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(Bloomberg) Robotic devices like lettuce thinners and grape-leaf pullers have replaced so many human hands on U.S. farms in recent years that many jobs now held by illegal workers may not exist by the time Donald Trump builds his promised wall.
For many American farmers, the automation push isn’t just about the President-elect’s goal to seal the border with Mexico, the traditional source of cheap migrant labor for the world’s largest agricultural exporter. There just aren’t enough crop pickers around as immigration slows, deportations rise and the prospects of congressional reform look remote.
That’s what prompted Steve Tennnes, a fruit and vegetable grower in Charlotte, Michigan, to buy a $138,000 machine that can collect up to three times as many apples per hour than workers who currently use ladders and buckets, and do so more safely. He will be able to harvest more with fewer workers, and the benefits will expand as he replants his orchard over the next decade to make it easier for the device to operate among the trees.
Advertisement - story continues below


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King of my castle
The Trump Tower, home of a reality show, a shopping center, and a headquarters’ campaign, has become the private office of Donald Trump until he gets the Oval. His decision has forced the Secret Service and the New York City Police Department to devise an elaborate protection plan for at least the next two months. Trump is expected to pick up his Cabinet in the weeks to come, while people outside complain that they cannot go inside the Tower to shop their Gucci bags. As reported today in The New York Times.

domain: news


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Notice: To display this embed please allow the use of Functional Cookies in Cookie Preferences.
Previously known as the Steam Game Festival, the event will run until June 22 and include “over 700 demos for the newest upcoming games across all genres from teams all over the world”, according to Valve.
To promote Steam Next Fest, Valve released the following trailers showing off a number of demos set to be included across a variety of genres.
The format also expanded to Xbox in July 2020, when over 60 demos of unreleased games were available to sample for one week.
The latest Xbox Summer Game Fest demo event launched this week. Lasting until June 21, it offers access to around 40 demos of upcoming Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S games.


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Let’s go back to Pocophone F2, a smartphone that should be launched in 2019 with the aim of repeating the success of its predecessor.
The right opportunity is provided by Ben Geskin, who has posted an interesting picture on Twitter that shows us a concept of Pocophone F2 :
— Ben Geskin (@VenyaGeskin1) January 3, 2019
Gizchina News of the week
According to it, the second model of this project could be characterized by a double rear camera with vertical orientation, a sensor for the recognition of fingerprints positioned in the center on the back of the body, a large display with frames reduced to minimum terms and a waterdrop notch design.
Recall that at the end of last year Pocophone F2 has appeared in the Geekbench database, confirming the fact that Xiaomi team has already started working on this new smartphone.
The device is referred to on the listing as the Pocophone F2, and is tipped to come off the box running Android 9.0 Pie OS, and oddly, the device will be powered by the SDM 845 – the same SoC found in the Poco F1. It also gets the same RAM size – at 6GB.
The hope is that the manufacturer focuses mainly on the improvement of the photographic sector, probably one of the aspects that have not completely convinced many users.


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Apple’s request was denied, allowing the class action lawsuit against Apple over iPhone batteries to continue.
Apple has asked to dismiss a class-action lawsuit filed in London demanding the company pay up to $2 billion for allegedly hiding defective batteries in millions of iPhones.
They represent 24 million British iPhone users in the lawsuit. According to the indictment, Apple masked battery problems with some cell phones by slowing down the devices with software updates and then using a power management tool to limit performance.
According to Apple, the lawsuit is baseless, and it has denied that the batteries were defective (except for a few iPhone 6S models, which were provided with free replacements).
Apple’s protest was dismissed, hence the lawsuit Complete At the same time, they pointed out that the accusations are unclear from several points of view, so that prosecutors can prepare for difficult legal proceedings.
Apple reiterated: they have never done anything (and will never do) that would intentionally reduce the lifespan of an Apple product or diminish the user experience, thus forcing the update.


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NEW DELHI: To protect consumers' interests, the government announced on Saturday that it will build a system to monitor bogus reviews placed on e-commerce websites.
On Friday, the consumer affairs ministry and the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) convened a virtual meeting with stakeholders, including e-commerce companies, to explore the prevalence of bogus reviews on their platforms. Consumers are misled into purchasing online items and services because of fake reviews.
The Department of Consumer Affairs (DoCA) will build these frameworks after evaluating the current process used by e-commerce businesses in India as well as best practises from around the world, according to an official release. Consumer forums, law schools, lawyers, the FICCI, the CII, and consumer rights advocates, among others, attended the meeting to explore the scope of the problem and the path forward for fraudulent online reviews.
Consumers rely extensively on reviews placed on platforms to see the opinion and experience of users who have already purchased the thing or service because e-commerce entails a virtual shopping experience with no ability to physically inspect or check the product.
"The two main challenges here are traceability by guaranteeing the legitimacy of the reviewer and the platform's associated liability." In a fair and open manner, e-commerce businesses must also reveal how they chose the most relevant reviews' for display," Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh said.
According to the statement, all stakeholders agreed that the issue should be continuously monitored, and an adequate structure for phoney reviews should be devised to defend consumer interests.


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iPhone 4 india
Yes, it’s very much true. Telecom companies are gearing up to launch much appreciated Apple’s revolutionary iPhone 4 in India – mostly in a week from now! And hold down, that’s not all; People who stayed away from iPhone...
Yesterday India's one of the major Telecom provider Bharti Airtel announced it plan to launch Apple's flagship product iPhone 4.0 in India by September or October this year. In last couple of weeks, we have seen multiple versions of iPhone craze in many countries where people were ready to do anything in order to obtain the iPhone 4 as earliest.


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Virgin’s Richard Branson talks about commercial planes travelling at 30,500 kmph
Sir Richard Branson, English business magnate, investor and founder of UK based Virgin Group, wishes to develop hypersonic commercial planes that are so fast that passengers will be able to travel from New York to Tokyo in less than an hour.
Not content with the launch of SpaceShipTwo which will send LauncherOne into space for tourist flights, it is now hypersonic commercial planes that Mr Branson seeks to introduce. These planes, according to Sir Richard Branson, will be capable of travel at a speed of 19,000 mph (over 30,500 kmph). Though orbitally, this is way faster than the now redundant Concorde, which in its hay days could travel between New York and London in just three hours.
Branson recalls the time of his interview on childrenâ€™s television when he was questioned by a young caller named Shihan on Going Live! It was this interview that prompted to Virgin boss to contemplate space travel.
It was due to this inspiration that Bransonâ€™s Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo came into existence. This spaceship can accommodate six persons and two pilots and is now in its final stages of development. Till date, 700 persons have signed up for the space journey which includes Branson himself, his family and a host of Hollywood stars.
via Daily Mail


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Apple has announced that iPad will be available in Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand and Singapore this Friday, July 23.
According to the company, iPad allows users to connect with their apps and content in a more intimate, intuitive and fun way.
Users can browse the web, read and send email, enjoy and share photos, watch HD videos, listen to music, play games, read ebooks and much more, all using iPad’s Multi-Touch user interface.
It is 0.5 inches thin and weighs only 1.5 pounds — thinner and lighter than any laptop or netbook — and delivers up to 10 hours of battery life.
Beginning this Friday, customers can purchase all models of iPad through Apple’s retail stores and Apple authorized resellers.
iPad is currently available in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US for a suggested retail price of $499 for 16GB, $599 for 32GB, and $699 for 64GB for iPad Wi-Fi models and $629 for 16GB, $729 for 32GB and $829 for 64GB for iPad with Wi-Fi + 3G models.
It will roll out to more countries later this year and Apple will announce availability and local pricing for these additional countries at a later date.
Photo courtesy: Apple
Support RMN News Service for Independent Fearless Journalism
In today’s media world controlled by corporates and politicians, it is extremely difficult for independent editorial voices to survive. Raman Media Network (RMN) News Service has been maintaining editorial freedom and offering objective content for the past more than 12 years despite enormous pressures and extreme threats. In order to serve you fearlessly in this cut-throat world, RMN News Service urges you to support us financially with your donations. You may please click here and choose the amount that you want to donate. Thank You. Rakesh Raman, Editor, RMN News Service.


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Panama TR4 is the dread of the Australian banana industry but a US expert says new cultivars could be the key to living with it.
Ag tech uptake is being held back by cost and understanding of the products as well as the much-publicised data drought.
Protected Cropping Australia chair, Robert Hayes, has issued an apology and retraction from comments in a speech last week.
Nervousness around sharing research information about medicinal cannabis production is making it difficult to advise a potential Australian industry.
The Australian dollar's recent rises may undermine hopes for Murray Goulburn to lift farmgate milk payments
The digital world sure is whizz-bang, but that just makes the tactile things of the real world to be cherished all the more.
Chatting about the weather could have a bigger purpose than just seeing if your neighbour got more rain.
LAST week, the National Union of Workers (NUW) officially declared war on the horticulture industry.
As the credits rolled on the Backpacker Tax drama, it was those in the green tights that will have the most chance of snaring future roles.


