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Albertans wanting lower cellphone bills and more innovative service should welcome a new player in the marketplace, says the head of Quebec’s mobile company Videotron.
Successive Canadian governments and regulators have long pushed for a strong fourth entrant in the country’s wireless industry to challenge the dominance of Bell, Telus and Rogers.
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Pierre Karl Peladeau, CEO of Quebecor, the parent company of Montreal-based Videotron, intends to fill that role, which he believes would bring major savings to future customers across Western Canada.
Videotron spent $830 million during the summer buying suitable radio spectrum in a government-backed auction geared toward smaller players in the marketplace. The decision to spend the cash was taken to pave the way for a launch of wireless service across much of the West, including Alberta.
Peladeau said his company plans to build out its own network over the next seven years, saying it will not only increase competition with a corresponding reduction in pricing but also provide engineering, retail and marketing jobs in these new locations.
In the meantime, Videotron expects to piggyback on existing wireless infrastructure, something the CRTC regulatory body now requires the large, established companies to allow, therefore providing new entrants to the market reasonable and timely fair access.
Telus recently sought an injunction in Federal Court to suspend Videotron’s purchase of the radio spectrum, arguing it wasn’t eligible to participate in the auction.
However, last week a judge dismissed the move. “The decisive factor is the public interest in fostering greater competition in the market for mobile phone services,” the ruling said.
That decision came as a relief to Peladeau, describing the move by Telus as “quite aggressive.”
“Telus suing the government, saying, ‘You didn’t have the right to issue the licence,’ this is a first. But the judge understood very well what was the real motive in doing this.
“Making sure we will get a fourth operator and a more competitive environment will be the only way that is available to create competition and lower prices,” he said.
When Alberta-based Shaw Communications first entered the mobile marketplace many consumers hoped it would become that strong fourth player that resulted in increased competition and lower prices.
However, in March, Rogers launched a $26-billion takeover bid for Shaw that is still progressing, although an ongoing internal family feud at Rogers is muddying the waters.
Peladeau pledged Videotron would not follow a similar path by agreeing to a future takeover from a competitor.
“Maybe the dynamic of the (Shaw) family is different. I’m able to talk for today and the years to come. I’m not looking to sell my company — we want to grow because I see some considerable opportunity.
“We are in this for the long haul.”
Industry analysts have speculated that if the Rogers deal is finalized then Shaw’s Freedom Mobile brand would have to be jettisoned to comply with federal competition rules. If that happens, Videotron would be keenly interested in acquiring it, said Peladeau.
“We made public our interest to buy Freedom. Because of the family feud it isn’t easy to understand where this will go, but they know very well our interest — we have made that loud and clear.
“We can build upon Freedom because it is known and we can build upon improving that capacity.”
Peladeau would not say at what price point Videotron would enter the marketplace but points to the lower costs of mobile plans offered in Quebec compared to Alberta — some recent unlimited data packages offered by competitors are 20 per cent cheaper in Montreal compared to the same offering in Calgary and Edmonton.
He added Videotron is used to being the disrupter in the market, having done exactly that over the past 15 years in Quebec against the same competition now faced in Western Canada.
“We are not a brand-new wireless operator. We know what this business is all about and we know the Canadian landscape. We are also well known within the financial markets, because all this needs the capacity to raise money.”
“All the ingredients for a very successful recipe are there and we will move forward as quick as possible,” said Peladeau.


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After actors like Arjun Kapoor, Naga Chaitanya, Shilpa Shetty and Malaika Arora Khan, Anushka Sharma has forayed her way into the food industry. The talented actress has invested in a food brand called Slurrp Farm, which makes healthy millet-meal products for young children. Here’s everything about it.
Anushka Sharma Invests In Slurrp Farm; Healthy Food Brand Started By 2 Mothers
Anushka Sharma is now an investor and the brand ambassador for Wholsum Foods’ flagship brand Slurrp Farm. The Gurugram-headquartered company is a millet-based meal and snacking brand targeting young children. Sharma, a vegetarian, is known to invest in vegan and environmentally-friendly startups. She revealed to news agencies that after she became a mother, she wanted her daughter Vamika to develop healthy eating habits from a young age.
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Actress Hopes To Encourage Kids To Adopt Healthier Eating Habits
She decided to invest in Wholsum Foods started by two mothers who were also on a mission to encourage children to eat healthy food instead of junk food. As a mother who also believed in the same, Anushka Sharma hopes this partnership will help nurture India’s rich heritage of millets and also propel the young generation towards a healthier lifestyle. You can currently purchase Slurrp Farm millet meals on platforms like Amazon, Big Basket, Swiggy Instamart, First Cry and more. Meanwhile, did you know Curly Tales visited Virat Kohli’s restaurant in Delhi?

domain: news


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Report Shows Demand for Organic Cotton Remains Strong
The global recession has battered many industries, but the production of organically gorwn cotton continues to make strides in the marketplace.
January 19, 2011
Very few industries have managed to avoid setbacks during the nasty global recession, but organic cotton production is one of them, according to The Textile Exchange (TE) Farm and Fiber Report 2010. In the most recent season (Aug. 2009 through July 2010), global production of organic cotton increased by 15 percent to more than 241,000 tonnes.
While organic cotton makes up a very small part of the overall market with a 1.1 percent share, it continues to grow rapidly, increasing 539 percent between 2005 and 2009. There are about 275,000 organic farmers in 23 nations around the globe, with India being the greatest producer by far, producing more than 195,000 tonnes and accounting for 80 percent of the total global output. The other top producers are Syria (20,000 tonnes, 8.3 percent of global output), Turkey (11,600 tonnes, 4.8 percent), China (4,300 tonnes, 1.8 percent) and the United States (2,800 tonnes, 2.8 percent).
A full copy of the report can be obtained from the Textile Exchange’s Web site.


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Delaware County Faces RV/Park Model Issue
Historically, RV park proposals are rare in Delaware’s Sussex County, but this year two have been proposed – Love Creek RV Resort and Campground and Massey’s Landing Park; both are under consideration by county officials.
“We haven’t had a request for one in years,” Lawrence Lank, Sussex County Planning and Zoning office director, told the Cape Gazette, Lewes.
Massey’s Landing Park, with 322 RV sites and 10 tent sites, is awaiting a county zoning-change decision. The project, near the public boat ramp at the end of Long Neck Road, has received entrance permits and a letter of no objections from the Delaware Department of Transportation.
Love Creek RV Resort and Campground, on Cedar Grove Road and near Ward Road, is awaiting a DelDOT traffic impact study, which, Lank said, was expected to be ready by March 15 but has been delayed.
Pending county approvals, the proposed campground would be situated on a 162-acre parcel and contain 628 camping sites – 516 for recreational vehicles, 30 for tents and sites for rental cabins.
Developer: Additional sites needed
Together, the two parks will add 838 new RV sites in Sussex County, which has an estimated total of 4,200 sites.
Nick Hammonds, a representative with Love Creek resort developer Lingo Assets Management, said the company thinks the area needs another RV park, especially in light of closure in 2007 of Three Seasons Campground, with more than 300 sites, near Rehoboth Beach Yacht and Country Club. Hammonds said the campground parcel reportedly sold for eight figures.
“That was a very successful campground, and its closure left a void of several hundred sites,” he said.
Hammonds said the Love Creek campground has not yet been designed and estimated it could cost $20 million for engineering, earthmoving, utility installation and road construction. He said the estimate does not include land costs.
“We’re not going to design the project until we know we have approvals,” he said.
Hammonds said the RV park is not a placeholder for a residential community. “We wouldn’t be putting money into designing and building an RV park only to have a plan in the future of tearing everything out to do a residential development.
“If we thought a residential development was the best use of that property, that would have been the plan we took in the first time,” he said, adding the company has home-building experience and is currently working in Senators, a development near Lewes.
Hammonds said the company is committed to improving Ward and Cedar Grove roads, and he says the RV park would generate less traffic than a housing development.
He said he expects a confirming traffic study to be submitted in the next 30 days or so.
Still, homeowners who would be living adjacent the RV park say they oppose the facility because it will generate too much traffic on Ward and Cedar Grove roads and on nearby Route 24. Residents also say the roads are too narrow for wide vehicles to use safely.
“It’s not appropriate for the area. It’s out of character, and it doesn’t offer any economic advantage,” said Paul Hammesfahr, a homeowner and president of The Retreat at Love Creek Homeowners Association. Hammesfahr said Ward Road couldn’t be sufficiently modified to handle RV traffic.
He also said fewer than 400 feet would lie between the adjacent Webbs Landing and Briarwood developments, a separation he said does not meet county regulations.
Park model RVs: Tax-free housing
RVs in Sussex County parks slip into a gray zone. RVs have wheels and, typically, their owners use them to travel from place to place with many of the comforts of home.
But in many local parks and campgrounds most RVs, especially those called park model RVs, are set up on a site and once there they are not moved.
Owners of RVs in parks do not pay Sussex County taxes; they pay park owners a seasonal lot rent plus utilities. Most owners leave their RVs on-site as long as they continue paying the seasonal rate.
Seasonal rates cover about six months, starting in May and ending in October when park owners shut off utility services.
Some parks offer ongoing customers special rates when they pay for the upcoming season in advance and reserve a selected site and allow RVs to remain on site if the seasonal fee is paid.
But many parks require RV owners to move out of the park at the end of each rental season.
Unlike some other Cape Region parks, the proposed Love Creek RV Resort and Campground will provide seasonal customers a reserved site, but it will require RVs to be moved and, for a fee, parked in an on-site storage area.
Park models are classified as RVs, yet once in place, they rarely hit the road again. “It’s a different animal,” says Sussex County Councilman George Cole, D-Bethany Beach, comparing a park model RV to typical RVs towed by a pickup truck or SUV.
Cole said park models started showing up in this area in the late ‘90s. He said RV park owners saw an economic advantage in making most of their sites seasonal-only, and the larger, well-appointed park models were becoming increasingly popular.
Seasonal customers pay a flat rate and most leave their RVs in parks year-round, blurring the line between a campground and a manufactured home park.
“At first they were very small; now they’ve gotten larger. Some of them have two stories,” Cole said in a May 29 interview.
He said county and state officials gave the park model an RV designation, and neither governing body has kept pace with changes to park models, which no longer resemble what people think of as RVs.
“The county never really addressed it. We tried to address it years ago,” Cole said.
He said when the governor issues a coastal evacuation order because of weather conditions, conventional RVs can easily leave the area.
“A park model doesn’t come and go easily,” Cole said, adding that towing one requires a special permit and a vehicle larger than a pickup truck.
He said owners of park model and other RVs do not pay Sussex County taxes but they benefit from county services, such as Sussex County Emergency Medical Services, which is paid for by county taxpayers.
Cole said he’d like to see the county set a limit on the number of park models permitted in future RV parks.
“We could allow only a certain percentage of park models in an RV park. County council has the ability to place conditions such as restricting park models,” he said.
Cole said the county could also derive revenue from existing and future park models by establishing a placement fee. He said owners who have park models already in place could be given a grace period before being required to pay the placement fee.
“Developers are looking at campgrounds as an attractive development, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But we need to address park models,” Cole said.
He said park models meet the definition of manufactured homes in Sussex County.


