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DUBAI, UAE – Ford Focus ST received the Best Performance Hatchback title at this year’s Middle East Motor Awards (MEMA), the biggest independent car awards of the Middle East.
Now in its fourth year, the Middle East Motor Awards, an initiative by the Expo Centre Sharjah, with support from the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, honor leaders of the automotive industry. A panel of judges, comprising 18 expert automotive journalists from nine countries representing the GCC, Levant and North Africa, evaluates the nominated vehicles.
“The Focus ST has gained instant popularity here in the Middle East, among journalists and hard-core motorists alike,” said Paul Anderson, Ford Middle East Marketing director. “It has become a favourite to many as it delivers a superior driving experience and high-end technologies. With the addition of the 2013 Middle East Motor Awards title to its long list of accolades, it is just another proof that Focus ST is by far the leader of its segment. This recognition is a vote of confidence to Ford for delivering vehicles that customers want, with industry-leading technologies and attractive design, as well as superior quality and driving dynamics.”
In order to be considered for a MEMA, vehicles must be available for sale in at least five Middle Eastern countries. They are judged on both technical aspects, such as innovation, performance and safety, as well as consumer aspects, including driver satisfaction, emotional appeal and whether they are Middle East friendly.
This year’s achievement by Focus follows last year’s win by the Ford Explorer, which was named Best Mid-Sized SUV.
The Focus ST will be on display at the Dubai International Motor Show Nov. 5-9 at the Dubai World Trade Center.


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January 25, 2017
For Immediate Release
NL Records the Steepest Rise in the Cost of Living in Canada, A Direct Consequence of Ball Liberal Tax Increases
Keith Hutchings, Official Opposition Critic for Finance, said, “As a direct consequence of tax increases imposed by the Ball Liberals in their 2016 Budget, Newfoundland and Labrador has recorded the steepest rise in the cost of living of any province in Canada, according to the latest numbers from Statistics Canada.”
“The Ball Liberals smothered our families with simultaneous increases in the HST, tax on insurance and tax on gasoline, which doubled overnight,” said Hutchings. “On top of that were other tax hikes and fee increases. During our filibuster in the House of Assembly, we continuously warned the Liberals that their approach would take a huge toll on consumer spending of the average family, and the statistics have proven we were right. Families, small businesses and our overall economy are suffering from being crushed by an enormous tax burden that many cannot bear.”
“The Consumer Price Index estimates changes in the cost of living over time once taxes are applied to the goods people buy. As StatsCan has reported this week, this province’s CPI rose by 4.1 per cent from December 2015 to December 2016, the steepest leap in the country,” he said. “This is certainly not the kind of leap the Liberals promised.”
“With so many tax hikes for necessities families cannot do without, their income dollar continues to shrink. Discretionary spending is no longer available to many families and that erosion of spending power is compounding, and hurting our economy – an economy that the Liberals have no plan to drive economic activity and investment in,” said Hutchings.
“The CPI is not just a statistic. It represents real pain that families are suffering. It represents family budgets that are stretched to the breaking point and not meeting their needs. As consumer spending power shrinks, it is making our economy constrict and head in the wrong direction. Without a sound strategic economic plan, the Liberals continue to drive our economy south, with growth and prosperity not high on Premier’s Ball achievement list.”
“And sadly, the Liberals are not even listening to the families who have been telling them this past year that they are suffering and need a new approach – a way forward out of a dismal Budget 2016 and a government that compounds the problem by discouraging investment with negativity and cynicism toward our province’s potential,” said Hutchings.
Media Contact: Heather MacLean, Director of Operations and Communications
Office of the Official Opposition
(709) 729 6105, [email protected]

domain: news


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The Selwyn Public Library is hosting an online silent auction next month to support the continued delivery of programs, online services and community outreach initiatives at its three branches across the township.
From Nov. 1 to 12, participants will be able to bid on a wide variety of items — from Canadian-made artwork and kitchenware to workshops and restaurant gift cards — mostly donated by local businesses and community members, according to a press release from the library.
With a goal of raising $10,000, the funds will be used to support virtual collections and resources — including eBooks and eAudiobooks — adult and children’s programs and community outreach initiatives like the Selwyn Public Library’s home library service, pop-up libraries and pollinator garden.
Pre-pandemic, these services and programs were funded through annual book sales and the library’s new-to-you stores. Once COVID-19 hit, however, those options were nixed.
The thrift stores faced intermittent closures and the library was unable to host book sales, so the Selwyn Public Library embraced a virtual fundraising campaign as a new fundraising method.
New-to-you shops — the Thrift Store in Ennismore and Treasure Trove in Bridgenorth — which operate in partnership with Community Care Chemong, have reopened with capacity limits and physical distancing, Selwyn Public Library CEO and chief librarian Sarah Hennessey said.
The former Renewed Classics thrift store in Lakefield is being repurposed into the library’s future makerspace.
Auction items can be previewed by visiting galabid.com/selwynlibrary.
Brendan Burke is a staff reporter at the Examiner, based in Peterborough. His reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. Reach him at firstname.lastname@example.org
Brendan Burke, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Peterborough Examiner


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The COVID-19 lockdown has spurred many Indians to rethink their current lifestyles and needs, with many now observant of their consumer behaviour and specifically their spending habits.
According to a new analysis by ETMoney, overall spend by Indians between March and June was reduced by nearly 40% from the level of last year, with more consumers adopting the digital mode of payments and UPI being the most preferred amongst them.
In March, when the lockdown was announced, UPI transactions surged to 565% of what was done in March 2019. And from there, this growth slowed as lockdown measures were relaxed, but the numbers are still far higher compared to the same months of 2019.
The report found a significant dip in household spend in the month of April, due to supply chain disruption as only delivery of essential goods were allowed during the nationwide lockdown. People have also cut back on their monthly household budgets given the income uncertainty.
Due to the shutdown of restaurants and a general fear among people regarding outside food, the spend in this category took one of the highest reductions with people spending less than 20% as compared to last year.
For entertainment expenses, the month of April saw spend fall by 70% compared to spend during April 2019. However, in the months of May and June, as people got more accustomed to the lockdown scene, this drop in spending eased to 60% decline due to the adoption of OTT platforms and online games.
Spending on shopping was the worst hit in the month of April, dropping down to 13% of what shoppers used to spend in April 2019. But as lockdown rules were relaxed and online shopping businesses resumed, consumer spending has begun to recover. However, shopping was heavily dominated by convenience and value considerations.
In the month of June, shopping spend recovered to 63%, a little less than what it used to be in the month of March, before the lockdown started. Such a speedy recovery in shopping spend is also due to heavy discounts by both online and offline retailers.
Sourced from ETMoney