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BILL GRIFFETH, NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT ANCHOR: Is tech cracking? The
sector has led the market higher. If it starts to falter, what happens to
the bull run?
SUE HERERA, NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT ANCHOR: Trade deal. The White House
reaches an agreement with South Korea. And at the center of it: the
GRIFFETH: Riding in style. Why a luxury sedan just doesn`t cut it
Those stories and much more tonight on NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT for this
Wednesday, March the 28th.
HERERA: Good evening, everyone, and welcome.
Tech is struggling. It was evident today again as the sector fell again.
One of the biggest decliners was Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN). Shares were down
more than 4 percent, wiping billions off its market value, on reports that
the president wants to rein its power and change the way the company is
taxed. The White House though says it`s not considering any specific
And then there is Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL). Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) cut sales
estimates for the iPhone, which is Apple`s flagship product. The Dow
component is also facing multiple lawsuits over its controversial move to
slow older smart phones. And for a change, shares of Facebook (NASDAQ:FB)
were higher after that company redesigned some of its security settings.
GRIFFETH: Whatever the decline in tech did weigh on the broader market
again today, although the losses were modest this time.
Here are the numbers. The Dow dropped by nine points, that was it, to
23,848. The Nasdaq was the biggest percentage decliner. It was down by 59
points. The S&P fell by seven.
As you know, the tech sector has been powering the broader market higher
over the past year or so. It`s a widely owned sector over this past two
weeks and has lost half a trillion dollars in value.
And so, now, some are questioning whether tech`s dominant position in the
market is over.
Bob Pisani explains.
BOB PISANI, NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT CORRESPONDENT: The mark`s tone has
shifted. Just two weeks ago, it was about tariffs and trade wars. Now,
there is new uncertainty around technology and what effect that might have
Facebook`s data scandals that thrown social media into an existential
crisis, then you have got Nvidia`s driverless car issues and Tesla`s credit
downgrade. Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) is getting hit after Goldman cut iPhone
sales estimates this year.
And now, there is word that President Trump might go after Amazon`s tax
Here`s the deal: Technology has gotten too big for its britches. It`s so
big that as tech goes, so does the S&P 500, and that`s risky. The three
biggest stocks in the S&P 500 are Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), Amazon
(NASDAQ:AMZN), and Alphabet. Combined, they have a market cap of $2.3
trillion out of the S&P`s market cap of $23 trillion.
So, three stocks make up 10 percent of the S&P 500. Tech is 25 percent of
the S&P in total. Add financials into the equation and those two groups
make up about 40 percent of the S&P. That`s a lot.
Meanwhile, the smaller sectors — energy, utilities, materials, telecom,
real estate, they`re only 15 percent. They don`t matter that much.
So, what does matter is the swing groups — health care, industrials,
consumer discretionary, consumer staple stocks — they make up 45 percent,
all the rest of the S&P. So, if tech and financials falter, these are the
only ones left with the heft needed to move needles. Do you see the
So, those are the ones investors will try to rotate into providing the
market is healthy and earnings are rising in those sectors. But tech and
financials are supposed to see the biggest earnings growth this year.
That`s why the market is so vulnerable to a selloff when the earnings
quality of this largest group, technology gets called into a question. Do
you see the issue? It is a very tough situation right now.
For NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT, I`m Bob Pisani at the New York Stock Exchange.
HERERA: So, let`s turn now to Chris Zaccarelli for more on weakness in the
tech sector and what it might mean for the bull market. He is the chief
investment officer at the wealth management firm Independent Advisor
Nice to see you, Chris. Welcome.
CHRIS ZACCARELLI, INDEPENDENT ADVISOR ALLIANCE CIO: Thanks for having me.
HERERA: I think Bob set it up for us perfectly about the risks that are in
the market for tech. But you also make the point you think we are at a
turning point or an inflection point for this market?
ZACCARELLI: I do. Bob has it right. Tech is 20 percent of the market.
You know, as tech goes, so does the rest of the market. And it`s going to
be leading the market upward or downward. Right now, we have been seeing
tech have some weakness and that`s taking us down. But if these things we
can turn in the next few weeks as we start season, we start to see
technology earnings, if they are strong again that can provide support for
technology, and therefore, for the rest of the market.
GRIFFETH: But we`ve been asking some other money managers who they feel
could lead higher if technology doesn`t do that. Some have said financials
as the Fed raises rates, that`s good for the financials. Others say the
tariffs won`t bother the small to midcap stocks out there.
Who do you vote for?
ZACCARELLI: I`m in favor of financials. I like the setup for financials
in terms of fundamental reasons. If you look at rising interest rates, if
you look at the credit quality of loans out there because we`ve got low
unemployment and people are able to pay back those loans.
If you look at the strength of the underlying economy as the economy
continues to grow, you see more economic activity that`s typically followed
by more banking activity, whether that`s mergers and acquisitions or just
So, in general, fundamentals are really good for financials. If sentiment
can turn around and some of the pessimisms in the market that we`ve been
seeing were to change because of either positive earnings reports or some
of the fears blow over, we could really see a turning point. That`s really
the catalyst that could turn things around.
HERERA: And what about earnings? Because as Bob highlighted not just for
technology but for many parts of the market, the expectations are pretty
ZACCARELLI: I think that`s true. Earnings expectations have been rising.
But keep in mind: those tax cuts are going to drop a hot to the bottom
line. So, if you see earnings expectations rising about 6 percent but yet
tax cuts, if you filter through all the earnings estimates, would lead to
an additional 8 percent, which is what a lot of analysts believe, you
actually may have some room there to actually surprise the upside, even
with those heightened expectations.
GRIFFETH: Let`s go back to tech then as we wrap this up here. Do you
think it`s a pause or could it move higher? Who would you look at to maybe
invest in here?
ZACCARELLI: Sure. I think right now, we`re going to go sideways. I think
until would see some positive catalysts, most likely to be earnings, you`re
going to have a lot of concerns over the market, and it`s a sell first, ask
questions later type of market.
If you look within technology, I think the semiconductors have been hit.
You`ve got the social media companies have been hit. And you look at the
hardware companies, they`ve all been hit.
Looking through all of those, I think where you are most likely to see a
rebound will be in that semiconductor area. The reason I say that is
because that`s such a part of all the different themes that are in
technology, whether that`s cloud computing, increased need for storage,
self driving cars. They can rebound from some of the negative news
headlines that they have had lately. That`s the area of the market within
technology I would look for as a bellwether and also to invest in.
HERERA: Chris, we`ll leave it there, thanks so much.
ZACCARELLI: Thank you. Appreciate you having me.
HERERA: Chris Zaccarelli with Independent Advisor Alliance.
GRIFFETH: To the economy now, which saw growth in the fourth quarter
revised here. According to the Commerce Department, GDP, the broadest
measure of the economy, grew by 2.9 percent in the final three months of
last year. That was more than expected. Growth was helped by the biggest
gain in consumer spending in three years. And that offset a drag in trade
which saw a rise in imports.
HERERA: The number of homes that went under contract rebounded last month.
Pending home sales were up 3.1 percent after falling in January. The
National Association of Realtors blames the uneven performance on a
shortage of houses for sale. The agency says that will likely cause 2018
to be a challenging year. It expects sales to be flat from a year ago.
GRIFFETH: The White House has inked its first significant trade deal, in
this case it`s with South Korea. It`s a one-on-one agreement that some say
could represent a blue print for other deals.
Kayla Tausche reports from Washington for us tonight.
KAYLA TAUSCHE, NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT CORRESPONDENT: President Trump
notched a trade win, touting a new deal with South Korea to replace a six-
year-old agreement he spent the last year criticizing.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The deal we have with South
Korea is a very one-sided deal. It`s a deal that has to be changed.
TAUSCHE: The goal: to lower the U.S. trade deficit with Korea, which stood
at $10 billion in 2017. The bulk of the imbalance: automobiles. U.S. car
companies could only sell 25,000 cars each into Korea before, a limit they
didn`t come close to meeting. The new deal doubles that limit, which
Ambassador Robert Lighthizer says should spur more business.
ROBERT LIGHTHIZER, U.S. TRADE REPRESENTATIVE: We think we are going to
make real improvements. It`s to the going to go to 50,000 per manufacturer
immediately. But I think it`s going to get way above 25,000, and I think
we`re talking in the not too distant future about billions of dollars of
additional sales. And I would say that other countries do sell in there,
and we have the kind of products that they will buy.
TAUSCHE: The White House says there are new cuts to regulation in Korea
and a side deal combating currency manipulation, as well as new caps on how
much steel Korea can send to the U.S. That`s in place of recently
announced tariffs. Despite being close allies, trade talks were
contentious when they started with President Trump surprising South Korea`s
new president by publicly slamming the deal during their first meeting.
TRUMP: Our trade deficit with South Korea has increased by more than $11
billion. Not exactly a great deal.
TAUSCHE: And then threatening to withdraw all together. Today, Trump
tweeting, the two countries can now focus on their security relationship,
as a summit between the U.S. and North Korea nears.
AMB. NICHOLAS BURNS, FORMER AMBASSADOR TO NATO: I think there is a
political reason behind this as well. As President Trump thinks about his
meeting with Kim Jong-un at the end of May and reflecting on what`s just
happened, this surprise visit by Kim to Beijing, South Korea and the United
States could not afford to be in a trade fight with this big strategic
event ahead of us. I think that`s probably another rationale for what
happens over the last 24 hours.
TAUSCHE: The White House says preparations are still underway for that
meeting with nothing set in stone. Meanwhile, another major trade event
looms, that`s the renegotiation of NAFTA. Foreign officials say the U.S.
has not set the date of the next round of talks which is supposed to take
place in Washington in April.
For NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT, I`m Kayla Tausche at the White House.
HERERA: As Kayla just reported, that trade deal comes as South Korea`s
leader met with China`s president.
Eunice Yoon picks up the story for us from Beijing.
EUNICE YOON, NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT CORRESPONDENT: North Korean leader
Kim Jong-un travelled to Beijing to meet with China`s President Xi Jinping.
But he had a message for President Trump.
According to Chinese state media, Kim told Xi that Pyongyang is willing to
start a dialogue with the U.S. agreeable to hold a North Korea-U.S. summit,
and committed to denuclearizing the Korean peninsula. The Chinese
government-run Xinhua news agency also quoted Kim as saying: The issue of
denuclearization of the Korean peninsula can be resolved if South Korea and
the United States respond to our efforts with goodwill.
The timing is extremely important. Kim is scheduled to hold a summit with
South Korea`s President Moon Jae-in in late April. And there is a
possibility that he will be meeting with President Trump soon after that.
So, analysts here believe that this visit was meant to prepare for those
meetings and also to get support from Chinese officials who traditionally
have been his closest allies. North Korea watchers believe that the
relations between China and North Korea have come under strain because
Beijing has been for strictly adhering to U.N. sanctions.
And today, though, the official papers were full of praise of the
relationship, calling it a sign that the ties are unshakeable. This visit
was unofficial, but it had the same pomp and circumstance as for any other
foreign leader, including a banquet at the Great Hall of the People. This
was Kim`s first trip outside of North Korea since he took power in 2011.
For NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT, I`m Eunice Yoon in Beijing.
GRIFFETH: Time to take a look now at some of today`s upgrades and
Dow component Verizon (NYSE:VZ) saw its rating raised to a buy from hold
over at HSBC. The firm says that Verizon (NYSE:VZ) is well-positioned in
the Internet media space that could help its revenue grow. Price target,
$55. That stock rose about 1.5 percent today to $48.
And coverage of fellow Dow component American Express (NYSE:EXPR)
(NYSE:AXP) was initiated with a buy rating at UBS. The firm says that
accelerating business volume and loan growth could drive revenue there, and
in turn that could result this stronger earnings per share. Price target
they put in, $111. The stock rose fractionally to $92.21.
HERERA: In that same note, the UBS analyst started coverage of Discover
Financial with a sell rating. The firm cites potential erosion of asset
and revenue growth. The price target is now $70 a share. The stock was up
slightly nonetheless to $70.28.
And Bernstein initiated coverage of the Dow component Visa (NYSE:V) with an
outperform rating. The analyst calls Visa`s business model attractive and
says it should benefit from the growing payments market. The price target
there is $143 a share. The stock fell a fraction to $116.99.
GRIFFETH: Still ahead, some of the brightest minds in health care together
in one place discussing one of the most complex industries in the world.
GRIFFETH: Japan`s largest drug maker is considering a possible bid for
Irish biotech company Shire (NASDAQ:SHPGY). The price tag could top $40
billion. Takeda Pharmaceuticals said everything is preliminary right now
and no approach has been made to Shire`s board.
Shire (NASDAQ:SHPGY) sells treatments for rare diseases and hyper activity
disorders. And Takeda believes that a combination with Shire
(NASDAQ:SHPGY) would strengthen its position here in the U.S. Shares of
Shire (NASDAQ:SHPGY) rose on that news by 12 percent to $144.53.
HERERA: Health insurance startup Oscar health raised $165 million in a new
round of funding. The company said that money will help accelerate its
expansion that includes move into four or five new cities every year.
Oscar offers individual and small group health insurance policies and has
grown its affordable health care offering this year to more states.
GRIFFETH: The changing health care industry was the focus of CNBC`s
healthy returns conference that brought innovators, investors and business
leaders together to discuss new solutions to some very complex problems.
Meg Tirrell has more from New York.
MEG TIRRELL, NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT CORRESPONDENT: Thirteen-year-old
Paige Whorton has already been through more than most adults.
PAIGE WHORTON, PATIENT: That was very depressing for me because like, no,
this is real. You`re like, it could just be in your head. We`re not
saying it`s not real. We think you are creating it. I`m like, I think I
know if I`m creating it.
TIRRELL: She had a pain in her joints that got worse and worse over the
years. It took an odyssey of testing to figure out what was wrong. Paige
has a rare genetic disease.
She shared her story on stage at CNBC`s Healthy Returns Conference today in
New York, where she was joined by people working across health care, from
industry, to government, to Wall Street.
FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb kicked off the day talking about the
agency`s efforts to lower drug prices through increasing competition. He
also focused on the agency`s worked and public health.
SCOTT GOTTLIEB, FDA COMMISSIONER: I think the most important thing we can
do is get back to public health basics, reduce smoking rates, promote
healthy diets, promote vaccination rates. If we could actually make
significant progress in those three things, the public health gains would
dwarf any single invention that we can come up with.
TAUSCHE: Other topics on display at the conference were the Amazon
(NASDAQ:AMZN) effect on health care, cutting edge technology like gene
editing and the use of big data. And, of course, the changing face of the
industry through massive consolidation.
As for Paige, she was lucky, there is a treatment for her condition, but
she still lives with the pain every day.
WHORTON: I`m still getting a lot of pain, but the treatment isn`t supposed
to take pain away. It`s supposed to prevent it like from getting worse.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And it has done that? It`s no worse than it was?
WHORTON: It is no worse than it was.
TIRRELL: Something for medicine to keep working on.
For NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT, I`m Meg Tirrell in New York City.
HERERA: A strong pharmacy business helps Walgreen`s results. That`s where
we begin tonight`s “Market Focus”.
Walgreen`s posted results that topped analyst`s expectations as that
company filled more prescriptions for more expensive specialty drugs. Same
store sales in its retail business continued to be pressured, though, as
customers increasingly shift their buying habits online. Walgreen`s also
hiked its full year earnings forecast. The shares rose 2.5 percent to
The credit monitoring company Equifax (NYSE:EFX) named a former General
Electric (NYSE:GE) executive Mark Begor as its CEO. Its September,
Equifax`s former chief executive, Richard Smith, stepped down following a
data breach of that company that compromised the personal information of
nearly 150 million Americans. As the new executive, Begor said that he
plans to prioritize efforts to win back customers` trust. Equifax
(NYSE:EFX) was up more than 2 percent to $119.04.
And growth in BlackBerry software and services business helped sales beat
estimates and it led to a smaller quarterly loss. The company has shifted
its focus from hardware, to software and licensing. BlackBerry said the
strategy is working and it`s optimistic about future performance.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN CHEN, BLACKWBERRY CEO: We`re done with the turn around so to speak.
And we`ve got a very good business here, shown a good couple of quarters.
I think three — ad a good fiscal `18. So, we are happy and we`re ready to
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HERERA: Shares fell 20 cents to $12.20.
GRIFFETH: So, elsewhere, defense contractor CACI International (NYSE:CACI)
has withdrawn its $7 billion offer for CSRA, effectively ending its bidding
war with rival General Dynamics (NYSE:GD). Last week, you recall, we told
you General Dynamic had raised its all cash offer for the information
technology company in an effort to compete with CACI`s bid. CACI and GD
were both lower today. While CSRA was unchanged in today`s session.
And after the bell tonight, GameStop reported a rise in revenue and same
store sales, thanks to strong demand for Nintendo`s Switch Games console.
Earnings were also ahead of expectations. Shares of the video game
retailer were up 2 percent to $14.15.
And clothing company PVH also topped earnings expectations after the bell
tonight, thanks to strength in its Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger brands.
PVH expects that momentum to continue. It gave an upbeat outlook for the
entire year as a result. Shares were initially higher following the news
after hours, and ended the regular session today up a fraction at $144.02.
HERERA: Coming up, the big demand for bigger cars.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PHIL LEBEAU, NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT CORRESPONDENT: Luxury autos are hot,
but right now, buyers want more than just another luxury sedan. What are
they looking for?
I`m Phil LeBeau at the New York International Auto Show. I`ll tell you
when NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT returns.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HERERA: Moody`s (NYSE:MCO) lowered its credit rating on Tesla by one notch
late yesterday. The credit rating agency sites the company`s large
negative free cash flow and the shortfall in production of its model 3
electric car. Tesla is also under scrutiny by the National Transportation
Safety Board which is conducting an investigation into a fatal crash in
California. The stock dropped 7 percent to $257.78.
GRIFFETH: Federal regulators want to cancel a planned increase for higher
penalties for gas guzzling vehicles. The rule was put into place by the
Obama administration. It called for a doubling of fines if the cars failed
to meet minimum fuel economy standards. The National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration says that a higher penalty would have a negative
economic impact. Not surprisingly, automakers had opposed that increase,
saying it could raise compliance cost by $1 billion annually.
GRIFFETH: Trucker pay is rising. A recent study by the American Trucking
Association showed the median salary increased about 15 percent to $53,000
from 2013 to 2017. By comparison, average hourly earnings for all private
workers rose about 10 percent during the same period of time. The trucking
industry, as we have been reporting, is facing a shortage of drivers, and
increased demand for shipping services.
GRIFFETH: For years now, the New York Auto Show has been the place to see
the latest luxury cars. But this year, the luxury lines are pushing new
SUVs and crossovers, which now make up a majority of the sales among the
Phil LeBeau has our story from the Big Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) tonight.
LEBEAU: From the return of the Lincoln Aviator to BMW`s redesigned X4 to
Cadillac`s new XT4, automakers are pushing luxury SUVs harder than ever.
JOHAN DE NYESSCHEN, CADILLAC CEO: The XT4 puts us into the heart of one of
the hottest growing segments in the U.S. market and that`s a very
compelling entry and I think Cadillac is going to take a large share of
LEBEAU: Cadillac and other luxury auto brands are cashing in on America`s
growing appetite for bigger vehicles. What started over a decade ago with
mass market brands offering a wider variety of crossovers and SUVs has now
extended to the luxury players who are capitalizing on wealthier buyers who
want to sit higher in a more refined interior.
The demand for high end SUV is so strong, BMW`s plant in South Carolina
which only builds SUVs is expanding production.
BERNHARD KUNDT, BMW NORTH AMERICA CEO: We feel in a very position. We`ve
got (INAUDIBLE) here. We produce — this is the biggest factory we have
globally. We export about 70 percent. We sell about 30 percent here in
the U.S. and I have to say we feel in a very good position.
LEBEAU: Right now, over 60 percent of the vehicles sold in the United
States are trucks and SUVs. But that percentage is even higher among some
luxury brand like Lexus.
JIM LENITZ, TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA CEO: In Lexus`s case, it`s almost
70 percent luxury SUVs. In fact, in New York, we are launching another new
one, the UX, which is just below NX. So I think we have got a great
portfolio, and a great SUV to offer any customer.
LEBEAU: With gas prices expected to remain relatively low, demand for
bigger, less fuel efficient vehicles should remain robust and even a little
stronger among luxury names.
Phil LeBeau, NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT, New York.
HERERA: And from cars to boats, business has been growing, thanks to the
rising stock market and the strengthening economy. But at the recent Miami
boat show, experts say the industry could be starting to face some waves.
Landon Dowdy has more.
LANDON DOWDY, NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT CORRESPONDENT: The Miami
International Boat Show attracts marine enthusiasts from around the world
for a sneak peek at the industry`s latest innovations. And this year, a
rising tide is lifting all boats.
THOM DAMMRICH, NATOINAL MARINE MANUFACTURING ASSOCIATION: Yacht sales and
all boat sales are being driven by, again, consumer confidence, the wealth
effect. People just feel good today.
DOWDY: The industry is entering its seventh straight year of growth. And
though growth in the number of boats sold annually is actually slowing, the
average cost of a new vessel is on the rise. Consumers are opting for
bigger boats and higher horsepower outboards.
This Brunswick (NYSE:BC) 3`8″ Boston whaler yacht retails for almost $1
million. It comes fully loaded with new smart boat features allowing boat
owners to monitor things like battery charge and oil levels remotely, plus
autonomous driving technology to help with navigation at sea, and docking
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nailed it.
DOWDY: For those in the market for a boat or a yacht, watch the stock
market closely and there may have been some concern with the recent
volatility but it wasn`t enough to turn people away.
MARK SCHWABERO, BRUNSWICK CHAIRMAN & CEO: Technology is something that
excites people and says I really got to get one of those.
DOWDY: And it`s not all about giant yachts. Torpedo`s electric outboards
powered by solar panels on the dock offers sustainability.
And for surfers in search of the perfect wave, Malibu`s patented technology
lets riders built that wave was just the top of the rest. Still, the
industry is facing some headwinds, like millennials preference for renting
over buyin, fueling the rise of boat rising and boat clubs, and the recent
memory of last year`s devastating storms.
JOHN GIGLIO, FREEDOM BOAT CLUB CEO: Our business really soared after the
hurricanes that hit the west coast of Florida here, and the other areas of
the country. What`s more frustrating than worrying about your asset
sitting in the water when you have a hurricane bearing down on it?
DOWDY: For some shipless captains, the lure of the open ocean will prove
too much. Follow Hurricane Katrina and Super Storm Sandy, the industry
benefited from consumers replacing and upgrading damaged properties, boat
builders, dealers and marine industry analysts say they expect insurance
payouts for hurricane damaged boats to provide some extra wind in 2018
For NIGHTLY BUSINESS REPORT, I`m Landon Dowdy in Miami.
GRIFFETH: And before we go, another look on the day on Wall Street. A
much calmer session today than we saw Monday or Tuesday. The Dow dropped
just by nine points, the Nasdaq was down 59, the S&P down seven.
HERERA: And hat does it for us tonight. I`m Sue Herera. Thanks for
GRIFFETH: I`m Bill Griffeth. Have a great evening. See you tomorrow.
Nightly Business Report transcripts and video are available on-line post
broadcast at http://nbr.com. The program is transcribed by ASC Services II
Media, LLC. Updates may be posted at a later date. The views of our guests
and commentators are their own and do not necessarily represent the views
of Nightly Business Report, or CNBC, Inc. Information presented on Nightly
Business Report is not and should not be considered as investment advice.
(c) 2018 CNBC, Inc.
Services II Media, LLC. All materials herein are protected by United States
copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted,
displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of
ASC Services II Media, LLC. You may not alter or remove any trademark,
copyright or other notice from copies of the content.