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Little more than a month after the company started giving refunds to customers suffering from rashes, Fitbit is now officially pulling Fitbit Forces off the market to address the issue. CEO James Park took to the company blog this week to apologize to consumers, saying the company takes the matter seriously and has learned enough to effectively take action.
"We have taken this matter very seriously."
According to Park, only 1.7 percent of Force customers have complained of rashes or skin irritation. All the same, he states medical experts underwent a thorough investigation into the problem. Test results now show that customers likely suffer from allergic contact dermatitis, brought about by either the surgical grade stainless steel in the wristbands or the adhesives used in their assembly.
Fitbit is now offering a full refund to customers, and has opened a call center for support. The company also issued an official release on the subject, promising that their next-generation tracker is on the way and they'll announce news on it soon.


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The Honest Company, co-founded and owned by actress Jessica Alba, has announced a voluntary recall of its organic baby powder after concerns were raised regarding its link to eye and skin infections. Samples of the products were tested, and were said to show possible microorganism contamination that may infect users.
Christopher Gavigan, co-founder of the company, said in a video statement on The Honest Company website, “With the full knowledge and under the guidance of the FDA, we’ve decided to voluntarily recall this product out of an abundance of caution.” He added,
On behalf of my co-founders and everyone here at Honest, I sincerely apologize for this inconvenience. This decision, like all of our decisions, was guided by our ongoing commitment to the health, well-being, and satisfaction of our customers.
Since The Honest Company launched in 2011, Alba and the company have faced several lawsuits over their products regarding effectiveness, as well as disputes regarding their “all-natural” claims, PEOPLE reports.
In 2015, a customer sued the company, saying that several of their products actually contained “unnatural” and “synthetic” ingredients, and that the sunscreen they sold did not work as advertised. In addition, several consumers posted on social media that they got sunburns after using The Honest Company sunscreen. The formula was eventually changed.
In 2016, another lawsuit was filed on the grounds that the company’s organic baby powder actually contains 11 artificial ingredients that make it unsafe for infant and child use. The case was dismissed in December.
Alba chalks the numerous claims to her popularity, saying she believes the unwanted attention is due to her being an actress. “If an organization wants to bring awareness to their cause, I’m an easy target and our brand is an easy target obviously because I get different kind of attention than other brands would,” she told Today.
The Honest Company is reportedly in acquisition talks with Unilever, with Alba and the rest selling the company for $1.7 billion.


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Infowars.com - WASHINGTON, D.C. – Google, Facebook and Amazon are among the Internet giants in an alliance engineered by George Soros teaming up with PornHub to create a day of Internet havoc, billed as the “Battle for Net Neutrality,” designed “to show the world the real impact of net neutrality by hitting Internet users where it hurts: Their porn consumption habit.”
PornHub plans to load its Internet website today, Wednesday, July 1, with a slow-loading icon PornHub plans to irritate Internet users, demonstrating what the Soros alliance of Internet giants wants to represent as a slower, less user-friendly Internet that will be the future should the FCC repeal the Obama-era “Net Neutrality” rules.
Infowars.com has previously reported Google has joined George Soros’ Open Society Foundation and the Ford Foundation in funding more than $72 million since 2006, lobbying hard to retain the Obama-era “Net Neutrality” rules in place that allow Internet giants such as Google, Facebook, and Twitter to continue censoring conservative and libertarian websites including Infowars.com.
The Daily Mail in London reported Wednesday that more than 170 Internet giants including Google, Facebook, Amazon, Netlix, and PornHub have organized an on-line protest today, advancing the argument that if the Obama-era “Net Neutrality” rules are revoked, the Internet Service Providers linking users to the Internet would be able to “control who wins or loses on the Internet.”
As Infowars.com has repeatedly explained, “Net Neutrality” rules only impose fairness standards on the ISPs, like AT&T and Verizon – the Internet switches through which users connect to the Internet – while not applying to Google, Facebook, and Twitter – the giant Internet content providers – who remain free under “Net Neutrality” rules to censor conservative and libertarian websites like Infowars.com.
The PornHub website lists thousands of videos dealing with the brutal rape, violence, and torture of women, even including “snuff” themes.
Infowars.com previously reported on July 4, the non-profit citizen group Free Our Internet (FOI) has launched a new campaign allowing individuals to post a comment on the FCC website combating Soros-funded efforts by big government, Silicon Valley monopolies and the tech-left to hijack the Internet by urging the FCC to keep in place the Obama-era “Net Neutrality” censorship rules.


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Tim Cook is a more appealing coffee date than Robert De Niro, Justin Bieber and Bill Clinton if a charity auction is anything to go by, with one person willing to pay £116,000 for a one hour coffee and a chat.
The charity auction to have Coffee with Cook has more than tripled its estimated value less than 24 hours after opening. Bidding in the 20-day auction started at $5,000 with a guide price of $50,000, but as the lot entered its second day 51 further bids pushed the price up to $180,000 (£116,000).
The winning bidder will be given the opportunity to meet with Tim Cook at Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, California and chat with the CEO over coffee for between 30 minutes and one hour. Whoever wins is allowed to bring one guest with them, but the meeting cannot be resold and visitors must pay for their own transport and accommodation.
Coffee with Cook is currently the most expensive auction on the site, but a private tennis lesson with Rafael Nadal has the highest estimate of $200,000, although the current highest bid is just $31,000 with two weeks to go.
Other current auctions include meeting Robert De Niro ($10,000 estimate), Bill Clinton ($20,000) and Justin Bieber ($40,000).
Proceeds from the auction, set up by CharityBuzz, will go to The Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, a nonprofit human rights advocacy organisation in Washington.
Founded in 2005, Charity Buzz is a New York-based internet company that raises funds for charities through online auctions with notable celebrities and brands, as well as once-in-a-lifetime holidays and access to sports events.
Anyone who wants to bid must also bear in mind the $10 processing and handling charge and $15 shipping for tickets and certificates, although this seems unlikely to be a dealbreaker.
The auction will close on 15 May at 1am BST and the meeting will take place at "a mutually agreed upon time."
Previous notable auctions include pitching an idea to Rupert Murdoch for $85,000, shadowing former US president Bill Clinton for a day for $250,000 and a walk-on role in TV show Mad Men for $60,000.


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For decades the good folks over at Louis Vuitton have been crafting stylish and iconic luggage. They continue that tradition in modern times, also adding fashion and style designs along the way. Today we get our first look as Louis Vuitton Reveals Larger Versions Of Their Marc Newson-Designed Luggage. Louis Vuitton and Marc Newson delivered their collaboration last year, while now we get bigger bags and stunning craftsmanship.
Each of the pieces in the Horizon 70 collection comes in Louis Vuitton’s signature materials. We find an ultra-light coated canvas as well as leather corners and handles. There is a check-in size luggage that features technological advancements, with a tracking system that allows you to check if your luggage has safely arrived at the airport via the LV Pass app. The new collection is only available from Louis Vuitton’s Australian webstore as of now, but expect that to change soon. Have a look at the design in the image up top and speak your thoughts on it after the jump. Stay tuned for much more from Louis Vuitton coming soon.
Photos provided by Louis Vuitton


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A majority of Australians (63%) would pay more for a ‘Zero Emissions’ car like Tesla, including 100% of 18-24yr olds and 72% of 25-34yr olds.
Tesla’s market cap topped $52 billion USD compared to General Motors ($49.6 billion USD – 10 million cars sold) and Ford ($44.9 billion – 6.5 million cars sold) this week, and according to Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine it had nothing to do with April Fools’ Day. “Really.”
The results were consistent around Australia with significant majorities in all Australian States – both regionally (62%) and in capital cities (62%), and both genders – women (65%) and men (61%) saying they were willing to pay more for a ‘Zero Emissions’ car.
Michele Levine believes the results reveal that the high valuation Tesla is borne out by the attitudes of Australians.
“There is a significant appetite to move towards zero emissions in Australia.
“The continuing call by Australians – 17% of whom cite Climate Change/ Global Warming as the largest problem facing the World – more than double any other single issue – reveals that the drive towards electric cars like Tesla will continue to strengthen.”
Finding No. 7208 – This special Roy Morgan Snap SMS Poll was conducted in mid-March (March 17, 2017) in conjunction with the Roy Morgan State of the Nation Report 27 – Focus on Australia’s Automotive Industry with a cross-section of 1,004 Australians aged 18+. Respondents were asked: “How much more would you pay for a car which produces zero emissions?”
Source: www.roymorgan.com, Finding No. 7208, 7 April 2017.


