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AMSTERDAM — Ahold has moved its Tops chain in upstate New York to the bottom of the asset-sales pecking order, according to officials at the company, based here.
In a conference call with analysts discussing Ahold's fourth-quarter results, John Rishton, executive vice president and chief financial officer, said the company may not be able to sell the Tops chain until the end of 2007 because it has been occupied with efforts to sell its Polish operations, its joint venture in Portugal and its U.S. Foodservice division.
“I think that one of the harsh realities we have had to face is that just announcing stuff doesn't mean it has happened,” Rishton said. “There is a huge amount of work that goes into any divestment or acquisition.
“We are getting on with Tops, but they just can't all happen together,” he said. “We just don't have the capabilities to make it all happen together.”
He also pointed out that Ahold is not “desperate for the cash” that would come from the sale of Tops, which operates about 68 stores in Pennsylvania and upstate New York, mostly in the Buffalo area.
“The issue here is, how do we get the best value from the divestments that we're making, and usually rushing to sell doesn't bring you the best value,” he said. “So we'll take our time.”
One retail real estate professional in the region, who asked not to be identified, said that so far interest from potential buyers seems to have been limited to a few individual Tops locations.
“I'm not hearing about anyone looking at all the stores in the Buffalo market, for example,” he said.
Potential buyers for some or all of the Tops locations, he said, include the same companies that have already acquired Tops stores in Ohio and eastern New York: C&S Wholesale Grocers, Price Chopper and Giant Eagle.
“Wegmans could also be interested in a few of the stores,” he added, and a private equity firm could also emerge as a bidder for the whole chain, possibly in partnership with former Tops executives.
Matthew Truman, a London-based analyst with Lehman Bros., projected that Ahold could fetch about $450 million for Tops, or seven times projected EBITDA for 2007. Sales at the chain are projected to be about $1.5 billion in 2007. Tops' same-store sales were down 5.5% in 2006.
“We value Tops at 0.3 times sales, given its higher exposure to onerous leases than its peer group,” Truman wrote in a report.
He estimated Ahold could obtain about $6 billion for U.S. Foodservice, the Columbia, Md.-based distributor that is expected to be sold in the coming months. Last week, reports said Ahold had invited food-service distributor Sysco Corp., Houston, to bid for the division. Other reports have indicated interest from private equity firms, including Bain Capital, Blackstone Group, Clayton, Dubilier & Rice and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.
Analysts increased their optimism about the prospects for Ahold to garner a good price on its divestments after the company said it would increase its share-repurchase program to about $4 billion, up from the previous plan of about $2.7 billion in share repurchases.
The news of the stock repurchase, combined with ongoing strong financial results at the company's Albert Heijn chain in the Netherlands and its retail operations in Scandinavia, helped propel a spike in Ahold's share price last week.
Ahold also said it was encouraged by the early results from its “value improvement program” (VIP) at its Stop & Shop and Giant-Landover chains in the U.S., although analysts said they were less clear on the positive impact of that initiative.
VIP, which has been adapted from a strategy that has produced strong results in the Netherlands, involves moving to an EDLP platform for most products, category by category, and reducing product selection to trim costs.
“The update on VIP in the U.S. did not increase our confidence on the timing and potential of its success,” said Patrick Roquas, an analyst with Rabo Securities here. “We perceive that volume growth has not picked up materially.”
Ahold officials in the conference call declined to provide details about the impact of the EDLP rollout on sales, citing the fact that the accompanying SKU reduction makes comparisons difficult.
The company has implemented the program in four categories: produce, paper, baby care and household products, altogether accounting for about 15% of sales volume at Stop & Shop and Giant-Landover. The company anticipates converting half of its product volume to VIP by the end of this year and 75% by the end of 2008.
In produce, which accounts for 10% of sales and was the first category to be converted to the program about six months ago, the company has reduced the number of SKUs by 30% and increased inventory turns by 15%. That has resulted in an increase in product freshness of about two days, Ahold said.
“It was clear that our prices were too high and that customers valued freshness ahead of variety,” said Anders Moberg, chief executive officer, Ahold, in the conference call.
Lawrence Benjamin, chief operating officer, Ahold USA, said the company measures its success using customer satisfaction scores, and has been encouraged by the results.
“We have seen improvements in both pricing perception for produce and quality perception for produce,” he said.
As part of its cost reduction plan, Ahold also said it plans to close seven Stop & Shop stores and two regional support facilities in North Haven, Conn., and Edison, N.J. An undisclosed number of support positions will also be eliminated in the $50 million cost savings initiative. A Stop & Shop spokeswoman said the company is shifting to a network of smaller, regional support offices.


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The post of finance director yesterday went to Martin Griffiths, the travel group’s former business development manager. Griffiths replaces Keith Cochrane who was recently promoted to the post of chief executive on the resignation of Mike Kinski.
Cochrane said Griffiths was ideally placed to support the group’s development and had received full support from the board. But, analysts are reported to suspect that Cochrane’s promotion is also a bid to shore up support for Souter.
Stagecoach’s share prices have fallen by two-thirds this year and fears continue to grow about the strength of the board’s independence. In an attempt to allay fears, Stagecoach said Ann Gloag, co-founder and the chairman’s sister, would step down to become a non-executive director.
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Kevin Reed discusses whether new accountancy group Cogital can rival the Big Four...and its likely direction of travel

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23 May 2016 - Janet Bird
The number of vacant shops in the UK fell to its lowest level in seven years last month.
The national shop vacancy rate stood at 12.4 percent in April, the lowest level since 2009 and 0.6 percent less than during the same period in 2015, according to statistics from the Local Data Company (LDC).
Year on year, town centre vacancy rates fell 0.5 percent, though Scotland saw an increase of 0.8%.
Shopping centre vacancies also dropped by 1.4 percent, with the Northeast and Scotland seeing the biggest reductions. However, Wales saw a 0.2 percent rise.
The picture was more varied when it came to retail park vacancies. While the Midlands saw a 3.5 percent fall, Scotland experienced an increase of 0.4 percent.
The overall reduction in the shop vacancy rate is believed to have been driven by two main factors - a fall in the number of units becoming vacant, which was down 16 percent compared to April 2015, and an increase of 76 percent in the number of vacant retail premises being put to alternative uses.
LDC said the growing recognition by landlords and local authorities that shops unoccupied for more than three years were unlikely ever to be reoccupied, and therefore should be used in another way, was to be welcomed.


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Reuters’ mobile strategy: ‘If it has a screen, it’s fair game’
Thomson Reuters won’t rest until it has a home on all of your screens — including your smartwatch and car dashboard.
Thomson Reuters has developed a long list of mobile apps over the last few years. It was early to wearables with the Android Wear version of Eikon, its financial information software, which lets users keep up with market movements and breaking news with a glance.
But Thomson Reuters has also been focused on the consumer side with efforts such as The Wider Image, an iPad app that showcases the best of Reuters’ photojournalism, and Reuters TV, a video app that uses user tastes and preferences to create personalized news broadcasts. Its core Reuters app got a “Editor’s Choice” nod from Apple back in 2013. Its overall strategy is more elaborate than that of newswire competitor Associated Press, aside from its core mobile app, has only created a mobile version of the AP Stylebook.
“We’re thinking about what happens from the time our customers wake up to the time they go to bed,” said Thomson Reuters head of advanced product innovation Robert Schukai, who joined in 2011 to lead Reuter’s mobile efforts.“There’s a host of opportunities to present contextual relevant personal info for every moment and use case.”
Schukai said that Thomson Reuters approaches new products by thinking about where they fit in with the “dayflow,” rather than the workflow of users. The thesis is that people are looking for different kinds of information depending on their context and location. He said that Thomson Reuters is now exploring how to bring brand to, which Schukai said has plenty of untapped potential for both consumer and business applications.
The consumer and B2B sides have different incentives and constraints, however. While the B2B side is dominated by concerns about security over all else, creating products for consumers means focusing far more heavily on the user experience. The latter represents a significant change for Thomson Reuters. “It wasn’t universal, but five years ago there was this thought that our information was so valuable that people would put up with whatever experience we chose to give them,” Schukai said. “Now we’re designing products from the vantage of the people using them.”
Thomson Reuters has long been a B2B brand with consumer aspirations. The effort has been fraught. In 2013 Reuters shuttered Reuters Next, a destination site that was at the center of its efforts to be a consumer-facing newsbrand.
“The consumer and B2B sides represent major differences in mindset,” said Peter Kreisky, founder of The Kreisky Media Consultancy. “Reuters has unbelievable newsgathering resources around the world, but ultimately this is a question of hiring people who know how to package and tailor and position that news content for consumers.”
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Apple’s AR/VR devices have always had different rumors, the latest one is The Information According to the information obtained from the informant, this device requires the wireless connection of an external device such as an iPhone, iPad, or a computer to be used, thereby sharing the computing needs. The reason is that Apple’s AR/VR may use a 5nm process processor, but the performance is not as good as Apple’s own processor, and it lacks a neural network engine to accelerate AI calculations.
It is said that Apple’s processors for AR/VR devices will include CPU and GPU, but the performance will even be weaker than the current Oculus Quest 2. However, battery life will be a selling point, and the camera on the device will be wirelessly connected to an external computing device. Earlier there was a saying that Apple would use an “ultra-high-resolution” 8K screen and corresponding cameras.
The report also mentioned that Apple has just completed the physical design of the processor, display driver, and image processor, and it will take some time for trial production. Therefore, mass production and shipment will not happen in the near future. The Information refers to the fact that at least until 2022 or beyond, the price may be as high as $3,000. But this is still the version for target developers and creators, and the consumer version is more likely to be after 2023.
Apple declined to respond to the report. However, we all have been following Apple’s AR/VR device news and found that their team seems to have become mature step by step, such as letting senior vice president Dan Riccio take over the responsibility, which proves that Apple’s AR/VR devices are still expected to be in their lifetime. have witnessed.