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Article by the Lockdown Economy volunteer Surya Abhishek
Recently, a video shared on the internet by a food blogger about a roadside food vendor in New Delhi, India went viral, leading to a huge upsurge in the sales for the octogenarian couple. In a similar way, what if small-sized businesses can help each other! If there is a platform on which stories like this can be shared, this would help in lifting many small businesses that experienced a blow due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is what Shayonti Chatterji of Urban Medley felt while looking for the right platform to showcase her initiative, which helps traditional weavers of India.
The idea of Urban Medley is to encourage traditional and sustainable fabric produce by educating the farming and weaving communities about organic practices and opportunities. This is a transparent business that caters traditional fabric craft from the rural artisans to the urban households who look for fresh fashion. At the same time, Urban Medley’s aim is to reduce the carbon footprint to make the planet healthier and happier. The great initiative then met Lockdown Economy, an initiative to promote businesses exactly like this — businesses that would make an impact but are affected by the lockdown in the fight against the pandemic we are facing.
Shayonti started her Urban Medley business just as the pandemic and subsequent lockdown was setting in. However, on the positive note, this could actually be great news for the artisans who would have suffered worse, if not for Urban Medley. Artisans, “mainly out of India for now, who are working only with sustainable fabrics and who are following a sustainable ethical mode of production”, says Shayonti. One cannot but appreciate and the designs based on weaving and printing techniques that are hundreds of years old. These techniques could be lost to time without such a platform where customers can try and procure them. Even though the business started almost during the lockdown, Shayonti claims there was a lot of traction, thanks to social media and platforms like Lockdown Economy. Even though sales were low thanks to the lockdown, the brand promotion was quite possible and people showed interested and there were a lot of inquiries. This could be converted into more sales once things return to normalcy and people think of buying luxury and fashion items more prominently.
During the lockdown, Shayonti got herself busy in promoting the Urban Medley brand through various platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The key according to her, is the audience-specific storytelling. This helped her get in touch with other small-sized businesses and they all stuck a rapport in order to help each other. Now Shayonti and Urban Medley have the attention of many customers who support sustainable and traditional fabric fashion. In addition, she could connect and pass notes with similar entrepreneurs across the globe, forming a little community helping and learning from each other. With the lifting of the lockdown, however, the screen times reduced and so the traffic. But if people are now going on holiday, they are going to buy fashion items next.
Urban Medley’s fashion items are special. By catering to fashion needs of the urban households such as scarves, capes, shawls, bags and belts, they help lift the poor artisans in India out of trouble so that they do not need to migrate to cities for menial jobs or pull out their kids from school. It is understandable from the worsening of the pandemic situation and the economy in India, that people would be scared to spend. That is why Shayonti is on her toes every moment. She wants to share through her story, the stories of the artisans that Urban Medley supports. Entrepreneurs like her are the need of the hour and she hopes that logistics economy will recover from the pandemic situation soon enough.
As of now, Shayonti is focusing on connecting with as many customers as possible through initiatives like Lockdown Economy and other social platforms. She is readying for the Christmas and New Year season, which is when Urban Medley’s scarves to capes to belts are most sought after. Urban Medley’s story is worth spreading and her full interview can be seen here.
The Lockdown Economy: Interviews by think tank AlterContacts.org with real entrepreneurs sharing insights, challenges and successes during the COVID19 global pandemic to inspire, motivate and encourage other entrepreneurs around the world.