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The AEG F55412VI0 dishwasher has been awarded coveted Which? Best Buy status after recent testing. The dishwasher was reviewed as part of Which?’s continuous, rigorous testing.
Posts tagged with ‘which?’
Consumer champion Which? has put the Zanussi freestanding cookers through meticulous testing, and four have achieved an outstanding Best Buy status.
Which? has awarded the AEG L79685FL and L87405FL washing machines Best Buy Status.
The energy efficient A++, 13 place setting AEG F66602VI0P ProClean dishwasher has just been awarded prestigious Which? Best Buy status after recent testing.
The Zanussi ZFT10210WA under-counter frost free freezer scored an impressive 80% in recent testing and has been awarded the prestigious Which? Best Buy status.
Consumer champion Which? have awarded the Zanussi ZWF91283W washing machine ‘Best Buy’ status, scoring 76% in recent testing and say ““With a 9kg drum, it’s a formidable stain remover, and one of only a few models to get full marks for cleaning on the 40˚C wash programs for both cottons and synthetics”. For the full […]
Which? have awarded the AEG L99695HWD washer dryer ‘Best Buy’ status, scoring 67% in recent testing.
Which? has highlighted four AEG washer dryers, two freestanding and two integrated in their recent Test Lab round up.
The AEG HK654200FB induction hob and the Zanussi ZGG66424XA gas hob have both received prestigious Which? Best Buy status after recent intensive testing.
Consumer champion Which? has delivered its first impressions on the AEG UltraCaptic vacuum cleaner. From first impressions Which? have found that it seems to be great at cleaning both hard floors and carpets, and AEG’s new dust management system seems to be an improvement over other bagless cleaners. Plus, the directional floor head makes it easy to move around obstacles so you don’t have to keep moving things.


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Today, the Hindustan Times, The Times Of India and The Indian Express featured full page advertisements put out by Facebook in support of their Free Basics initiative.
The advertisement comes just a few days after net neutrality activists used social media to make people aware that free basics is just another name for internet.org, which in turn does not support net neutrality.
Here is what the advertisement looked like:
This advertisement was yet another move by Facebook to convince Indians to support Free Basics. Many of us share moments of our lives on the platform but to the company, you are just another consumer.
When Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg had come to IIT Delhi, he said: "Most of the folks that are pushing for net neutrality have access to the Internet already. But the people who are not yet on the Internet can't sign an online petition pushing for increased access to the Internet."
Now look at the seventh eighth and ninth point of the advertisement.
If most of the folks who are supporters of net neutrality are internet users already and people with no access to internet can't sign online petition then how did they get an 86% approval rating?
Either which way, this fight is far from over. Facebook has fired the latest salvo, now over to the Net Neutrality brigade.


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Binance has been in touch with Facebook regarding Libra, Finance Magnates writes. According to Binance’s strategy officer Gin Chao, the exchange does not rule out the possibility of listing Libra in the future. However, the talks are still “very much at a preliminary stage” and have mostly concentrated on “dealing with infrastructure,” Chao explained.
While Facebook is not seeking to list the cryptocurrency at the moment since it will be on a private chain, it might be looking for a secondary market after the launch, Chao said.
“Currencies benefit from a secondary market, so it would be in their best interest to want to be listed,” Chao noted.
He believes Binance is not the only exchange that would be interested in listing Libra. He believes the listings would be in the mutual interest of Facebook and cryptocurrency exchanges.
“So if they decide to go on a public chain, and they get the sort of adoption that they could get, we would probably want to list them,” Chao said.
Facebook shared its plans to launch low-volatility cryptocurrency Libra earlier this month. The announcement has so far been received coolly by multiple European central banks, Singapore financial regulator, and the Bank for International Settlements (BIS).


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The country's largest cigarette maker, ITC Ltd, posted a 19.5% jump in quarterly net profit on Friday, meeting market expectations. ITC said net profit rose to 19.28 billion rupees ($352 million) for the quarter ended March 31.
Shares in JM Financial Ltd rose as much as 10% at the pre-open today after the company said yesterday former Citigroup chief executive Vikram Pandit was buying a stake in the Indian financial services company.
A $1.6-billion writedown of its goodwill and assets in its European operations last Monday has triggered fresh speculation that Tata Steel is poised to divest more assets and factories in Europe. HT
reports. The sell-off chorus gets louder
It was a tough quarter for Wal-Mart Stores Inc. The world's largest retailer reported today that its first-quarter profit edged up slightly, but the company struggled with a sales slump in its namesake business.
A federal judge in Kansas City, Kansas, ordered Dow Chemical Co to pay $1.2 billion in a price-fixing case involving chemicals used to make foam products in cars, furniture and packaging, according to court documents.
A breach of security at two payment card processing companies in India that led to heists at cash machines around the world has reopened questions on the risks of outsourcing sensitive financial services to the Asian nation.
Heineken UK has acquired a 3.21% stake in Vijay Mallya’s flagship United Breweries, which owns best-selling beer brands such as Kingfisher and Zingaro, among many others, the company said in a regulatory filing with the Bombay Stock Exchange.
Subway, the US-based restaurant chain, is now looking at increasing its vegetarian options to suit the Indian palate in a plan to grow the number of outlets to 4,000 over a decade from the current 350, Rachit Vats
The Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) on Wednesday released the circulation figures for the period of July–December, 2012. Average certified copies of Hindi language dailies was over 15 million and together with weekly newspapers and magazines it was over 17 million.
AirAsia today announced the appointment of Singapore-based management consultant Mittu Chandilya as the chief executive officer (CEO) of its India venture.
Govind Shrikhande, the mustachioed and mild-mannered managing director of India’s early retail chain Shoppers Stop, set up in 1991, is betting on toys, kids and partners to drive the company’s bookstore business Crossword, which is struggling in the age of e-commerce, and was rumoured to have recently been put on the block. Rachit Vats reports.
Taking a cue from sporting clubs of the West, domestic T20 franchises are wooing fans with an array of merchandise products and services - official jerseys, accessories , members' clubs - to cash in on their potential customer base. Himani Chandna Gurtoo reports.
HT Media Limited (HTML) on Tuesday announced an 82% growth in its net profit during the fourth quarter ending March 31, 2013 to Rs.
40.1 crore from Rs.
22 crore during the same quarter of the previous year. HT
Shares of drug maker Ranbaxy Laboratories ended 3.6% up at Rs. 455.50 on Tuesday after crashing 4% in early trade on the Bombay Stock Exchange following a $500-million (about Rs. 2,750 crore) fine imposed by US authorities on the company for selling adulterated medicines in the US and lying about it to the authorities.
In a move that is likely to soothe frayed nerves of anxious investors, the government is likely to bring to Cabinet a proposal to hammer out an out-of-court settlement with Vodafone on its Rs.
11,200-crore tax dispute. HT
reports. All's well that end's well


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Dish (S DISH) has agreed to restrict the ability of its Hopper DVR to automatically skip over ads when Dish customers watch ABC shows, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal. The agreement comes as part of a larger retransmission deal that will continue to give Dish the ability to carry broadcast and cable networks owned by Disney, (S DIS) including ABC and ESPN.
Consumers will still be able to manually fast-forward through ads recorded by their DVR. However, they won’t be able to access the Hopper’s automatic ad-skipping feature, dubbed Auto Hop, until three days after the show aired on TV.
The three-day rule is due to the fact that broadcasters can monetize advertising until three days after a show aired on television. After that window, ads don’t get counted anymore, making them effectively worthless for broadcasters.
Disney’s victory against the Hopper’s automatic ad skipping marks an interesting turn of events. Fellow broadcaster Fox (S NWS) had sued against the Hopper’s ability to skip over their ads, but lost over multiple instances, with courts finding time and again that the Hopper’s ad skipping functionality didn’t violate copyright law.
But while broadcasters have frequently lost in court against new technologies, they’ve almost always won in direct negotiations about retransmission rights. One should expect that other networks are going to demand similar concessions from Dish once their contract with the operator is up.


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Bayer must pay $2bln to couple in Roundup trial Global Health Where Will Measles Break Out daflon Next? Chicago, Los Angeles or Miami, Scientists Predict Leader of China's trade delegation will be key for investors, says Eric Wiegand Graf 'I hope Serena breaks daflon slam record'


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“I think hemp in the state of Texas has now become very commonplace, [but] consumer confidence is still sketchy because there is a gluttony of bad product out there,” Mahoney said. “We really take the time to learn the product and try it on ourselves before we’re willing to put it out on our shelves.”
Artistic Organics stocks more than 150 products that contain cannabidiol, which is the most abundant non-psychoactive chemical found in the cannabis plant.
“Most of our clients don’t want psychoactive effects,” Mahoney said. “They really want therapy without being high.”
Kauten explained that the business gets regular feedback from clients, which helps them specialize recommendations for other customers.
“We will craft the product or selection of products to truly meet your needs based upon other clients’ data,” she said.
Kauten and Mahoney started the business in early 2018 and opened their store in The Rail District in July of that year. Artistic Organics has since served more than 5,000 customers and hosted classes on the potential uses of CBD.
Mahoney said the business’ initial clientele was an over-50 crowd with regular aches and pains. However, the coronavirus pandemic has brought in clients in their 30s and 40s with issues that are not necessarily the same.
“We still deal a lot with pain and inflammation, but now, we’re dealing with a lot of anxiety, [post-traumatic stress disorder and] depression,” Mahoney said. “COVID[-19] has really kind of changed the dynamics of our store.”
Kauten said staff members often welcome clients entering the store like they are “Norm at Cheers.” She said that atmosphere allows customers to share their success stories.
“When they come in and go, ‘I feel normal,’ that’s the best thing we could ever hear from a client,” Kauten said.
7227 Main St., Ste. 300, Frisco
Hours: Mon.-Sat. 10 a.m.-7 p.m., closed Sun.


