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Salt Action Summary
In China, salt reduction is a primary theme for the next two years in the ‘Government-led National Initiative of Healthy Lifestyle for All’ program, which is a government initiated program being implemented through China Centre for Disease Control network country wide. This program started in 2007 with the aim of promoting healthy lifestyles among the Chinese population. The relevant health promotion activities are implemented in most of the provinces in China.
Shandong Province remains the most outstanding province having a coordinated salt reduction program in place with the support from the provincial government. Beijing has been doing a great job as well with strong support from the vice mayor Mr Ding Xiangyang. Low sodium salt is available for purchase in almost 100% of supermarkets in Beijing now with some supermarkets having removed all usual salt from their shelves.
The China Action on Salt Reduction Network (the idea is similar to the China Salt Reduction Initiative) was launched early this month with the secretariat being based at ThinkTank and Beijing Hypertension League. Currently there are over 30 individuals each representing a stakeholder institution included in this network. Dr Wu is a member of this network representing The George Institute, China. There are representatives from MOH, China CDC, Salt Industry, Food Industry, and Military Health System included in this network.
The George Institute China is also co-ordinating a community intervention as part of the China Rural Health Initiative with salt reduction interventions, including the use of a subsidised salt substitute now underway in 60 communities as part of a controlled study.
For more information contact Nicole Li firstname.lastname@example.org.
New guidelines for nutrition labelling on packaged foods for industry self-regulation have been introduced in China. These voluntary guidelines will standardise presentation of information on products that already state nutrient levels.
The new guidelines will have to detail levels of sodium per 100g, per 100ml or per serving, as well as labelling nutrient content as a percentage of the nutrient reference value. This is a major step for China which has WASH's support.
China has introduced new voluntary guidelines for nutrition labelling on packaged foods, in a bid to prevent the government imposing stringent regulations in the future. All foods carrying nutrition labels will have to convey levels of sodium per 100g or per serving, and as a percentage of the nutrient reference value (NRV).
Raised blood pressure is by far the commonest cause of death and disability in China, and despite the compelling evidence of the benefits of reducing salt intake, particularly in Northern China where stroke and cancer of the stomach are almost pandemic, the long term restriction of salt consumption has proven difficult. China represents some unique challenges and The George Institute for International Health, Sydney, Australia (The George), Fuwai Hospital and Cardiovascular Institute, Beijing along with the China (Fuwai) and the Clinical Trial Research Unit, Auckland, New Zealand (CTRU) have in collaboration been very active in seeking to identify practical new ways of tackling the serious problem of hypertension in China.
They have recently carried out a large double-blind randomised cross over trial of the effect of a lower sodium, higher potassium salt substitute in 600 individuals in Northern China. The results showed that replacing salt with a salt substitute reduced blood pressure almost to the same extent as single drug therapy. Importantly, these effects were achieved at a low cost and appeared to increase over the time as the salt substitute was incorporated progressively into the daily diet. This study should achieve major publicity when it is published. Already the results have formed the basis for new initiatives to try to persuade Chinese policy makers to increase the use and availability of salt substitutes. Most of the salt sold in China is through a state monopoly.
Commissioning of a larger research project looking at the effects on cardiovascular mortality and morbidity with the use for a salt substitute is already in progress. This is not an easy study to conduct but no doubt if it showed positive results it would hugely influence the use of salt substitutes. At the same time, an application has been made to the Ministry of Science and Technology for funding to initiate a salt replacement programme in more remote rural countries. A scientific symposium was also held in Beijing and was attended by key opinion leaders, policy makers, representatives from the China National Salt Corporation, Ministry of Health and the National Development and Reform Committee. Feedback from the attendees surprisingly suggested that even more strong research evidence was needed from large scale studies until there is an extensive change in salt policy in China.
A spoonful of salt will help the sickness rate go down
From The Times
4 May 2007
Five million small, blue, plastic spoons are being distributed to households in Beijing in an attempt to encourage healthier eating. The plan is to get every family to limit its salt intake to only one spoonful a day.
Zhao Chunhui, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Health Bureau, said: “Diseases resulting from unhealthy dietary habits, such as obesity, hypertension and diabetes, are spreading fast in Beijing. Every family will get a free spoon for their kitchen in the ‘Salt Containment Campaign’.” His drive to limit the salt intake of the city’s 15 million people is the result of rapidly rising affluence that has had a dramatic impact on the diet, shape and health of the Chinese.
Less than two decades ago most people in Beijing chose the bicycle as the most convenient means of transport. The average family counted itself lucky to be able to afford meat once every few days, and almost everyone except the highest officials had to use ration coupons for rice and vegetable oil. Now supermarkets and vegetable markets abound.
About 35 per cent of adults in Beijing are overweight, compared with a national average of 22.8 per cent, and 17 per cent rank as obese. These figures have alerted health authorities.
Shen Hongfei, a food critic, told The Times that the vogue for spicy cuisine from southwestern Sichuan province and the rich Shanghai-style food was resulting in people using more salt in their cooking. “Spicy food relies on salt to adjust the taste. The more salt you use, the hotter the dish.
Guangdong cuisine is more lightly flavoured and healthier but it is no longer as popular.” Statistics indicate that the daily intake of salt of a Beijing resident is 16 grams (½oz) a day – nearly three times the six-gram level recommended by the World Health Organisation. The overuse of salt is blamed for an increase in many diseases, including high blood pressure and diabetes. The spoons hold two grams of salt.
Diabetes is increasing rapidly among young Chinese. Traditionally in China, only a plump baby is a healthy baby. The proportion of children between 7 and 18 years who are obese or overweight soared 28-fold between 1985 and 2000.
Pan Beilei, an official of the state food and nutrition consultant committee, said: “An increasing number of Chinese are eating more fat and junk food and less grains and vegetables.” Because of poor eating habits, 160 million Chinese had high blood pressure last year, up from 90 million in 1991, and 20 million had diabetes.
And so Mr Zhao hopes that his little plastic spoon will result in a healthier diet among Beijing residents.