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You are here
NEW YORK -- Mountain Dew is undergoing an extreme makeover, scrapping its 13-year-old "Do the Dew" theme and dumping its "extreme" positioning, which many now consider tired, according to a Brandweek report.
Frank Cooper, the vice president-marketing appointed to head the PepsiCo brand less than a year ago, is leading the charge, challenging the company's agencies and consultants to come up with a new plan, per sources. Dew's new positioning will be fashioned around "fueling the core." That means "satisfying people's need for excitement or fulfillment in whatever they do," said a Pepsi exec. with knowledge of the matter.
Dew will focus on exhilaration, energy and the enjoyment of finding new passions. "Extreme is no longer extreme," the exec. told Brandweek, noting how many other brands have occupied the niche and taken it mainstream. "We don't know what the answer is. We're waiting for our agencies to come up with something and we're conducting research. We haven't come up with the Holy Grail yet."
The exec said scrapping "Do the Dew," the longest-running campaign in the category, is part of the strategy: "If you change the whole approach, you have to change that. Although we might wink at it," he told the magazine.
A Pepsi rep declined to confirm the move. "We're still looking at all of our options. There's nothing to share yet," the rep said.
In the first indication of the change in strategy, Pepsi will overhaul Dew's MDX next month, Brandweek reported. Because of consumer confusion and slow sales, the brand will no longer be positioned as an energy soda. Rather, it will be marketed as a soft drink that is energy-infused to avoid direct competition with Red Bull. "Be Nocturnal" ads will be axed in favor of ads themed "Stay Sharp," which will quiz TV viewers about details from the shows they are watching.
An agency exec who had previously worked on the Dew brand said it's about time it switched strategy: "Everybody is doing extreme drinks. Kids have new passions. They have to take it to the new phase. They just have to figure out what that is."
Spending for the upcoming campaign was not disclosed. PepsiCo spent $58 million on media for the Dew brand last year and $15 million for the first eight months of 2006, according to Nielsen Monitor-Plus. Diet Dew got $25 million through August.


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With electric vehicles still struggling to find a foothold in the mainstream market, General Motors has offered major discounts on its Chevrolet Volt to move cars off sales lots, and Toyota has scrapped plans for widespread sales of its new all-electric minicar.
While GM reported a record-setting month for Volt sales in August, selling 2,800 cars, an Associated Press report found the increase was due largely to discounts of nearly $10,000, or about 25 percent off the $40,000 sticker price, including low-interest financing and cash discounts.
While those sales indicate consumers will buy electric vehicles if prices are low enough, the fact that dealerships had to offer such steep discounts suggests the technology still has a long way to go before entering the consumer mainstream and becoming profitable for carmakers.
Two years after Toyota announced plans to sell several thousand of its all-electric iQ minicar, the company this week said it will scale back those goals.
“The current capabilities of electric vehicles do not meet society’s needs, whether it may be the distance the cars can run, or the costs, or how it takes a long time to charge,” Takeshi Uchiyamada, Toyota’s vice chairman, told reporters.
Article appearing courtesy Yale Environment 360.


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Waitrose closure ‘a big blow’ for Stevenage
- Credit: Archant
The closure of Waitrose in Stevenage Old Town is a ‘big blow’ as the store has played ‘a crucial role in our community’, a Stevenage Borough Council spokesman has said.
Yesterday it was confirmed the supermarket in the High Street is set to close this autumn.
A spokesman for the borough council said: "We are sorry to learn that Waitrose has announced it will be closing its Stevenage store in the Old Town, despite being there for more than 41 years and playing a crucial role in our community.
"We understand this is a commercial decision. We will work with Waitrose to discuss alternative opportunities where possible and review options to relocate the Post Office, which may be affected by this announcement too.
"This is a big blow for Stevenage to lose such an established brand that has played a key role in our community over many years.
"Our thoughts remain with the Stevenage Waitrose staff during an unsettling time."
The 97 partners working at the shop will now enter a period of consultation.
- 1 Icon building planning appeal quashed after High Court review
- 2 Bubble tea emporium opens in Stevenage
- 3 Cat owner given 'best Christmas present' after being reunited with missing Maine Coon five years after disappearance
- 4 Woman pleads guilty to smashing bottles of booze worth £10,000
- 5 Butts Close: A monument to medieval Hitchin
- 6 College releases statement after medical incident sparks social media rumours
- 7 A taste of what's to come: We look at Tranquil Turtle's menu ahead of opening
- 8 Men sentenced after guns and class A drugs uncovered at Ickleford property
- 9 Met police officer pleads not guilty to 20 charges including seven rapes
- 10 New QEII Urgent Care Centre opening hours set to change
Waitrose & Partners' regional manager, Ashley Broad, said: "We have taken great pride in being part of the Stevenage community, so the sale of the shop is not something we take lightly, but have sadly not been able to find a way to make the shop commercially sustainable in the long-term."
The future of the Post Office currently housed in the Waitrose store is uncertain. A Post Office spokesman said they "will be working to identify a permanent solution to sustain Post Office services". He said: "We are committed to maintaining service in the area and will work hard to deliver this."