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Hawkins stuns in ae'lkemi
His feminine, sexy designs are beloved by the Perth fashion set and it seems Alvin Fernandez has a new fan in Jennifer Hawkins.
The designer behind longstanding WA label ae'lkemi was invited by the glamazon's stylist to send over an option for Hawkins to wear on the latest campaign shoot for her tanning line Jbronze.
Fernandez provided a two-piece from his spring/ summer collection which he showed earlier this year at Sydney Fashion Week, crafted from a "crystal mesh" material painstakingly hand sewn together over many hours.
The creative told AAA Weekend he was thrilled to see a snap of Hawkins wearing the design this week.
"It's easy to make Jen look amazing - she is such a lovely person, we just complemented her vision," Fernandez said.
"I am extremely happy with the final results and her team was such a joy to work with."
Fernandez is gearing up to present his latest collection on opening night at Telstra Perth Fashion Festival on September 17 at the new Fashion Paramount at Perth Concert Hall, where he will headline new concept show International Runway - Beyond Imagination.
There are many long hours to go but preparations are coming along well.
"I have the best team working with me towards this collection," Fernandez said.
"I am very excited and proud to be opening the festival but am trying to put the pressure out of my mind and focus on the job at hand."
Morning news break – September 8
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Harvard Law professor Susan Crawford recently laid out her opinion on Apple’s ongoing legal battle with the FBI, and in doing so, laid a legal smack down on the idea that the FBI can legally force Apple to rewrite iOS.
While most hot takes on mobile encryption naturally focus on broad ranging policy ramifications, Crawford tackles the issue from a purely legal perspective. Writing for Medium, Crawford doesn’t mince words as she explains why the entirety of the FBI’s position rests on “shaky legal ground.”
Getting straight to the point, Crawford details why the 1994 Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA) precludes government agencies like the FBI from telling private companies how to design software.
“CALEA was the subject of intense negotiation — a deal, in other words,” Crawford explains. “The government won an extensive, specific list of wiretapping assistance requirements in connection with digital communications. But in exchange, in Section 1002 of that act, the Feds gave up authority to “require any specific design of equipment, facilities, services, features or system configurations” from any phone manufacturer.”
Consequently, the government, in getting CALEA passed, agreed that digital communications companies do not need to seek clearance “in advance of launching a new device.” Additionally, the government also lost the ability to dictate how manufacturers need to design their products. In other words, the FBI in this particular case has no legal basis to demand Apple create what would effectively be a backdoor into one of its products.
Make sure to check out the entirety of Crawford’s well-reasoned piece via the source link below.


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Feds to decide on tariffs on foreign-raised shrimp
NEW ORLEANS - The Bush administration will decide today if tariffs should be imposed on cheap, pond-raised shrimp allegedly dumped on the U.S market from four Asian and South American countries.
Southern shrimpers, who say they have been driven out of work by artificially low-priced shrimp imports, sought tariffs against Brazil, China, Ecuador, India, Thailand and Vietnam. The case involves about 74 percent of imports of frozen and canned warm water shrimp valued at about $2.3 billion.
The battle is between American fishermen who still catch shrimp in boats and an explosion of shrimp farms in developing nations.
On July 6, the U.S. Department of Commerce proposed tariffs on Chinese and Vietnamese exports. Federal officials proposed making Chinese exporters pay duties ranging from almost 8 percent to 113 percent and Vietnam exporters between 12 percent to 93 percent.
China and Vietnam, which make up about 25 percent of imports, were dealt with separately because they are not considered market economies.
The petitioners have asked for the steepest tariffs against Brazilian exporters – from 32 percent to 349 percent.
The ruling on China and Vietnam and today’s decision are preliminary. All six countries, which have developed strong shrimp farming industries, deny the dumping charges.


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As you all know, a while back Microsoft unveiled the much awaited Windows 10 successor, Windows 11 but the software has only been available in beta on the windows insiders program.
A lot has panned out over the weeks after the unveiling and Microsoft is ready to make the Software available for everyone now. The goal was to make it available by the end of 2021 and yes they have managed to pull that off.
As far as Windows 11 is involved, we know that there are plans to bring Android apps to the platform via the Amazon app store but at launch, that option won’t be available and should be expected later on.
The software however will not be available for everyone but for only devices that meet certain specifications provided by Microsoft. Although you can install Windows 11 via ISO, if your hardware is not supported then you will be scrapped off future updates which might make your pc vulnerable to security threats among other problems.


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BEDFORD – The last day to register to donate a decorated Christmas tree, wreath or other auction items to the Lawrence InterFaith Endeavor Christmas Fantasia is Friday, November 19th.
In 2019, a tree titled “Elfish Christmas” fetched a whopping $2,500 and was decorated by Anna East, Yolanda Roe, and Pat Sluder. Can your creative tree take the top honor?
The tree decorated with elves had branches filled with more than $400 in gift certificates from area businesses. Underneath the tree, wrapped gift boxes that contained items for people of all ages provided from Bedford Big Lots and other items including baked goods from Bob Evans, a crockpot, and more.
You can help by raising much-needed funds by donating a decorated tree or other items. Applications to donate an item can be found online at www.lifeindiana.org.
LIFE is a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization that was started in 1987. It is a cooperative ministry supported by more than 40 churches throughout Lawrence County. LIFE provides emergency food assistance every 30 days and emergency rent or mortgage/utility assistance. In addition, L.I.F.E. sponsors “Life Blessings” in which each student is given a bag of nutritional food on Fridays to take home to help with food insecurity. The pantry delivers more than 12,000 items each month to families in need.
The auction will be held on Saturday, December 4th at 10 a.m. at a new location this year – the Lawrence County Fairgrounds expo center. Doors will open at 9 a.m.


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Running a salon and moving to a new location is difficult enough, but the challenge is made all the more imposing when you're faced with a global pandemic, flooding, and a child on the way.
This was the task that faced owner Dionne Laycock when she moved Simply Goddess salon into the old Yorkshire Bank building on Hessle Road in the midst of the pandemic.
Having been in business for 10 years, the salon was in need of a bigger premises and when Dionne saw the grand, old building, she knew that with a bit of renovation it would make for an incredible 'super salon'.
If only things could be so easy...
Speaking to Hull Live about the move, Dionne said that the building was 'an absolute mess' when she first went in and needed 'completely refurbishing'. During the renovations, the building was flooded four times and the floor needed replacing.
If this wasn't challenging enough, Dionne then found out that she was pregnant. Facing seemingly insurmountable odds, what happened next for the salon is nothing short of remarkable.
After successfully completing the refurbishments on the new premises, Dionne and the team at Simply Goddess won the Hair Extensions Salon of the Year at the English Hair and Beauty Awards in both 2021 and 2022. Having also won the prestigious award in 2019, this brought their tally up to an incredible three wins in four years.
Dionne, of West Hull, revealed that her secondary business was partly responsible for their success. Dionne launched Hair Evolution UK, her own brand of luxury hair extensions, after starting the business in her kitchen during lockdown.
Speaking about the risks she took to get the salon off the ground 10 years ago, Dionne explained that she even sold her car in order to buy hair extensions. Three awards and a booming online business later, it seems that the risks have paid off.
Of the future, Dionne said: "The plan is to keep growing the Hair Evolution UK brand so that I can take a step back from the salon and start spending more time with my son, Amiran.
"I'm so proud of what we've achieved at Simply Goddess and I just want to say thank you to everyone involved. We have an amazing team and we're all a big family."


