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Performance within the German mobile phone market has been forecast to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.8% over the next five years, with the industry set to hit a market value of $6.8 billion by the end of 2015.
Growth within the German mobile phones market continues to be exclusively driven by strong demand for smartphones, while feature phones registered rapid declines in both volume and value terms.
Nokia continues to be the clear leader of the German mobile market, with a 39% volume share in feature phones and a 27% volume share in smartphones over the past five years. The company continues to enjoy high levels of consumer trust and loyalty due to the high quality of its mobile phones.
Nokia's main competitor in smartphones is Apple, and since the introduction of Apple's iPhone in 2008, Nokia's volume share has declined from a near monopoly status of 76% in 2007 to just a few percentage points ahead of Apple in 2011.
The German mobile phones category is expected to register some slight declines over the forecast period due to the shrinking demand for feature phones. While smartphones still have strong growth prospects, volume sales of feature phones are expected to see a -22% CAGR. In light of strong competition from smartphones, feature phones will suffer from declining demand as well as price pressure since smartphones are expected to become cheaper.
For more information on the German mobile phone market, see the latest research: German Mobile Phone Market
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A glass substrate is known to improve data processing performance by 40 percent compared to existing products. [Source : SKC]
SKC Co., a chemical unit of South Korea’s No. 2 conglomerate SK Group, plans to make aggressive investments in the field of rechargeable batteries and semiconductor materials this year to further widen its lead over rival companies.
The company made a bold decision to sell its mainstay film business last year to transform its business model towards high value-added products around rechargeable battery, semiconductor and eco-friendly materials.
“We decided to sell businesses with marginal growth to secure cash and realign ourselves to focus on battery materials, chemicals and semiconductor materials,” the company’s Chief Executive Officer Park Won-cheol recently told Maeil Business Newspaper at CES 2023.
SKC became the first Korean company to develop polyester film in 1977 and the first company in the world to commercialize biodegradable film in 2008.
Absolix Inc. is building a plant for glass substrate production in Covington near Atlanta, Georgia. [Source : SKC]
The company’s semiconductor material business is led by its subsidiary Absolix Inc., which is building a plant for glass substrate production in Covington near Atlanta, Georgia.
SKC and Absolix will invest $240 million to complete the construction in 2024 and will have an annual capacity production of 12,000 square meters. The two companies also have a plan for capacity expansion to 72,000 square meters per year through a second-stage investment of $360 million.
Glass substrate is the world’s first commercialized product by SKC and it is engineered to realize the operation of high-performance computing chips capable of processing large amounts of data in a short time, which are essential for artificial intelligence, self-driving cars, VR/AR and 6G communication. A glass substrate is known to improve data processing performance by 40 percent compared to existing products.
SKC’s another focus is copper foil. The company has maintained its No. 1 position in the global copper foil market since 2020 when it acquired SK nexilis Co. SK nexilis has continued to expand production capacity and is currently running a facility with an annual capacity of 52,000 tons in Korea. It is also building factories in Malaysia and Poland.
By Lee Young-wook and Minu Kim
[ⓒ Pulse by Maeil Business Newspaper & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]

domain: news


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Celebrity chef Margarita Fores put the spotlight on two of her most loyal employees, who have been with her since starting the Italian restaurant Cibo in 1997.
On Cibo’s 25th year, Fores shared photos of Joy Gauma, who started as a food dispatcher and now heads food quality assurance across the company.
She also honored architect Jorge Yulo, whose company designed Cibo’s first-ever store in Glorietta 3 in Makati.
“CIBO doesn’t reach 25 years without the people behind it.
Grazie mille to Joy and the entire CIBO famiglia for keeping us going!,” Fores wrote.


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Single-family pending home sales jumped over four percent this month from September of last year, with prices rising close to five percent. Pending condominium sales were also up, rising more than three percent over last year, while prices increased slightly. Realtors® confidence in the market and in home prices were both up again in September. This month’s “Hot Topic” question asks Realtors® how they would describe the appraisal process in the last six months.
September Pending Sales:
|Single Family||September 2017||September 2016||% Change|
- Pending sales up for 11 out of the last 12 months
|Condominium||September 2017||September 2016||% Change|
- Pending sales up for 10 out of the last 12 months
Realtor® Market and Price Confidence Indexes:
|Confidence Index||September 2017||September 2016||%Change|
- The Realtor® Market Confidence Index up for the 28th time in 29 months
- The Realtor® Price Confidence Index up for the eighth time in nine months
- Measured on a 100-point scale, a score of 50 is the midpoint between a “strong” (100 points) and a “weak” (0 points) market condition
Read more in the September 2017 Future Indicators Report.


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Tuesday 14th May 2013
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New Zealand retail sales slowed their pace of growth in the first three months of the year as the long, hot summer sapped consumers' appetite to buy more clothing.
The total volume of retail sales rose 0.5 percent, seasonally adjusted, to $17.62 billion in the three months ended March 31, from a revised quarterly pace of 1.9 percent in the December quarter, Statistics New Zealand said. That was below the 0.8 percent pace estimated in a Reuters survey of economists. Actual retail sales volumes grew 3.5 percent from the same quarter a year earlier.
"Respondents to the retail trade survey told us that he warm , dry start to autumn meant that shoppers held off buying cooler-season clothing and footwear," industry and labour statistics manager Blair Cardno said in a statement.
The kiwi dollar fell to 82.51 US cents from 82.64 US cents immediately before the figures were released.
Earlier this month, sports goods and homeware chain Briscoe Group said the late start to winter put a squeeze on first-quarter margins.
Clothing, footwear and apparel reported the biggest quarterly volume decline in the period, falling 2.4 percent to $872 million, with values down the same amount to $858 million. Clothing inventories were 7.3 percent higher than a year earlier at $754 million as at March 31.
Of the 15 industries surveyed, 10 gained in volume terms. Excluding vehicle-related spending, volumes rose 0.6 percent.
The volume of spending on pharmaceutical and other store-based retailing rose 2.2 percent to $1.25 billion, and motor vehicle and parts rose 1.1 percent to $2.34 billion, underpinning gains in the period. The volume of supermarket and grocery spending rose 0.3 percent to $4.04 billion.
Spending volumes on furniture, floor coverings, houseware, textiles rose 1.6 percent to $484 million the quarter and hardware, building, and garden supplies increased 1.2 percent to $1.04 billion. The categories were up an annual 6 percent and 10 percent respectively, with the county's property market bubbling in Auckland and Christchurch with an undersupply of housing amid building demand.
The value of spending rose 0.9 percent, seasonally adjusted, to $17.94 billion, from 1.7 percent in the December period. Actual retail sales values rose 3.2 percent to $17.62 billion from the March quarter 2012.
Canterbury was the biggest regional gainer, with actual retail sales up 6.3 percent to $2.41 billion in the March quarter from a year earlier, followed by Auckland, which rose 4.3 percent to $5.96 billion. Wellington the only region to record a decline, falling 0.8 percent to $1.87 billion, its second quarterly fall.
Government figures last month showed increasing discounting among retailers was one of the key ingredients in keeping the annual pace of inflation at 0.9 percent, just below the Reserve Bank's target band of between 1 percent and 3 percent.
Removing the price changes, the volume of sales rose 0.5 percent.
Last week, Statistics NZ said core retail spending on electronic cards, which strips out spending on fuel and vehicles, rose 1 percent to a seasonally adjusted $3.54 billion in April, the biggest monthly gain since November, and sixth increase out of the past seven months. Including fuel and vehicle, retail spending gained 0.9 percent to $4.34 billion in April, the 11th monthly gain in the past 12.
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Just 4 per cent of the price of a garment sold by major Australian brands is paid to the factory worker who made it, a new Oxfam report reveals.
The report, What She Makes: Power and Poverty in the Fashion Industry, showed an even worse situation in Bangladesh where an average 2 per cent of an item's price goes to factory workers.
That equates to just 20¢ from a $10 shirt.
Oxfam Australia Chief Executive Helen Szoke said the "women making the clothes Australians love and wear are being denied decent lives by being paid poverty wages".
"(They are) unable to afford even the basics no matter how hard they work," Szoke said.
"Women are working six-day weeks and as much overtime as they can, yet they are forced to live in slums, often separated from their children and families and going hungry as they struggle to make it to their next pay."
Oxfam's research, undertaken by Deloitte Access Economics, found that workers in places like China and Indonesia could be paid a living wage if Australians paid just one per cent more for clothing.
To motivate change, Oxfam has released a live company tracker to publicly monitor Australia's leading fashion retailers -- brands such as Kmart, Big W, Bonds, Cotton On and Just Jeans -- and their progress on paying living wages.
"It is time for this grossly unfair system to end," Szoke said on Sunday.
"Brands have the power and responsibility to ensure workers are paid enough to live with basic dignity.
"Together we can hold brands accountable for what women make – telling them loud and clear the time has come to pay living wages."


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After a dip in the first half of 2020-21, systemic retail loan growth trend showed an upward movement and remained healthy in the second half. Overall trend in retail loan showed an increase of 9 per cent compared to the same period last year.
Mortgage grew at 8 per cent year on year amid the festive cheer, a report by Emkay said.
Systemic monthly mortgage disbursement in February was high at Rs 750 billion against Rs 400 billion, mainly due to pent-up demand driven by benign interest rates, attractive property prices, low stamp duty (temporary though in Maharashtra) and change in customer behavior to house ownership or bigger house size.
Raoul Kapoor, COO of DSA (direct selling agent) major Andromeda Marketing said that the surge in housing demand is expected to remain positive for an otherwise weak real estate market.
The report also noted that with non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) are still “in the slow lane” which has pushed businesses for big banks – both public and private — in the home loan market.
Among large players, the State Bank of India (SBI) leads the pack with nearly 31 per cent market share in recent disbursements, followed by the HDFC group at 19 per cent and ICICI at 13 per cent.
The report added that overall retail credit growth is expected to accelerate further, led by mortgages — contributing 51 per cent of retail loans– and back-end support by unsecured cards, personal and vehicle loans. The current market conditions favour banks armed with lower funding rates, strong balance sheet, better asset quality and strong captive customer base, it said.


