to their magic Santa shield, you could enjoy a contactless visit.
Apart from that, their elves will also be cleaning surfaces in each visit while wearing face coverings to make sure that everyone is safe. The elves will also be practising physical distancing so there are more room in the area.
Stores will follow safety protocols
Visitors have to undergo temperature screening as part of increased safety measures. Depending on local guidelines, store owners may require visitors to wear masks with the employees also wearing face coverings. Due to the pandemic, businesses around the country have changed their holiday programming. Some announced that there will be no Santa visits, while others also follow suit with the "contactless Santa."
No mall Santa for Macy's
Macy's announced a month ago that Santa Claus would not be visiting their flagship store in New York this year. Their other Chicago and San Francisco major stores would also skip Santa Claus visits due to the virus.
On the other hand, Brookfield Properties revealed their plans for the socially distanced photo ops with Mr. Claus. They wrote on their Instagram post that they found a creative solution to continue with the essential family tradition.
Brookefield will have a contactless Santa experience
Brookefield, one of the largest shopping mall operators of the country also explained in the post that they want to keep everyone safe despite making the holidays jolly. In their 134 shopping centers, the company would be hosting a contactless Santa experience. Kids could sit on presents at a safe distance with Santa so they could have photo ops safely. The children could also chat across from him.
Another large mall operator in five states, PREIT, shared what they planned to do. The company announced that this year, they would use a plexiglass divider to make sure that the kids are safe when they sit on a bench in front of Santa.
PREIT will also be offering one-on-one Zoom calls with Santa for five minutes. Visitors could record the Zoom call so they could serve as mementos in the future.
© 2021 ParentHerald.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.


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Andrus Ansip - Vice-President for Digital Single Market
Ministers, ladies and gentlemen,
The Eastern Partnership has come a long way since it was launched at the Prague Summit six years ago.
I remember the occasion well: I was present at the time in a different capacity, representing Estonia.
A great deal has happened during that period. The progress has been almost unbelievable.
Association agreements with the European Union.
Visa agreements to ease the movement of people between countries.
Stronger cooperation with the EU in state-building and the rule of law.
Financial and technical cooperation in transport and energy: new international electricity and gas connections.
The list goes on – there is much, much more.
Last month's Fourth Eastern Partnership summit in Riga was a milestone in our relationship.
It reaffirmed our common interest to carry on developing stronger and closer relations with each of our sovereign independent partners.
Now the turn of the digital economy has arrived.
This is a whole new area of cooperation.
As European Commission Vice-President for the Digital Single Market, I am particularly pleased to be involved in developing and promoting this key element of our relationship.
The digital economy can contribute to all the priority areas identified at Riga:
- strengthening institutions and good governance;
- mobility and people-to-people contacts;
- market opportunities and interconnections.
It plays a vital role in social and economic development and in creating growth and jobs – for all countries involved.
Integrating our digital economies will bring our Eastern European partners closer to the European Union.
In Europe, we have built a single market where people, business, services and goods can move freely. It has brought great rewards and prosperity to our people, society and economy.
But it is a long way from being fully digital – and so Europe is losing out on the enormous potential that a digital economy can bring. This is not yet being fully exploited, either in EU or Eastern Partnership countries.
In the EU today, online barriers mean that people are missing out on goods and services:
Only 15% shop online from another EU country. Internet companies and web start-ups cannot take full advantage of growth opportunities online. Just 7% of small and medium-sized businesses sell across EU borders.
These are just a few examples.
A fully functional Digital Single Market could contribute €415 billion per year to our €14 trillion economy and create hundreds of thousands of new jobs.
First, however, these and other regulatory barriers have to be removed so that we can move from 28 national markets to a single one.
That is the main objective of our project to build a Digital Single Market.
It is one of the top priorities of this European Commission.