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Ontario wines can be sold at farmers' markets, Wynne says
Broadening availability of Ontario wines part of 5-year, $75M plan to support local wineries
Ontario is joining British Columbia in relaxing provincial liquor laws to allow homegrown wines to be sold at farmers' markets.
VQA wines, which are made only with Ontario grapes, will be available along with seasonal vegetables and fruits, Wynne said Monday.
British Columbia Premier Christy Clark announced last week that her province's wines, beers and spirits would be available next spring at farmers' markets, festivals and competitions.
Broadening the availability of Ontario wines is part of a five-year, $75-million plan to support local wineries and help the sector grow, Wynne said.
Farmers' markets 'catalysts' for tourism, business, Wynne says
"You're more than just fruit growers and winemakers, you're catalysts for tourism and for new business," she said at Niagara College.
Ontario wines didn't always have an international reputation for excellence, she said.
"There was a time not that long ago — and well within my living memory — when people did not buy wines from Ontario," said Wynne, who also serves as agriculture minister.
"They were not seen as high enough quality, they weren't seen as having enough ... cachet. But they do."
Allan Schmidt, chairman of the Wine Council of Ontario, said they've been asking for additional retail access for two years.
"This is predominantly going to help the small winery operations in Ontario that are family-run affairs that may already beat farmers' markets because they're selling other fruit or vegetables from their farm," he said. "And this will allow them to have a direct conduit to consumers in a way that we've never had before."
Calls for beer and wine in corner stores rejected
Wynne has repeatedly rejected calls to allow corner stores to sell beer and wine, but she promised to broaden their availability through specialty outlets and grocery stores.
The Liquor Control Board of Ontario is also establishing Ontario wine boutiques to offer consumers a wider array of VQA wines, Wynne said.
But the New Democrats questioned whether Wynne's change of heart had more to do with politics than promoting local products.
"With a by-election looming in Niagara, the Liberals are suddenly getting behind an idea New Democrats proposed years ago," New Democrat Gilles Bisson said in a statement.
"Unfortunately, we've heard promises before, only to see good ideas disappear into a sea of Liberal panels and secretariats. We're going to keep working to ensure this leads to results: new markets for grape growers who need them."
The Liberals say their wine and grape plan, launched in 2009, also includes a fund to purchase specialized equipment and machinery, as well as better local and global marketing for wines.
It also includes a wine secretariat — led by Wynne and veteran cabinet minister Jim Bradley — to reduce red tape and help grape growers and wineries be more competitive, the government said.