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We speak to Alessia Glaviano, director of fashion photography festival PhotoVogue, about how this year’s responds to her question: What would Susan Sontag say?
Now in its second year, the PHmuseum Women Photographer Grant has a simple premise – to recognise and award world-class photographers, who also happen to be women. Judged this year by a prestigious panel including Magnum photographer Alessandra Sanguinetti and The Photographers’ Gallery senior curator Karen McQuaid, the Grant has two main sections – The Women Photographer Grant and the New Generation Prize for those under 30 years of age. BJP takes a look at those who have made the shortlist.
“The main issues in fashion currently are gender and identity, and a more inclusive image…


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Elon Musk said “nanotechnology is BS” a few weeks ago, and suddenly everyone wants to talk about nanotechnology again. When we first heard about nanotechnology back in 2004, we could hardly contain our excitement when reading about nanomaterials with seemingly magical properties. We immediately wanted to “invest in nanotechnology“, and proceeded down a path which largely involved exposing the seedy underbelly of the penny stock world, and the dangers it poses to unsuspecting retail investors. Unfortunately, nanotechnology as we originally conceived it didn’t come to fruition. What did happen was that new technologies like synthetic biology, gene editing, and genomics, carried on the torch of nanotechnology’s promise.
Many of today’s disruptive technologies could easily fit into the definition of nanotechnology. They are nanotechnology, they’re just not called “nano” anymore. For example, genetic sequencing involves reading the recipe of a cell, and gene editing is changing the recipe of the cell to create artificial biological nanomachines. Ask any long-term Illumina investor how lucrative it has been to investing in genetic sequencing machines over the last decade.
While graphene might be the most incredible material you’ve ever heard of, companies can’t seem to use it for anything more useful than some expensive bike wheels and tennis rackets. We’re still waiting for graphene to live up to its promise – kind of like how we’ve been waiting for carbon nanotubes to do the same. Could it be that these nanomaterials are being commercialized and we’re just not noticing it? Are they just being marketed under different names according to “the new definition of nanotechnology“? We decided to look at some of the nanotechnology startups out there getting funding this year to see what sort of nanotechnology innovation is being funded.
15 Nanotechnology Companies Getting Funding in 2018
We did a quick search on CrunchBase using the category “nanotechnology”, looking for any company that’s raised a funding round this year and that categorizes itself as a “nanotechnology company”. We then sorted the list by the size of their last funding round:
|Total Funding Amount
|Last Funding Amount
|Oxford Nanopore Technologies
|Nanotech Industrial Solutions
Nanotechnology Companies We Know
First, let’s go through all the names on the list that we have written about before.
The nanotechnology company to receive the most funding in 2018 so far is Oxford Nanopore with a $100 million round, a topic we recently dug into in our article on Oxford Nanopore vs. Illumina. Then we see Nantero taking in a $29.7 million round from big names like Cisco, Dell, and Kingston Technology (the world’s largest producer of memory). Last time we touched on Nantero was back in 2015 when we proclaimed that Nantero’s Nanotube Memory (NRAM) is Finally Here. Then we see a $25.5 million round going to Liquidia: Joseph DeSimone’s Nanotechnology Company. Then there’s Oxford Photovoltaics, a company we first wrote about 4 years ago. They’ve now taken in $53.5 million to develop their “perovskite solar technology” which is expected to debut next year. Lastly, we have StoreDot, a battery technology company that made it onto our List of New Lithium Battery Technology Startups we published last year. StoreDot uses quantum dots to build better batteries.
The remaining 10 companies on the list we haven’t come across yet so let’s take a quick look at each one.
“New” Nanotechnology Companies
Founded in 2003, Silicon Valley startup DigiLens has taken in $60 million in funding to develop nanomaterials that make Heads-Up-Displays (HUDs) better. They describe their nanomaterial as “an extraordinarily high-index modulation photopolymer that enables wide field-of-view HUDs and AR displays that can be manufactured at a low cost.” The world’s biggest manufacturer of AutoHUD displays, Continental, has entered into a strategic partnership with DigiLens. Continental’s HUDs provide basic 2D symbology, while the DigiLens’ waveguide technology is 3D and can tag other cars and road markings in the driver’s view.
Throw some 3D sensing into the mix and soon driving a car will feel just like a video game – a video game that the robots will always be able to play better than humans.
Founded in 2010, Swiss startup Abionic has taken in $27.7 million in funding so far, the majority of which came in the form of a $20.3 million funding round which closed in March of this year. The company’s product is abioSCOPE® Screening, a revolutionary biomedical screening platform which administers tests to patients from a single drop of blood, in record time.
We’ve all heard that fairytale story before, but in this case the technology may be spelled out a little better. The CEO and founder, Nicolas Durand, developed the company’s core technology while achieving his PhD in nanotechnology from EPFL, and since then Abionic has developed the world’s fastest sepsis test which is CE marked and provides results in 5 minutes. (Sepsis is the number one preventable death, if treated within the first hour.)
Dallas, Texas startup Onconano is a biotech company that “develops nanotechnology-
As Elon Musk implied, trying to categorize a company as a “nanotechnology company” can often be extremely subjective. Founded in 2002, Fremont, California startup Lyncean Technologies has taken in $19.8 million in funding to develop “a miniature synchrotron x-ray source.” The majority of that funding was received only a month ago when they took in a Series B round of $13.8 million led by Intel. In the company press release, the CEO said “This new round also enables initial development of an accelerator-based, clean, reliable, high power EUV source for potential use in future lithography systems.” Light is made up of photons, so are photons small enough to be considered “nanotechnology”? If so, should solar companies also be considered “nanotechnology companies”? Maybe Elon Musk was on to something when he said “nano applies to everything and therefore means nothing.”
Founded in 2013, Illinois startup NuMat Technologies has taken in $22.3 million so far to “solve the world’s toughest challenges at the atomic level.” Their Series B round of $12.4 million closed in April of this year, and was led by Bryan Johnson’s OS Fund. What NuMat is doing can best be described as “materials science meets big data”. In much the same way that pharma companies use AI algorithms to discover drugs, NuMat uses AI to design atomically-engineered materials called MOFs (Metal-Organic Frameworks). According to NuMat, “MOFs are a breakthrough material class with vast surface areas, highly tunable porosities, and near-infinite combinatorial possibilities.”
New Jersey startup Nanotech Industrial Solutions has taken in $12 million in funding so far, all of which was raised just last month. They claim to be “the only manufacturer of nano and submicron spherical sized particles of Inorganic Fullerene-like Tungsten Disulfide.” Those particles are being used to produce a product line of additives called NanoLub.
The company’s technology reduces friction and wear whilst increasing the extreme pressure capacity of lubricants. Now, they need to show that they can sell lots of product.
Founded in 2001, Massachusetts startup Nano-C has taken in $11.5 million in funding, all of which came in the form of a single round that closed in April of this year. The cofounder of Analog Devices, Ray Stata, led the round. Nano-C produces nanostructured carbon for energy and electronics applications, or going back to old school terminology, they produce carbon nanotubes, fullerenes, and fullerene derivatives. Hopefully these will take off quicker than graphene has.
Founded in 2000, Michigan startup BlueWillow Biologics has taken in $92.8 million in funding so far to “harness nanotechnology
to develop intranasal vaccines.” Last month, they announced a $10 million Series A financing round which coincided with a name change from NanoBio to BlueWillow. Their technology platform “utilizes a novel oil-in-water nanoemulsion (NE) adjuvant to enable intranasal vaccines for respiratory and sexually transmitted diseases.” Imagine being able to grab a bottle of nasal spray and sort yourself out, as opposed to whipping out your junk in front of the doctor and getting grilled on how promiscuous you’ve been lately.
Founded in 2002, Maryland startup Pixelligent has taken in $54.7 million in funding to “create zirconia nanocrystals and disperse them into polymers to produce crystal clear dispersions and deliver revolutionary optical properties.” Their latest round totaled $7.6 million and closed this past April. Just last week, Pixelligent’s CEO, Craig Bandes, published an article on LinkedIn titled Calling BS on Elon Musk’s BS which talked about Elon Musk’s dismissal of nanotechnology. It’s great to see a CEO with some cojones who isn’t afraid to say what he thinks in public, as opposed to the shriveling wallflowers you often see today, trying their best not to upset the outrage machine.
Founded in 2002, Arkansas startup NanoMech has taken in $39.6 million in funding from investors that include the Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Aramco). Their latest funding round totaled $7 million and closed in April of this year. NanoMech is a specialty materials company that produces nano-engineered lubricants, chemistries, and coatings. Over the course of six years, NanoMech has grown from one product offering to 80.
Innovations in nanotechnology are still happening. In this article, we learned about 10-ish nanotechnology companies getting funding in 2018 that we hadn’t come across before. There were more nanotechnology companies that received funding this year, but we had a word limit to adhere to – not to mention there are probably nanotechnology companies out there that didn’t select the “nanotechnology category” in CrunchBase and were consequently missed. In any case, this list was meant to examine the types of nanotechnology companies getting funding and the sorts of innovations that are happening in nanotechnology – or whatever it is they’re calling it these days.
Read the original article here.