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‘Virtual exec’ Holbrook runs $1 billion company from his phoneSeptember 21, 2017
St. Louis Business Journal | September 11, 2017 – Jim Holbrook, CEO of Daymon Worldwide, manages the $1.3 billion international retail consultancy from the sun porch overlooking his backyard in Ladue. When he took the post in September 2015, Holbrook chose to remain in St. Louis rather than move to Daymon’s headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut.
“I call my iPhone (6) my office because, traveling a lot, I can get ahold of people by text, email or phone,” he said. On the road 10-15 nights a month, or about half his time, he said the only real travel perk he enjoys is his Southwest Airlines A-List Preferred status, which earns him enough points for his wife, Meredith, to fly with him for free.
Daymon provides professional services such as strategy, packaging and brand design, and merchandising programs to retailers and private-label manufacturers around the world. Holbrook said he travels so much that being Daymon’s CEO “is kind of a virtual role.” Holbrook said he’s not really “an office guy,” and his value to the company involves getting out and talking to customers and potential customers, not sitting in an office “approving people’s expense reports.” He talks to his 15 direct reports almost daily, and holds a monthly call for executives and a quarterly teleconference for all employees.
Holbrook, who grew up in Pittsburgh, left a job at Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati in 1984 to move to St. Louis and join what was then Ralston Purina. He later moved up to CEO of its Beech-Nut baby food unit and assistant to CEO Bill Stiritz. He subsequently earned an MBA from Washington University, and held top roles at St. Louis-based ad agency Zipatoni and its later parent, Interpublic Group; marketing company EMAK Worldwide; and Post Holdings, which he left in 2015.
Holbrook has joined a roster of C-level employees who have decided not to relocate to their companies’ headquarters cities. Mark Throdahl, who spent 13 years at Mallinckrodt Group, grew up in St. Louis and lives here now as president and CEO of OrthoPediatrics Corp., a Warsaw, Indiana-based medical device company preparing to go public. Jeffry Quinn, chairman and CEO of Town & Country-based investment group Quinpario Partners, remained in St. Louis when he served as CEO of one of its investments, Milwaukee-based Jason Industries, for a year ending in December 2016.
David Feldman, who led Maryland Heights-based Katy Industries, now American Plastics, for eight years as CEO until he was fired in October 2016, lived in Atlanta. Robert Guerra, who succeeded Feldman as CEO of Katy and now runs American Plastics, is based in Dallas/Fort Worth. Bevil Hogg, former CEO of St. Louis-based medical device company EndoStim, led the company from his home in Soquel, California.
While it’s difficult to quantify the number of CEOs who don’t move to their company’s headquarters city, Mitch Ellis, managing director of executive search firm Sanford Rose Associates-St. Louis, said it’s not uncommon. “Most CEOs will relocate, but there is a growing number that don’t and they can afford not to,” he said. “They’re making enough money.”
However, Peter Crist of search firm Crist Kolder Associates in Chicago, said, “Historically, there has been a very high demand for the CEO, CFO and top two or three people in an enterprise to be physically located in the same city” as the company, particularly in public companies. But private equity owners are much more open to hiring top executives who live elsewhere “because there’s going to be a transaction at some time, a sale or they’ll go public.”
A VIRTUAL ROLE
Bain Capital Private Equity took a majority stake in Holbrook’s Daymon in January, with members of management still holding an interest in the company. Holbrook said that he wants to continue to “scale up” the company, and in three to five years go public. Daymon has operations in every time zone across the globe.
“When I first took the job, I worked hard at trying to move the headquarters to St. Louis… The labor force was there, the cost of living was there, the travel was fine,” he said. But with 42,000 employees, of whom 38,000 are part time and 200 are at headquarters, Daymon “is a people business,” he said. “The disruption to the business just wouldn’t let me make that call unfortunately.”
Holbrook, 58, is looking to grow Daymon from $1.3 billion in revenue to closer to $1.5 billion next year. “We’re growing it through more penetration in North America and Europe with our current services, and through expansion to Asia, especially China,” Holbrook said. He declined to disclose the company’s client roster, except for Schnuck Markets and Post Foods. Holbrook takes commercial flights: “People are critical of St. Louis’ air travel, but it works for me,’ he said.
Throdahl, of OrthoPediatrics, was compensated $15,158 in 2016 for lodging and travel expenses in connection with travel between his home in St. Louis and the company’s headquarters in Warsaw, Indiana, outside Chicago, according to a company regulatory filing. That also includes membership in the private Union League Club in Chicago, where a nonresident membership runs about $1,500 annually. Throdahl, 66, declined to be interviewed, citing the company’s pending stock offering.
Holbrook said of handling a virtual role and managing long distance, “It’s just time management and it’s technology enabled.” He uses Skype or FaceTime for business “all the time,” and uses Mac desktops, an iPad Pro, Mac Air or Mac Book, depending on where he is. “I have a basement full of power cords, which i think are obsolete but can’t throw away,” he said.
He has an assistant, Susi Malen, based at Daymon’s Connecticut headquarters.


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Amazon has opened a high-tech grocery store in Seattle, Washington. Tech expert Andy Walker speaks about the new store and explains in details how it will use sensors and cameras to track purchases
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More info on Amazon opens high-tech grocery store in Seattle
Amazon opens high-tech grocery store in Seattle - BingNews Search results
Amazon to open new ‘themed’ pop-up store at Seattle HQ in latest physical retail expansion
Amazon ... stores offer a Food Network theme. Previous themes include Barbie’s 50th Anniversary, Marvel’s Avengers, Fisher Price ‘Let’s Be Kids’, an Audible reading room, Holiday Toy List selections ...
Amazon To Open Grocery Store In San Fernando Valley
Amazon says it plans to open a new type of grocery ... additional stores under the same banner. It said the store would have traditional checkout stands rather than the high-tech, cashier-less ...
Amazon Is Opening New Grocery Stores Next Year NOT Named Whole Foods
Seattle, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia. This marks the first time Amazon has confirmed its plans. "Amazon is opening a grocery store in Woodland Hills in 2020," a company ...
Amazon plans new grocery store in L.A. as it thinks about how to conquer the industry
Amazon.com Inc. said Monday that it plans to open a new type of grocery ... s learning from its various grocery formats — including the high-tech Amazon Go stores — into a significantly ...
Report: Amazon to open new chain of grocery stores nationwide
Amazon has 16 Amazon Go convenience stores in Seattle, Chicago, San Francisco and New York, with two more planned to open soon. Those stores feature ready-to-eat food items and groceries.
Amazon Go ‘Mini’ Opens In Seattle
Amazon has opened a smaller version of its cashier-free Amazon Go food ... floor of Seattle’s famous Macy’s building, it’s only open to Amazon employees and their guests. The store is ...
Amazon could open 3,000 cashierless Amazon Go stores by 2021, Bloomberg reports
Amazon.com Inc. is considering plans to open up to 3,000 checkout-free convenience stores ... business at its Seattle headquarters in recent weeks, listing nearly 100 new high-tech jobs at its ...
Amazon opens cashierless Amazon Go store in Chicago, its first outside Seattle
Amazon today officially expanded its checkout-free grocery stores beyond Seattle with the opening of its very first Amazon Go store in Chicago, located at 113 S. Franklin Street. The new Chicago ...
Amazon opens its second cashierless store in Seattle; Chicago and San Francisco are next
And because there’s no room for an on-premises kitchen, fresh food ... be open on weekdays, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Amazon’s second Go store is the first in a wave to come. The Seattle company ...
Amazon opens its second checkout-free Go store in Seattle
There won't be an in-store kitchen, however, and food will be supplied by another Seattle-based Amazon kitchen, according to the Seattle Times. Earlier this year, Amazon confirmed plans to open Go ...
Amazon Go, a high-tech version of a 7-Eleven, will finally open on Monday — with no checkout lines and no cashiers
Amazon Go, the company’s first brick-and-mortar convenience store, will open to the public on Monday on the ground floor of Amazon’s new headquarters on Seventh Avenue in Seattle. Though the ...
Amazon to open first ‘self-driving’ grocery store, with no checkout lines, in Seattle in early 2017
The new store, dubbed “Amazon Go,” is currently in testing with the company’s employees in Seattle ... open in early 2017. (Amazon Photo Via YouTube) In addition to a range of grocery ...


text:
By Situation Publishing
Open iTunes to buy and download apps.
The Register - Biting the hand that feeds IT
With more than 5 million readers, The Register is the one of the world's biggest online tech publications.
It has news desks in London, San Francisco and Sydney to make sure you get the news you need wherever and whenever it happens. And it has columnists who'll give you an interesting take on the implications.
It has an active community of IT Pros from across the world, who discuss everything from cloud to chips, systems design to sys admins, Virtualisation to Vatican bloggers, Latvian hackers to liquid crystal raygun turrets.
For an original slant on the world of technology, you could do worse.
The Register. It's where tech lives.
What's New in Version 2.1.1
Based on your feedback:
- Changing the text size of the articles now updates the lists
- Improvements when submitting comments
- The app name no longer gets truncated on some devices
Here's a reminder of what was in 2.1.0:
- A fresh new look for your perusal
- Support for some of your larger devices (including the iPad Pro)
- Got an iPhone 6s or 6s Plus? Peek and pop into article links
- Links now load using Apple’s inbuilt Safari view
Very smart predictive AI
When using the app the predictive AI opens articles for you to read without even having to tap on them. I think this predictive approach is a tantalising glimpse into a future where AI bots deliver news we didn't even know we wanted to read. Or the interface is borked. Either way, five stars.
so poor, and exposes El Reg for what it really is
when you scroll, it opens articles. You might think it's a bug - it isn't. It increases the read rate for articles, in turn juicing up the stats for selling ads. It goes against the supposed core ideals of El Reg, which are highlighting and exposing dodgy stuff and poorly designed things. This bug has been live for more than a year and is immediately apparent on opening the app. No excuse, it's just fraud.
Opens while scrolling
The register should write an article on their app and tell the world about how an IT news company can't even QA their own app. Very annoying that it keeps opening when scrolling.


