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Thanks for covering the Trump administration’s desire to shake-up NAFTA and how it may affect Ford, one of America’s most respected manufacturers. One of the challenges behind the notion that companies will adhere to US-specific content and origin requirements is that smaller and medium-sized suppliers to the auto companies may not be able to remain compliant (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-trade-nafta-autos/auto-groups-side-with-canada-mexico-on-nafta-origin-rules-idUSKCN1AX2R9). This could be due a lack of competencies or just due to the cost-prohibitive nature of production in the US for certain components.
Another consideration for the US auto industry is the reaction that foreign countries will have to the US’ protectionist policies. Today ~2 million cars made in the US are sold abroad, out of a total production capacity in the US of 12.2 million (https://www.uschamber.com/above-the-fold/offshoring-american-jobs-the-risk-posed-tighter-rules-origin-nafta). With the increasing wealth creation in developing markets it seems unclear how US car makers would benefit from the US government ruffling feathers of governments where they export. A long-term view is required in order for Ford and other US auto companies to succeed, and emerging markets will likely play a prominent role in future revenue growth.
Charlie, thanks for covering Brexit, and in particular the effects it will have on one of Britain’s most revered brands. Having grown up in the UK, your essay piqued my interest in uncovering what the potential impacts Brexit may have on smaller retailers versus a behemoth such as Tesco. Initial sentiment seems largely positive. In fact, it appears as if many small businesses are investing in growth in a dynamic and uncertain environment. As of October 2016, applications for small business loans had increased 132 percent YoY (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/connect/small-business/how-have-small-businesses-fared-since-brexit/). This suggests that while smaller businesses may be feeling the pressure of currency devaluation, they do believe that in order to survive they need to invest in growth.
The other side of the same coin suggests that perhaps SME owners do not fully understand the implications of Brexit. 55% of SME participants in a recent BCG report stated that they had so far made no plans with regards to Brexit, and that their banks will still continue to lend to them in a post-Brexit world (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2017/07/04/small-businesses-likely-hit-hardest-brexit-disruption/).
So while there may be continued optimism, there still exists a high level of opacity particular for smaller market participants. It may be that the larger corporations, who are in constant dialog with policy makers and legislators, may be best prepared for the hard Brexit that Theresa May is leading Britain towards.
I really enjoyed this essay as it touches on how GE has had to shift its business model from effectively financing and selling industrial goods to selling industrial goods and collecting data. This PAAS model is furthered by the focus of making these industrial tools “smart” and more efficient. Not only will this lead to lower energy consumption, but it will also lead to less under-utilized labor. It can be a win-win for both GE and its customers. In fact, according to estimates, productivity gains from industrial IoT may add up to $10 trillion of GDP in the US over the next several years (https://www.ge.com/reports/ge-digital-positioned-lead-industrial-internet-things-2/).
In light of the shifting priorities and focus on data-driven industrial products, GE may have to think about what types of talent they are attracting to the firm. It seems to me that the types of people who may have been good fits for GE 20 years ago are not the type of technologists that are needed in the connected 21st-century world. GE will have to compete with top tech companies for talent, and I believe they are well-positioned to do so if they continue to focus on IoT as that is the future of their business.
This article was eye-opening with regards to some very real impacts climate change is having on the supply of coffee beans. While it may seem unclear what actions Starbucks needs to take, it appears that Starbucks is indeed focused on trying a variety of strategies out. For example, one strategy Starbucks seems to be employing is creating a gene bank; this would maintain the biodiversity of the specific coffee . Furthermore, Starbucks is cataloging information on specific beans’ yields, pest resistance and other related factors. This will allow them to track data and be more adaptive when choosing which beans to grow and in which markets (https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/23/science/climate-change-threatens-worlds-coffee-supply-report-says.html). Ultimately, the problem that Starbucks is facing is one that all major food and beverage suppliers that rely on basic commodities as primary inputs have to deal with. It will be interesting to see what methods they can employ in order to avoid selling inferior or more expensive coffee, due to a challenged supply chain.
I found this to be a particularly unique use case of blockchain, given much of the discussions we read about tend to deal with cryptocurrency and money transfers, etc. While I agree that blockchain will certainly play a valuable role in verifying the transfer of artwork, I do believe that the social element that Sotheby’s and other auction houses provide will still remain relevant. To many of the points raised in the comments, individual buyers, when making multi-million dollar purchase decisions, will want to consult with art experts and physically inspect a piece before bidding on it. Therefore, I think the value of Sotheby’s will actually increase; the only aspect that changes is how the transaction is recorded. Building off of this, it appears to me that the common thread for all use cases for blockchain is this notion of eliminating the middleman in all transactions. This works to some extent, but loan officers, lawyers, and art experts will still be required to conduct “analysis” that cannot necessarily be done by a computer. Therefore, institutions such as banks, auction houses and law firms will become even more specialized and more efficient.
I enjoyed reading your article and wanted to build on Mo’s comments a little bit further on the global nature of the avocado shortage issue. From a supply perspective, Europe is paying the price for Mexico’s drought, albeit in an indirect way. In fact, Europe’s main supplier of avocado’s is not Mexico but Peru. In light of the shortage for avocados in the US due to the drought in Mexico and even California, supply from Peru has diverted to the US. This presents a clear issue for restaurants and grocery stores, particularly in the UK where demand has been growing ~30% over the last few years (https://www.ft.com/content/d99e786c-3011-11e7-9555-23ef563ecf9a). It will be interesting to see how the supply/demand dynamics play out on the global stage over the next several months.


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LONDONDERRY — An electronic scrap consolidator in Londonderry is moving into a larger space after four years of rapid growth. Revenues in 2018 doubled that of the year prior to a total of $10 million, according to its owner.
UpCycle Solutions acquires, sorts and consolidates circuitry and electronic devices to be recycled for their precious metals; particularly palladium, gold, silver and copper. It receives shipments from around the world. The company also acts as a broker between data centers liquidating equipment and potential buyers.
Owner Bill Dorazio said gross revenues for his company have grown exponentially.
“It’s been great,” Dorazio said.
He said the revenues grew from $175,000 in the first year in 2015. That grew to $2.6 million in 2016, $4.8 million in 2017 and ultimately $10 million last year.
A year ago, he got a $200,000 line of credit from Citizens Bank to help with purchasing, but he expects to be able to extend that once he files his 2018 taxes to reflect the increase in business.
The company started in a 2,000-square-foot space on Rockingham Road and moved in 2016 to its current 10,000-square-foot location at 49 Harvey Road.
Recently, the company signed a lease for the entire 26,000-square-foot facility at 7 Delta Drive.
Dorazio said they plan to be moved into the new facility by the end of this week.
He said the company has been running lean and has been limited in its growth due to space issues at the Harvey Road facility.
“Right now, the space we are in is extremely inefficient,” Dorazio said. “We haven’t been able to go after any more accounts because we haven’t had the space to.”
The company started with just him and a former partner. It now has four employees including himself. He also has an outside sales consultant who lives in Canada, and he is currently interviewing to hire two more in-house employees.
He expects there will be virtually no real renovation of the new space required. The sorting and consolidating is done by hand. But he hopes to invest about $60,000 in a new box truck and a few additional forklifts.
Dorazio said the company isn’t the only electronics scrap consolidator around, but they are unique in the scope of business they do, particularly in premium-level products they ultimately sell to recyclers who shred or smelt the devices for the desired metals. The fewer “contaminant” or undesired materials in the load, the more it’s viewed as a premium product.
“We do a lot of business with smaller recyclers in New England,” he said.
And business is booming, partly due to an uptick in demand and an increase in scrap.
Dorazio attributes the growth to an American culture and economy that increasingly relies on planned obsolescence of electronic devices like phones, computers and televisions, and the increased number of devices per household.
He said he receives about 20,000 pounds of cellphones a month.
Dorazio said he’s been in the recycling industry for 25 years. Prior to starting UpCycle, he worked for Colt Refining and Recycling in Hudson for 15 years.

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Cookies sold in 37 states and Washington, DC have been recalled after customers found bits of blue plastic lodged in their treats.
Entenmann's Little Bites Soft Baked Cookies, sold in batches of 30 mini cookies, were pulled from shelves across the US on Thursday.
Injuries - Health - Officials - Customers - Mini
No injuries have been reported, but health officials warn customers to avoid the '5-pack Mini Chocolate Chip variety' due to the choking risk, particularly for children.
Bimbo Bakeries USA Inc, the manufacturing plant based in Pennsylvania, said in a statement: 'We received a small number of consumer reports, took immediate action to investigate and have corrected the manufacturing issue.'
Customers - UPC - Code
Customers should look out for the UPC code: 7203002378.
If they have bought one of these boxes, return them or call 800-984-0989.
Occurrence - Year - Dozen - Recalls - Food
It is hardly a rare occurrence. This year alone, there have been a dozen or so recalls of food containing inedible materials.
In June, Tyson recalls 95 tons of chicken fritters in 29 states after three schools found 'clear plastic and soft gray plastic'...
Wake Up To Breaking News!