It contains a series of initiatives based around three main policy pillars:
- to improve access for consumers and businesses to digital goods and services across Europe;
- to make sure there is high-quality infrastructure that works smoothly across Europe. We also need to create the right and fair conditions in the underlying environment;
- to prepare for the future, to maximise the growth potential of the digital economy.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Closer digital integration offers great potential for trade growth and wider economic cooperation – for all of us.
The 75 million consumers of the six partner countries can also enjoy the potential of the Digital Single Market to bring economic growth, to generate more jobs, to improve their people's lives and help businesses.
However, if we are to build a wider European digital market - beyond EU borders - it must be one where everyone operates under the same rules.
I welcome the move to set up a panel for harmonising digital markets, which builds on an initiative from Belarus and is supported by several EU countries.
It will be a good first step in this direction.
If all goes well, the panel could hold its first meeting already this year.
The economic impact of fully aligning digital markets cannot be underestimated.
When put together with other elements of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area, annual growth in Moldova should rise by 5.4%, or by €142 million.
In Georgia, the impact on growth has been estimated at 4.3% - the equivalent of €292 million.
We already have some digital success stories to tell.
Three years after it was set up, the Eastern Partnership network of regulators for electronic communications is now a regional forum for exchange of experience and best practice between partner countries and the EU.
It has led to significant regulatory reforms by the partners, some of which have come about thanks to adopting EU legislation.
Another important success I wish to mention is EaP-Connect.
When it is completed, this project will allow the research and academic communities of the six partner countries to work together in virtual networks with their EU opposite numbers.
Later today, we will witness the signing of this project contract, which is worth €13.7 million with 95% funding from the European Commission.
It is success stories such as these, our common needs and shared vision that bring us together today. There is much that we can achieve together as we work towards digital convergence between our two regions.
As we do this, however, we must maintain and develop the openness of the European market: all companies, regardless of their origin, should be able to compete and trade on an equal footing.
The EU will continue to press for the same openness and effective enforcement of intellectual property rights from our trading partners. Issues such as cybersecurity, trust in online activities, public sector modernisation and digital skills are all essential for fulfilling our digital objectives.
No online barriers, no discrimination.
Full access, with trust and protection of digital content.
These principles are fundamental for our Digital Single Market Strategy. They also work equally well anywhere in the world.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I would like to conclude by quoting President Tusk, the President of the European Council, with some remarks he made after last month's Riga summit.
President Tusk said that our partnership is not about dramatic decisions or taking giant steps forward. It is based on free will, respect and equality – and will go forward step by step, just as the European Union has been built.
I agree wholeheartedly.
Given the history of my own country, I hold the concept and aspirations of the Eastern Partnership close to my heart and follow its progress closely.
It is in everyone's interests, on all sides, for the Eastern Partnership countries to build stronger EU ties, whether in transport, energy or in aligning digital markets – the next stage of our cooperation, which starts today.
In the EU, we have started to build a strong digital economy.
Let us work together now to extend it to the Eastern Partnership.


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The CES 2014 will be bringing us the latest in tech. Amid much tech talk and viral brouhaha, here are three of the phones that are expected to be hot this year at CES:
Samsung: The biggest contender and show stealer of 2013 will be present at the CES 2014 and will be showcasing their latest Galaxy range. Last year they had unveiled the prototype of the Youm that had a flexible display. This year, two things that are expected are the Samsung Galaxy S5 (a possible Sony Xperia Z2 contender) and the Samsung Galaxy Round. The S5 might sport a 16MP camera, 64 bit chip and a metal exterior while the Round may be a prototype that will be flexible.
LG: LG is set to be at the heels of Samsung with their new LG Flex. This too has a flexible display that is only available in South Korea. This is a successful step that includes a daring design with a massive display but its features seem to be pretty standard at 720p-so while LG has surfaced to the top, it is yet to beat Samsung.
