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The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) has urged the Centre to reduce the tariff imposed on nutritional foods that are essential for the management of cancer and renal disease, as the government readies itself to ... FnBnews.com, 2 hours ago
Assocham urges Centre to reduce tariff imposed on nutritional foods - MyIris, 1 day ago
In budget 2015-16 tariff should be reduced on imported nutritional foods, demands industry - Meri News, 1 day ago
The Government has introduced Constitutional Amendment Bill for Goods & Services Tax (GST) in Lok Sabha. The Government intends to introduce GST from April 1, 2016. "No state will loose a rupee. It will be a win-win situation for all," the Finance ...Hindu Business Line, 21 hours ago GST Constitution Amendment Bill gets Cabinet nod; may be tabled this session Hindu Business Line, 2 days ago
In an effort to boost the Make in India mission, the Heavy Industry Ministry plans to pitch for doubling the basic import duty on power generation equipment. It wants the duty to be raised to 10 per cent from five per cent and the countervailing ...Hindu Business Line, 2 weeks ago
Ramesh Manikandan owns a medium-sized farm in the Kanchipuram district of Tamil Nadu. He was recently in Chennai, which is some 60 km from his holding, to visit two showrooms and choose a new tractor. A common enough occurence, but one with a ...New Indian Express, 2 weeks ago
U (Targeted News Service Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Targeted News Service Targeted News Service ALEXANDRIA, Va., Oct. 23 -- The following federal patents were awarded to inventors in Connecticut. *** Pfizer Assigned Patent ALEXANDRIA, Va., Oct. 23 ...TMC Net, 1 month ago
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February 18, 2015
US draft rules on drones not seen as hugely beneficial to a burgeoning market
By the end of 2025 it is anticipated that the civil uses of drones will exceed military ones in financial terms, according to a report issued by IDTechEx. “The biggest market sub-sector will be small UAVs that are not toys or personal, with US$2bn in sales in 2025 generating over US$20bn in benefits in agriculture, border protection, parcel delivery, logistics such as warehousing, coastguard, customs, search and rescue, medical emergency, malaria research, mine detection, protection of rare species, movie production and so on,” says Dr Harrop, Chairman of IDTechEx.
As an example, recently Amazon underlined that they are heavily committed to package delivery to customers by using drones once they obtain the regulatory support needed. The biggest internet retailer in China, Alibaba, has already trialled drone deliveries there, Google has tested drone deliveries in Australia, and DHL have performed deliveries using unmanned aircraft to an island in Germany, this being the first authorized drone use in Europe.
However, in the United States, the long-awaited draft rules from the Federal Aviation Administration have now been released, and so far the impression is that a considerable amount of negotiating will be required before the likes of Amazon can see their dreams come true. While on the one hand some of the restrictions seem to make perfect sense, others seem overly restrictive. As such the FAA would need an unmanned aircraft pilot to obtain a special pilot certificate, avoid bystanders, and fly only during daytime. Flying speed is limited to 100 miles per hour (160 kph) and altitude to 500 feet (152 m) above ground. The rules also require pilots to remain in ‘line of sight’ of the drone they are operating, which is seen as a major restriction for areas such as inspection of electrical towers, pipelines and crops, though the FAA felt this problem could be solved through the use of spotters working together with the pilot.
Despite drones suddenly becoming the ‘in’ gadget, these rules have actually been 10 years in the making and still require public discussion before ratification can take place. “This rule does not deal with beyond line of sight, but does allow for the use of a visual observer to augment line of sight by the operator of the unmanned aircraft,” FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said, going on to say that the agency had attempted to be “flexible” in their approach to creating the rules. He also indicated that they had created a framework and that the rules would change as a result of communication with appropriate industries and technology developments.
As for the practical side, commercial drone operators would have to be at least 17 years old, pass an aeronautical knowledge test, and be vetted by the Transportation Security Administration. However there would be no requirement to go through the medical tests or flight hours needed by manned aircraft pilots. The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), lauded the draft, with Brian Wynne, the group’s President, calling it a “good first step in an evolutionary process.” However the privacy advocates were still concerned there were insufficient limits on when law enforcement agencies would be allowed to use drones for surveillance.

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Belgium is making moves to have loot boxes, popular in gaming, banned across Europe.
The Benelux country has called the boxes, popular in games like Star Wars: Battlefront and Overwatch, a disguised form of gambling.
In case you are unfamiliar, loot crates, or loot boxes, are items that can be bought in-game which contain a randomised selection of items which can include clothing for your avatar, or weapons or other unlockable content.
Koen Geens, Minister for Justice in Belgium, has said that "The mixing of money and addiction is gambling".
This is a decision passed down by the country's gaming commission.
He went on to say that: "Mixing gambling and gaming, especially at a young age, is dangerous for the mental health of the child."
The debate was brought forward from the Star Wars: Battlefront II controversy that has been rocking EA the last number of weeks.
The famously money-grabbing company was forced to back down off its in-game purchase system last week after huge fan uproar.
Prospective buyers had discovered that unlocking key characters naturally in the game would take hundreds of hours of gameplay - but that they were all very conveniently purchasable for real cash.
In response to this, EA cut down times needed to unlock characters and disabled in-game purchases at launch.
With Belgium hoping to make loot boxes illegal in Europe, this would be another hit to EA and other companies using the same mechanic, but it will take some time.
The Belgian Minister for Justice said: "That takes time, because we have to go to Europe. We will certainly try to ban it. "


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Lexus, Mercedes-Benz among vehicles up for grabs at Leon Valley police auction
These vehicles will be up for auction by the Leon Valley Police Department. SAN ANTONIO – A variety of vehicles will be up for auction this week in Leon Valley. The Leon Valley Police Department will hold an online auction starting on Monday and ending on April 5. All vehicles must be paid for by 5 p.m. by April 5 at the City of Leon Valley, 6400 El Verde Road. The following vehicles will be up for auction:
Alamo Drafthouse co-founder to hold movie poster auction ‘to stay afloat and survive’
AUSTIN – One of the co-founders of the Alamo Drafthouse is holding a movie poster auction to help raise money during the COVID-19 pandemic and pay staff members and the cinema’s debt. Tim League, the cinema’s co-founder and executive chairman, decided to host the first-ever auction from his personal collection of nearly 2,000 Mondo limited edition prints, including posters no longer available. The company said 100% of the poster sale proceeds would go towards paying staff, paying debt and expenses accrued during the COVID-19 closures. “We are therefore looking for unique ways to stay afloat and survive until normalcy returns. Related: Rudolph, Santa figures soar to sale of $368,000 at auction
Dump truck, other impounded vehicles up for online auction via Leon Valley PD
LEON VALLEY, Texas – The Leon Valley Police Department is auctioning off impounded vehicles on November 9 in an online auction. LVPD officials will auction off the vehicles online here and the auction will be conducted by Auctioneer B. Among the vehicles up for auction are an Infiniti G35, Chevy Impala, Lexus ES3 and a 1998 GMC 7000 dump truck. Leon Valley Police Department auto auction vehicle. (LVPD)View a list of the vehicles available below:Leon Valley Police Department auto auction vehicle.
Feds: City of San Antonio sold 227 vehicles at auction belonging to veterans
SAN ANTONIO The city of San Antonio towed and auctioned a vehicle belonging to an Air Force staff sergeant while she was deployed to Afghanistan, federal officials said. Paula Rangel was among at least 227 vehicles belonging to veterans that were sold at auction by the city between 2011 and 2019 without obtaining the required court orders, which is in violation of the Service Members Civil Relief Act. According to officials, Rangel and her lawyer tried to get her car out of the citys Growdon Road Vehicle Storage Facility, but employees refused to release the car. Rangels complaint led to the discovery of dozens of other vehicles being held at the pound and auctioned, officials said. On Thursday, the city of San Antonio and the U.S. Department of Justice reached an agreement in which the city must pay $47,000 to compensate Rangel and another veteran who filed complaints.
Own a piece of history: Alamo battle relics up for auction on Saturday
NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas You could own a piece of San Antonio history as Alamo battle relics and Republic of Texas documents go up for auction Saturday. The live auction will take place at 10 a.m. at the Burley Auction Gallery located at 134 Debora Dr. in New Braunfels. Anyone unable to attend the auction will still be able to bid live online or through phone and absentee bidding. The auction also features historic items from Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard, Confederate General in the Civil War, including family photographs and portraits, a letter about a cholera outbreak, documents, signatures and books, according to the release.