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Royal Mail pledge over post market competition
Royal Mail today vowed to “fight for every letter” following the New Year's Day postal revolution in which it will lose its 350-year monopoly on deliveries.
The UK's postal service market will be opened up on January 1, allowing rival companies to collect, sort and deliver mail for the first time since the reign of Charles II.
Royal Mail faces competition from 14 companies which have already registered with regulator Postcomm to handle post in the UK, including German firm Deutsche Post and Dutch postal service TNT.
Most of the competition is expected to be in business mail, which accounts for 80% of the market and helped boost Royal Mail profits by 20% to £159 million in the first half of 2005.
Despite competition from European rivals in the UK, Royal Mail will not be allowed to compete in their countries because the markets on the Continent have not yet been liberalised.
Postcomm said competition in the UK market would give customers choice and create a more efficient and reliable service.
Watchdog Postwatch backed the move but unions have warned an erosion of Royal Mail's business mail operations could jeopardise the cherished but loss-making universal postal service, which guarantees daily deliveries across the UK.
Royal Mail currently loses 5p for every first-class letter delivered and 8p for every second-class letter.
Royal Mail said it was ready to take on its new rivals but warned its ability to compete would be hampered by years of under-investment which meant only 50% of its letters were sorted mechanically compared with 90% among competitors.
Spokesman David Simpson said: “Royal Mail will fight hard for every single letter.
“Royal Mail is determined to compete successfully in the open market – but in order to do so we need a fair regulatory regime and the ability to invest £2 billion in the modernisation of the business.
“Royal Mail is already delivering record quality of service to its customers and we are determined to do even better.”
At present, rival companies can compete with Royal Mail in the bulk mail market of more than 4,000 items – around 30% of the market by value – although Royal Mail still has a market share of over 97%.
Much of the mail that is collected and sorted by rival companies is then passed on to Royal Mail for final delivery.
In the six months to the end of September, Royal Mail's competitors handled 350 million items of mail, up 2,700% on the 13 million a year earlier although still only 1% of the mail market.
Full market opening means that licensed operators can collect and deliver any mail, from single letters to bulk mailings.
But Postwatch said it expected most of the competition to remain in business mail and that rivals will continue to use Royal Mail for final delivery.
The watchdog said large businesses would be the first to benefit from the reforms while social customers would see “little practical difference in the mail services they use”.
It said: “For the foreseeable future, social customers are unlikely to be able to post mail into pillar boxes provided by another mail company.”
Postwatch added: “A competitive market place will offer customers greater choice and better, more efficient services and is the best way to protect customers' interests.
“Competition will also reinforce, not undermine, the provision of a universal postal service. The main threat to this service is an inefficient Royal Mail.
“Competition will maintain the pressure on Royal Mail to deliver quality of service to customers, improve efficiency and drive innovation.”
But the Communication Workers' Union (CWU) warned that the universal service was “officially under threat”.
General secretary Billy Hayes said: “Postcomm is threatening the universal service. They should not under-estimate the public affection for daily mail delivery to home addresses.”
New Zealand and Sweden are the only other two countries to liberalise their postal markets, five years ago and 12 years ago respectively. The original postal service in each country still supplies at least 90% of mail.


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AutoGuide News Blog
The AutoGuide News Blog is your source for breaking stories from the auto industry. Delivering news immediately, the AutoGuide Blog is constantly updated with the latest information, photos and video from manufacturers, auto shows, the aftermarket and professional racing.
OnStar has teamed up with long-time partner Verizon to showcase just how much the in-car technology could be capable of in the near future. A list of several new ‘prototype technologies’ ranging from entertainment, to communications to safety, are on display for the first time in a custom Buick LaCrosse at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, NV.
Taking OnStar beyond the confines of 4-wheels, the proposed new features are possible thanks to Verizon’s 4G network, many of them including smart phone features.
Top among the features are Vehicle monitoring and Impact detection, with cameras mounted inside and outside the car, letting a driver see inside or around their car wherever it is parked, using a computer or a smart phone. The camera can even take a short video clip, which will be triggered automatically if the vehicle is bumped by another.
Bringing OnStar from the car to the home, GM is also showcasing a new feature that would allow you to view your home through security cameras, as well as control household functions like the temperature and lights.
Additional technologies being previewed include a navigation system than can provide real-time traffic camera images to help you avoid congested streets; an Electronic User’s Guide that can show owners how to operate and maintain their vehicle through videos; a Voice Portal that will let you connect to social web sites using the in-vehicle display; and finally a Video Chat service that uses Skype to enable video phone calls using that same in-dash screen.
GALLERY: OnStar Verizon 4G Prototype Features
Official release and a video demo after the jump:
Telecom giant Verizon, in an effort to reduce its carbon footprint, is making a huge push to acquire more fuel efficient vehicles. The company recently announced that it has bought 576 Chevy Silverado Hybrid pickups, the first of which will be delivered in July, from Fairway Motors, a GM dealer located in Hazelton, PA.
The Silverado Hybrid employs a two mode hybrid system with an electric motor and 6.0-liter gasoline fueled V8, which allows it to run on electric power alone at speeds up to 30 mph and also uses a cylinder deactivation system on the V8 to boost fuel economy. EPA rated fuel economy is set at 21-mpg city and 22-mpg highway. Yet power, torque and payload capacity rival other trucks on the market, with the Vortech V8 generating 332-hp and 367 ft-lbs of torque, allowing the Silverado Hybrid to haul loads in excess of 6000 lbs. In a statement to the press, Brian Small, Fleet and Commercial Operations general manager at GM, stated “we knew the Silverado Hybrid was the perfect fit [for Verizon] because of its outstanding city and highway miles per gallon ratings.”
Once they join the Verizon fleet, the Silverados will be primarily used in urban areas, where potentially the savings of using a hybrid drivetrain can be realized the most. According to James Gowen, chief sustainability officer at Verizon Communications, “a major part of our sustainability strategy is to make smart use of lower carbon alternatives to power our fleet.”
In an effort to further reduce fuel consumption, the trucks will incorporate a lightweight bed insert, courtesy of Brand FX. These fiberglass inserts will house the required equipment for servicing Verizon systems, including ladders, wiring connectors and television set boxes.


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With how popular it’s become, you’ve likely heard about The Squid GameMaybe you are even one of the millions of users who have already seen it. This new South Korean series of Netflix It came to become one of its most consumed content in the world.
The plot of The Squid Game it involves people who enter a contest to win a millionaire amount of money. To win the award, they must participate in a series of ‘childish’ games, but these have a rather brutal and gory twist. Apparently this premise lends itself very well for a video game, as a rumor indicates that one inspired by the hit series is already in development.
The Squid Game could have its own video game
With a show as successful as The Squid Game and its potential to become a video game, it is not uncommon that they are already thinking of giving you one. In fact, from the beginning it was compared to titles like Mario Party and Fall Guys. Even players of GTA Online They are recreating their contests using mods.
It seems that we will no longer have to use mods of GTA to feel in The Squid Game. According to the well-known leaker, Tom henderson, a video game based on the hit series of Netflix It is already in development, although he does not know which company might be doing it.
In its tweet, Henderson said: ‘Apparently a title in the style of The Squid Game is already in development. I’m not sure who is developing it. The future of battle royale is on the way‘. In a subsequent post he indicated that, for him, Fall Guys It was practically a series-style game by now, only you don’t get shot in the head.
It wouldn’t be such a strange move to launch a game from the hit show. Perhaps this supposed title could be part of the efforts of Netflix for getting into video games, after all, the company has already started offering some on its platform. Do you think this video game about The Squid Game?
For more video game news, we recommend:


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Earlier this month, Hublot announced its new luxury watch, the Hublot Big Bang Meca-10 P2P. What makes it a unique one is that you can only purchase this $25,000 watch using Bitcoins. Even if you can afford the new limited edition (210 of these will be made) watch in a currency other than Bitcoin, you won’t be allowed to purchase it.
The design of the watch reflects the outlandish tradition in Hublot’s style of design. As part of that design, the transaction number of the watch will be engraved on the side of the bezel. The Bitcoin logo can be seen on the skeleton design revealing the exposed HUB1201 movement. That movement is housed within a 45mm handmade micro-blasted ceramic case.
The caseback is an anti-reflective sapphire which has a world map engraved on its underside. The timepiece is water resistant up to 100 metres.
The release of this watch is also intended to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Bitcoin, one of the most popular cryptocurrencies whose value has skyrocketed over the last one year, then crashed a few months ago and has now recovered and stabilised over the last few weeks.
The watch will have a 10-day power too reserve which again is another nod to Bitcoin’s 10th anniversary. You can pre-order it on Hublot’s website with the first few watches expected to be delivered to customers by early January.