ASUS: The company will be launching a new range of Chromebooks and also a five incher MeMO phone. Their launch plan also includes a wearable kit that may be showcased at Computex first. … Read the rest
The HTC One seems to have met its match with the Google and LG offerinG, Nexus 5. Both devices have some pretty impressive features despite the big gap in the release dates. Take a quick look:
Design: The HTC One has a metal exterior with two speakers at the bottom and the top of the phone. This makes the experience more enjoyable when you flip your phone horizontally when viewing images on full screen. The metal body makes this phone a solid one. The Nexus 5 has a black exterior that lacks flare.
Processor: The Nexus 5 is powered with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chip while the HTC darling comes with the 600 chip. Both have 2 GB RAM but the Nexus has an advantage in terms of processor speed. This makes it the fastest device available in the market.
Display: The HTC One wins this round as it has 1920×1080 pixels encased in a 4.7 inch screen. Being an LCD screen and offers better display. The Nexus has a 4.95 inch display with the same resolution of 445 ppi. Both devices offer a stunning display but the HTC One is a better option if you are looking for a good display.
Samsung will be offering their latest after their first seven inch tablet launch soon. The latest prodigy set to be released is the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1. Of course, its biggest rival is already in the open in the avatar of Apple iPad Air. However, we sniff buzz that the Samsung Note 10.1 is set to be the best tablet (buffed with Honeycomb) to ever storm the market.
It has a great screen and apparently outperforms the Apple iPad Air in many respects.
However, it appears that yet another tablet will put these two devices in their places under the ground. The Google Nexus 10.2, for those still acquainted and here’s why:
Display: The Nexus sports a ten inch screen that will be protected by Gorilla Glass and has a resolution of 2650×1600. The iPad Air has a 7 inch screen with a 2048×1536 resolution and the new Galaxy Note comes with a 10.1 inch screen with a resolution of 800×1280 pixels.
Memory: The Nexus 10.1 has a RAM of 3 GB that supports a quad core Snapdragon 800 processor, while the iPad Air has a RAM of one GB and the Galaxy Note comes with 2 GB of RAM.
Camera: The Note 10.2 has a 5MP camera with Led flash and auto focus that can be used with applications too. The Apple iPad Air also has a 5 MP camera with a secondary 0.9 MP camera. However, the reason why we vouch for the latest Nexus 10.1 is that it has a more powerful 8 MP camera. … Read the rest
With New Year just round the corner there are many reasons for you to buy a perfect a piece of tablet for your loved one. We bring to you two most enthralling upcoming Android tablets to choose from.
The first tablet on our platter is Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 10.1: This 64 GB wonder is light as a feather and is one of the best tablet Samsung has to offer this year. What’s more the tablet runs on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean and has a much-improved interface then its predecessor. The USP of the tablet is Samsung’s new feature i.e. TouchWiz UI skin and Smart Stay. Another features of the tablet include TFT touchscreen, 16 million colors with 1280×800 pixels and pixel density is at 149ppi.
Now lets come to, not yet released Google’s new offering; Nexus 10 2. Nexus 10 2 rumors has been making its way to the newsprint for quite a long time now however, there is still no confirmation regarding the release of the tablet. Still from the speculations it seems to be one helluva tablet. The tablet will supposedly come with 10.1-inch screen superb Plane-to-Line Switching TFT touch-screen. The device will also reportedly come with an upgraded Gorilla Class coating and 16 million colors and 299ppi.
It is sure that the tablet will come with Android 4.4 Kit Kat OS and will have a 3GB RAM. The tablet will also come with 64 GB expansion facitily to give users ease to store more movies and films.… Read the rest
iPhone 6 may come with a flexible wraparound display. To get an edge above LG and Samsung phones according to statement released by techradar.com, the Cupertino based company has just been awarded, “A patent for a flexible wraparound display, made using a powder liquidmetal process.”
It is being speculated that Apple will be using the wraparound display in its all upcoming iPhones including the about to be release iPhone 6. With the wraparound display the users will be able to view content on the back, front and sides of the phone.