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Friends the most awaited moments has arrived for which we all were eagerly waiting, Today EA is doing a press conference, in which EA will announce 6 new projects one of which is a Frostbite Engine-based game planned for release in Q3 of 2014.
Our fingers are crossed, as FIFA 15 also be one of the game to be announced. This news is confirmed as EA has launched FIFA 15 First Teaser Trailer on June, 5 2014 and also confirmed that full gameplay trailer will be launched today.
E3 press conference will start at 12:00 P.M PDT at Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California. To watch live EA World Premiere: E3 2014 Preview, follow the link www.ea.com/e3. Enjoy the event!
|EA E3 2014 Press Conference||
12:00 PM PDT
3:00 PM EDT


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Data from six states suggests DraftKings' second-quarter revenue is on pace to beat Wall Street's estimates, one analyst says.
The goal of an investment — whether you place your money in stocks, a business or real estate — is generally to end up with more money than you started with. When you earn enough money from investments, you’ll have … Continue reading → The post Florida Capital Gains Tax appeared first on SmartAsset Blog.
What happened Shares of Moderna (NASDAQ: MRNA) are up 9% as of 2:45 p.m. EDT today, after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Fast Track designation for mRNA-1345, the company's vaccine candidate for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
Year-to-date, the market trends are highly positive. The S&P 500 is up ~18%, while the tech-heavy NASDAQ, has put up a 14.5% year-to-date gain. There are potential headwinds – inflation is a worry, as is the possibility of further COVID-related restriction policies. But for now, the economy is mostly open, consumers are starting to spend, and investors seem optimistic. As J.P. Morgan’s chief US strategist Dubravko Lakos-Bujas recently put it, the economic gains are “not an event but rather a pro
Biden calls Delta-driven surge of coronavirus cases ‘largely preventable tragedy,’ Lyft turns profitable as demand increases, SEC’s Gensler calls unregulated crypto markets ‘the Wild West,’ and other news to start your day.
The auto maker needed to deliver a big beat and raise quarter to get its shares moving higher. It did, but it still wasn't enough.
Less than four months after going public and being valued at more than $3 billion by Wall Street, Zymergen Inc. unleashed some bad news Tuesday afternoon and was on pace to lose more than two-thirds of its market cap.
It's been a rough year for Fastly (NYSE: FSLY) stock. Slowing organic growth, the loss of the company's chief financial officer, and outsize growth at competitor Cloudflare (NYSE: NET) are among some of the concerns likely weighing on the stock. Ahead of Fastly's quarterly update, here's a preview of some key items to watch.
Treasuries may afford safety, but at yields far below inflation, you’re losing money every month, says one strategist.
According to New Frontier Data, legal weed sales in the U.S. are expected to grow by an annual average of 21%, ultimately hitting north of $41 billion by mid-decade. While this sales growth will undoubtedly make some cannabis investors rich, we also know that not every marijuana stock can be a winner. The following trio of pot stocks stand out for all the wrong reasons and should be avoided like the plague in August.
Exxon Mobil Corporation(NYSE:XOM) posted a positive earnings result for the second quarter in the row. However, the stock price is not following the suit, remaining lodged around US$58, following a dip in July. We think that the softer headline numbers might be getting counterbalanced by some positive underlying factors.
U.S.-listed shares of Chinese electric vehicle maker Nio (NYSE: NIO) are sinking a day after the company reported its monthly vehicle delivery figure for July. As of 12:15 p.m. EDT, Nio's U.S.-listed shares were down by about 3% after having been down by almost 5% earlier in the session. Nio's Chinese competitors Li Auto (NASDAQ: LI) and XPeng (NYSE: XPEV) also reported their July data Monday, and their growth outpaced that of Nio.
Memory-chip maker Micron Technology (NASDAQ: MU) just announced a quarterly dividend policy. The payouts are starting out small, but I expect the company to build up its dividend yield over time. Let's see what Micron's payouts will mean to us shareholders.
Headlines about PayPal founder Peter Thiel’s $5 billion tax-free retirement account have some clients salivating. But regulatory changes may be coming.
The business development company said it is planning to buy a small bank and convert itself to a bank holding company.
Nikhil Kamath - India’s youngest billionaire and True Beacon Global Co-Founder & CIO; Zeroda Co-founder, joined Yahoo Finance to discuss the latest on Robinhood.
While refiners had ramped up crude processing in the second quarter as U.S. gasoline and diesel fuel demand has nearly recovered to pre-pandemic levels, refined products are facing headwinds from rising fears the Delta variant could impact travel-related demand. Marathon Petroleum forecast current-quarter throughput, the amount of crude processed, of 2.8 million barrels per day, compared with 2.9 million bpd in the second quarter ended June 30. Marathon's rival Phillips 66, which also posted its first adjusted quarterly profit in more than a year, said on Tuesday market conditions in the third quarter would determine refinery utilization levels.
The food purveyor reported an adjusted profit of 78 cents a share, beating forecasts for 72 cents a share, on sales of $6.6 billion, topping expectations for $6.55 billion.
Shares of MGM Growth Properties LLC shot up 7.4% in premarket trading Wednesday, after the real estate investment trust announced an agreement to be acquired by VICI Properties Inc. in a deal valued at $17.2 billion, including the assumption of $5.7 billion of debt. VICI shares edged up 0.3% and MGM Resorts International's stock gained 3.8% ahead of the open. Under terms of the deal, MGM Growth shareholders will receive 1.366 shares of newly issued VICI stock for each MGM Growth share they own,
Yahoo Finance's Dan Howley breaks down Activision Blizzard's latest earnings report.
Biden would set the rate way too high, but there is an ideal way to collect some revenue without killing innovation or growth


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DUSSELDORF, GERMANY — More than a dozen separate buyers are interested in purchasing John Brown Plastics Machinery Inc., and most are willing to acquire all six of the company's divisions, according to a top official.
Chief Executive Officer Charles Buckley said both U.S. and European buyers are interested in a deal, and he expects a sale by the end of the year.
``The majority of the potential buyers that we are talking to so far would prefer all six [divisions]. Obviously, that is preferable,'' Buckley said in an Oct. 26 interview at the company's Brown Machine division booth at K'98 in Dusseldorf.
John Brown, based in South Attleboro, Mass., has five divisions based in the United States and one, Negri Bossi SpA, headquartered in Milan, Italy.
``What we had said, and what we would consider, is selling Negri Bossi separately from the five U.S. businesses,'' Buckley said.
Norwegian engineering conglomerate Kvaerner ASA of Oslo bought John Brown and its London-based parent, Trafalgar House plc, in 1996. But Kvaerner announced this summer that it plans to sell noncore subsidiaries, including John Brown, to reduce debt and narrow its business focus.
The plastics machinery group generates about $200 million in annual sales. Its units include:
Negri Bossi, a manufacturer of injection molding machines.
Brown Machine of Beaverton, Mich., which makes thermoforming machines.
Cumberland Engineering, a South Attleboro-based supplier of granulators and pelletizers. Cumberland also includes the John Brown Recycling Systems division, which makes complete lines for recycling post-consumer plastic.
Beringer of Marblehead, Mass., which makes screen changers, pelletizers and jet cleaners.
Epco, a remanufacturer of injection and blow molding machines based in Fremont, Ohio.
Leesona, a Burlington, N.C., maker of textile winders.
Buckley said the plastics machinery group has maintained strong growth in recent years despite a lack of expansion funds from its parent firms. He hopes a new owner will allow John Brown to expand in Asia and Latin America.
``We have had big growth. Take Negri Bossi — in 1993 we had a 7 percent share of the Italian market. Today, we have 17 percent there,'' Buckley said.
He added that forecasters in the United States predicted 5-6 percent growth in thermoforming machinery in 1998-99, but Brown Machine has seen sales grow 30 percent in the past year.


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Wanda leaves "in the shade" Icardi
Mauro Icardi scored the first goal with Argentina’s shirt in the 2-0 win over Mexico in a friendly challenge, capturing the front pages of sports media.
But same thing does his wife, the Argentine model, Wanda Nara has ended up in the spotlight of the pink media, for a rather hotset, published on Instagram.
Wanda Nara is the wife and at the same time Mauro Icard’s manager, and as a well-known model, she is followed by millions of fans in social networks.
Wanda Nara has a crazy passion for fashion. A passion as strong as a year ago launched her first collection. Mauro Icardi’s wife has landed at Rinascente, in the famous shop opposite “Piazza Duomo” to announce the release of the new collection in the market soon.
The new line of clothing will be ready on November 27th. This year there will be an innovation, the clothing line for kids. Her daughter, Francesca, has posed as models in Wandas’ perfect style.


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EAST TEXAS (KYTX) -- With food prices going up, eating healthy on a budget can seem impossible.
That's why there's a class at the East Texas food bank called "Cooking Matters."
Making your dollar go further at the grocery store starts with a little planning and education, but it doesn't mean you have to sacrifice on taste or nutrition.
"That looks fairly lean, what you want to look for is the nuval score," Cooking Matters instructor Angie Shoffner said. "The meats with the highest nuval score means it's probably lower in saturated fat."
Shoffner is taking her "Cooking Matters" students on a grocery store tour at Super-1-Foods.
During their six week class, they get down to the basics. The students look at food labels and nutrition content and pay close attention to each food item's unit price so they can compare prices and save money.
"A lot of times we see foods that is more expensive and we think they are healthier when in reality they are not any healthier," she said. "In reality it comes down to the whole foods and getting down to the basics and when you can do that you can really find foods that are relatively cheap and you can prepare a meal with leftovers. It ends up being a lot cheaper than a boxed meal."
Shoffner said nutrition is very important at the food bank, that's why they're committed to educating their clients on making healthier choices.
She said a good rule of thumb is to stick to your grocery list, check sales ads for healthier options and to shop the perimeter of the grocery store; that's generally where you find whole foods.
Also, when comparing frozen, fresh and canned fruits and veggies, Shoffner said to go with the least expensive.