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Container hub ports in North Europe appear be coping well with the arrival of a cluster of ships from Asia, delayed after being re-routed around the African coast.
Fears of a repeat of the severe port and landside congestion that plagued the hubs for months after the Ever Given’s six-day blockage of the Suez Canal in 2021 are so far proving unfounded.
According to Hapag-Lloyd’s latest terminal operations update for North Europe, its hub ports of Rotterdam, Hamburg and Southampton saw yard utilisation levels last week spike to between 85% and 90%, from around just 55% in the previous weeks, reflecting the arrival of delayed vessels.
DUBAI/NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India and the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday signed an agreement on a trade corridor that aims to connect Europe with India through parts of the Middle East by sea and rail, an ambitious plan backed by the U.S. and the European Union.
The announcement of the framework agreement, reached during a visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Gulf state, was released in a statement by the Indian foreign ministry, although few details on what the sides had agreed on were made public.
"This would build on previous understandings and cooperation on this matter and foster India and the UAE cooperation furthering regional connectivity," the ministry statement said.
The corridor, announced last September on the sidelines of the G20 summit in New Delhi, aims to extend from India across the Arabian Sea to the United Arab Emirates and through Saudi Arabia before connecting through Jordan and Israel to Europe.
In our International Energy Outlook 2023 (IEO2023), we project natural gas consumption to more than triple in India by 2050. We project annual growth of 4.4% over that period, more than twice the 2.0% annual growth rate of natural gas consumption in China, the next-fastest-growing country.
We project that India’s industrial sector—in particular, ammonia production intended to decrease fertilizer imports—as well as a growing oil refining sector will drive most of the growth in natural gas consumption over the projection period. This growth in demand will require more significant increases in India's domestic natural gas supply and imports than in recent years. According to the International Energy Agency, India’s domestic natural gas production increased 2.4% annually on average between 2019 and 2022 as imports declined 1.5% annually.
Last night, the port authority published an update stating that the "blockades in the port have been lifted. There are currently no further disruptions due to the protests in the area."
Antwerp port was experiencing traffic disruptions yesterday due to farmers' demonstrations in and around the port complex.
Filter blockades were reported at various locations at Antwerp Port yesterday as protests caused severe disruptions to traffic. The port authority urged farmers to keep a lane open for traffic to pass.
As the European Union's corporate sustainability due diligence directive (CSDDD) hurtles toward the finish line, the landmark supply chain due diligence legislation has hit a major snag: abstention from a critical vote by Germany on Friday, a move that could jeopardize what many have regarded as nothing more than a formality following an accord between the European Council and Parliament last month.
But Social Democrat labor minister Hubertus Heil told Reuters Tuesday that the co-ruling-and pro-business-Free Democratic Party has rejected any compromises that would avoid what is tantamount to a "no" vote for the law, which would require businesses of a certain size and profitability to address harmful practices such as child labor, forced labor, rampant pollution, deforestation, excessive water consumption and ecosystem damage.
The UK will today sign a new investment deal with Nigeria that aims to boost bilateral trade and reduce commercial barriers as Britain seeks to strengthen ties with overseas states post-Brexit.
Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch will seal the agreement, known as an enhanced trade and investment partnership, in the Nigerian capital Abuja on Tuesday, the UK Department for Business and Trade said in a statement. It’s the first such deal struck between the UK and an African country.


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Deputies from the Polk County Sheriff's Office arrested a Davenport store clerk for selling alcohol to a 15-year old on Monday, October 24, 2022, as part of its ongoing Operation Pop Top campaign.
32-year old Debra Collison was charged with Sale of Alcohol to a Person Under 21, a misdemeanor, after a boy purchased an alcoholic beverage from her. The boy is a PCSO Explorer who was participating in the special operation.
The Explorers program is for high school students who are interested in a career in law enforcement. Deputies coordinate visits to various Polk County stores assisted by an Explorer to ensure that the stores are compliant with state alcohol sales laws.
"Deputies visited seven stores on Monday, and six of them refused to sell alcohol to our Explorer. Stores and their employees have a responsibility to do their part in keeping alcohol out of the hands of those who are under 21, as required by law." - Grady Judd, Sheriff
The stores checked during this round of stops were all in the Davenport area.


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Design sketches have revealed the face of Toyota’s upcoming push into the pure-electric space.
The sketches – shared by the Instagram page Autofans – depict what appears to be a sleek, mid-sized SUV and a more upright large SUV.
They provide us with a better look at two members of the fleet of six electric vehicles Toyota previewed last year, and which it’s aiming to introduce by 2025.
Whether these sketches are of production versions of the vehicles, or whether they’re previewing concept cars isn’t clear. However they feature a number of production touches, such as door handles and spaces for the numberplate.
They’re based on a new architecture called e-TNGA, co-developed with Subaru. A flexible architecture, Toyota’s EVs will feature either single or dual electric motors and front-, rear- or all-wheel drive.
A small electric car will also be jointly developed with Daihatsu and Suzuki.
The smaller of the two leaked vehicles shares some design cues with the recently revealed Yaris Cross, including its full-width taillight assembly.
Up front, however, there’s a sleeker nose with slimmer openings, as there’s no internal combustion engine to necessitate a large grille for cooling.
The large SUV features a similar front end design with arrow-shaped daytime running lights, a steeply-raked windscreen, and a recessed section of the bonnet. It differs, however, with a more upright roofline.
At the back, there are distinctive, boomerang-shaped tail lights that wrap onto the fenders and a unique tailgate design that flares out below the rear badge.
We’ve already seen what a third member of the e-TNGA family will look like, with Subaru revealing a concept version of its upcoming small/mid-sized Evoltis crossover.
Last year, Toyota revealed renderings of its six-member e-TNGA family. In the image above, you can see the leaked mid-sized SUV to the far left and Toyota’s version of the Evoltis on the far right, with a sleek, mid/full-sized hatchback in the middle.
In addition to the full-sized SUV that’s been leaked, Toyota also revealed two electric vans.
Though these models likely won’t launch for another couple of years, Toyota earlier this year introduced its first all-electric vehicles in China.
The C-HR EV and its IZOA twin use a modified version of the existing C-HR platform, with a 54.3kWh lithium-ion battery pack and an electric motor producing 150kW of power and 300Nm of torque. Electric range is 400km under the more lenient NEDC measures.
An electric version of the related Lexus UX has also been introduced in both the Chinese and European markets, dubbed the UX300e.
Toyota isn’t giving up on hybrids. In addition to rolling out its six e-TNGA vehicles by 2025, Toyota intends to have electrified versions of its entire range by the same year.
That goal will include both conventional hybrids and plug-in hybrids, with Toyota recently introducing its first plug-in hybrids, the Prius Prime and RAV4 Prime.


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Plugged-In Places (PIP)
The Plugged-In Places (PIP) initiative is creating a charging infrastructure in eight key British cities or hubs to spur the development and consumer uptake of ultra-low carbon vehicles. As of December 2011, the eight hubs are located in London, Milton Keynes, the Northeast region, Northern Ireland, Central Scotland, Greater Manchester, the Midlands, and the East of England. Approximately £8 million is allocated for the installation of more than 9,700 charging points through the end of March 2013.
Charging infrastructure will be installed in homes, at workplaces, on street, and in private and public car parks. The projects will be testing a variety of business and operating models and different technological approaches. The resulting insights will be used to inform the developing UK national strategy for infrastructure roll out.
The Committee on Climate Change, which are independent advisers to the UK Government, also concluded that a charging infrastructure to support 1.7 million cars in 2020 (representing the Extended Ambition scenario of 5% of the total UK car fleet being electric or plug-in hybrids, though the UK has not stated an absolute number as a target) could be achieved at a cost of a few hundred million pounds, but that this could rise to £1.4 billion “depending on the level of sophistication of charging meters”. The group also concluded that this money would have to come at least in part from the Government.
In 2009, the Mayor of London set out a vision for EVs in an Electric Vehicle Delivery Plan, which highlights the requirement for a new charging infrastructure to facilitate the uptake and usage of electric vehicles in London. Source London is a city-wide charge point network key to delivering the Mayor’s vision launched in May 2011. There will be a continued phased installation of 1,300 public charge points on residential streets and off-street locations, such as supermarkets, public car parks, and at shopping and leisure centres in the Source London network.


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MARTIN CRUTSINGER, AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. trade deficit fell in November to the lowest level in more than three years as U.S. exports rose while imports declined, putting the country on track to see the first annual decline in the trade deficit in six years.
The Commerce Department said Tuesday that the gap between what America sells and what it buys abroad narrowed by 8.2% in November to $43.1 billion, the smallest deficit since October 2016.
Through the first 11 months of 2019, the trade deficit was 0.7% smaller than in the same period in 2018. If that trend holds in December, the country will finish 2019 with a deficit slightly below last year’s $627.7 billion imbalance, which had been a 14.1% jump over 2017.
That would mark the first year-to-year improvement since the deficit narrowed in 2013.
Economists said the third monthly decline in the trade deficit should give a boost to overall growth as measured by the gross domestic product in the fourth quarter.
Andrew Hunter, senior U.S. economist at Capital Economics, said he believed GDP growth would come in around 2% in the October-December period with the trade improvement providing much of that strength.
But he cautioned that the improvement was built on a number of special factors that will not be repeated such as the end of the strike at General Motors which boosted auto exports. Still, he said with global manufacturing starting to improve, the worst of the trade slump may be over.
“The stabilization in global manufacturing activity and the trade truce with China suggest that the drag on the U.S. economy from weak growth overseas has now run its course,” Hunter said.
The politically sensitive deficit with China declined by 15.7% to $26.4 billion. Through the first 11 months of 2019, the U.S. trade deficit with China, the largest with any country, is 16.2% lower than the same period in 2018.
Trade flows between the world’s two biggest ec onomies have been disrupted this year by the tit-for-tat trade war as both nations have imposed tariffs on the other nation’s products.
Trump withdrew a new round of tariffs covering popular consumer items such as cellphones that had been scheduled to go into effect in December after progress was made in reaching a so-called phase one trade agreement. That deal is scheduled to be signed on Jan. 15 in Washington, but business executives are braced for more trade turbulence if the phase two talks covering more contentious U.S. demands do not go well.
While Trump sees the U.S. trade deficit as a sign of economic weakness that can be overcome with tougher trade deals, mainstream economists said the deficit reflects an economic reality that doesn’t yield much to changes in government policy: Americans consume more than they produce, and imports fill the gap.
Imports and exports of petroleum both fell in November but imports declined by a larger amount, pushing up the size of the U.S. surplus in petroleum to $832 million, the third straight month the country has run a petroleum surplus and the largest amount on record going back to 1978.
In November, the United States ran a $63.9 billion deficit in the trade of goods such as autos, food and appliances. But it ran a $20.8 billion surplus in services, including education and banking.
The deficit with Japan rose to $5.4 billion in November while the deficit with the countries of the European Union declined to $13.1 billion. America’s deficit with Mexico rose to $8.3 billion while the deficit with Canada totaled $1.4 billion, a drop from $3.3 billion in October.
Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Tagged with Biggest News, trade