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Dolphin owner sets sights on Bathstore
Tuesday 07 December 2010
The private equity firm that owns Dolphin Bathrooms has held talks with Bathstore over a potential acquisition of the 170-store retailer.
The plumbing group Wolseley appointed Catalyst Corporate Finance to run a sale of Bathstore, the specialist bathroom retailer, this autumn and it hopes to sell the chain for between £70m and £90m. Wolseley has previously said it may sell up to 19 of its "non-core" businesses.
Sun European Partners – the owner of Homeform Group which operates the retail chains Sharps Bedrooms and Moben Kitchens, in addition to Dolphin Bathrooms – is believed to have held early-stage talks with Bathstore over a purchase that could deliver economies of scale.
In addition to the European arm of the US buyout firm Sun Capital Partners, other private equity firms are interested in Bathstore and are set to receive the sales memorandum over the coming days. It is unclear if the UK's three biggest DIY retailers, B&Q, Wickes and Homebase, are interested.
However, sources have questioned the reported price tag for Bathstore, adding that the retailer seems to have "not traded well" over recent years. One said that its performance was "very much correlated to the housing market", which is currently suffering from a mortgage famine and stagnating prices.
For the year to 31 July 2009, Bathstore delivered a pre-tax profit of £4.54m on sales of £106.7m, according to its latest accounts. In the report, the company said that in response to "difficult market conditions" it had cut its headcount by 124 and closed 19 stores. Including exceptional items of £16.8m, Bathstore made a loss of £12.28m over the period to July 2009.
Sun European Partners – which also owns the sofa chain ScS – acquired Homeform in April 2007.
Wolseley, Catalyst Corporate Finance and Sun European Partners declined to comment yesterday.
Oxford is the least affordable city in the UK, where houses cost 11 times local salaries
Swarm of killer bees sting woman 1,000 times
Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370: Oil slicks in South China Sea ‘not from missing jet’, officials say
Steve Irwin’s final words: Cameraman present at death opens up about deadly stingray attack for the first time
Oscar Pistorius trial: Athlete repeatedly throws up as court hears 'graphic details' of Reeva Steenkamp's autopsy
Britain's top vet sparks controversy with call for ban on slashing animals' throats in 'ritual' slaughters for halal and kosher meat products
If you're horrified by a flame-roasted dog, you should be shocked at a hog roast
Poor 'live like animals' says Boris's privately educated sister after going on 'poverty safari'
Exclusive: Impact of immigrants on British workers ‘negligible’
Vince Cable: Teachers 'know absolutely nothing' about the world of work
Ukraine crisis: Russia pledges to 'retaliate against sanctions' as Ukrainian president says Crimea vote will not be recognised
- 1 Oxford is the least affordable city in the UK, where houses cost 11 times local salaries
- 2 Australian man Rod Sommerville reacts to bite from deadly snake by reaching for cold beer
- 3 North Korea elections: Kim Jong-un wins 100% of the vote
- 4 David Cameron resorts to paying for Facebook fans because not enough people like him
- 5 Steve Irwin’s final words: Cameraman present at death opens up about deadly stingray attack for the first time
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DIAMOND BAR, CA (May 31, 2016) - Results of the 2016 SEMA Board of Directors election are in, with Chris Douglas from COMP Performance Group, Kyle Fickler of Aeromotive Inc. and Les Rudd from Bob Cook Sales elected to serve on the board. While Fickler is a current SEMA Board member who was re-elected onto the group, Douglas and Rudd will join as the newest members of the group.
WASHINGTON (April 18, 2016) – A recent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) decision has done little to protect the future of American motorsports and the racing industry. Despite Friday’s announcement, the EPA continues to claim that it has the authority to regulate street cars modified exclusively for the track. The racing industry cannot live with this doubt and uncertainty. The Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports (RPM) Act is the only solution that would make it clear now and in the future that the law allows emissions-certified street vehicles to be modified and converted for competition use.
WASHINGTON (April 15, 2016) – Today, SEMA President and CEO Chris Kersting released the following reaction to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) announcement that it would withdraw its proposed regulation on modified racecars:
DIAMOND BAR, CA (April 14, 2016) – Matt Agosta, Chip Foose and Gary Hooker will receive the industry's highest honor and be inducted into the SEMA Hall of Fame.
WASHINGTON (April 12, 2016) – U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI), Energy and Power Subcommittee Chairman Ed Whitfeld (R-KY), and Committee Member Richard Hudson (R-NC) sent a letter to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy calling for more information on the agency’s proposed regulation that threatens the racing community and industry, and tens of thousands of American jobs.
DIAMOND BAR, Calif. (April 1, 2016) – Today, seven state attorneys general sent a letter urging U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy to withdraw a proposed rule that threatens the racing industry, as well as tens of thousands of jobs throughout the United States.
Diamond Bar, CA (March 30, 2016)—The SEMA Young Executives Network (YEN) is now accepting applications for its annual Launch Pad competition at www.sema.org/launch-pad. The program, now in its fourth year, is a competition that offers young and emerging entrepreneurs in the automotive aftermarket the opportunity to jumpstart their businesses.
LENEXA, Kansas (March 23, 2016) - The SEMA Data Co-op (SDC) introduced a new feature that gives receivers instant data updates and makes it possible for manufacturers to get their products to market faster than ever before. Receivers will now automatically and instantly receive updated data formatted to their individual requirements, anytime a supplier publishes new information. With more than 1,200 manufacturers included in the repository, the SDC is the largest openly accessible industry product data repository.
Washington, DC (March 16, 2016) –SEMA President and CEO Chris Kersting recently testified before a key Congressional committee, urging Congress to continue to allow street vehicles to be modified and converted for motorsports competition. Kersting joined President of National Speed Sports News Ralph Sheheen, and legislative experts at the U.S. House Science, Space, and Technology Oversight Subcommittee hearing on Tuesday (available to view here). The committee examined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed rule that would prohibit the conversion of emissions-certified vehicles into racecars.
DIAMOND BAR, Calif. (March 14, 2016) - The following slate of candidates are vying for a seat on the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Board of Directors:


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FDA issues statement as valsartan recalls grow
Agency explains risk, details its ongoing investigation
The valsartan saga continued last week as Torrent Pharmaceuticals, Limited, expanded its recall of its valsartan products to include all unexpired lots, and FDA issued a about the agency’s ongoing investigation into valsartan products. FDA also updated its lists of and .
In its statement, FDA described the events that led up to the recall. In June, U.S. manufacturer Prinston Pharmaceuticals Inc., had contacted FDA‘s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research to inform the agency that it had stopped manufacturing valsartan products because it had detected trace amounts of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) in valsartan active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) supplied by Chinese manufacturer Zhejiang Huahai Pharmaceutical Co. Although the amounts of NDMA Prinston detected were small, FDA considers them to be unacceptable because NDMA is classified as a probable human carcinogen.
“We estimated that if 8,000 people took the highest valsartan dose [320 mg] from NDMA-affected medicines daily for 4 years (the amount of time we believed the affected products had been on the U.S. market), there may be one additional case of cancer over the lifetimes of these 8,000 people beyond the average cancer rate among Americans,” the statement says. “This estimate represented the highest possible level of NDMA exposure. It was a measure of the risk under the most extreme circumstances. Most patients who were exposed to the impurity through the use of valsartan received less exposure than this worst-case scenario.”
The statement goes on to explain that not all valsartan products were made with Zhejiang Huahai’s API, not all valsartan products have been recalled, and that patients should not stop taking their medication without consulting their health care providers and, if necessary, getting prescriptions for products that aren’t part of the recall. Furthermore, FDA is now testing all products in the angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) class to see if they contain NDMA because the steps for synthesizing other ARBs are similar to those for valsartan. The agency is also working with global regulatory agencies to exchange information about the results of inspections and laboratory tests, and about valsartan APIs worldwide.


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In a clinical trial on 20 elderly women, supplementation with the French maritime pine bark extract Pycnogenol improved a number of key skin health markers. The study is published in the journal Skin Pharmacology and Physiology
In a clinical trial on 20 elderly women, supplementation with the French maritime pine bark extract Pycnogenol improved a number of key skin health markers. The study is published in the journal Skin Pharmacology and Physiology.
In the open trial, researchers at the Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine (Düsseldorf, Germany) assigned women to 75 mg of Pycnogenol for 12 weeks. Researchers measured skin hydration, elasticity and fatigue at baseline, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks. Productin of hyaluronic acid and expression of two collagen-forming genes (Col1A1 and Col1A2) were also measured over the same periods.
Compared to baseline, 12 weeks of supplementation with Pycnogenol resulted in improvements in skin hydration (8%) and skin elasticity (25%), as well as slightly reduced skin fatigue. Collagen-related gene expression also benefited from Pycnogenol, but it was an average increase in hyaluronic acid production by 44% that may be most significant.
“Hyaluronic acid binds large quantities of water in the skin and in other tissues, such as cartilage,” said Pycnogenol supplier Horphag Research (Hoboken, NJ). “An increased amount of hyaluronic acid explains the increased skin hydration, higher elasticity, and overall smoother skin appearance found in women taking Pycnogenol.”
The company claims that Pycnogenol is the only natural supplement to demonstrate this stimulation of hyaluronic acid. The new skin health study adds to what Horphag says is an already extensive collection of positive skin health studies on Pycnogenol.


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Close to the heels of Societe Generale’s job listing for a blockchain and bitcoin developer, another major French bank BNP Paribas has announced its involvement in bitcoin and blockchain technology research. According to a few news sources, the banking giant is looking to add bitcoin to one of its currency funds.
In these times, where the banks are forced to innovate and embrace the technology behind bitcoin and digital currencies, this piece of information does not come as a surprise. The bitcoin technology has emerged as a threat to the traditional banking and financial sector mainly due to its capability of offering easy, fast, cheaper and more secure fund transfers. Banks are now trying to keep up with the bitcoin industry by exploring possible ways of adopting the same technology for moving fiat currency across borders and between branches.
The spokesperson for BNP Paribas has recently confirmed that the financial institution is currently involved in beta testing cryptocurrency based applications. The bank will soon be making an announcement about its progress.
In the spokesperson’s words – “ We are looking at blockchain technology and how it can be applied to post trade processes to make things faster and potentially cheaper, but


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While equity markets have been tough in 2016, BorgWarner's (BWA -3.02%) nearly 33% fall year to date, and its 42% decline in the past year, both deserve some inspection. Part of the reason for the fall was the company's recent disappointing guidance. So let's take a closer look at what's going on and whether the stock is now worth buying.
BorgWarner lowers growth estimates
After a difficult 2015, in which management lowered investor expectations for three quarters in a row, the market was ill prepared for the guidance cut unveiled at the Deutsche Bank Auto Industry Conference in mid-January. In a departure from its usual practice, management gave detailed earnings guidance for the first quarter of 2016 and the full year. However, it was the cut to its mid-term outlook that caught my eye.
BorgWarner significantly reduced its new business expectations for the next couple of years. The market reacted by promptly taking the stock down by double digits.
In fact, the midpoint of growth expectations for 2016 to 2017 was cut by some 55%, from 1,100 million to 500 million. The reason? In his presentation, CEO James Verrier attributed the reduction to two factors:
- 40% of the 55% is due to launch timing, volume, and cadence issues.
- The remaining 15% of the 55% was put down to macroeconomic issues.
In a nutshell, the company's previous guidance proved overly optimistic, and management is resetting investor expectations to a more realistic set of targets. Indeed, management went on to express comfort in hitting these targets, and also its EPS forecast for $3.11 to $3.22 for the full year 2016.
Time to buy?
While the downgrade is disappointing, the case for buying stock is starting to look more attractive. It's based on four points:
- Management's reset of expectations -- along with, one hopes, a line in the sand with regard to earnings guidance.
- Underlying demand for BorgWarner's products that has, Verrier argued, remained the same.
- Auto market demand.
I've dealt with the first point already. Turning to underlying demand, Verrier assured investors that demand for its products remained in place and reiterated claims that even with a potential increase in the electrification of the powertrain -- brought about by increasing electric vehicles -- the company could still prosper. It's cause for concern, because BorgWarner's most important products are diesel and gas turbochargers.
In valuation terms, the stock now trades at around $30, so even if you accept the low point of 2016 EPS guidance, it trades on a forward P/E ratio of around 9.6. Similarly, the low point of its 2016 free cash flow guidance of $400 million to $475 million puts it on a forward free cash flow-to-enterprise value yield (EV being market cap plus net debt) of slightly more than 5% -- not bad for a company investing heavily to develop products for future regulatory requirements on vehicles.
Finally, other companies have given positive outlooks on auto demand in 2016. For example, Johnson Controls (JCI -0.80%) expects China's automotive production to increase almost 11% in 2016, with government incentives spurring demand.
Before hitting the buy button, there are two key considerations.
First, management's argument that issues with launch timing, volume, and cadence were behind the larger part of the reduction in its guidance. In reality, when an economy slows down, it's very common to hear companies discuss launch delays and the issues with the timing of sales patterns. Frankly, it's very difficult to divorce these issues from macroeconomic concerns. In other words, if the economy keeps slowing, then there is no guarantee that BorgWarner might not face more launch delays and the like.
Second, the guidance that companies such as Johnson Controls have been giving on automotive sales in China, the world's largest market, appears to rely on the current spurt of growth continuing through 2016. On Johnson Controls last earnings call, CEO Alex Molinaroli said the Government of China would have incentives in place for at least 15 months -- the industry is strategically important to the country.
Indeed, the fourth quarter saw a very strong increase as government tax incentives kicked in:
On the other hand, China's economy has definitely slowed, and when the incentive impact fades, it's hard to know where automotive sales will go -- an especially pertinent consideration for Johnson Controls investors due to the intended spinoff of its automotive business later this year.
All told, management is trying to regain the confidence of the market by taking down expectations and being more prudent in its sales assumptions. All of this is a good thing and helps build a base for the stock. However, while the uncertainty on the outlook for auto sales -- particularly in China -- remains in place, the stock is probably one for cautious investors to avoid. For those convinced the auto sector will have a good year, now could be a good time to invest in the stock.