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LONDON/HONG KONG (Reuters Breakingviews) - Corona Capital is a column updated throughout the day by Breakingviews columnists around the world with short, sharp pandemic-related insights.
- Gold miner
- Japanese restaurant chain deal
PREVENTATIVE ACTION. Many medicines have unfortunate side effects. Drug companies advertising in America often have to list ailments such as chronic diarrhoea and vivid nightmares when selling cholesterol medication. But the makers of any new Covid-19 vaccinations have no such list and may not for many years. That is prompting the European pharmaceutical industry’s vaccines lobby to push for legal protection from lawsuits if there are any problems, according to the Financial Times.
Safeguards may be necessary. Vaccines typically take years to develop, which usually gives enough time for any unforeseen side effects to surface. But the rapid spread of Covid-19 and its impact on the global economy means companies like AstraZeneca and Sanofi have begun making vaccines even before receiving regulatory approval. Any push for legal protection may strengthen the fear of vaccines. That would undermine the fight against Covid-19 from the outset. (By Aimee Donnellan)
JOLLY METAL. The pandemic is burnishing Russian gold miner Polymetal International’s allure. The 9 billion pound company on Wednesday reported first-half net profit of $381 million, a 149% increase from a year earlier. Surging global demand for the yellow metal has been a boon. Polymetal’s average gold price rose 25% during the period. Having costs in Russian roubles and Kazakh tenges, which have both weakened, drove costs lower. The launch of a lower cost mine also helped.
Extra glitter comes from increased transparency of the company’s dividend policy, which now commits to payouts of half of net income. That’s what the Russian government required of state-controlled enterprises to line its coffers, but will come with less political risk. Shares in the FTSE 100 company, which has a 67% free float, have risen 62% so far this year. Even if investors’ appetite for safe-haven assets ebbs, Polymetal’s dividend will be a draw. (By Dasha Afanasieva)
CHEQUE, PLEASE. Japan’s comfort-food restaurant chain Ootoya is delaying its hunger pangs. Larger rival Colowide, which operates fast-food “izakaya” chains and other restaurants, has extended its hostile bid for Ootoya after failing to get enough shares by Tuesday’s deadline. Colowide, which already owns 19% of the target, now says it will only proceed with the purchase if it can increase its ownership to 40%, down from a previous threshold of at least 45%. Investors have until Sept. 8 to tender their shares.
Ootoya’s dogged resistance is noteworthy, given the attractive 46% premium Colowide was offering to the undistributed share price in July. Covid-19 may be one factor: restaurant chains across Japan have been battered by stay-at-home measures, so joining one now may seem unappetising. Even so, Ootoya’s revenue in the quarter ending June plunged 48% year-on-year, while a recent tie-up with online grocer Oisix Ra Daichi will take time to pay off. The company may struggle to keep holding out. (By Sharon Lam)
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.


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Okinawa electric scooter sales and enquiries increase on account of rising petrol prices
Having been an early mover in the electric scooter market, Okinawa finds itself in an advantageous position. Though electric scooter sales volumes are on the rise, total volumes are still small in these early days. For starters, in that equation, Okinawa sales is on the rise. It also manages to report sales, second only to Hero Electric.
Recent months have seen petrol price stabilise in most cities at juts below 100 bucks for a litre. While that’s a spot of bother for all two wheeler users, electric variants are benefiting. Okinawa reported 30 percent increase in sale of electric scooters over the last quarter.
The company attributes this to rising fuel prices. Not just sales, Okinawa has increasingly addressed a growing number of enquiries, close to a 3-fold increase from prospective customers.
EV sector rapid growth
Jeetender Sharma, MD & Founder, Okinawa Autotech, states “The EV sector in India is rapidly growing since the last three years as both the central and state governments have been taking many initiatives to promote the adoption of Electric vehicles.
The recent hike in fuel prices has further pushed consumers to look for alternate options such as electric vehicles. We as a company have witnessed the hike and aim to provide the electric vehicles that are at par with the ICE engine.”
As petrol prices continue to move closer to Rs 100 per litre, demand for electric two-wheelers sees positive uptick. Over time, awareness around e-scooters continues to improve. Currently, Okinawa Autotech scooter sales are on the increase at a pace of 35 percent to 40 percent this year. Current market dynamics has helped the manufacturer emerge as one of the leading electric two-wheeler sellers. The company ended 2020 having sold the second highest no. of high-speed electric scooters.
Okinawa electric scooters
Product portfolio has now been expanded to six electric scooters available in a price range of Rs 50,000 to Rs 1.14 lakh. In 2021, Okinawa plans to launch 2 more new high speed two-wheelers.
As the electric scooter segment establishes groundwork for the times to come, government subsidy policies are influencing product development. Considering government subsidies are not a blanket offer for electric scooters, manufacturers are inclined to opt for products that qualify for such subsidies.
Considering these are still early days, in time, mainstream manufacturers will enter the electric two-wheeler space in a more involved manner. Until then, the road is clear for new manufacturers to stamp their roadmap strongly.


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Colliers Negotiates Pair of Transactions Valued at $12 Million
Naturally Aged Flooring Expands to Larger Facility in Moorpark
In order to meet the expansion needs of national flooring manufacturer and distributor Naturally Aged Flooring, Colliers International has arranged the acquisition of a larger industrial facility in Moorpark and the sale of the company’s current smaller property in Simi Valley in a pair of transactions valued together at $11.9 million.
It was the second time in two years that the same Colliers team has sold a smaller facility and purchased a larger building for the expansion-minded Southern California-based national flooring manufacturer.
The Colliers team is comprised of senior Executive Vice President John DeGrinis, SIOR, Vice President Patrick DuRoss, SIOR, and Associate Vice President Jeff Abraham.
In this latest pair of transactions, Colliers negotiated the sale of the company’s existing 38,675-square-foot building at 2175 Agate Street in Simi Valley to a manufacturer, T. Flexo Corp. for $5.15 million. At the same time, they negotiated the acquisition of a 54,052-square-foot state-of-the art manufacturing and distribution facility at 5155 Goldman Ave. in the Ventura County community of Moorpark. The building also features 22-foot clear-height ceilings, parking for 116 automobiles, a fenced yard and dock high loading.
“This move to a larger manufacturing and distribution facility will allow the company to operate more efficiently under one roof, accommodating its exceptional growth as one of the nation’s premier makers and distributors of high quality flooring,” said DuRoss. “”Ventura County has lagged surrounding regions in job growth, in part due to a lack of supply of suitable buildings. We were pleased to find a great facility for them that should allow them to grow here in Ventura County for years to come.”
Prior to this latest acquisition Naturally Aged Flooring had again outgrew its facilities and called on the Colliers team to locate short-term warehouse space in order to meet storage and distribution needs caused by its phenomenal growth trajectory.
For the past 30 years, the family-owned company has grown to where it currently serves more than 3,000 retailers across the United States and Canada. In addition to California, the company has warehouse and distribution facilities strategically located in Missouri, Texas, Pennsylvania, Florida and British Columbia, Canada.


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Yahoo's Response to Congress on Targeting May Not be EnoughHeather Green
(Update with input from Catherine Holahan, who spoke with Yahoo)
Yahoo says they won’t target you… to your face.
The Internet giant’s announcement today that it will allow users to opt out of behavioral targeting on its site only applies to the ads users see. It will still collect information on the Web sites visited by unique computers, it just won’t serve ads to individual users based on the info.
“This isn’t rejecting cookies outright, you are just preferring not to see the ads,” says Anne Toth, Yahoo’s head of privacy and Vice President of policy.
So, Yahoo will still know that you looked up Fannie Mae’s stock on Yahoo finance and then checked out foreclosed homes on Yahoo’s real estate site. It just won’t serve you a mortgage ad based on that info when you’re checking email. It will also still serve ads to you based on your location and the content of the page that you are on.
Toth says Yahoo must keep the information in order to report accurate financials on advertising click through rates and visitors. It probably also wants to tell advertisers about the kind of people who visit certain pages, in aggregate, in order to sell more expensive advertising. Behavioral targeting can more than triple the price of some ads.
The move came in response to Congressional action. Last week, the House Energy and Commerce Committee sent a letter to 33 companies, including Microsoft, Google, AT&T, Yahoo, and Comcast, opening an inquiry into their practices for collecting and using data to target ads to consumers based on what they do online.
Yahoo response follows Google’s roll out of DoubleClick tracking across its network and a way to opt out of tracking on the Google content network and DoubleClick tracking. Microsoft also allows users to shut off targeted ads.
Will these moves be enough to keep Congress happy? After holding hearings about NebuAd , the committee seem pretty riled up. They’re digging into questions about how long the data is held, how consumers are being alerted to the practice, just exactly what kind of data is being collected (health, financial, and other personal data), and how many people are being tracked. And they’ve been making noise about obliging companies to ask people to opt in before collecting data.
The FTC looked into these questions last fall and came up with tentative guidelines . The industry responded with an an update of the guidelines it follows, which are set out by the Network Advertising Initiative, the industry association.
Some of the privacy folks aren’t entirely happy with either the FTC’s recommendations or the NAI’s response. They think they are too weak and don’t do enough to keep companies from collecting really sensitive data or inform consumers about what tracking is and how they can permanently opt out of it.
The Center for Democracy and Technology, for instance, put out an analysis late last month. It advocates a Do Not Target list and wants the targeting companies to sit down and come up with standard guidelines for how long they keep the information.
It’s not clear how Yahoo’s action allays privacy concerns. What worries most Web surfers about behavioral targeting isn’t just that they see ads that know a lot about them, it’s that the information is collected in the first place. People fear a data leak will expose their online activities to the public. They’re not afraid that they’ll be tricked into buying a mortgage by carefully targeted advertising. At least, not yet.
That’s one likely reason few people bother to opt out of targeted advertising. In July, Yahoo said that 75,000—a fraction of 1% of the traffic Yahoo sees on its network—visited an opt out page to refuse behaviorally targeted ads across the non-Yahoo sites on which Yahoo serves ads. (The new announcement extended the opt out to Yahoo’s own sites). Not surprising. Why bother opting out if the information is still out there anyway?
Yahoo believes most people don’t opt out because they actually like targeted ads. “It is our strong belief that a more customized experience is what users prefer,” says Toth.
Maybe. But what users really want isn’t the choice to have a customized experience, it’s the choice over whether their data is collected in the first place. That’s what Congress really wants to address. Our bet is that there is more to come.