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Business News›Meru Cabs
Meru may explore merger with Mahindra group company
M&M may also put Meru’s fundraising plans on the backburner.
M&M to raise its stake in Meru cabs from 43% to 100%
Mahindra would acquire almost 57% stake in Meru for Rs 97.69 crore. Veteran Pravin Shah, who had superannuated in March 2017, will take over as the CEO of Meru Cabs and its subsidiary companies with effect from 1 May 2021.
Meru Cabs in stake sale talks with Japan’s Orix Auto
Meru Mobility, in which Mahindra has a 55% stake, also has plans to raise Rs 350-400 crore from a clutch of strategic investors.
The world is Clubhouse's oyster
In today's ETtech Morning Dispatch: An exclusive chat with Clubhouse founders Paul Davison and Rohan Sethi; SMS scrubber erases nearly 40% OTPs; Meru is in stake sale talks with Japan’s Orix Auto; and Huawei hopes to be a part of India’s 5G story.
Uber, Ola and Meru look to get back on track via corporate tie-ups
Cost and convenience were the main reasons why corporates signed up with an Ola, Uber or Meru prior to the pandemic, but now their biggest requirement is ensuring safe transportation for employees.
Meru Cabs launches office commute serviceThe service, through which commuters can book their trips to and from the office for an entire month in advance, will have no surge pricing.
Mahindra Electric Mobility globally launches MESMA 48 platform for EVsMahindra Electric's MESMA 48 platform offers globally competitive quality and is cost effective, the company claimed in the release, adding that it is one of its most utilised EV technology solution architecture.
Bumpy ride ahead for Ola, Uber as shared mobility companies face weak recoveryThe two biggest ride-hailing aggregators, Ola and Uber, have recovered only about 20% of ride volume levels seen before the pandemic hit, and the full-year estimate is at best 50%, driver associations, analysts and company insiders told ET.
Mahindra group’s Alyte to be cab aggregator for corporatesAlyte, run under Mahindra Logistics; Meru Cabs, in which Mahindra group owns 55%; etaxi service Glyd; and First Choice, M&M’s used car business, will be housed under the new mobility services vertical. M&M plans to roll out a mobile application for Alyte in the next month. It will work on the basis of contracts with companies.
M&M to acquire 55% stake in Meru for cash consideration of up to Rs 201.5 croreM&M would invest an amount not exceeding Rs 201.5 crore in Meru.
Speed bump: Uber, Ola face sharp slowdown in growth of rides in 2018Growth in daily rides declines to 20% on average in 2018, from 57% in 2017 & 90% in 2016.
Taxi operator Meru Cabs looks to turn to B2B clientsMeru Cabs is looking to double down on its B2B offering, which includes corporate employee transportation, car rentals and airport contracts.
Meru rides to marketplace to catch up with its rivalsOn the Meru Cabs app customers will be able to choose from up to 10 taxis whose fares, expected time of arrival, vehicle model and driver ratings will be displayed.
SoftBank’s Uber investment may run foul of CCIA senior executive of domestic taxi operator Meru Cabs alleged that SoftBank’s investment in Uber was a clear indication that this was a case of monopolies being funded.
Meru Cabs moves CCI against Ola, UberAlleging that the aggregators are disrupting the market by putting in huge sums of foreign investor money, the company said it has filed four different complaints with the CCI.
New cab aggregators lure peeved drivers to end Uber-Ola duopolyNilesh Sangoi, chief executive of Meru Cabs, said the company registered a 25% increase in revenue in February and March as more drivers migrated to the platform.
Supreme Court to hear Uber's plea against Compat order on March 1Compat had on December 7 last year ordered fair trade watchdog CCI to probe afresh the alleged abuse of dominance by the popular taxi-hailing app operator.
With Ola & Uber out of action, Meru, autos & carpoolers strike goldTaxi operator Meru Cabs, auto aggregator Jugnoo, carpooling service Orahi and self-drive platform Revv have all seen a spike in their business this week, though experts believe this is a temporary migration.
Meru ups ante against app-based taxi players;adds new servicesThe pricing is also competitive, in line with other services available in the market," Meru Cabs CEO Nilesh Sangoi told PTI.
Meru Cabs creates 3 new categories to fend off competitionWith this fare structure Meru comes close to Ola and Uber which operate their lowest category at a base rate of Rs 45 and Rs 8/km thereafter.
Uber races ahead of Meru and Easy CabsAfter Uber sold off its China operations to Didi Chuxing earlier this year, it has further accelerated its efforts in India, which is now its second-largest market after US.
Freecharge partners with Meru Cabs"Commuters now don't need to tender exact cash as the exact fare will be auto-debited from their wallet," said Sudeep Tandon, Chief Business Officer, Freecharge.
Is job of cab driver in aggregators service like Ola,Uber and Meru lucrative?The service was new, affordable and hassle-free when compared with autorickshaws and regular cab services across metros.
CCI exonerates Ola and rival Uber in complaint filed by Meru CabsThe CCI had previously rejected separate complaints filed by Mega Cabs and Meru alleging predatory pricing by Ola and Uber.
Taxi services provider Meru aims to be $1 billion firm by 2022The company is aiming to have a network of one lakh cars by 2022. It will buy around 10,000 vehicles by this period.
Uber to launch carpool service in KolkataPassengers can take advantage of sharing rides in the same direction which would help them to reduce their individual fares by at least 30 per cent, Dias told PTI.
CCI rejects Meru Cabs' complaint against UberMeru had alleged that Uber was following the practice of predatory pricing in Kolkata market and was able to offer low prices as Uber had received huge funding.Load More
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Stratasys Ltd, a global leader of 3D printing and additive manufacturing solutions, announced today its partnership with FirstBuild. The partnership combines co-creation and micromanufacturing to build and commercialize the next evolution of various GE appliances and accessories by leveraging 3D printing, and other advanced manufacturing processes in an open innovation approach to engineering.
GE Appliances, a subsidiary of General Electric Company, in collaboration with Local Motors, established FirstBuild, a new model for the appliance industry that allows concepts to rapidly reach the marketplace. Individuals design and submit ideas, and a community of home enthusiasts, designers, engineers and makers tests out the ideas and creates the products using Stratasys 3D printing technology. FirstBuild will then manufacture and deliver the next generation of major home appliances to customers.
"The prospects of tapping into the hardware innovation scene are very promising," says Gilad Gans, Stratasys President of North America. "This is an outstanding opportunity to revolutionize the way things are made. This is an open-innovation environment where FirstBuild users will use our cutting-edge technology to accelerate product development phases and create real products."
Stratasys 3D printers will go to work in the FirstBuild Microfactory located in Louisville, Ky., which is where ideas will come to grow into real products. 3D printing along with woodworking, welding and other tools, will be used to test and build the initial products. The microfactory will produce products and sell them through FirstBuild’s website and retail store, located at the microfactory and through traditional retail channels.
“Incorporating Stratasys’ leading additive manufacturing technology into our microfactory capabilities provides an enormous benefit in both product development and production by saving us time, money and resources,” said Natarajan “Venkat” Venkatakrishnan, Director of FirstBuild and Director of Advanced Technologies for GE Appliances. “It will also give the University of Louisville engineering students and others who work on this equipment at FirstBuild a significant advantage as they pursue jobs in technical fields.”
Watch Venkat, Director of FirstBuild, discuss the new partnership between FirstBuild and Stratasys to rapidly prototype a new generation of home appliances.
Stratasys Ltd (stratasys.com), headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota and Rehovot, Israel, is a leading global provider of 3D printing and additive manufacturing solutions. The company's patented FDM®, PolyJet™, and WDM™ 3D Printing technologies produce prototypes and manufactured goods directly from 3D CAD files or other 3D content. Systems include 3D printers for idea development, prototyping and direct digital manufacturing. Stratasys subsidiaries include MakerBot and Solidscape, and the company operates a digital-manufacturing service, comprising RedEye, Harvest Technologies and Solid Concepts. Stratasys has more than 2,500 employees, holds over 600 granted or pending additive manufacturing patents globally, and has received more than 25 awards for its technology and leadership.
FirstBuild (FirstBuild.com), a partnership between GE and Local Motors, the open-source hardware innovator, harnesses the expertise and creativity of an online and offline global community that is dedicated to conceiving, engineering and building the next generation of major home appliances. It enables engineers, designers, scientists and home enthusiasts to participate in the development of breakthrough appliances and solve deep engineering challenges. Participants will identify market needs, directly participate in the product development and watch via social media as ideas speed from mind to market at the FirstBuild Microfactory in Louisville, Ky.
FDM, Stratasys and Objet are registered trademarks, and Fused Deposition Modeling and PolyJet are trademarks of Stratasys Ltd. and or its subsidiaries or affiliates.


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Books For Africa (BFA) dedicated its new Atlanta warehouse with a grand opening on June 26, 2021. Millions of donated books from all over the country are sorted, packed and shipped each year from the Atlanta warehouse to the Port of Savannah, where they are sent by cargo ship to students throughout Africa. Approximately 10,000 volunteers pack books at the Atlanta warehouse each year.
The African Union Ambassador to the United States, Her Excellency Hilda Suka-Mafudze, served as the keynote speaker at the warehouse grand opening, with additional remarks by BFA Board President Joni Sussman, of Lerner Publishing Group, BFA Founder Tom Warth, and BFA Executive Director Patrick Plonski. The event took place against the backdrop of the celebration of the African Union 2021 theme of the year, “Arts, Culture and Heritage: Levers for Building the Africa We Want.”
Ambassador Suka-Mafudze also met with BFA leadership to discuss collaborative opportunities for improving educational opportunities across Africa. She praised BFA “for its noble mission and its unwavering commitment to education and a strong belief in Africa.” The Ambassador cited the late United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan who said the gift of a book is a gift of hope and “no development tool is more effective than education and literacy. When people are able to access education, they can break free from the cycle of poverty.” Ambassador Mafudze added that the African Union Commission partnership with Books For Africa is an eloquent recognition of the instrumental role that culture plays as a catalyst for the sustainable socio-economic development of the continent.
“I’ve been involved with Books For Africa for a number of years,” said Board President Joni Sussman. “As a publisher of children’s books, this organization really touches my heart. I was on BFA on a trip to South Africa a couple of years ago, where we visited schools thar had received BFA book donations. At one school, in a township not far from Cape Town, a shipment of books from Books For Africa had arrived, and was spread out on the school lawn when we arrived. The children, ages 8 and 9, were given the opportunity to select books of their choice to take home. For many, this was the first book they’d ever owned and they were wide-eyed. They were so excited to pick out their books, which were in English, and I was amazed to learn that these children not only could read English – I asked one little girl to read to me – but would be taking the books home to read to their parents, many of whom couldn’t read. For these children, English was their third language, after Afrikaans and their local African language. I was very moved by their desire to learn English, which they were being taught would help them get ahead in the world and bring good things to Africa.”
Books For Africa is the world’s largest shipper of donated books to the African continent and has shipped over 51 million books and served all African countries, since its founding in 1988. BFA has been rated as one of the top NGO’s in the United States by Charity Navigator. Partnerships with members of the African diaspora in the U.S. and across the world have been critical to BFA’s success, with African diaspora members serving on the board, raising funds, organizing container shipments, and providing connections to African countries.
More Information about Books For Africa
Visit the official Books For Africa website here!
Publishers Weekly wrote this article on the new Books For Africa warehouse.
Read more about Joni Sussman’s trip to South Africa in this Lerner Blog post.


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A supermarket own-label wine has beaten off stiff competition to win the Pouilly Fumé Trophy at this year's International Wine Challenge.
Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Pouilly Fumé was one of 84 trophy-winning wines - between them winning 120 trophies - revealed at Vinexpo in Bordeaux last week.
Wine buyer Abi Hirshfeld said: "It's great to be recognised for the huge amount of work we have done with the Figeat family on the quality of this wine. This is a true reflection of our continued focus on quality and consistency."
Of the 9,358 wines entered into the IWC this year, 260 were given gold medals after three blind tastings. The gold medal-winners were then put through a further test by IWC co-chairmen Tim Atkin MW, Sam Harrop MW, Charles Metcalfe and Derek Smedley MW, who decided which wines should receive the top accolade.
Australia knocked France off the trophy top spot, taking 20 of the trophies compared to France's 18. Portugal and Italy were joint third with 12 trophies each. New Zealand's Villa Maria Single Vineyard Graham Sauvignon Blanc 2006 was the most awarded wine with four trophies.
Nine producers followed their 2006 success by picking up IWC trophies again this year, with three picking up the same trophies this year as last - Château La Fleur Peyrabon 2004 (Edmund Penning-Rowsell Trophy and French Red Trophy), Peter Lehmann Reserve Riesling 2002 (Australian Riesling Trophy and Eden Valley Riesling Trophy) Wine and Soul Guru 2005 (Portuguese White Trophy).
Japanese sake was included in the competition for the first time this year and made a strong impression on judges with 228 of the entries winning 130 medals and six trophies.
Denbies' Greenfields Brut 2003 was the winner of the first English Trophy. A list of trophy winners can be found at www.internationalwinechallenge.com.