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Economics, just as much as politics, was on the agenda when Donald Trump visited Saudi Arabia. As the trip was ending, Mr Trump spelt out the implications of the massive arms deal and other commercial agreements signed in Riyadh: “Jobs, jobs, jobs”.
It’s reasonable to assume that the majority of these will be American factory jobs, a pleasing prospect for the president of the United States. Mr Trump ran on a campaign that promised to create “millions of manufacturing jobs”. The idea was to get US factories humming again, with armies of decently compensated workers happily going about their jobs.
It is a seductive image, one that western politicians routinely employ to suggest a connection with voters’ bread-and-butter issues. Less than a two weeks before he was elected president, Emmanuel Macron went to a Whirlpool plant in Amiens in northern France, in an attempt to empathise with concerns it might move to Poland. His election opponent, Marine Le Pen, had already declared that more things should be “Made in France”. UK prime minister Theresa May has promised a “comprehensive industrial strategy”. And George Osborne, Britain’s former finance minister, once spoke of “a Britain carried aloft by the march of the makers”.
But isn’t the traditional factory job rather old-fashioned for the 21st century? It’s worth noting Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg’s comments when he visited a Ford car factory near Detroit late last month. Mr Zuckerberg said that the assembly line workers he met perform the same set of tasks “every 52 seconds … 650 times a day”.
As a leading light of the new economy, he sounded both shocked and awed. By extrapolation, those jobs may be suitable for robots, who would be less trouble won’t need bathroom breaks, and are unlikely to be troubled by the sort of concentration-and-efficiency-sapping problems that affect human workers – a bad back, a sick child, a dying parent.
None of this is news. We already know, courtesy of the North American advocacy group Robotics Industries Association, that more than 265,000 robots were at work in US factories at the start of the year. We know of an Australian robot that can do more in one hour than two human bricklayers accomplish in a day or longer. We know there is a US-manufactured robot that can efficiently and more productively replace the supermarket shelf-stacker. And that Sweden has produced a cow-milking robot. We know that more robots and automated systems are in the works for a multitude of low-skilled tasks.
But the problem for 21st-century factories in the developed world goes deeper than automation. Everything points to the need for a whole new definition for the factory and its likely workforce. The late American business administration professor Warren Bennis offered the following thumbnail sketch back in the 1990s: “The factory of the future will have only two employees, a man and a dog. The man will be there to feed the dog. The dog will be there to keep the man from touching the equipment.”
What’s encouraging about that slightly jokey prediction is it continues to see a role for at least one human being in each factory. Even so, it’s undeniable that the traditional idea of factory jobs – thousands of human beings toiling cheek by jowl in a machine that builds the machine or some other mass-market product – is due for a rewrite. Value-added technological innovation is increasingly seen as the way to go, especially for developed countries faced with automation, advances in robotics and artificial intelligence.
Consider the words of Republican Congressman Todd Rokita from the 4th District of Indiana, a state that voted for Mr Trump in the November 2016 presidential election. The incumbent congressman responded to the re-election challenge he personally faced from a Trump-supporting opponent by attacking the argument that Indiana needed more old-style factory jobs. No, said, Mr Rokita, Indiana does not need jobs that call for “shooting screws”. It needs knowledge economy work and it should prepare its people to staff it up. Mr Rokita won the election. And possibly the larger argument.
After all, as a study by the Asian Development Bank Institute has found, the US economy doesn’t lose much because Apple’s iPhones are manufactured in China. The process of assembling an iPhone – done by Chinese workers in factories in China – apparently accounts for just 3.6 per cent of the production cost. The companies that developed the signature technologies and provide the components earn the bulk of the ticket price.
Of course, what works for America doesn’t suit everywhere else. Developing countries such as India, which are populous and poor, need all the jobs they can get. The UAE, which is building its manufacturing sector, will obviously also see a smorgasbord of factory jobs of all sorts at least until 2025.
Not so the West, which needs to prepare its workers for the factories of the future. The rise of robots for instance, which need to be serviced and programmed, is likely to create a slew of new factory jobs for humans – as technicians, coders and engineers. These new categories of work won’t be low-skilled in the way of the original factory jobs. These came into being in 18th-century Britain’s textile and brass mills and subsequently mutated in the early 20th century as the result of Henry Ford’s innovations.
Now that the factory job must be remodelled once again, it’s time for politics to unite with economics to sell the idea.
Rashmee Roshan Lall is a writer on world affairs
On Twitter: @rashmeerl


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dotCMS 5.1 has been released with a range of enhancements aimed at both marketers and developers. The open source Java CMS now offers "Edit Mode Anywhere," enabling marketers and business users to edit customer experiences a headless CMS environment. This includes inline editing, layout design, personalization, drag-and-drop capabilities and device-specific content previews, no matter what front-end framework is being used.
The big news for developers comes in the form of native Graphql support, as well as "Scripting as a Service," a dotCMS feature that allows users to construct their responses at runtime by PUTting and POSTing Velocity script in the request. dotCMS 5.1 then renders the Velocity script and returns the result as either a JSON or as a text snippet.
Additional features of dotCMS 5.1 include:
- Content Types and Field Variables.
- Content Relationships.
- Improved Accessibility.
- Improved Security.
WordPress Now Powers One-Third of the Web
As we stand, we’re between the February release of WordPress 5.1 "Betty," and the impending release of WordPress 5.2, which is now in beta, and features an update to the WordPress block editor.
But in the meantime, Automattic and the WordPress community have news to celebrate, according to W3Techs, WordPress now powers over one-third of the top 10 million sites on the web. WordPress’ Joost de Valk remarked that the company’s market share “has been growing steadily over the last few years, going from 29.9 percent just one year ago to 33.4 percent now.”
Liferay Portal 7.2 CE Alpha 1 Released
March marked a new milestone for the impending launch of Liferay Portal 7.2 CE, thanks to the release of Alpha 1. The Liferay Portal 7.2 CE Alpha 1 release offers several new features including:
- Online File Creation and Editing with Google Docs - Users can now create and edit documents and media files online in Google Docs, Google Sheets and Google Slides. When using Google Docs (or any of the other Google document services) to create or edit documents and Media files, that file aren't permanently stored in Google Drive. Google is used only for its document editing UI. User edits are saved to Liferay's Documents and Media Library.
- Sharing Files - Users can now share Documents and Media files directly. When sharing a file, users can only grant view, comment or update permissions. Users can't grant permissions they don't have themselves and must at least grant view permission. The receiving user must be part of the same Liferay instance, but doesn't have to be a member of the same site.
- Image Auto-tagging - Liferay Portal can now automatically apply tags to images uploaded to Documents and Media Files. The available image auto-tagging providers are TensorFlow (default), Google Cloud Vision and Microsoft Cognitive Services. Applied tags are currently in English only.
BloomReach Releases Experience Manager v 13.1
On March 20, BloomReach updated its CMS product with the release of version 13.1. The release gives BloomReach customers expanded deployment options, with two new capabilities highlighted:
- Docker Support — With this, developers can now build a docker image in the dev environment; create a container for their Experience Manager project; and create microservices specific to the project hosted on their cloud of choice.
- Scheduled Campaigns — An addition aimed at improving the flow and oversight into campaigns for end users, Scheduled Campaigns live up to its name. Specifically, marketers can work within Project to set start and end dates for campaigns, time for publication, merge running campaigns and more. Activity can be tracked with a color-coded schedule status which displays historical dates of the campaign running.
Further updates can be found in the full Experience Management version 13.1 release notes.
More Open Source CMS Headlines
Processwire has released ProMailer, a built-in email marketing platform to help users reach out to their customers and clients via email without using third-party tools. Moreover, Processwire 3.0.127 contains almost 30 new commits.