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New York — The Anti-Defamation League’s National Consumer Technology Industry divisio
Motient said it expanded its two-way, wireless packet-data network to become the only wireless-data network to operate in all 276 U.S. metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs).
With the expansion into the Yuma, Ariz., MSA, Motient said its footprint of 2,275 base stations deliver service to 30 percent more people than its nearest competitor, or more than 220 million people in all 50 states plus Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Additionally, the network serves all of the 520 most populated U.S. cities; all of the nation's top 100 airports, and many miles of Amtrak's high-capacity corridors.
Motient, which has filed a pre-negotiated Chapter 11 plan, said its network delivers transmission speeds of 19.2kbps, but in some areas such as New York City, layered cells deliver an effective throughput of 81.6kbps.
This TWICE webinar, hosted by senior editor Alan Wolf, will take a look at what may be the hottest CE products at retail that will be sold during the all-important fourth quarter. Top technologies, market strategies and industry trends will be discussed with industry analysts and executives.


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DAILY STAR ONLINE
After months of turmoil Samsung has finally decided to pull the plug on its Galaxy Note 7 smartphone.
The Korean tech giant has just announced that the device will be removed from sale immediately and production stopped.
In a statement Samsung said: "We recently readjusted the production volume for thorough investigation and quality control, but putting consumer safety as top priority, we have reached a final decision to halt production of Galaxy Note 7s,"
The news comes after Samsung recalled the original Note 7 after a number of devices caught fire.
Samsung thought they'd fixed the problem but fresh reports of so called "fixed" phones, also exploding has left the firm with no option but to bin the device permanently.
Samsung is now asking all customers with an original Galaxy Note7 or a replacement Galaxy Note7 to power it down and contact the carrier or retail outlet where it was purchased.
Note fans can the get a refund or grab themselves a replacement Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge
It's a sad end for one of the best phones the world has ever seen.
When the Galaxy Note 7 was first announced many, including Daily Star Online, were totally smitten with it.
With stunning looks, incredible edge-to-edge screen, fast processor and S Pen stylus tucked neatly inside, there was little, if anything, to find fault with it.
In our in-depth review we said "Samsung has a winner on its hands with the Galaxy Note 7" - sadly it seems we were very wrong as this smartphone is now turning in to a total nightmare for the Korean tech giant.
Analysts say the latest problems pose a crisis for the world's largest smartphone company.


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On Tuesday 9th January Men Get Eating Disorders Too’s petition to improve service provision for males closed on the Direct Gov website. The total number of signatures came to 533.
The petition was created by Sam Thomas, MGEDT Founder and Director, following the difficulties male sufferers face seeking support due to the stereotypical assumptions that still exist as well as the stigma associated. He hopes the petition and campaign will encourage the government to take the issue of male eating disorders seriously and make changes on policy and delivery levels so male sufferers are able to seek the help they need.
Sam said: “We are extremely pleased at the the total number of signatures and the support throughout the campaign. Thanks to everyone who has signed and helped promoted the petition – your support is greatly appreciated.
“The barriers males are faced accessing help and in treatment services is a big concern for us. Over the coming months we intend to build on the campaign with an aim to create change in the way services are delivered so that the specific needs of males sufferers are met. Ultimately, we want services to be inclusive to the needs of all.”
In the next few weeks MGEDT will be announcing plans on their campaign. Keep
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an eye out on our social networks for updates.
MGEDT’s campaign to improve service provision for males with eating disorders is featured on ‘Supersize vs Superskinny’ due to air on Tuesday 22nd January, 8pm, on Channnel 4.


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Compass Diversified Holdings LLC in Westport, Conn. acquired 5.11 Tactical in Irvine for $400 million. The deal is expected to close in mid-September.
Chief Executive Tom Davin and President Francisco Morales will continue to serve in their roles at the military gear and clothing manufacturer, which has $293 million in sales.
5.11 Tactical has 509 employees companywide, including 111 workers in Irvine, home to its headquarters and design division, among other operations. It manufactures accessories and apparel that are “battle-tested” by members of the military, firefighters and police officers. The company's Seattle-based subsidiary, Beyond Clothing, works with U.S. Military Special Operations Command on product development.
“At 5.11 our mission is to create purpose-built, functionally innovative tactical apparel and gear for the most demanding situations,” Davin said in a statement. “[Compass Diversified’s] acquisition of 5.11 provides an excellent platform to further that mission. Our 5.11 leadership team is excited to leverage CODI’s considerable financial resources and track record of working with middle market growth companies.”
Morales won one of the Business Journal's inaugural Innovator of the Year Awards in September.
Menlo Park-based private equity firm TA Associates Management LP in 2007 bought 80% of 5.11 Tactical and Invigour8, a company Morales cofounded, for $240 million.
Compass has a market value of about $933 million. It “provides both debt and equity capital for its subsidiaries, contributing to their financial and operating flexibility,” according to the private equity firm.


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Vizio has become a force to be reckoned with in electronics, and it's only cementing its position as a top U.S. brand with its TV offerings this year at CES.
The company is introducing two UltraHD models, which offer 4 times the pixels of 1080p sets. It also has a new M series line of TVs, with industrial styling and all the bells and whistles you might expect in high-end sets.
Vizio is also demoing a new 3D technology this year that does not require glasses.
See more details in our video. And check out the rest of our CES 2013 coverage.
—James K. Willcox


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UK Retail Sales Beat Expectations
Three events are taking over today’s news agenda: the UK retail sales, the European Central Bank (ECB) monetary policy meeting, and the Bank of Japan (BoJ) cutting inflation forecasts, while maintaining its stimulus programme. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) published June’s retail sales data, which surpassed expectations showing that, despite inflation and sluggish wage growth, consumer spending in the UK is holding up.
In the country of the rising sun, the BoJ pushed back its inflation target, this being the 6th time since the central bank launched its asset-buying programme four years ago. BoJ’s Governor, Haruhiko Kuroda, admitted that the 2% inflation target could only be achieved by 2020. Kuroda didn’t rule out increasing the BoJ’s stimulus programme. In Frankfurt, the ECB’s board members are meeting to discuss monetary policy in the Eurozone and markets are expecting to see if there will be clues regarding the gradual reduction (tapering) of the ECB’s bond-buying programme.
Pound Sterling – UK Markets
Today, Sterling dropped against the US Dollar, with the exchange rate set at $1.29. The British Pound also fell against the Euro, trading at €1.12. However, it wasn’t all bad news for the British economy.
The ONS published its June’s retail trade report, which showed that consumer spending in the UK surpassed the analysts’ expectations in a difficult time for the country’s Brexit-hit economy. Retail sales in June increased by 0.6% on a monthly basis, against the expected 0.4%, and following the 1.2% in May. Retail sales, on a yearly basis this time, rose by 2.9% versus the estimated 2.5%. Analysts at ONS said that retail sales figures showed overall growth and noted that June’s high temperatures prompted strong sales in clothing, which compensated for a decline in food and fuel sales.
Liam Fox, the international trade secretary and a Brexit-hardliner, said in an interview on BBC that the UK wants to have a deal with the EU, regarding the exit from the Union, but added that Britain can survive with no deal. Fox also said that he is open to the possibility of a transitional period between leaving the EU and the final settlement, however, he stressed the need for the UK to leave the EU “first of all to keep faith with the voters who instructed us to do that.”
US Dollar – US Markets
The US Dollar gained minor ground against the Euro, with the exchange rate set at €0.86. Traders seemed to be calmer after the “Trumpcare” fiasco and are still supporting the US Dollar, expecting to hear the European Central Bank’ announcement about its monetary policy in the afternoon.
At the political front, President Trump remains the real protagonist for one more day. In an interview with the New York Times, Donald Trump said that he would never have appointed Jeff Sessions as attorney general if he had known that he would recuse himself from the “Russia” investigation. “Sessions takes the job, gets into the job, recuses himself, which frankly I think is very unfair to the president,” said Trump, who added that the word “unfair” is very mild in this case. The US President covertly warned special counsel Robert Mueller not to investigate into his family’s finances saying that “I think that’s a violation. Look, this is about Russia.”
According to sources from Reuters, the Chinese embassy in Washington stated that China and the US agreed to work on reducing the US trade deficit with China and that there has been significant progress on a 100-day action plan regarding trade. The two sides also discussed a 1-year action plan on economic cooperation and to create a more equitable investment environment.
Euro – European Markets
The Euro slumped against the US Dollar, with the exchange rate hovering around the $1.15 mark. All eyes have turned to the ECB’s policy meeting that will take place today in Frankfurt. Mario Draghi’s speech three weeks ago in Portugal put traders and investors on high alert, since the Italian ECB president hinted at the possibility of tightening the Eurozone central bank’s monetary policy. The ECB’s stimulus programme, which was introduced to help economies face the financial crisis’ problems in previous years, is still mopping up €60bn of bonds every month. The strengthening of the Eurozone’s economy and hints by Draghi have made the markets eager to listen to a statement that will imply tapering is coming, which means that the ECB will begin to gradually reduce its bond-buying programme.
Economists at BNP Paribas suggest that Draghi will avoid the kind of language that will lead to the Euro’s appreciation and are expecting that the ECB’s board will offer little information on its plans to begin tapering in January of 2018. Market experts agree that any hint of tapering will help the Euro surge against the US Dollar, but if Draghi’s comments aren’t in line with his speech in Sintra, then the single market currency may sink.
Other Currencies – Highlights
Sterling reversed its course downwards against the Australian Dollar, gaining 0.3% in value and trading at 1.64 AUD. The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) published data that showed that the unemployment rate remained stable at 5.6% in June, which is close to its lowest level in the last four years. Economists were expecting that unemployment would fall at 5.5%. The number of full-time employees increased by 62,000 and data indicated that the Australian economy has created more than 160,000 jobs since the beginning of the year, with most of them being full-time.
The Pound slumped against the New Zealand Dollar, trading at 1.76 NZD. Retail NZ, which has been producing Wages Reports since 1993, published its retail wage survey for 2017. The survey’s results showed that wages across the retail sector increased by 5.1% over the last year, from $20.73 to $21.80. Analysts at Retail NZ expressed the opinion that there is an increased demand for skilled staff and that retailers are increasingly seeking to invest in their employees. The survey showed that more than 209,000 New Zealanders work in the retail sector, which makes for 10% of all jobs in the Oceanic country.