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Google is expected to start its Android 14 Public Beta Program at the I/O 2023 event in May. Meanwhile, Samsung might get started with the One UI 6.0 Beta program for Galaxy smartphones sometime after the official launch of the latest operating system.
The South Korean giant’s recently launched Samsung Galaxy S23 lineup is expected to be the first device to receive the upcoming One UI 6.0 Beta update. But when will Samsung start rolling out the update?
If you’re interested in knowing the exact time frame, then this guide will be helpful. In this guide, you will get to know when Samsung will roll out One UI 6.0 Beta and the list of eligible devices.
When Samsung will roll out One UI 6.0 Beta update?
The Stable One UI 6.0 update for Galaxy devices is expected to start rolling out in October 2023. Although, Samsung might take around 3 months to gain the stability milestone through Beta testing. If the OEM somehow starts the Beta program by August 2023, the official One UI 6.0 rollout might begin in October.
Interestingly, Samsung started the Android 13-based One UI 5.0 Beta Program in early August last year. With a short delay, the company rolled out the official One UI 5.0 firmware in late October and quickly expanded to various models within a month. It is tipped that Samsung might not make people wait too long for the Android 14-based One UI 6.0 Beta preview.
List of devices eligible for the upcoming update
- Samsung Galaxy S23
- Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus
- Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
- Samsung Galaxy S22
- Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus
- Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
- Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4
- Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4
- Samsung Galaxy S21
- Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus
- Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
- Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3
- Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3
As of now, only top-end models are eligible for the update. However, some mid-range, including the Galaxy A and Galaxy M Series might also get the beta update.


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Panic at Big Blue? CEO reprimands workers, reassigns a top exec
Research Triangle Park, N.C. — By delivering what the Wall Street Journal describes as a "reprimand" to the entire company through an internal video and in reassigning top hardware executive Rod Adkins - who had been a contender for the CEO job - IBM CEO Ginny Rometty shows that Big Blue is in trouble. Can she right the ship?...
WRAL TechWire Publisher and Editor Rick Smith dishes out tidbits from the local technology sector. Read more articles…
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Want to lose 10, 20 (or more) pounds? Your smartphone could well be one of your best allies — but only if you use it consistently.
Even without following a specific diet, people who were overweight and tracked daily food consumption with a smartphone app (while receiving broad advice on healthy eating) lost significant weight, according to a recent study by Duke University. Why? Because self-monitoring is one of the strongest predictors of weight-loss success. And apps help keep us honest when it comes to tracking our food intake.
"It's human nature to overestimate our exercise and underestimate what we eat,” says Jason Ewoldt, a wellness dietitian at the Mayo Clinic Healthy Living Program. “Trackers help create an awareness — if the user is being honest. If you have a Snickers bar in the afternoon and don't record it, you're only hurting yourself."
You also have to be consistent using apps. “People who are tracking their calories — and hitting their calorie goal — tend to lose weight. But the million-dollar question is: How do you get people to do it consistently?” says Sherry Pagoto, a licensed clinical psychologist and professor in the Department of Allied Health Sciences at the University of Connecticut who researches behavioral weight management and advises Fitbit.
A recent study found that only 25 percent of the participants who used a commercial app during a 12-week study stuck with it. So look for an app that you find easy to navigate, experts say, because you will be more likely to use it faithfully. “Keep it as simple as possible,” says Christine Pellegrini, assistant professor of exercise science at the University of South Carolina. And, though exercise is always important, focus on calories: “From a pure weight loss standpoint, tracking your dietary intake is the most effective strategy,” she says, “because it's a lot easier to not eat 500 calories than it is to burn off 500 calories."
Finally, remember: Apps alone won't melt away the pounds. “Losing weight isn't just one behavioral change; it's a thousand, including exercise, dietary choices, cooking habits and shopping habits,” says Pagoto, who recommends also consulting with a nutritionist or weight-loss coach.
That professional help is particularly important for older populations, who are often dealing with additional health issues, like diabetes or heart disease, says Pellegrini. “Apps and other kinds of technologies are not a magic pill,” she says. “They are great for tracking what you're eating and your physical activity, but to be the most effective, they need to be combined with other interventions or strategies."
These four weight-loss apps are popular for good reasons:


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Lindsay Lohan is being sued by a photographer for failing to pay him, reports TMZ.
The photographer, Scott Nathan, has previously sued Lohan’s clothing line ’6126′ for never paying him for his work, and now he’s suing again, claiming Lohan still hasn’t fulfilled her part of the settlement.
Nathan stated in the lawsuit, which settled for an undisclosed amount back in December, that ’6126′ was supposed to be making payments beginning in March.
Nathan was hired to shoot pictures of Lohan and was promised a 1% interest in the clothing line in return for his work, but he claims that never happened.
Now Nathan is asking a judge for an order to enforce the settlement.
A rep for Lohan told TMZ, “We don’t comment on any pending legal situations with third parties.”
This girl needs to get her act together. I mean, thank god it’s not alcohol or drug problems, but she needs to manage her finances a little better. If you want to run a successful business, you best start paying your staff.
Singing sisters Jessica and Ashlee Simpson are going to launch a tween clothing line, reports Billboard.
The line will be launched under the ‘Jessica Simpson Collection’ label and will include everything from sportswear to denim to fashion-forward pieces. The line will hit stores in the fall.
Jessica and Ashlee will reportedly serve as the collection’s co-creative directors.
“Creating a tween apparel collection was a natural extension for the brand. I’m excited to bring my sister, Ashlee, along as co-creative director of this division, because she brings a savvy rocker edge that defines today’s tweens,” Jessica told WWD.
Ashlee adds, “My goal as co-creative director will be to design clothes that will help inspire young girls to express their personalities and creativity through fashion.”
Scoff not at this idea, though. Jessica’s adult clothing line, titled ‘The Jessica Simpson Collection’ and features virtually anything from shoes to handbags, racked in a total of $750 million in 2010.
I think the line will do well, as all of Simpson’s clothing ventures do. I think she markets it right, prices it low, and creates items that appeal to a large demographic.
The duo debuted their line last week at department store Harvey Nichols, and their clothing will begin being sold on June 6, reports Perez Hilton.
The line, unlike many celeb clothing lines, seems to have a very good concept and look. It’s very her style, but it remains marketable to many other women. Some of the pieces are a little risky, like the red jumpsuit or ruffled black dress, but if that’s your kind of style, you can totally rock it.
Check out some images of the line below, and let us know what you think. Too hipster-cute, or just the right balance of fashion and fun?
Images thanks to the Telegraph.
Lily Allen is moving into the fashion business and partnering with her sister Sarah Owen. The new line will focus on vintage-inspired garments, according to a report this week in Women’s Wear Daily.
The line will be called Lucy in Disguise, which is also the name of the sisters’ vintage shop located in London’s Covent Garden district. The new collection was reportedly designed with a fictional clotheshorse, named Lucy, in mind.
“(Lucy’s) a time-traveling fashionista, who’s inviting you to explore her wardrobe,” Allen explained at a press conference. “It’s a great opportunity to play with the character.”
You can see a slideshow of the line here. What are your thoughts? Is it anything you would buy?
According to MuchMusic.com, the group has teamed up with Surface to Air, a Parisian fashion label, and are debuting a new line of clothing titled S2A x KOL.
The new line is composed of rock-inspired formal wear, leather jackets, accessories, jewelry and more.
For a glimpse of what to expect, check out Vogue.com.
S2A KOL is planned to launch this month.
Miley Cyrus has landed herself a deal with Wal-Mart for a clothing line produced with designer Max Azria (Hervé Léger, BCBG and Max Azria).
The “Miley Cyrus & Max Azria” label is set to include everything from pants to tops to graphic tees, shoes and accessories — all under $20 — according to E! Online.
Wal-Mart is also sponsoring Cyrus’ Live in Concert tour that kicks off in Portland Sept. 14, finishing in Miami after 45 stops.
Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher is stepping into the world of fashion with his own clothing line called Pretty Green.
Named after a song by The Jam, Pretty Green is described as an “up-front, straight talking, classic clothing range (with a) team made up of key industry professionals.”
The limited-edition line will include footwear, denim, knitwear, jackets, trench coats, parkas, t-shirts, hats, scarves and accessories, all subject to Gallagher’s final approval.