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Simi and Haze Khadra, the Palestinian identical twin DJs and influencers, have expanded their beauty brand to London with a Selfridges pop-up.
Simihaze Beauty is now exclusively available via the luxury department store chain and will host a pop-up from 20-26 October to mark the launch.
The make-up brand was previously available in the US, Canada, UAE, South Korea and Mexico.
Marketed as “minimal optimal”, Simihaze Beauty’s product line includes eye gems, blushes, lipsticks and skin tints housed in minimalistic packaging.
The Selfridges Oxford Street pop-up is inspired by the brand’s packaging with a soft touch finish.
"Our pop-up will introduce a whole new audience to our ethos of minimal-optimal beauty and allow people to touch and feel our products’ innovative formulas, textures, and finishes, said” the Khadra sisters in a statement.
Selfridges’ Head of Beauty Buying, Melissa McGinnis, described Simihaze Beauty as the “next generation” of make-up.
“Simi and Haze’s perspective on minimal yet maximal beauty is something we are so excited to see and look forward to our customers discovering the range,” she added.


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Green lobbies for increased research focus at FAOWednesday, June 16, 2021
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Floyd Green, has called on the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to take action in helping small island developing states (SIDS) to research appropriate alternate feed stock from local sources that can enable a sustainable and resilient food system.
“This has to be a part of the renewed drive by the FAO to ensure the developing countries are on the cutting edge of region-specific research,” said Green, who noted that the majority of SIDS depend on the importation of inputs to drive the development of their agricultural sector, especially the livestock industry.
Green stated that the import of animal feed was critical to the industry, but the significant rise in costs of feed has put the industry at risk and was one of the greatest threats to food security.
Green was speaking yesterday during the general debate at the 42nd Session of the FAO Virtual Conference under the theme 'Agriculture Food Systems Transformation: from Strategy to Action'. He commended FAO Director General Dr QU Dongyu for his leadership and the visionary and practical reforms which have implemented leading to structural change in the FAO, including a permanent seat at the table for youth and women.
While noting that the country offices have become more engaging and are integral in helping to transform food systems locally and across the region, Green also called on the FAO to move its focus from international policy and strategy to on-the-ground action. He pointed out that the pandemic has had a more severe impact on SIDS pushing them further away from achieving the sustainable development goals.
Green also said there was a need for the FAO and its development partners to help establish appropriate storage and cold chain logistics, stating that the fallout of the worldwide tourism industry as a result of the pandemic has led to farmers losing their main market, and highlighted the shortcomings of logistics and cold chain networks.
This, he said, caused significant loss and wastage leading to potential food insecurity. To lessen the impact, Green said the government had to directly intervene through a US$2-million programme to buy excess agricultural produce and redistribute it to the vulnerable.
Now you can read the Jamaica Observer ePaper anytime, anywhere. The Jamaica Observer ePaper is available to you at home or at work, and is the same edition as the printed copy available at https://bit.ly/epaper-login


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During the recent edition of SAGSE Latam 2022, held in Buenos Aires City at the end of March, Yogonet spoke exclusively with Chris Rowe, Managing Director, EMEA & LATAM at Aristocrat, who highlighted the products presented at the event, made a positive assessment of its presence at the Argentinean show, and announced that this year the company is looking to expand its commitment to the different Latin American markets.
SAGSE Latam 2022 was a special edition in many senses, given its 30th anniversary, its new March dates and location, and its in-person return after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. Why have you decided to attend this year, and how would you describe Aristocrat’s experience there?
It was a great opportunity to reunite with our clients face-to-face as the world returns to a more normal state. It was also a great opportunity for us to showcase our investment in our local team and product.
Which were Aristocrat’s flagship products there?
On the stand, we showcased our award-winning Helix+™ and Helix XT™ cabinets with new games. We had eight EGMs on display, and we also leveraged our new Augmented Reality sales tool “ARea”, to show our customers our extensive global portfolio in an interactive and realistic way.
Organizers noted a more exclusive focus this year, were you able to leverage this new
The intimate feel of SAGSE 2022 provided the ideal environment for networking and
collaboration. The show felt busy and vibrant, and we enjoyed the format and the time spent with our industry friends.
Carlos Carrion (Director, Product & Marketing – LATAM) has also participated as a speaker at SAGSE Talks, to analyze gaming mechanics evolution over time. Could you outline key highlights or concepts of this analysis?
Carlos spoke about the evolution of games in casinos during the last ten years, including how games have evolved from free games and multipliers to real or perceived persistence. Hold & Spin revolutionized the gaming industry on games like Lightning Link™ and Dragon Link™, and we are so proud of this success. In Aristocrat we are constantly innovating to offer the best gaming experience and the introduction of new games mechanics is part of our commitment.
Carlos Carrion, Aristocrat's Director of Product & Marketing LatAm, at SAGSE 2022.
Which are your plans and goals for Latam this year?
Our goal is to elevate the three principles that guided us into the new normal. We will keenly focus on our employees, our customers, and amplify our commitment to our business in Latin America. Our team in the region have partnered with our customers to deliver outstanding service and solutions during these past two years. We believe we found a little magic in this formula and look forward to building on its success.