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While Pei did not confirm what this meant, it would well be pointing toward the in-display fingerprint reader and/or a bigger battery. Ahead of the smartphone's launch next month, it has been listed online on Giztop, complete with pricing and other key details. Yesterday, we came across an alleged live image of the OnePlus 6T, but now today, we are looking at the phone's listing on a shopping website that reveals its specs, design and price. As per this listing, OnePlus 6T is priced at $569 in the USA, or Rs 40,945 in India, though it does not state the variant associated with this price tag. The phone will feature a 6.4-inch AMOLED display, with a resolution of 2340×1080 pixels, and a screen-to-body ratio of 91.5 per cent.
OnePlus' in-display fingerprint scanner began doing the rounds earlier this week, following the Vivo Plus UD and the Huawei Mate RS. OnePlus has dubbed its fingerprint-on-display (FOD) "Screen Unlock", according to CNET, presumably to mimic Apple's Face Unlock in branding.
Some South Carolina lane reversals to end
The NHC notes that amount of rainfall would "produce catastrophic flash flooding and prolonged significant river flooding". An intense wave, as well as heavy rains, will announce on Thursday on the coast of Las Carolinas, the arrival of Florence.
Also the phone will feature a vertically stacked triple rear configuration, that will be seen above the OnePlus logo. The 6 GB RAM variant has 64 GB of internal storage, whereas, the 8 GB RAM variant comes with 128 GB and 256 GB of internal storage. For selfies, the OnePlus 6T will have an impressive 25MP AI front-facing camera.
But then OnePlus isn't the first to rid itself of the headphone jack, and I expect it won't be the last.
Pence heading to Georgia ahead of Hurricane Florence
President Donald Trump declared states of emergency for North and SC and Virginia, opening the way for federal aid. But despite that, bad things can happen when you're talking about a storm this size.
While the connectivity modes mentioned include dual SIM support, LTE and USB support, this OnePlus 6T listing also shows that earphones would be present in the box. The product listing also ends with the statement "This is not available until October 16". The OnePlus 6T is now listed as "Out of Stock" on Giztop and it says that the smartphone will not be available until October 16.
KitGuru Says: OnePlus always manages to impress on the price front, even if costs are steadily increasing within the smartphone market. So take this listing with a pinch of salt.
Six dead in Bakersfield shooting
Authorities are interviewing 30 witnesses and processing multiple crime scenes to piece together what led up to the violence. Six people are dead after a mass shooting at a trucking business and five other locations in Bakersfield, California.


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“The bulk of Apple’s 2013 product pipeline will likely launch later than many market watchers expect, according to one insider, due to a variety of complex development challenges associated this year’s anticipated iPhones and new iPad mini,” Neil Hughes reports for AppleInsider.
“Ming-chi Kuo of KGI Securities, who has a strong track record in revealing Apple’s future product plans, shared a research note with AppleInsider on Thursday that suggested Apple’s so-called ‘iPhone 5S,’ a rumored low-cost iPhone, and a second-generation iPad mini will all launch later than market consensus expects,” Hughes reports. “These apparent delays are driven by a variety of issues, according to Kuo.”
Hughes reports, “As a result of these issues, Kuo said it’s likely that Apple will see single-digit growth in iPhone and iPad shipments in the third quarter of 2013. That would be well below the market consensus, which sees Apple growing its sales by between 30 and 40 percent with the introductions of new products.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Uh oh.


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Below-inflation pay rises raise a new set of challenges for employers
New figures show that average pay settlements look set to remain in the 2-3% bracket, trailing far behind inflation. How can employers manage expectations around pay and reward packages and avoid losing staff?
The figures, based on research conducted by five pay research organisations to the end of November 2011, all show a similarly bleak picture across a broad range of sectors. Recent research by independent price comparison and switching service uSwitch also suggests that two-thirds of workers in the UK are not expecting a pay rise at all this year. Last year's CIPD's Reward Risks survey highlighted concerns over retention, with 78 per cent of reward professionals surveyed expressing concern that their companies risked losing employees as a result of insufficient reward packages.
Many employers will now have to work hard to maintain 'positive' perceptions of pay packages among employees, while at the same time restructuring reward around new business strategies and austerity measures. It also pays to investigate cost-effective ways of providing benefits to staff to help maintain morale during these difficult times. Affinity benefits such as discounted goods and services, for example, can help offset the combined effects of pay freezes or below-inflation rises, commuter fare hikes and increases in energy bills.
Acas can visit yourorganisationto help you understand what needs to be done to address issues related to pay  and then work with you to develop practical solutions.
Visit the Acas training and business solutions area for more information.


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Even though holiday decorations are going up in the Disney Parks, it IS still the middle of fall, y’all!
The fall season has brought some fun eats and treats to the parks, like pumpkin milkshakes, festive cheesecakes, and some special Thanksgiving meals. And now, there’s a NEW fall sweet over in Disneyland Resort!
Check out the NEW beignets over at Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen Express in Downtown Disney. These are Maple Pecan Pie Glazed Beignets and are here specially for fall! They have a candy pecan and graham cracker crunch with an autumn spiced creme anglaise dipping sauce. Is your mouth watering yet?
These beignets are available NOW, and we can’t wait to get our hands on some! Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen Express has had several different types of seasonal beignets in the past, like s’mores, cookies and cream, snickerdoodle, and more. So, we’re hopeful that these are just as tasty!
For more on Disneyland, check out the behind-the-scenes of Disneyland’s “it’s a small world” holiday transformation, the NEW Black Panther: Wakanda Forever food and drinks announced for Disneyland, and photos of the holiday snow on Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland park!
Stay tuned to DFB for more food news and updates!
Will you be trying out these new beignets? Tell us in the comments!


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Kevin Kolbeck joined the Oseco Board on October 3rd as Vice President of Sales and Marketing, bringing years of knowledge and competitive marketing experience to the table. Kolbeck assisted with growth for two of the three unique Oseco business segments as Director of Marketing in last 18 months. Last year Kolbeck was integral to developing strategy for the newest Oseco business segment, Fire Safety. He then shifted to a leadership role within the largest Oseco business segment, Chemical Processing. Here he supported implementation of a new sales process with market reach Representatives, as well as the launch of an innovative new product solution called the Safety Cartridge.
Kolbeck earned his degree in Business Administration from Kansas State University in 1992. He spent eight years with Hilti, Inc. where he demonstrated a thorough understanding of market strategy implementation. He served as Senior Director of Trade Management at the Hilti headquarters located in Tulsa, Okla. and effectively managed large sales and marketing teams. Post-Hilti, Kolbeck scaled his leadership skills to manage smaller teams and endeavor as an entrepreneur in 2007. He spent eight years building his own start-up company with multiple locations in the service industry. In the role of President and General Manager, he coordinated key vendor relationships and identified teams to sustain the company’s growth, thereby increasing market share and developing into an industry leader.
Upon transitioning into the VP role at Oseco, Kolbeck notes that the company has held forecasts and managed to recover a growth pattern, even in the face of a low market that only recently began showing signs of recovery. “I am confident in our ability as a team to continue this growth trend and sustain our business as we continue to explore expansion into the global market,” said Kolbeck, addressing the company in an all-hands update meeting last week. “Furthermore, I am humbled by the work ethic of the people that make up this organization, and look forward to seeing what we can accomplish together,” said Kolbeck in conclusion.
This is another major transition for the Oseco Board, after appointing a new president earlier this year. Rob Barcik stepped into the role of President for Oseco in the spring, following former President, Bryan Sanderlin’s promotion to Vice President for the Halma Process Safety Sector. Previous Vice President for Oseco Sales and Marketing, Darren Doyle, now serves the Halma Process Safety Sector as Marketing Officer. He will assist with the growth of several companies within the international group alongside Oseco.
For more information about Oseco call 1-800-395-3475 or email firstname.lastname@example.org.


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Razer basically gaming related company now diversify its portfolio to Mobile world. The company officially announced its first Razer smartphone that is called Nextbit. Razer earlier in this year give hints that the company is trying to introduce a smartphone. The users are expecting a powerful gaming smartphone from the gaming gear giant. Lets dive into the details that you know about the smartphone.
The Razer smartphone is features with a 5.70-inch IGZO panel. The smartphone is expected to comes with 120Hz Ultramotion Display that will support for the gaming and other functions of the smartphone. The smartphone will give better user interference and a continuous smooth functions while performing on android based games on it.
The Razer smartphone supports dual front-facing speakers and dual dedicated amplifiers that are to enhance the quality of the audio. Moreover, it is considers a first smartphone that is to certified by THX audio. The smartphone is powered by Dolby Atmos, that means the smartphone audio is laud as compare to the others. The Razer Phone also sports a 24-bit DAC that is a clear hint the smartphone is a gaming phone.
The Razer smartphone is powered by a Snapdragon 835, that is paired with 8GB of RAM. The smartphone is the only one that have more scores in the thermal performance as compare to the other smartphone featured with Snapdragon 835. If its true, then the smartphone will not disappoint you to experience a longer battery life. According to the report, the smartphone supports powerful battery.
The Razer Phone comes with a 4,000mAh battery and according to battery benchmarks, you can get up to 12.5 hours of movie-watching and 7 hours of gameplay on a single charge. It is also the first phone to provide support for Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 4+, which can charge the phone from 0-85 percent (3,400mAh) in one hour.
The Razer comes with a dual-12MP primary camera at rear, with the secondary lens being a 2x Telephoto one with a ton of features that support the arguments of a powerful smartphone. The company announced to introduce a software updates to take your smartphone photography skills to the next stage.


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U.S. Postal officials continue to urge people to use the mails as they normally would, but they say that in some cases there will be a day's delay in delivery because of the air controllers strike.
Before the strike, most letters going more than 300 miles generally went by air, but now the trigger distance has been changed to anything over 500 miles. The additional ground transportation needed to deliver the mail is being provided by trucks and trains.
The next-day-delivery guarantee for express mail has been suspended during the strike period. Some express mail is expected to take two days instead.
Joyce Booker, a news information specialist at the Postal Service, reported that in most cases, "There have been no substantial delays of mail delivery at this point. We are still moving the mail, though mailers have been warned to anticipate some delays."
Booker said the Postal Service has set up a control center at Postal Service headquarters as well as at five regional offices to coordinate movement during the strike. She said that the system is successfully moving all types of mail so far and that international airmail has not been affected.
She said postal officials have contingency plans should the number of flights decline dramatically. This would involve moving only certain types of mail by air -- express mail first, then first-class mail and then priority mail.
Several Washington businesses and retailers surveyed yesterday said that they have not experienced any serious delays in their mail service during the air controllers strike.


