text:
At an event today in Japan celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Metal Gear series, Konami revealed that a new, open-world Metal Gear Solid game is on the way.
The game -- titled Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes -- runs on Konami's new Fox Engine. And...well, that's all that's really known for sure at the moment. According to event attendees, a demo of the game (running on a PC with current-gen specs) showed Snake crawling to avoid searchlights, doing a quick stealth kill, and calling a helicopter in for evacuation. No other details on the game's release were included, though Konami has since unveiled one piece of game-related artwork.
The Ground Zeroes wasn't the only bit of news to emerge from the event. Other things of note: a Metal Gear mobile game, Metal Gear Solid: Social Ops, will be hitting tablets and smartphones later this year, and an MGS movie is in the works.


text:
CountryMax, the Ontario-county based chain of pet, farm and garden stores, is planning to return to Batavia in Spring 2019.
The family owned company had operated a store in Batavia for 17 years, but closed in February, citing the inability to make the store viable. The business’ 10-year lease was also ending.
The new location at 4160 Veterans Memorial Drive formerly housed an OfficeMax store and most recently a Spirit Halloween store. Unlike the previous locations on East Main Street, the new store will be surrounded by retail stores and will be 9,000 square feet larger.
The move follows the company’s strategy over the last decade or so of building larger stores while maintaining the feel of a feed store. The Batavia store will be among the largest CountryMax stores, at 23,000 square feet. Plans call for making the former big box store resemble a barn with a wood façade, covered porches and gable roof over the entryway.
The Batavia store will be the 17th in the chain, which began 34 years ago as an Agway store in Farmington, Ontario County.
“We were extremely disappointed when we shut our doors in our previous Batavia location, because we knew that our customers in Batavia were so loyal in a location that did not fully showcase what we have developed our stores to be over the years,” said Brad Payne, director of sales for CountryMax.
“Once we found the right opportunity, it was really just a decision on our part to give the Batavia community the true CountryMax experience that we have been working on in our new locations. I think anyone who shopped with us in the past knows we have a huge, unique selection of products that fits the Batavia area, and they are going to be thrilled to see the amount of time, effort, and work that goes into creating the new CountryMax store experience,” Payne said.
[email protected]/(585) 363-7275=

domain: news


text:
Next generation of Mini with 'more space and larger boot' to be unveiled by BMW
Car giant BMW is to unveil the design of its next-generation Mini today at its factory in Oxford, where the iconic British car has been made for more than half a century.
The latest version will be the third since the marque became part of the German car maker in 2000 after the break-up of its previous owner Rover Group.
The design of the car has been kept under wraps, but sightings during test drives hint that the new model will have more space for passengers and a larger boot. It is also likely to have docking stations for smartphones and tablets.
Unveiling: BMW will reveal the design of its new-look Mini tomorrow in Oxford.
The Mini has proved popular with car buyers since its relaunch in 2002. German car manufacturer BMW, which acquired the Mini’s original manufacturer Rover Group in 2000, said it sold 75,482 in the three months to the end of September, up 5.8 per cent compared to a year earlier. Total sales of the Mini this year are 224,280.
In its last set of published results BMW also reported sales of 481,657 BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce brand cars marking a new record and up 10.7 per cent from the previous year.
There are plans to relaunch the entire Mini range. The Mini Clubman will switch to a larger and more conventional sporting estate car in its second generation, Autocar magazine reported last week.
BMW launches its three-door hatchback later today at 9pm with a new convertible and five-door hatchback versions also due.
Meanwhile, the Government's Technology Strategy Board has announced a £1.14million grant for 15 firms in the Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire area dubbed 'Motorsport Valley'.
The region is home to leading Formula 1 teams including Red Bull and McLaren and there are 3,500 local businesses linked to motoring technology with global sales of £7billion.
Most watched Money videos
- Yo! promo shows how customers will be served post-lockdown
- What next for shares after the post-crash bounce?
- The all new Ford Puma is unveiled by Ford
- Brabus launches the Invicto - capable of withstanding explosions
- Is Japan an investment opportunity in the coronavirus storm?
- Classic 1987 Ford Sierra RS Cosworth is heading to auction
- Jaguar car showrooms prepare to reopen after coronavirus lockdown
- Aston Martin reveals sneak peak of its first ever motorcycle
- Lamborghini teams up with Italian boat builder to create superyacht
- Jaguar Land Rover introduce safety measures to reopen factory
- Ineos reveals its brand new model Grenadier 4X4
- Robbie Savage swaps places with Margot Robbie to talk about scams


text:
Entering the third week of the new paid parking system, the software glitches have apparently been fixed, but the bad feelings among many local merchants have not been soothed.
“Up on Main Street, we are calling it Katz’s folly,” said Fred Lemister, the owner of Rudy’s Liquor Store, alluding to Cooperstown Mayor Jeff Katz. “I have yet to find a merchant to say a good thing about paid parking.”
Lemister said that his business, which has been owned by his family since the 1940s, is down about $100 a day in June compared to 2012 revenues. He said he attributes the drop to local customers deciding not to pay for parking, adding that the problems are greater for businesses like his that are not tourist focused.
Paid parking “is everything we said it would be, a detriment to business,” Lemister said.
“We rely on local customers, but the local customers are not shopping here right now,” he continued. “They say they won’t pay money to park just so they can shop in our store. I can’t blame them, I wouldn’t pay to park so I could shop in my store either. People have been saying, ‘We pay taxes to the village. We shouldn’t have to pay to park also.’”
Katz said he understands the anger of some merchants.
“To pin it on me is fine, I am the mayor,” he said. “I understand if the anger is directed at me.”
Katz said that he is concerned about the health of local businesses, but that he is also concerned about the overall health of the village. This week he released a 10-point “brief synopsis of Cooperstown finances” to help explain the need for paid parking in the tourist season.
“The village government has to be a sustainable system,” he said. “No one says the roads and sidewalks are fine and the village shouldn’t worry about fixing them. It is the question of how do we do this that people have different opinions about.”


text:
The StarPhoenix sat down with CEO Brendan King to talk about the city’s growing tech centre and what’s next for the company he started more than a decade ago.
- Digital marketing solutions provider captures 309k while reducing vendor clutter
- Agency gains $46K in Marketplace revenue from online presence solutions
- Vendasta Celebrates 15-year Anniversary
- Brian Shelton named Vendasta Chief Financial Officer
- Agency achieves 243% increase in monthly recurring revenue in less than one year


text:
In China, local and import PP prices have been trading almost on par since late March. According to ChemOrbis Price Wizard, this situation has started to change over the past 2-3 weeks and the locally held prices regained their premium over imports.
Import homo-PP prices have been under downward pressure coming from the lower crude oil, naphtha and propylene prices. Crude oil prices traded mostly below US$40 barrel this week before recovering slightly over this threshold as the week drew to an end. Meanwhile, Asian naphtha prices shed US$45/ton on the week and spot propylene prices in Asia recorded around US$150/ton drops when compared to the previous week. However, the drop on January PP futures on the Dalian Commodity Exchange was smaller given the Chinese Central Bank’s decision to pump 150 bln Yuan (US$23.4 bln) into the market in order to offset the effects of increasing capital outflows from a weakening economy and declining stock market. The bank also cut its one-year lending rate and one-year deposit rate by 25 basis points.
In China’s import homo-PP market, prices broke below the US$1000/ton threshold while any prices above US$1000/ton are expected to fade away soon given the very weak demand. The theoretical cost to produce PP, based on spot propylene costs, are $85/ton below the low end of the import offer range in China. A trader complained, “Even offers at around US$950/ton fail to grab any serious buying interest from buyers who anticipate further decreases in the days ahead.” Apart from the bearish upstream developments, the recent devaluation of the Chinese Yuan has also been affective on weakening the demand for US denominated imports and players mostly turned to the local market, where they can meet their urgent needs promptly. This situation also helped local prices regain their premium again. However, according to ChemOrbis, locally held PP prices appear to be under renewed downward pressure coming from the weaker import market, which may pull down the distribution market levels again.


text:
To celebrate the 36th anniversary of Black History Month, Nike is releasing a collection of new footwear and apparel styles that’ll surely have people foaming at the mouth. The limited edition footwear from Nike Basketball and Nike Sportswear is meant to honor the achievements and pioneering spirit of three important teams: 1996 USA Basketball Women’s team, 2002 Brazil Men’s Soccer team, and the 2008 Kenyan Long-Distance running team.
Designers have come up with a distinct graphic print featured on all the shoes, and is inspired by International African culture. The collection will feature dark grey-based versions of the Nike Zoom KD IV, Nike Kobe VII System Supreme and LEBRON 9. Nike Sportswear shoes include the Nike Air Force 1, Nike Air Max 1, Nike Blazer and 2012 Nike Huarache Free, and the select apparel styles include the Nike Destroyer jacket, T-shirt and snapback hat.
The Nike Black History Month Collection will be available at select retailers this month and at NikeStore.com beginning February 11.
What do you think?
Follow Sean on Twitter at @SEANesweeney.
Follow Dime on Twitter at @DimeMag.
Become a fan of Dime Magazine on Facebook HERE.