According to the website the patent has also suggested that, “ The phone will still have non touch surfaces on top and bottom of the phone. Also references have been made that device of different shapes, including a hollow cylinder, a hollow tube with an oval, or even a triangular or rectangular shape could be used”. Does this mean this technology could be used in iwatches also?
Moreover, Apple iPhone 6 would try to create niche in the market with innovative feature rotational motion detection. A number of sensor like gyroscope and accelerometer will be used to control the display as per the viewing angles.
The device which is listed in Antutu’s database is SM-G900F, a same device which leaked another benchmark about the Samsung Galaxy S5
Moreover, Samsung Galaxy S5 may only sport 1920×1080 screen resolution, which is far from QHD level. Although according to G4 Games this could be just the prototype on which Samsung is currently doing the tests.
What may really impress in case of Galaxy S5 is the 16 MP cameras and according to findings of techradar.com the phones will have 2 MP front facing camera.
The MSM8974AC benchmark leak of the phone also revealed that the phone will come with 800 snapdragon processor with 32 GB internal storage.
However, there are speculations that the current benchmarks may not at all belong to Samsung Galaxy S5. It is possible that Samsung is doing these tests for another cheaper version the Galaxy devices.
If Evleaks is to be believed then these benchmarks are for S5. According to one of their reports, “AT&T is testing a version of that high-res Samsung handset (SM-G900A), giving some support to the theory that it’s an int’l flagship (GS5?)”
Let us know what do you think about the leaked benchmarks of rumored Galaxy S5? Do you think these benchmarks will deem true?
Good news for Nexus 10 2 fans. It is being speculated that Nexus 10 2may release soon as Nexus 5 and Nexus 4 price has plummeted due to holiday season. Due to constant delay of the device it was previously predicted that Nexus 10 2 will not release at all. However, as Google slashed down the price of recently released phones (Nexus 5), the buzz is google might after all release Nexus 10 2.
On online retailer website Amazon the price of Nexus 5 has dropped to $485 from $490 and Nexus 4 is available for $345.
Even if the price of Nexus devices has dropped there is no doubt that for some time Nexus phones are dominating the cheaper phone market. According to some analysts’ estimation, there is a chance for 8 million units of second generation Google Nexus to be sold in 2013 worldwide.
Another thing which points to Nexus 10 2 release is the deals and discounts of Nexus7. Apparently, Google is selling its previous devices fast to make way for new Nexus device.
Nexus 10 2 is rumored to come with 10-inch screen display coupled with a pixel density of 2,560 x 1,600. It will also sport Tegra 4 chip processor and will run on Android 4.4 KitKat… Read the rest
Facebook has launched a new feature called autoplay ad and contrary to what Facebook expected, users are quite annoyed by the new feature. In a few days Facebook users will see an autoplay video ad for the new film titled “Divergent” and later the social networking site will add new ads.
Facebook has taken this step to attract the advertisers and in turn get more revenue. However, this could stray away the users, as universally impromptu ads are hated.
After reading about Facebook’s decision to add the autoplay feature one of the users by the name of Staurt Witts tweeted, “Facebook to sell autoplay video ads in news feed. Personally I fear this could prove the final nail in the coffin for the social network.”
So for users like Staurt who fear the autoplay ads here is the way you can block it. According to Matt Peckham of Techlandtime.com, “ You can use the feature called “Click to Flash” to block the plugin in safari and in case of Chrome you can use something called “Flash Block”. Facebook ads use HTML5 to play the autoplay adds and apparently by blocking the plugins you have the choice to play the autoplay ads or not.”
So here is how you can bloack the annoying autoplay ad feature of Facebook or else you have the option of leaving the website altogether.
Let us know what do you think about Facebook’s new feature of autoplay.… Read the rest
Android 4.4 Kit Kat update has been in the market for quite a few days. However, few know about the upgrade plans of Android 4.4 KitKat update on there, HTC Samsung and Nexus devices. Here, we give you a peak at the various manufacturers through whose plans you can upgrade your device to latest Android 4.4 version.