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Bluetooth was the proving ground for implementing multi-gigahertz RF transceiver circuits on a cost-effective CMOS process. The success of CMOS RF advocate CSR is testament to that.
Yet silicon suppliers have not stopped there. The big prize for CMOS RF designs will be the next generation of cost and size sensitive 3G mobile phones.
Silicon Laboratories (distributed by Braemac ) is one supplier that has been shipping a GSM/GPRS mobile phone transceiver for two years. It was complemented last year with an integrated power amplifier (PA). But the mobile market is not standing still and now suppliers are looking at how to use the cost benefits of CMOS RF circuits in next-generation phones.
“3G designs are achievable in CMOS - no one should be scared about doing wideband CDMA RF designs in CMOS,” says Dan Rabinovitsj, VP of wireless products at Silicon Labs.
Despite Rabinovitsj’s confidence, these are relatively early days for using CMOS front ends in mobile phones. Take the back off many GSM handsets and it will be a gallium arsenide (GaAs), not silicon, RF front end and PA which you find, probably supplied by RF Micro Devices (RF Parts Australia). But that is the target market for silicon RF specialists such as Silicon Labs, TI, Renesas and National Semiconductor (Arrow).
It is the adoption of digital radio technologies such as GSM and CDMA that makes all CMOS RF mobile phone transceivers possible at all. Whereas implementation of classical radio architectures poses an almost insurmountable challenge in deep submicron CMOS, sampled-data radio architectures make possible the use of CMOS and the ability to scale with process.
The real cost benefits of all CMOS RF devices will only be realised if the chips can be fabbed on as near as possible a standard CMOS process in the foundry or ODM. But the inherent scaling of CMOS processes, driven by mainstream products, poses its own problems for RF circuits.
TI believes that scaling of CMOS to lower and lower voltage levels makes analogue design more difficult as process technology advances. Device modelling and process maturity early in the development of a new process node are generally inadequate for highly accurate parametric modelling required for these analogue type block designs.
According to TI, CMOS mobile phone radio designs have built heavily on analogue functions. Implementation of the analogue mixers, filters, and amplifiers in CMOS technology is difficult and the power consumption can be higher than for an alternative SiGe BiCMOS design.
While SiGe BiCMOS will easily achieve all the performance requirements needed for mobile phone front ends it does not offer the cost benefits of a pure CMOS RF design. According to Mark Norris, RF specialist at Cambridge Consultants, integrating a SiGe process can add as much as 30 percent to the mask costs.
Whereas all-CMOS designs can make use of the economies of scale of using standard CMOS foundries with a few tweaks in the process such as a thick metal layer for high Q inductors, an insulation layer for metal-insulator-metal (MIM) capacitors and perhaps a high resistivity polysilicon layer. “But these are not as involved as integrating SiGe,” says Norris.
Rabinovitsj at Silicon Labs argued that their approach is even simpler: “We do not believe you need a high resistivity substrate.”
More on this story at ferret.com.au/electronics.


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Global Satellite USA Launches New Satellite Telephone
Global Satellite USA is pleased to announce the launch of Iridium’s smallest handheld satellite phone, the Iridium Extreme.
The Iridium Extreme is the most compact handset to date and has a compact physical footprint for streamlined portability. It has greater durability with its water, shock, and dust resistant features and has an intuitive user interface, making it easy to use. Commenting on the new Iridium Extreme, Martin Fierstone, President of Global Satellite USA, says, “This is the first handheld satellite phone to have GPS tracking integrated. I believe that tracking is becoming an industry standard when it comes to global mobile communication. Companies are looking to improve their efficiency and reduce their overheads and by tracking personnel and assets, has to be an important part of that strategy”.
It may be the smallest satellite phone, but Iridium Extreme is big on tough and is built to take a beating. It is ruggedly engineered to support the toughest, highest usage customers of satellite phone communications in the harshest conditions, everywhere. The Toughest Phone Ever No other satellite phone in the world has more guts or grit than Iridium Extreme. The first satellite phone with military-grade (MIL-STD 810F) durability.
The first satellite phone with an Ingress Protection (IP) rating of IP65 Built dust proof, shock resistant and jet-water resistant Includes a speakerphone and wind-resistant microphone A diamond tread, tapered grip gives it the best in-hand ergonomics of any satellite phone on the market Through certified online portals, such Global Satellite Engineering’s Gsattrack.com, Iridium Extreme offers an open development platform for custom location-based solutions providing real time tracking to help increase business efficiencies, improve military and emergency response, track critical assets or simply keep family and friends up to date. Access users through on-demand tracking Monitor employees en route through position updates and geo-fencing Use scheduled check-ins to instruct daily missions Let family and friends track your location online through social network updates Ensure safety of remote personnel Disable tracking on demand for stealth operations Iridium Extreme even allows you to send an SMS text message with your exact location co-ordinates to anyone viewable on an online map, from anywhere on the planet.
The Iridium Extreme is available via our new website at www.globalsatellite.us. Any technical questions, please email us at email@example.com or call us at +1 954 522 6260.


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- The handset comes with an 8-megapixel rear camera
- Panasonic P77 features a 5-inch HD (720X1280 pixels) display
- The phone is priced at Rs 5,299
After launching the Panasonic P77 last year in India, Panasonic has just launched an updated variant of the phone that now comes with more storage, new and improved features and all this at a better and lesser price too. The new handset comes with a 16GB built in storage as compared to the previous 8GB one and is priced at Rs 5,299.
Panasonic plans to sell the product exclusively through Flipkart and is offering the model in both gray and white colour variants. Pankaj Rana, Business Head – Mobility Division, Panasonic India, said “Our association with Flipkart has always helped us to reach out to our customers. The upgraded version of P77 is one of the most wallet friendly offers from Panasonic.”
Ayyappan Rajagopal, Senior Director, Mobiles, Flipkart threw a light on the association of the two organizations at the launch, “With 4G smartphones increasingly becoming more sought after and affordable, a huge chunk of Indian smartphone shoppers are opting to purchase them online. Flipkart has a wide selection of such budget-friendly 4G-equipped smartphones that offer customers an attractive package deal of competitive pricing and innovative technology. The launch of the new P77 is an extension of the exclusive partnership we enjoy with Panasonic.”
The Panasonic P77 comes with a dual- SIM and supports 4G only on one SIM card slot at a time. The smartphone is based on Android 5.1 Lollipop OS and features a 5-inch HD (720X1280 pixels) display.
The smartphone is powered by a 1GHz quad-core processor and comes with 1GB RAM. The thing to look for is the camera of the Panasonic P77 that comes with an 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 2-megapixel front camera. If that isn’t enough, the smartphone comes with 8GB built in storage that can be expanded to up to 32GB via micro SD card.
Last but not the least, the smartphone is powered by a 2000mAh battery. In terms of connectivity, the brand is offering this handset with 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and A-GPS.


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Huawei is still unsure of its future with Google's Android mobile operating system even after President Donald Trump eased restrictions and allowed the country to sell generally available technologies to the Chinese smartphone maker.
Reuters reported that over the weekend, Trump "softened" his stance on Huawei and told attendees at the G20 Summit that the U.S. will allow the sales of "widely available" technology to the Chinese tech giant.
White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow explained, in an interview with Fox News, that these technologies include, "for example, some of the chips that chipmakers in the United States are selling, products that are widely available from other countries." These chips or products, Kudlow believes, don't pose a threat to "national security."
Despite this development, the Chinese tech company remains unsure if it will be postponing or canceling its plans on using its proprietary mobile OS called "Hongmeng." In an email to CNet, Huawei said it "acknowledges" the comments President Trump made allowing it to purchase generally available technologies but cannot say anything about using Android on its devices.
Huawei simply has "no further comment at this time," CNet said.
A backup plan
Previous reports indicated that Huawei was working on its own Hongmeng OS for a few years now -- starting in 2012. The company's self-made OS was said to be created by experts observing both Android and Apple's iOS for the iPhone.
The Chinese company has already filed requests to trademark Hongmeng OS, also known as Ark OS, in various countries including Australia, Canada, Cambodia, the European Union, Indonesia, India, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland and Thailand. It is expected to completely take the place of Android, and is said to work on phones, tablets, TVs, and even cars.
Hongmeng is expected to provide support for Android apps, which gives the idea that it could be based on Android's source code. While the OS can support Android apps, users can only download them through third-party apps like Huawei's AppGallery as Hongmeng can't run Google's Play Store.
As of now, it's unclear if Huawei's upcoming phones and other devices will be able to use Android. Fans hoping to buy the company's new devices are advised to wait for further updates.
This article was first published in IBTimes US. Permission required for reproduction.