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Taco Bell's Nacho Fries Are Returning for the Holidays
Taco Bell is doing what it can to end the year on a high note. After a massive menu reduction [...]
Taco Bell is doing what it can to end the year on a high note. After a massive menu reduction earlier this year, the Bell has decided to bring back Nacho Fries for a limited time in the coming weeks. Beginning December 24th, the crispy fried potatoes will be back and available nationwide as supplies last. Though the first release of the fries featured additions with meat and additional toppings, this time around will feature just the Nacho Fries.
"In a year as difficult and uncertain as this one was, we know that consumers crave the comforts they love most. That's why we're excited to bring back Nacho Fries for our passionate fans to close out this year and kick off 2021 positively and deliciously," Taco Bell brand head Nikki Lawson said. "The magic of the Nacho Fries franchise extends beyond the menu item itself and is brought to life with our next saga of the Nacho Fries movie franchise that we hope brings some seasonal (and seasoned) joy to fans like only we can."
Nacho Fries aren't the only thing being added on Christmas Eve either, as the fast food joint is also adding a $1 Loaded Nacho Taco, a new Taco and Burrito Cravings Pack, and a Bacon Club Chalupa. Nacho fries will be available by themselves for $1.39 or as part of a $5 box alongside a Beefy 5-Layer Burrito, a Cruncy taco, and a medium drink. Pricing may change from location to location.
Taco Bell is also planning a hefty marketing campaign surrounding the re-release of the fries, featuring Modern Family star Sarah Hyland and Stranger Things' Joe Keery.
When Nacho Fries and other potato-based items were removed from the menu this fall, Taco Bell executives said the move was in response to the changing business in regards to the coronavirus pandemic.
"We're constantly evaluating ways to provide a more efficient restaurant experience, and have already begun to see progress from streamlining our menu," Taco Bell President Mike Grams said in a statement at the time. "While we know fans may be understandably sad to see some of their favorites go, this evolution of our menu truly paves the way for fresh new ideas. The creativity and innovation in our kitchen hasn't slowed down at all, and we look forward to rolling out new fan favorites."0comments


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BBVA has a lot more going on than Simple, cool as that acquisition was. In Jan. 2015, CEO Francisco Gonzalez said, “Some bankers and analysts think that Google, Facebook, Amazon or the like will not fully enter a highly regulated, low-margin business such as banking. I disagree. What is more, I think banks that are not prepared for such new competitors face certain death.” BBVA Compass, the bank’s US subsidiary, built a realtime core then hooked it up to a realtime payment system, Dwolla.
The bank’s innovation brand is sterling — it hosts hackathons and blockchain demo events. And it’s been doing these things longer and in greater depth than most other banks in the space, even other Spanish banks, no slouches in innovation themselves. There is a lot for U.S. banks to see and imitate, if they can, but BBVA has a significant headstart. The bank’s innovation efforts are bearing fruit, and BBVA is rightly proud of that.1 - Reader Likes This Post


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May 20, 2013 10:02 AM
Nintendo releases their own take on "crowdfunding" with a Wario twist.
May 20, 2013 9:16 AM
Ubisoft reiterates their commitment to Nintendo and their faith that Nintendo will turn the Wii U's fortunes around.
May 17, 2013 8:06 AM
Nintendo announces exclusive partnership with Sega to bring Sonic: Lost World to Wii U and 3DS.
May 17, 2013 7:53 AM
The Wonderful 101 finally has a release date for both western regions.
May 17, 2013 7:40 AM
Nintendo have announced that games shown at E3 will be playable at certain Best Buy locations the week of E3.
May 17, 2013 6:28 AM
Three new Kirby games are coming to the Wii U virtual console.
May 16, 2013 3:11 PM
A representative from EA has finally confirmed that the company has no titles in active development for the Wii U.
May 16, 2013 10:30 AM
Nintendo has filed a form of copyright claim against YouTube Let's Players who feature Nintendo games.
May 16, 2013 7:34 AM
Nintendo has announced a Nintendo Direct tomorrow, focusing on Wii U and 3DS games.
May 15, 2013 10:27 AM
Nintendo is asking fans what they want to see in the upcoming The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD remake.


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Taking a major step towards electrification of the vehicle fleet in the national capital, the Delhi government has decided to allow retrofitting of old diesel vehicles with electric kits. Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot said that the Delhi Transport Department will enlist manufacturers manufacturing electric kits to install conventional ICE vehicles in electric vehicles. The move comes as a big relief to owners of 10-year-old diesel vehicles in Delhi, who have had to discontinue old diesel vehicles due to the current regulation. The National Green Tribunal in 2015 and the Supreme Court in 2018 ordered that diesel vehicles of 10 years or more and petrol vehicles of 15 years or more age cannot ply in Delhi NCR.
This came as a shock to many as thousands of vehicles in Delhi-NCR became non-operational due to the sudden decision. But now, with this move, they can continue to use vehicles similar to the Ev after converting electric vehicles to diesel-powered vehicles. While this move will help the old diesel vehicle owners to continue using the vehicles, it will also help in developing the EV aftermarket business ecosystem. The announcement comes at a time when the national capital is facing severe air pollution and vehicular emissions are among the contributors.
Gehlot said in a tweet that Delhi is now ready for ICE for electric retrofitting. “Delhi is now open to ICE for electric retrofitting! Vehicles can convert their diesel to electric engines if found fit, the department will shortlist manufacturers of pure electric kits by approved testing agencies. Once listed, it Will enable vehicles to run from here onwards. 10 years,” he wrote in his Twitter post.
Apart from allowing retrofitting of diesel vehicles with electric kits, the Delhi government has also decided that from now on, electric light commercial vehicles will be allowed to enter around 250 roads during no-entry hours. The government believes that this move will further increase the reach of electric vehicles in the state. In another tweet, Gehlot said, “Good news for Electric Light Commercial Vehicles (L5N and N1). To drive the adoption of EVs, we have allowed these vehicles to ply on marked roads and avoid idle parking during ‘no entry’ hours. Exempted from any restrictions. With respect to LCV. EVs have already seen an increase of 95% since the launch of the policy!”


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Samsung is getting pummeled on the stock market this morning, the first day of trading since it lost its big legal battle with Apple on Friday. The company's stock is down seven percent in early trading on the news, with many scrambling to parse the impact the ruling will have on the Korean tech giant's future.
Samsung was ordered to pay Apple $1.05 billion dollars in damages for infringing on Apple's patents and copying its designs. The ruling means that Samsung and other manufacturers will have to be much more vigilant in distinguishing the design of their products from those that come out of Cupertino. The impact of this shift is potentially huge, since a lot of people have made a lot of money putting out iPhone clones.
Executives at Samsung have reportedly held a series of emergency meetings to formulate a strategy in response to this "worst case scenario."
[via 9to5 Mac]


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Apple’s car ambitions range from replacing your infotainment system with the iPhone to someday selling self-driving electric vehicles. Not every auto exec is convinced Apple will ever cross the finish line to shipping its own car, however. Meanwhile, more automakers are continuing to adopt Apple CarPlay even as the company teases its next grand vision for taking over your car software.
“It would be a big effort.”
Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess offered skepticism when speaking about Apple’s car plans at the hub.berlin tech conference in Berlin today. Apple’s Project Titan effort has spanned several years with a revolving door of car industry veterans managing the project.
“I’m not sure if Apple will actually bring cars to the market in the end,” the Volkswagen CEO predicted. “It would be a big effort,” Diess added.
The Volkswagen executive also said that “the car will probably become the most digital device you can imagine.” Anyone following Apple since 2015 will know that Project Titan already has been a big effort, and the CEO’s comment about the car becoming “the most digital device” explains why Apple has invested heavily in the project.
Last fall, Apple tapped its Vice President of Technology, Kevin Lynch, to lead the car project. Lynch left Adobe for Apple in 2013 and is credited with getting the Apple Watch over the finish line as his first major assignment.
Polestar and CarPlay
What the Volkswagen executive suggests is that rather than ship its own car, the hardware maker might be satisfied with only shipping the upcoming version of CarPlay that it showed off earlier this month at WWDC.
Apple has designed CarPlay to go beyond small screens and instrument clusters and instead take over every piece of information displayed in a vehicle. This version of CarPlay, which Apple said will be announced in cars being previewed late next year, will also be able to control car functions like HVAC controls and more.
EV maker Polestar announced today that it’s bringing the current version of CarPlay to Polestar 2 EVs with an over-the-air software update. This implementation of CarPlay will require connecting the iPhone over a wire, however, despite Wireless CarPlay becoming more prominent in recent years.
Polestar does plan to be an early adopter of Apple’s next-gen CarPlay experience, however.
“We’re also thrilled to announce that the next generation of CarPlay will be coming to Polestar cars in the future,” the company also announced earlier this month.
It’s not every day that we see Apple’s road map for current, short-term, and long-term plans for products. That’s certainly what we’re seeing with CarPlay as we know it today, next-generation CarPlay coming in a few years, and progress reports on Project Titan. It may take a while to realize the reality, but the Volkswagen CEO’s comments won’t age well. Meanwhile, Polestar is forming a healthy relationship with the company that will one day become a competitor.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.