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Honeywell announced its strategic alliance with Nexceris to help make electric vehicles (EVs) safer. Honeywell and Nexceris will offer advanced automotive sensing technology to help prevent conditions leading to thermal runaway in EV batteries, a phenomenon that causes extremely high temperatures within the battery cell and can result in a fire.
Global sales of EVs doubled in 2021 from the previous year to nearly 7 million, and India’s electric vehicle market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 90% in this decade to touch $150 billion by 2030. Many of these vehicles today use lithium-ion batteries as an energy source, which can pose safety risks that can impact EV owners. To help mitigate these risks, automobile manufacturers are looking to incorporate technology to provide enhanced safety. Honeywell offers a wide range of lithium-ion battery safety and performance solutions, including sensors used in battery management systems to monitor the health of EV batteries, gas detection solutions used throughout the manufacturing process and electrical safety personal protective equipment, providing protection to workers and allowing them to operate safely in hazardous conditions.
Rajesh Rege, president, Honeywell India, mentioned, “As more people switch to electric vehicles, automakers need to supply lithium-ion batteries that are reliable, safe and secure at every point of their lifespan. EV sales are likely to increase exponentially 'in the coming months and years' due to the demand incentives provided under FAME II, the launch of state policies, rising fuel prices, tightening emissions laws and increasing awareness of the green environment. Honeywell is assisting this transition to more EVs on the road by providing ready-now solutions to help reduce safety concerns. Honeywell’s collaboration with Nexceris to develop an enhanced suite of battery monitoring sensors will help automotive manufacturers strengthen their battery health monitoring systems with the ability to detect thermal runaway conditions even earlier,” he added.
The companies will collaborate with leading global vehicle manufacturers to deliver advanced gas detection solutions in EV battery packs to allow for early intervention, helping avoid costly property damage and safety issues.
In 2020, Honeywell and Nexceris formed its strategic alliance to address lithium-ion battery system safety for energy storage applications, combining Honeywell’s very early warning smoke detection and Li-ion Tamer’s leading off-gas detection technology for a safe, redundant way to protect facilities of any scale.
The Li-ion Tamer products were developed by Nexceris. Nexceris is an energy innovation company dedicated to the clean energy transition. Founded in 1994, Nexceris’ vision is to create a better world through clean energy innovations. The company collaborates with global customers and partners to transform powerful ideas to make energy production safer, more efficient, and environmentally responsible. Learn more at nexceris.com.
Honeywell Safety and Productivity Solutions (SPS) provides products, software and connected solutions that improve productivity, workplace safety and asset performance for our customers across the globe. We deliver on this promise through industry-leading mobile devices, software, cloud technology and automation solutions, the broadest range of personal protective equipment and gas detection technology, and custom-engineered sensors, switches and controls. For more information, please visit: sps.honeywell.com.
Honeywell delivers industry-specific solutions that include aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings and industry; and performance materials globally. Our technologies help aircraft, buildings, manufacturing plants, supply chains, and workers become more connected to make our world smarter, safer, and more sustainable.


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Passengers will be allowed to purchase duty-free goods onboard their international flights bound for Vietnam starting November, when a new tax-free shopping regulation takes effect.
The new rule, approved by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and which will become effective on November 1, is applicable to domestic airlines, or those that are established and operate as per the Vietnamese law.
As per the current rule, businesses are only allowed to sell duty-free goods at international airports in Vietnam and on board flights that depart from the country.
National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines has repeatedly called for a regulation amendment to allow in-flight duty-free purchases on Vietnam-bound flights to serve passengers prior to their arrival to the country.
Such permission will create a fair competition between local and foreign tax-free retailers, as most of the foreign airlines flying to Vietnam allow in-flight duty-free shopping in both departure and arrival flights, according to Vietnam Airlines.
In order to buy the tax-free goods during their flights to Vietnam, passengers are required to present their passport and boarding pass, whereas the flight attendants will take full record of their information such as their names and the numbers of their passport, flight, and seat.
Such information will later be made available for the buyers, retailers and customs.


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Business & Markets 2013
Written by Ho Wah Foon of theedgemalaysia.com
Monday, 18 February 2013 20:01
KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 18): Based on announcements to Bursa Malaysia, the stocks to watch on Tuesday (Feb 19) could include Tasek, Mudajaya, Unisem, Pharmaniaga, Salcon, Box Pak and Hovid.
TASEK CORPORATION BHD  reported a 38% drop in fourth quarter net profit from a year earlier as the cement and concrete manufacturer sold less building materials at lower prices due to intense market competition.
Tasek said net profit in the quarter ended December 31, 2012 came to RM20.75 million, against RM23.44 million previously, while revenue declined 20% to RM133.78 million from RM167.24 million.
The firm’s full-year net profit also fell 11% to RM91.89 million from RM103.16 million a year earlier while revenue was down 0.3% to RM564.54 million from RM566.19 million.
Despite weaker results, Tasek declared total dividends of 90 sen a share less 25% income tax for 4QFY12 comprising, final and special payouts of 30 sen and 60 sen respectively.
MUDAJAYA GROUP BHD ’s net profit for the fourth quarter ended Dec 31, 2012 came in at RM47.21 million, or 29% lower than a year ago.
Revenue was down by 29.5% at RM303.73 million as compared to the previous year.
But on a full year basis, the company’s net profit increased by 2.63% to RM237.1 million on revenue of RM1.66 billion, which also increased by 22.87%.
The company attributed the better performance in 2012 to higher sale of CONSTRUCTION  materials while its property segment enjoyed higher sales from new launches.
Unisem Bhd said its net loss widened in the fourth quarter from a year earlier, as lower selling prices and a firmer ringgit dragged down its revenue.
Bottom line of the semiconductor company was also hit by a reduction in the value of the company's assets, retrenchment cost, provisions and write-offs of inventory and receivables.
Unisem said net loss came to RM19.5 million in the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2012, against a net loss of RM2.53 million previously, while revenue declined 1.4% to RM269.44 million from RM273.18 million.
Its full-year results also saw net loss of RM32.31 million, compared with a net profit of RM19.85 million a year earlier, as revenue fell 6% to RM1.09 billion.
Looking ahead, the firm expects outlook to be “challenging” due to global economic uncertainties.
PHARMANIAGA BHD  has proposed a share split, followed by a bonus issue. The split will subdivide every one existing share of RM1 each into two shares of 50 sen each, and after this share split, the company will embark on a bonus issue on the basis of one bonus share for every 10 subdivided shares.
Meanwhile, the company reported a net loss of RM7.93 million for the fourth quarter ended Dec 31, 2012 due to goodwill impairment of a subsidiary and amortisation of rights to supply in relation to its acquisition of a company.
However, the pharmaceutical company’s revenue rose in the fourth quarter, up 31.16% at RM482.4 million, compared to a year ago, on higher demand from government and private sectors and the consolidation of its newly acquired unit.
On a full year basis, the company’s net profit rose 18.32% to RM61.71 million from RM52.18 million a year ago, while revenue advanced 19.16% to RM1.81 billion.
SALCON BHD , a water and wastewater solutions provider, announced it has bagged a RM14 million sewerage project from the Sewerage Services Department, Ministry of Energy, Green TECHNOLOGY  and Water.
Salcon said the contract was received through its wholly-owned unit Salcon Engineering Bhd. The works encompass designing, building and rehabilitating the current seven public sewage treatment plants in Selangor to class one.
Salcon said the project, expected to complete in 24 months, is likely to contribute positively to its earnings.
Box-Pak (M) Bhd posted a net profit of RM4.03 million for the fourth quarter ended Dec 31, 2012, a 21% plunge from last year’s RM5.08 million, due to loss from a cross currency swap.
However, the group reported higher revenue of RM72.4 million compared to RM70.3 million recorded for similar quarter a year ago.
Pharmaceuticals products manufacturer HOVID BHD  posted a net profit of RM4.3 million for the second quarter to end-December 2012, down 61% from RM11.04 previously, but revenue rose 6.59% rise to RM43.17 million.
“The poorer result was mainly due to the lower profit margin arising from increase in staff costs, operational expenses and promotional discounts given,” Hovid said in a filing to Bursa Malaysia today.
The group expects its outlook to be “satisfactory” based on the fact that it is actively securing new overseas markets and registration of new products.


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At last, HP has decided to officially recall the Chromebook 11 charger, due to "fire and burn hazards," HP said. The charger "can overheat and melt."
This problem caused HP to yank the PC off the shelves last month.
Although it stopped selling new Chromebooks in mid-November, about a month after the PC was in stores, it didn't recall the ones it had already sold. It told owners to simply use a different changer, relying on the idea that Chromebooks use a standard-size USB charger.
However, last week, Consumer Reports' Glenn Derene decided to check out the overheating issue and discovered it was pretty bad. The charger they tested heated up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Just for some context, water heated up to 140 degrees can cause third degree burns within five seconds.
Worse than that, Derene discovered that plugging in another charger didn't work very well. The Chromebook gave this error message: "Low-power charger connected. Your Chromebook may not charge while it is turned on."
Derene concluded, "So as far as we're concerned, that's definitely not a long-term solution" and wondered why HP didn't recall the charger and replace it.
So today, HP made that move.
Here's the statement HP just sent to us about the recall.
With guidance and approval from the CPSC and other regulatory agencies, Google and HP are recalling the original charger for the HP Chromebook 11. Customers should visit http://chromebook.com/hp11chargerform to request a free replacement charger. We apologize again for the inconvenience this has caused. Your safety is our top priority. With our partner Google, we are resuming sales of the HP Chromebook 11. All new packages will include the replacement charger.
The good news is that none of this affected the larger HP Chromebook 14, which we hear has been popular this holiday season. The downside, of course, is that HP lost precious time during the peak of holiday shopping to sell the smaller 11-inch device.
We've asked HP to let us know when the Chromebook 11 will be back in stores and will update this post when we hear back.