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On April 9th, Thor Token announced that it is closing its doors. The announcement followed several days of speculation after Thor locked its Telegram to comments and allegedly offered a former employee the company and its 50 million tokens for US$10,000.
At approximately 5:30pm (UTC-5) on April 9th, the Thor website was updated to show only a post that has since switched back and forth in attribution between CTO Matt Moravec and CEO David Chin. Currently attributed to Chin, the post states that “We are incredibly proud of the groundbreaking work the Thor team accomplished – delivering useful and accessible products for 1099 gig economy companies. Unfortunately, we did not achieve the commercial success we were looking for.”
The post goes on to cite “regulatory challenges” as a key hurdle that prevented the company from achieving its goals. It also claims Thor had been working behind the scenes to raise further capital “to face the lack of sales or [find] the company a new home where our technology could benefit from more resources.”
Following the layoff of 50% of its staff in order to “correct cash flow” two months earlier, the company stated it had signed three agreements that “represent over 8,500 contractors” and that it had “a pipeline of over $1.8 million dollars of Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) that we will be closing in sales deals over the next year.”
Despite these claims, Thor has been unable to sustain its operations. “Ultimately, it has become clear that the only course of action for Thor is to shutter [sic] its doors,” the closing announcement said.
Concerns began to rise within the Thor community when former chief designer Matthew Lawler posted a series of videos criticizing the team following the staff layoffs on February 5th. In his videos, Lawler claimed that Thor had “an intention to abandon crypto and abandon the THOR token so that they can go sell a business payments platform to businesses.”
Director of legal and business development for Thor, Ben Lambert, responded to Lawler’s comments on the Thor Telegram channel stating: “There are fundamental differences between how we envision driving token value and what Matthew believes is the best path forward. For us, we value long-term growth and sustainability. For Matthew, he would like to utilize the THOR token immediately without weighing the legal/regulatory impact. For obvious reasons, I do not agree. We have never been a company that takes regulatory short cuts and we won’t start now to satisfy the wants of one team member.”
Aphelion, the only exchange to trade THOR tokens, delisted THOR shortly after with CEO Ian Holtz stating: “Our understanding is that they have abandoned the token, if that changes so can their listing status.”
In the weeks following Thor placed emphasis on its onboarding efforts and regulatory compliance, however, community tensions increased on Friday, April 5th when the Thor Telegram was locked for comments.
A community run Telegram channel was quickly established where supporters of the project expressed their concerns about the future of Thor.
Concerns deepened as allegations surfaced that Chin and Moravec had offered to sell Lawler the Thor company and its 50 million THOR tokens for US$10,000 that same day.
Screenshots began to circulate of an alleged conversation between Moravec and a community member, depicting Moravec calling Thor a “failed project” due to a “lack of sales,” and questions began being asked of Thor’s connection to Permian Capital Management, a digital asset hedge fund, of which Chin and Moravec were claimed to be founders.
On Monday, April 9th, the @goThorTech Twitter account was deleted.
Following the Twitter closure, NEO News Today contacted Moravec and Chin for comment. The questions sent were addressed publicly in the Thor closing announcement. The responses are published in full below:
We’d like to respond to a few rumors swirling throughout the community. Dean Jeffs, NEO News Today, summarized the rumors in an email.
With the Telegram locked to comments, the @goThorTech Twitter closed (current time 2:21pm (GMT-5), and claims that the company offered its THOR Tokens to Matthew Lawler in exchange for $10,000, the community is anxious about Thor’s future. What is the current status of the Thor project?
We have been exploring multiple options for Thor. We would like the project to continue in the hands of the right person and/or entity. Unfortunately we have not been able to find the right fit for an acquisition at this time.
Is it true the company offered Matthew Lawler THOR tokens in exchange for $10,000? What was the strategy behind this?
Matt Lawler was someone that reached out to us about an acquisition months prior. His response has been to harass and insult community and team members.
If true, does this mean the company will not be moving forward with THOR token integration into Odin or any other products?
Thor will be ceasing operations in the near future given no other funding or acquisition offers are found.
What is the connection between Thor Technologies, Inc and Permian Capital Management, LLC? Were any Thor company funds used to set up Permian Capital?
In the U.S. companies are not allowed to exchange tokens for cash needed to run operations and pay employees. Permian was the vehicle Thor used to exchange U.S. dollars for the funds raised, and all at no cost to Thor. Permian Capital existed many months before Thor was ever created, thus Thor never used funds to setup Permian Capital. Our accounting is reviewed by a leading firm in San Francisco. Using Thor’s money to setup Permian would never be legal or allowed by members of Thor.
There is a screenshot circulating where you allegedly private messaged a community member on Twitter and called Thor a “Failed project” due to a “lack of sales.” The screenshot also says that you claim the “Gig economy didn’t need the solutions that were talked about in the whitepaper.” Is this screenshot authentic, and if so, do you have anything to add to these comments?
Companies’ hesitation and doubts of cryptocurrency had a major effect on sales and adoption. Thor was not able to gain traction and achieve commercial success, and will be shutting its doors.
Lawler disputes the claims that he offered to acquire the Thor company, telling NEO News Today, “I never made any offers to acquire the company, that’s for god-damn sure.”
“It was absolutely clear that they wanted to essentially give me the company, at any price, while they walked away to build ‘Odin 1099’.”
Thor had pitched itself as a solution for workers in the Gig economy that would allow them affordable access to retirement planning and healthcare, whilst making it easier to receive payments.
Odin, which was first introduced in September 2018, was described as “the first blockchain-ready payments portal of its kind” enabling companies to “easily manage and track all outbound payments to their contractors, saving countless hours of unnecessary and tedious backend work.” It was intended to be used either as a stand-alone product or alongside Thor’s other core products.
During operations, Thor had established a partnership with US-based payment services provider, Dwolla, to facilitate the Thor payment network on the fiat/USD side of Odin. It had also onboarded Yoshi, a GM and ExxonMobil backed nationwide car care service, as a customer, and partnered with M Group Health to offer independent health insurance plans. Thor was never able to provide the group health plans it originally intended.
On June 30th, 2018 Thor also released the beta version of its mobile app on the iOS and Android store, allowing users to purchase Thor merchandise with THOR tokens as a test in the “sending and receiving of digital credits.”
Thor’s token sale ended on April 6th, 2018, raising 26,727 NEO, 4,296 GAS, and 1,819 ETH, approximately US$1.9 million at the time. 7,069,224 THOR tokens were distributed, with 50,000,000 remaining in the company hands, and 42,930,776 tokens burnt.
Former staff members who were laid off in February, Ben Lambert, and director of communications Reggie Clodfelter have joined the community Telegram channel to answer questions about Thor operations. Both maintain that Thor was a legitimate startup that had a working product at the time of their firing, but ultimately run out of funds before the company could achieve all of its goals.
Some members within the community have indicated plans to file a complaint against Thor with the SEC.
The open community Telegram channel can be found at:


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Global soybean production is slightly lower this month as a result of reduced estimates for India and China that more than offset gains in Argentina and the European Union.
This is according to new data from the USDA. However, exports of soybeans are increased from greater shipments from Brazil and the United States more than offsetting reductions in Argentina and India.
According to the USDA, the imports are boosted this month with growing demand in China, Japan, Bangladesh, and Iran. Global stocks are slightly higher this month reflecting increased levels in Argentina and China. The US season-average farm price is unchanged.
Regarding prices, the USDA reports that the US export bids in March, FOB Gulf, averaged US$345/ton, unchanged from last month. As of the week ending March 31, US 2015/16 soybean export commitments (outstanding sales plus accumulated exports) to China totalled 26.8 million tons compared with 29.6 million a year ago. Total commitments to the world are 44.5 million tons, compared with 48.2 million for the same period last year.
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SAN JOSE, Calif. (WATE) — Apple has unveiled major updates to their iPhones, iPads, watches and Mac computers Monday at their annual developers conference in San Jose, California.
During the conference, Apple nodded to several up-and-coming technology trends, unveiling a new “smart” home speaker and device features touching on virtual reality, online privacy and a form of artificial intelligence called machine learning.
Siri gets a new voice
One of the biggest changes is coming to Apple’s digital assistant. Siri is getting a new voice.
Not only will Apple offer new male and female voices, but Apple says using the latest advancements in artificial intelligence and machine learning, their voices will be more natural and expressive, adjust intonation, pitch, emphasis and tempo while speaking and can translate English words and phrases into Chinese, French, German, Italian or Spanish.
Apple says Siri extends beyond voice, using on-device learning to deliver more personal experiences and offers suggestions based on personal usage of apps such as Safari, News, Mail and Messages. For example, as Siri learns topics or places a user is interested in while browsing Safari, they will be suggested when typing in Mail, Messages and other apps.
Professional camera and photos features
With iOS 11 comes several camera upgrades.
Apple says users will be able to take better photos in low lights thanks to image stabilization, flash and HDR. They’re also adding new photo effects, such as long exposure.
They are also adding new editing options for live photos with new effects that create continuous video loops as well as a long exposure effect that can capture time and movement.
Pay friends with Apple Pay
With upgraded Apple Pay if your co-worker is buying you lunch and you want to pay them back it is as easy as a text message.
Apple says their users will be able to make and receive payments quickly and securely right in Messages. You can also tell Siri to pay someone using credit or debit cars already in your Wallet.
When users get paid, they receive the money in their new Apple Pay Cash account. They can use the money instantly to send to someone, make purchases using Apple Pay in stores, apps and on the web, or transfer it from Apple Pay Cash to their bank account.
Do Not Disturb While Driving
Apple is introducing a new feature to help drivers stay focused on the road.
When Do Not Disturb While Driving is on, the iPhone can detect when you may be driving and automatically silences notifications to keep the screen dark. Users also have the option of sending an auto reply to contacts listed in Favorites to let them know they are driving and cannot respond until they arrive at their destination.
Apple unveils ‘HomePod’ speaker, first new product in years
Apple nodded to several up-and-coming technology trends, unveiling a new “smart” home speaker and device features touching on virtual reality, online privacy and a form of artificial intelligence called machine learning.
The “HomePod” speaker is similar to devices from rivals, some of which have been on the market for years. Like the Amazon Echo and Google Home, the HomePod will play music while also helping people to manage their lives and homes. Siri will be voice activated to respond to requests for information and other help around the house.
It is the first new device Apple has announced in almost three years. It unveiled the Apple Watch in September 2014.
The speaker will sell for about $350 in December in the U.S., U.K. and Australia. Amazon sells the main version of the Echo for $180; Google’s Home speaker goes for $130.
The Echo, released in 2015, and Google Home, released last year, were the first entrants in a promising market. The research firm eMarketer says than 35 million people in the U.S. are expected to use a voice-activated speaker at least once a month this year, more than double its estimate from last year.
- Apple is redesigning their control center to offer frequently used controls on one page. A new lock screens delivers a more convenient way to see Notifications all in one place
- Apple Maps adds indoor maps for major airports and shopping centers around the world and lane guidance to avoid missing a turn or exit
- Apple Music will allow users to share songs using iMessage. Subscribers can also create a profile so their friends can follow them, listen to playlists they’ve shared and see the music they listen to most.
- A one-handed keyboard mode makes typing on the go easier. A new QuickType keyboard on iPad delivers quick access to numbers, symbols and punctuation.
- Home supports more categories of accessories including AirPlay 2 speakers and more ways to automate your home with new triggers.AirPlay 2 offers multi-room audio enabling users to easily control speakers using Control Center, the Home app or Siri.