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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted final approval for the first generic version of Narcan (naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray; Adapt Pharma) to Teva Pharmaceuticals. The Agency had granted tentative approval to the Company’s Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) in June 2018.
Naloxone hydrochloride reverses the effects of opioids, including respiratory depression, sedation, and hypotension. In a statement announcing today’s approval, the FDA outlined steps to prioritize the review of additional generic applications “for products intended to treat opioid overdose.”
In addition, the agency is continuing to take action to facilitate the creation of an over-the-counter (OTC) naloxone product. Although approved naloxone formulations have instructions for use in the product labeling, they do not have a consumer-friendly Drug Facts label (DFL), a requirement for OTC products.
To expedite the approval of life-saving naloxone products, the FDA will grant priority review to all ANDAs for products indicated for the emergency treatment of known or suspected opioid overdoses.
“All together, these efforts have the potential to put a vital tool for combating opioid overdose in the hands of those who need it most – friends and families of opioid users, as well as first responders and community-based organizations,” said Douglas Throckmorton, MD, deputy center director for regulatory programs in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.
For more information visit FDA.gov.
This article originally appeared on MPR


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(The Hollywood Reporter) — Activision and Viacom Consumer Products have settled a lawsuit over the “Star Trek” franchise.
Videogame developer Activision terminated its “Star Trek” licensing agreement with Viacom in July 2003. It filed a lawsuit accusing Viacom of neglecting the franchise to a degree that Activision could no longer develop videogames from it.
In turn, Viacom accused Activision of trying to use the court to renegotiate a deal it made in 1988.
In a statement March 11, the companies said they have settled the legal disputes regarding their licensing agreement for “Star Trek” videogames and, as a result, all lawsuits filed by the parties in the Los Angeles Superior Court have been dismissed. No other terms were disclosed.


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The power of Generation Z, a demographic born between 1995 and 2003, has started to penetrate the Chinese personal luxury goods market in 2018. This is a trend that is set to continue and expand in 2019, making it highly necessary for luxury brands to observe and understand their consumption habits and motivations.
A new report titled “Gen Z Spending Power White Paper,” released by data intelligence company Kantar Group in collaboration with Chinese tech firm Tencent last week, offers fresh insights into China’s Gen-Z shoppers. It estimates that the demographic now totals 149 million people, and will account for 40 percent of global Gen-Z purchases by 2020.
The survey of nearly 3,500 Gen-Z consumers said the monthly purchasing power of China’s Gen Z stands at $507 (RMB 3,501). Meanwhile, 35 percent of survey respondents said they have a stable income source, such as part-time employment and scholarships, aside from money from their parents.
China’s Gen-Z consumers have also started to purchase luxury and cosmetics products at a much younger age (about 15 years old) than previous generations like the post-'60s and post-'70s. They have accounted for approximately 30 percent of spending on cosmetics and shoes in 2018, the report noted.
Last but not least, the report discussed the three most important factors that motivate China's Gen-Z shoppers to spend their money on brands:
Buy for social
I am what I buy
My pleasure, right now
To download the full report, please visit our Report Library.


text: Priceline ( PCLN) is an online travel company offering a range of travel services including hotel bookings, car rentals, airline tickets, vacation packages, cruises and destination services. Customers can book hotel room reservations in over 100 countries. Of the 21 analysts covering the stock, 76% recommended buying, while the remaining advise holding. On an average, analysts estimate a 12.3% upside from current levels. ThinkEquity believes that Priceline is well positioned for gaining international market share as 69% of its gross bookings are from the international circuit. The research firm forecasts Priceline's international business to increase by 40% in 2011. For the third quarter ended September 2010, the company's international bookings soared 78% year-over-year. Meanwhile, the supplier-friendly model for hotels with affordable commission rates and attractive offerings for consumers creates the right mix for high-growth rates. An analyst at RBC Capital Markets said that despite accumulating huge gains in 2010, the company has a vast unrealized potential through its booking.com site, which analysts regard as the leading global hotel booking site. Furthermore, analyst adds that most of the hotels in Europe are small and single-owner operated and rely on booking.com for advertising. JP Morgan has assigned an overweight rating on the stock, based on the estimated growth in domestic and international markets the company will likely enjoy. Analysts believe that under penetration in the hotel space provides additional room for growth, offering companies like Priceline an added advantage. In addition, rapid growth in emerging markets and an opportunity to foray there will also benefit the company. Domestic gross bookings are seen increasing 7% year-over-year during 2011, given the continuous development of booking.com in the U.S. hotel market industry. During the past two quarters, the company's gross profit growth has outpaced advertising expenditure, as indicated by improved efficiency. Therefore, higher brand awareness will lead to expanding growth rates. JP Morgan estimates operating margin at 31% for 2011, compared to 28% in 2010. Looking ahead, Priceline is better positioned in terms of growth due to its exposure to the international markets, relative to peers Expedia and Orbitz.


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The foodie rumour mill went into overdrive today when a picture of Chompsky's 'next project' was unveiled on social media.
The photo shows an empty store front in Strathbungo spray painted with the words: "Chompsky's next project".
Our stomachs are practically squealing with excitement.
Pollokshaws Road favourite, The Wee Beer shop, posted the image to their Facebook page along with the caption: "If I'm reading this right it looks like @chompskyfood might be on the way to Strathbungo! Good news for the neighbourhood!"
Chompsky have already established themselves as firm favourite on the Glasgow food scene thanks to their unique take on street food, sold fresh everyday from their amazing roving van.
They've also popped up everywhere from Taste Buchanan and Broadcast – and they were just announced as one of the official traders at the highly anticipated The DockYard Social. But could we be about to see the launch of an official Chompsky cafe?
Southside residents definitely hoping so. Locals took to Facebook to share their delight at the prospect of welcoming Chompsky's to the area.
One user commented, "No reason to leave the southside now" while another simple said: "Oh. Oh my."
Our thoughts exactly.
No word yet on whether the move is officially going ahead but it is safe to say we are very, very excited.


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John Deere and other equipment manufacturers sought an injunction to block provisions pertaining to farm equipment dealers, but a judge in Merrimack County Superior Court was unpersuaded.
"The court was swayed by the testimony of farmers and equipment dealers showing that the manufacturers’ actions have hurt consumers & producers," Pete McNamara, president of the New Hampshire Auto Dealers Association, said in a press release. "This is a win for consumers and small businesses. John Deere's constant strategy of intimidation failed to sway the courts just like it failed in the house and senate which almost unanimously endorsed the dealer bill of rights law."
NHADA said the state law provides what it calls common-sense protections for local business owners, such as "limits on mandatory upgrades to facilities, a buy local provision to save on expenses, and proper reimbursement for warranty work done by dealers." The law extended those provisions to construction and farm equipment.


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Two-and-a-half year out of date bovril has been spotted on the shelves of Asda, Bexleyheath.
Amit Patel, from Belvedere, took a snap of the chicken-flavoured salty meat extract, which the Bexleyheath Broadway store priced at £2, yesterday (August 27).
The expiry date on the jar said April 2012.
He said: "I was doing my weekly shop in there and was looking for beef bovril.
"I'd never seen chicken bovril before and the packaging was quite dusty, so it caught my eye.
"I thought: 'let's have a look at the date' and I was quite flabbergasted with what I saw.
"As a big supermarket you'd expect them to have some sort of protocol in place.
"I've got young kids and it could make them really ill."
An Asda spokesperson said: "We have stringent procedures in all our stores to make sure out of date products don’t hang around on the shelves.
"We apologise to the customer for this isolated incident and have refreshed our daily checking process in our Bexleyheath store."
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Shops will welcome Holiday Wine Walk participants.
The Victor Merchants Group will hold its first Holiday Wine Walk on Friday.
The wine walk will be held from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. The cost is $5 per person, and participants may pick up a wine sampling glass and program at the LDC office at 5 W. Main St.
For more information, call the LDC at (585) 742-6320.