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Originally published: B&T, 12 January 2022 A study has revealed the majority of global senior advertising executives recognise digital out of home (DOOH) advertising as the best way to reach young, tech-savvy consumers on the go. Alfi (NASDAQ: ALF), an AI enterprise SaaS advertising platform, reveals that 61 per cent of senior advertising executives strongly believe […]
icare create 100% recycled, Australian made toilet paper. Sorting and utilising a multitude of paper products, using a sophisticated process developed over 30 years, they separate, extract and reform it. The result is a dense yet soft toilet paper that consumers love.
Originally published: Business IT, 29 October 2021 It goes without saying that COVID-19 has completely altered the way we shop. Online retail, already a huge industry pre-pandemic, has accelerated to record levels as lockdowns and social distancing requirements have forced consumers to reconsider their buying behaviours. This isn’t a short-term blip. Changes that were initially thought […]
After a year of extended lockdowns, Australians are looking to the 2021 festive season with a renewed sense of hope. Families are focussed on coming together as much as state and international travel restrictions allow – to celebrate a Christmas reminiscent of pre-pandemic times.
Originally published: Mumbrella, 25 October 2021 3M’s Post-it brand has launched a digital and social campaign called ‘A little space to think’, via Dig (formerly Channel T). The campaign sees Post-Its on news sites and social feeds, which seek to encourage users to pause and reflect. The campaign is on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok for a […]
CRWE World: Advertising budgets rise along with concerns around ethical standards in digital out of home sector, Alfi Study finds
Originally published: CRWE World, 12 October 2021 85% of advertising executives have shifted their focus towards ethical standards in DOOH advertising The Digital Out of Home (DOOH) market was estimated to be worth around $41.06 billion by the end of 2020, according to new research from Alfi (NASDAQ:ALF), an AI enterprise SaaS advertising platform, however, nearly two out of three […]
Originally published: Retail Biz, 22 September 2021 Marketers will need to shift gears into 2022 to ensure they provide satisfying omnichannel shopping experiences amid escalating consumer expectations, according to new research released by IAB Australia and Pureprofile. The Australian Ecommerce Report 2021 found that while convenience was named as the biggest driver of online shopping by 76% of […]
The Australian retail industry has undergone a rapid digital transformation in response to the economic uncertainties created by the pandemic. This report provides detailed insights into Australia’s retail & ecommerce landscape.
Originally published: Mumbrella, 07 July 2021 Tasneem Ali, General Manager at Pure.amplify, explores the opportunity that exists in the third-party cookie’s stay of execution. The digital marketing community breathed a collective sigh of relief last week when Google announced that its plans to remove third-party cookies would be delayed from next year until late 2023. While […]
Stockhouse: Alfi Global Research finds Digital Out of Home (DOOH) advertising market to surpass $50 billion by 2026
Originally published: Stockhouse, 01 July 2021 65% of advertising executives believe market will be worth $50 billion to $55 billion by 2026 Alfi Inc, an AI enterprise SaaS platform company powering computer vision with machine learning models to allow content publishers and brand owners to deliver interactive, intelligent information without violating user privacy, today announced the […]


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Robbie Bach, the former president of Microsoft's Entertainment & Devices Division, spoke out at the end of last week at the Northwest Entrepreneur Network, crediting some of the success of the Xbox gaming brand in general to a series of "really not so smart things" conducted by their chief rival in the industry - Sony.
“Some of the success of Xbox was due to the fact that Sony did some really not so smart things," said Bach. "They mismanaged their 70 percent market share. It’s a long conversation. The transition to PlayStation 3 was really, really bad. And really hard. They mismanaged their partners, they mismanaged their cost structure. They made their next platform so complicated that developers couldn’t develop for it.”
The headstart that the Xbox 360 got on the PS3 can't be ignored either, even if many of the consoles in those first 12 months and beyond ended up in the bin thanks to the dreaded Red Ring of Death - a period that led to a billion-dollar write-off, and a period that Bach terms “the most painful thing in my life".
In contrast, Bach praised Apple's conduct over the last few years, acknowledging that the company behind the iPod "made very, very few mistakes" in the last decade, even if they didn't see eye to eye on everything.
“They have made very, very few mistakes over the last 10 years," he continued. "It’s remarkable, actually. I give them a lot of credit. I don’t always agree with everything they do, but they’ve made remarkably few mistakes. If you’re in a startup and your competition doesn’t make mistakes, the world is a hard place, and it doesn’t matter how much money you have.” [Geekwire]


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Trainline opens pop-up store with FoundPop furniture
Trainline recently launched a pop-up store called The Interview Store at London Waterloo Station to help job interview candidates alleviate the financial and emotional strain of attending interviews. The store is a result of a survey conducted by Trainline, which revealed that young adults between the ages of 16 and 24 in the UK typically spend an average of £103.15 when pursuing a new job. This cost includes expenses such as travel and clothing, which can discourage young people from seeking new employment opportunities. The pop-up store offers pre-loved outfits for free, ensuring a more sustainable and cost-effective shopping experience. Trainline also provided a limited discount of £10 on train travel to interviews.
The pop-up store targeted Gen Z, with a focus on alleviating the stress of the interview process and providing a more affordable solution to job seekers. Although remote interviews have become more common due to hybrid working, Trainline found that a fifth of Brits still purchase new clothes for virtual interviews. The Interview Store was designed to tackle this problem and help job seekers keep more of their hard-earned money in their pockets.
FoundPop were thrilled to work with Alice Helps Design to bring this concept to life.


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Posts Tagged «e ink»
Amazon prepares to launch larger Kindle Fire, backlit e-ink Kindle Paperwhite August 31, 2012 at 10:14 am
In the lead up to a September 6 press conference, details of Amazon’s refreshed Kindle line-up have started to leak. Most notably, there will be a Kindle Fire 2 and a new backlit e-ink Kindle.
Why Qualcomm’s Mirasol color e-ink display isn’t vaporware… yet January 3, 2012 at 12:59 pm
Qualcomm’s Mirasol color e-ink technology may be an important part of future media technology, but the company has hurdles to overcome before it can make it profitable.


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Xandr Monetize offers a suite of ad-tech tools that contain enhanced solutions for the automated trading of television ad space. Its primary focus is delivering an open-source approach to help media owners and publishers sell their OTT inventory. This is achieved through Prebid – an open-source project co-founded by AppNexus and Rubicon Project in 2017.
Furthermore, the platform includes improved inventory management tools for online display ad sales across multiple devices via its premium ad marketplace called Community. Xandr states that the toolset has “differentiated sources of buyer demand” with access to Community’s ad inventory restricted to its buy-side toolset called Xandr Invest.
AT&T’s ad-tech arm is also promising enhanced forecasting and analytics capabilities to both buy-side and sell-side players in a bid to bolster media owners’ monetisation options.
With this open-source approach to better aid the company’s OTT inventory, both AT&T and Xandr are welcoming these tools to publishers and media owners so they can focus more on content creation while easing the pressure around concerns of using other ad tech platforms that may have conflicting interests.
“Now, with the size, scale and resources of AT&T, we are uniquely positioned to offer the scaled, streamlined selling platform the industry needs,” Ryan Christensen, SVP of product at Xandr, said in a statement.
“With the launch of Xandr Monetize, our future is primed for collaboration that expands and enriches what media companies offer their advertisers and consumers.”