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Realme in association with Coca-Cola is set to launch the new smartphone edition which will officially be launched in the Indian market on February 10.
Named as Realme 10 Pro Coca-Cola edition, the new variant of the Realme 10 Pro is set to come with new colour along with some UI improvements. Realme earlier collaborated with Marvel for the release of the GT Neo 3 Thor Edition last year (2022). This year, the company has collaborated with Coca-Cola to bring a new 5G supporting device.
The specs of the upcoming 10 Pro Coca-Cola edition will be identical to the existing 10 Pro smartphone- will feature a 6.7-inch Full HD display and will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G processor. The device will come with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. Furthermore, on the camera front, the handset will most likely come with a 108-megapixel primary camera, and a 16-megapixel selfie snapper. The smartphone runs on the Android 13 operating system layered with Realme UI 4. On the battery front, the handset features a 5000mAh battery with 33W rapid charging.
At the time of writing, the pricing of the upcoming device is unknown, but Realme emphasises that the Coca-Cola edition of the Realme 10 Pro aims at the young generation, hence we assume that the device might come with the label of something below Rs. 20,000.
Realme has collaborated with Coca-Cola for the first time, and the company is looking forward to seeing that they're using the 10 Pro instead of the Realme 10 Pro Plus device with the branding, which will enable the smartphone brand to keep the price down.
Q: What is the new Realme 10 Pro price?
The Realme 10 Pro begins at Rs. 18,999 in India.
Q: Is the Realme 10 Pro 5G proficient?
The Realme 10 Pro 5G supports Realme UI 4.0 to give an exceptional user experience.


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ISLAMABAD: CDA Chairman approved a three-day auction of plots in different sectors of Islamabad. The most expensive plot in Islamabad’s history was sold for Rs8.54 billion in the auction.
The CDA has decided to auction off plots located in various development sectors of Islamabad to complete its ongoing development projects.
Therefore, CDA Chairman Captain (retd) Muhammad Usman approved a three-day auction (January 24-January 26) at the Jinnah Convention Centre in Islamabad. The chairman commended the sale of 47 plots, including commercial and residential plots in Park Enclave, Blue Area, and sectors E-11, G-9, and I-9.
In the auction, CDA sold the most expensive plot of 10 kanals for Rs8.54 billion. The plot is located in the renowned commercial center Blue Area and is most suitable for a high-rise building or a shopping center. The plot is anticipated to generate high ROI.
The bidding rules allow the successful bidder to pay the plot price to the government in 3-5 years. If the bidder pays the lump sum amount, he will get a 10% discount on the total amount.
The auction is monitored by a committee headed by the CDA member finance. Other committee members are Member State, DG Law, Member Planning and Design, DFA-II, Director Finance, Director Public Relations, Director Regional Planning, Director Urban Planning, and Director State Management-II.
For the latest Real Estate News and Blogs, visit Realtors blogs.


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Xbox 360 owners can now enjoy Borderlands 2 peacefully.
The Xbox 360 version of Borderlands 2 has been hit with a hack recently that, if you are killed by certain hackers online, deletes your saves. It’s been plaguing the game for some time now, and players have been clamouring for a fix. Gearbox has now delivered one.
The new update to Borderlands 2 removes this hack completely. “Added security to prevent data loss tied to malicious violations of the Xbox Live Code of Conduct through an unsupported third-party program,” says Gearbox’s Software Support page.
The patch also fixes additional problems in the game. Some of them are listed below:
Check out the entire list of fixes through the link above.
Stay tuned for more updates.