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Ford Motor Company (F -3.30%) said that it has decided to stop selling passenger vehicles in Russia. Ford and its Russian joint-venture partner will restructure their deal, ending production at three factories in the country while continuing to produce commercial vans.
Of particular interest to Ford shareholders: Ford said the moves will lead to a series of one-time charges that could total as much as $500 million.
Here's what we know.
Check out the latest earnings call transcript for Ford.
What Ford said about its plan to shutter 3 Russian factories
Ford does business in Russia via a joint venture with Russian automaker Sollers PJSC. The joint venture, called Ford Sollers, offers Ford's Fiesta, Focus, and Mondeo (Fusion) sedans; its EcoSport, Kuga (Escape) and Explorer SUVs; and several variants of Ford's Transit commercial van.
Simply put, today's news is that the joint-venture partners have reworked their deal, all but the Transits will be discontinued in June, and three of the venture's four factories will be closed.
Sollers will own 51% of the joint venture as the partners focus on expanding sales of Ford's commercial vehicles in Russia.
Ford Europe chief Steven Armstrong framed the move as part of Ford's larger plan to boost profitability in Europe.
"This represents an important step toward Ford's target to deliver improved profitability and a more competitive business for our stakeholders," Armstrong said, noting that the focus on commercial vehicles should help Ford earn better returns on its invested capital.
About those one-time charges
Ford said that these moves will generate between $450 million and $500 million in one-time pre-tax charges. Those will include roughly $250 million to $300 million of "non-cash" accounting charges related to accelerated depreciation and amortization of Ford's facilities and inventory in Russia.
The remainder, roughly $200 million, will be cash charges related to separation payment for workers at the three factories slated to close, and termination payments due to suppliers of parts for the vehicles that have been discontinued.
Most of these charges will be recorded in 2019, Ford said.
Ford has said that its global restructuring effort will generate a total of about $11 billion in charges over the next few years, with about $7 billion of those charges being cash charges; these Russia-related charges are included in those totals.
For Ford shareholders: Is this good news?
Ford has been making moves around the world to cut less-profitable lines of business while investing in new products and businesses that had the potential to generate better margins over time. As part of that process, back in January, Ford said that it had begun a "strategic review" of its Russian business, with results to be announced in the second quarter of 2019.
If anything, this review was overdue. Ford Sollers' sales and profits have been under pressure for several years. New-car sales in Russia have been slow to recover after an economic downturn a few years ago, and the Russian consumers who are buying new vehicles have increasingly favored lower-priced -- and less profitable -- vehicle types.
This isn't the first time that Ford and Sollers have reworked their deal. About a thousand jobs were cut in 2014 after heavy losses, and Ford took control of the joint venture a year later, after rival General Motors (GM -1.73%) announced that it would exit the Russian market.
But Ford's nearly decade-old Russian joint venture hasn't been worth the effort. Ford Sollers' factories are still underutilized, and Ford has never come close to generating the returns it had expected on its invested capital.
With sales of commercial vehicles the only bright spot in a picture that has been bleak for years, today's announcement isn't much of a surprise. In that sense, it's good news for investors -- as well as a reminder that Ford has more work to do around the world.


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“I didn’t bat an eye. I said out in the Northeast and out in the Northwest and the state of California,” Leinenkugel recalled in an exclusive interview with The Business Journal Sept. 25.
“They’re so saturated with craft brewers that we would never really get a toehold in any of those markets.”
This is one case where Leinenkugel is glad he was wrong.
In spring 2012, Summer Shandy became the first beer in the Chippewa Falls-based brewery’s 146-year history to hit shelves in all 50 states, aided by the marketing resources and distribution network of parent company MillerCoors. Lemon berry and orange versions followed suit. Sales for the shandy line — led by the Summer Shandy that mixes wheat beer with lemonade flavors — have exceeded expectations, said Leinenkugel, president of Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co.
“It’s still extremely healthy and well beyond I think what our dreams were when we first created Summer Shandy seven years ago to test as a summer seasonal just in the Midwest,” Leinenkugel said.
“This was a huge initiative for us and one that I’m very proud of because we’re still seeing the double-digit growth rate within the shandy line.”
His company was the first American brewer to introduce a shandy, he said.
Leinenkugel’s has led the pack in craft beer sales growth nationwide this year. Its shandy line, primarily Summer Shandy, has made up 10 percent of the craft beer case volume growth nationwide in 2013, the largest share among its competitors, according to Nielsen data provided by MillerCoors.
Expanding shandy distribution certainly helped boost sales, but Leinenkugel also attributed the growth to the quality and uniqueness of the beers and their appeal to those who typically drink wine and liquor.
“It grows on the taste buds of new beer drinkers,” Leinenkugel said.
Leinenkugel’s is now distributing Orange Shandy nationally until March, when Summer Shandy returns, he said. But plans could change as the company gets a better feel for consumers’ tastes and reactions to the line. Leinenkugel said he is particularly curious to see how Orange Shandy sales fare once the temperature drops below freezing across much of the country.
“We don’t know if there’s a seasonality to shandies,” Leinenkugel said. “We expect that there is to some degree, we just don’t know how much.”
The brewery plans to continue testing new shandy styles, Leinenkugel said.
“We own this as far as bringing this style to the United States,” Leinenkugel said. “What I’m pressing our team is to maintain that leadership role by being creative and innovative. We’re not resting on our laurels.”
But the company obviously isn’t called the “Leinenkugel Shandy Brewing Co.,” Leinenkugel said, so there are other types of beer in development.
Those include a new imperial pale lager planned for next year. The brewer also introduced a new hoppy beer, Hoppin’ Helles, this fall and will bring back its Snowdrift Vanilla Porter in October and Canoe Paddler in January.


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Dead Famous People – Lost Persons Area – Limited Edition, EP, Reissue, Fire Records, 2022
Back on vinyl for the 1st time in 36 years & for the first time outside of New Zealand.
The ‘long lost’ release from New Zealand’s cult-favourites Dead Famous People is back on vinyl for the first time in 36 years. Dons Savage’s stellar songwriting, unique voice and extracurricular work with The Chills and Saint Etienne didn’t result in fame, though the 2020 comeback album, ‘Harry’, showed her magic undimmed. To celebrate, Fire Records is reissuing Dead Famous People’s debut EP for the first time outside New Zealand. The release features brand new liner notes written by enthusiasts Bob Stanley (Saint Etienne), Alex Kapranos (Franz Ferdinand) and Martin Phillipps (The Chills).


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Is the Ministry of Finance preparing Russia for “Black Tuesday”?
It seems that the Ministry of Finance is preparing for a new full-scale currency crisis. Finance Minister Anton Siluanov proposed granting the right of the Central Bank and the government to essentially limit the convertibility of the ruble. It is about the right to introduce a number of hard currency restrictions. Among them: to demand from exporters to repatriate money, to sell currency without fail, to receive permissions to purchase currency, to open special accounts for certain types of currency transactions and to reserve money for them.
Noticed oshЫbku Highlight text and press. Ctrl + Enter


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Can brand safety be ensured with measurements and calculations? The MRC introduces 'adjacency' to keep ads a safe distance from potentially harmful content.
YouTube took the lead in offering some impressive A/B testing and reporting feature for its advertisers, but at Cannes 18 brand safety continued to be a major concern.
Be nice, insists one video advertising company. That's why it's pioneering intent-based advertising, where ads only play when requested.
Tracking views for CTV ads and pairing them with offline sales takes huge databases. Alphonso just made it available to mom-and-pops.
The latest quarterly index from Ooyala shows mobile video pre-rolls showing impressive gains, while midrolls are big on connected TVs.
Twitter has seen big wins with creator content, and at VidCon it gave more details about the Creator Originals program it announced during NewFronts.
Consumers are fine with ad-supported live video online. Forget the myth of unreachable viewers, says IAB. Streamers are still open to ads.
They don't get their popularity for nothing: Tubular Labs' study of video influencers shows they post a majority of top videos and get a majority of views.


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Unity Technologies has added the ability to develop games for the Sony PlayStation Vita to version 4.3 of its cross-platform toolset.
Sony will slash the price of its PlayStation Vita handheld game consoles by up to a third in Japan, it said Monday, weeks after it cut its sales target for the device following weak holiday sales.
Sony is hoping developers are interested in working on games for its PlayStation Vita and Android-based devices, as it launched a beta test Thursday of a new cross-platform SDK.
Sony will fully restore PlayStation Network service to users in Japan this week, ending a two-and-a-half month suspension of service, and bringing to a close an embarrassing incident that began with the largest known loss of customer information by a...
Japan's console and portable gaming market sank 16 per cent in the first six months of the year as new software failed to make a splash and sales of hardware fell, according to data released on Thursday.
Millions of PlayStation users are once again able to shoot, fight and race their way through online worlds after Sony resumed online gaming service late Saturday and Sunday in many major markets.
Sony will begin a phased resumption of its PlayStation Network and Qriocity services on Sunday, more than three weeks after a cyber attack that resulted in the loss of personal information on more than 100 million customers.
Sony appears to be close to ending a two-week long outage of its PlayStation Network. The company said late Thursday that it is in the final stages of internal testing of the new system, but it stopped short of saying when the popular online gaming s...
Sony said it has found no link between an attack on its PlayStation Network and Qriocity services and Internet activist group Anonymous, which had earlier targeted its systems.
Sony's PlayStation Network and Qriocity online services will begin a phased resumption this week, after the company took them offline in response to a "very sophisticated" intrusion, the company said Sunday.
Sony is expected to provide its most detailed update yet on Sunday on a hack that hit the PlayStation Network and the status of personal information and credit card numbers of up to 77 million customers.
A U.S. congressional committee has asked Sony Computer Entertainment to explain several issues surrounding the massive potential leak of information on customers of its PlayStation Network.
Sony may offer users some form of compensation for the outage, now in its 8th day, of the PlayStation Network and Qriocity online services, its U.S. unit said late Thursday.
This is a timeline of major events associated with the attack on Sony's PlayStation Network and Qriocity online services.
Sony's top executive in charge of its games division appeared in front of journalists in Tokyo on Tuesday but failed to address an outage of the company's PlayStation Network that is now in its sixth day and is affecting up to 75 million customers.
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First impression on unpacking the Q702 test unit was the solid feel and clean, minimalist styling.