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James Purnell has been replaced as the Minister for Creative Industries and Tourism by Shaun Woodward, the MP for St Helens South. Woodward, who reports to Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell, has a remit to cover ‘broadcasting, the creative industries, including film and music, tourism, alcohol and entertainment licensing, press and censorship, IT and e-government’. Purnell takes up the post of Minister of State for Pensions. He was appointed as the first Minister for Creative Industries and Tourism 12 months ago (DW 19 May 2005).
Offthetopofmyhead’s founder and creative director says there’s no such thing as brand design and much of what the design industry says about brand is incomprehensible, pretentious and just plain daft.
The new store — conceived by design and architectural practice Gensler — has a gaming lounge, multi-purpose Community Theatre and a McLaren sports car on the ground floor.
From vegan vending machines to zero plastic takeaways, the food industry is finding inventive solutions to its plastic problem.


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Starbucks supervisors get a raise to make up for employee tip ruling
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Unlike other states, Starbucks (Nasdaq: SBUX) shift supervisors in Massachusetts can't dip into employee tip jars to pad their weekly paychecks. Now, the Seattle-based coffee chain will compensate them for that.
Starbucks will increase shift supervisors' starting wage in Massachusetts from $11 an hour to $13.89 an hour, according to a news release from the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) Starbucks Workers Union. They'll also get a one-time bonus worth $350, according to the union. According to the news release, the bonus alone will cost Starbucks $100,000.
A Starbucks spokeswoman said shift supervisors will be in line for a raise, but declined to discuss specifics. The raises will come with expanded roles and a new title – shift manager. Shift supervisors will be eligible to apply for the shift manager positions, but the promotions will not be automatic, she said.
"Our shift supervisors will be eligible to receive a recognition bonus to thank them for their contributions and support them through the transition to the new store structure," Starbucks spokeswoman Jaime Riley wrote in an email. "All partners who are interested in the shift manager role will be considered for the new role. Shift supervisors not interested in the shift manager role may consider a barista role in which case they will be eligible for the tip pool and an additional transition bonus."
A Massachusetts court decision in November prohibited Starbucks supervisors from pulling dollars out of barista's tip jars at the end of the week. Starbucks supervisors responded with a petition for compensation.
Riley said there are 150 company-operated Starbucks stores in Massachusetts. According to union spokesman Erik Forman, there are at least two supervisors per store, meaning at least 300 supervisors are in line for the wage increases and bonus. Each shift supervisor works about 30 hours a week, he said. If those numbers are correct, the wage increase will cost Starbucks at least $1.3 million a year.
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AlgaEnergy has been included in the ‘Ones to Watch’ list, a selection of Europe’s best companies in terms of business excellence, published by the European Business Awards.
AlgaEnergy has been included in the ‘Ones to Watch’ list, a selection of Europe’s best companies in terms of business excellence, published by the 'European Business Awards'.
AlgaEnergy has been selected as one of the top companies in Europe and included in the ‘Ones to Watch’ list by the European Business Awards, and has been nominated to receive the distinguished “Innovation Award”.
The nomination highlighted some of the innovations developed by AlgaEnergy that allowed the company to successfully launch microalgae based products in different markets, such as AgriAlgae® -the agricultural biostimulant-, as well as the company's projection and its relevance to develop a strategic sector for Europe. In this scope, AlgaEnergy is in fact the only known microalgae company in the world with presence across the whole value chain, from state of the art genetic engineering (for biofuels exclusively) to culturing technologies and extraction processes. Furthermore, in environmental terms, it is the only company in the world eliminating real flue gas emissions (CO2) from other industries, using it as the main nutrient to grow its microalgae, in an example of the kind of circular economy Europe’s future has to be based on.
'European Business Awards' is the largest cross-sector business competition and one of Europe’s most distinguished recognitions, which seeks to exemplify and reward the business excellence across Europe. Carlos Rodríguez-Villa, AlgaEnergy’s General Manager, highlighted the importance of this nomination and notes that “this relevant international recognition is an honour, and moreover, it provides support and visibility to an innovative Company that is boosting its internationalization phase”.
The event brings together a large community of 2,000 enterprise participants and 95,000 visitors spanning 140 countries and 18 sectors.07 September, 2021
Our Regional Leader for Latin America South and East Africa, Fabricio Benatti, led a round table on 'Creating the Right Value Proposition for Biologicals'.13 July, 2021
This represents a significant capital increase that AlgaEnergy and its management team will leverage to strengthen its international footprint.12 July, 2021
It was an interesting opportunity to not only share our company story, but also our unique journey from start-up to global leader and our learnings along the way.06 July, 2021
During the 3-day event, the company introduced SynCro™, its line of new biostimulants based in microalgae developed exclusively for the French market01 July, 2021
Organized by the leading debate organization in Spain, Nueva Economía Forum, the conference will be broadcasted live and on streaming, next Wednesday 26th of May.17 May, 2021
The biotechnology company joins the more than 12,500 signatories of this initiative around the world, which seeks to strengthen private sector alliances to achieve the SDGs.21 April, 2021
The biotechnology company has been selected as a finalist in two important categories: International Development and SME of the year.14 April, 2021
The microalgae biotechnology company joins 3,800 B Corporations worldwide that are reinventing business by pursuing purpose as well as profit.23 March, 2021
Augusto Rodríguez-Villa, President of the biotechnology company, participated in a round table that highlighted the role of biotechnology as a strategic sector for the economic recovery of Spain and Europe.04 March, 2021


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Apple CEO Tim Cook has said several times in the last year that his company is willing to look at and consider billion-dollar acquisitions with its $237 billion war chest.
Most of the possibilities floated by analysts and the press don’t make a lot of sense: Time Warner, Disney, Tesla Motors.
Some are saying Apple needs to think differently, and make one big, crazy acquisition, before it’s too late. An acquisition that would change the company forever.
I think Apple should buy Snap, Snapchat’s parent company.
The timing is now
Why would Snap founder Evan Spiegel want to sell his company to Apple? Money.
Snap filed for a confidential IPO earlier this week, Business Insider learned, that could value the company between $20 billion and $25 billion. The actual paperwork, including Snap’s revenue, profit (or lack thereof), and assets has yet to surface.
But the fact that Snap filed confidentially reveals one fact: Snap’s revenue is less than $1 billion. Even assuming big league revenue growth for the disappearing photo messenger, that’s a surprisingly large valuation.
That doesn’t matter to Apple, and the company could afford a nice premium over the $25 billion the public market could value Snap at. Apple could afford Snap even if it were valued at $50 billion.
Spiegel has expressed doubt that advertising is the growth engine that will propel Snap to become a massive technology company. “Feed based advertising units will plummet in value … similar to earlier devaluing of Internet display advertising,” he wrote in an email stolen during the Sony hack.
If Snapchat’s advertising strategy doesn’t work out, it could destroy much of the worth currently locked into Snap shares held by Spiegel and other founders.
That’s why Spiegel seems to be pivoting his company towards becoming a hardware provider, even going so far as to call Snap a “camera company” on its own website. It’s also why Snap has started to sell Spectacles, a surprising new product that combines stylish sunglasses with a camera.
There’s no company that understands making and selling premium hardware better than Apple.
The hype around Spectacles, Snapchat’s first real hardware product, reminds me of the hype that used to surround Apple product launches.
Every time Snap’s custom-built, Minion-looking vending machine touches down somewhere — three times in California so far, and once in Oklahoma — a line immediately forms, full of people waiting to buy the $129 glasses.
Apple used to have a following like that, and to some extent still does, but there is an excitement to the Spectacles launch that Apple has not had in a long time.
That’s because Spiegel carefully planned this launch. He understands the importance of marketing, and limited rollouts, and how important it is to make something cool that people want.
And that’s the key — Spectacles are the first piece of tech worn on the face that is actually cool.
“From the first moment of opening the lid to pairing the Spectacles with my phone, they were everything I hoped they’d be: well-designed, stylish, fun, and easy to use. Walking around New York City with them, I felt like part of an exclusive club,” my colleague Avery Hartmans wrote earlier this week.
“Regardless of how you feel about Snapchat’s new camera-equipped glasses, one thing is certain: Snapchat’s marketing team is genius,” she wrote.
News broke this week that Apple is working on a pair of stylish smart glasses that could launch as soon as 2018. It’s still early, but it seems like Snap has already solved the biggest problem with wearable computers on the face: getting people to want to wear them.
Snapchat’s glasses are only a camera for now, but it’s not hard to see where the company is going with them — a fully functional AR device that could be competing with Apple Glasses in a few years.
Apple could eliminate a major competitor and gain a great head start to its glasses project at the same time.
Why Apple would want Snap
The fact that Snap doesn’t have much revenue yet actually makes the company attractive to Apple.
Cook says all the time that Apple doesn’t buy companies for their cash flow — Apple has plenty of that itself.
Instead, Cook says, Apple is looking for “great talent and great intellectual property.” Snap has both.
Snap is growing quickly and now has a varied and eclectic pool of talented engineers, especially in the fields of computer vision and AI, two fields which Apple is investing heavily in.
Some of Snap’s top employees even used to work at Apple.
Snap also has some great intellectual property. People in the augmented reality industry say its in-house developed emoji tracking feature is genuinely impressive, and could be a building block for future applications. Snap’s face-transforming Snapchat “Lens” filters are probably the most widely used example of computer vision-powered augmented reality at the moment.
That’s pretty attractive intellectual property for a company that is is getting into augmented reality in a big way. Plus, it’s undeniable that Snap is tapped into young people in a way that Apple, led by its team of mostly older men, is not.
Plus, Apple is reportedly developing a Snapchat-like video app. Why clone, when you can have the original?
Spiegel might not sell — but he does emulate Apple founder Steve Jobs
There are a few issues with this proposal. First, Snap is an LA-based company, so Apple couldn’t buy it with overseas cash at a discount — one of the main factors driving the company’s M&A strategy at the moment.
But the bigger problem is that Spiegel probably doesn’t want to sell.
He famously turned down an offer from Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to buy his company for billions of dollars in 2013. (He also previously blew off Zuck with a surprisingly cold email.)
If Speigel, who is 26, sold Snap to Apple, Apple should make him the CEO. After all, Apple has had a 26-year old CEO before: Steve Jobs.
The key to Spiegel is that he is a product “Picasso,” as people who know him have said. He studied product design at Stanford, and Business Insider has been told that Snap’s office vibe is like “a movie director starting a company, with artists flowing in and out” — similar to how Apple’s famously secretive industrial design studio operates.
Apple would do well with a product-focused guru at its helm. Cook is fantastic at running the company, but Apple was built around the whims and taste of one man — Jobs — who was intensely focused on building products.
Today, with chief design officer Jony Ive increasingly looking backwards and working on side projects, there’s a sense that there isn’t anyone at Apple who’s in charge of the product anymore.
Speigel — who resembles Steve Jobs in his showmanship, his obsession with secrecy, and his focus on products and experience — would be able to give Apple some clarity when it comes to its AR and glasses strategy, and probably has an idea or two about how to make the next iPhone better beyond giving it faster chips and taking away the headphone jack.
But Apple should hurry. Snap could list as soon as March — and in a few years, it could be one of Apple’s fiercest competitors.