Asus Nexus 7 and Nexus 7 2 both are now upgradable to Android 4.4 KitKat through Over-the-Air update. This update lets you fix bugs and gives your tablet stability features.
HTC One Google Play as well the developers’ edition are now upgradable to Andriod 4.4 through OTA. The buzz is that HTC One sense variant will get the upgrade in the first quarter of 2014. Meanwhile, users of HTC Droid DNA and HTC Butterfly S may have to wait for the firmware update.
Nexus 4, Nexus 5, users can now upgrade their devices to Android 4.4.2. Even LG G Pad 8.3 is now upgradable to KitKat but the users of LG G2 will have to wait till next year for the upgrade.
Motorola has also given green light to KitKat update for Moto X and will starting rolling it out soon. Samsung Galaxy line up and Sony Xperia Z series is the first one to get Android 4.4 KitKat.
So, here is the list of devices and phones which are upgradable to Android 4.4 KitKat. Have you upgraded your device yet?
As the year comes to end we take a look at the top 3 Android Apps of this year.
A must for Twitter lovers, Sesmic offers support to multiple pages and has the best interface amongst all the social networking apps. It gives you access to multiple users and a home page widget shows the latest tweets. The app has an professional and sleek design which makes it the top most android app.
Facebook For Android
With the recent update Facebook for Android has become one of the most popular apps. Unlike its previous version, the new version lets you check your inbox. What really impresses in this app is that all you messages automatically come on your phone screen. The app is fast, clean and stable making it our second choice amongst the Android apps in 2014.
National Rail Enquires
It gives you ease of checking the train timings and schedule . The National Rail enquires is a paid app and lets you check live train times, plan your journeys, and get notifications of delays.
Once you have entered your home and work station it will bring to all the trains available and schedule.
So here are the top 3 Android Apps of 2013, take your pick


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Seven in 10 Americans ages 50 and older own a smartphone, says the AARP in research [PDF], and those Americans are most likely to use their devices for messaging. In fact, almost 9 in 10 smartphone owners of this age send or receive instant messages or emails on their devices, per the report.
There are several other activities performed by a a majority of smartphone owners ages 50 and older on their devices. These are:
- Getting directions or traffic information (77%);
- Downloading or purchasing an app (69%);
- Visiting websites or surfing the internet (64%);
- Getting news and other information (62%); and
- Accessing a social networking site (60%).
Not far behind, almost half (45%) use their smartphone’s voice-activated assistant.
Virtually all smartphone activities are performed to a greater extent by owners in their 50s than those ages 70 and older. That’s especially true for shopping activities, whether they be comparative shopping for deals and discounts or actually making a purchase. For example, while close to half (45%) of smartphone owners in their 50s make purchases on their devices, that figure plummets to fewer than one-fifth (19%) of device owners ages 70 and up. Read the rest at MarketingCharts.com.


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Facebook is testing a pop-up alert for iPhone and iPad users that will emphasize the gains of collecting personal data. The move comes ahead of Apple’s upcoming privacy changes that have threatened to disrupt Facebook’s core business.
Apple is planning to make it a requirement for apps to seek explicit permission from users before they collect any personal data or track their digital footprint.
Facebook now says it will prompt users, alongside Apple, in an effort to remind them how personalized ads “support small businesses and keep apps free,” the company said in a blog post titled “Speaking up for Small Businesses.”
“As we shared in December, we disagree with Apple’s approach, but will be showing their prompt to ensure stability for the businesses and people who use our services,” Facebook said in the post.
Facebook has protested Apple’s plans by going as far as putting out ads in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post. The tech giant has warned investors that the intended privacy changes will hurt its business if users deny permission.
“Apple has every incentive to use their dominant platform position to interfere with how our apps and other apps work, which they regularly do, to preference their own,” Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on a conference call with analysts in January. “This impacts the growth of millions of businesses around the world, including with the upcoming iOS 14 changes. Many small businesses will no longer be able to reach their customers with targeted ads.”