text:
DUBAI: Saudi Aramco, one of the world’s largest integrated energy and chemicals companies, is the highest-placed newcomer on the Kantar BrandZ Most Valuable Global Brands 2022 rankings.
With a value of more than $99 billion, it claimed 16th position on the list and is the only Middle Eastern company to earn a place in the Top 20. Since its initial public offering in 2019, Aramco has become one of the biggest publicly traded companies by market capitalization.
Nico Stouthart, a senior partner Kantar’s consulting division in New York, and Aramco client lead, said: “I am excited to see Aramco entering the global BrandZ ranking as the highest newcomer at position 16.
“This is very much in line with their exciting ambition to further drive their global presence by pioneering innovative technologies that will positively impact people and the communities they live in.”
Amol Ghate, managing director of the Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan for Kantar’s Insights Division, added: “We are excited to see the first brand born in the region enter the top 20 most valuable brands.”
Apple returned to the top the list with a brand value of more than $947 billion and is on track to become the first trillion-dollar brand, according to Kantar. It added that the brand stands out for its high degree of differentiation and continued diversification across its hardware, software and services portfolio.
Google moved up to second place and was one of the fastest risers in the rankings, increasing its brand value by 79 percent to $819.6 billion. Amazon, the top brand on last year’s list, dropped to third with a brand value of $705.6 billion, an increase of 3 percent.
The list is dominated by media, entertainment and technology businesses, with Microsoft and Chinese multimedia company Tencent completing the top five. The consumer technology sector also saw the highest average growth (46 percent) this year, with Nvidia at No. 11 on the list, IBM at No. 18 and Adobe at No. 19.
Among the social media giants, only Facebook and Instagram made it into the top 20, at No. 8 and No. 20 respectively. In the media and entertainment category, the top three of Google, Facebook and Instagram were followed in the top 10 by YouTube, WeChat, Netflix, Disney, LinkedIn, TikTok and Snapchat.
This year’s list also reflects the relative strength of Chinese brands, two of which made the Top 10: Tencent at No. 5 and Alibaba at No. 9. China was also the only market offering any competition to US brands in the media and entertainment category, with WeChat at No. 5 and TikTok at No. 9.
Brands with a wide-ranging portfolio must innovate and diversify their offerings to grow, Kantar said, as evidenced by brands such as Apple, Google and Amazon that have expanded their services across technology, entertainment and digital payment.
“Strong brand affinity underpins a customer’s willingness to pay and has never been more important for organizations looking to offset spiking inflation,” said Martin Guerrieria, the head of Kantar BrandZ.
“This year’s results show us the value of continued investment in brand and marketing capabilities as a means of maximizing business returns, irrespective of market conditions.”
The combined value of the world’s Top 100 most valuable brands increased by 23 percent to $8.7 trillion over the past year, Kantar said, highlighting the importance of brand strength in navigating an unsettled global economy.
This year, brands needed to exceed a total valuation of $21.219 billion to earn a place on the list and qualify as one of the world’s biggest brands, a threshold that has increased more than fourfold since the debut of the list in 2006.


text:
COVID-19 is causing increased churn rates in the UK’s wealth market. Almost a third of providers believe that client loyalty to their wealth manager’s brand decreased after the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Large wealth managers in particular need to prioritise fostering client attachment or risk seeing churn rates skyrocket. UK wealth managers must start working on brand.
COVID-19-induced market turbulence is having a significant effect on the UK’s wealth market. GlobalData‘s 2020 UK Financial Advisors Survey found that 13.8% of financial advisers listed the impact of the pandemic as the principle threat to their business, making it the top concern among wealth managers in the UK. In addition, survey data shows that more than two thirds of UK private wealth managers (those serving the HNW) agree that the pandemic and resulting market turbulence are having a negative effect on client retention rates (while only 21.2% disagree).
Increased market volatility and resulting portfolio losses can have a major impact on loyalty. However, data from our 2020 UK Financial Advisors Survey shows that the picture is varied, with larger players disproportionately negatively affected. The proportion of wealth managers reporting decreasing client loyalty jumps from 16.2% among players with fewer than 100 clients to 43.3% among those with more than 1,000 clients. Given the more pronounced economic and financial impacts of COVID-19 on smaller players due to their lack of economies of scale, this is welcome news for this segment.
We also see strong differences with regards to consumers’ perception of and loyalty to their wealth manager’s brand versus their financial adviser. Regardless of company size, the negative impacts of COVID-19 on loyalty were more pronounced on a wealth manager’s brand than on clients’ relationships with their advisers.
Wealth managers need to be aware of the increasingly commoditised nature of the advice market, making personals relationships more important. This means consumers are more likely to have attachment to an adviser rather than a wealth manager’s brand – and should an adviser move on, they are likely to take their clients with them. To minimise this risk, firms should pay greater attention to brand management and seek to bind investors to their brand rather than just an adviser, especially as churn rates are creeping up again.


text:
Update: It’s becoming hard to tell from the pictures below, but we are receiving reports of several hundreds of people waiting in lines at now a dozen locations. A tally of reports from people waiting in line in Canada and in the US accounts for over
6,000 10,000 13,000 16,000 20,000 people./
Yesterday we reported on a few brave people prepared to camp outside to be among the first people to reserve a Tesla Model 3 this morning. Last night they were joined by many others and today it is resulting in several long queues at Tesla stores around the world like in Frankfurt, Germany as seen above.
Tesla stores in Asia and Australia started taking reservations about 12 hours ago and European stores in the past few hours – North America will follow in just a few hours.
At some locations, more than a hundred people have been spotted queuing up in front Tesla’s retail stores before they could can even see the car since it will only be unveiled tonight at Tesla’s Design Studio in Hawthorne, California, at 8:30pm Pacific (3:30 UTC).
Here’s a picture of a Tesla store in a mall in Stockholm, Sweden where an estimated ~130 people are waiting in line:
An impressive line was also reported in Zurich, Switzerland just before the store started taking reservations:
In Düsseldorf, Germany next to the Apple store where the iPhone SE is also about to be available:
People are lining up in Austin, Texas:
Here’s a gallery of a few locations via Reddit:
Seth is at Mt Kisco NY to place his reservation and he reports that already about 50 people are waiting in line:
Andreas from Sweden sent us of picture of the Gothenburg store 10 minutes before opening:
About 150-200 people waiting in line in Raleigh, NC:
Estimates suggest that ~1,000 people are lining up at Tesla Colorado – Lone Tree-Park Meadows. Kimbal Musk, Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s brother, was on-site:
Tesla shared a picture of a decent size queue at its Hong Kong location where reservations have already started:
Same thing in Japan:
A few people were camping at Tesla Montreal last night. About 25 people were ready to reserve the Model 3 in the early hours this morning and now already over
80 100 people are reported waiting at the location with still a few hours before the doors open:
Update: The line in Montreal is reportedly more than 200 people long:
If you want to reserve the Model 3, Tesla revealed all the reservation process details per region and here’s everything we know about the vehicle, as well as our exclusive Tesla Model 3 leaked specs.
You can also join us later today for our coverage of the event and livestream at 8:30pm Pacific (3:30 UTC).
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Lines at all three locations in Sweden:
Lineup at the Tesla Toronto Lawrence Store this morning:
long line in VA: https://twitter.com/andrewket/status/715529057312579584/video/1
Heres a little video of the tokyo morning reservations if you want to add that http://youtu.be/pqb9tONDzI0. Very excited to see this going on around the world.
Washington DC store had nearly 200 people at 10 AM; Bethesda MD had double.
I just ordered a Model 3 in Minneapolis. I got in line at 7:30 and was number 77. By 10:00 opening there were at least 400 people in line, many reserving 2 cars.
Line at Nashville Tennessee was about 50 people when I arrived 1 hour after they opened.
Line had evaporated when I left. I expect they will get a lunch time rush.
Scottsdale, AZ line got up to about 650 people by the time the doors opened. And there was a marriage proposal in the line (she said yes).
I feel all of this so unfair for all the…naysayers! :):):)
Colorado had hundreds of people. There were about 50 people at the main line inside, 15 at the line in front of the store on the lower level, and scads outside.
Thought I’d be smart and go to the Santana Row Tesla in Santa Clara, CA two hours after the store opened only to be the 331st in line. 90 minutes later, it took three minutes to reserve.
650 people at Rocklin store (Sacramento)


text: Why Do Security Tags Have Ink In Them? April 2, 2018Security TagsSteve Jacobs If you’ve ever picked up a piece of clothing at a retail store and noticed a security tag filled with ink, you may have wondered the purpose of it –– for those who aren’t in the retail security industry, it can feel like a drastic measure. But there’s an important reason security tags are filled with ink –– it can be a helpful measure for retailers and deter potential shoplifters.If an item with an ink tag is purchased at a store, the cashier will remove it with a special device called a detacher after the customer pays. But if a shoplifter tries to sneak out of a store with an item that still has an ink tag attached, they won’t be able to remove it without destroying the garment. Ink tags pose no risk or inconvenience to well-intentioned buyers but are a deterrence for anyone who may try to steal from a retailer. If the ink tag is broken without the proper tag remover, ink will leak on the item, which will ruin it and make it less appealing to a shoplifter. It’s a simple system that’s surprisingly effective, and it can stop a business from falling victim to shoplifting, a crime that costs U.S. retailers a staggering $50 billion each year, according to the National Retail Foundation. If you’re a store owner who wants to prevent shoplifting before it becomes a problem for your company, ink tags are one way to stop theft from occurring. Of course, ink tags are just one aspect of retail security, and there are more measures you should take to make sure your company is secure. At Retail Security Group, we make loss prevention easier thanks to our retail security tags and detection systems. When you’re a retailer, you want to make sure your inventory is protected and safe from criminals, and that’s where we come in. If you need customized security tags, labels, hardware or anything else related to retail security, give us a call at 1-888-909-8247.


text:
The Trump administration set the internet ablaze when it issued an executive order that sets a firm date for a TikTok ban. That Tencent-owned WeChat would also be included was something of a surprise.
The Montana TikTok ban is now facing a lawsuit from parent company ByteDance, on the basis of violation of Constitutional rights and assorted federal laws. The ban is not slated to take effect until January 2024, and legal challenges were expected in the interim.
While we wait for the social media companies to become fully transparent and show us that they’re taking all their users' privacy and security seriously, it’s up to the brands and marketers to be the change makers. Soon data privacy will be the issue for brands, just like sustainability and diversity.
TikTok is currently working on opening the first of its European data centers in Dublin, as it faces the prospect of a ban if it does not come into compliance with EU rules under the Digital Services Act (DSA).
The UK has followed the US in enacting a TikTok ban that applies to government devices, citing national security concerns. The ban is part of a broader review of potential social media app threats.
The former TikTok employee worked as a risk manager in the company's Safety Operations division for six months and claims that a "complete re-engineering" of the app is the only way to secure user data.
In line with the Trump administration's recent overtures toward a nationwide TikTok ban, the new bill if passed would ban TikTok on all devices throughout the US government.
The Trump administration had proposed banning TikTok as a national security threat. Cybersecurity researchers from the University of Toronto have come to a different conclusion, though with caveats.
The surveillance concerns surrounding TikTok are legitimate, yet they are no more legitimate than the spyware potential of countless Chinese IoT devices.
Montana's TikTok ban is the first of its kind to become law if it survives the inevitable legal challenges. A group of content creators is already challenging the ban in court, claiming First Amendment violations and overreach by the state in invoking national security powers.