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Leong urges society to join Macau government in ‘fighting prolonged war’ Link copied
Secretary for Economy and Finance Lionel Leong Vai Tac urged all sectors of civil society to put in an effort
Secretary for Economy and Finance Lionel Leong Vai Tac urged all sectors of civil society to put in an effort along with the government to face the city’s economic transition in a positive way and with an attitude as if “fighting a prolonged war”.
Leong made the remarks during an unannounced meeting with representatives from Macau’s six gaming operators. Last night, the policy secretary’s office released a statement about the meeting without revealing when and where it took place.
Newly appointed Gaming Inspection and Co-ordination Bureau (DICJ) Director Paulo Martins Chan also attended the meeting, according to the statement.
According to the statement, Leong said that the “orderly and healthy development of the gaming industry” would benefit Macau in the transition and upgrading of its economy, adding that he thanked the six gaming enterprises for adhering to government policies and promoting the development of non-gaming attractions in the city’s tourism sector.
Chan, according to the statement, said during the meeting that the government would keep improving the laws and regulations related to the gaming industry, pledging to ensure the gaming sector’s “honest and regulated operations”.
“The representatives of the six gaming enterprises said the gaming industries in neighboring regions are developing rapidly and Macau is facing fierce competition, agreeing that it is important to keep Macau’s gaming industry internationally competitive,” the statement said, adding that the six operators pledged to closely co-operate with the gaming inspectorate in developing the industry in an “orderly and sound” fashion.


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St Helens Plant would like to wish all our loyal customers, workforce and associates a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year!
This year, the team at St Helens Plant has produced a multitude of bespoke products for overseas international sporting events. Alongside globally based commercial and industrial customers.
Once again, 2019 has been a year of continued progression for St Helens Plant. Which has undergone full family ownership and seen long awaited new offices developed.
Our continued growth in familiar and new industries this year, would not have been possible without the commitment of our workforce – and loyalty of our customers.
We wish our very valued workforce, customers and associates a restful festive season and a prosperous new year!


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There has been a leak that suggests Square-Enix will be bringing The World Ends With You over to iOS. There is a soundtrack for the game coming out and it mentioned that the game would be heading to iOS. This statement has since been removed though. Looks like they leaked the information out to early. The countdown isn’t over yet on the teaser site, so there is still hope that a sequel will be coming out on a Nintendo device. Here is what a translator for the game said about this leak:
Looks like there is more information to come when the countdown hits zero.


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Electronic Arts has become known for its quality, not to mention very popular sports titles over the years. And so when Acclaim Sports pulled NFL Quarterback Club out of its magic hat last year and outsold EA's Madden 64, it was a surprise to everyone, including Electronic Arts.
Now the two giants are gearing up to wage war against each other once again, but this time the battle will be fought on the courtside and not on the football field.
According to Nintendo Power, Electronic Arts is working on NBA Live '99, to be released in fall of this year. By no coincidence, the game will go up directly against Acclaim's NBA Jam '99.
Electronic Arts was unwilling to comment about the game, but it is expected to improve upon the already well-received NBA Live '98 for Sony's PlayStation.
We'll have more as it develops.


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MARYSVILLE, Ohio, April 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (NYSE: SMG), the industry leader in lawn and garden products, today released its 2011 Corporate Responsibility Report, its first following the transparent Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) G3 framework. The 2011 report provides a detailed look at the company's sustainability priorities, goals, challenges, and achievements, as well as its product innovation and community-based initiatives.
The report, which is entirely web-based, can be found at GroGood.com, a new online platform where consumers and other stakeholders can learn about ScottsMiracle-Gro's broad corporate responsibility and sustainability efforts. "GroGood" encompasses the company's vision to help people of all ages express themselves on their own piece of the Earth, and includes sustainability, corporate partnerships, garden and green space initiatives and associate engagement in the workplace and in communities around the world.
"I'm proud of our associates around the world who work every day to ensure we are earning the trust of consumers, who are at the heart of our business," said Jim Hagedorn, chairman and chief executive officer of ScottsMiracle-Gro, who is featured in an introductory video within the report content. "Working with a sustainable mindset is a business imperative for our company's growth and also as we contribute to the communities in which we live and work. While we are proud of our progress, we also know we can do more in some areas, and we point that out in this report."
One area of success highlighted in the report is that the company is on track to meet a commitment made in 2011 to help advance water quality initiatives by removing phosphorus from nearly all of its lawn fertilizer maintenance products, including its market-leading Turf Builder brand. This initiative was a direct result of collaboration between the company and water quality stakeholders in numerous regions of the United States. The report also outlines the company's success in reducing the overall environmental footprint from its operations, including its Scotts LawnService business, and in more sustainable sourcing of peat used in its growing media products, especially in Canada and the United Kingdom.
Additionally, Hagedorn, in his CEO Message video, says that even though ScottsMiracle-Gro's position as the largest marketer of organic lawn and garden products continues to increase, the company is partnering with leading companies and key stakeholders to increase its innovation in natural and organic products to meet future consumer expectations.
Hagedorn added: "Sustainability is an essential pillar in ScottsMiracle-Gro's vision for the future and our strategic growth. We are committed to continually embracing sustainability in our business and bringing the benefits of gardens and green spaces to consumers and communities around the world."
Sustainability Driven by Purpose, Product Innovation, Partnerships
The 2011 Corporate Responsibility Report lays out a series of sustainability goals, including:
- Decreasing greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent between FY 2010 and the end of FY 2018, normalized annually by net sales
- Reducing the weight of waste sent to landfills by 50 percent by the end of FY 2018 normalized annually by net sales
- Eliminating phosphorus in lawn food maintenance products by the end of 2012
- Including 30 percent recycled and renewable content in overall packaging by 2018
Additionally, ScottsMiracle-Gro has established multi-year partnerships with major universities to engage leading experts to advance product development and lawn maintenance best practices:
- Michigan State University and ScottsMiracle-Gro are sponsoring a study on the environmental, economic and social benefits of lawns in urban areas
- Rutgers University and ScottsMiracle-Gro are cooperating on turf science research related to drought tolerance
- Texas A&M's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and ScottsMiracle-Gro are collaborating on the construction of a new facility for turfgrass education and supporting the development of key research programs in the areas of turfgrass, water efficiency and environmentally sustainable pest controls
Committed to Caring for Our Environment, Communities and People
The Corporate Responsibility Report also provides an overview of the company's progressive waste management strategy, which has driven success in key areas:
- "Zero waste to landfill" at four of ScottsMiracle-Gro's facilities around the globe to date
- Approximately 5 billion pounds of beneficially reused material -- such as rice hulls, paper mill waste, agave compost, yard waste and coconut coir -- were used in ScottsMiracle-Gro products in 2011, all of which were locally sourced from 100 miles of the company's production facilities
ScottsMiracle-Gro's commitment to supporting gardens and green spaces in communities, and neighborhoods around the U.S. is also highlighted in the report. The company's investment in community-based greening includes:
- Partnering with the U.S. Conference of Mayors to achieve the company's goal of supporting 1,000 community gardens and green spaces by the end of 2018
- Installing therapy gardens to help those returning from war deal with traumatic stress
- Supporting programs at the U.S. Botanical Garden's National Garden, the New York Botanical Garden, The Riverwood Conservancy in Ontario, and the Orange County Great Park in California
- Continuing its Plant A Row for the Hungry initiative with the Garden Writers Association, which encourages gardeners to plant an extra row of produce to donate to local food banks
For more information about ScottsMiracle-Gro, visit http://www.scottsmiraclegro.com/. Submit questions and provide feedback by emailing. [email protected]. In addition, follow the company's CR efforts on Twitter @SMG_GroGood.
About The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company
With approximately $3 billion in worldwide sales, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, The Scotts Company LLC, is the world's largest marketer of branded consumer products for lawn and garden care, with products for professional horticulture as well. The Company's brands are the most recognized in the industry. In the U.S., the Company's Scotts®, Miracle-Gro® and Ortho® brands are market-leading in their categories, as is the consumer Roundup® brand, which is marketed in North America and most of Europe exclusively by Scotts and owned by Monsanto. In the U.S., we operate Scotts LawnService®, the second largest residential lawn care service business. Visit us at www.scotts.com.
SOURCE The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company


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In a new MediaPost column, MMi CEO Thomas Bridge reviews the fallacy of advertisers’ TV schedules not posting “due to political advertising”. As Thomas points out, political advertising does have a lot of impact on demand for the available supply of ad time, but it has nothing to do with whether a schedule delivers or not.
“Demand on commercial inventory has nothing to do with the audience for those commercials (and hence the ratings that they generate),” he writes.
Political ad cycles can certainly affect pricing and availability, but they have absolutely nothing to do with whether an individual spot achieves its estimated rating or not. Read the full article to find out what Thomas says clients can do to prepare for the upcoming political advertising window.