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Entries in 'predictions' (56)
PS4 won’t break all-time console sales records but will emerge as the next-gen console winner, analyst DFC Intelligence has predicted.
Wii U will fail to sell the 9m units Nintendo has predicted for the current financial year, analysts have said.
PS4 will have outsold its rival Xbox One to the tune of 11m units within five years, research firm IHS has predicted.
Strategy Analytics thinks the upcoming console generation will fall well short of the financial success enjoyed by our current machines.
Ad specialist Generation Media takes a look at historical TV marketing data to predict the level of screen advertising we might expect from video games during Q4...
Powa Technologies – an ecommerce provider, it should be noted – has issued a damning prediction for the future of the British High Street.
Futuresource Consulting has predicted that PS4 will enjoy a decent sales advantage over Xbox One over the next five years.
Expansion beyond the games market could lead to record-breaking sales of the Xbox One and games consoles in general, Microsoft has claimed.
Former EA boss John Riccitiello believes that PS4 and the new Xbox will both be commercial successes.
Is it an outrageous statement to say that vast swathes of the games industry have already written Vita off?
It’s nearly here. After years of speculation and weeks of rumour, tomorrow night we will finally get our first look at Sony’s next console.
MCV asks UK games industry experts about why 2013 will be much, much better than 2012.
Analyst Doug Creutz believes Xbox 360 was the star performer in the US video games market in November.
Things could go from bad to worse for THQ, according to Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter.
Darksiders II has fallen short of THQ’s sales estimates, analyst Michael Pachter has stated.
The boss of global games retailer GameStop doesn’t believe that both the Xbox 720 and PS4 will launch in 2013.
The management team at EA has convinced analysts that the publisher is well positioned to thrive in the next-gen games market.
Xbox 720 will be more than just a games console – Microsoft wants it to replace all of the boxes currently sitting under your television.
A new report from DFC Intelligence predicts that digitally distributed games will account for 66 per cent of total overall games revenue by 2017.
With Diablo III launching later this month, analysts have begun weighing in on what the commercial reception will amount to in terms of units sold.
The PlayStation 4, Xbox 720 and Wii U will fail to match the sales of their immediate predecessors, analyst Piper Jaffray believes.
With the doom-mongers continuing the circle, THQ has announced that it expects Q4 sales to exceed expectations.
Ahead of its release next week, analyst firm Cowen and Company has predicted that Activision’s Prototype 2 will struggle at retail.
Superhero action game Prototype 2 will prosper thanks to a quiet April, says Activision subsidiary Radical Entertainment.
Wednesday March 7th at 6:00pm GMT – that’s when we’ll finally find out what Apple has in store for the third generation of its iPad.


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Retail Acquisitions, which paid billionaire tycoon Sir Philip Green £1 for the loss-making fashion and homewares retailer a year ago, is seeking two company voluntary arrangements (CVAs) that ask those owed money by BHS to accept lower rents.
The business, which currently has 164 stores, is asking landlords to slash rents by up to 50% at 47 of them.
It also argues that rents at a further 40 stores must be cut "substantially" otherwise they are unlikely to survive.
However, BHS has said it will pay rent at current rates on 77 of its "most viable" stores.
A lack of support for the plan would place its future in jeopardy and threaten more than 10,000 jobs - with 8,500 employed directly by BHS.
It has been in the red since the financial crisis - with losses widening to £21m in the financial year before BHS was sold off by Sir Philip.
He had paid £200m for it back in 2000 but it has struggled amid stiff competition and tough trading conditions.
The new owner needs to win the backing of 75% of BHS creditors to secure its turnaround plans.
Sky News revealed earlier this month how it was cutting almost 400 jobs to try to save cash.
Chief executive Darren Topp said on 3 March: "The CVA proposal ... is a necessary milestone in resetting British Home Stores to ensure its long term future as an iconic British retail brand.
"Some of our stores are loss-making as we are being charged rents that are too high relative to today's market.
"Although a difficult process to go through, this sets in motion the comprehensive updated turnaround plan that we have identified, and gives British Home Stores a secure financial footing from which to grow and deliver sustainable profitability."
BHS is also facing a challenge to protect thousands of savers in its pension scheme, which has a deficit of £571m.
The creditor rights of its pension fund have been passed to the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) - an organisation that safeguards pension scheme members if their employer becomes insolvent.
Members are set to receive compensation with those yet to retire on course to net 90% of the value expected.
People already retired are likely to receive the same amount in compensation as they were already drawing, the PPF said.


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Lawsuit: Surgical gowns let diseases pass through
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A lawsuit says Kimberly-Clark Corp. falsely claimed its surgical gowns met the highest standards for protecting against Ebola and other infectious diseases.
Lead attorney Michael Avenatti says the Texas hospital where two nurses contracted Ebola used to stock the gowns but it's not clear if the nurses had used them.
The $500 million fraud suit was filed Wednesday in federal court in Los Angeles on behalf of a surgeon who wore the gowns.
The lawsuit says Kimberly-Clark knew for a year that the gowns failed industry tests and allowed the transfer of bodily fluids, bacteria and viruses, but the company still promoted them as having the highest level of impermeability.
The maker of Kleenex and other consumer products says it doesn't comment on lawsuits but stands behind its products' safety.


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TORONTO, Nov. 09, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Maropost was recognized for rapid revenue growth, bold innovation and its entrepreneurial spirit with a Deloitte Technology Fast...
TORONTO, Nov. 09, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Maropost was recognized for rapid revenue growth, bold innovation and its entrepreneurial spirit with a Deloitte Technology Fast 50 program award. The Fast 50 program honours 50 Canadian technology companies with the highest revenue-growth percentage over the past four years. Maropost ranked 8th with a 7,038 percent in revenue growth from 2013 to 2016.
The Deloitte Technology Fast 50 program winners are made up of public and private companies in the technology sector that share common traits and strengths and have transformed the industry. Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, the program augments the broader Deloitte North American Technology Fast 500™ initiative with winners automatically eligible for this elite ranking.
Maropost’s CEO, Ross Paquette, credits constant innovation for the company’s 7,038 percent revenue growth. Paquette said, “We’re continuously striving to enhance our platform and stay ahead in the rapidly changing digital marketing landscape, which enables our clients to innovate their marketing programs, to provide increasingly personalized experiences for their customers, and—most importantly—to optimize their revenue generation.”
“New technologies have disrupted various industries in ways that were unimaginable a few years ago,” said Erica Pretorius, Partner and National Leader for the Technology Fast 50™ program at Deloitte Canada. “Fast 50 winners have led the way and I can’t wait to see where they take us next.”
To qualify for the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 ranking, companies must have been in business for at least four years, have revenues of at least $5 million, be headquartered in Canada, own proprietary technology, conduct research and development activities in Canada and invest a minimum of five percent of gross revenues in R&D.
About the Deloitte Technology Fast 50™ – The Deloitte Technology Fast 50 program is Canada’s pre-eminent technology awards program. Celebrating business growth, innovation and entrepreneurship, the program features three distinct categories including the Technology Fast 50 Ranking, Companies-to-Watch Awards (early-stage Canadian tech companies with the potential to be a future Deloitte Technology Fast 50 candidate) and the Leadership Awards (companies that demonstrate technological leadership and innovation within the industry). Program sponsors include Deloitte, Aequitas NEO Exchange, Bank of Montreal, Bennett Jones, CBRE, OMERS Ventures and Wellington Financial. For further information, visit www.fast50.ca.
Need to chat about your mobile marketing strategy?
More than 10,000 marketers use Maropost to engage with their prospects and customers through emails, SMS, social media and more. We’re here to help you grow your business!Chat Now


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Hong Kong is beginning to reckon with the economic cost of ongoing protests against the government’s extradition bill, as the disruption risks driving away local shoppers and deterring tourists from mainland China.
The Hong Kong Retail Management Association said Tuesday that “most members” reported a single-to-double-digit drop in average sales revenue between June and the first week of July, when multiple demonstrations converging on major office and retail districts took place.
The threat to Hong Kong’s vital retail sector will hit its economy at a time when it is already slowing. Retail sales data for June is due for release on August 1, with the value of goods sold having contracted every month since February.
The “industry is worried that these events will damage Hong Kong’s international image as a safe city, a culinary capital, and a shopping heaven,” the association said in a statement.
Hong Kong Financial Secretary Paul Chan said at a briefing July 15 that second quarter economic output is expected to be “slow,” though there haven’t been obvious capital outflows amid the demonstrations.
Sa Sa International Holdings Ltd., a seller of cosmetics, reported a 15.3% drop in same store sales in Hong Kong and Macau for the three months through June. The company said the demonstrations had affected some stores, as had a high comparison from the previous year.
For the same period, Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Ltd. reported an 11% decline. The political backdrop and a decline in mainland visitors increases the likelihood of a two percentage-point reduction in its first-half operating margin, Catherine Lim, an analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence in Singapore, wrote in a note.
Images of protesters blocking major city thoroughfares – and retail outlets – is likely to pose a significant risk if the demonstrations continue. On July 1, a gathering that ultimately saw protesters break into and vandalize the city’s legislative building hampered retailers in the shopping district of Causeway Bay and elsewhere.
Yet most businesses are attempting to carry on.
“There were so many people, it was a mess, no one wanted to come in,” said Chen Yan, 30, who works at the counter of a pharmaceutical store in Causeway Bay. “But we haven’t changed our operations because of the protests. We expect it to be temporary.” MDT/Bloomberg