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Stellar Value Chain Solutions Pvt Ltd, a third-party logistics company floated last year by former chief of Kishore Biyani-led Future Supply Chains Solutions Ltd, on Monday said it has acquired a majority stake in cold chain firm Kelvin Cold Chain. Stellar, however, did not disclose the financial details of the transaction.
The acquisition will help Stellar Value Chain enter the cold chain space, and build its position as an end-to-end value-chain transformation company, it said in a statement.
Kelvin Cold Chain, founded in 1996, received its first external investment of $5.33 million in 2012 from mid-market private equity firm Ambit Pragma Ventures Pvt. Ltd, according to VCCEdge, the data and research platform of News Corp VCCircle.
Ambit Pragma partially exited Kelvin during the transaction but will retain a minority stake, a company spokesperson said, without elaborating further.
Anshuman Singh, founder and CEO of Stellar Value Chain, said the investment will help augment Kelvin Cold Chain's management, implement new technology tools and raise the quality of product handling to unlock value for customers.
The company will seek to make further acquisitions in the third-party logistics sector in India, he added.
Singh started Stellar Value Chain in July last year after quitting as managing director and CEO of Future Supply Chains Solutions Ltd, where he worked for nearly a decade.
Stellar Value Chain is building a pan-India network of 25 integrated logistics parks across 21 consumption and production centres, the statement said. These logistics parks will offer multi-user modern dry warehousing, multi-user e-commerce fulfilment, multi-user cold storage (frozen and chilled), apart from distribution, express transportation, in-city transportation and many more customisable, value-added services.
Notabaly, in August, private equity firm Warburg Pincus agreed to invest up to $125 million (Rs 835 crore) in the logistics startup. Singhâs deal with Warburg Pincus came after Singapore's distressed assets fund management firm SSG Capital Management Group agreed to acquire a 40% stake in Future Supply in April.
Warburg Pincus had previously also made large bets on Indian logistics companies. In June last year, it invested $133 million in e-commerce logistics startup Ecom Express. In October 2015, it set up a $250-million joint venture with developer Embassy Parks to build warehouses and industrial parks.
The PE firm has also begun the process of exiting some of its logistics investments. VCCircle reported last month that Warburg Pincus-backed Continental Warehousing is planning an initial public offering and has hired bankers.
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Stuck at home and short of jobs during the pandemic, Gen Zs have quickly sown the seeds of a new fashion system. Their core values? Sustainability, collaboration and individuality.
Take London-based designer Olivia Blakeman, who started making jewellery from broken necklaces and vintage charms in 2020. She had graduated into a bleak job market and wanted to generate donations for Black Lives Matter. She still donates 10 per cent of profits to charity, but has since evolved her hobby into a business, Planet B, by collaborating with other Gen Zs. Her long-term goal is to develop a marketplace for sustainable and ethical products made by a community of independent creatives.
The bulk of Gen Z entrepreneurs started small on Depop, Instagram and TikTok, sharing with millions of followers not only their products, but also their fluctuating fortunes as small business owners. As the world slowly emerges from lockdowns and restrictions ease, some have managed to evolve their side-hustles into fully fledged businesses, with implications for the broader fashion ecosystem. It’s big business: on Depop alone, the seller community turned over $650 million in secondhand and own brand items in 2020, according to the company.
Many have gone into business to fill gaps that they perceive as consumers themselves and to serve people similar to themselves. Their strategies pose all sorts of questions, not least about whether the mainstream fashion industry is failing to meet the next generation.
Mira Al-Momani, who handles social media and content creation for jewellery and lifestyle brand Anissa Kermiche, says her Instagram and TikTok followings grew exponentially when her personal style videos showcasing independent designers took off. She now plans to open a multibrand e-commerce platform, Nima Store, selling exclusive pieces designed in collaboration with emerging brands. Rather than drop-shipping and charging commission, Al-Momani will purchase stock outright, allowing designers to receive the benefits straightaway. “The most important thing to Gen Z is thoughtfulness,” she says of the business model.
Among Depop users, 90 per cent have made changes to be more sustainable in their daily lives, such as repairing clothes (60 per cent), reducing fashion consumption (70 per cent) or recycling more (75 per cent), according to a Bain & Company report on Gen Z Depop users by partner Federica Levato. For Al-Momani, purchasing from Gen Z-owned brands was often a gateway into the broader sustainable fashion space. Her own interest was piqued after she bought a bespoke deadstock corset from a fellow Gen Z seller at the start of lockdown and shared the collaborative process on Instagram.
Community first, commerce second
Social media is integral to Gen Z businesses, but brand owners are not necessarily using it to drive sales. Very few opt for paid advertising, preferring to build a relatable and authentic social media persona that eventually becomes the base of a brand identity. This helps generate customer loyalty and trust, says Isabella Vrana, a Depop top seller who now has three full-time employees and a studio in East London, and says profits have more than doubled each year. On Instagram, she mixes brand imagery and vintage drop previews with personal photos and behind-the-scenes business content. “People like it when they aren’t always being sold something,” she says.
Sorcha Mondon, who started her secondhand jewellery business, named The Phat Cherub, in the lull between undergraduate and masters degrees, operates her business entirely through Instagram. Every week, she takes to Instagram Stories for a QVC-style segment, named Sorcha’s Sunday Service, with one of her followers (they’re known as “cherubinas”). “It started in lockdown when I think people were craving structure and connection,” she explains. “My sales on those days are significantly better than standard photo uploads and it’s allowed me to build great relationships with my customers.” Mondon says the business has been profitable from the first few months, and sells enough to pay her London rent.
Others are less comfortable with the founder-centric approach expected of them. Keziah Acquaye changed her company’s name from Kez Made It to KMI Studios to relieve some of the pressure. Asal Tehrani, whose brand Susamusa has been worn by model Bella Hadid and social media personality Addison Rae, says her photos have much higher engagement when she appears in them, but she takes comments much less personally when she hires models to be the face of the brand.
Digital discovery combined with IRL experiences
As lockdowns have lifted, pop-ups have become a mainstay of the Gen Z fashion scene. Adaptive retail chain Sook Spaces hosts Gen Zs in the UK, from London to Manchester and Edinburgh, allowing them to book pop-ups by the day in its modular and customisable shops. Many have made an instant and exceptional impact, bringing to a standstill parts of prime shopping locations such as London’s Oxford Street, with long queues and police supervision necessary. “The big brands we work with plan months ahead, but Gen Zs work on a super fast turnaround, then move on,” says founder John Hoyle. “Where older clients might struggle with the technology, Gen Zs grasp it straight away.”
Musician Mya Nicole runs 2o2st, a bimonthly pop-up space in London’s Soho offering Gen Z entrepreneurs — including Planet B and Senja by Maddie — affordable slots in a building her family has owned for over 70 years. Some brands opt for solo pop-ups: Suki Gems ran tooth gemming stations; while Octavia Banks holds marbling workshops turning customers’ creations into her signature printed tops. The pop-ups are advertised entirely through vendors’ social media accounts, with footfall averaging 350 to 500 each time. Depop also hosts pop-ups for selected sellers, including one in Selfridges in 2019.
Artists and Fleas — a chain of physical markets that has operated in the US since 2003 — expanded its offering in April 2021 to include a Gen Z-focused iteration called Regeneration. For a rolling weekly fee of $280, vendors can hire a stand in Brooklyn, pre-fitted with everything they need to sell their vintage and upcycled wares for the weekend. Instagram-native entrepreneur Emma Rogue is a Regeneration alumna, who has since opened a permanent New York store for her brand, Rogue. Macey Hall, creative producer for Instagram’s @shop account, says Rogue is a good example of how Gen Z entrepreneurs are evolving their offering beyond the social media platform, using IRL pop-ups to drive community and sales in tandem with Instagram’s new Shop features.
Also in New York, Funny Pretty Nice founder Natalia Spotts secured a cheap storefront during the pandemic, which now sells her 1990s and 2000s vintage collection and hosts influencer closet sales most weekends. In its first year, Spotts says the company is projected to reach $1.2 million in sales. “People want to try on vintage because the sizing is different, and Gen Z really value experience,” she explains. Spotts says the main challenge is sourcing vintage fast enough for the high churn and personal curation her customers expect.
Bowery Showroom founder Matthew Choon has taken a particularly fluid approach to business, embodying many of the hallmarks of Gen Z entrepreneurship. Since opening last April, his New York concept store has combined consignment and wholesale with its own products, in-house content studio, influencer marketing agency and talent incubator. The space is also available to rent as a pop-up store.
Choon expects a soon-to-launch e-commerce offer to account for 25 per cent of revenues. “The model is all over the place but it really works,” he explains. Instead of just browsing and buying products, visitors can appear in videos and podcasts with the store’s creative team, who are often working on their own projects at the same time. “It’s owned, operated and run by Gen Z, for Gen Z,” says Choon. “People can smell something that isn’t authentic.”
To read full article here.


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Automakers are having a tough time running all the new-fangled vehicle control and safety systems using the 12-volt electrical systems currently used today. Audi appears to be the first out of the gate to adopt a 48-volt system, but will still retain at least part of each vehicle with a 12-volt system.
“We are using the full bandwidth of electrification in our drive principles strategy,” said Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, a member of the board of management for technical development at Audi. “Running part of the vehicle electric system at 48 volts plays a central role in this. It enables us to make more energy available. That paves the way for new technologies with which we can make our cars more sporty, more efficient and more convenient to use.”
Audi points to its recent pair of next-generation TDI concepts, which use an electrically-driven turbocharger in addition to a traditional exhaust-driven turbocharger. But, an electric turbocharger wouldn’t be powerful or efficient enough with the current 12-volt system, hence the second, smaller parallel system running at 48 volts.
The 48-volt system has its own benefits, including needing much narrower-gauge cables, which would be lighter and more easily able to dissipate heat. And there’s a supplementary lithium-ion battery, which when used in combination with a DC/DC converter and more-powerful alternator, mean the powertrain acts like a “mild hybrid.”
The bulk of future car systems will remain 12 volts, probably to avoid needing to modify or replace all the current things that work just fine, like the power-operated windows, mirrors, interior lights, etc.
Audi says that the current R&D mules are saving 16.1 grams of C02 per mile, or one-tenth a gallon of fuel over 62 miles.
While it hasn’t been confirmed, it looks like Johnson Controls is supplying Audi with the new system, based on this Automotive News story from early last year. All of the salient points — European automaker, as early as 2015, two batteries used — line up nicely, and estimated that the approximate cost of the system at about $1,200 for each system, which is a huge investment.
Twelve-volt systems are nothing new: the Dodge Brothers were using them as early as the 1920s in North America, while several automakers, like Mercedes-Benz and Fiat used a similar Bosch-supplied one around the same time. But it took until the mid-’50s before it saw much broader use.