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Micromax launches new LED TVs
The Smart Television range of 32 inches, 40 inches and 50 inches priced at Rs 19,999, Rs 29,999 and Rs 42,999 respectively.
Micromax,Panasonic partner RJio for free voice, data service
Reliance Jio, which is expected to roll out commercial services in the coming mo...
Micromax announces new laptop series
The Rs 18,990 LPQ61408W is powered by Intel Pentium N3700 processor and comes pre-bundled with Windows 1...
Micromax prepares to cash in on 3G-to-4G shift
Micromax said that it is in discussions with ‘leading 4G service providers’ for bundled-service offers but however refused to reveal the operators’ names.
Micromax to revive Yu brand to take on Chinese smartphone makers like Vivo, Oppo and others
Yu will be elevated as the flagship brand targeting youth in the premium segment and Micromax will focus on feature and smartphones priced under Rs 12,000.
Micromax aims for 12 per cent share in TV space, launches smart TV range
The Smart TV range will be available on Flipkart in 32, 40 and 50 inch screens starting from Rs 19,999, Rs 29,999 and Rs 42,999, respectively.
Oppo, Vivo & Gionee gain significant market share at the cost of Samsung, Micromax & Intex
The three Chinese brands, which have emerged as trade favourites due to a margin payout that’s 5-6% more than what the other mainstream brands offer.
Micromax, Intex and Lava to start assembling devices locally
Micromax is in talks with component makers for assembling display panels locally, while Intex is planning to begin assembling PCBs at its upcoming Noida plant.
Mobile phone makers like Intex, Micromax and others not abandoning feature phones as they make comeback
Besides lesser known brands, players such as Samsung and Micromax still consider feature phones a key segment that offers good margins.
Micromax launches Unite 4 & Unite 4 pro smartphones
Micromax will strengthen support for regional languages on its devices and is launching two new smartphones supporting 12 Indian languages.
Micromax eyeing to enter Chinese market by next year
The company has entered international markets including Russia, where it is No 3, facing stiff competition from Lenovo, Vivo, Oppo and Xiaomi in India.
Micromax, Lava, Intex intend to beef up through local manufacturing
Local players want to create ecosystem of component vendors within the country to bring higher efficiency and economy of scale to their manufacturing plans.
Micromax, Intex and other Indian smartphone makers eye growth in consumer durables
Intex Technologies, the third-largest homegrown smartphone player, started making washing machines in 2013 and LED televisions last year.
Samsung, Micromax and other smartphone makers count on good rains to increase sales
Intex’ director Keshav Bansal expects more rural users to switch from feature to smartphones, while replacement market will move towards higher models.
Micromax launches 'Bolt Selfie' & 'Canvas Selfie 4'
Selfie lovers alert! Micromax on Tuesday launched two new devices which will be available on Flipkart.


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As we stand on the cusp of a new year, the financial technology (fintech) landscape continues to evolve at a rapid pace, driven by technological advancements, changing consumer expectations, and global economic shifts. The year 2023 brought several fintech giants closer to earning profitability while some firms like ZestMoney decided to shutdown because of unsuccessful attempts to revive the business under new management and regulatory uncertainty.
How will the year 2024 be for the fintech industry? Here are the key trends that are set to define the fintech frontier in the coming year.
AI and Machine Learning Evolution
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning will continue to play a pivotal role in shaping FinTech solutions. From enhanced fraud detection and risk management to personalized financial advice, AI-driven applications will become more sophisticated. The integration of AI into customer service, investment strategies, and regulatory compliance will further optimize and streamline financial processes.
UPI and the global acceptance
The Unified Payments Interface (UPI) can be seen as the most important pillar of fintech. The Indian government has made it evident that it aims to globalize UPI. NPCI has utilized the success of UPI in India to introduce it to regions including Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and the UK. In 2023, UPI also underwent enhancements and introduced new features, including conversational payments, NFC-based offline payments, UPI Tap & Pay, and the addition of a credit line on UPI.
Digital lending and regulatory focus
Digital lending will remain a key focus for both the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the government. Recent directives targeted at digital platforms advertising fraudulent loan apps indicate a crackdown that may affect legitimate apps as well. Stricter guidelines announced by the RBI in November 2023, especially in the realm of unsecured lending, are expected to lead to higher lending rates for retail loans, according to a report by Inc42.
Jio Financial Services and other fintech giants
Jio Financial Services is giving a tough competition to fintech majors. The company has launched personal loan services for salaried and self-employed individuals and also has Jio Payments Bank to improve its payments vertical and capitalise on UPI.
Enhanced Cybersecurity Measures
With the increasing digitization of financial services comes a heightened need for robust cybersecurity. In 2024, fintech firms will need to enhance their cybersecurity measures, including biometric authentication, encryption technologies, and decentralized identity solutions, to safeguard user data and maintain the trust of consumers in an era of growing cyber threats.
The year 2024 holds immense promise for the fintech industry as it continues to redefine the way people engage with financial services.


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China’s bid to claim a mercantile care is gaining traction in a pull for an Asia-wide trade agreement in a arise of Donald Trump’s choosing victory, that dashed hopes for a U.S.-led understanding that would have taken in about 40 percent of a tellurian economy.
President Xi Jinping is approaching to use this week’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation limit in Lima to advantage movement for a Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, that China has championed in new years. Moving brazen on a pact, prolonged designed as a counterweight to a Trans-Pacific Partnership from that China is left out, would give it larger mercantile status in a segment where it is seeking to excommunicate U.S. influence.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday reliable his republic is branch courtesy toward RCEP — that would in spin replace a U.S. That’s even as he skeleton to stop off in New York on Thursday en track to Lima to accommodate Trump and make a last-ditch sales representation for a TPP.
With President-Elect Trump observant a Barack Obama-championed TPP would be “catastrophic” for a U.S. economy and Congress, and a possibility of it flitting in a sore steep event looking increasingly remote, a appearing passing gives China an opportunity. Frustrated by a some-more protectionist U.S. subsidy divided from its own pact, Asian nations might tumble behind on Xi’s plan.
A China-led agreement would be “a good choice for those countries that rest heavily on giveaway trade, including Australia, Singapore and Japan,” according to Song Hong, a comparison associate during a Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, that advises a supervision on policy. “Facing Trump’s protectionist position and lukewarm tellurian trade, a RCEP could be a new option.”
The intensity advantages from what a TPP or RCEP would offer countries like Japan are comparable, according to Capital Economics. While a RCEP would concentration generally on obscure tariffs, a TPP would find to reduce non-tariff barriers such as state support for government-backed companies and improving labor and environmental standards.
China is fervent to get RCEP concluded to this year, though recognizes it is unlikely, according to a comparison method executive who has been concerned in talks for a pact. Some countries would cite to wait and see if TPP can somehow recover traction once Trump is in office, a executive said.
A series of nations are discreet about a discussions around obscure tariffs on rural products, with others potentially against to changing disastrous lists on unfamiliar investment, a executive added. China will pull Australia and Japan in sold to take a lead in relocating forward, a chairman said.
‘Beacon of Hope’
While a RCEP falls brief of a lofty goals set for TPP, that was presented as a centerpiece of Obama’s mercantile and troops rebalancing to Asia, it might still paint a poignant milestone, Hong Kong-based HSBC Holdings Plc Economist Joseph Incalcaterra wrote in a investigate note.
“The TPP was a guide of wish in an sourroundings of resigned trade activity and diseased tellurian growth,” Incalcaterra said. “Despite drawbacks, a RCEP should assistance boost trade volumes opposite Asia and coax investment in new supply chains.”
The RCEP, that would be a initial pan-Asian trade understanding ever, was launched by a Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 2012, and has left by 15 rounds of negotiations. These have been looking to accommodate India’s fears of a widening trade necessity with China, as good Japan’s hostility to open a rural sector.
The 16 countries concerned in RCEP embody all 10 members of Asean as good as China, Japan, India, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. They paint about 30 percent of tellurian gross domestic product and roughly half a world’s population. Some had already sealed adult for a TPP. As for a 5 TPP signatories in a Americas, they would be left out.
“It’s protected to contend that we will change concentration to RCEP should a TPP not go ahead,” Abe told lawmakers in Tokyo on Tuesday. He will communicate his thoughts on giveaway trade to Trump, carrying formerly pronounced it was “unfortunate” that protectionism was on a arise in a U.S.
As good as RCEP, China is subsidy a broader Free Trade Area of a Asia Pacific, that according to Australian Trade Minister Steven Ciobo will be on a bulletin during APEC this week.
“It looks during a existent barriers to trade and investment flows between APEC economies and sets out a subsequent stairs as we work to pierce this desirous endeavour to life,” Ciobo pronounced in an e-mailed matter on Tuesday. “A high-quality FTAAP would promote larger market access, by a some-more turn personification margin for Australia’s exporters and suppliers.”
China consecrated a vital investigate by APEC countries into a FTAAP during a Beijing limit in 2014, that it’s due to recover this year. But with a Trump administration eschewing TPP, FTAAP would also seem to be a prolonged shot.
Read a BNA research of a Trump shade over a APEC summit
HSBC’s Incalcaterra estimates RCEP could be a plain satisfaction devise for Vietnam, that was widely seen as many expected to get an evident mercantile boost from TPP. It stands to advantage from increasing sourcing of prolongation from Japan, South Korea and China.
Singapore might be a nation that gets a slightest advantage from RCEP, as it already has free-trade agreements with other member nations, according to HSBC.
The awaiting of trade tensions between China and a U.S. has caused unease, generally with Trump’s debate hazard to strike Chinese imports with tariffs. Such a pierce would be bad for a tellurian economy, according to Australian executive bank Governor Philip Lowe.
Anything that endangers giveaway trade is “a outrageous hazard to the economy,” Lowe pronounced after a debate in Melbourne on Tuesday evening, adding “I wish wiser heads will overcome here.”


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The iPhone 5S and 5C has gone on sale officially in US, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, Singapore and the UK as part of the first wave countries. While most buyers are excited with their new purchase, it is also time for another round of drop test from Android Authority.
This time, it is a double drop with both aluminium clad iPhone 5S and the new polycarbonate iPhone 5C. While the iPhone 5S has a similar body construction as the iPhone 5, it is interesting to see how would the new iPhone 5C fare against drops at various heights. Is it as tough as the polycarbonate Nokia Lumia?
Watch the drop test video after the break.