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Narendra Modi deserves second term: Sajjan Jindal
In the second term, Jindal believes a Modi-led government could pursue some unfinished tasks, such as disinvestments.
SMEV seeks Rs 20,000 crore to promote electric vehicles
Spelling out their budget wish list, the SMEV also said phase-II of FAME must be anno...
State-run Mineral Firms may Float a JV to Scout for Lithium, Cobalt Reserves Abroad
India, which has set a target of achieving an all-electric vehicle fleet by 2030, has almost no reserve of these minerals and is keen on building up a strategic reserve of these minerals.
India's electric vehicle goals being realised on two wheels, not four
Roadblocks for scooters are fewer. Compared to cars, they are lighter and run on less powerful batteries.
India invites Chinese participation in its plans to expand Electric Vehicles
China EV100, a private electric vehicle association of over 200 leading Chinese electric mobility industries, is organising the 5th China EV100 Forum in Beijing.
Volkswagen, Ford to announce automotive alliance
Ford and VW will announce their partnership against the backdrop of the Detroit auto show, VW Chief Executive Herbert Diess told reporters on Monday.
Looking to build a lending book of Rs 500 cr in next 5 years: RevFin's Sameer Aggarwal
RevFin is a financial technology startup. The main objective of RevFin is 'financial inclusion', with focus on financing 'clean technologies'.
Working group suggests measures to achieve $5 trillion economy by 2025
"India's potential to achieve a $5 trillion GDP by 2024-25 is within the realm of possibility," the report said.
Toyota, Ford, GM to shine at Detroit Auto Show with electric, concept drives
Starting in 2020, the auto show will be held in June.
Everybody wants to be the next Elon Musk
A ground-breaking in Shanghai attended by Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk last week marked what will become the first factory in the nation entirely owned by a foreign automaker.
GM's Cadillac will introduce EV in fight against Tesla: Sources
In October, GM urged the Trump administration to back a nationwide program to boost sales of zero emission vehicles like electric cars, even as the government has proposed ending California's ability to require more clean vehicles.
Toyota plans to launch its version of Suzuki's Baleno in India next fiscal
In March last year, the two Japanese companies had concluded a basic agreement for supplying hybrid and other vehicles to each other in the Indian market.
It's raining SUVs, 20 new models coming in 2019
Such is the craze for SUVs in India that even debutant brands — South Korea’s Kia (a Hyundai group company) and MG Motors (subsidiary of China’s SAIC) — have planned their entry with off-roaders.


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The Southeast Michigan Purchasing Managers Index slid 5.1 points in February to a level of 52.0, the lowest value in six months. A reading above 50 indicates economic growth.It was the third monthly decline in the last four months.
“Index components continue to support an optimistic outlook,” said Timothy Butler, associate professor of global supply chain management in Wayne State University’s Mike Ilitch School of Business, in a press release.
The vast majority of survey respondents said they expect that the local economy will remain stable or improve over the next six months. Only 6.5 percent anticipated less economic stability.
Among components of the index, the new orders index fell from 54.2 to 53.1; the production index fell from 62.5 to 54.7; the employment index fell from 60.0 to 50.0; and the finished goods inventory fell from 60.8 to 56.9.
While the commodity-price index increased 44.2 to 48.4, prices declined for petroleum products, computer servers and personal computers.
The index is a research partnership between the school of business and the Institute for Supply Management – Southeast Michigan.


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PALM BEACH GARDENS, FLA. (March 20, 3:30 p.m. EST) — A plastics consulting firm plans to launch an electronic-commerce trading site in early April with specific appeal to extruders.
Business Answers International Inc., a consulting and staffing firm based in Palm Beach Gardens, created a new company, Plastic Link Inc., with 10 employees to manage the launch.
The Web site, plasticlink.com, will begin hiring more people almost immediately, said Richard Rappaport, president of Business Answers.
Plastic Link initially plans to marry resin companies with processors of semifinished shapes. The Plastic Link target audience includes rod, tube, profile, filament and sheet extruders, as well as fabricators and thermoformers, Rappaport said.
Users will be able to buy and sell resin, as well as new or used equipment. The site also will offer a career center with job postings and resumes, industry news, market research reports and a "dot-com stock index," listing 30 leading market indicators and company stock-price updates.
Business Answers also plans to feature a sourcing guide for materials listed by market region.
Rappaport claims the trading site is the first to target the extrusion and thermoforming markets. He asserts that PlasticsNet.Com, another industry-specific e-marketplace, currently focuses largely on injection molders.
Other plastics trading players are expected to join the Web parade, Rappaport said.
"Together, (PlasticsNet and Plastic Link) offer a greater community of sites in the plastics industry," Rappaport said in a March 13 telephone interview. "We expect eventually to see more (sites), because the industry is wide open. We have intimate knowledge of plastics, and we expect to be one that succeeds."
Tim Stojka, PlasticsNet chairman and chief executive officer, said his site serves more than injection molders. But he said room exists for more than one plastics online trading company. Once more companies come on to the Web, PlasticsNet would like to partner with those sites offering different types of services, he said.
"We welcome additional models for the market," Stojka said. "With a network effect, maybe one or two systems can connect together and serve a larger critical mass of buyers and sellers. We can't do it all ourselves."
But Stojka, whose parent company, Chicago-based Commerx Inc., started developing the site in 1995, said it takes a long time to build a successful exchange.
"We tried a lot of different things to gain momentum," he said. "Some worked great and some did not work."
Plastic Link expects to have 100,000 members on its site sometime this year, said Rappaport, who also will serve as Plastic Link's chief executive officer. The company has not signed up outside investors from resin companies or processors but expects to form those partnerships, he said.
Business Answers took about a year to develop the site, Rappaport said.
"We started realizing that the next major wave beyond Y2K (issues) was e-commerce," he said. "We thought that some of the successes occurring in the consumer market could translate to the business-to-business world."