text:
A new update headed to owners will make it a lot easier to watch footage captured on these systems.
We loved the concept at Villa d'Este, and now the production version will haunt our dreams until its released.
Prime members bought more than 175 million items during the shopping event last year.
Jumbo M-Series, P-Series and PX-Series Quantum sets are discounted to Black Friday prices.
Apple updated 10 games to help keep you entertained while social distancing.
The award-winning hit show will keep you hooked, make you laugh and even teach you some Spanish.
A space snowball tossed our way from another star system has gone all melty and crumbly.
The cooking competition show returns because what the world needs right now is baked goods.


text:
The UK Games Fund has announced a new round of funding, giving money to 12 independent game studios.
The chosen developers will receive three monthly payments of $2718 (£2000) or $8154 in total (£6000) to help them further their concept development and funding request.
The 12 recipient studios are:
- Dull Dude
- Factori Studios
- Fancy Goods Studios
- Infinite Whys
- Stray Basilisk
- Team Artichoke
- Triplevision Games
- Wydren Games
- Yaldi Games
“This is the first time we’ve run two rounds of funding back-to-back, both offering slightly different levels of support for those selected. We’ve elected to run the 2021 funding year in this way as we’re all too familiar with the continued demand for UK Games Fund grant support, but finite resources to award to successful applicants,” said Paul Durrant, Director, and Founder of UK Games Fund.
“Since launching in 2015, we’ve iterated – and will continue to do so – the packages we offer our community in response to their needs; this year, we’ve tailored Rounds 7 and 8 to the typical applicants we see – namely, the studios that are set up and ready to go with larger grants and those that are just starting out as indie devs with a need for more time to develop their pitch for funding.”
Sally Sheppard, Founder and Director of Wyrdren Games, commented: “I am incredibly excited to have Spellbound: The Magic Within chosen for funding; this opportunity will help to elevate the project. I am thrilled to be able to use this funding to provide opportunities and grow the team at Wyrdren Games.”
The 12 selected indie studios will attend networking events to promote the games they’re developing. Furthermore, the selected studios can also apply for the UK Games Fund’s next round of funding next year for additional funds to continue the development of their games.
With the number of funded projects in the UK Games Fund’s portfolio approaching 200, the community’s newest members are some of Great Britain’s most exciting independent developers.
Send your news to firstname.lastname@example.org


text:
Tea production breaches 1 bn kg-mark
The tea production of India surpassed the 1 billion mark after it was supported by small tea cultivators. The achievement was made following a major exercise initiated by the industry regulator, the Tea Board of India, to bring within the net all segments of tea producers — organised and unorganised — many of whom were not reporting their crop statistics. This step revealed that India had actually produced 75 million kg more than the 988 million it was estimated to have produced b/w January and December 2011.
|View All E-Books: Recent Release|


text:
Marks & Spencer today (Thursday, June 8th) has announced the launch of the M&S Beauty Takeback Scheme. The renowned retailer has partnered with HANDLE, a specialist in beauty recycling, to introduce a remarkable initiative called the Beauty Takeback Scheme. This scheme will be implemented in over 40 Marks & Spencer stores throughout the United Kingdom.
The M&S Beauty Takeback Scheme aims to address the challenge of recycling beauty packaging materials and components that often find their way to landfills. With this collaboration, these hard-to-recycle items will now have the opportunity to be repurposed and transformed into new packaging and products through the recycling process.
This partnership exemplifies Marks & Spencer's commitment to sustainability and the environment, as they strive to reduce waste and promote a circular economy within the beauty industry.
The initiative is estimated to collect over two tonnes of empty beauty packaging from participating, within the first 12 months and on the success of other schemes across its Clothing & Home and Food businesses as M&S continues to support customers to live lower carbon lifestyles.
Plus, to mark the launch, Sparks customers who recycle their beauty packaging through the scheme will receive 10% off Beauty at M&S from 8 June to 5 July.
Carmel McQuaid, Head of ESG at M&S, commented: “We’re passionate about creating simple solutions that help our customers live lower carbon lives. Plastic is one of the biggest challenges facing the beauty industry and whilst there is still lots more to do, we hope this scheme encourages customers to recycle their beauty empties to give them a second life and reduce the amount of packaging that goes to landfill. Alongside our other schemes, including Shwopping and plastic takeback, it’s one of the many ways we’re driving the circular economy on our roadmap to net zero.”
The Beauty Takeback Scheme at Marks & Spencer has specific guidelines regarding the types of beauty packaging accepted for recycling. The drop-off boxes are designed to receive a wide range of items including pumps, pots, compacts, jars, tubes, lids, toothbrushes, and razor handles.
However, there are certain items that are not accepted as part of the scheme. These include aerosols, glass containers, face wipes, sheet masks, cotton buds, razor heads, food packaging, and electrical items.
It's important to follow these guidelines to ensure that only the appropriate materials are recycled through the scheme. By adhering to these restrictions, we can maximize the effectiveness of the recycling process and contribute to a more sustainable future for the beauty industry.


text:
This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page.
The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is reportedly investigating Uber for gender inequality after complaints about the matter, people familiar with the investigation told the Wall Street Journal.
The probe has been active since August 2017, but has only recently been reported. It’s one of several open federal investigations into Uber.
Investigators with the EEOC have been looking into the ride-sharing behemoth’s hiring procedures, gathering information on potential gender-based pay gaps and other gender-related issues, the Journal reported. The commission is also interviewing current and former Uber employees as part of the probe.
Uber has carried a stigma of a chauvinistic work environment since early 2017 when a former software engineer at the startup, Susan Fowler, wrote a blog post detailing her experiences with harassment at the ride-sharing company.
After Fowler’s post went viral, Uber brought in former US Attorney General Eric Holder to internally investigate the company’s work culture. Holder’s probe led to 20 firings.
The company also hired a new CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi, in September 2017, who says he has been focused on hiring more minorities and women in addition to changing the company’s work environment.
“We are continually improving as a company and have proactively made a lot of changes in the last 18 months, including implementing a new salary and equity structure based on the market, overhauling our performance review process, publishing Diversity & Inclusion reports, and rolling out diversity and leadership trainings to thousands of employees globally,” an Uber spokesperson told TPG in an email.
More recently, a lawsuit was brought against Uber in May by Ingrid Avendaño, another woman who was a software engineer for the company. She is suing Uber because during her time at the company she “experienced a male-dominated work culture, permeated with degrading, marginalizing, discriminatory, and sexually harassing conduct towards women.”
Featured image by JasonDoiy / Getty Images.
*This post has been updated to include Uber’s statement to TPG.
With some great bonus categories, the American Express Gold Card has a lot going for it. The card offers 4x points at US restaurants, at US supermarkets (up to $25,000; then 1x), and 3x points on flights booked directly with airlines or through amextravel.com. It is currently offering a welcome bonus of 35,000 bonus points after you spend $2,000 in the first three months.
- Earn 35,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $2,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 3 months.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. restaurants. Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per year in purchases, then 1X).
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.
- Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with The Gold Card at Grubhub, Seamless, The Cheesecake Factory, Shake Shack, and Ruth's Chris Steak House. This is an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
- $100 Airline Fee Credit: up to $100 in statement credits per calendar year for incidental fees at one selected qualifying airline.
- Choose to carry a balance with interest on eligible charges of $100 or more.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $250.
- Terms apply.
- See Rates & Fees


text:
Mariah Carey was all smiles as she strolled in and out of a few stores in Aspen, Colorado where she spends the Christmas Holidays every year.
Rihanna was spotted doing some last minute shopping yesterday in NYC.
Beyonce was spotted rockin’ this pink suit last night out in NYC...
Solange looks fabulous in her new ElevenParis Spring/Summer 2015 ad campaign. Dope
A certain booty-ful artist performed in Miami the other night.
Mariah Carey and Lady Gaga flicked it up backstage during MiMi’s NYC holiday concert. Dope flick.
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West star in the new Balmain ad campaign. Go inside for more pics
Iggy Azalea responded to Q-Tip via Twitter a few minutes ago. Peep game
Tyga took to his Twitter account, to expose TMZ’s reports , that he wants full custody of his son Cairo, from Blac Chyna, all because she...
Really tho? Smh
Q-Tip decided to school Iggy Azalea on the history of Hip Hop. Read it for yourself
Tyga wants custody of Cairo because Blac Chyna has been shaking her phat azz in too many clubs for his taste.
Kim Kardashian & Kanye West are the faces of a new Balmain ad.
Ray Rice and his wife were seen kissing in the elevator after he hit her. They were both in handcuffs.


text:
Lahore – Faysal Bank Limited (FBL), one of the leading banks in Pakistan has signed a BancaTakaful distribution agreement with Jubilee Life Insurance Company Ltd. Window Takaful Operations (JLI-WTO) for sales of their Shariah compliant Takaful products through its distribution channels.
Commenting on this occasion Mr Yousaf Hussain, President and CEO, Faysal Bank stated, “This business alliance between two leading brands FBL & Jubilee Life is a testimony of our commitment to provide the most diversified financial solutions to our customers from our Wealth Management platform.”
Mr. Javed Ahmed, Managing Director and CEO, Jubilee Life Insurance Company Limited, said, “BancaTakaful has shown significant growth in the last two years since we initiated the Window Takaful Operations. It has strategically assisted the penetration of insurance in a much wider audience base. We are confident that this partnership with Faysal Bank coupled with our top-quality service would create room for business longevity by providing a one stop solution to customers for all their financial needs.”
Faysal Bank through this partnership will further enhance its Wealth Management Takaful proposition and aims to build a robust financial platform to meet the saving and protection needs of their customers.