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Moscow: Russia may remove importation tax on 350,000 tonnes of white sugar to be imported from May 15 and August 13, said the government in a statement on Monday.
Russia in December last year had imposed several grain export taxes to stabilize domestic prices.
According to the news agency Reuters, as part of these measures, Russian sugar and sunflower oil producers agreed price reductions for their products with retail chains until the end of March.
The government has stated that it would discuss an extension of these agreements with producers. These would extend till June for sugar.


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The FASHIONbasecamp broadcast team is at London Fashion Week tomorrow and Saturday to interview designers and entrepreneurs about their journey.
Presenter Nimi Mehta and established fashion photographer and videographer Darren Paul join FASHIONbasecamp Head of Mentoring Ben Muis to ask the questions every aspiring fashion entrepreneur wants to know the answers to.
This week is the launch of the new mentoring platform for fashion entrepreneurs, which is celebrated with an event on Saturday evening in Soho. Live music, designer showcases, trailers and of course great guests mingle with aspiring fashion entrepreneurs in what promises to be a great evening.
Keep an eye on the FASHIONbasecamp team at London Fashion Week, and feel free to ask them for more information…


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Universal Forest Products, Inc.
Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA, 16 July 2007 -- Universal Forest Products, Inc. (Nasdaq: UFPI) today announced second quarter results that included net sales of USD 773.1 million and net earnings of USD 16.8 million, down from USD 826.8 million and USD 27.3 million, respectively, for the same period in 2006.
Diluted earnings per share for the quarter were USD 0.86, down from USD 1.41 in the second quarter of 2006. The numbers reflect the continued effects of the weak housing market and soft lumber prices.
“We’re disappointed with any decrease in performance, but these results also underscore the strength of our balanced business model,” said Michael B. Glenn, president and CEO. “Our site-built construction sales are off nearly 30% from the second quarter of last year and lumber prices-–which affect our selling prices--are down 15%, but our gross sales for the quarter are down just 5.8%. That gives us confidence in a strategy that’s built on four markets and allows us to weather a decline in any one of them.”
“We saw market share gains in each of our markets and sales increases in three of them,” he added. “The efforts of our people in hard times like these give us optimism for the future and every reason to believe we’ll come out better for the challenges.”
By market, Universal posted the following gross sales results for the second quarter:
* USD 360.9 million in Do-It-Yourself(DIY)/retail, an increase of 1.7% over 2006
* USD 162.0 million in site-built construction, a decrease of 30.0% from 2006
* USD 162.4 million in industrial, an increase of 7.1% over 2006; and
* USD 105.2 million in manufactured/modular housing, an increase of 3.5% over 2006.
Declines in the housing market were broader and deeper than anticipated, Glenn said, making projections for recovery difficult. Even as the market returns, price pressure exerted by builders has resulted in lower margins that could impact results until market conditions improve, he noted. “We have reason to believe that recovery will begin in mid- to late 2008,” he said. “We have significant order files, but the current inventory of unsold homes makes it unlikely that those will translate to sales any time soon."
The housing market’s effect on DIY/retail sales was more significant than anticipated. “In previous housing downturns, our DIY business picked up as people chose to improve their homes instead of building new,” Glenn said. “That hasn’t been the case this time. We believe that homeowners who took significant equity out of their homes, or whose home values declined due to market conditions, are putting off the larger projects-–like room additions and new decks--that would positively impact our business.”
“We’ve been able to mitigate the impact of the retail market by growing market share with our big box customers,” he added, noting that sales to those customers increased 10% in the second quarter of 2007 despite a decline in lumber prices.
In manufactured housing, the company maintains significant market share and its business should grow in relation to the return of the market. Despite a sequential improvement in orders in the latter part of the second quarter, that recovery remains uncertain. Current estimates call for 98,500 HUD-code homes to be shipped in 2007, down 16% from 2006, which was down nearly 20% from 2005 (although 2005 production was inflated by demand created in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita).
Universal continues to see opportunity for growth in the industrial market, in which the company supplies specialty crates and packaging, and makes wood and wood-alternative components for a variety of products. The company continues to add manufacturing and sales capacity to take advantage of the opportunities for growth in this highly fragmented market.
The company also works persistently to identify new business opportunities and is encouraged by its recent foray into the concrete form business to supply wood forms, or molds, for the construction of structures made of concrete, such as bridges, highways, parking garages, and office buildings. “This business uses our existing equipment, facilities and expertise and is a great fit for Universal,” Glenn said. “There are no other truly national players in this approximately USD 1 billion market. It’s an exciting opportunity.”
In addition, the company is focused on continuous improvement and lean manufacturing efforts to ensure customer satisfaction and efficient operations, and continues its practice of evaluating plants and business for possible consolidation and closure.
The company is authorized to repurchase up to 1.4 million shares under its stock repurchase program and balances repurchase opportunities with its intent to remain well-positioned to take advantage of strategic acquisition opportunities that might arise.
The company’s initial targets for 2007 were based, in part, on assumptions that haven’t materialized. Therefore, the company is revising its targets to annual net sales of USD 2.375 billion to USD 2.425 billion and annual net earnings of USD 40.0 million to USD 42.0 million in 2007. This implies the following six-month targets for the remainder of 2007: net sales of USD 1.053 billion to USD 1.103 billion and net earnings of USD 19.3 million to USD 21.3 million. By comparison, net sales and net earnings (excluding certain nonrecurring tax adjustments) were USD 1.172 billion and USD 23.5 million, respectively, for the last six months of 2006.
The revised targets are based on the following assumptions:
* Continued challenging conditions in the DIY, site-built construction, and manufactured housing markets. Housing starts will show little, if any, improvement for the remainder of 2007 and won’t begin a recovery until mid- to late 2008. DIY/retail sales will continue to be adversely impacted by the reluctance of homeowners to undertake large home improvement projects.
* The company will continue to achieve market share gains in the DIY/retail, industrial, and site-built markets.
* Plant consolidations or closures will be temporary in nature, resulting in no asset impairment charges.
* The lumber market will continue to be depressed for the balance of the year.
* The company will incur incentive compensation expense as a percentage of operating profits consistent with historical experience.
Universal Forest Products will conduct a conference call to discuss these and related matters at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time on 17 July 2007. The call will be hosted by William G. Currie, executive chairman, Michael B. Glenn, president and CEO, and Michael Cole, CFO, and will be available for analysts and institutional investors domestically at (800) 659-2056 or internationally at (617) 614-2714. Use conference pass code # 39337765. The conference call will be available simultaneously and in its entirety to all interested investors and news media through a webcast at http://www.ufpi.com. A replay of the call will be available through 16 August 2007, domestically at (888) 286-8010 or internationally at (617) 801-6888. Use replay pass code # 23924933.
Universal Forest Products markets, manufactures, and engineers wood and wood-alternative products for DIY/retail home centers, structural lumber products for the manufactured housing industry, engineered wood components for the site-built construction market, and specialty wood packaging for various industries. The company also provides framing services for the site-built sector. The company reported sales of nearly USD 2.66 billion in 2006. Universal has approximately 10,000 employees who work out of approximately 100 locations in North America. For information about Universal Forest Products, visit the company's Web site at http://www.ufpi.com, or call 888-Buy-UFPI.