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People around the country have been targets of credit card thieves, many of whom take advantage of merchant’s unsecured data storage methods. One region that has been suffering the repercussions is North Texas, where some have had prepaid credit cards, given as Christmas gifts, stolen from right under their nose.
WFAA-TV reports that Karie Anderegg bought three $100 prepaid cards as a gift for her son. However, when he went on the internet to use them, there was just $1.96 left on the cards.
“He called me New Year’s Day and told me he tried to use the cards, and they were declined,” Anderegg said in an interview with the source. “I was shocked. I mean, they’re in packages. I thought they were safe. Obviously, they weren’t.”
A promotional gift card remains one of the most popular gifts. However, if the card issuer does not take the right precautions, thieves will be able to gain access to ill-gotten funds, leaving the consumer out quite a bit of money.Back To Blog


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We’ve arrived safely at another Saturday. Here’s your reward: The best stories from Digiday over the course of the last week. Remember, if you didn’t read them when they ran, it’s still news to you.
The story of the week for us was a confessional. We granted a social media executive anonymity in order to get a few unfiltered thoughts on so-called “influencer” marketing. And, boy, were the thoughts unfiltered:
“We threw too much money at them and did it too quickly,” said our executive. “Influencers are going to start disappearing. Brands are going to start realizing the amount of followers you have doesn’t mean shit. Just because photos look good and have 200,000 followers means nothing. You can’t rely on content creators all day long.”
Also unfiltered were the comments on the story — more than 50 people weighed in and discussed among themselves in a surprisingly civil dialogue.
The piece traveled widely and was “aggregated” by Business Insider, Gawker and others.
Also buzzy for us was this piece on what the New York Times has learned from a month of using Facebook Live. BuzzFeed famously garnered millions of views — and heaps of scorn — for simply tying rubber bands around a giant watermelon until it exploded. But Louise Story isn’t one to scoff. Story learned from the inherent element of suspense in waiting for the fruit to burst. Filtered through the Times’ gravitas, suspense can work for them too, she said. It did when reporter Elisabeth Rosenthal followed a young man turning himself into the police for harassment charges. Facebook Live, said Story, is not merely video. It’s “live interactive journalism.”
This week marked a first for us in that Digiday hosted its first ever daylong conference on virtual reality. WTF VR brought together pioneers in the inchoate field, including top publishers, agencies and brands experimenting with the medium. We took the opportunity to ask a few of them what their biggest challenges with VR is so far. Many were quick to list the cost of it, the pace of consumer adoption and just how hard it is to do well.
Finally, plus-sized guys are having a moment, too. In this light-hearted look at alternative male models, we meet Kelvin Davis, who is at the forefront of outspoken plus-sized men making themselves known in a space that the fashion industry has so far neglected. The plus-sized market is estimated to be $17.5 billion, yet hardly any major clothing brands make plus-size menswear, with the exception of Ralph Lauren and Banana Republic, which have “extended sizes.” Even these offerings are poorly advertised, though, Davis said. “The more voices that are heard, the more brands will respond.” The story also ran on our new sister site, Glossy, which is devoted to the intersection of high fashion and high tech.
More in Media
The privacy focused browser’s new tool is the latest to offer a synthesized summary for queries using its independent index.
Henault cited the intersection of sports and culture that the professsional basketball league has cultivated as a means to growing its global fan base.
Boff pointed to market research as an area where AI is beginning to have an impact, in a good way, on an industry feature that has lingered in the traditional.


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By Robyn Chuter, Naturopath and Counsellor
The results of the report ‘Vegans report less bothersome vasomotor and physical menopausal symptoms than do omnivores’ confirms what plant-based practitioners like myself have known for a long time.
The authors surveyed female vegans, vegetarians and omnivores aged 45 – 80. Participants filled in a detailed questionnaire assessing their diet and exercise patterns and listing their vasomotor and physical symptoms of menopause.
Vasomotor symptoms include hot flushes and night sweats, while physical symptoms include muscle and joint aches, fatigue, sleep difficulties, neck, head and back aches, reduced strength/stamina, lethargy, skin changes, weight gain, facial hair, bloating, frequent or involuntary urination and flatulence.
The researchers found that the more vegetables, fruit, soya products and high omega-3 plant foods the women ate, the less vasomotor and physical symptoms they reported. Vegetables (especially leafy greens) and berries were the most protective foods against menopausal misery. Moderate physical exercise was also associated with less severe physical symptoms.
On the other hand, the higher their body mass index (BMI) and the more flesh food, dairy products and high omega-3 fish they ate, the worse their vasomotor and physical symptoms were. Also, the more sweets eaten, the more severe the physical symptoms.
Overall, women who ate an entirely plant-based diet reported significantly less bothersome symptoms than omnivores.
One of the most interesting aspects of the study was the differential effect of omega-3 fat intake from animal-sources versus plant-sources. Marketers’ enthusiasm for fish oil supplementation and promotion of oily fish has not waned, despite mounting evidence of lack of benefit. The authors speculate that the reason why animal sources of omega-3 fats, such as salmon, were associated with more bothersome symptoms, might be because the long-chain omega-3 fats (DHA, EPA and DPA) from animal products are more susceptible to oxidation than the short-chain omega-3s found in plant foods such as linseed/flaxseed.
As well as reducing the severity of menopausal symptoms, the authors point out that more plant-based diets are protective against the diseases that women become more susceptible to as they age, including cardiovascular disease and breast cancer. Furthermore, whole-food plant-based diets help prevent the weight gain that is the bane of many women’s lives as they transition out of their reproductive years.
The bottom line: get more plants on your plate and skip the animal products!
Need help with navigating perimenopause? You can apply for a Roadmap to Optimal Health Consultation with Robyn today. www.empowertotalhealth.com.au
Robyn Chuter BHSc(Hons), ND, GDCouns is an ASLM-certified Lifestyle Medicine Practitioner, naturopath, nutritionist, counsellor and EFT therapist.
Reproduced with permission from Robyn’s enewsletter, Empowered. You can subscribe here


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NeuroMetrix to announce quarterly results
The Waltham-based NeuroMetrix announced that it plans to issue its 2018 third quarter financial results before the opening of the market on Oct. 17. The company will host a conference call at 8 a.m. Oct. 17 to discuss its financial results as well as business developments affecting the company. The conference call may be accessed in the United States by dialing 844-787-0799 and using the confirmation code 2189578. Internationally, the conference call may be accessed by dialing 661-378-9630 and using the same confirmation code. The earnings press release and accompanying condensed financial statements will be accessible from the company's website at http://neurometrix.com under the "Investor Relations" tab. A replay of the conference call will be available starting two hours after the call by dialing 855-859-2056 domestically and 404-537-3406 internationally. The confirmation code to access the replay is 2189578. The replay will be available for one week after the conference call.
Jazz for Justice Brunch slated for Oct. 14
The Jazz for Justice Brunch will take place at 10 a.m. Oct. 14 at The Center for the Arts Natick, 14 Summer St. Participants can enjoy brunch while listening to live music enjoying a signature cocktail, and celebrating the work of MetroWest Legal Services' pro bono attorneys. Individual tickets cost $50. All proceeds support MetroWest Legal Services, one of the only providers of free, civil legal aid for low-income people in MetroWest. For information: 508-371-4071; email@example.com.
‘The 51 Fatal Business Errors’ event announced
“The 51 Fatal Business Errors – And How to Avoid Them” will take place from 8:30 to 10 a.m. Oct. 16 at The Verve Crowne Plaza Hotel, 1360 Worcester Road, Natick. Paradigm Strategies will host this CEO-only workshop. Attendees can join other business owners to learn innovative techniques that will help improve revenue, margin and profit. Kevin Lister, president of Paradigm Strategies, will show participants how to thrive in this dynamic business environment by revealing what’s working for other business owners.
Tesaro announces upcoming presentation
The Waltham-based Tesaro, an oncology-focused biopharmaceutical company, recently announced that data from six abstracts will be presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress from Oct. 19-23 in Munich, Germany. “At this year’s ESMO Congress, blinded, pooled interim safety data from PRIMA will be presented, which demonstrated that an individualized starting dose of ZEJULA resulted in a favorable tolerability profile compared to a fixed starting dose of 300 milligrams. PRIMA is a fully-enrolled phase 3 trial for patients with first-line ovarian cancer regardless of biomarker status and we expect top-line results to be available in late 2019,” said Mary Lynne Hedley, Ph.D., president and Chief operating officer of Tesaro. “Tesaro is also advancing a robust immuno-oncology portfolio. Data will be presented in a poster discussion from the MSI-H endometrial cohort of the GARNET trial of TSR-042, our anti-PD-1 antibody, for which we are planning to submit a biologic license application (BLA) next year.”
Kuebix named Great Supply Chain Partner
The Maynard-based Kuebix, creator of a transportation management system that delivers true freight intelligence, announced being named a 2018 Great Supply Chain Partner. SupplyChainBrain has maintained a tradition of celebrating 100 Great Supply Chain Partners for 16 consecutive years. Kuebix was selected due to a case study provided by their client Inmod, an international manufacturer and distributor of furniture, lighting and décor items. The case study discusses how Kuebix has helped Inmod keep their standard of quality and customer service high, all while reducing the amount of time spent processing an increasing number of shipments.