Facebook said they decided to develop the pop-up notification as Apple allows the developer to explain why it wants certain permissions for tracking “We feel that people deserve the additional context, and Apple has said that providing education is allowed,” Facebook said in the blog post.
Apple said that the developers are free to do so “so long as you are transparent to users about your use of the data in your explanation. … Apps must respect the user’s permission settings and not attempt to manipulate, trick, or force people to consent to unnecessary data access.”


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- Reads from WWW
Thursday, 23 Mar 2017
To show its confidence in product quality after the Galaxy Note7 crisis, Samsung is said to offer unconditional refund option wherein Galaxy S8 buyers can use the phone for three months and can get their money back if the smartphone doesn't meet their needs.
Friday, 17 Mar 2017
Users can now watch video attachments on Gmail. The video can still be downloaded, but clicking on the file will now let you watch on a YouTube-like video player. It will now let users play the clip back, adjust quality and sound levels, and stream it to a Chromecast device.
The Germany-based high-end watchmaker, Montblanc, has revealed its first luxury smartwatch – the Summit. The device is expected to run on Android Wear 2.0 and will have a starting price of USD 890.
We’re now convinced, Google knows everything. The company is now working on another experimental messaging app – the Supersonic Fun Voice Messenger app. The new app transcribes everything, and replaces words with emoji where it can. Isn’t it fun?
Tuesday, 14 Mar 2017
Fifteen months after acquiring key assets from Rdio, Pandora is now ready to launch its music streaming service – Pandora Premium. The service will start rolling out to U.S. users on March 15.
Monday, 13 Mar 2017
Nearly two years after announcing the Project Jacquard, Google’s connected Levi’s jacket is ready for its launch this last quarter of the year. Google also announced that the first smart denim jacket will be priced at USD 350.
Android users enjoy the perks of customizing their home screens with launchers, icon packs, and widgets. Fortunately, Google wants to make personalizing home screens easier. The company has launched the Android Taste Test that personalized home screen based on a series of questions.
Google has recalled faulty Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones that were apparently shipped with malfunctioning microphones. Meanwhile, the company claimed that they do believe that this is a hardware issue and software updates will not fix it.
Tag Heuer will be announcing its next smartwatch on March 14. It could be the first modular customizable smartwacth in the market as it is said to allow users to switch between the Android Wear 2.0 body and a more traditional automatic movement.
Seeing opportunities in the growing connected auto market, Samsung has completed the acquisition of audio leader HARMAN. The completion of the transaction took place months after the Korean giant announced the buy for the price of approximately USD 8-billion.


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Invoices are the most common business documents in the world, yet businesses large and small still face myriad challenges in managing invoices. Muhammad Anjum believes blockchain technology can change that, and as he shared on the second day of the BSV Global Blockchain Convention, he is doing it all on the BSV blockchain at scale.
Anjum is the Team Leader at InvoiceMate, an invoice management company that caters to a client’s needs from invoice generation to payment and recording. In his presentation, Anjum, who is also the head of the BSV Hub in Dubai, talked about the challenges companies face with their invoices, how he solves them and his big ambitions for the future.
As simple as a document like an invoice, it is essential for any business. Despite this, challenges abound, including duplication, loss or damage to invoices, insecurities in the review and approval processes, and numerous frauds. This makes even large financial institutions reluctant to finance bills, no matter how lucrative.
InvoiceMate chains every process in the invoicing journey, from invoice creation to payment and funding. Each step of the billing journey is assigned a unique digital fingerprint via NFTs, and everything is put on the BSV blockchain.
Anjum told the audience that he chose the BSV blockchain “because for a real use case, you need a real blockchain.” BSV has proven it can handle large amounts of data while keeping transaction fees low, unlike some like Solana, which caved under pressure, and others like Ethereum, where fees skyrocket when usage increases. Anjum understands how far ahead BSV is, having started with private registries before migrating to BSV.