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SINGAPORE — Smog blown in from forest fires in neighboring Indonesia is keeping shoppers at home in this city-state and retailers are taking a hit during a key sales period.
Lau Chuen Wei, an executive director at the Singapore Retailers Association, said that an informal poll of her organization’s members indicated that foot traffic was significantly down and that sales had declined by between 8 to 12 percent year-on-year over the last seven days as Singaporeans sought refuge in air-conditioned homes and offices as air pollution levels reached record hazardous levels early Thursday afternoon.
The financial district, located in southern Singapore, was especially badly hit. Television footage showed the boardwalk leading to Louis Vuitton’s island maison, built on reclaimed land just off the Marina Bay Sands resort, unusually empty. “Suburban stores are not as badly affected as city stores, as most people are staying closer to home, avoiding venturing too far out,” Ms. Lau said.
Vivian Balakrishnan, Singapore’s minister for Environment and Water Resources, said late Wednesday night that the haze was likely to persist for the next few days and that a stop work order might be issued depending on conditions. Dozens of companies began allowing employees to work from home Thursday, including Nike Inc, according to a list that was widely circulated on local websites. The information couldn’t immediately be verified and Nike Singapore didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The haze comes in the middle of the annual June school vacation, a popular shopping period, and the eight-week long Great Singapore Sale, which often draws in visiting shoppers from Southeast Asia.


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(MVCOSHOP, CC BY-SA)
European investment funds represented by INWI, a Warsaw-headquartered real estate firm, want to invest in the property market in Poland in the form of sale and leaseback transactions. Sale and leaseback is a financial transaction in which the owner sells an asset and leases it back for the long term, and therefore, the owner becomes a tenant and continues to be able to use the asset.
The firm and its financial partners are looking to buy existing manufacturing, logistics, warehouse and office properties for up to EUR100m per transaction. However, sellers do not have to move out. The investor is counting on long-term (10-20 years) lease agreements that will bring in a steady income. The funds have already carried out transactions for several hundred EUR in Poland, Germany, Spain and Italy. The purchases have included logistic assets, warehouses, manufacturing buildings, headquarters and office properties.
“Together with these funds, INWI plans to acquire these facilities in Poland to provide its investors with stable and long-term returns. For the sellers, this is an opportunity to quickly obtain the necessary capital for the development of their business. Most transactions concern existing buildings, however, we are also able to finance the construction of new buildings based on a build-to-suit agreement,” says CEO Daniel Radkiewicz.
While the lack of in-depth knowledge about sale and leaseback might act as a hindrance, he emphatically states that Poland has much to offer in that respect considering the rising number of investments. “According to INWI, there is a lot of potential for this type of transaction in Poland. The lack of understanding about this system of fundraising may be an obstacle, but this has been changing from year to year, which is confirmed by the number of transactions concluded in this investment model in Poland,” Radkiewicz adds.
Taking into account that Poland offers great potential for fabrics and logistics centers, in order to diversify the distribution and production networks that are currently in Asia, the EU nation may gain over the USD8bn yearly on the relocation of production from China. “The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) indicates that this year Poland will see a decrease of 3.5 percent of GDP and next year a rapid 4 per cent rebound will occur. Estimates for all other European countries are much worse,” emphasizes Radkiewicz.
Recently, the European Commission in its Spring 2020 Economic Forecast said that the Polish economy will shrink by 4.6 per cent in 2020 and will expand by 4.3 per cent in 2021, as the HICP inflation declines to 2.7 percent in 2020 and edges up to 2.8 percent in 2021. In May’s forecast, the EC expected Poland’s GDP decline at 4.3 per cent in 2020 and see a 4.1 per cent increase in 2021. Meanwhile the GDP of the EU will decrease by 8.3 per cent in 2020, and increase by 5.8 per cent in 2021.
The infrastructure in 2020 and beyond
The Polish freight and logistics market is expected to witness a CAGR of more than 4 per cent during the forecasted period of 2020-2025 with the road freight segment accounting for the highest growth, according to a report by reportlinker.com.
Poland continues to devote sizeable resources to the development of its transportation industry. The National Directorate for Roads and Highways (GDDKiA), the Polish Railway PKP, the Polish Railway Networks (PKP-PLK), Ministry of Investment and Economic Development, Ministry of Infrastructure, and Ministry of Maritime Economy and Inland Waterways are all responsible for nation-wide or regional projects. Besides, local governments are responsible for infrastructure projects for their communities. Many highway, railway, and inland-waterway projects are eligible for EU funding. While Polish resources are required as base funding, these EU funds are catalysts for making each project a reality.
It is important to note that the current EU budget, due to last until 2020, is likely the last one to feature such abundant resources for the development of infrastructure. Therefore, Poland is introducing important changes to the regulatory framework governing the distribution of these funds, intending to enhance infrastructure investments. With a strong investment in the industrial real estate warehousing segment, the market is also experiencing favorable growth. Investment volume has been growing every year, starting from 2015, when it was a mere EUR221m of transactions.
The figure for 2016 was almost EUR770m and EUR900m in 2017. In 2018, up to 90 parks with almost 3.2 million of square meters (sqm) of total space changed hands, representing over 20 per cent of total existing stock in Poland. The value of industrial investment transactions reached a historical high of the EUR1.84bn, with a significant proportion accounted for by large portfolio transactions. The growth in warehousing has been a result of rapid eCommerce development in the country. With government support and increasing investment in the freight and logistics sector, Poland is prepared to observe strong growth.
The road freight transport sector plays a key role in the economy. In terms of gross value added, both the Polish economy and the entire EU-28 economy is characterized by a high share of services. Over the last decade, the structure of the share of services, industry, and agriculture in the total value added in Poland has not changed significantly. However, over the period one can observe an increase in gross value added generated by the road transport sector within the services sector. In 2008-2016, at the EU-28 level, the added value generated by the sector grew by 1.7 per cent annually on average, and in Poland by 6.8 per cent.
In 2017, the total added value of the transport and logistics sector amounted to 6.6 per cent of the total added value generated in the Polish economy and 6 per cent of GDP. The increase in the value-added created by the road transport sector in Poland and the EU is higher than the increase in the total value-added created in the economy, which at the same time (2008-2016) amounted to an annual average of 4.9 per cent in Poland and 1.6 per cent in Europe. Also as per estimates during the 2018-2022 period road freight segment is expected to grow at a rate of 22.8 per cent. Road transport, which currently accounts for more than 50 per cent of all transport performance (ton-kilometers) in the EU-28, will remain the largest segment of the total transport sector in the coming years, due to its dynamic growth and slower growth in other transport modes.
Rapid growth of the eCommerce
At the end of December 2018, Poland’s eCommerce market was worth more than PLN50bn, accounting for over 2 per cent of the European online retailing, but is likely to hit PLN80bn in the coming years. The growth of eCommerce is largely being driven by the expansion of omnichannel and the rising penetration rate of online retailing (share of total sales). The growth of eCommerce shows no sign of abating, and pandemic helped its growth. In the Q1’20 the number of eCommerce retailers in Poland increased by 27 per cent.
Retailers are focusing on customer experience to enable convenient and quick shopping on any device. In response to customers’ needs, they are already developing additional mobile sales channels. This is expected to have a considerable effect on return logistics and improving processing times. With further technological advancements and new sales channels gaining in importance, eCommerce tenants will force the warehouse market to change.
As per industry survey, this sector’s tenants require up to three times more space than traditional retailers. 33 per cent of developers and 60 per cent of logistics operators who took part in the survey indicated that they were working on new eCommerce projects, and a vast majority of developers (82 per cent) confirmed that eCommerce tenants had expanded their warehouse footprints in the last three years. Poland’s total warehouse stock amounts to more than 16 million sqm, of which nearly 25 per cent is dedicated to eCommerce. Three voivodeships: Łódzkie, Lower Silesia and Silesia account for 56 per cent or more than 2.2 million sqm of the sector’s stock. With warehousing stock for eCommerce growing, it is clear that the rapid expansion of eCommerce in Poland will drive the warehousing segment.