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BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — The king’s crown, scepter, ice cream cart and life-size Lego model of Darth Vader are for sale.
Those items, along with the statues of E.T. and the cast-iron gate decorated with the royal coat of arms of Britain, could belong only to Michael Jackson, whose style of self-enshrinement has always mixed the regal and the childlike. They are part of an auction of Jacksoniana so large that it has been installed in a former Robinsons-May department store here.
In a preview for the news media on Monday, workers carried signs from Neverland painted with Maxfield Parrish-like pastorals, while inside Mr. Jackson’s goods were arranged in loose, thematic sections: glittering stage costumes over here, Disney collectibles over there, paintings of Mr. Jackson as an Elizabethan noble here and there.
“We’ve recreated Neverland,” said Darren Julien, the president of Julien’s Auctions, which is conducting the sale.
But Mr. Jackson’s financial troubles have been well publicized — Neverland Valley Ranch, Mr. Jackson’s former home (and amusement park and zoo) 125 miles northwest of Los Angeles, narrowly escaped foreclosure last year — and for a visitor browsing through his record-sales awards and rhinestone-encrusted socks, it’s never quite clear whether you are picking over the refuse of the most prolific collector since Charles Foster Kane or prying away items that may still have sentimental value.Continue reading the main story
To be clear, Mr. Jackson initially supported this sale but lately has balked. Indeed, Mr. Jackson’s representatives have tried to stop the sale in court, saying that he was never given an opportunity to sift out personal effects. One motion was denied by a judge two weeks ago, but another hearing is scheduled for Wednesday.
Mr. Jackson, who hired Julien’s last year to conduct the sale, recently sold out a 50-concert run at the O2 arena in London, beginning in July. The auction, with 1,390 lots taken from Neverland, opens for public viewing on Tuesday; the sale is to run April 22 to 25. A five-volume, 900-page catalog is available for browsing online (juliensauctions.com). In addition to bids submitted at the scene, online bids will be accepted.
Put together, the items form a picture of their owner that isn’t exactly surprising, given Mr. Jackson’s very public eccentricity. But in its sheer quantity the collection is a revealing tour through some of Mr. Jackson’s obsessions.
For one, he likes his military-style outerwear, and he likes it to sparkle. There’s the red lamé jacket, for example, with gold tassels and red bugle beads (Lot No. 1,141, estimated at $4,000 to $6,000). And, more modestly priced, the navy-and-gold number with crown-shaped brooches, worn at a 1999 news conference with Nelson Mandela (No. 1,273, $400 to $600).
When Mr. Jackson likes something, he really likes it. Bronze garden statues of young children frolic by the dozen. Disney cartoon characters, along with Peter Pan — whose Neverland island gave the Jackson estate its name — pop up in paintings and figurines, sometimes dressed like their collector.
And then of course there are the gloves: 13 of them (Nos. 1,366 through 1,374), each one covered in “iridescent Swarovski loch rosen crystals.” The most recognizable design, in silvery white and dated to the early 1980s, is estimated at up to $15,000, and it sits in an honored position in the center of the auction’s front room, along with a scepter and crown.
But the majority of the items have far lower estimated values — hundreds have been priced at less than $1,000 each — and whether you interpret those prices as reflective of Mr. Jackson’s taste, pop-cultural status or largess toward his fans probably determines whether you have any interest in bidding.
If Mr. Jackson has his way, however, all of it will remain off the market.
As part of the deal last year that saved Neverland from foreclosure, Mr. Jackson had to remove all his possessions from the estate, according to court documents. Rather than find storage for it all, Tohme R. Tohme, the president of MJJ Productions, Mr. Jackson’s company, and a spokesman for the singer, signed a contract consigning to Julien’s “all movable and removable personal property located at Neverland Ranch.”
“They approved the press release,” said Mr. Julien, whose company has handled memorabilia auctions for Barbra Streisand, Cher and other celebrities. “Michael himself even drove by the auction site.”
But Alan S. Gutman, MJJ’s lawyer, said that Julien’s never made good on a promise to let Mr. Jackson review the catalog and remove any personal items. “That would include his awards, wardrobes, the gloves, photographs, gifts he received, letters that he received, things of that nature,” he said. Mr. Tohme declined to be interviewed for this article.
This is not the first time that a Jackson auction has been contested in court. Two years ago another large collection — the contents of a warehouse that had been lost by Mr. Jackson’s parents and siblings, as part of a bankruptcy settlement — made its way to the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, and lawsuits flew like arrows. The sale went on as planned, but it brought in a modest $1 million.
Mr. Julien said he was confident that the auction would take place, and noted that Mr. Jackson and MJJ Productions were the owners of the property, and would collect the profits of the sale. (The auction house takes commissions of 35 percent.) Representatives of Julien’s say that the company has invested $2 million into the auction, and that it expects to raise $15 million to $20 million in sales.
“It’s going to be massive,” Mr. Julien said. “It’s unlike anything anybody has ever seen.”Continue reading the main story


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A supermarket chain won’t be selling any of its new vegan pork pies at its Melton store because it is worried about upsetting locals who are proud of the world-renowned meat product.
Morrisons are due to launch their ‘No Pork’ Pies, which are made from soya and pea protein, across the country on Monday.
But they won’t be stocked in the company’s Rutland Street store in the town, according to a leaked memo to staff.
The supermarket chain confirmed the decision and said it was made because of Melton’s link with its pork pies, which enjoy protected geographical status meaning they can only be made in an area within a close radius of the town.
A Morrisons spokesperson told the Melton Times: “We have let our Melton store know they won’t be selling the ‘no pork’ pie due to the town’s strong heritage with the traditional pork pie.”
The decision was welcomed by the Melton Mowbray Pork Pie Association, with chair Matthew O’Callaghan commenting: “We make the best pork pies in the world and are proud of them.
“I’m glad at least that Morrisons recognise that.”
He said the association was not against vegan pies and pointed out that a vegan curried sweet potato and butternut squash pie beat off competition from nearly 1,000 rival entries to win the Supreme Champion title this year’s British Pie Awards in Melton.
But Mr O’Callaghan added: “I think using the term ‘No-Pork’ pies is somewhat cheeky in that it’s leading those who buy it to think they’re getting a similar experience to the pork pie but without the pork – which they won’t.
“If you buy non-alcoholic beer or wine you’d be disappointed if it tasted nothing like wine or beer.
“It’s why we don’t allow vegan cheese to be sold at our Artisan Cheese Fair – it’s not cheese as it isn’t made with milk.”
The Morrisons ‘No Pork’ pies will be baked in-store at other locations around the UK and the supermarket say they will have an authentic taste, with pastry and a look which is similar to traditional Melton pies but without any meat.
They are expected to sell for £1.75 with the option to buy two for £3.


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U.S. gas prices hit a 12-year low over the Fourth of July holiday, eliciting praise from President Donald Trump and setting up a much-needed summertime boost for struggling American retailers.
GasBuddy, which has been tracking U.S. gas prices for 17 years, said the average national price of a gallon of gas hit $2.21 over the Independence Day period, the lowest since 2005 and the first time ever that prices were lower on July 4 than they were on January 1. The AAA said prices averaged $2.23 per gallon. The moves correspond with the worst six month stretch for global oil prices since 1997, driven by a surge in U.S. production and a global supply glut.
The price declines were cheered by Trump, who referenced the moves in a series of Tweets over the July 4 holiday that indicated a hope that they would fall even further.
Gas prices are the lowest in the U.S. in over ten years! I would like to see them go even lower.— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 4, 2017
That could prove difficult, however, given that at least 10 U.S. states will enact gasoline tax increases in the second half of the year and global crude prices are beginning to increase amid signs that U.S. production may be slowing from its torrid first-half pace.
West Texas Intermediate crude futures, which offer a proxy for oil costs in the month of August, were last seen changing hands at $47.09 after hitting a one-month high of $47.31 in Tuesday trading.
The current low prices, however, could provide a temporary spending boost for U.S. consumers over the summer period, as Americans direct more cash to the broader economy. The SPDR S&P 500 Retail ETF (SPY) , one of the broadest measures of U.S. retail stocks, fell just under 7% over the first half of the year compared to an 8.26% gain for the S&P 500 benchmark.


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Last week the Ottawa-based environmental marketing firm TerraChoice released its 2010 Survey of consumer product advertising entitled The Sins of Greenwashing: Home and Family Edition.
In an accompanying press release it noted that 95% of consumer products surveyed involved some form of 'greenwashing', which it defines as 'the act of misleading consumers about the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service.'
The press release further notes that greenwashing has declined slightly since 2009, with 4.5 per cent of products now 'sin-free', compared to only 2 per cent in 2009 and reports that 'the proportion of 'sin-free' products is five times greater in 'mature' categories like building, construction and office products than in 'immature' categories like toys and baby products.'
The survey's findings were quickly picked up by the general media and many consumer groups were equally quick to decry the apparently wide-spread practices of sin-full companies seeking to cash in on the growing environmentally awareness of consumers.
TerraChoice must be commended for identifying product suppliers that make blatantly false claims about the environmental attributes of their products, or that purposefully falsify potentially dangerous attributes thereof.
However, one might question the real benefits of such broad brush pronouncements that suggest 95 percent of certain classes of consumer products fail to meet their stated environmental standards and therefore cannot be trusted.
Not only do they weaken consumer confidence in what efforts are being made by environmentally conscious companies to become more sustainable in their product offerings and business practices, they reinforce a notion that businesses cannot be trusted in what they say or do.
For example, the report notes that BPA and phthalate-related claims are skyrocketing and that more than any other single claim observed, 'BPA-free' and 'phthalate-free' (and variations on the theme) had become more frequent in the past year. From the report - 'The percentage of products making BPA free claims increased by 577%, and those making phthalate-free claims increased by 2,550%!'
On this one issue the report states 'It's not good enough that you are confident that your product is free of BPA (or phthalates, lead, mercury, PVC and so on). Parents deserve proof. Get the studies, make them available, and build a dialogue of open transparency with your customers. They will reward you for it.'
That same point applies to the TerraChoice survey. It is not readily apparent that these products were subjected to rigorous chemical analysis to determine whether they were or were not free of BPA or phthalates.
That there was an increase in the number of claims about being BPA free is not a 'sin'. What is sinful is if the advertising claims were scientifically proven to be false. One must presume such testing was conducted, though such is not evident in the report per se.
Being a company in the business of 'eco-labeling,' this oversight by TerraChoice seems odd.
To its credit, in the full report TerraChoice documents the lengths it went to ensure objectivity in rating the environmental claims of the 5,296 products from retail stores in the U.S. and Canada that formed the basis of the survey.
It notes that with the assistance of the Underwriters Laboratories of Canada Inc. (it's new parent company), it used guides published by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, the Competition Bureau of Canada, and the ISO 14021 standard for environmental labeling.
In the interests of full disclosure one presume s, the report also notes that the 'Sins of Greenwashing' framework from its previous studies was used to organize the findings and to help researchers to find patterns in the results.
Notwithstanding these points, there is a self serving element in the sweeping revelations that greenwashing abounds. As well, there is the inference in the reported findings that quantifiable standards were being used to rate the offending products, when in fact the whole process of separating the 'sin-full' from the 'sin-free' is by definition very subjective in nature.
Again, despite the fine print in the report about the rigorous procedures employed for product selection and evaluation, and the praise that is metered out for those that have been found worthy, the process could have been improved by having an independent third-party consisting of consumers, product suppliers and professional evaluators not directly involved in the survey to review the findings before they were released to the general public.
In any case, false marketing is not something we should tolerate in any form.