text:
Telas and others are buying up US technology, selling it at huge discounts and using it to undercut competitors.
The telco group, which has stakes in Google, Amazon, Facebook and eBay, has been aggressively acquiring US technology and services companies for decades, taking on companies like Dell and HP in the process.
Its strategy has not changed much in the past decade.
Its new telco-backed company TeliaSonera, which aims to be the cheapest and most reliable internet service provider in the US, has signed deals with some of the biggest names in the technology industry, including Cisco Systems and Oracle, for $300m.
Telas says its acquisition of Motorola Mobility has given it access to a huge pool of technology and software, but that it has also bought back the handset company’s intellectual property rights.
The deal includes a 20% stake in the smartphone maker.
Its $100m investment in Cisco Systems last year has also helped Telas, which is already the largest telco in the country, get access to the software used in the world’s most popular internet routers, as well as in many of the world-class servers.
In recent years, it has bought up more than 70% of Cisco, according to analysts at Morgan Stanley.
It has also snapped up Microsoft Corp’s cloud services business, and has invested $1.2bn in a deal with Amazon.
It has also been trying to buy the wireless maker.
As a result, the telco’s stock has fallen more than 15% since last year, from a high of $13 in October.
The stakes have increased further as it has tried to expand its reach into other areas, including online gaming.
In a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission in February, Telas said it was looking at the purchase of the gaming platform Twitch.tv for $1bn.
It is also buying stakes in Amazon, Google and Facebook, which it is trying to acquire.
The latest deal, announced last week, comes as Telas is also looking to buy rival rival internet service company Nextel.
In its filing with regulators, Telos said Nextel is a strategic partner of the company and that it will be the first company to offer a comprehensive, affordable internet service.
Nextel had already started buying shares in Telas.


text:
On 26 January, Hong Kong’s Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (Commissioner) published his annual report on 2015 complaints and enforcement activity under the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (PDPO).
The report reveals that 871,000 Hong Kong individuals were affected by data breaches in 2015, compared with 47,000 in 2014. The 98 incidents reported to the Commissioner last year (an increase from … Continue Reading
On 27 December 2015, China’s National People’s Congress passed the nation’s first comprehensive law on terrorism, the People’s Republic of China Counter-Terrorism Law, which took effect on 1 January 2016.
The Counter-Terrorism Law reflects some important developments that may give some comfort to observers that their voices are being heard, without by any means removing all the concerns.
In … Continue Reading
Personal data is an important aspect of most M&A transactions because almost all businesses store information about their employees and customers. For some deals, data is critical, and there is a trend among regulators on a global scale to increase sanctions over data privacy and security violations. There is also a risk that data protection violations may render a deal … Continue Reading
On 15 September, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (the “HKMA”) issued a letter drawing its authorized institutions’ attention to the increasing importance of cyber security risk management.
The letter comes just weeks after a 24 August letter by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (the “MAS”) warning Singaporean-regulated financial institutions of the importance of improving on their intrusion detection measures as … Continue Reading
We are seeing significant increase in the scale and complexity of outsourcing and technology procurement in the Asia region, as businesses look to modernise and build economies of scale into their regional operating platforms. Consolidation of platforms through regional outsourcing arrangements is often being pursued, not just to reduce costs, but also to gain competitive advantage. As regulation across the … Continue Reading
A recent appeal against an enforcement notice issued by the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data of Hong Kong raised an interesting and highly controversial issue as to whether, and to what extent, individuals in Hong Kong have a “right to be forgotten” entitling them to deletion of personal data in the public domain.
This label of “right to be forgotten” … Continue Reading
Hogan Lovells’ Asia Data Privacy Guide 2015 provides a practical overview of the rapid pace of change in data privacy regulation across the region and a guide to achieving compliance.
2014 saw the implementation of new comprehensive, “European style” privacy laws in Singapore and Malaysia, the amendment of China’s consumer protection law to include data privacy principles and a further … Continue Reading
On Thursday, 14 May, Hogan Lovells data protection lawyers Mark Parsons and Eugene Low will host an in-person discussion at Hogan Lovells’ offices in Hong Kong to take stock of where Asia is in terms of data privacy regulation, and to help chart a roadmap to compliance. The focus will be on identifying “hot spots” for businesses operating across the … Continue Reading
On 29 March, the Hong Kong Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (the “Commissioner“) published a guidance note that supplements previous guidance on the use of closed circuit television systems and for the first time addresses the increasing use of unmanned aircraft systems (“UAS“, or, more popularly, “drones”). The Commissioner’s guidance is the first significant regulatory engagement … Continue Reading
On 29 December, 2014, Hong Kong’s Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data (the “Commissioner”) published a guidance note concerning the potential implementation of section 33 of the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (the “PDPO”), which would restrict the export of personal data from Hong Kong.
The Commissioner’s view is that publication of his guidance will help businesses prepare for the eventual implementation … Continue Reading
Privacy regulators are increasingly turning their attention to the manner in which mobile apps collect, process and transmit personal data.
On 9 December, 21 privacy enforcement authorities around the world issued an open letter to seven of the world’s leading app marketplaces calling on them to make app privacy policies available to users prior to downloading.
The open letter was … Continue Reading
In a video interview, Hogan Lovells partner Mark Parsons presented the Asian debate on net neutrality. Citing greater retail competition in certain Asian markets, Parsons pointed out that the US debate cannot be transposed as-is to Asia. A “market by market” approach is required, says Parsons. Many Asian markets have “fantastic broadband speeds, so you don’t see so many … Continue Reading
New operating models – new challenges
As businesses in Asia grow in scale and complexity, they are increasingly turning to outsourcing and large scale technology procurement, including the deployment of cloud technologies, to support their operations and gain competitive advantage.
These initiatives reflect both a maturing of operational strategies for businesses in the region and increasing cost sensitivity.
At the … Continue Reading
Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore permit net neutrality traffic control measures as long as they are fair and open. In contrast, South Korea permits network operators to block traffic or charge extra fees to the users of certain applications. The different policy approach in South Korea may be due to the country’s desire to be the world leader in 5G … Continue Reading
Online sales in China are booming. Gigantic figures are regularly trotted out by commentators to illustrate the size of the online market, such as the recent jaw-dropping figures for online sales for China’s answer to St. Valentine’s Day, Singles’ Day (光棍节). That market is underpinned by payment services, and the number of payment services providers, and online payment services providers … Continue Reading


text:
Leyland’s new ‘Boss’ medium truck offers car comforts
17 Oct 2013
Ashok Leyland's Boss range of intermediate commercial vehicles (ICVs) – capable of hauling nine to 13-tonne loads - is set to hit the market soon.
Unveiling the truck in Chennai on Wednesday, Ashok Leyland managing director Vinod K Dasari referred to the 'Boss' as a truck-car that would provide the transport capacity of a truck and the convenience of a car.
Dasari said the company has an 11-per cent market share in the LCV segment. This is lower than the 30-per cent share it commands in the medium and heavy commercial vehicles – trucks with a capacity to haul more than 16 tonnes.
The Boss will complement Leyland's current offering, the Ecomet, and expand its market share in the south and west of India, Dasari, said.
The Boss range is available in two variants - LE and LX. The LE variant is powered by a 120 hp engine with in-line fuel injection and 6 speed gear box. The LX variant has a 130 hp common rail engine.
The Boss is priced between around Rs10 and Rs12 lakh. Both the variants start upward of Rs10 lakh. The basic LE variant with trailer tonnage of 10 tonne with variants in the 9.6 tonne, 12 tonne and 13 tonne range will come with three years' warranty and two years' additional warranty on the drive train.
On Leyland's current market position, Dasari said that the heavy and medium vehicles segment has been stagnating amid the general Indian economic downturn.
The Ecomet over the last five years has helped the company double its market share in the segment. The domestic market for LCVs is estimated to have doubled to about 57,000 vehicles a year.
The Boss overlaps with Ecomet in terms of pricing. The Ecomet fell short ''in some features'' compared with the competition, Dasari admitted. But it has a wider range of models and has a strong market share in the north, going up to even 90 per cent in the hilly tracts.
The Boss will fill the gap in the South and West where it is being rolled out in stages. Initial indications based on sales in Madurai, in south Tamil Nadu, where it was first unveiled last month, show that it has helped the company double its sales in this segment.
The Boss is an adaptation of the European Avia with an updated chassis and a cabin that offers the driver the comfort of a car, with automated manual transmission and factory-fitted air conditioning. It also claims the highest mileage in its class.


text:
The wait is over. Liverpool FC’s official merchandise and memorabilia store in The Dubai Mall has finally opened. Former Red and Spain international Luis Garcia was on hand to open the place where fans can pick up the latest branded gear and some rare collector’s items.
Thanks to an exclusive partnership between Liverpool FC Retail and homegrown franchise The BootRoom, this new store is a real treat for fans.
You can buy mugs, bags, footballs and more from the current Premier League leaders. Those looking for a bit of retro action can purchase the old shirts too. But the best part is that it sells signed pieces that will be the ultimate gift for a die-hard Liverpool fan.


text:
POWELL SEEN SLOWING FED’S HIKES AFTER 75 BASIS POINTS NEXT WEEK
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is likely to slow the pace of interest-rate increases after front-loading policy with a second straight 75 basis-point hike next week, economists surveyed by Bloomberg said.
SHEETS SHEETS | JULY 2022
In evaluating the widespread impact of the ongoing incursion into Ukraine, NPR assembled a comprehensive collection of stories from across the globe highlighting the effects in the following 5 categories: Food & Economy, Displaced People, Geopolitics, Energy, and Security.
TOYS “R” US TO OPEN IN-STORE SHOPS AT MACY’S LOCATIONS ACROSS THE U.S.
Macy’s has announced a partnership with WHP Global to open Toys “R” Us in-store shops within all of its locations across the U.S. Toys “R” Us stores will range from 1,000 to 10,000 square feet and are set to open from late July through October 15.
WHAT HISTORY TEACHES US ABOUT INFLATION AND COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE
Despite the concern it generates, inflation has always been a natural occurrence in our economic cycle. Because of this, I believe investing in asset classes like commercial real estate is one of the best ways for investors to diminish risk during this point in the cycle.
INFLATION TAKING A BITE OUT OF GROCERY STORE FOOT TRAFFIC
Some dine-out foot traffic trends have been trampled since the pandemic as consumers have shifted to eating at home, brought on additionally by inflation. But even grocery stores are not proving to be immune to the effects of higher prices.