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I own several technology stocks that are simply not doing it: Snowflake , Spotify , Shopify , Alphabet and Amazon . As chronicled in my Diary, I have been adding to them all over the last several days. I wanted to see how the stocks would f...
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Could I be wrong about the capitulation low? Indeed. Here's how to tell if I am off, and what to do if I'm right.
In a blow to the bulls, AAPL and MSFT surrender to the inevitable, as Chief Powell aims a bazooka at inflation.
Plus, a look at the box that the U.S. economy is in.
It appears to me that , and are being used as an ATM (a source of funds) for institutional investors who need to liquidate larger amounts of funds quickly.
Many stocks are very oversold, and sentiment is about as bad as it gets.
In the meantime, put risk management ahead of everything else when it comes to trading.
Favorites like Apple, Microsoft, Tesla, and Nvidia were hit the hardest in the tough action.
Following their recent selloffs, two of these major chip developers arguably present compelling risk/rewards.
Be ready. An ugly liquidation stage to key S&P 500 levels will put the stock market well in front of the Fed, leading to a buying opportunity.
Plus, we take a revealing look at the movements in the yield curve and pop in on the dismal charts of Shopify and Peloton Interactive.
Let's see how market softness and shorter-term headwinds can create a buying opportunity for AAPL.
I have covered the balance of my Apple short at $156.10 - initially shorted above $166 on Friday - for a nice profit.


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Given that in the first seven months of the year I have attended dozens of conferences, spoken to countless customers and sat in on endless sessions, it’s easy to lose sight of the top level details that are emerging.
Obviously by pulling out just a few key trends you are inevitably going to miss out on the subtleties and nuance that can be found in the hundreds of stories that have been written in the previous months on diginomica - but nonetheless, I think it’s worthwhile having a go at highlighting some of the things that I’m seeing.
I’d be perfectly happy to add to this list, so if you’ve got any input, do get in touch.
Data really is a top priority
For years now we have heard about how X% of data has been generated in the last 12 months and how this presents huge opportunities for companies. However, last year I didn’t see a great deal of evidence of this extending beyond some traditional dash-boarding and analytics. Sure, there are always going to be some companies that lead the pack, but generally I found that enterprises were more concerned with getting their houses in order, than they were about the data opportunity.
And this makes sense. Without your house in order, which would mean messy data, how can you find or execute on any opportunities? But with the increased collection of data, plus the use of cloud for storage, and more complex data infrastructure, companies are now beginning to think about making data operational.
For example, personalization has featured heavily in conversations with digital buyers in recent months. Companies are beginning to think about differentiating from the pack and creating that stickiness with their customers, by providing personalised online services. From what I’ve seen thus far, some of the efforts are pretty rudimentary - but this doesn’t take away from the fact that it’s a top level agenda. For examples, see these story’s on Comcast, Whole Foods, M&S, Tesco, NOW TV and Coral.
Equally worth noting, is that traditional software vendors are beginning to think about how data can be used to provide value add services to their customers. For example, NetSuite is considering how it can use data to closer bridge the gap between ERP and the customer. Whilst Sage is looking at the use of machine learning and bots to make accounting easier for customers. It’s also worth taking a look at how the government is rethinking its approach to data so that it can better serve citizens.
There are probably plenty more examples floating around on diginomica from this year, but it’s becoming increasingly evident that data strategies are being formed in forward thinking enterprises.
Legacy being taken seriouslyIt will come as a surprise to no one that enterprises are struggling with their legacy architectures and systems. That’s not new. However, I am starting to notice more and more that companies are now beginning to seriously consider how they overcome it.
It’s not enough to create a two-tier architecture for the foreseeable future. At some point, the legacy is going to hold back the top tier. No necessarily in terms of performance, but in terms of silos. Even if your cloud, digital-first systems are able to fly on their own, there is still going to be a whole customer base and a whole organisation internally that is making use of, or working with, that legacy. Single view of the customer and frictionless enterprise are a lot more difficult if everything is in distinct operations. Yes you can implement extraction layers, use open APIs, try to join everything up - but if we are honest, it’s not the same as running one, digital, frictionless organisation.
And we are seeing evidence that companies are now realising this and taking this seriously - Whole Foods, for example, is replacing 90% of its systems. Argos is doing what it can to shift entirely to the cloud, using micro-services. TAL Apparel, a huge Hong Kong based clothing manufacturer, is upgrading the entire backbone of its business to the cloud.
These aren’t lighthearted decisions. And they carry risk. But it seems that given the competition being brought by those born in the cloud, the risk of not doing it is getting greater.
The skills problem
I know this is something that has been a running theme for a number of years now, but it isn’t going away. Every single customer and vendor I speak with has some sort of skills shortage and is doing what it can to compete in a market where those skills are constantly evolving and in short supply.
What we have seen this year, however, is a number of end user organisations trying their best to insource digital skills - as opposed to trying to sole rely on vendors for the capability. For example, Sainsbury’s is hiring hundreds of digital staff to support its multi-channel efforts, Whitbread is doing the same, as is Argos and the UK government.
Interestingly, we also found some examples of how companies are trying different approaches in their acquisition of skills. The most exciting being Year Up, a company that purposefully targets disadvantaged areas and recruits ambitious young adults into an intense training programme, which then feeds them into a position with an employer that is desperate for those skills. It’s probably my favourite story of the year, well worth a read.
Rethinking your existing assets
This is a point I’ve highlighted before as something that’s going to become more prevalent as we move forward with the ‘digitisation’ of the enterprise. I have argued that instead of companies feeling burdened by their existing infrastructure and assets, they should see it as an opportunity. The one thing that a start-up doesn’t have and can’t quickly compete with is scale - be that people, physical buildings, or cash.
There weren’t too many examples in the first half of the year, but my interview with Argos CDO Bertrand Bodson is worth pointing to. Bodson recognises that instead of Argos feeling weighed down by its stores and physical presence, it should use it to its advantage. He explains how the company is now using them to enable much quicker deliveries and availability for customers, allowing it to compete with the likes of Amazon. It is using its legacy investments to its advantage.
Obviously automation is something that companies have been focused on for years now, given theefficiency and cost reductions it can bring. That being said, I’ve personally always felt that the threat/opportunity of automation in the past has been somewhat overstated.
This is becoming more and more difficult to believe, given the number of stories I’ve written this year about companies either automating thousands of low-level jobs, or automation being more generally relied on to tell companies what they should be doing.
For example, we saw plenty of this in the financial sector. RBS is cutting jobs in favour of automated digital advice for investors, HSBC automated nearly 3,000 jobs in 2015, whilst Barclays is set to cut up to 30,000 jobs as it looks to increase automation and reduce costs.
Not only this but we have seen vendors, such as Splunk, looking to automation to help companies with their increasingly complex security operations. We saw how Pfizer is automating clinical trials through the use of Pega. In fact, we also heard the US Federal CIO call for ‘aware’ systems that can help reduce the risks of increased connectivity and the influx of data - automating the operations of the Internet-of-Things.
As ever, digital government has continued to surprise and entertain in the first six months of the year. Whilst things in the US continue to progress at an impressive rate, see the White House’s recent announcement about code sharing, things have been a bit more unsettled here in the UK.
The year started positively with GDS director Stephen Foreshew-Cain adopting a more collaborative approach to digital operations in government and committing to the development of the organisation’s Government-as-a-Platform strategy.
However, very recently it was announced that Foreshew-Cain would be stepping down from his post and that business transformation chief Kevin Cunnington over at the Department of Work and Pensions would be taking over. We aren’t convinced that this isn’t an attempt by the Permanent Secretaries to destabilise the efforts of GDS, but we are hopeful given that Cunnington has come out and said that GDS is “here to stay”.
Unfortunately, it’s very hard to separate the politics from the digital government agenda. Both come hand and hand, and as a result, delay progress for citizens. That being said, there are some very determined people both sides of the Atlantic Ocean that are going to try their hardest to change the status quo. We can expect a lot more from this topic in the second half of the year.