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JCB settles patent infringment lawsuit
Tina Grady Barbaccia | October 18, 2010
JCB has agreed to the terms of a settlement with an Asian backhoe loader manufacturer. Earlier this year, JCB alleged that the Asian manufacturer had copied the design of JCB’s iconic 3CX backhoe loader. JCB has received an undisclosed settlement payment, and the manufacturer has agreed to fundamentally redesign its backhoe loader.
The settlement is the result of court actions that JCB pursued against three Asian manufacturers at the Bauma show in Munich in April 2010. JCB’s suit alleged that the manufacturers had copied the designs of JCB’s backhoe loader and telehandler machines.
“This is the fourth incident this year of an Asian manufacturer copying one of our machines and taking unfair advantage of 57 years of product development,” Tim Burnhope, JCB’s Group Managing director for Product Development and Commercial Operations, said in a written press statement. “JCB is determined to act promptly and decisively in relation to such activities and stamp them out.”
For information about JCB’s industry-leading equipment for the construction, agriculture, industrial and waste/recycling markets worldwide, visit www.jcb.com.
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Dixons and Carphone Warehouse to merge
July 2014 | DEALFRONT | MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS
Financier Worldwide Magazine
Dixons Retail Plc and Carphone Warehouse Group Plc have announced an all share merger of equals which sees two of the UK’s largest retailers create a new retail superpower valued at over $5bn.
Rumours of a deal between the two firms had circulated for a number of months before the merger was finally announced in May. According to the two firms, concrete talks began in February. The newly merged firm will be known as Dixons Carphone PLC and will bring household names such as Currys, PC World and Carphone Warehouse together in one merged portfolio of brands.
Should the merger win the approval of the two companies’ shareholders and various antitrust regulators, the new firm will be equally owned by shareholders of both Dixons and Carphone Warehouse. It is believed the new electrical giant will have around 3000 retail outlets across the UK and Europe and a market capitalisation of approximately £3.74bn. Under the terms of the merger, Dixons shareholders will receive 0.155 of a new Dixons Carphone share in exchange for each Dixons share held.
According to a joint statement announcing the deal, Sir Charles Dunstone, chairman and founder of Carphone Warehouse, will chair the new group. Sebastian James, chief executive of Dixons, will continue as chief executive of the new group. “We are incredibly excited about the opportunity today’s news brings to our organisations, our consumers and our investors,” said Sir Dunstone. “We see the merger of these two great companies as an opportunity to bring our skills together for the consumer and create a new retailer for the digital age.”
The two firms expect the deal to achieve integrated mobile retailing and procurement synergies, together with cost savings of around £80m annually from the 2017-2018 fiscal year. However, around half of those synergies are expected to be achieved in the fiscal year 2015-2016. Neither company expects there to be any branch closures as a result of the merger; indeed, Carphone Warehouse believes the merger will lead to significant job creation.
The deal, once completed, will provide Dixons with a significantly bigger presence in the fast-growing areas of mobile phones and tablets. The companies are also hoping to exploit the growth of the so called ‘internet of things’. The notion of many household appliances being connected to the internet and communicating with one another is an attractive proposition to firms such as Dixons and Carphone Warehouse. The merger will prove beneficial for both companies: Carphone Warehouse in particular will gain access to the purchasing scale of domestic market leader Dixons. Dixons is also the larger company of the two in terms of sales. The firm reported underlying revenue of £8.2bn for the year ended April 2013. Carphone Warehouse reported revenue of around £3.7bn for the year to the end of March 2013.
Mr James noted his company was “setting out on a new journey with Carphone Warehouse and it is good to be in such a strong position as we embark on this adventure. The ability to take what we have built in electrical retailing and add the profound expertise of Carphone Warehouse in connectivity would make us a leading force in retailing for a connected world. Together we can create a seamless experience for our customers that will enable technology to deliver what it promises – that is, to make their lives better”.
Carphone Warehouse, formed in 1989, will hope the merger proves more successful than its last attempt to marry its own high street retail locations with big box, out of town stores. In 2008, the company announced it had agreed a deal with US retailer Best Buy which it believed would create a new force in electronics retail. However, in 2011 that collaboration came to an end with Best Buy selling its stake in the venture back to Carphone Warehouse for half the price it originally paid.
© Financier Worldwide


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8 Days has reported that McDonald’s Nasi Lemak Burger is making a comeback by end-August 2017. No official confirmation or denial was given by McDonald’s personnel yet.
Via 8 Days:
Nearly a month after it vanished, the locally-themed burger will finally be back on the menu.
A reliable source (who requested not to be named) has confidently told us that the Nasi Lemak Burger, and its buddies Chendol McFlurry and Bandung McFizz, will make a reappearance at the end of August at all McDonald’s outlets.
Whether it still proves popular with the fickle crowd after such a long absence remains to be seen. The burger costs from $5.95 a la carte, cheaper than its rivals’ more atas renditions.
We spoke to a rep for McDonald’s, who declined to confirm — or deny — the Nasi Lemak Burger’s comeback. But all we can say with certainty is: wait for it.
More updates coming soon.


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Take that Alexa! Wal-Mart partners with Google to offer voice shopping
Wal-Mart is about to encroach even further on to Amazon's turf. The big-box retailer will soon offer customers the ability to order hundreds of thousands of its products by voice with the help of Google. The partnership is another critical step as Wal-Mart looks to advance its e-commerce operations and stay competitive with Amazon and its powerful,...


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DENVER—Required labels for genetically engineered food are under consideration in Colorado.
A House committee planned to consider a bill Thursday to give Colorado the nation’s most expansive “GMO” label requirements.
More than 60 countries require genetically modified foods to be labeled, but the U.S. isn’t one of them. Only Alaska has enacted legislation requiring the labeling of genetically engineered fish and shellfish products.
Colorado’s bill would exempt restaurant food, chewing gum and alcohol.
Many scientists say the labels aren’t useful because genetically modified or engineered foods are safe. California voters last year rejected a statewide labeling requirement.
One of Colorado’s members of Congress has suggested a national labeling law. Democratic Rep. Jared Polis says consumers need the information.
House Bill 1992: http://bit.ly/UMvh9a


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Fashion is a social marker. People can understand someone by looking at the fashion they wear. You can also derive what kind of personality an individual has by looking at the way they dress and the colours they wear.
Prasad Bidapa, a well-known Indian fashion consultant and stylist, believes that many messages come through fashion designs “Therefore, fashion becomes extremely important as a sociological tool because it gives you a marker of which nation you are from.”
Bidapa was recently in Qatar on the invitation of the Embassy of India to attend a special event at VCUarts Qatar to highlight the importance of Khadi, a fabric popularised by Gandhi whose 150th birth anniversary was marked on October 2. Community interviewed him about Khadi and contemporary fashion.
Bidapa, who has been in the Indian fashion industry for about four decades, is also very interested in education. He has travelled around the world to attend different fashion shows.
“About five years ago, I became very interested in Khadi. It is a very emotional fabric for Indians and other South Asian nations. We call it the fabric of freedom. This is because of Mahatma Gandhi, who used it as a tool to strike against the colonial power.
“Khadi can further be defined as a hand spun and hand woven fabric. If there is any element of mechanisation in it, it is no longer Khadi. It is a fabric that is biodegradable and it is sustainable. Today, India produces a large amount of Khadi because the country still has handlooms and spinning the charkha is still a very heavy activity all over the country. Khadi is particularly suited for new born infants. We always tell people do not use synthetic fabrics for children.
“Further, Khadi is a kind of spiritual fabric. First of all, spinning of Khadi becomes a very concentrated and philosophical act. If your concentration breaks, the thread on the charkha will break. They say that you have to get into a state of absolute nirvana literally to be able to spin fine thread. Now, there is a big revival of this form. It can create further jobs and income opportunities for over 20 percent of India’s population. Khadi is now a fabric of luxury. We want it to become something more exclusive. When you are creating something with handcraft, you are creating something exclusive that can never be copied by anyone. That is our message for the young designers. We have to inspire them to feel that they can have some lasting values and they can contribute to this wonderful unbroken chain of 5,000 year history of the subcontinent textile.”
Bidapa says the fashion in the subcontinent has come a long way since its independence from the British Raj. “Women in combined India have always been very fashionable. Even with nothing they would creating something wonderful. Fashion always existed. But, it became a serious matter with certain fashion designers in 1960s. Then in 1970s and 80s things picked up momentum with new generation of designers.”
The experienced designer believes the ethnic arts of the subcontinent will never be in danger.
“Sari is as popular as it used to be. In fact, women in the West have started wearing sari. We have to cater international markets. My message is to use fabrics of India and create a global product with it. That is the challenge for the new generation of designers.”
The designer does not see Bollywood really promoting fashion in India. “Bollywood does not really dictate the fashion. However, a star can wear a certain design and make the designer successful. But I do not think that Bollywood has created a certain kind of fashion trend. India is a big country and Bollywood is not followed in all of the country.”
Bidapa, who was in Qatar for the first time, was impressed with the country in many ways. “Qatar is fast becoming an education hub. I felt very welcomed and very much at home.
“Khadi is a perfect fabric for tropical and desert climate. Wearing Khadi, we feel very cool. It can help us in coping with fluctuations of the temperature. Khadi will help you preserve your body temperature.”
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The CONVERGE PA 460 amplifier is a 4-Channel x 60 Watts, high-efficiency, Class-D power audio amplifier for reliable amplification with the professional sound quality for conferencing, sound reinforcement and distribution applications.
NEC’s new InfinityBoard is designed to fit your meeting scenario.
Digital Signage Expo (DSE) announced that registration for its 2019 event is now open.
PMA Research attributes Q3 growth to interactive projectors and 98-inch flat-panel displays.
The AVIXA Women’s Council has experienced a surge in the formation of local groups following this year’s InfoComm Show.
Stampede announced the integration of its UK and European operations into the DCC Exertis AV Solutions division, effective immediately.
Longtime digital signage industry consultant Lyle Bunn died on October 9.
Almo Professional AV has been named the exclusive US distributor for iMAGsystems, a Melbourne, Australia-based manufacturer of AV-over-IP delivery products.
For the past two years, the commercial AV industry has been consistently trending upward, demonstrating a demand for technology solutions that enable people to communicate and collaborate more effectively.
Videxio and Pexip have announced their intention to merge. Videxio, founded in 2011, is a global provider of cloud videoconferencing with solutions that fit …