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Oppo A74 5G is going on sale today, April 26. The phone was launched in India last week and it will be available for purchase starting 1pm IST today. Oppo A74 5G is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 5G SoC, paired with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage. It features a triple rear camera setup that is headlined by a 48-megapixel primary sensor and two 2-megapixel depth and macro sensors. It will run on Android 11-based ColorOS 11.1 out-of-the-box.
Oppo A74 5G price in India, availability
Oppo A74 5G will go on sale via Amazon starting 1pm today. It will also be available through leading retail outlets. It is available in a single storage model — 6GB + 128GB — that is priced at Rs. 17,990.
Amazon is offering an instant cashback of Rs. 1,500 when customers purchase the smartphone using HDFC Bank or ICICI Bank credit or debit cards. The e-commerce website is also offering the phone with a no-cost EMIs for up to 9 months along with a 2-year warranty. Amazon is also offering Oppo Band Style worth Rs. 2,799 for Rs. 2,499 along with the purchase of Oppo A74 5G. Alongside, customers can purchase Enco W11 worth Rs. 1,999 for Rs. 1,299 and Enco W31 worth Rs. 3,499 for Rs. 2,499 when purchasing the 5G smartphone.
Through offline stores, customers will be offered 5 percent cashback on Bank of Baroda, Federal Bank, HDFC Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, and Standard Chartered Bank cards. Also, there is an 11 percent cashback when purchasing Oppo A74 5G through Paytm.
Oppo A74 5G specifications
Oppo A74 5G runs Android 11-based Color OS 11.1. It sports a 6.5-inch full-HD+ (2,400×1,080 pixels) LCD display with a 90Hz refresh rate and a hole-punch cutout for the selfie camera. It is powered by a Snapdragon 480 5G SoC, coupled with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage.
On the back, it has a triple AI camera setup with a 48-megapixel primary sensor, a 2-megapixel depth sensor, and a 2-megapixel macro sensor. For selfies, it features an 8-megapixel primary sensor. It packs a 5,000mAh battery with 18W fast charging support. Oppo A74 5G is offered in two colours — Fantastic Purple and Fluid Black. The smartphone weighs 188g.


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What if Libra wasn’t backed by a basket of international currencies, but only the dollar?
Regulatory pushback to the Facebook-led cryptocurrency Libra has caused major partners — including Visa, Mastercard, PayPal and eBay — to pull out of the Libra Association. But one of the remaining members has floated a major change to the stablecoin that could calm concerns that Libra could hurt the world economy by challenging national currencies for supremacy.
Last week, venture partner Chris Dixon of Andreessen Horowitz’s a16z Crypto, one of the remaining members of the governing Libra Association, spoke onstage at TechCrunch Disrupt. He said he still believed Libra will launch, but it might require some changes to get the green light from governments. When I asked what changes might assuage regulators, he told me, “For example, denominating the currency in U.S. dollars. I’m giving a hypothetical example. My understanding is the intention was never to create a new currency. It’s much focused on the payment rails.”
We understand that Dixon meant that Libra could be pegged directly to the U.S. dollar instead of to a basket of international currencies as is the plan for Libra.
Originally, Libra was slated to be denominated in…Libra, using the unicode symbol ≋. It would be a stablecoin backed 1:1 with a basket of the world’s top currencies that Reuters says Der Spiegel reports Facebook told a German legislator would be made up of 50% U.S. dollar, 18% Euro, 14% Japanese Yen, 11% British pound and 7% Singaporean dollar.
The purpose of the basket was to make Libra’s value more consistent. A spike or decline in value of any currency in the basket would have limited impact on Libra’s value, and the basket could be altered in makeup to further protect it from fluctuations.
But if it was denominated in $, the U.S. regulators in particular might be less worried that citizens might choose to use the Libra instead of the dollar. This might demonstrate that Libra sees itself as deferential to the American economic system and government Facebook must answer to.
Conversely, the Libra would become vulnerable to shifts in value of the U.S. dollar. But since many international currencies and financial systems are also linked to the dollar, there at least would be more precedent for how Libra would operate. The move could make foreign governments less skiddish about the cryptocurrency since their national currencies wouldn’t be directly influenced.
On Monday, the Libra Association will meet to finalize its membership, elect a board and create a charter governing its efforts. How Libra is denominated could be reviewed at this meeting.
Denominating in dollars could quell another worry about the cryptocurrency — that if it became popular and the Libra Association decided to change the basket’s components or remove one currency, it could significantly impact that currency’s value.
The French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire previously said, “the monetary sovereignty of countries is at stake from a possible privatisation of money . . . we cannot authorise the development of Libra on European soil.”
Facebook’s head of Libra David Marcus has tried to dispel this idea, saying Libra is designed to run “on top of existing currencies . . . there’s no new money creation, which will strictly remain the province of sovereign Nations.” Yet regulators are still largely opposed to its planned launch in 2020.
Pegging Libra to the dollar would give the Libra Association less flexibility to maintain a steady value, but also less power. Governments wouldn’t fear that they’d need to maintain a positive relationship with the Libra Association for fear of their currency being ejected from the basket. It would put Libra more directly in competition with other stablecoins like Tether that are locked to the U.S. dollar.
Dixon also announced that Andreessen Horowitz is launching the a16z Crypto Startup School, which will offer a free, zero-equity educational program for blockchain entrepreneurs. The goal is to pass knowledge from seasoned cryptocurrency startup founders to newer entrants to the space.
Dixon says the hope is that the best students would seek investment from the fund, but that won’t be required. Those interested can sign up for more info on how to apply when it’s available, though videos of the school’s sessions will be available.
Andreessen Horowitz’s commitment to cryptocurrency could make it less likely to abandon the Libra Association than some other payments companies more firmly rooted in the status quo financial system. That loyalty will only pay off if Libra ever passes muster with regulators and actually reaches the market.


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Since its all-consuming launch in 2016, hype over Pokémon GO may have cooled, but the game still enjoys a vibrant global community. Estimates place the game’s current revenue at about $1.8 billion USD, meaning that it raked in nearly a billion dollars a year since launch. Furthermore, the US and Japan alone contributed about $1.1 billion USD of that figure, with roughly $2 million USD in revenue still generated daily. The upcoming Nintendo Switch Pokémon games will likely develop upon mechanics originated by GO, and cross-platform communication is expected.
With a Chinese launch expected to roll out soon, along with a forthcoming Pokémon GO Fest planned for this summer, the game is showing no signs of slowing down.
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BRATISLAVA, May 28 (Reuters) - A plan by South Korean car maker Kia Motors to build a one-billion-euro plant in Slovakia has hit a snag as land owners refuse to sell their property at the price offered by the state, a minister said on Friday. Economy Minister Pavol Rusko told journalists that the refusal of the land owners could delay or even jeopardise the Kia project, which envisages a factory producing 200,000 cars a year from late 2006. "The whole project can collapse due to the land ...
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Monday, November 14, 2011
Over Three-Fourths Say Government Should Increase, Enforce Higher Standards
An overwhelming majority of consumers believe that fuel-efficiency standards for cars and trucks should be improved, according to a new poll by the Consumer Reports National Research Center. Nearly all respondents (93 percent) support increased fuel efficiency, while 77 percent agree that car manufacturers should produce more fuel-efficient vehicles and the government should increase standards and enforce them.
Over half (56 percent) of respondents said they were considering hybrid or electric cars for their next vehicle. If availability improves over the next 15 years, consumers are even more likely (72%) to consider them.
One of the driving forces behind the growing support for alternative fuel vehicles and increased fuel efficiency standards? The cost of gasoline.
“Eighty-nine percent of consumers who are considering these hybrid and electric models cited lower fuels costs as one of their motivations for making the transition,” said David Champion, senior director of Consumer Reports’ Auto Test Center. “This survey demonstrates there is strong support in the consumer market for more efficient vehicles that help you keep your costs down at the gas pump.”
And the poll findings strongly suggest that consumers are willing to pay more for a fuel-efficient vehicle if it means they will save money on gas over the long term. In fact, 81 percent of consumers responded that they were willing to pay extra if it would lower their operating costs.
Consumers who have at least one car indicate that the price of gasoline (79%) is their number one concern, followed closely by America’s reliance on foreign oil (72%).
In addition, 80 percent agreed that fuel economy standards should require auto manufacturers to increase the overall fleet average to at least 55 miles per gallon by 2025, showing strong support for the target fuel economy or CAFE (corporate average fuel economy) standards recently announced by the White House.
Champion said, “Moving to a 54.5 mpg average by 2025 would save consumers thousands in fuel costs over the life of the vehicle. This survey makes it clear that there will be customer demand for these efficient vehicles as auto manufacturers continue to innovate to meet these standards.”
This week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency are expected to unveil details of the proposed CAFE standards and issue a notice of proposed rulemaking.
Mark Cooper, Director of Research at the Consumer Federation of America, commented on the CR survey results: “These results reflect the strongest support for higher fuel economy standards and willingess to adopt new fuel savings technologies we have seen to date. With the average annual household spending on gasoline headed for a record $2,900 this year, there should be little surprise at this strong support and little doubt that the goal of 54.5 miles per gallon is achievable.”
The Consumer Reports National Research Center conducted a telephone survey of a nationally representative probability sample of telephone households. 1,008 interviews were completed among adults aged 18+. Interviewing took place over October 28- October 31, 2011. The margin of error is +/- 3.1% points at a 95% confidence level.
For a copy of the full survey, contact David Butler or Kara Kelber.
Contact: David Butler or Kara Kelber 202-462-6262


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China and the Soviet Union have signed a trade agreement for this year, the New China News Agency reported, saying the ceremony was held Monday in Moscow.
The official agency gave no estimate of the scope of the trade that the pact will regulate between the rival powers but Chinese sources in Moscow said it provides for exchange of goods worth $484 million, down sightly from last year's accord. Despite their strained relations, it is estimated that about $300 million in trade actually was transacted last year.
There was no immediate Soviet announcement of the signing.
Two-way trade between the United States and China totaled about $1.2 billion last year, and that between China and Japan $5 billion.
A major item in continuing Soviet sales to China is passenger aircraft and parts.
Meanwhile, Sen. Henry M. Jackson (D-Wash.), arriving in Peking for an 18-day visit, said he was "hopeful that our government will move without delay to grant most-favored-nation" trade status to China in accord with his amendment to the U.S. Trade Act.
The amendment requires assurances of free emigration and Jackson, on his third visit to China, said the requirement is being met. The United States and the Soviet Union have not reached agreement on that issue.