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Last quote by Charlie Ripley
There's definitely going to be focus on inflation data in the coming months, and I think these other Fed officials that seem to be against raising rates in December really want to see some more signs that inflation is going to reach their 2 percent target. It's difficult to see in the muddy waters right now.feedback
Oct 11 2017
We found 4 articles in which Charlie Ripley said something. The most recent Charlie Ripley’s quote is: “We've seen [consumer spending] start to pick up from the retail sales number that we saw earlier in the month. There has been weakness in auto sales, and we did see that start to rebound a little bit in the last report of retail sales.”. In addition, all sources we refer have quoted Charlie Ripley 4 times. On this page, you will find all of Charlie Ripley’s quotes organized by date and topic.
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Quotes by Charlie Ripley
Aug 30 2017
We've seen [consumer spending] start to pick up from the retail sales number that we saw earlier in the month. There has been weakness in auto sales, and we did see that start to rebound a little bit in the last report of retail sales.feedback
Jul 27 2017
You take a look at the environment and it's a slow growth environment, but it's stable, and I think that's what some investors are really overlooking. Going into this year, there were some high expectations around fiscal stimulus, but our view since the beginning of the year is that some of this stuff is going to take a lot longer to play out, and we've seen that through most of this year. Congress isn't able to get much done in their current state, and it could be some time before we see meaningful fiscal reform or even tax cuts.feedback
Jul 07 2017
The above-consensus payroll figure ... will augment the Fed's decision to begin balance sheet reduction sooner than later. On balance, the labour market continues to be solid and despite the softer inflation data as of late, the solid employment data should keep the Fed on course for policy normalization.feedback
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In the latest announcement, tech giant Amazon has announced to block customers from shopping using Visa credit cards. The company will stop accepting payments from Visa credit cards from January 19. However, this change in the payment system will be limited to the United Kingdom only. Also Read – Amazon India offers deals on air purifiers under ‘Breathe Safe Store’: Check prices, features
The e-commerce giant is blocking UK credit cards from Visa over the ongoing battle of interchange fees — levies charged by card issuers to a merchant’s bank for all transactions. Also Read – Amazon Prime Video app for macOS now allows downloading content on desktop
Why is Amazon blocking Visa credit cards?
Previously, Visa’s interchange fees for transactions between the UK and the European Union were capped at 0.3 percent by EU law. However, since the UK left the EU, Visa hiked the fee to 1.5 percent. Also Read – Amazon integrates its Pantry and groceries verticals into ‘Amazon Fresh’ store
Notably, Visa isn’t the only company to revise the fee. MasterCard also increased its interchange fees, but Amazon hasn’t blocked the company yet. In fact, Mastercard increases the fee even before Visa. There’s no clarity on why Amazon just blocked Visa and not other platforms.
Commenting on the matter, Amazon said that “the cost of accepting card payments continues to be an obstacle for businesses striving to provide the best prices for customers. These costs should be going down over time with technological advancements, but instead, they continue to stay high or even rise. As a result of Visa’s continued high cost of payments, we regret that Amazon.co.uk will no longer accept UK-issued Visa credit cards as of 19 January 2022. Customers can continue to use all debit cards (including Visa debit cards) and other non-Visa credit cards to shop on Amazon.co.uk.”
Highlighting further on the matter, an Amazon spokesperson told BBC News, “UK shoppers can use their Visa debit and credit cards at Amazon UK today and throughout the holiday season. We are very disappointed that Amazon is threatening to restrict consumer choice in the future. When consumer choice is limited, nobody wins. We have a long-standing relationship with Amazon, and we continue to work toward a resolution, so our cardholders can use their preferred Visa credit cards at Amazon UK without Amazon-imposed restrictions come January 2022.”
So, from January 19 onward, Amazon customers in the UK will not be able to use Visa credit cards. They will be able to shop using Visa debit cards and credit cards issued by MasterCard, American Express, among others.


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ALBANY, GA (WALB) - Millions of Americans are getting ready for one of the most expensive gift giving days. Valentine's. Shops are gearing up for the huge crowds this weekend.
An online survey shows that both men and women want chocolate, wine, and food for the big day and it's likely that you can get two out of three at flower shops.
When February 14th strikes, the abundance of chocolates, balloons, and bears litter stores and flower shops.
And although some of us have the chance to indulge, Valentine's isn't the most popular choice for favorite holiday among florists.
"This is our roughest week," said The Flower Basket manager Tibbie Watson. "I mean, I like Valentine's Day but being a florist and being in the business we are we never get to enjoy it."
But that doesn't stop them from pulling all the stops to make your loved one feel special.
"We have plenty of snack baskets, gorgeous bloom and plants, balloons, teddy bears," said Watson. "And of course the day of we always try to help those walk in customers, those last minute guys because we don't want you to go home empty handed."
And most of you wont, according to an online poll, the average person will spend over $100 for the day of love. That's about $18 billion nationwide.
But who says Valentine's Day is just for couples?
"Its for children, its for family, its for friends," said shopper Pat Bullard
Bullard took her time to carefully to pluck what would be a memorable gift for her grand-daughter.
"My daughter and her husband went to China a year ago and adopted her, and I got a very special Valentine for her."
Whether you have a date or keeping it low key with family, it's a time to share those special moments with those you care about most.
Shop early, the prices of roses will go up as we head closer to the holiday.


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Monday, November 3, 2014
Proximal Data Acquired By Samsung
San Diego-based Proximal Data, a developer of storage caching software aimed at use with virtualized systems, has been acquired by Samsung Electronics, Samsung said today. Financial terms of the buy were not announced. Proximal Data was venture backed by Divergent Ventures and Avalon Ventures, and had only announced around $5M in funding. Proximal Dat was led by Rory Bolt, a storage veteran who previously founded Avamar Technologies, which was acquired by EMC. Samsung said the buy will help add server storage software expertise to its solid state (SSD) storage products. Proximal's caching software is used to organize data, storing the most frequently used data on memory--a technique which dramatically accelerates data storage access.


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Namco Bandai confirms the publishing rights for The Witcher 2 on 360
The legal argument between CD Projekt and Namco Bandai over who can publish the Xbox 360 version of The Witcher 2 has finally been resolved.
Earlier this year THQ announced that they would be publishing the Xbox 360 version of the popular PC RPG despite Namco Bandai having published the PC version and the first title under the Atari label.
A French court has ruled that Namco Bandai and not THQ hold the right to publish the 360 version of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings and CD Project has been given 15 days to draw up a publishing agreement or face a 15,000 USD fine for every day over that that an agreement is delayed.
CD Projekt CEO Marcin Iwinski said that he was "not satisfied" with the decision but he was relieved that the dispute had been resolved.
Hopefully now The Witcher 2 will meet its Q1 2012 release window on the Xbox 360.
Thanks Edge Online.
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- New Call Of Duty: Advanced Warfare trailer focuses on character customization
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Upgrade your home today with the latest in smart home tech
Looking for the latest in smart home technology? Double glazing specialist Global Windows has the perfect product. Managing Director Liam Hulme shares the details…
Smart devices are about as integral to society today as almost any form of technology that we use daily. As the world evolves, it certainly seems that entire homes are becoming equipped with enough smart devices for optimal convenience and security.
According to a recent YouGov survey, a staggering 57% of homes in Britain now contain a smart device. Over 23% of the UK’s population owns at least one smart item, while one in six users control their smart devices from outside their home on a daily basis – whether it’s to ensure they have a hot drink ready and waiting when they get back, or to make sure their dog isn’t tearing up the sofa.
But entertainment and convenience aren’t the only factors that contribute to the growing popularity of smart home tech.
Security is another big reason for investing in smart products, with more and more homeowners opting for things like smart security cameras and doorbells.
One company offering the very latest in smart home security tech is double glazing specialist Global Windows.
“Thanks to Covid-19 lockdown measures, we all spent a large amount of our time indoors, and feeling secure in our homes has become increasingly important,” says Managing Director Liam Hulme.
“As a result, the popularity of smart home tech that offers state-of-the-art security features has risen sharply, and at Global Windows, we’re keen to help homeowners feel safer.”
Simple, effective design
The Sheffield-based company offers Kubu, the Smart-Equipped Lock from Avantis Hardware that monitors your lock in real-time, notifying you if your door is locked or unlocked.
Kubu Smart hardware can be incorporated into the design of almost any entrance door supplied by Global Windows – a smart sensor is attached to the door, which is then linked to the homeowner’s smartphone. The homeowner can then check the status of the door at any time, from any location.
Once the Kubu-equipped door is installed, customers can purchase a Home Hub from the Kubu website. They can then connect this to their home wi-fi, download the Kubu app to their smartphone, and fit the Kubu door module into their equipped door lock.
A sensor inside the Kubu door module is then activated every time the door is locked or unlocked. The activation sends a signal to the user’s smartphone, alerting them of the door activity.
Our number one priority
Liam continues: “In the age of digital technology, smart home security systems have become more popular than ever, and as technology has improved, so have these systems.
“Today, smart homes begin at the front door, and the Kubu Smart Lock is the ideal product for this, combining convenience and security with the latest technology and sophisticated design, while being extremely user-friendly and offering ultimate peace of mind.
“At Global Windows, we’re always looking for the right products to help our customers, and with Kubu, we’re certainly doing that.
“Keeping our customers’ homes as safe as possible is our number one priority – with Kubu, you can say goodbye to uncertainty and hello to peace of mind.”