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NEW YORK, April 12 — Maserati has announced two North American premieres that will take place at the New York International Auto Show next week — and neither one is a new vehicle.
Maserati announced on Wednesday that instead of debuting new cars at the New York Auto Show this year, it will debut an extensive customisation programme and a new interior trim made in collaboration with Italian luxury fashion house Ermenegildo Zegna.
One-Of-One customisation programme
This programme, which will roll out to US-based dealerships in the near future, will allow individual customers to personally select from thousands of interior and exterior options to design a vehicle tailored to their needs and tastes “whether it’s a favourite colour palette, material or design inspiration.” To celebrate the New York Auto Show, Maserati created a surprise, never-before-seen One Of One customised Levante GTS for a celebrity who will be given the keys on April 17.
Pelletessuta Interior by Ermenegildo Zegna
Secondly, Maserati will debut a bronze Levante with a luxurious Pelletessuta interior developed with Ermenegildo Zegna. With this trim, the seats are upholstered in a lightweight woven Nappa leather that the company describes as supple, durable, comfortable, and beautiful. The option will arrive to US showrooms during the spring of next year on several models.
In addition to these two debuts, the entire Maserati portfolio will be on display at the New York International Auto Show which includes the Levante SUV, Ghibli sport sedan, Quattroporte sedan, and GranTurismo convertible. — AFP-Relaxnews
We’re heading to the #NYIAS where we will showcase our MY19 range and two North American premieres: the latest creation of our customization program, and the new @Zegna PELLETESSUTA™ leather interiors.— Maserati (@Maserati_HQ) April 10, 2019
Read more: https://t.co/SscMuN2Z4h pic.twitter.com/NEKTXvPRbF


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Last week we reported on the rumored LG Venice coming to Boost Mobile. We now have official word that the Venice is in fact launching on October 10th. As previously believed, this is a renamed Optimus L7.
LG Venice coming to Boost Mobile, according to new leak
A twitter post from EV Leaks has given us an official photo of a new Boost Mobile phone model, the LG Venice. Well, the name is new at least. The leaked phone model is actually the LG Optimus L7. This is a similar move to what U.S. Cellular and LG did, renaming the L7 as the Splendor.
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What is Bluetooth 5 – Gary explains
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Crowdfunding project of the week: Modobag is a luggage bag you can ride!
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Four ways smartphones are changing the world for the better
Google Daydream VR: ‘Daydream-ready’ phones and compatible devices
Android Authority Plays Pokemon Go
Which phones come with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor?


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Pretzel ice cream, Nutella and salt and vinegar chip sandwich and deep-fried ravioli nachos: New 'stoner food' cafe opens with a menu full of crazy junk food combinations
- Sydney chef David Pyne is opening D'Munchies - a stoner cafe in Newtown
- Takeaway cafe is opening at 4.20pm on Tuesday afternoon on King Street
- Menu features a wacky, indulgent combination of all junk food imaginable
- Includes pretzel baguettes, pepperoni pizza hotdogs, DIY icecream flavours
- Deep fried ravioli nachos, DIY icecream combinations with pretzels, gummy bears, sour worms and chocolate sauce will also feature
A fast food takeaway cafe is opening at 4.20pm in Sydney tomorrow - filled with the weirdest, wackiest and most indulgent junk food combinations any stoner could imagine.
Sydney chef David Pyne is opening D'Munchies, a 'stoner cafe' on King Street in Newtown, in the city's inner west, reported Broadsheet.
Licensed for only 20 people, the space will also have a takeaway option on the side.
Scroll down for video
A taste of what's to come - an image from D'Munchies' Facebook page captioned with 'Who doesn't like a chocolate, pretzel and sourworm ice cream? Make you own ice cream at D'Munchies'
Customers can expect some indulgent food combinations - think think pretzel baguettes, crunchy pretzel infused icecream, icecream sandwiches, burgers with prosciutto and brie, pepperoni pizza hot dogs, old fashioned style Aussie doughnuts and deep-fried ravioli nachos.
Mr Pyne said customers can also create their own icecream using ingredients such as pretzels, sour worms, gummy bears and chocolate sauce, Nutella and 100's and 1000's.
Most of the combinations and food is made onsite - even the bacon, with the help of a German butcher.
A two-metre tall marijuana leaf mural by Sydney illustrator Sindy Sinn (pictured) adorns the wall inside
The cafe will open at 4.20pm for the first three days - a code (420) related to smoking marijuana and also the date that marijuana is celebrated in the US and Canada 4/20.
Mr Pyne, who has has worked in two Michelin starred restaurants in the UK and various locations in Sydney told Daily Mail Australia the menu as 'all hybrid stuff'.
'We're having a bit of fun with the menu and it's about the atmosphere we create in there as well,' he said.
An image from D'Munchies showing them creating their own bacon in house, along with the wacky combinations of junk food expected on the menu
'Obviously what we're about is a bit different to other places.'
The menu was designed through a series of tastings and combinations Mr Pyne said he's worked on before.
The interior also has some quirky additions including a two-metre tall mural of a marijuana leaf by local illustrator Sindy Sinn and a map directing patrons to Camperdown Park nearby.
The takeaway cafe will be opening at 4.20pm on Tuesday on King Street in Newtown in Sydney's inner west
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Watch Dogs has been a highly anticipated game for quite some time now and was originally supposed to be a launch title for both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. While everyone was excited for the game Ubisoft had actually pushed the game back and it was delayed. It looks like we may now know when Watch Dogs will be coming out.
Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs was a standout amongst the most foreseen game in the next gen console launch lineup but the developers have delayed it with the “The Crew” which is the multiplayer open world racing game and so far no explanation has been given as to why this was done. This delay was a huge disappointment for many gamers who considered themselves unfortunate as they wouldn’t be able to purchase their favorite game along with the next gen consoles.
It seems like Watch Dogs is following in the same footsteps of the original Crysis as more details regarding the system requirements have been leaked. It was rumored that the leaked specs were not so heavy but now that the official specs have been out, we can know for sure what the entire deal is about.


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According to the Economic Daily News, Apple has started to ramp up orders with automotive suppliers in the country ahead of a debut for the car as early as next September.
Sources tell the outlet that companies involved in the manufacture of electric car components and other technologies are already ramping up for production on the back of an “explosive” amount of orders.
Apple has been quietly and secretively working on something in the automotive space for several years, with speculation ranging from a complete vehicle to the underlying technology kit needed for autonomous driving, the latter of which Apple has been testing on public roads in California.
In 2017, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that disruption is coming to the electric, autonomous ride-hailing space and that the core artificial intelligence it was working on was “the mother of all A.I. projects…probably one of the most difficult A.I. projects.”
Apple rival Amazon last week revealed an autonomous electric taxi it plans to deploy in a ride-hailing service through its Zoox subsidiary at an undetermined time and has also invested in electric truck startup Rivian, which will begin production of an electric delivery van for Amazon Prime next year.
Industry sources told the Economic Daily News that many of the vendors, like Heda, BizLink, Heqin and Tomita, are working on parts for the vehicles from both U.S. companies, which they collectively refer to as the “American Double A.”
Apple has not responded to a request for comment from FOX Business, and none of the suppliers involved would speak on the record to the Economic Daily News report due to confidentiality agreements.


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BAKU, Azerbaijan, Oct.6
The balance of bilateral trade between Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan from January through July 2021 amounted to negative $11.6 million, Trend reports citing the Kyrgyz National Statistical Committee.
According to the committee, during the reporting period the volume of trade between the two countries amounted to $16.3 million, thus having grown by 2.2 times compared to the same period of last year ($7.8 million).
Meanwhile, the share of Turkmenistan in the total foreign trade of Kyrgyzstan amounted to 0.4 percent.
In the first eight months of 2021, the volume of exports of Kyrgyz products to Turkmenistan amounted to $2.3 million, which is 5.9 percent less than in the same period of 2020 ($2.4 million), and the share of Turkmenistan in the export of Kyrgyzstan amounted to 0.2 percent.
At the same time, the value of imports from Turkmenistan to Kyrgyzstan reached $4.9 million, which is 2.8 times more than from January through July 2020 ($4.9 million), while the share of Turkmenistan in Kyrgyzstan's imports amounted to 0.5 percent in the reporting period in 2021.