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EU4Business initiative aimed at improving business climate in Ukraine (Exclusive)
Baku, Azerbaijan, August 27
By Tamilla Mammadova – Trend:
The EU4Business initiative is aimed at improving the business climate in the country, the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine told Trend.
According to the Ministry, the initiative makes it easier to obtain financing for small and medium-sized businesses and provide training and targeted support to enterprises headed by women and people who work in the green economy.
“Small and medium-sized enterprises also receive technical support in agreement with EU standards, which will allow them to increase exports and benefit from a free trade agreement between Ukraine and the EU,” the ministry said.
According to the ministry, most companies in Ukraine are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). They provide jobs for more than four million people, producing about 20 percent of the country's GDP.
“The business environment in Ukraine is largely regulated, but the standards and support services for SMEs in the field of innovation and assistance to women entrepreneurs need to be improved in order to allow SMEs to flourish,” the ministry said.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the EU’s Eastern Partnership region have the potential to create jobs and drive economic growth, while obstacles such as limited access to finance, burdensome legislation and difficulties in entering new markets are hindering their progress. The European Union’s EU4Business initiative is an umbrella initiative that covers all EU activities supporting SMEs in the Eastern Partnership countries.
The European Union’s EU4Business helps small businesses to realize their full potential. EU4Business provides the support jointly with other organisations such as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the European Investment Bank.


text: I recently noticed a lot of activity in the space that used to house Italian coffee shop Spazio Caffe at 245 S. Main St. in Venice. As it turns out, the store is being readied for its new inhabitant, none other than Kippy’s! ice cream shop. They’ll be closing their current location at 326 Lincoln Blvd. by Friday January 22nd. And it looks like they’re hoping to start peddling their organic, non-dairy “scoops of happiness” by the end of January or early February in their new location.


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BURGER King have trolled rivals McDonald's after cops stopped them selling milkshakes while Nigel Farage was in Edinburgh.
The fast food chain was ordered to pull shakes and ice cream from the menu over fears protesters would chuck them at the ex-UKIP leader.
With hundreds of Brexit Party supporters and dozens of protesters arriving at the capital's Corn Exchange for the EU rally on Friday, Burger King hilariously used the ban to attract customers.
Posting on Twitter, they said: "Dear people of Scotland.
"We’re selling milkshakes all weekend. Have fun."
Mr Farage delivered a speech ahead of the EU elections just 200 yards from the fast food joint outlet.
A source said: “There were rumours of a milkshake protest. Police Scotland came into the restaurant and asked them not to sell shakes or McFlurrys. They did as was advised.
Limmy trolls Tommy Robinson fans after EDL founder has milkshakes chucked over him twice while campaigning to be MEP
“The police were told there were social media plans for a ‘milkshake protest’ at the event and for masses of people to turn up to buy milk to throw.
“There was extra security on the door, both at ASDA, the restaurants inside, and the restaurant itself.”
The restaurant was asked to remove the products from sale from 6-10pm and to increase door security at this time too.
A sign posted in the store’s window said: “We will not be selling milkshakes or ice-creams tonight. This is due to a police request given recent events.”
The request follows a series of incidents in which far-right figures - including Tommy Robinson and Ukip candidate Carl Benjamin - have had milkshakes and other food thrown at them.
MOST READ IN NEWS
A McDonald’s spokeswoman said: “At the request of Police Scotland, we temporarily removed our McFlurry and milkshake products from sale in our Chester Avenue restaurant yesterday evening.”
A spokesperson for Police Scotland said: "After being made aware of the potential for disorder, officers liaised with local businesses and appropriate advice and guidance was given to help prevent it. We thank these local businesses, and the majority of demonstrators for their co-operation."
We pay for your stories and videos! Do you have a story or video for The Scottish Sun? Email us at firstname.lastname@example.org or call 0141 420 5200


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Halo Top is already the most health conscious ice cream out there and now it’s going vegan!
Customers of Halo Top have been campaigning online for over a year to get company to offer vegan options. Their wishes came true, the ice cream company is rolling out 7 new vegan flavors. Peanut Butter Cup, Chocolate, Oatmeal Cookie, Sea Salt Caramel, Cinnamon Roll, and Chocolate Covered Banana will hit shelves mid October.
The new vegan options will still be low-calorie and low sugar, each pint between 280 and 360 calories and between 16 and 24 grams of sugar. Founder and CEO of Halo Top, Justin Woolverton said,
“It took a long time to ‘get it right,’ but we’re absolutely thrilled with the outcome and can’t wait for our fans to try these flavors.”
You can already buy them online HERE.


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Earlier today we reported about some leaked images of a new smartphone from Blackberry. The leaked smartphone was supposed to be the Blackberry BBC 100-1.
Now we have got a new HD press render of Blackberry BBC 100-1 which is codenamed as Blackberry Aurora internally. The leaked render of Blackberry Aurora or BBC 100-1 is in line with today’s leaked real life images. It has a totally plane display on the front. Power and volume buttons are on the right side. There is a new button on the left side which could be of the silent key.
- 5.5-inch HD (1280x720p) display
- 4GB of RAM
- 32GB of internal storage with micro SD card support
- 1.4Ghz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 chipset
- 13MP Main camera with LED flash
- 8MP front camera
- Dual SIM
- 3000mAh battery


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Santa Clara, Calif. – Global year-over-year shipments of tablets fell for the first time in the first quarter, dropping almost 5 percent to 56.3 million units from the year-ago 59 million units, NPD DisplaySearch found.
Shrinking tablet PC shipments have played a major role in recent declines in the overall mobile PC market shipments, the company added.
Tablet PCs accounted for more than half of all mobile PC shipments in the first quarter, and as a result, year-over-year shipment growth for mobile PCs fell 5 percent to 99 million from the year-ago 104.4 million units, NPD DisplaySearch said.
Within the mobile PC segment, notebook PC shipments fell 14 percent to 35 million units from the year-ago 40.7 million units, but ultra-slim mobile PC shipments rose 62 percent to 7.8 million from the year-ago 4.8 million.
DisplaySearch also found that:
–Apple maintained the No. 1 position in the mobile PC market share, with 20 percent market share, or almost twice that of No. 2-ranked Samsung with 11 percent.
–More than 80 percent of Apple’s mobile PC shipments were tablets, and more than 90 percent of Samsung’s mobile PC shipments were tablets.
–Lenovo increased up its tablet shipments to almost 30 percent of its mobile PC sales in the first quarter, compared with only 3 percent in the year-ago quarter.
Global Mobile PC Shipments


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There are billions of farm animals being raised around the world for the purpose of producing meat, eggs, and dairy – and the resources needed to sustain them in terms of feed, land, and water are enormous. It’s estimated that around 50 percent of the world’s arable land is dedicated to the livestock system and a majority of our freshwater stores go towards this as well. As our global population increases, and the demand for animal products rises in the developing world, we’re simply going to run out of space and resources to rear animals for food.
With the looming population peak of 9.8 billion by 2050 in mind, a future with animal agriculture at the center of food production with animal agriculture looks rather dim and uncertain. We must change our ways. And fast. But how? Well, according to a new report, the answer might be rather simple.
The Vegan Society recently released the Grow Green 2 report in conjunction with the New Economics Foundation, the second in their series on the subject, which follows the first Grow Green report in 2015. The report details how we can move away from animal farming and instead, grow more crops for human consumption. Considering how U.K. residents currently eat an average of around 50 percent more protein than recommended in a healthy diet, The Vegan Society says that the shift of plant-protein to replace animal protein is “desperately needed.” This important report also comes on the heels of WWF’s findings that the production of livestock feed is fueling the loss of biodiversity across the UK – and subsequently, the entire world.
The report recommends a farmed animal tax, as well as Protein Aid Scheme for farmers who grow plant-protein crops such as peas, lentils, and beans. The report went on to recommend that the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) programs after 2020 should offer resources to support farmers who want to transition for livestock farming to protein crops for human consumption.
The Vegan Society notes how UK climate provides ideal soil for growing plant proteins such as fava, beans, peas and hemp seed, but, “…the UK currently assigns only 16 percent of its agricultural land to growing protein crops, much of which are used to feed farmed animals.” In total, about 18 million acres of forest are lost worldwide every year to soy to feed livestock. If people just consumed plant-protein directly, it would save a lot of suffering and damage to the planet.
Pea protein, for example, is an excellent source of plant-based protein, with 15 grams per serving in pea protein isolate. And on top of that, it’s low-fat and free from dairy, soy, wheat, gluten, and cholesterol. Not to mention, the environmental impact of pea protein is significantly less than that of animal agriculture.
The good news is that you don’t have to wait for farmers to switch to plant-based crops. With the world’s population estimated to reach over nine billion people by 2050, we need to take a serious look at our food choices. Mitigating the deforestation associated with soy production boils down to limiting your consumption of animal products. By eating less meat, we can also help fight climate change, reduce our water footprint, reduce pollution, and prevent further habitat destruction and species extinction, plus redirect grain for people to eat.
You can #EatForThePlanet starting today. Just follow the three simple steps below.
1. Moderate: Limit consumption of your favorite meats like beef, lamb, pork, etc.
2. Replace: Try to swap animal-based products in your daily diet with vegan alternatives (milk, butter, mayo, cheese, grilled chicken, beef crumbles, sausages, cold cuts, etc.)
3. Embrace: Add plant-based whole foods (local and organic when possible) to your diet like greens, fresh fruits, and vegetables, whole grains, plant proteins like lentils, nuts/seeds, beans, tofu, etc.
As Nil Zacharias, the co-founder of One Green Planet says, “Eat in a way that nourishes you without starving the planet.”
We all have the power to create a better future for our children, and the countless animals we share the planet with, by making one easy swap. If you’re ready to start doing this in your own life, check out One Green Planet’s #EatForThePlanet campaign.
Image source: 305 Seahill/Flickr