text:
This PayPro SDK is a wrapper library that provides a Python client to connect with the PayPro API. The API is a link between your server and PayPro payment systems that allows you to use PayPro's solutions without visible intervention. PayPro provides payment methods for PayPal, Visa, WeChat Pay, MasterCard, iDEAL, AfterPay and more. PayPro is a payment service provider that specializes in processing online payments.
Every year 15 million people are victimized by identity theft in America alone. Identity theft is an ever-present concern in the minds of consumers worldwide and the continued migration of commerce to the internet is only exaggerating the issue. Barzahlen, an online payment solution in Germany, is thinking outside the box and presenting an interesting alternative to online payment. Using the Barzahlen API developers can offer Barzahlen as a payment option in their online stores. Selecting this payment option would allow customers to claim the product online, then take a receipt to a physical Barzahlen location to process the payment in person.
Bank of America, the second largest bank in the U.S., introduced a new API on Tuesday for its corporate treasury customers. Using the API, these customers can access their banking information and perform real-time transactions. The bank believes that it will improve its ability to collaborate.


text:
the hospitality show
The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) | January 19, 2023
Inaugural technology & operations event will draw AHLA Board, top leaders, owners, brands NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Jan. 19, 2023) – The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) and Questex announced today that registration is now open for The Hospitality Show (THE SHOW), a bold new hospitality operations and technology event to be held June 27-29 at The Venetian Las Vegas. Early bird rates are available until March 10th via the website, and as an incentive to “bring the team,” every group booking of five passes comes with an additional sixth complimentary pass. AHLA members receive an additional $50 off Expo Pass...
August 31, 2022
Higher costs, lower budgets and fewer attendees — that’s the playing field for trade shows today, and likely for the foreseeable future. And in an increasingly competitive market, success might require being less than hospitable, even in the hospitality industry. A current example hits close to home. The Hospitality Show, a new launch from the American Hotel & Lodging Association and Questex, will debut June 27-29, 2023, in Las Vegas, while HITEC, the Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition & Conference, will hold its 51th annual show in Toronto June 26-29, 2023. Organizers of The Show, as they’re calling the new ev...
Questex | July 28, 2022
NEW YORK (July 28, 2022) – The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) and Questex today announced a collaboration to launch “The Hospitality Show” (“THE SHOW”), an innovative new hospitality event to be held June 27-29, 2023 at The Venetian Las Vegas. THE SHOW will be the only comprehensive hospitality event to bring together industry leaders and procurement specialists from across the hospitality spectrum. The event is designed to reach AHLA’s expansive membership across all segments, including leading service providers and suppliers as well as senior executives of hotel brands, owners, and management companies, in...
Cloud5 Welcomes Telecoms Veteran Jerry Gore as Company CTO
Dusit International Appoints Makoto Yamashita as Pre-Opening General Manager of ASAI Kyoto Shijo and Area GM – Kyoto, Japan
Hospitality Industry Public Relations Leader David “Jerry” Daly Dies at 78
West Palm Beach Among Priciest Destinations in Florida, Survey Reveals
As the first news aggregate for the hotel industry, Hotel-Online is the industry’s must-read daily news source for everything hotel curated for busy professionals. Sign up today for industry news delivered to your inbox.


text:
Sylvester Chauke’s company DNA Brand Architects is world class.
Brand and marketing guru Sylvester Chauke who is the CEO and founder of DNA Brand Architects has bagged an award at the prestigious International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Gold Quill Awards Gala, for their Steers Respek Nation campaign, in Montréal, Canada. IABC’s Gold Quill Awards have been around for 40 years and have recognized and awarded excellence in strategic communication worldwide.
‘Only exceptional work earns an IABC Gold Quill Award,’ says Cindy Schmieg ABC, IABC Fellow, chair of the awards committee. The groundbreaking Steers Respek Nation campaign took home the coveted Gold Quill Award of Excellence in Communication Management in the category of Customer Relations. The campaign celebrated culture through an innovative collaboration with South Africa’s leading voice for urban culture The Plug Magazine. In celebration of the launch of the all-new Rib King Burger, DNA Brand Architects partnered with the publication and curated a visual series that paid Respek to the country’s hottest emerging rappers ultimately driving a movement that became the brand’s most successful PR campaign ever.
‘It truly is an honour to be recognised among the world’s top brand communicators’, Chauke says. ‘DNA at its core is an organisation driven by the desire to make wow stuff happen for brands with an unstoppable hunger for greatness. We are privileged to work with clients like Steers who allow us to find innovative and impactful ways to resonate with their millennial consumers.’
The Respek Nation campaign was led by a dynamic team of DNA Brand Architects including Associate Brand Architect Monare Matema, Brand Assistant Samantha Mabaso and Business Director Kutloano Dingaan.


text:
Deadlines Approaching to Ship Christmas Packages
WESLACO – There’s still time to ship Christmas gifts to loved ones, but you need to act fast.
A postmaster in McAllen recommends shipping gifts using priority mail.
Workers at the post office can help figure which shipping service is best for you. People also have access to a self-serving kiosk available 24/7.
The following is a list of deadlines shipping companies have for the holiday season.
- • Dec. 13 - FedEx Home Delivery and FedEx Ground to Alaska and Hawaii.
- • Dec. 16 - FedEx Home Delivery in the contiguous U.S. and last day to ship via FedEx Ground
- • Dec. 20 - FedEx 2Day® A.M. and FedEx 2Day.
- • Dec. 23 - FedEx First Overnight, FedEx Priority Overnight, FedEx Standard Overnight and FedEx 1Day Freight.
- • Dec. 25 - FedEx SameDay City Direct, FedEx SameDay City Priority and FedEx SameDay.
- • Dec. 13 - Some UPS Ground packages scheduled for delivery on Tuesday, Dec. 24.
- • Dec. 19 - UPS 3 Day Select packages scheduled for delivery on Tuesday, Dec. 24.
- • Dec. 20 - UPS 2nd Day Air packages scheduled for delivery on Tuesday, Dec. 24.
- • Dec. 23 - UPS Next Day Air packages scheduled for delivery on Tuesday, December 24 with a UPS On-Call, or scheduled, Pickup, or by visiting a The UPS Store location or a UPS Authorized Service Location.
U.S. Postal Service
- • Dec. 14 - USPS Retail Ground (excluding Alaska and Hawaii).
- • Dec. 18 - First-Class Mail Service to Alaska.
- • Dec. 19 - Priority Mail Service to Alaska and Hawaii and last day for First-Class Mail Service to Hawaii.
- • Dec. 20 - First-Class Mail Service (excluding Alaska and Hawaii).
- • Dec. 21 - Priority Mail Service for U.S (excluding Alaska and Hawaii) and Priority Mail Express Service to Alaska and Hawaii.
- • Dec. 23 - Last day for Priority Mail Express Service (excluding Alaska and Hawaii)
Mexican government to save a say in ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy
Texas Rangers investigating after shots fired from Mexico into Starr County
Edinburg swears-in new police chief
National Latinx AIDS Awareness Day encourages HIV testing in the community
Los Ebanos woman reflects on border wall contracts being cancelled


text:
China financial watchdog vows to further open up, control risks
China will continue to open up its $60-trillion financial market to foreign institutions, while sticking to the bottom line of preventing systemic risks, the nation’s new top regulator said.
The nation will “unswervingly” open up its financial sector and welcome quality foreign financial institutions to operate in China, Li Yunze, head of the National Financial Regulatory Administration, said at the opening ceremony of the Lujiazui Forum on Thursday in Shanghai, which was advertised with the headline “Global Financial Opening-Up and Cooperation: New Drivers of Economic Recovery”.
“Opening up is China’s long-standing state policy, and the door for opening up the financial sector will only be wider,” said Li, a former vice governor of Sichuan province who was named chief of the new financial regulator last month in an overhaul of the regulatory system.
Growing tension between China and the US is unnerving global investors. While China has pledged to continue its financial opening, authorities have recently cracked down on access to a broad swath of data, raided consulting firms as the US is mulling further restrictions on investing in the Communist Party-ruled nation.
Global banks are now reassessing their ambitions in China, cutting revenue forecasts and trimming staffing. Still, the world’s second biggest economy is still a potent lure. JPMorgan Chase & Co. last month held a summit for clients in Shanghai, with Chief Executive Officer Jamie Dimon pledging to remain in the country in both good times and bad.
Earlier this week, Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser was in Beijing, where she met with the top regulator. Fraser expressed confidence in China’s financial and economic development, and vowed to keep expanding onshore operations during her meeting with the nation’s top financial regulator, according to an official statement.
“The overall risk in China’s finance industry is controllable, and we’re fully confident and able to safeguard the bottom line of preventing systemic risks,” Li said at the forum.
While recent international banking risk events have had little direct impact on China, they have served “as a strong warning”, he said.
“The National Financial Regulatory Administration will take a more proactive attitude to address various risks and hidden dangers, adhere to the principle of ‘early identification, early warning, early detection, and early disposal’ and strive to resolve risks in their early stages,” Li said.
Efforts will also be made to plug loopholes in China’s financial regulation and resolutely prevent new risks from brewing. Li has pledged to bring all types of financial activities under supervision and eliminate regulatory blind spots.
China has made containing financial risk one of the top priorities this year even as it battles to revive the economy after late last year abandoning its Covid-zero approach.
Beijing has rolled out a raft of measures to prop up the economy, including efforts to boost bank lending after recent data showed a slowdown. Authorities have so far refrained from cutting interest rates and sharply increasing fiscal spending, concerned by financial stability risks after local government debts soared.
After spiking in the first quarter, credit and new loans weakened in April as consumers and businesses curbed their borrowing. Households are saving more and paying down their mortgages, rather than taking on more debt, while businesses are faced with falling demand and declining profits.
Li pledged to step up financial support to the real economy, especially in areas like consumption, and improve financing for private firms.
“We will continue to optimise financial services, in order to recover and expand effective demand” in the economy, he told the forum. DM