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On Tuesday, The Federal Trade Commission and the Food and Drug Administration sent a letter to former National Football League player Kyle Turley warning him to cease advertising medical marijuana products as cures for the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. The letter was sent to the headquarters of Neuro XPF, owned by Turley, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Turley, a former player for the New Orleans Saints, has been a long time advocate for therapeutic cannabis use. In March, Turley opened a cannabis dispensary in Moreno Valley, California in partnership with marijuana company Shango. During his tenure in the NFL, Turley was outspoken about his cannabis use in his sport, saying that he used marijuana while in the league to cope with vertigo, seizures, light sensitivity, pain and foot numbness and uncontrollable anger.
“Without a doubt, cannabis saved my life,” Kyle Turley told Benzinga. “I wouldn’t be where I am today; I would not have my family, my kids, my house, everything I have right now, if not for cannabis.”
Turley also claims that cannabis helped cure his wife of skin cancer and has dramatically boosted the immune systems of their children.
“It’s resolved my daughter’s sleeping disorder, my son’s attention span, hers as well,” Turley said. “And the doctors continue to tell us they’re the healthiest kids they’ve ever seen and they refuse to give them flu shots, refuse, because their immune systems are so strong.”
However, Turley’s comments have drawn the attention of the federal government after he made statements promoting cannabidiol (CBD) as a cure to COVID-19.
“CBD CAN PREVENT AND CURE THE CORONA VIRUS!” said Turley in a tweet last month.
CBD CAN PREVENT AND CURE THE CORONA VIRUS!— KT (@KyleTurley) March 8, 2020
Neuro XPF, a CBD-derived sports therapy product company, recently displayed an entire section on its website with the headline “CRUSH CORONA” with a buy-one-get-one-free promotion.
“Your best defense against the COVID-19 blitz starts with a strong immune system. It’s what protects your body from the everyday attacks of bacteria, viruses, parasites and a host of other nasties. And if you’re in good health, a strong immune system is your body’s most powerful weapon in the fight against a coronavirus infection,” read the site. “While scientists around the world are working 24/7 to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, it will take many more months of testing before it’s approved and available. However, there’s something you can do right now to strengthen your immune system”
“We want everyone to take CBD and take advantage of its potential to help prepare your body to fight a coronavirus infection,” said Neuro XPF. “So, we’re making all of our products more affordable.”
“FDA is taking urgent measures to protect consumers from certain products that, without approval or authorization by FDA, claim to mitigate, prevent, treat, diagnose, or cure COVID-19 in people,” read the letter by the agencies. “We request that you take immediate action to cease the sale of such unapproved and unauthorized products for the mitigation, prevention, treatment, diagnosis, or cure of COVID-19.”
Turley and Neuro XPF were advised that a failure to comply, “may result in legal action, including, without limitation, seizure and injunction.”
Turley told Marijuana Moment on Tuesday that cannabis disparagers are “scared to say too much because we don’t want the government, we don’t want the man, to start coming down on us.”
“Well guess what?” he continued. “I was a first round draft pick, I made millions of dollars, god saved my life through this plant and I live in America. So get used to it...And I’m going to continue to spread his word.”
The CRUSH CORONA page on Neuro XPF’s website, which was active as late as March 29, has since been taken down.


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SWITZERLAND: Bell Group CFO Gysin quits after 20 years
Bell Group has announced the resignation of its CFO
Swiss meat firm Bell Group has announced the resignation of CFO Martin Gysin.
Gysin was in the post for 20 years. He will remain in the position until a replacement has been found.
A statement issued by the firm said Gysin would continue to work on "special assignments for the company after stepping down."
The Bell Group specialises in the production of meat, poultry, charcuterie, seafood and convenience products.
After 20 years in post, long-serving CFO Martin Gysin has decided to slow down a
little and has requested the Board of Directors to accept his resignation. The
Board has acceded to his request and will now begin the search for a suitable
replacement. Martin Gysin will remain in post until his successor takes office and
will continue to work on special assignments for the company after stepping down.
Original source: Bell Group
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PeerIndex, the London-based company whose platform measures social interactions across the web to better understand online influence, have partnered with Ford Europe to offer an incredible new PeerPerk – a chance to win a 2012 Ford Fiesta, plus a money-can’t-buy 3D printing of the car with your Twitter handle emblazoned on the side.
Ford Europe will also be trying to break the Guinness World Record for the largest mosaic image by asking users to share pictures of their (current) Ford Fiestas.
The campaign is part of a wide social push by Ford’s European division that is looking to identify key influencers in the car and automobile space. One lucky entrant will grab the keys to the 2012 Fiesta.
But even cooler, in my opinion, are the 3D printed cars, which will be personalized with your Twitter tag (@Sheamus would look sick, although it would inevitably go to the wrestler by mistake), and are being custom-made by Shapeways.
Check the video below to get an example of how amazing this technology is.
“PeerIndex Influencers are real people who’ve built influence online simply by talking about the subjects they love,” said Azeem Azhar, CEO of PeerIndex. “People follow, read, trust and re-broadcast them online and that gives them real influence in their sectors. Thanks to social media, influence has moved from the world of celebrity to the grass roots – to the people who have real influence amongst their friends, contacts and followers.”
Visit the Ford Fiesta Facebook page for more details.


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2020 was quite a controversial year for the cryptocurrency industry. It started with the bearish sentiment, triggering the collapse of the market. However, the second half of the year turned out to be positive for cryptocurrency, as COVID-related lockdown triggered a significant interest in it.
Although the year is considered to be generally bullish, the blockchain and cryptocurrency sector has experienced several challenges after all. The hardships ranged from hacks to regulation, bans to price volatility and lack of inherent value, scalability to cybersecurity issues, price manipulation to pump and dump initial coin offerings (ICOs) schemes, lack of price uniformity to transaction delays, and many others.
Ripple got in trouble with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (US SEC) which caused bad consequences for the coin and the market in general. The company was dragged into courts of law for breaching consumer-protection laws. Ripple conducted the sale of unregistered digital asset securities worth $1.3 billion in the form of XRP coins. Since the filing of this lawsuit, the price of XRP has been moving south.
According to CoinIdol, a world blockchain news outlet, several major cryptoasset exchanges have delisted XRP in an attempt to avoid risking being heavily fined by the US SEC for trading XRP coins. Some of those exchanges include OSL, B2C2, CrossTower and Beaxy – Bitstamp also halted the selling and buying of XRP.
The coin has plunged by over 45% in the last days of 2020 and is continuing to decline if things don’t change. XRP even touched a low of $0.19467 (from a high of $0.768019). This action by the agency might weaken the trust in cryptocurrency in general. This was a big loss for the entire digital currency industry.
Half of 2020 digital currency hacks are from Decentralized Finance (DeFi) Protocols and Exchanges. In the first and second quarter of this year, DeFi dominated about 45% of all thefts, scams and cyberattacks (over $51.3 million or 40% of attacked volume). In the third and fourth quarter of 2020 Decentralized Finance had a share of 50% of all thefts, scams and hacks (over $47.5 million or 14% of attacked volume).
KuCoin, the Singapore-based cryptoasset was hacked and more than $281M stolen by unknown thieves in September this year. The exchange was forced to halt its trading services. However, the exchange revealed it has resumed the deposit and withdrawal services of all coins traded on its platform in November. Some of the tokens such as Ocean Protocol (OCEAN), that were recovered from the remains of the hack were returned to KuCoin wallets.
Currently, in this year alone, DeFi composes almost 21 percent of 2020 cyberattack and theft volume. Crypto money laundering increased - funds from biggest attacks such as that of KuCoin, were illegally stolen and laundered via DeFi. The growth in hacks likely hinged on the contemporary DeFi boom.
There were over 19 DeFi cryptoasset hacks in 2020. Some of the biggest DeFi hacks of 2020 include bZx ($954,000 + $8 million – was hacked twice), dForce and Lendf.me ($25M), Hegic ($48k), Maker ($8 mln), Harvest ($24 mln), Argent, Bancor, Eminence ($15 mln), SharkTron ($260 mln), Balancer ($500k), Uniswap ($530k), UniCats ($140k), Opyn ($370k), Lien, YAM ($750k), Soft Yearn ($250k), PercentFinance ($1 mln) and Akropolis ($2 million).
A loss of over $50M was registered mainly through bugs, exploits, and hacks. Even though a good number of losses were traced and recovered, users of DeFi services have to be extra wary when using and intermingling with apps.
After a year-long review, the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), a financial watchdog, banned the sale, promotion and circulation of particular cryptocurrency-based products for retail consumers and investors. r
The FCA revealed that the unregulated digital currencies are ‘ill-suited’ to retail venture capitalists and consumer for a good number of reasons such as unexpected losses, price volatility, lack of reliable basis for valuation, lack of clear reasons for investment, and less or poor understanding of how cryptocurrency works.
The FCA banned companies operating in the UK from selling, promoting and circulating products that monitor the price of cryptocurrencies. These products include contracts-for-difference (CFDs), futures, exchange-traded notes (ETNs) on cryptoassets, and options. The ban will come into force on Jan 6, 2021. This effort by FCA will make retail investors save up to 53M from the ban.
On the other side, it is a big blow to online trading platforms, such as IG Group, Plus500, CMC Capital Markets, etc., that have been trading cryptocurrencies and these banned products. So far, shares in the three aforementioned platforms have lost 3% following the FCA’s announcement of the ban.
Due to the Covi-19 pandemic, the cryptocurrency community grew considerably. The price of Bitcoin increased by more than 226% and that of Ethereum soared by over 227.7%. But as the community was growing, criminal activities were also growing at a rocket speed. More and more fake and scams activities - including fake ICOs, fake exchanges and suspicious trade groups, were introduced in 2020 that made people fall victims and lose their hard-earned money. BTC always attracts all kinds of intentions especially when there is a bull run in the cryptoasset market.
Some of the most prevalent cryptocurrency scams that happened this year include the following: Chain letter; many Ugandans lost more than UGX. 10 Billion (approx. $2,715,100) in digital currency scam managed by Dunamiscoins Resources Limited; social media hacks such as a hack on Twitter that involved many celebs including India’s Prime Minister Modi Narendra; exchanges scams such as BitKRX that attracted customers with fake offers and promises of abnormal profits; fake ICOs such as Big Coin that stole over $6 mln from crypto users; DeFi rug pulls such as Amplyfi.money that collect more than 2500 Ethereum from venture capitals and then vanished into thin air, Burn Vault Finance ($BFV) also did a similar thing; cloud mining schemes – some men identified as Silviu Balaci, Matthew Brent and Jobadiah Sinclair, were put behind bars for 5 years for frauding over $722 mln in digital currencies the a fake scheme called BitClub Network; hardware wallet theft such as Ledger Phishing Scam that was targeting cryptoasset hardware wallet users; fake mining rigs (compromised various accounts on marketplaces including that of Alibaba and began selling their own fake goods); and many others.
In 2020, ransomware attacks were very rampant, especially on big organizations. Some of the common types of ransomware in 2020 included Crypto malware, Lockers, RaaS, Maze, Scareware, Doxware, etc. Additionally, we saw many ransomware attacks that shocked the world and these included Bad Rabbit, Cryptolocker, Petya, TeslaCrypt, etc.
The top ransomware attacks that happened in 2020 include the Cognizant Ransomware Attack that happened in April; the Magellan Health Ransomware Attack that also took place in April – data worth 1.7 million was breached and attackers demanded a ransom to be paid in form cryptocurrency to make them stop the attacks; the US-based Communication and Power industries (CPI) attack that saw one of the giant electronics conglomerates of the defence and comms markets paying a ransom of almost $500k in crypto to unknown ransomware attackers; University of California San Francisco (UCSF) that happened in June that compromised the information of students and this forced the UCSF School of Medicine to pay a ransom of about $1.14 million in form of Bitcoin to attackers; Canon (lost 10GB of data), Carnival Corporation, Baltimore County Public Schools and Advantech were also attacked in the same way – the latter who is a manufacturer of IoT chips paid a ransom of 750 Bitcoin from vendors.