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Sep 07, 2012
TruckStore takes first step outside Europe – into CenturionBack
Gold|Pretoria|Africa|Daimler|Mercedes-Benz South Africa|TruckStore Global|TruckStore South Africa|Africa|Europe|Brazil|Martin Zimmermann|Mercedes-Benz South|Oliver Marte|Ralph Plavac|Centurion|South Africa
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“We have the aspiration to turn this into the biggest used commercial vehicle dealership in Africa,” says MBSA CEO and president Dr Martin Zimmermann.
TruckStore is not all about the sale of used trucks, however. It is hoped the dealership will also speed up the process for existing and new Mercedes-Benz customers to trade in their old vehicles to acquire a new MBSA product, notes Zimmermann.
TruckStore will then also accept commercial vehicles of any vehicle type or brand as a trade-in for a new Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicle.
In short, TruckStore will be used to do the deals no one else can do, in order to facilitate new trucks sales for MBSA.
“We have traditionally been weak in the used-truck business,” says MBSA commercial vehicles VP Kobus van Zyl. “In the past they all went into the wholesale business, which inhibited our competitiveness. This concept will now give us new sales.”
TruckStore South Africa head Oliver Marte says used truck sales for MBSA can, a few years from now, increase from the current 200 units to 300 units a year to around 1 000 a year, using the TruckStore concept.
In Europe, small Truckstore dealers sell around 150 units a year, with larger dealers moving up to 2 500 units a year, says TruckStore Global founder and director Ralph Plavac.
In total, the ten-year-old TruckStore brand, as Europe’s largest used-truck dealer, moves an average of around 20 000 units a year.
TruckStore currently has 30 outlets in 14 European countries.
Plavac says he aims to roll out the TruckStore concept to the rest of the world, with Brazil to follow next year.
TruckStore is an initiative by Daimler, MBSA’s German parent company.
The local TruckStore will have a dedicated reconditioning centre at Zandfontein, in Pretoria, where the used commercial vehicles acquired will be repaired to a gold, silver or bronze status. A gold vehicle is no older than four years, has a warranty, and tyre tread of at least 6 mm. Silver vehicles are no older than six years, and have a tyre tread of at least 3 mm. Bronze vehicles are roadworthy.
Customers can search for available vehicles online at www.truckstore.co.za.
The 30 000m2 TruckStore facility will also assist customers with in-house finance and insurance.
Edited by: Creamer Media Reporter© Reuse this Comment Guidelines (150 word limit)
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The U.S. Department of Commerce reports consumer spending grew a timid .2% from April to May, and area businesses report similar slow or no growth.
Keywords: Korner Kremery, Tim Coffee, Washington Chamber of Commerce, Washington Wal-Mart
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'We're all in this together:' The WEDC visits Fond du Lac to aid small business recovery
FOND DU LAC - "We're all in this together" is the motto of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation as the state continues to fight the spread of COVID-19.
Corporation executives and Fond du Lac leaders gathered in Veterans Park Thursday to discuss the statewide launch of the "We're All In" initiative, a campaign to promote working together on safety strategies and supporting local businesses for the recovery of Wisconsin's health and economy.
Speakers at the gathering included Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation Secretary and CEO Missy Hughes, Sen. Dan Feyen, Rep. Jeremy Thiesfeldt and County Board Executive Allen Buechel.
"We know how to take care of our communities, our businesses and our neighbors," Hughes said. "We're all in this together."
COVID-19 cases are rising in Wisconsin, and part of this campaign aims to encourage taking the necessary precautions to stop the spread, including wearing masks, social distancing, cleaning surfaces and staying home when sick.
Residents and businesses are encouraged to share pictures of themselves taking those precautions on social media with the hashtag #WeAreAllIn, to show their support.
The first phase of "We're All In," run earlier this year, provided grants to small businesses impacted economically by the pandemic and the state lockdown with the help of the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act.
Now, Feyen commends small businesses for adapting to the changes the virus has made.
"While most salons, restaurants and other small businesses have reopened, we're far from being through this," he said.
Recovery is the number one priority, and he encouraged residents to think local next time they shop and support these businesses so that they can make it through this pandemic.
"It's important that we maintain the vitality of our Main Streets," Thiesfeldt added.
Even while many businesses have reopened, they still report economic struggles to Thiesfeldt, an ongoing issue that Fond du Lac County and the WEDC have worked to address.
From the beginning of the pandemic's impact in the county, Buechel and County Health Officer Kim Mueller have collaborated on figuring out how they were going to respond to it. After participating in loans for small businesses and setting up a hotline in response to Gov. Evers' mask mandate, supporting the "We're All In" initiative is just the next stage in Fond du Lac's recovery efforts.
"The county stands committed to doing what is necessary," Buechel said.
In addition to the social media campaign and support for local businesses, "We're All In" offers resources for businesses and residents to help them reach Wisconsin's goal for recovery on their website.


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Revenues from online retailing are currently growing at 200 per cent a year in North America, and should surpass $US13 billion in 1998, according to a recent study. Conducted by the Toronto office of The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and shop.org, a trade association of online retailers, The State of Online Retailing study shows that the 10 largest sites generate 50 per cent of all online retail revenues.
It also pointed out that computer goods, entertainment, travel and discount brokerages account for over 80 per cent of the market. Retailers that combine traditional and online retailing - including Dell, Eddie Bauer, Lands End and Schwab - account for 59 per cent of online retail revenues.
The study, which examined 127 online retailers in seven retail categories rather than surveying the behaviour of online consumers, also identified potential barriers to growth. According to the study, retailers must increase consumers' comfort level with online shopping, manage technology constraints, and continue to develop low-cost distribution systems, as well as clearing several other hurdles.
Other findings include the fact that only 5 per cent of unique visitors to sites become customers while only 1.6 per cent of visits result in purchases. Additionally, online revenues generated by North American-based retailers during the first six months of 1998 were $US4.4 billion, which represents less than 1 per cent of overall retail revenue in North America.
Meanwhile, there are indications that online retailing is currently far more expensive to market than traditional shopping. A survey showed that 65 per cent of the revenues generated by the shop.org/BCG sample of online retailers are reinvested in marketing and advertising, compared with 4 per cent for most traditional stores.


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Texas has one of the worst identity theft problems in U.S.
- W. Scott Bailey
If you want to have your identity stolen, come to Texas.
The Better Business Bureau, citing recent data from the Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Sentinel Network (CSN), says Texas has the fifth-highest rate for reported identity theft complaints in the nation.
The CSN compiled nationwide complaint data from the Better Business Bureau as well as from the FTC, the Internet Crime Complaint Center and other consumer advocacy organizations.
The CSN rankings for states and cities are based on the number of complaints received per 100,000 consumers in 2010.
According to CSN, Texas had more than 96 identity theft complaints per 100,000 of its people in 2010, or a total of more than 24,000 complaints.
Florida took top honors with nearly 115 identity theft complaints per 100,000 of its people last year.
Texas can blame its high ranking on a couple of areas in the Rio Grande Valley.
The Brownsville-Harlingen area ranked second in the CSN report and the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission area ranked fourth.
Laredo escaped a top-10 ranking by one spot.
San Antonio ranked 53rd out of the 384 cities included in the CSN report.
“With over 24,000 victims of identity theft in Texas last year, it’s time for every consumer to evaluate and strengthen their personal identity theft prevention techniques to ensure protection for their family and future,” says Carrie A. Hurt, president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau office serving the Central, Coastal and Southwest Texas regions.
“Business owners also must take identity theft prevention very seriously, in order to maintain a safe community for all past and future employees and customers,” Hurt adds.
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Shorts channels on Samsung TV Plus
July 14, 2021
Samsung Electronics is preparing to launch free-to-view advertising supported film channels from Shorts International on the Samsung TV Plus service, initially in the UK, Italy and Spain.
Relaunching the Shorts brand from Shorts International, the new free-to-view channels, Shorts (UK, Italy) and Cortos (Spain) will be fully localised and tailored to each market, featuring some of the best international films available from ShortsTV – one of the world’s largest catalogue of short films – alongside a selection of local content. In addition, viewers will follow filmmakers to the biggest international film festivals, as well as more nascent festivals where emerging talent is breaking out. Viewers will also get filmmaking tips, and a look inside the creative factory behind short movies.
With Samsung TV Plus available on Samsung Smart TVs and select Galaxy mobiles and tablets via a free app from Google Play or Galaxy Store, viewers will be able to watch Shorts and Cortos on a variety of platforms, whether at home or on the move.
“We’re thrilled to announce this partnership, to bring anyone who owns a Samsung Smart TV or Galaxy device in the UK, Italy and Spain a taste of the world’s best short films, said ShortsTV CEO and Founder, Carter Pilcher. “This marks the relaunch of the popular Shorts brand, which was previously enjoyed by viewers in the US and Europe, deployed in a new format that gives viewers an entrée to the ShortsTV experience. This is a big step for us – until now, we’ve only made this world-leading catalogue of films available to paying TV subscribers, but the demand for the world’s best short films and short series is just too big to ignore. Viewers will sample some of the world’s biggest national and international stars in unforgettable short films they will want to watch over and over.”
“The launch of our new linear channels in the UK, Italy and Spain is the start of the next wave of content – and we’re proud to be leading the charge with a family of channels that are intensely local but also reach international heights,” said Valerio Motti, EVP EMEA Business Development and Strategy who is leading the launch of all new linear streaming channels globally. “Just as podcasting has come into its own on digital audio platforms like Spotify, short films are experiencing a similar upsurge on FAST.”


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Baku, Azerbaijan, April 30
By Kheyraddin Nasirzade - Trend:
The total volume of Azerbaijan's non-oil exports in March 2019 amounted to $100.3 million, which is 14.1 percent more compared to March 2018, Trend reports referring to the Export Review published by the Center for Economic Reforms Analysis and Communication of Azerbaijan.
Turkey is in the lead among the countries importing Azerbaijani products, and account for $35.7 million, which is 35.6 percent of Azerbaijan's total exports.
The rest of the top five importers of Azerbaijani exports include Russia ($33.3 million), Georgia ($13.2 million), Switzerland ($13.1 million) and Italy ($5 million).
(1 USD = 1.7 AZN on April 30)
Follow the author on Twitter: @1nasirzade