text:
TOKYO — From his glass-walled office high above central Tokyo, James Kuffner keeps a running computer file of “crazy ideas” for whenever a moment of genius strikes.
Toyota’s newest board member and resident robotics wizard gets lots of bolts from the blue.
One of his latest: a high-rise rooftop landing pad for flying cars that can pop up and open like a parasol, saving a lot of space compared with traditional heliports with their big painted “H.”
“When the vehicle wanted to land, you could land on it. And when it’s not being used, it could actually fold up and store away, maybe even underground,” Kuffner said with an inventor’s twinkle in his eye. “That’s one idea I thought was good. Some people said that’s crazy. But it’s trying to think about the future of mobility and see what kinds of ideas we can bring to bear.”
Just in case, Kuffner made sure to apply for a patent.
Even more visionary is Kuffner’s big idea for transforming Toyota Motor Corp. from a traditional automaker into a software giant that churns out autos as fast and flexibly as today’s tech companies make smartphones. If he can engineer that, Toyota could jump to the forefront of a truly new era.
Kuffner has been tapped to make that revolution happen, and he says huge changes are in store for Toyota. In the coming decade, a new vehicle “operating system” will be deployed in Toyota cars and sold to other automakers. Software


text:
The winners of the Australian Hotels Association WA 2017 Hospitality Supplier Awards were announced at a gala dinner at Crown Perth’s new ballroom on Monday night.
These awards recognise outstanding product and service suppliers in the Western Australian hospitality industry.
“Local, small and family owned businesses join large companies delivering exceptional, high quality products and services across Western Australia,” said Bradley Woods, CEO, AHA(WA).
“The WA Hospitality Supplier Awards recognise the high calibre hospitality services and products in WA.“Suppliers play a key role in ensuring the hospitality industry provides the best products and service to its customers.
“The awards also recognise the relationships between industry and suppliers that maintain important local jobs, business reputation and strength,” said Mr Woods.
Recognising his significant contribution to the hospitality industry, Iain McDougall, General Manager of Hospitality Group Training, received “The Ross McGovern Hospitality Industry Achievement Award”. Mr McDougall is a leader in vocational education and training and his passion has led to hundreds of young West Australians receiving apprenticeships and employment, particularly as chefs.


text:
ULSTER Bank has warned customers it will freeze thousands of checking and deposit accounts starting this Friday.
The exiting bank has also outlined dates for the closure of 25 of its branches, which will be carried over to Permanent TSB.
The branches will be closed in early January and then taken over by Permanent TSB.
In a statement, Ulster Bank said customers who were given six months’ notice of the closure of their checking and deposit accounts in April will have those accounts frozen from this Friday.
Accounts will be closed 30 days later.
It said the mass account closures will begin with customers it believes have little reliance on those accounts or may have accounts elsewhere.
Ulster Bank urged customers who have not yet taken action to begin the process of choosing a new provider, postponing their transactions and closing their checking and deposit accounts within their notice period.
It claimed it conducted the withdrawal process “with care and control, beginning with those who Ulster Bank believes no longer depend on their accounts”.
More than seven in 10 Ulster Bank personal checking account customers who received their first formal notification in April and May have either closed their checking account, significantly reduced activity levels or left it dormant.
This trend is increasing every day, the bank said.
Some accounts will not be frozen.
This includes personal or commercial checking account customers with six or more transactions in the last 30 days.
This also includes private giro or deposit customers who have received a social security payment in the last 30 days.
Also exempt from account suspension are personal checking or deposit account customers who have received an incoming payment of €125 or more in the last 30 days, as this may be their salary.
There is currently no talk of a blocking of commercial current accounts based on a current account credit and an account turnover of more than €1,000 in the last 30 days.
For those whose accounts have been suspended, the account will no longer be operational on the date they were notified, Ulster Bank said.
But if a customer needs to access those funds urgently, the bank said it can make that easier and also allow additional time for the account to be moved if the customer needs it.
Approximately 30 days after the account is blocked, the account will be closed and a check issued for the balance less any fees due. There are no fees for closing the account.
Ulster Bank will also suspend the freezing of accounts from December 9th this year and start again on or after January 6th next year to ensure no new accounts are frozen over the Christmas period.
“This period will be closed to people who were already frozen before December 9 and didn’t contact us to request an extension,” the bank said.
Ulster Bank has also confirmed the closure dates for the 25 branches, which will close as Ulster Bank branches and reopen as permanent TSB branches in January.
Customers at these branches were encouraged to take the necessary precautions to choose a new provider for their current and deposit accounts, move their payments to their new account and then close their Ulster Bank accounts within their notice period. Not all customers of these branches will have reached the end of their six-month notice period at this time.
Jane Howard, Chief Executive of Ulster Bank, said: “The first customers of Ulster Bank current and deposit accounts will be available on or after May 11.
“Our focus remains on helping clients switch to another financial institution. We begin our suspension and closure process very cautiously with customers who we believe may be lightly reliant on these accounts or may have accounts elsewhere.”
Customers can contact Ulster Bank on 0818 210 260 or 00353 1804 7475 if calling from abroad, or 1800 656 001 if they have vulnerabilities.
Business customers can call us on 1800 818 375 or call their dedicated account manager for assistance transferring their accounts.
https://www.independent.ie/business/personal-finance/banking/ulster-bank-confirms-it-will-freeze-thousands-of-accounts-from-this-friday-42127645.html Ulster Bank confirms it will freeze thousands of accounts from this Friday


text:
A North East branding and web design agency is on track to double its turnover and welcome new hires thanks to its ever-expanding presence around the globe.
Over the last year, Blyth-based Canny Creative has launched brands in Tennessee, Amman, Turin and Zurich and has recruited an additional two new team members during the Covid-19 pandemic to help cope with demand.
The six-strong team is now on track to turnover £250k this year and has now launched its own rebrand and website to generate even further enquiries.
Tony Hardy, Managing Director of Canny Creative, said: “Even with the impact of Covid on the business community, the volume of enquiries and level of work hasn’t slowed down. At the moment around 50% of the work we do is international, which made refreshing our brand and website even more important.”
The company has been going for five years and decided to replace its logo with a partner link symbol, made up out of two letter C’s to represent Canny and its clients.
Tony said: “It was crucial to update our brand and really represent how we’ve advanced as a company, five years ago it was just me designing out of my home office and now we have a full team completing projects all across the globe.
“It’s fair to say that we’ve grown up as a brand and a business. Our core values haven’t changed but we’ve become even more focused on ensuring that we provide real business results for our clients with their branding, website and content strategies.”
The team at Canny also has clear goals for the next five years.
Tony added: “If everything goes to plan, we want to be at 12-14 members of staff and hopefully pushing £500k in turnover. We want to put the North East on the map globally for high quality branding and web design that really drives business results.
“In addition to this, we’re continuing to develop even more content through our website and social media channels for free to help businesses to grow.
“This year has been a whirlwind, however it’s been incredibly encouraging to see how many businesses are focusing on their brand and marketing during this time. We can’t wait to see what the next few months have in store.”
To learn more about Canny Creative and the services offered by the agency, visit: https://www.canny-creative.com


text:
What Mediapalooza 2021 means for UK advertisers
It’s probably the one word that leaves agency bosses feeling more than a little queasy, but the Mediapalooza – that moment when the world’s biggest ad spenders review their agency accounts in unison – could be warming up again in 2021.
We’re in a pandemic; many agencies are already flat-out trying to survive, and still they’ll somehow find the bandwidth to bring all their best thinking to the fore to produce their best pitches to retain clients and even win new ones.
So David Price, Managing Director at The Grove Media, has some insights into what advertisers will be looking for in these most unusual times…
Mediapalooza pitch activity
It won’t have escaped your attention that there are a lot of pitches going on at the moment. Unilever, Philips, IAG, NatWest, Freesat, Purplebricks, Bumble – and that’s just the media and full service pitches, there are plenty more creative-only.
Understandably, there’s a lot of speculation about what this is all about. Is this latest round of pitch announcements any different from the various mediapalooza events of the last five or six years?
Well, it’s about statutory pitching. Many of the big global advertisers are mandated to review every couple of years.
It’s about rationalisation, too. All of the recent mediapalooza rounds have seen advertisers seeking to reduce their roster of agency partners to a more manageable number, and this is still going on.
On top of that, it’s also about saving money. Some pitches are still procurement-led and in the current economic climate seeking to reduce costs is understandable.
Let’s not forget more effective working. This goes hand-in-hand with agency rationalisation and reorganisation of marketing departments.
And it’s about preparing for post-Covid marketing. Everyone is very aware of the ‘we’re not going back to the way things were before’ mantra, and advertisers will be looking to agency partners to help them plan and navigate their way forward.
Tip of the iceberg
Maybe there are no real surprises here. But the reality is that this is the tip of the iceberg of media and marketing reassessment and change. Most advertisers in the UK sit outside of these large pitches.
Nevertheless, each and every one will be thinking about their future: how they need to change their plans and how they need to work with their agencies.
So, as we look at the big pitch announcements and assess the changing landscape, here are six things that all advertisers should be focused on in their ongoing relationships with agencies.
1 Value for money
All advertisers will be looking at their finances right now and many will be seeking to save money. But it’s not just about how much is being spent, it’s about what is actually being delivered for that money.
All agencies – big or small – will now need to go the extra mile for their clients. Providing the maximum level of service for the fee and having a relentless focus on getting the best media prices and deals will be critical.
Some advertisers will inevitably need to look at leaner models with their agencies. This is understandable, and the KPIs will have to shift accordingly.
While we are all making educated guesses about what the new normal will really look like, it’s clear that most people would like it to be in a world of honesty and openness.
This means that the focus on media transparency will be greater than ever. While advertisers can still get low prices on any ‘ask no questions’ basis, I believe that agencies need to have an ‘open book’ policy. In return, they need to be paid fair rates.
3 Speed & agility
With the global pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement, the past year has shown the need for brands to respond quickly to changing events.
Too many were unable to be fleet-of-foot in their marketing and communications and were left standing while consumers embraced new technologies and changed behaviours.
It’s clear that some of the old advertising models simply won’t work anymore. Marketers can’t wait for weeks on end for ‘creative concepting’ or over-complicated media.
The ability to pivot and change direction will be key. Agile agencies will need to take a lead in this.
4 Collaborative working
Over the past decade we’ve seen headcount reductions in many marketing departments and, inevitably, advertiser teams will become even leaner as we work our way through the downturn.
This means that agencies will need to step up and work more as an extension of their clients’ marketing departments. Closer, collaborative working, rather than adhering to specific, traditional media briefs will become more common.
Cultural fit between agency and advertiser will inevitably be more important.
5 Leveraging opportunities in a changing marketplace
With consumers living their lives in very different ways, brands have both a challenge and an opportunity to embrace change. Media, culture, content, shopping, entertainment are all changing.
They were before the pandemic, but the rate of change has significantly increased. The media agency that is at the forefront of this and can quickly leverage opportunities for their clients will succeed.
6 Results focused
Delivering results is clearly going to be critical. There’s never been a time when results haven’t been important. But there is going to be a lot of pressure to deliver quick wins after the pandemic.
There will be fierce competition for consumers as markets open up. Smart agencies will be well placed to deliver, but will equally advise their clients against lurching towards short termism.
With a greater focus on value and cost-efficiency, having clear KPIs across short, mid and long term goals will be vital.
As all of the mediapalooza pitches kick off this year, there are going to be high expectations about what new agencies might bring.
Advertisers are going to make tough demands and agencies are going to sell hard and make many promises.
Equally, agency relationships that remain unchanged will also be under the spotlight as advertisers seek transformation from well-established partnerships.
Either way, the chemistry between advertiser and agency is going to have to be strong to sustain the challenges of the months ahead.
This article appeared recently on Mediashotz, link here