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Industrial manufacturing executives are optimistic about their growth prospects in 2013, according to PwC’s latest Manufacturing Barometer Business Outlook Report. They raised their own-company 12-month revenue growth forecasts by a half-point, from 4.6 percent to 5.2 percent. Eighty-three percent expect positive revenue growth and only 3 percent forecast negative growth.
This report is based on fourth quarter 2012 interviews with 60 U.S.-based industrial manufacturing executives. Highlights indicate that:
∙ International sales remain strong despite uncertainty about world markets, contributing 38 percent of total revenues.
∙ Several potential barriers to growth emerged along with concern about demand, legislative/regulatory pressures, and oil/energy prices. They were taxation policies, along with concern about decreasing margins and wage pressures.
∙ More panelists’ companies plan new hiring (58 percent), but at a similar moderate rate.
∙ Spending plans continued: 47 percent plan major new expenditures of capital. Increases in operational or budget spending was cited by 80 percent, with IT and facilities expansion higher.
∙ Gross margins were moderately higher in 4Q 2012; costs and prices were also moderately higher. 35 percent were up and 22 percent were down for a net plus 13 percent, which is 10 points above the prior quarter. Looking ahead, 30 percent now view decreased profitability as a barrier to growth over the next 12 months, up 9 points quarter-to-quarter.
Optimism among industrial manufacturers about the U.S. economy’s prospects over the next 12 months rose from 37 percent to 48 percent, up 11 points. Although many industrial manufacturing executives are uncertain (45 percent), relatively few are pessimistic (7 percent). These attitudes are notably better than a year ago, according to the report, when optimism was at a much lower point: 30 percent optimistic and 13 percent pessimistic.
However optimism toward the global economy’s prospects remained low, at 32 percent, up 3 points from the prior quarter. The majority of those selling abroad remain uncertain (53 percent), and 15 percent remain pessimistic (off 2 points).
The majority of industrial manufacturing panelists are planning net new hiring over the next 12 months, up 11 points to 58 percent. A year ago, it was at 37 percent. Only 7 percent plan to reduce the number of full-time equivalent employees, and 35 percent will stay about the same. Overall, workforce projections are 0.5 percent, similar to last quarter’s 0.7 percent, as many more employers intend to hire but are hiring in moderation.
Operational spending increases are reported by 80 percent, with focus on facilities expansion (43 percent), new products or service introductions (40 percent), research and development (38 percent), and information technology (37 percent). Geographic expansion was the same at 28 percent. Plans for marketing and sales promotion were higher, 18 percent (up 4 points).
Plans for M&A activity over the next 12 months continued at the 35 percent level, with 32 percent planning purchase of another business and 13 percent planning a sale of part of their business. On the debit side, plans for expansion to new markets abroad (23 percent) and new facilities abroad (17 percent) remained lower.


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Reliance Jio JioFiber internet service is launching commercially on September 5 and while there are some things that are still unknown about the service, we do know a lot about what it will offer. The announcement of the service’s commercial rollout was made at the 42nd annual general meeting (AGM) by the company’s chairman and managing director, Mukesh Ambani. The service was being tested in multiple cities with limited users but it is expected to go live in multiple cities on the slated date. While more details about the service are expected to surface on September 5, here are the five things you need to know about it.
Reliance JioFiber tariff and speeds
Reliance announced that its JioFiber service will be priced between Rs 700 and Rs 10,000. While there are no plans announced yet, rumours suggest that the base plan by JioFiber might start at Rs 700. We also already know that the service promises speeds starting at 100mbps, which can go up to 1Gbps. This means that there’s a possibility that a plan starting at Rs 700 would offer 100mbps speed, but there’s no info on how much data the company will offer. Knowing Reliance Jio, it is possible that the company might offer 20 percent more than its competitors.
JioFiber launch offers
The option to sign up for JioFiber service is up on the company’s website and the MyJio app. Additionally, users who opt for the service on launch will get an HD or a 4K LED television, along with a 4K set-top-box free of cost. While details about how one can avail the offer are still unclear, we presume that users who go for more expensive annual plans might get a 4K TV while those who opt for less expensive plans could get an HD LED TV. However, this is currently speculation on our part.
Subscription tiers and offers
There could also be different subscription tiers in the JioFiber service. During the announcement, the company mentioned that Premium JioFiber subscribers will get some extra benefits. One interesting announcement was that Premium JioFiber subscribers will get to watch First-Day-First-Show movies from their homes, at the same time when the film hits the theaters. This particular service is slated to launch by mid-2020 but we could get some more information on this on September 5.
Bundled services and fixed-line service benefits
As per Reliance Jio, JioFiber plans will come bundled with a subscription to OTT platforms. This is similar to how different network providers are partnering wiṭh content provider platforms to offer free benefits to its users. While Jio has not hinted at any services, Hotstar, Netflix and Amazon Prime Videos subscriptions could be offered with JioFiber services. This also won’t be too surprising since the company already offers access to media and entertainment via its JioTV app.
JioFiber will also be offered with a fixed-line service that will enable users to place free calls nationally. The price levied for international calling via JioFiber’s fixed-line calling service are touted to be the lowest, one-tenth of existing industry rates, as per the company. A new unlimited international calling pack for US/Canada will also be available for Rs 500 per month.
Connectivity with Jio 4K Set Top Box
One of the major things to look forward to with the JioFiber service has to be the connectivity and features it is said to enable with the Jio 4K Set Top Box. With the set-top box that Jio demoed at the 42nd AGM, it seems like one will be able to experience VR, play games and call any operator or device, including video conferencing and more. The set-top box is also touted to support ‘console-grade’ gaming with zero latency. It’s unclear what gaming platform it supports, but Jio said the box supports every gaming controller and has an in-built graphics card.


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Lingerie group Van de Velde confirms negative start to the year
From the first few months of the financial year, it was clear that Van de Velde was struggling, leading the Belgian group to issue a warning about its expected results last April. On July 9, the Belgian lingerie specialist, owner among others of the Marie Jo, Andres Sarda and Primadonna brands, confirmed the adverse trend, publishing negative preliminary results for the first six months of the year.
Van de Velde’s preliminary, unaudited revenue for the first six months was down by 3.9%, to €110.8 million. At constant exchange rates, the shortfall was a little less, down by 2.1%.
Ahead of the report of the definitive results for the first six months, scheduled on August 31, Van de Velde indicated that the decrease in comparable wholesale revenue was nevertheless estimated at a 1.4% decrease and, still in like-for-like terms, retail revenue grew 4.3%. The figures are somewhat misleading however, since the retail channel includes also e-commerce, which has been deployed more extensively since 2017.
Indeed, the issue is with brick-and-mortar stores: Van de Velde reckons that it is under pressure chiefly owing to the stores’ declining footfall, especially in the first quarter, with an impact on both specialist retailers and on Van de Velde’s own monobrand chains, such as Rigby & Peller, Private Shop and Lincherie.
The Belgian group is well aware that it will not be able to reach its growth objective for 2018, but it can still hope to limit the damage in the second half of the year.
Copyright © 2023 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.


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JOPLIN, MO-- Larcenies were up in Joplin last year... an increase of 16 percent. Electronics come in at the top of the list... 334 cases of missing iPods, cell phones and computers. Gas drive offs stayed about the same as 2011... while stolen copper and missing cash & checks remained in the top five. But clothing items moved up the list - second most stolen - at 261 reports.
Joplin Police Lt. Darren Gallup said, "That's attributed to a rise in shoplifting cases and the fact that stores are reporting those shoplifting incidents more also can attribute to the rise in the cases."
But while larceny cases rose last year ... overall, Joplin crime dropped one percent. Officers point out increased shoplifting is a big reason for that.


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Tim Cook this week met with the European Commission’s antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager, Bloomberg reports and Kristin Huguet, a spokeswoman at Apple, confirms. The Cupertino based company is fighting back against contentions that they have formed a special agreement with Ireland in which they pay significantly lower taxes to the country’s government. The news also appears to coincide with Tim Cook’s announcement in launching an iOS development center in Italy.
Having already agreed to settle a $347 million claim by the Italian tax office, Cook’s tweet in regards to the first iOS development center has definitely piqued some interest today. If the ruling declares that Apple and Ireland’s agreement is illegal, Ireland would be at legal fault, but Apple would owe the billions in back taxes. So it comes as no surprise that the Irish Prime Minister has chimed in defending the relationship; the one in which Apple would be seen introducing 1,000 jobs by mid-2017.
The tax pressure is only stacked with the encryption/privacy debate being mounted by the likes of AT&T’s CEO, who stated this week that encryption policies should be in the government’s hands, not the company’s. It’s worth nothing that Apple isn’t the only company being investigated here, with Starbucks Corp. and Fiat Chrysler amongst others, but Apple is definitely the most valuable in sheer monetary worth.
While we’ve been reporting on the Apple overseas tax controversies for a few months now, this new information feels timely considering this is the week of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Apple likely has some presence here, where various leaders in business and politics come together to discuss the world’s most pressing issues, considering the other European news coming out of the company.
Whether or not this week’s meeting will ultimately help Apple and the prospect of a massive tax bill remains to be seen.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.


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The average UK adult made 20 card payments per month in 2015, of which around one in 10 were contactless, research released by Payments UK reveals. “By 2025, we are predicted to use a debit, credit or charge card virtually every day and almost half of these transactions, 14 per month, will be contactless,” the organisation says. “Many of these payments may be made using a mobile phone.” Payments UK also predicts that by 2025, cash will only be used for 27% of payments.
- BBC Click showcases Tappy’s wearable contactless payments technology
- Antelop explains how token management solutions can help banks cut costs and improve their customers’ user experience
- UK government to issue parents with digital free school meal cards
- Samsung cuts US support for MST transactions on new Galaxy phones
- Fiat Chrysler to let drivers order and pay for Grubhub food deliveries from their cars
This article is more than four years old


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Mazda sticks with three-year warranty
Mazda Australia says it has no plans to change its current warranty program, despite most of its rivals offering far more generous after-sales care.
The brand has a relatively meagre three- year, unlimited-kilometre warranty on its vehicles, with the BT-50 dual cab having an even shorter two years of coverage.
The deal does include a lifetime capped- price servicing plan with intervals of 12 months or 10,000km, whichever comes first.
But it pales in comparison to most other brands.
Kia leads the way with a seven-year program, while many others offer five years. Earlier this month Ford announced a five-year, unlimited-kilometre deal which includes its Ranger and Transit commercial vehicles.
However, Mazda Australia managing director Vinesh Bhindi said the brand wasn’t feeling the pressure to fall in line with its competitors.
Speaking at the launch of the updated Mazda6 in Ballarat, Bhindi said Mazda Australia was offering the best deal it could, but added it didn’t need to use after-sales programs as a means of wooing buyers to the brand.
“We offer the warranty offered to us by the factory,” he said.
“Others may use it as a tactical exercise to improve their brand and their position, but it’s not our intention to move from three years and unlimited- kilometre warranty.
Bhindi said there had been no feedback from dealers or customers wanting a longer deal.
“When we ask our customers, warranty is not at their top of the list when they’re considering our brand,” he said.
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Blacksmith Of Sand Kingdom Physical Edition Announced, Pre-Orders Start January 11
Switch owners will soon be able to reserve Blacksmith of Sand Kingdom in physical form!
Limited Run Games has announced that it will be distributing Switch physical copies of the title on behalf of Kemco. Each copy will be available for $49.99 USD each over here, when pre-orders commence on 11 January 2022 (12pm ET).
Like other distributed titles, this release will not be a part of Limited Run Games’ numbered series – so missing out will not compromise on a complete Limited Run Games collection.
Will you be grabbing this physical release? Feel free to share below!