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Since July, Beverly Goldie, the facilitator of the GMO Awareness Group of the North Olympic Peninsula, has been collecting signatures for “Yes on I-522” the statewide initiative campaign to label GMO foods. (Part 1)
Part 2 of Beverly Goldie’s interview in front of the Food Coop Port Townsend store.
To get I-522 on the November 2013 ballot in Washington state, the Secretary of State’s office recommends collecting 320,000 signatures by December 31, to ensure 241,153 of them are valid.
Deb Shortess, Food Coop Port Townsend store inventory, pricing & systems (SIPS) Manager, explains the retail store’s GMO awareness program. They labeled their shelves with signage that shows what products are certified by the Bellingham based Non-GMO Project.
In the September/August Food Coop Port Townsend newsletter, “GMOS: A History…and why it’s hard to avoid them” was published on page 14.
QR Code Link From “Tips To Avoid GMOs” Sign: Non-GMO Shopping Guide (Mobile App)
Proposition 37 is on the November 6, 2012 ballot in California as an initiated state statute. It is also referred to as “The California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act.” Prop 37 (Yes/no) YouTube PlayList (8+ hours, 72 videos, updated daily)


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| WMU News
KALAMAZOO, Mich.—A consumer marketing expert will be the next presenter in Western Michigan University's 2014-15 Distinguished Speaker Series.
Michael Steele, founder, president and CEO of Advantage Communications Inc., will present "A Unique Perspective on Consumer Responsibility" at 12:30 p.m. Thursday, March 26, on campus in 2000 Schneider Hall.
The event is free and open to the public and being hosted by the Haworth College of Business. Registration is requested for the talk, which will be followed by a question-and-answer period.
A seasoned veteran of the marketing and communications industry, Steele is a leader at Advantage Communications Inc., a full-service communications, advertising and public relations agency in Little Rock, Arkansas. He has partnered with clients in various industries to increase product distribution in underserved areas and has pioneered branding strategies to help increase revenues.
Steele earned a bachelor's degree in communication from WMU in 1974 and a Master of Business Administration from Bowling Green State University, then began his career at Stroh Brewery Co.
While there, he faced the challenge of positioning the brand to be the premier beverage choice among other national brands. He established a marketing strategy for growth and success, succeeded in the rebranding effort and won numerous advertising awards for his accomplishments in the field.
Later in his career, Steele held brand management positions with the Coca-Cola Co., including director of Olympic marketing for the 1996 Olympic games. In this role, Steele managed participation from more than 100 countries and achieved a first-ever return on investment for Coca-Cola's Olympic sponsors.
Steele's understanding of consumer goods marketing and brand profitability optimization helped him found Advantage Communications Inc. in 2000.
He has successfully grown the company to include a telecommunications subdivision with national-brand clients and has positioned the company as a leader in advocacy for educational challenges in Arkansas and throughout the United States.
For more information or to register, visit wmich.edu/business/rsvp-dss or contact Cyntia Reeves at email@example.com or (269) 387-5069. Free parking will be available nearby in the Fetzer Center's parking lot.
For more news, arts and events, visit wmich.edu/news.


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Italian vineyards see a glass that's half full in China
Updated: 2015-03-26 11:01
By WANG HUAZHONG(China Daily)
Imported wines from Europe shown in Nanjing (International) Wine and Spirits Exhibition in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, May 10, 2014. [Photo/Asianewsphoto]
Italy is looking to topple France as China's top wine exporter, a senior Italian official in Chengdu said on Wednesday.
French wine continues to dominate the Chinese market, and wines from Chile and Australia enjoy tariff reductions. But Sergio Maffettone, the Italian consul-general in Chongqing and former news counselor of the Italian Embassy in China, insists there is "huge space for improvement" for Italian wine to gain market share.
Maffettone said the Italian government is supporting Italian companies and producers "by all means" possible in their efforts to export more to China.
Wine from the country's main exporting region, the Apennine Peninsula, currently occupies around 7 percent share of all imported wines in China. Italy trails France, Australia, Chile and Spain as the fifth-biggest exporter.
Chilean wine was granted tariff exemption from the start of this year, and Australian wine will be given the same advantage over the coming three years, thanks to recently signed free trade agreements with China.
Maffettone is confident, however, that Italian wine can take the number one spot, as Chinese drinking habits shift away from buying expensive wines to cheaper, mass-produced labels, such as those from his country, which are still considered quality nonetheless.
"Some Chinese have been choosing the most expensive ones to be sure of the quality, but once the consumers get to know the taste (of Italian wine), they find a new world opens," Maffettone said.
A recent report has already observed a shift in wine tastes in China. The report was released by the Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University, which is located in the Yangling Demonstration Zone of Agricultural Hi-tech Industries, 80 kilometers from Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi province.
It showed the Chinese market consumed 1.94 billion bottles of wine last year, a 5.6 percent increase from 2013－but it also said that the market has entered an era when value for money has become more important, and that suits mass-produced varieties.
"Italian wine was less known to the United States 30 years ago, but now its quality has won it the largest share in the world's biggest consumer market," said Maffettone.


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Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging, announced that its parent company, Canon Inc., registered a company record of 2,543 new patents in 2010, ranking fourth overall based on weekly patent counts issued by United States Patent and Trademark Office. Marking the 18th consecutive year the Company has ranked among the top five patent holders, the 2,543 patents received in 2010 represent a 15 percent increase from 2009, bringing the Company's total number of patents since 2000 to more than 22,500.
"2010 was an exciting and groundbreaking year for Canon as it marked the highest number of patents the Company has ever received in a single year," said Seymour Liebman, executive vice president, chief administrative officer and general counsel, Canon U.S.A. "These figures are a true testament to Canon's long-standing legacy and commitment to innovation. Each year, Canon invests nearly ten percent of global revenue into research and development so we are able to continually enhance our current products and develop new technologies that keep us on the cutting edge of innovation."
The patent portfolio of Canon has contributed to the successful introduction of several products in the marketplace today. The Canon PIXMA MG8120 and MG6120 introduced a new light guidance system - a first for personal desktop printers and incorporated Canon's Full High Definition (HD) Movie Print1 mode. The Canon imagePRESS C7010VP, which was designed incorporating customer feedback, represents the next installment of the Company's flagship imagePRESS lineup for the production and graphic arts markets. Additionally, Canon brought to market the CXDI-70C Wireless Digital Radiography (DR) detector which is the Company's first wireless DR system.


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It’s 2017, and all Apple fans can talk about is the iPhone 8. The device is expected to offer a radical redesign with a bezel-less display and a high resolution screen that dominates the front of the phone like no other before it. But today is also the tenth anniversary of the original iPhone, and to help mark the occasion, longtime Apple employee Ken Kocienda took to Twitter to offer a look back at the first Apple smartphone, as well as the internal prototypes that preceded it.
Here are two iPhone prototypes. We called them Wallabies. I used these devices to make the software keyboard. pic.twitter.com/qbofBL3RUt
— Ken Kocienda (@kocienda) June 29, 2017
The devices, which Kocienda says were called “Wallabies” inside Apple’s walls, are a far cry from anything you’d see in a pocket today. They’re huge, thick, and far from eye-catching, even when compared to the bulky retail version of the first iPhone, and they’re a great reminder of just how rapidly personal technology has advanced in the past decade.
That first Apple phone boasted some impressive specs for its time, but today seems almost laughable. A 3.5-inch display at just 320×480, 128 MB of memory, and a 2.0 MP camera — not to mention a default storage size of just 4 GB.
“I kept those devices in my desk drawer for years,” Kocienda tweeted. “When I left Apple, returning this hardware was tough, like saying goodbye to old friends.”
Kocienda, who just left Apple in early May, was with the company for an impressive 16 years, working on human interface design and (according to his own tweets) was involved in the development of the software keyboard that the iPhone became so well known for.


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Charoen Pokphand Foods Public Company Limited (CP Foods) will increase the proportion of new healthy and nutritious products from 35% to 50% within 2030 as well as producing more sustainable innovations and projects in response to global sustainability trends.
On World Food Day on 16th October, Wuthichai Sithipreedanant, Senior Vice President for Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development at CP Foods, said that the company recently announced the new sustainability strategy "CPF 2030 Sustainability in Action" for sustainable growth in the next 9 years (2021-2030).
CP Foods, as the world's leading food producer, has committed to developing and producing food to meet the needs of consumers around the world with innovation and modern technology, delivering safe, highly nutritious food with an emphasis on environmentally friendly production processes. As a result, the company has set up new sustainability goals that address the world's critical issues such as climate change, food loss and food waste, as well as food security.
The 2030’s target included increasing the proportion of healthy and nutritious new products from 35% this year to 50%, and raising sales of low-carbon products from 20% to 40%. To achieve these goals, CP Foods has developed multiple food innovations in recent years such as Plant-Based Protein under the brand Meat Zero, probiotics animal feed , brown rice-fed Benja Chicken and omega-3-rich Cheeva Pork.
“The COVID-19 epidemic is a catalyst for global change. CP Foods strives to develop innovations in an response to the rapid changes in consumer’s demand and build food security for 35 million daily consumers with better and healthier food and beverages,” said Mr. Wuttichai.
CP Foods’ outstanding achievement in the area of innovation has been recognized with this year’s National Innovation Awards for Innovative Organisations from the National Innovation Agency.
To reduce food waste, the company has joined forces with Scholars of Sustenance Foundation (SOS) and , and GEPP Sa-Ard to cook surplus food into more than 12,000 delicious and safe meals for the underprivileged and vulnerable groups, and also encourages communities to learn how to collect and return plastic waste for proper recycle process. This project helps reduce food waste by more than 2,800 kg and greenhouse gas emissions by more than 6,014 kg carbon dioxide equivalent.


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The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine was a full expansion released for the game earlier this year, and it wowed a lot of fans who loved the base game. Taking players to the brand new region of Touissant, Geralt got to take on a whole slew of brand new side quests, story missions, and of course, new creepy monster encounters.
Blood and Wine, which is an expansion by the way, got nominated for the Best RPG award this year, and went home with it. It’s also worth noting that The Witcher 3 bagged the Game of the Year award last year as well, so this is the game’s second big win a year after its official release.
The Witcher 3 is now available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.