text:
CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AND ARIZONA — Shipments moderate — Movement expected about the same. Trading early fairly active, late active. Prices generally unchanged. 7/10-bushel carton shippers first grade 75s mostly $29.80-31.90, 95-115s mostly $31.80-33.90, 140s mostly $30.80-31.90, 165s mostly $29.80-30.90, 200s mostly $24.80-24.90, 235s mostly $18.80-19.90; shippers choice 75s mostly $22.80-23.90, 95-115s mostly $23.80-24.90, 140s $25.80-26.90, 165s mostly $27.80-28.90, 200s mostly $22.80-23.90, 235s mostly $16.80-17.90; unclassified (standard) 95-115s $19.80-21.90, 140-165s mostly $21.80-23.90. Organic 7/10-bushel cartons shippers first grade 95-115s $34.80-40.90, 140s mostly $34.80-38.90.
Lemons — F.o.b.s as of Feb. 24
- Paramount Citrus replaces Cuties brand with Wonderful Halos
- Nogales veteran Alberto Maldonado dies
- Sun Pacific buys Cuties brand, breaks ties with Paramount Citrus
- UPDATED: Florida citrus leader Richard Kinney remembered
- Asian food safety officials react to Bidart Bros. apple recall
- ALBA hires general manager and director of sales


text:
Having a marketing program is now more affordable than ever
New York, NY (Vocus) October 14, 2010
Senior consultant in dental marketing services and expert author, George Brakatselos, has introduced new 0% financing allowing dentists to begin a marketing program for new patients for less than $100 per month. This enables dentists who are concerned about cost to engage in a highly successful marketing strategy.
“Having a marketing program is now more affordable than ever,” says Brakatselos. “Our award winning marketing program for new patients has helped dentists across the country and across specialties. It incorporates a multi-faceted approach to dental practice marketing,” he adds.
The new financing program is now available to qualified dentists. Dentists can begin seeing results in a matter of weeks without a larger outlay of capital. The marketing program includes, among other things, a sophisticated public relations campaign, public and private endorsements, a state-of-the-art internet strategy and a patient recall/referral program.
“It’s the perfect time for dentists to begin a marketing strategy for new patients,” says Brakatselos. “With the current economy, the new 0% financing makes it easier to get started, get new patients and dramatically increase profitability,” he adds.
Mr. Brakatselos is a Senior Consultant representing DR, Inc. For 17 years, DR, Inc. has been working with doctors all over the country and across specialties, helping them boost their profitability and transform their businesses. He is also an expert author, writing for LIVESTRONG.COM and for The Examiner.com as The NY Medical Practice Specialist. Mr. Brakatselos' prior experience includes managing broad policy/public relations initiatives for the financial services industry. For more information on dental marketing services visit http://www.gbmarketingexperts.com.


text:
Remember the numbers that Marcan tweeted on 10th of October? Yeah, that might be the “keys” that will be used to sign the app under a PS3 console. Marcan has clarified this in his latest tweets:
It’s Sony not knowing WTF they’re doing when making signatures, and thus mathematically leaking their keys.
Clarification #3: The private keys refer to keys that Sony HQ uses. PS3s don’t have these keys (but we calculated them due to the fail).
Clarification #4: the random number isn’t 4, it’s more like 007eabbb79360e14df1457a4194b82f71a0dc39280 (example). But it’s still constant.
There you go, Marcan actually has known this all along even before we were dealing with the jailbreak issues, downgrading etc. Strangely, he officially announced the AsbestOS project, on 20th October, 10 days after he revealed the “keys”. Well, let’s see if we can back date this:
10 October – Marcan hinted at the “keys”.
20 October – Marcan officially announced AsbestOS.
10 December – Marcan discovered everything.
20 December – Marcan mentioned about “private keys leak”.
21-22 December – Marcan’s soldering the PS3 console.
25 December – Xorloser tweeted this.
25 December – Marcan hinted again.
29 December – Signing keys finally revealed by the fail0verflow dudes.
30 December – AsbestOS.pup confirmed.
For the record, Marcan is also working on his Kinect Hack called and OpenLase, not that he has much to do to hack the PS3 console anyway since it is not a hack nor exploit to begin with. It’s an Epic Fail by Sony.
UPDATE: On the other hand, the December 20th “private keys leak” tweet was in fact a slight teaser (we discovered everything on December 10th)


text:
Then, it got worse. That data does not account for the most recent wave of tariffs that went into effect September 24, which tax imports from China at a rate of 10 percent. After months of tension, on December 1, President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to keep the trade war from escalating by halting the imposition of new tariffs for 90 days as they negotiate a lasting agreement. But the rate could still increase to 25 percent in March, meaning even more pain could be on the horizon. Here at home, tariffs are a pocketbook issue for consumers paying higher prices and a challenge to the bottom line for companies facing higher costs for materials and goods, as well as a loss of their overseas markets.
But the trade war has worldwide implications and will have a chilling effect on the global business environment. In Europe, overseas steel producers pinched by American steel tariffs are dumping products and undercutting European steel companies. Europe’s increase in steel imports outpaced its increase in demand by almost 17 times. That effect is hardly limited to the steel industry.
The most troubling effect of the trade war is the potential for both the U.S. and China to see an economic decline at the same time. China is already reporting slowing economic growth and the International Monetary Fund lowered its projection for next year’s global economic growth due to trade tensions. An analysis by UBS, a Swiss multinational investment bank, of the first wave of tariffs called the decline in U.S. imports from China “sharp and unambiguous.” If rates are increased, it will be even more painful for both the U.S and China. The rate hike expected in March if there is no trade truce between the U.S. and China will be yet another drag on two of the world’s largest economies.
The stock markets responded negatively, signaling further instability for both the U.S. and global economy. More than a third of S&P 500 companies reporting third quarter earnings have cited the impact of tariffs. By late November, markets fell below pre-2018 levels.
Businesses around the world are already getting squeezed by tariffs and the pain will get worse. But the hazards could strike at the core of the global economy.
Analysts warn that the trade war could cause wide-ranging harm to financial markets. Pantheon Macroeconomics called tariffs “the quickest possible route to a recession.” CNBC’s Jim Cramer warned that the trade war will spark a “mini version of 2008.” And Morgan Creek Capital founder Mark Yusko sounded an alarm when he said, “trade rhetoric is one of the dumbest things in the history of all administrations and it will cause a global recession.” CTA president Gary Shapiro also warned of a trade war induced recession.
Tariffs might seem like a convenient path to level the trade playing field, but the evidence is already in: they cause far more harm than good. The U.S. and its global trading partners are already suffering from the self-inflicted wound of tariffs, and the worldwide economy will feel its effects unless the Trump administration changes course quickly.
i3, the flagship magazine from the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)®, focuses on innovation in technology, policy and business as well as the entrepreneurs, industry leaders and startups that grow the consumer technology industry. Subscriptions to i3 are available free to qualified participants in the consumer electronics industry.