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Booktrack, a tool to add soundtracks to e-books, announced it has secured $3 million in Series A financing led by Sparkbox Ventures, and has launched a dedicated education platform.
Booktrack Classroom will give students free access to soundtracked e-books, as well as the ability to create Booktrack titles by matching their own stories to a library of over 20,000 free-to-use music and ambient audio tracks. Students can then share their published Booktracks with classmates to read with the customized audio. The app is available in the Apple App Store, Google Play and Google Chrome Store.
Since the launch of Booktrack Studio five months ago, which opened up the platform to self-published authors, 300,000 users have created more than 3,600 projects in 30 different languages, according to Booktrack.


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KATHMANDU, APRIL 21
MoneyGram International, Inc, a global leader in cross-border P2P payments and money transfers, has announced a partnership with F1soft Group's subsidiary, eSewa Money Transfer Pvt Ltd, one of Nepal's fast emerging 'digital first' remittance companies.
The partnership will enable MoneyGram customers around the globe to send money to family and friends in Nepal directly into the beneficiary's bank account or eSewa wallet, as per a media release.
While the account deposit service has been launched, the service to eSewa wallet is expected to be launched shortly.
With connectivity to more than 65 banks, including all major banks, the account deposit service can deliver funds to bank accounts held with most banks across Nepal.
With over 4.2 million registered eSewa wallet users in Nepal, the upcoming service to eSewa wallet will be a huge milestone in Nepal inbound remittances.
A version of this article appears in the print on April 22, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.


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Disney's return CEO Bob Iger is a believer in the metaverse. Will the Magic Kingdom follow?
Bob Iger's comeback to Disney has raised questions about whether the media and entertainment giant was getting ready to dive deeper into the metaverse. Iger is a vocal fan of the next iteration of the internet or web3.
In January, barely a month after he left Disney, Iger told the New York Times' Kara Swisher that web3 would "definitely be more compelling in experience, certainly more immersive, more dimensional."
He also said he envisioned a "dispersed" metaverse – sometimes called multi-metaverse – where users could hop between different digital realms using one avatar.
Shortly after, in March, it was announced that Iger invested an undisclosed amount of money into a Los Angeles-based 3D avatar start-up, Genies, and became a member of its board.
The company's stated goal is to "create a universal avatar system that can be used across an open metaverse."
Genies has reportedly raised a total of $100 million in venture capital backing and has partnered with celebrities such as Justin Bieber and Cardi B, as well as brands like Gucci. It also has an NFT marketplace.
"I've always been drawn to the intersection between technology and art," Iger said in a statement at the time.
Disney clearly believes Iger's creative energy can help it navigate the changing media and entertainment landscape. It has already ventured into the metaverse and web3-related projects largely thanks to policies set in motion under his earlier tenure.
In December 2021, Disney was approved for a "virtual-world simulator" patent, originally filed to the US Patent and Trademark Office in the summer of 2020.
The technology would create personalized interactive experiences for theme park visitors by tracking their phones and projecting 3D effects on physical spaces in the park. It would work as a headset-free augmented reality (AR) attraction.
In July, Disney also picked Polygon, a leading blockchain project, for its accelerator program and has released several lines of NFTs in partnership with VeVe, a digital collectibles marketplace.
Just days ago, Disney announced an AR lens in partnership with Snapchat ahead of the anticipated December 16 release of Avatar: The Way of Water.
Bob Chapek, now former chief executive, told investors in March that Disney's efforts to date "are merely a prologue to a time when we'll be able to connect the physician and digital worlds even more closely."
"Magic is back"
It just so happens that investors believe Iger is better equipped for the task. Iger headed Disney for 15 years and is revered for acquisitions involving Pixar animation studio, comic book company Marvel, Star Wars maker Lucasfilm, and, most recently, 21st Century Fox, which brought shows like The Simpsons and Family Guy under its fold.
Iger also oversaw the launch of Disney+, the company's flagship streaming platform. Under the leadership of Chapek, Disney's streaming portfolio has become the reason behind its recent financial woes as meteoric subscriber growth failed to translate into profits and its shares plummeted.
Iger stepped down as Disney's CEO in 2020 and left the company's board at the end of 2021. He picked Chapek as his successor.
Chapek ran the company mostly following Iger's vision and strategy. Still, investors seem to have more trust in the former-and-current chief executive, even as some studies show "boomerang CEOs" are not always the saviors that Wall Street is hoping them to be.
Iger's two-year appointment led Disney's shares to rise, and analysts at MoffettNathanson said that the "magic is back," applauding Disney's board for the "courage" to make this change.
Even Reed Hastings, chief executive of the arch-rival Netflix, tweeted: "Ugh. I had been hoping Iger would run for President. He is amazing."
Iger has returned to the helm of Disney with a bang. One of his first moves saw the dismissal of Kareem Daniel, head of the company's Media and Entertainment Distribution division and close ally to Chapek.
Chapek put Daniel in charge of the company's film and television sales and distribution operations. Stripped of decision-making rights, creative executives complained over the lack of autonomy – some to the board, contributing to Chapek's eventual undoing.
Upon his comeback, Iger promised "to restructure things in a way that honors and respects creativity as the heart and soul of who we are."
He said he had tasked a group of executives to build a new structure that not only rationalizes costs but also puts more decision-making in the hands of creative teams.
"I fundamentally believe storytelling is what fuels this company, and it belongs at the center of how we organize our business," Iger said in an email to employees.
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Apple Watch all alone: what can it do? Not a lot -- it's mainly an iPhone accessory -- but there are some key things that it can handle on its own.
Tidal's new owner Jay Z has been calling customers personally to thank them for subscribing, while CEO Andy Chen has left the company.
Intel co-founder Gordon Moore's observation 50 years ago set the groundwork for self-driving cars on the road and computers in our pockets today.
YouTube's new cards will replace its annotations. Find out what you need to know about YouTube's shift in the interactive elements it allows you to add to videos.
Intel, GlobalFoundries and other chipmakers have built massive facilities to manufacture more powerful computer chips. It's all part of a race to prove they can keep pace with Moore's Law.
Find apps, pay for things on the go and find your way around Apple's advanced new watch: here are the key ways to navigate on it.
Apple has added support for a Vulcan salute emoji on iPhones and iPads, but you won't find it on the emoji keyboard.
The carmaker shows off a concept augmented reality system based on a pair of high-tech glasses that give you information about the real world plus navigation and safety views.
Information from the Planck space telescope helped create a stunning new map. It's also shedding light on dark matter and the origins of the universe.
Get ready for rolling BB-8 toys. The droid in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" is a real robot, based on the technology in Sphero's toy robotic balls. And in a galaxy not so far away, SpaceX delivers an espresso machine to the International Space Station.


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Russia’s increasing isolation from the West is turning exotic islands in Thailand a hotspot for its rich citizens. While Phuket has long attracted wealthier Russians, the influx is accelerating as the war in Ukraine makes several destinations in Europe harder to enter.
Since Vladimir Putin began his invasion, the European Union has made it increasingly difficult for Russians to travel to the bloc. That has pushed a number of people to countries with easier entry regulations such as Turkey and Thailand.
Thai Beaches Offer Russians An Affordable Alternative In Asia
According to real estate agency Knight Frank Thailand, the number of villas sold in Phuket last year surged 82%, with about half of it purchased by Russians. Almost 800,000 Russian nationals entered Thailand between January and June, the Thai Tourism and Sports Ministry said.
Interestingly, over 50% of those tourists flew directly into Phuket airport, according to the Phuket Tourist Association. While European cities have long been the main havens for Russian speakers, Thailand’s nightlife, openness and beaches provided an affordable alternative.
Phuket even has a Russian consulate, officially opened by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in July. The Russian minister met with his Thai counterpart during the visit. The diplomatic office is located within the Royal Phuket Marina, a seaside community.
It’s Not All Sunshine And Rainbows, Though
In line with the accelerating influx, Thais have started adapting to the needs and habits of Russian tourists. Several street signs and shop names are now in Cyrillic, with Phuket International Airport making announcements also in Russian.
Despite helping generate much-needed jobs in the tourism and investment – dependent Phuket, the influx of Russians has also pushed some potential Thai buyers out of the market. Local workers are also seeing the impact of inflation on basic goods and even rental properties.