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The mobile marketing industry is ever-changing, and that applies to the people as much as the technology. Movers & Shakers is our regular feature following the hottest hires in the industry, so you can keep track of who’s joined which company, and what they’re doing there.
Harrald takes the reins at Curve Credit
Curve, the Over-The-Top banking platform that consolidates multiple cards and accounts into one smart card and app, has appointed Paul Harrald, a founding member of SAV Credit, now New Day, to lead the company’s new Curve Credit Business.
He joins Curve from Chinese Venture Capital firm CreditEase, where he ran UK and European private equity investments and where he first developed a keen interest in Curve. Before that, he was CIO and Director of Analytics at SAV Credit, now the £1bn alternative credit business New Day, occupies a seat on RBS retail banking boards, and worked as a credit and risk advisor at Google. He was also one of the youngest academics to achieve tenure at Manchester University and has been a visiting Professor in Computer Science at UCL.
Curve Credit will enable Curve customers to pay off their credit card debt and to split transactions into instalments, flexibly and simply managed within Curve’s app.
Curve Credit will be an alternative to revolving credit and will feature the ability to make full, ad hoc, partial, and regular repayments from a variety of sources. Customers will have complete visibility of payment schedules and amounts outstanding. Although Curve Credit is still in its very early stages, Harrald has big plans for the new product and is preparing to apply for FCA approval.
"Paul’s credit industry expertise is second to none,” said Shachar Bialick, founder and CEO of Curve. “He has a remarkable track record for building and growing hugely successful credit products and it is a massive coup for Curve to have secured such a talent and be able to draw on his expertise as we look to enter the highly competitive credit market later this year.”
Cooke and Preston take up Stickyeyes roles
Digital marketing agency Stickyeyes has appointed Claire Cooke as associate content director, and Mark Preston as client strategy manager to bolster Stickyeyes Solutions team, which is responsible for the strategic development and critical analysis of all client campaigns.
Cooke was previously at Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi and has also held marketing and product management roles at Johnson & Johnson and L’Oréal. Preston joins from Epiphany Search.
Cooke said: “I was an in-house digital content lead when I listened to a ground-breaking presentation from the Stickyeyes team. Having worked with many agencies throughout my career, I was impressed by the calibre of data-driven and creative thought leadership that informs their approach to content and digital strategy.
“They continue to deliver incredible results with their campaigns because they underpin their approach with sound SEO expertise and have some of the brightest minds in the industry. I’m excited about the number of large global brands and home-grown SMEs who have recognised this talent and chosen to work with Stickyeyes, year after year.”
Preston said that after having worked in search and digital marketing for almost 10 years, he was looking for an agency that recognised the ever-present nature of digital and its interconnectedness with wider marketing and business strategy.
“With Stickyeyes’ impressive track record, insights-led approach and commitment to investing in exceptional talent, I’ve found exactly that,” he said. “Add to this the supportive framework of the wider IPG network ,which offers access to data, tools and people who would simply be out of reach for most other businesses and it became a pretty irresistible proposition”.
Three senior hires for Social Chain Media
Social Chain Media, part of Social Chain, has hired Adam Middleton as a strategy director, Tom Whitlow as head of podcasting, and Richard White as head of gaming.
Middleton has previously worked in partnerships, insights and strategy roles at LADbible Group and Zenith Media. He has developed strategy and creative concepts for numerous big-budget, social-first brands including PokerStars, Samsung and KFC.
In his role at Social Chain Media, he will be working closely with commercial, creative, data and publishing teams to create efficiencies internally and accelerate development of owned communities, channels and partnerships with global brands.
Whitlow joins Social Chain Media from Global Radio, and will be responsible for the creation, curation, and monetisation of best-in-class podcast content. He spent 10 years at Global Radio as part of a multi-award winning creative team, most recently as a senior creative account manager. There he was responsible for writing and directing podcast and smart speaker ads, and educating clients on the power of creative audio opportunities.
Richard White joins Social Chain Media as head of gaming, where he will be responsible for strategic, commercial and operational management across the portfolio of social-first gaming networks. Social Chain Media operate one of the largest social-first gaming networks in the world, including brands such as GameByte and FragHero.
White joins from Hill+Knowlton Strategies, where he led a team across the group’s sport and gaming businesses serving major blue-chip clients. White led the agency’s international Call of Duty team through two launches of the global franchise, as well as the launch of Call of Duty Mobile, contributing to a record 35m downloads in the first three days.
Costa takes up Italian job
Ad server has appointed Giorgia Costa as client services director, Italy. Based in Milan, she will support Flashtalking’s clients in the region to ensure smooth integration with its technology.
Costa brings several years of ad tech industry expertise, combined with strong leadership, business development and operations skills to the role. Prior to Flashtalking, she was at Sizmek Italy for over a decade, holding the role of team leader on the Customer Success Team. Her passion for delivering exceptional support to her clients began when she launched her career at Eyeblaster as a media and creative account manager.
“We’re delighted to welcome Giorgia to the Flashtalking team as we build out our client support services across the world,” said Flashtalking CEO John Nardone. “As we continue our ambitious global expansion, we are focused on ensuring customer success in all regions, through innovative technology and client strategy. This support system is integral to Flashtalking’s services and Giorgia brings a specialised skillset that is invaluable to our front-line client service operating out of Milan.”
Costa’s appointment is the latest in a series of key hires which expand and strengthen the company’s EMEA presence, including Juan Garriga, country manager, Spain, and Eric-Alexis Fortier, country manager, France.
Costa said: “As a media-independent partner, Flashtalking is unique in its ability to offer marketers accurate measurement and independent insights they can trust. I’m thrilled to be joining, to help drive the company’s global expansion by contributing to the on-going success of client integrations in the region.”
Cheetah Digital hires three to spearhead its efforts in Japan
Cross-channel customer engagement firm Cheetah Digital has appointed three executives to the company’s Japan office, including Takahiro Koke to the role of country manager, Takaaki Shirai, who joins as vice president and COO, and Mikoto Kato, who takes up the role of CMO. The three will lead efforts to introduce the Cheetah Digital Customer Engagement Suite to brands in Japan, enabling them to deliver personalized experiences, cross-channel messaging, and loyalty strategies.
Koke has 25 years’ experience working with a wide range of technology businesses and will lead and generate new lines of revenue and partnerships at Cheetah Digital. Prior to joining the firm, he was the country manager for Github Japan, where he increased profits and reformed the organization.
Shirai will lead sales and service development in the Japan market. Most recently, he led sales teams at Adobe and Salesforce, where he helped create their digital marketing business in Japan.
Kato will oversee all marketing activities for Cheetah Digital in Japan. Kato joins the team with more than 20 years’ experience working for both B2B and B2C companies, including Salesforce and WPP Marketing Communications. Before joining Cheetah Digital, he oversaw all marketing activities around emerging marketing technology at Salesforce.
“As we see tremendous demand for our customer engagement solutions from brands across the globe, Japan continues to be one of our most strategic markets to invest in for growth,” said Cheetah Digital CEO, Sameer Kazi. “Takahiro, Takaaki and Mikoto bring a wealth of sales experience, corporate strategy expertise and proven track records of results to help drive our growth and client success in the Japan market. We’re thrilled to have them on the Cheetah Digital team as we introduce our Customer Engagement Suite to the region.


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Low-Carbon Fuels Could Lose Emphasis From Trump EPA Low-Carbon Fuels Could Lose Emphasis From Trump EPA
From 1985 to 2015, 1.3 million gallons of ethanol spilled nationwide. At more than 760,000 gallons, the Midwest accounts for almost 60 percent of this total.
Senate-supported tax bill gives 45 cents per gallon subsidies to producers of ethanol-blended gasoline.
If the climate bill is passed, reports say that consumers will pay an extra $83 per year. That's 23 cents per day.


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Amid a backlash against foreign investors, some executives are banned from leaving the country
The Camry, last overhauled for the 2011 model year, just got another face-lift
Laws require companies to pay state taxes on sheltered profits
Financial filings reveal the pay package Henrique de Castro received upon exit from the company.
Wal-Mart's new money transfers shows how the retailer can use its reach to push down costs
Skipping Rocks Lab develops a green alternative to all that plastic
Alessandro Borgognone wooed Japanese chef Daisuke Nakazawa to open the four-star New York eatery
Administrators quashed their food delivery service. Now they're focusing on other colleges
Prices are low, but there’s plenty of red tape
Nearest city: Milwaukee
Median family income: $64,086
Runners-up: Eau Claire, West Allis
Oshkosh, a community of 65,000 located on the west shore of Lake Winnebago, is best known for the Experimental Aircraft Association, which holds an annual air show each year. It also has a mall, a new hospital, an indoor hockey and soccer rink, and the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.


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It should be obvious to most here by now. IF our government can inflict more pain it will do it!
The diesel shortage is real and the supplies on hand are getting smaller. The rail strike that was on then off is on again, not that it will matter much with no diesel to run the locomotives.
I happened into a 7/11 this last weekend and was struck by the widespread shortage of a variety of products store wide. I’m not exaggerating when I say their shelves were 1/2 empty. It was just a small personal “canary in the cave” moment but one I’m quite certain is going to become norm for all of us soon at all stores!
A shortage of diesel fuel is spreading across the United States, with one company launching an emergency delivery protocol, requesting a 72-hour advance notice from clients to be able to make the delivery.
Per a Bloomberg report, fuel supplier Mansfield Energy wrote in a note to its clients that “conditions are rapidly devolving” and “At times, carriers are having to visit multiple terminals to find supply, which delays deliveries and strains local trucking capacity.”
This looks like our last chance before the real pain sets in…please, protect yourself and your families…
Mansfield said some truckers are having to make multiple stops, looking for fuel, which ultimately can delay deliveries to your neighborhood. The average price for diesel in Georgia right now is $4.90 according to AAA. So, $4.19 was a deal for truckers at this southeast Atlanta gas station. However, that average is $1 more per gallon than this time a year ago.
“I’ve been hearing in California like $7, that’s what would worry me but $4.19, it doesn’t really bother me,” said another trucker.
Surrounding states have higher prices, with Florida being well over $5.00 a gallon. Mansfield said supply is tight in many areas. The actual price for diesel is 30 to 80 cents higher than the reported market average.
Because conditions are rapidly devolving and market economics are changing significantly each day, Mansfield is moving to Alert Level 4 to address market volatility. Mansfield is also moving the Southeast to Code Red, requesting 72 hour notice for deliveries when possible to ensure fuel and freight can be secured at economical levels.
MORE THAN 300 GROUPS WARN RAIL STRIKE COULD SHUTDOWN ENTIRE FREIGHT RAIL SYSTEM, URGE BIDEN INVOLVEMENT -LETTER
— First Squawk (@FirstSquawk) October 27, 2022
A perfect storm is taking place in the diesel market, with dwindling diesel reserves, a drought on the Mississippi River pushing more product to rail and truck, and a possible rail strike leading to a surge in prices that is expected to continue.t.co/KTnbm30gi5
— The Silent Majority (@siIentmajority) October 30, 2022