“[BSV] helps businesses do things on the blockchain with low cost, high throughput, and most importantly, its power-efficient proof-of-work blockchain is the best,” he said.
Over the past year, InvoiceMate has focused on commercial customers, many of which are corporations. However, it has now developed a plug-and-play lite version for its retail customers, which anyone can access through an app and start invoicing on the blockchain.
Know your bill and why it matters
In the business world, knowing your customer and knowing your business are essential to compliance requirements. Anjum introduced knowing your bill (KYI), and as he told the audience, it’s just as important in today’s world.
Invoice processing is tricky for most financial institutions as they can be changed, manipulated and even under or overcharged. But with all billing details available on the blockchain, “you get complete real-time visibility without any fraud.”
In addition to eradicating fraud, KYI allows users to profile the risks of their customers. One can easily retrieve all billing and payment details related to a user as the blockchain is immutable. KYI also offers users real-time trade settlement and monitoring along with process automation which ultimately makes the process paperless and reduces costs.
As an added bonus, InvoiceMate enables its users to source invoice financing from the digital asset industry, tapping into a $1 trillion market beyond the traditional banking system.
Born in Pakistan and now residing in Dubai, Anjum fully understands the Islamic financial and payment system – and it is much stricter than anywhere else in the world, he said. In addition to observing conventional financial laws, Islamic businesses must be Sharia compliant. InvoiceMate is building an ecosystem that provides liquidity to SMEs that cannot obtain financing from traditional institutions, while being Sharia-compliant, he said.
Anjum has big goals for InvoiceMate, he revealed. By the third quarter of the year, he intends to make the platform a complete accounting system powered by the BSV blockchain and, by the end of next year, to make it a full accounting system. enterprise resource planning (ERP) software company, all on-chain.
Watch the BSV Global Blockchain Convention Dubai 2022 Day 1 here:
Watch the BSV Global Blockchain Convention Dubai 2022 Day 2 here:
Watch the BSV Global Blockchain Convention Dubai 2022 Day 3 here:
New to Bitcoin? Discover CoinGeek bitcoin for beginners section, the ultimate resource guide to learn more about Bitcoin – as originally envisioned by Satoshi Nakamoto – and blockchain.


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Apple has hired a senior executive from Swiss luxury watch brand Tag Heuer as it prepares to launch its iWatch.
Tag Heuer, a unit of luxury goods group LVMH, said its vice-president for sales, Patrick Pruniaux, is leaving the company on 7 July to join Apple. His role at Apple has not been revealed.
Apple is expected to launch the iWatch in the autumn, foraying into the personal luxury goods market.
The iPhone maker's rivals including Google and Samsung have already launched wearable fashion products, as the smartphone market becomes increasingly saturated.
Just like its smartphones, Apple wants its iWatch to be stylish and good-looking.
Earlier, the company hired Angela Ahrendts from Burberry as its new retail chief. In 2013, it hired Paul Deneve, CEO of French luxury label Yves Saint Laurent, who is rumoured to be working with the iWatch division.
Jean-Claude Biver, head of LVMH's watch brands, told CNBC that the new role represents a great opportunity for Pruniaux.
"If it had been a direct competitor, I would have felt a bit betrayed, but if he goes to Apple I think it is a great experience for him," Biver said.
Apple is preparing to launch an iWatch which is expected to have multiple health and fitness sensors and access to features such as messages and notifications through integration with the iPhone and iPad.


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Retail rents continue to recover amidst improve shopper traffic and retail sales
Prime retail rents increased for the first time in four years.
Retail rents continue to recover for the rest of 2022 and into 2023 on the back of improved shopper traffic and retail sales, according to a report by CBRE.
Retail indicators continued to improve alongside the easing of the border and domestic restrictions from April 2022. Retail sales (excluding motor vehicles) for July and August 2022 grew by 14.6% and 13.9% year-on-year (YoY) respectively, on the back of higher sales in the wearing apparel & footwear industry.