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Security experts PandaLabs have exposed a shocking rise in cyber-crime in a new report published this week.
Worrying statistics shown in the report revealed that cyber-criminals can buy stolen credit card details for as little as $2 each and physical credit cards for only $180.
Prices for botnet rental were also found to be surprisingly low, with users having to shell out as little $15 for the privilege.
PandaLabs additionally found that scammers are more commonly selling tools to steal financial data, such as card cloners, which can be picked up for between $200 - $1,000, and fake ATMs, which retail for $3,500.
“This cyber-criminal black market caters to buyers’ needs just as any other business, and functions in similar ways,” Luis Corrons wrote on the Panda Labs blog.
“Since there is a great deal of competition in this industry, the rule of supply and demand ensures that prices are competitive, and operators even offer bulk discounts to higher-volume buyers. They will offer free ‘trial’ access to stolen bank or credit card details, as well as money back guarantees and free exchanges.”
The findings echo another report published this week by Symantec, who found that a greater instance of virus threats were being caused by third party ‘virus toolkits’. These allow cyber-criminals who are less experienced at hacking to break into small companies and steal financial data.
The full report can be found here.


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Lateral Movement Trainers In The Gym And Health And Fitness Centers
Lateral movement training has been used for quite some time as a training method for speed skating and skiing
A decade after being introduced as a rehabilitation vehicle, lateral movement trainers (LMTs) are just now beginning to muscle their way into health clubs and fitness centers. Slide training is popping up in classes across the country, and manufacturers are crossing their fingers that the low-impact exercise the LMT provides will ignite the industry in much the same way as step aerobics did in the early ’90s.
But demonstrating staying-power in an industry that is flooded with new products and trends is no easy task. From total-body weight machines to interactive cardiovascular equipment, more and more companies seem to be vying for “trend” status when it comes to fitness. The challenge for club personnel is determining which of these products will actually boost their members’ health, as well as their business.
Carving it’s own niche
When considering the future of slide training, manufacturers are banking on the fact that like “stepping,” lateral movement training involves a simple motion that provides a vigorous cardiovascular workout and can be set to music. And although both the step and the LMT are primarily instruments to increase cardiovascular fitness, manufacturers are quick to point out that the two devices provide different workouts. “The slide [LMT] is not meant to replace the step,” says Gary Johnson, vice president of Slide Reebok by Kneedspeed. “It’s meant to be used as a device that augments one’s training.” Colin Maclean, president of Aerobafloor, makers of the Aerobaslide, adds that the two products work different muscle groups. While the step involves north-to-south (or sagittal) movements, the slide involves east-to-west (frontal plane movements), strengthening commonly injured muscles in the ankles, knees and hips.
Like stepping, the concept of “sliding” is not new. Lateral movement training has been used for a number of years as a training method for speed skating and skiing and, more recently, as a means of rehabilitating injured athletes. Sliding for the mainstream, however, wasn’t introduced until about 1989, and it wasn’t until the latter half of 1993 that LMTs began being “legitimized” with respectable sales figures. Many LMT manufactures reported strong sales starting in the summer of ’93, and most are predicting huge gains in 1994. Aerobafloor, which reportedly sold about 10,000 units during the latter portion of 1993, forecasts sales of 250,000 in 1994. In February alone, the company reported shipping 6,000 LMTs to clients overseas. Likewise, Fitness Innovations plans to double sales of The Slide in 1994, and The Training Camp International, which manufactures the Body Slide and LMTs for Nordic Track, predicts sales to fall somewhere between 50,000 to 100,000 units. “Our international sales are exploding,” says Maclean, adding that overall, he expects slide boards to make a lasting impression on the industry. “The product will probably be hot for about 36 months, plateau for two years and then experience a dry-down spell in which only the best companies will survive,” he says. Johnson, of Slide Reebok by Kneedspeed, agrees that slide training is more than just a passing trend. “Once people see that it improves performance, they’ll stick with it, no doubt,” he says.
So far, interest is tepid
Despite hopeful predictions from manufacturers, however, clubs that use lateral movement training in their programming are reporting moderate interest among members, at best. “It’s a good training device, it’s just not easy to do,” says Mark Tremblay, owner of TNT Fitness in Port St. Luci, Fla. Tremblay, who began using LMTs in his programs about two years ago, said his members found straight slide classes too intense a workout. Like many clubs that offer lateral movement training, Tremblay now offers slide training only in interval classes where steps and weights are also used. Beth Baker, programming director for the Harrisburg YMCA in Harrisburg, Pa., agrees that straight sliding can be difficult. “For beginners, especially, it’s too hard,” she says. “But the ones who have taken the time to learn it are hooked. For whatever reason, though, there’s still a lot who don’t want to try it.”
Although manufacturers claim the LMT is not meant to replace the step, according to a fitness equipment study published by Find/SVP, New York, N.Y., the two products share the same target market — women ages 18 to 35. And while programming directors, such as Baker, say they will add more classes utilizing lateral movement training in the future, most do not expect the LMT to revolutionize the industry in the same manner as the step. “The step is still too popular for anything to take its place and it’s still too new,” explains Baker. “Step came along when people had been doing regular dance aerobics for about 12 years and they needed something new. But step has only been popular for about three years and people aren’t tired of it yet.”
There’s hope, yet
Despite a less than overwhelming response from members, clubs do not appear to be ruling lateral motion training out as a means of boosting their programming. “It gives instructors wonderful flexibility in their classes,” says Judy Esposito, aerobics director at Midtown Tennis Club in Rochester, N.Y. “It helps erase the boredom factor that may arise from offering the same class everyday, and it works muscle groups you don’t work in any other way.”
Baker predicts that if LMTs are marketed properly, meaning that they they are billed as a supplement to a well-rounded fitness program, more club members will begin using them. “It’s when they start pitching them as the hottest new fitness craze that they’ll fail,” she says. “People will be expecting too much from them.” Adds Esposito, “The slide [LMT] comes as another alternative in fitness, and a very viable one, I think. It’s not going to be as big as the step, but I think people would miss it if we took it away.”
Education; not inundation
On the whole, manufacturers appear to be sensitive about the need for education, as opposed to hype, when marketing slide products. “Quality programming, combined with the product itself, is the lifeblood of this product,” says Greg Mauer, director of training for Training Camp International. “If you don’t provide training to people, the slide program fails. Knowing what to do with the slide is more important than the slide itself.” Mauer added that slide boards are experiencing sluggish sales in the retail market because people haven’t been educated about how to use them. “Steps have become big in home fitness because they weren’t really available to the retail market until a few years after they were being used in clubs,” he explains. To ensure people know how to use LMTs, Esposito suggests that manufacturers furnish clubs with research about the benefits of slide training and that the industry produce sophisticated training videos featuring certified instructors. Adds Baker, “Once people start doing it on TV, and they start seeing more videos on the market, they’ll definitely be interested.”
By Christina Gandolfo


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Nissan and Renault will be launching a compact EV in India in the near future
Renault and Nissan are looking to drive in a compact electric vehicle (EV) made for the Indian market and are currently conducting a feasibility study on the same.
Global COO of Nissan Motor Corporation, Ashwani Gupta has said India will have “a big potential for the EV market” since the country saw adoption of EVs grow threefold in only a year.
While Tata Motors leads the way in the electric passenger car market, other brands are working on bespoke models to make a mark in the fledgling segment.
Renault and Nissan do not want to be late to the party like in the past, which could prove to be a disaster. Gupta says, “Definitely we will be there, give us more time to study…”
While there are a lot of variables a brand would consider while conducting a study in preparation for a new vehicle, Nissan’s COO has said the group is primarily focusing on 3 things – product excitement, competitiveness and the ecosystem.
The alliance believes it will be overachieving with its product to meet the aspirations of the Indian customer. But, the group says it needs to work out how to localise the battery and says it is keeping an eye on the pace of development of the charging infrastructure across India.
The Renault and Nissan compact EV is expected to be based on a version of the CMF-B EV platform designed for Europe. This is the same platform that will underpin the new Renault 5 and the all-electric successor to the Nissan Micra which will have up to 400 km range on a single charge.
It is expected that the India-specific compact EV will be the size of the Tata Nexon EV. One could speculate that the group will zero in on an electric compact SUV owing to the body style’s success in the market.
Including the CMF-B EV platform, the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance will use 4 common EV platforms to produce 35 new electric cars globally by the end of this decade. Almost half of these EVs will be underpinned by the CMF-B EV platform.