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Toy fair season culminates in New York City with an impressive slate of licensed merchandise on display.
Bare Tree Media has snagged the global digital licensing rights for design company Wonderville Studios and its brands.
Sony Pictures Entertainment has teamed with Bandai Namco Entertainment America to create a mobile game for the upcoming film Pixels.
Toot Enterprises has released the first app for its preschool series "Toot the Tiny Tugboat," which airs on Channel 5’s Milkshake! and Cartoonito in the U.K.
PBS Kids has launched its first-ever online world, "Kart Kingdom," featuring a collection of games and collaborative activities for kids ages 6-9.
WDR MediaGroup has added "Gigglebug" to the portfolio of children's content it is presenting at MIPTV this week in Cannes, France.
Zen Studios has revealed a new pinball video game inspired by Marvel’s upcoming Avengers: Age of Ultron film.
Electronic Arts, Illumination Entertainment and Universal Partnerships & Licensing have joined forces to bring characters from Illumination films to life in a series of mobile games.
Just in time for the start of baseball season, Topps has released the new version of its Major League Baseball digital trading card app "Topps Bunt 2015."
Internet star Grumpy Cat has joined forces with a number of new licensees for a comic book series, a new app and more.
Kabam and Universal Partnerships & Licensing today have released the official mobile game of the Fast & Furious movie franchise, "Fast & Furious: Legacy."
Crayola has teamed with game publisher Legacy Games to develop a series of apps designed to engage children in the creative process.
Coolabi Group has inked deals with a trio of new partners for its preschool brand Poppy Cat.
Outfit7 has announced a raft of licensing deals for its flagship family brand Talking Tom and Friends.
Lima Sky, the development studio behind the mobile game "Doodle Jump," has partnered with Egmont Publishing for a Doodle Jump activity and sticker book.
Rovio Entertainment's North American consumer products licensing team has three new additions.
Digital games company Miniclip and American Greetings Properties have co-created a mobile game based on Strawberry Shortcake titled “Berry Rush.”
A&B TV and Bulldog Licensing have inked a deal with Box of Frogs Media to produce a series of interactive app books based on the animated duo Roobarb and Custard.
Outfit7 has teamed up wit Mythology Entertainment to bring its Talking Tom and Friends digital brand to theaters.
The new animated series “Angry Birds Stella” has debuted on Rovio Entertainments in-app and web-based TV channel, ToonsTV.
The Caribu reading app has inked a deal with HIT Entertainment to bring Thomas & Friends, Angelina Ballerina and Mike the Knight to its bookshop.
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Welsh Government credit cards have been used to pay for hundreds of pounds worth of scarves and chocolates, while thousands have been spent on luxury dining and hotels, figures reveal.
More than £1.8m was spent on Government credit cards in 2016/17, including £1,652.50 on seven visits to the Michelin-starred James Sommerin Restaurant in Penarth, South Wales, where a six course taster menu costs £70, or £110 with wine.
The figures, which are released on the Welsh Government website, have been analysed by the Welsh Conservatives, who described the spending as "out of control".
Purchases include £1,876.65 with Metropolitan Limousine, a Chicago car hire company, in September last year, the same month as first minister Carwyn Jones visited the US city to discuss trade.
Also in September, £3,204.32 was spent on accommodation at the four-star luxury Sofitel Chicago hotel, which boasts "stunning views of Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline" from its 32-floor glass building, according to its website.
In July last year, it emerged that £7.5m had been spent on the authority's cards, known officially as procurement cards, in the five years from 2011, including £103.91 at lingerie store Victoria's Secret.
A spokesman for the Welsh Government said then that that amount had been repaid after an investigation found it to be fraudulent but the other purchases were "in line with Welsh Government business objectives".
Purchases in 2016/17 included £460 for fixtures and fittings from Ikea, £698 to the Quilting Bee, a Conwy-based store, which describes itself on Facebook as having "a wide choice of haberdashery and quilting notions".
Meanwhile, £1,001 was spent on four dates at Zip World Limited, the company that runs three zip line and adventure sites in North Wales.
A further £3,792 was spent on with American stock photography agency Getty Images, while £3,049.20 was spent on clothing at Fashionscarfworld.com, a scarf wholesaler that offers free delivery on orders over £180.
Smaller purchases included £3.63 with online card retailer Moonpig.com and £2 spent in discount book and stationary shop, the Works.
Shadow finance secretary, Nick Ramsay, said: "The bill for Welsh Government credit cards is out of control, with staff spending more and more each year.
"The public needs to have confidence that the system isn't being abused, and the raft of flamboyant transactions undertaken by civil servants will have eyes rolling."
Mr Ramsay, who called for the system to be investigated by the Auditor General for Wales, said the reason for having the cards was to "reduce the bureaucratic cost of processing small claims - not to make it easy to splash the cash with impunity in lavish restaurants and boutique hotels".
Some of purchases made on Welsh Government credit cards in 2016/17, according to an investigation by the Welsh Conservatives:
:: £203,644.83 on flights
:: £5,418 on Uber
:: £3,028.22 on yachting and boating
:: £8,604 on dining at restaurants including the Michelin-starred James Sommerin Restaurant in Penarth (£1,652.50) and £479.79 at the Brasserie Quartier in Dubai
:: £359.38 on Nom Nom Chocolate, where bars retail from £4.50
:: £393.25 with online whisky retailer Master of Malt
A spokesman for the Permanent Secretary of the Welsh Government the cards were used by civil servants for "official business reasons".
The issue of procurement cards is tightly controlled and there are strict rules in place to ensure every transaction is logged and accounted for, he said.
"In addition, all transactions must be separately approved by a senior official.
"Procurement card usage is published on our website every month in order to be open and fully transparent."
He said it was not possible to compare the published figures for 2016/7 with previous figures due to a change in the way business travel and accommodation is purchased.