text:
Tesla and the Chinese government are reportedly not seeing eye-to-eye with regards to the ownership of the electric car maker’s proposed factory in Shanghai.
The planned electric car facility in Shanghai is widely believed to be the site where the production of the Model Y, Tesla’s crossover SUV, and Model 3 will happen. Just last year, reports emerged that Tesla had already secured approval from the Shanghai municipal government to operate the planned facility in the region’s free-trade zone. By then, it seemed like Tesla’s China factory was well on its way to becoming a reality.
According to individuals who claim to have direct knowledge of the matter, however, Tesla and Shanghai officials have disagreed about the ownership of the proposed electric car factory. The Chinese regulations were reportedly firm on their rule of requiring foreign car makers to engage in a joint venture with a local firm. Tesla, however, is firmly opposed to the idea and would like sole ownership of the facility, according to a Bloomberg report.
Tesla’s difficulties with the Chinese government have resulted in several drawbacks for the California-based electric car maker. Due to its cars not being manufactured in China, its vehicles have been weighed down in the market with a steep 25% import tax, making them far more expensive than electric car offerings from local competitors.
Tesla’s disadvantage on pricing appears to have become a huge opening for local electric car makers. China currently has seen sales of 449,431 electric vehicles to date, and only 14,883 of these were Teslas. The rest of the number is dominated by two of China’s biggest local electric car makers, Beijing Electric Vehicle Co., which has sold 102,341 cars, and BYD, which has sold 33,220 vehicles so far. Both these local electric car makers offer vehicles that are significantly more affordable than Tesla’s lineup.
Despite these disadvantages and the reported problems on its upcoming factory in the country, however, Tesla has not slowed down its initiatives in the Asian economic superpower. As we noted in a previous report, China has recently upgraded its Supercharger station in Beijing, equipping the location with 50 stalls and making it the largest Tesla charging facility to date.
The California-based firm has been quite vocal about its intentions of saturating the Chinese electric car market as well. As we noted in a previous report, Tesla CEO Elon Musk stated that the Model Y crossover SUV and a part of the Model 3 production might be sourced from China. In a Q&A call with analysts last year, the Tesla CEO noted that having a China-based facility is one of the most effective ways to ensure that the company remains competitive in the region.
“(Tesla) won’t be making Model S and Model X, but we’ll be making probably Model 3, probably Model Y primarily for the local Chinese market and it’s really the only way to make the cars affordable in China, but it’s three years out, so,” Musk said.


text:
Ever think your pet has had a stressful day and could do with a little tipple?
You can now pick up some pawsecco or dog beer for bargain prices to help your pets de-stress.
B&M has launched their annual 'Big Pet Event', which this year includes their popular pet drinks.
The bottles are usually £1.99 each, but during this event they are two for £3.
The event also extends to dress-up costumes and squeaky toys, which can be bought for bargain prices.
And, if pawsecco and costumes aren't your style, and you're a more traditional pet owner, there are offers on food products too.
Prices start at as little 69p and products include biscuits, bones and huge bags of food.
1.2kg of Bakers complete dog food is just £2.69.
The event also covers other pets too. Bird seed mix and cat treats can both be found at cheap prices.
Packets of Dreamies can be bought for 95p and a 825g box of Go-Cat food is only £1.99.
Competitions to win hampers of pet treats will be ran throughout the event, which finishes on August, 28.
The event can be taken advantage of online or in all stores.
To download the IOS app click here.
To download the Android app click here.


text:
It’s the one costume, wearing a transparent lace accented dress, wife of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to be the object of controversy in his own country. Moreover, the clothes worn in formal occasions Sara Netanyahu, the swearing-in Knesset (Israeli parliament).
With the clothes, which showed the arm, shoulder, and abdomen, Sara bombarded with criticism, both from the conservative and secular in Israel. Critics consider that kind of clothing should not be worn in an official event.
“Got me, and all the people of Israel to wonder: what’s on your mind Sara Netanyahu while wearing the dress Tuesday,” according to the Israeli media published articles, Haartez, as reported by Al Arabiya.
In other media, the Times of Israeli, one fashion commentator with a sarcastic tone said, Mrs. Netanyahu look like the Michelin tire ads.
Commentators were calling the dress “cheap” and “highly inappropriate”. Other commentators even suggested Netanyahu took her out to the streets of the United States, specifically for clothes shopping.
Not to forget the fashion critics also compared the mother Sara Netanyahu with other countries. “He might not like Michelle Obama a fashion icon, or a supermodel like Carla Bruni, wife of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy,” the Haaretz published. “But he’s not even nothing compared to Hillary Clinton, Laura or Barbara Bush, or another lady who always look elegant.”
Criticism also came from the ultra-orthodox Jews. According to Israeli religious circles, Mrs. Netanyahu should wear clothing that is more polite, let alone a number of rabbis also attend.


text:
Zimmer Holdings Inc. and Seikagaku Corp. won a U.S. patent-infringement trial brought by Sanofi’s Genzyme over a treatment for arthritis in the knee.
A federal jury in Boston said Aug. 3 the Gel-One product made by Tokyo-based Seikagaku and distributed by Zimmer doesn’t infringe a Genzyme patent for a method to treat arthritic pain in the knee. The jury also said that the patent is invalid because it covered obvious variations of earlier work.
Genzyme’s Synvisc-One product was the only single-injection treatment approved by US regulators until Gel-One was given clearance in March 2011, according to the complaint filed a month after the approval was granted. The injection of a hyaluronic acid gel provides pain relief for as long as six months, Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Genzyme said.
US District Judge Douglas Woodlock on Dec. 30 issued an order preventing Warsaw, Indiana-based Zimmer from selling Gel- One at a price less than $547.60 or giving out free samples, so it didn’t undercut the price of Synvisc-One. The judge vacated that order following the jury verdict.
Synvisc and Synvisc-One generated 184 million euros ($228 million) in the first half of the year for Sanofi. Sales were up 8.9 percent over the year-earlier period, the Paris-based company said July 26. Zimmer doesn’t break out sales of Gel-One.


text:
"EDM has cross-pollinated with hip hop," said Rich Antoniello, CEO and co-founder of Complex Media, which owns Do Androids Dance. "It's a lifestyle topic now."
The EDM blog Do Androids Dance today announced that it will shut down after two years. Facebook and Twitter quickly filled with speculation about why the site, and others like it, have gone under recently (Boomrat shut down in the fall just months after it was bought by Live Nation).
Rich Antoniello, the CEO and co-founder of Complex Media which owns Do Androids Dance as well as dozens of other entertainment sites including Pigeons and Planes and HipHopDX, said that while the blog itself will no longer exist, EDM coverage will continue and be "merged" with the company's main online hub, Complex.com.


text:
For her third drop, Ffrench is leaning into what she’s best known for: provocation. Lips is a collection of refillable lipsticks that come in cases that resemble penises. The collection will be promoted at a 3 March event at Dover Street Market’s cultural space, 3537. The event strategically aligns with Paris Fashion Week, where Ffrench is the lead makeup artist for the Balmain and Off-White shows. In February, Off-White also named Ffrench as its first-ever beauty curator, where she is responsible for overseeing the brand’s creative, product and packaging development. Isamaya Beauty is also sponsoring products for the Vivienne Westwood and Ottolinger runways.
Ffrench is twisting the idea of what it means to be a makeup artist-turned-beauty star, offering a new spin on the path previously taken by Bobbi Brown, Laura Mercier and Francois Nars, who were the first makeup artists to make a name for themselves globally and launch a major profitable brand. Savvy makeup artists turned entrepreneurs, such as Pat McGrath, Gucci Westman and Charlotte Tilbury, followed. Makeup artist-founded brands have also become attractive investments. In January, Mario Dedivanovic’s Makeup by Mario received its first ever funding at a $200 million valuation. In December 2022, private equity firm TSG Consumer Partners acquired a minority stake in Huda Beauty, valuing the company at $1.2 billion. Anastasia Beverly Hills was valued at $3 billion after TPG Capital’s minority investment in 2018.
But, in an era where anyone from traditional celebrities to TikTok superstars can launch a brand, it’s become much harder to stand out.
Isamaya Beauty’s differentiation is that “it’s so creative and iconoclast as well as being a very good product,” says Comme des Garçons’s chief executive Adrian Joffe, who co-founded Dover Street Market in 2004 with his wife, the designer Rei Kawakubo. He’s been a fan of Ffrench since meeting her seven years ago. “She has the best sense of humour.”
A key component of Ffrench’s event with DSM is a 10-foot-tall penis sculpture, which, according to Joffe, is made entirely of chrome. Asked what will happen to the object after the event, he responds: “I have no idea.” There are expectations that brands take a sustainable approach as they increasingly take on large-scale experiential marketing campaigns.
Ffrench hopes the activation will introduce the brand to new consumers in Europe. The US is currently Isamaya’s leading market, with a majority of purchases coming from New York and Los Angeles. She acknowledges that while her name may be well known in inner fashion and beauty circles, it’s lesser known to the everyday consumer. Colour brands also require an omnichannel presence to allow discovery, she adds. “Physical retail is key to increase our brand awareness and act as a lever for sales growth.” Wholesale currently accounts for 20 per cent of revenues; Ffrench hopes to double that in the short term. “We’re looking at partners who have a particularly strong bricks-and-mortar footprint,” she says.


text:
Uber warns of higher prices and longer wait times following Toronto’s decision to freeze new licences
Uber Technologies Inc. now faces stiff competition at key markets in North America, including Toronto and New York, that previously were considered its most successful markets.
Uber, the world’s most valuable private company, will lose a significant number of its existing seats in Canada, and in markets including Chicago, Houston, Miami, San Francisco and Washington, according to a filing with the S&P Capital IQ stock index on Tuesday.
Uber did not detail the impact of Toronto’s decision to freeze new licences, but it did report lower revenues. The ride-hailing app has grown faster in Canada than in the United States, posting 20% year-over-year growth in revenue and profits for the first time in the country.
The company was already facing competition in North America after major U.S. markets, including New York and Los Angeles, started enforcing stricter regulations.
Uber’s $35-billion valuation is now in jeopardy. “While Uber faces some challenges, others are poised to grow and become more successful,” said David Eder, an equity specialist at Pacific Life.
“The U.S. market has been a source of significant growth for Uber, but Canadian regulatory changes have exposed these new growth drivers to competition.”
The company said it will likely face a host of challenges, including the removal of the city of Toronto from Uber’s growth plans to compete in the so-called New York City market, as well as restrictions on the company’s self-driving car technology.
“This has put us on somewhat of an uncertain road ahead, but that’s where we want to be,” Uber’s chief executive, Dara Khosrowshahi, told Reuters.
Uber has grown rapidly in Canada but faces stiff competition in markets like New York and London.
“Uber’s Canadian market, where the company is still the dominant