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Luxembourg has the youngest car parc in Europe while Poland has the oldest. Germany has the highest number of people directly employed in vehicle manufacturing in Europe but Spain has the highest output per worker. Turkey is the largest vehicle exporter to the EU in term of units, but Japan accounts for the highest import value of cars to the region. Europe's diesel penetration is down, but electric cars are also losing ground.
Those are just some of the facts found in the latest Automobile Industry Pocket Guide from the European automotive industry association, ACEA. The guide shows the power of the auto industry in Europe while also revealing several interesting trends.
Germany leads on jobs
ACEA estimates that the automotive sector directly employed 2.45 million people in manufacturing in 2015. The number of jobs had been on the rise 2011, when the total was 2.23 million. Germany had the highest number of people directly employed in automotive manufacturing, 850,857, well ahead of second-ranked France at 224,000. Poland was No. 3 at 178,274. The Czech Republic, however, had the highest percentage of its working population employed in the automotive sector, 3.24 percent, followed by Slovakia (2.76 percent) and Germany (2.17 percent). The EU average was 1.14 percent.
Although Germany was Europe's largest passenger car producer (5.54 million units) and Spain was second (2.27 million cars), Spain produces an average of 19.2 vehicles per worker annually compared with Germany's 7.2 vehicles, which is slightly below the region's average of 7.6 cars. Other high-output countries are Slovakia (13.7) and Belgium (12.8).
While European vehicle sales have risen for three consecutive years the car parc continues to age. In 2015, the most recent data available, the average age of passenger cars in Europe had grown to 10.7 years from 10.5 years in 2014, figures from IHS Markit show. The average age of passenger cars is up 27 percent from 2007, when it was 8.4 years. The European markets with the oldest car fleets are Poland (17.2 years), Lithuania (16.7) and Latvia (16.3). At 6.2 years, Luxembourg has the youngest car fleet, ahead of Belgium (7.7), while the UK and Denmark tied for third (8.5).
Europe's largest export market for passenger cars is the United States, both in units and value. Last year 1.17 million cars were shipped to the U.S from Europe. Turkey was No. 2 (534,223) followed by China (531,784). In terms of value, car exports to the U.S. were worth 37.7 billion euros, well ahead of China (19.8 billion euros) and, surprisingly, third-ranked Switzerland at 7.8 billion euros.
On the import side, Turkey sent the most vehicles to Europe, but Japan was tops in terms of value. Last year brands such as Fiat, Ford, Hyundai, Renault and Toyota shipped 644,372 vehicles to the European Union from Turkey while 575,223 cars came from Japan and 401,868 from South Korea. In term of value of the imports, Japan had a clear lead with 9.1 billion euros, ahead of the U.S. (7.2 billion euros) and Turkey (6.4 billion euros).


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TORONTO - The new owners of the Trump International Hotel and Tower Toronto have reached a deal that will see the Trump name removed from the property.
Residents in Scarborough and Ottawa can now order beer directly to their door as The Beer Store rolls out its new home delivery service pilot project.
Licensed marijuana company Canopy Growth Corp. saw its patient base double in its last fiscal year to more than 58,000 as it sold 203 per cent more product, though the company posted a loss for both the year and more recent quarter as it invested in ...
B.C. sawmill workers are bracing for an anxious summer after the United States increased tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber. The U.S.
GO Transit and UP Express users will see the cost of longer-distance rides go up by 3 per cent beginning this fall. FILE. What is this?


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The generosity of Irvine’s kind coffee drinkers has left business owners stunned.
After adopting a ‘pending coffee appeal’, owners at harbourside’s The Niche say they’ve been left overwhelmed by their customers.
The initiative allows customers to pay for extra coffees when buying one themselves, and the idea is that disadvantaged people can claim a 'paid for' cup later.
In less than 24 hours, the business owned by Marc Green and Colin Malcher, saw seven pending coffees left by generous customers.
The origins of the appeal can be traced back to a small coffee shop in Napoli, Italy and the touching charity story has now arrived at Irvine’s newest eaterie, which opened in June.
The Niche posted on Facebook: “Some of you may have seen or heard the story of how it all began, we hadn’t until last week and when we did it restored our faith and touched our hearts.
“It all began in a small coffee shop just like us in Napoli, Italy.
“The Niche, as of now, are part of the ‘pending coffee’ appeal so spread the word and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for taking the time to read all about it.
And less than 24 hours later the owners were humbled by the response from the public: “We are overwhelmed with the kindness and generosity of everyone in such a short space of time, such an amazing cause and we couldn’t do it without the support.
“We never expected the response that we have received. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts, let’s keep spreading the word.”


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It seemed that all the models gathered around the live video feed and most were saying how comfortable the clothes were, save the two outfitted in bikini bottoms. As one of them remarked, it's just one of those "this is going to be so far up my ass" job hazards.
Here's a video recap of the LG Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2011.
For those who dig the track, Bonjay are performing live at The Garrison this Friday.
A special thanks to Peroni for sponsoring our coverage of Toronto Fashion Week.
Check out the photos and video of the Rudsak show in our special Toronto Fashion Week section.


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Tuesday Tune-Up #364
The microblogging platform announced they’ll be banning all adult content, as of December 17. And it’s not just photos. Even adult illustrations are getting the chop. Tumblr have started to identify existing adult content using AI, with mixed results. A vast number of very SFW images have been incorrectly tagged, leading to an outcry of platform users and a plethora of memes.
Forbes reveals Highest-Paid YouTube Stars of 2018
The top 10 are all male. The highest earner took in a whopping $22 milli this year. Gaming is the most represented category, with toys, trick-shots and beauty rounding out the mix. There are two Paul brothers on separate channels. And the ninth and tenth positions are held by vloggers who’ve bounced back from scandal – PewDiePie and Logan Paul. Check out the list.
Facebook launches Watch Party globally
Parties really ain’t what they used to be. In a bid to attract viewers to its content, Facebook has launched Watch Party to all profiles and Pages around the world. The co-viewing feature originally launched in Groups allows users to simultaneously watch and comment on the same video. Bonus features include a potential celeb favourite – Facebook will provide Watch Party hosts with a new real-time commentating feature. Last week saw Shaquille O’Neal host a Watch Party from his Page, replaying favourite episodes from his reality series “Big Chicken Shaq.”
Facebook lures older viewers to Watch
This might sound crazy but it’s true – some people still like to cozy up with a cuppa and watch actual TV. These older viewers, the over 30s (!), are the ones Facebook is going after, rather than teens and millennials who would rather watch YouTube. According to CNBC, the platform is “in talks with at least three media companies, Facebook has hinted it wants Watch shows aimed at post-college millennials around parenting age and older.” It seems Facebook is already acting on this ambition by digging up some old TV favourites – all episodes of Joss Whedon’s Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly will be free on Facebook Watch in the US.
Instagram rolls out private sharing features in Stories
Instagram has been promising more private sharing features for a while and it has now delivered with the launch of ‘close friends’. The feature, which works in Stories, allows you to share your content with a select group of contacts on the platform, meaning fewer people now have to suffer through your baby photos – win. Instagram will suggest friends to you based on the people you interact with most, or you can search for them. The feature has been live in the Australian market for some time – but now you can look forward to seeing less overshares from your friends overseas.
Instagram becomes more accessible for the visually impaired
A nice use of AI from Instagram – the platform is using it to become more accessible for visually impaired users. It is introducing alternative text for photos that provide a description of a given image, which can be read by screen readers. There will be two ways for photos to receive an alternative text; AI object recognition technology, which automatically generates descriptions of photos, or via an alternative text box that allows people who upload images to provide a description.
YouTube plans to scale back original shows to focus on free viewing
According to sources for the Hollywood Reporter, from 2020 YouTube is planning to scale back on its original scripted programming as part of a “serious budget reduction”. However, some good news for fans of the platform’s original shows: the move to cut back on production will mean that many shows and movies will be available in ad-supported “free windows” for all YouTube viewers by 2020.
YouTube rolls out ‘Stories’ feature to more creators
YouTube is opening up its own version of Stories to give creators with more than 10,000 subscribers the chance to use the feature. Unlike Instagram and Facebook Stories, YouTube’s version is more heavily focused on community engagement – giving creators and viewers more options to comment and respond to the content. The content created will remain live for seven days on the platform’s mobile app.
Pinterest helps retailers create gift-finding tools for Christmas
This holiday season, Pinterest has partnered with Macy’s, Lowe’s and Kohl to create a set of gift-finding tools, ‘The Gift Globes’, which allow shoppers to enter gift criteria to receive a personalised list of ideas. Users can then ‘shake the globe’ on their mobile device to change the gift suggestion. The platform also partnered with Esty to create an “Etsy Gift Finder” tool which encourages users to complete a “virtual gift tag” in order to get personalised suggestions from Etsy’s marketplace.
Volkswagen creates a mobile AR racetrack
Volkswagen has worked with Snapchat to create a new “mobile-based augmented reality GTI racetrack” as a way to engage GTI race fans. The new ‘People’s Supercar’ campaign uses Snapchat’s AR lens to let users drive the vehicle of their choice around a variety of landscapes, and allows them to share their top scores with friends and followers. The GTI race track will be available until the 19 December.
This week’s Tune-Up brought to you by Zoh Dowling.


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Beverage brand development guru James Tonkin has warned wannabe entrepreneurs that going up against established brands such as Red Bull and Coca-Cola without some kind of ‘silo vertical’ protection is fruitless.
Already one of the most widely-used stimulants in sport, recent research suggests there may be greater scope for caffeine to be used in a wider range of sports as well as during exercise, says sports nutrition researcher and consultant in elite sport.
THE BEVERAGEDAILY BASEMENT TAPES: CHRIS HANNAWAY, OVERLY SPORTS DRINK
Young entrepreneur Chris Hannaway and childhood friend Will Hammersley launched frozen yogurt brand Arctic Farm into Sainsbury’s at the tender age of 19. Now they’re back with sports drink Overly. This is Chris’s story…
Exotic and functional fruits and vegetables like cashew nut fruit, chu chu and their extracts are set for an easier passage into European Union markets if mooted simplifications to EU Novel Foods laws come to fruition, according to a UK-based expert.
Dispatches from the IPA World Congress in Athens, Greece
As the EU’s ambitious €6m PlantLIBRA project to further botancials science drew to a close this week at a congress in Vienna, we asked the European Commission about the project’s relative merits – and whether a ‘mark 2’ was on the cards.