CBRE said there was more optimism this quarter, as tourists and business travellers coming in for the FormulaOne Singapore Grand Prix and MICE events are anticipated to bring about increased footfall and retail spending.
ALSO READ: Why condo resale prices surged in September
Leasing activity started to pick up in Q3 2022., with demand primarily driven by F&B operators. There were also a few local online fashions and athleisure retailers opening their maiden physical stores as they sought to capitalise on the reopening of Singapore’s borders and its economic recovery. CBRE Research observed that these stores occupied secondary corridors of prime shopping malls to enhance omnichannel experiences and showcase new collections.
CBRE also said that islandwide prime retail rents increased for the first time in four years.
With increased return-to-office and recovering visitor arrivals, retail rents for Orchard Road, City Hall/Marina Centre and Fringe areas embarked on a nascent recovery in Q3 2022. CBRE Research data shows average prime floor rent in Orchard Road rose 0.7% quarter-on-quarter (QoQ) to $34.45 psf/mth, though it was still 10.9% below pre-COVID-19 levels. The suburban market continued to outperform due to its resilient local catchment, coupled with extremely limited availability.
“In the near term, retailers may continue to face challenges such as manpower shortage, higher operating costs, ongoing competition from e-commerce, a potential economic slowdown and an impending GST hike in 2023. Nonetheless, with improved mobility and a below-historical average new retail supply in the next few years,” CBRE said.


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Level-headed Secrets For [fashion] Recommendations
Some Answers On Finding Elements For
The Launceston Chamber of Commerce will host a retailers' forum to discuss ways of improving the city's retail in coming weeks. Launceston Chamber of Commerce chief executive officer Neil Grose said the city needed a long-term plan. "We do need an overall parking strategy. We do need longer parking on the street in certain areas," he said. "We really have to think about Launceston in terms of five years, 10 years and 15 years into the future, because the face of retail is changing. "We have to be more about customer service, having great product range and having things that people can't get online." Mr Henty added that retail shops needed to look at the way they marketed themselves, and ensure they had a good online presence. "We see that 75 per cent of people are finding where they're going to shop or eat only online, so having a fantastic online presence and being on social media platforms is really important to drive visitation," Mr Henty said. Photo: Cloth owner Kate Gibson and manager Sarah Birchmore in their Launceston shop. The manager of clothes store Cloth in George Street has suggested introducing a #GeorgeStreetStyle social media hashtag.
For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-18/retailers-take-action-after-sales-drop/10259038


text: It is quite incredible how loyal the British are to the Balearics. Despite all the negative publicity the Balearics has received, in some cases quite rightly, the islands are still the number one holiday destination for the British. When you take into account that the Balearics are no longer a cheap holiday destination this loyalty factor is even more amazing. For the first time in ten years the number of British tourists outnumbered the Germans last month. The German market has slumped for a variety of reasons but their love affair, which saw German tourism soar to over the three million mark, appears to be coming to an end. German tourism to Majorca alone last month fell by 17 percent, a real slump. The tourist tax, cheaper competing resorts and the economic crisis have all lead to this decline. I think the Balearic Ministry for tourism should seriously think about giving British tourism an award because they stick with the Balearics whatever happens. It must also be quite pleasing for the local authorities to see that British tourism is concerned about local resorts. The letters of complaints we have received about Puerto Pollensa were written in concern rather than anger. I doubt that the problems which Puerto Pollensa is experiencing at the moment will result in many tourists not returning next year, it's more a case of wanting to see some improvement. Now the German honeymoon is entering its last phases it would be quite nice to see Balearic minister for tourism Celesti Alomar praising British tourists for their loyalty. I think if anyone deserves an award this year it is the bucket and spade British tourist. While others may doubt Majorca the British will always come, simply because they have been coming for almost three generations. How lucky Majorca is to have such loyalty.