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A story in Friday's Antioch/Brentwood/Oakley News misstated the date and location of a talk by "Locked Rooms" author Mary King. The talk will be 2 to 3 p.m. Sunday at the Brentwood Community Center, 35 Oak St.
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( InterContintenal Clement Montere )
Coastal getaway: Hotels on Monterey's Cannery Row
When it comes to Monterey lodgings, it's all about location -- and these two, the Spindrift Inn and the lux InterContintental Clement Monterey -- sit right on the waterfront, just steps from the Monterey Aquarium.
Amanda Bynes thrown out of fashion school
Students at Irvine’s Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising say Bynes showed up high and paid other students to do her work.


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Back in May of this year Breath of Death VII: The Beginning made its debut on the Xbox Live Indie Games. After five months of release, Zeboyd Games is proud to announce that their title has sold over 30,000 copies at just $1, with a trial-to-purchase conversion rate of 66.7%.
Creator Robert Boyd has posted over at Zeboyd Games a post-mortem for the game, discussing the strengths and weakness of the project, along with personal reflections upon the completion of the title. Boyd states that "Making Breath of Death VII: The Beginning was a great experience for us. It taught us a lot about game development and has allowed us to gain contacts & fans that will help us when we release our future games."
Zeboyd Games is set to release a second title on Xbox Live Indie Games titled Cthulhu Saves the World which is set to release sometime this year. For more information about Breath of Death VII: The Beginning, check out RPGamer's reviews and interview with creator Robert Boyd.


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Hyundai India has registered a cumulative growth of 17.2 per cent in January. The Korean manufacturer sold a total of 51,834 units last month, as compared to 44,230 units in January 2016. Hyundai had a market share 15.9 per cent in January.
The exports accounted for 9,817 units, which is an impressive 58 per cent more than the same time last year where they sold 6,214 vehicles. The domestic sales grew a modest 10.5 per cent as it sold 42,017 units in the month of January, over 38,016 units in the same month of the previous year. Compared to December 2016, the domestic sales grew by mere 4 per cent as the manufacturer sold 40,057 units in the previous month.
Hyundai had a silent start to 2017, with no new launches. The facelift to the Grand i10 is expected soon, though. The Grand i10, Elite i20 and the Creta were the major contributors to the January sales according to the manufacturer.
Rakesh Srivastava, sr. vice president, sales and marketing, Hyundai Motors India, commenting on the sales performance in the month of January, said “2017 looks promising with entire industry optimistically looking forward to a positive growth. Hyundai has shown all model growth of 17.2 per cent on account of good performance by super performer brands Grand i10, Elite i20, Creta and without any new mass model launches. The Union budget will give a boost to economy especially rural with a focus on infrastructure creating a robust business environment thus helping the auto industry and positively contribute to National GDP.”


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Takeover target United Malt says there has been a big shift in beer tastes as lagers and pilsners come back into favour and the thirst for pale ale wanes.
United Malt boss Mark Palmquist remarked on flat craft beer sales in North America, where brewers were finding it hard to hire workers and having to pay more for labour. He said some craft operators had cut back opening hours in the lead up to summer in the northern hemisphere.
“So we’re just not getting the same amount of time in front of the customer that we have experienced in the past,” he said.
Mr Palmquist said the speciality malt mix required by customers in some of United Malt’s biggest markets was “changing in front of our eyes”.
“There’s a kind of blast to the past where we’re seeing more lagers and pilsners as being a growth area, so it changes the mix for us on the specialty malts. That means a little bit less pale ale,” he said.
United Malt expects a pick-up in malt sales to the craft beer sector as the weather warms up in North America, despite new figures showing overall US beer sales were down 3 per cent in 2022 and the craft segment was flat.
The United Malt share price was up slightly to $4.40 on Wednesday, but still well below the $5-a-share cash offer it received from Malteries Soufflet, part of Soufflet Group, in March.
Malteries Soufflet, backed by European agricultural investor InVivo and KKR, is continuing due diligence after lobbing a near-$2 billion non-binding and indicative bid for the company.
The process has involved visiting United Malt’s production hubs in the UK, North America and Australia, and sessions with United Malt management.
Mr Palmquist said United Malt would not need to raise additional capital despite relying on covenant amendments from its banks as it works away at bringing down a high net debt to earnings ratio affected by high barley prices and inventories.
United Malt reported underlying first-half earnings of $52.7 million on Wednesday and continues to count on a much stronger second half to hit full-year earnings guidance of $140 million to $160 million.
The half-year result was slightly better than expected after the company issued an earnings downgrade on April 27 on the back of weaker than expected first quarter sales.
Analysts at Jefferies said the first-half result was poor but should not be a deal-breaker for Malteries Souffle.
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....Facebook, which relies upon advertising, has come in for criticism and pressure to clean up its act over a number of issues including distributing “fake news”. It has faced an advertising boycott by major companies including Havas – the world’s sixth largest advertising group with UK clients including O2, EDF and Royal Mail
– which pulled its entire £175m UK digital ad spend. ...
[Read full article on Guardian
Thursday 22nd of June 2017 06:14:48 AM


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South Korea's parliament on Monday ratified its free trade agreement (FTA) with China, taking an important step toward regional economic integration.
The ratification bill on the China-South Korea free trade accord was passed through the National Assembly by a majority of 196 to 33 with 36 abstentions.
China and South Korea signed the bilateral FTA in June after three years of negotiations. Under the deal, the two sides will eliminate tariffs on more than 90 percent of traded goods each within 20 years after implementation.
South Korea expected the free trade accord with China to raise its real GDP by 0.96 percentage points and create about 53,000 new jobs in the next 10 years.
The South Korean government said in a statement that it will make best efforts to implement the deal by minimizing necessary local procedures and closely consulting with the Chinese side.
Seoul anticipated that the FTA with China will help boost its exports, which have been suffering this year from the global economic slowdown. South Korea's export tumbled 15.9 percent in October from a year earlier, logging the biggest monthly reduction in more than six years.
The China-South Korea FTA is also expected to help accelerate regional economic integration.
"The (South) Korea-China FTA is a good starting point that leads to negotiations of the trilateral FTA between South Korea, China and Japan as well as of the RECP (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership)," said Kim Young-Gui, research fellow at the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP).
Kim said that the FTA will serve as growth engines for both countries, noting that the FTA will create a chance to boost bilateral trade and economic cooperation.
"The (South) Korea-China free trade agreement is now about a bilateral trade, but is anticipated to play a pivotal role that will affect Asia and the whole world," said Han Jae-Jin, a senior research fellow at Hyundai Research Institute.
Han said that the bilateral FTA has a significant meaning in the region as it will not confined to South Korea and China and can be connected to other Asian nations.
KIEP's another research fellow Lee Jang-Gyu also told Xinhua that the free trade accord has a significant meaning as it is the first bilateral FTA in Northeast Asia, saying that it opened door to various possibilities like trilateral FTA between Seoul, Beijing and Tokyo.
If the trilateral free trade accord, including Japan as well as China and South Korea, is inked, it would help further strengthen regional economic cooperation.
Economic cooperation between China and South Korea has expanded in the past 23 years since the two countries set up diplomatic ties in 1992. After the 2008 global financial crisis, Seoul and Beijing strengthened cooperation further via the won-yuan currency swap deal to stabilize foreign exchange market.
Now, China becomes South Korea's largest trading partner while Seoul is Beijing's third-biggest trading partner as a single country.
The parliamentary voting was conducted during a plenary session after wrangling between rival parties about the sensitive issue on how to protect farmers from possible damage following the FTA implementation.
Before leaving Seoul to participate in the 2015 United Nations climate change conference in Paris, South Korean President Park Geun-hye repeatedly urged lawmakers to ratify the deal rapidly, saying that the delayed ratification would make South Korean exporters lose an export opportunity worth about 4 billion won (3.5 million U.S. dollars) every day.
The rival parties finally reached a common ground on Monday, agreeing to 1.6 trillion won (1.4 billion U.S. dollars) worth of supplementary measures, including a 1-trillion-won fund to support farmers.