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Armenia: 189,000 Cars Imported in 2019
189,018 cars were imported to Armenia in 2019, three times more than in 2018.
Chairman of the State Revenue Committee David Ananyan provided the numbers at a press conference today in Yerevan.
People have been trying to get their cars to Armenia and through customs before a scheduled customs duty hike. Since 2020, customs duties on cars imported from non-EEU countries have increased and have been adjusted to the EEU collective customs duties.
State revenues for imported cars in 2019 totaled AMD 95 billion, a 2.6-fold increase from the previous year.
"According to our forecasts a certain volume of car imports will be maintained, but imports with business purposes will naturally not be maintained," David Ananyan said.
Referring to the opponents' arguments that there were significant taxes on car imports and that the State Revenue Committee would not be able to collect such taxes next year, David Ananyan argued that at the suggestion of the State Revenue Committee last year the government made a decision to refund taxpayers around AMD 56.4 billion in VAT “old deb
Since mid-2019, there has been a large increase in the outflow of money from Armenia to abroad.
Armenia’s Central Bank says this is due to the importation of vehicles. That is, the money was transferred abroad in the form of car payments.
Most of the vehicles imported to Armenia are from the United States, Germany, Japan and Korea.


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Nintendo has announced a new entry into the ever-expanding Fire Emblem series during today’s Nintendo Direct: Fire Emblem Engage. It’s set to release on January 20, 2023, and it’s bringing back iconic heroes from the franchise, like Marth as summons.
Become the Divine Dragon and save the continent of Elyos!
Summon valiant heroes like Marth & Celica alongside a new cast of characters and engage in turn-based, tactical combat against a great evil in this new Fire Emblem story. #FireEmblem Engage launches on 1/20/23! pic.twitter.com/qQ8MMAH8Od
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) September 13, 2022
In Fire Emblem Engage, a boy named Alear awakens from a thousand-year slumber and discovers that he is a Divine Dragon descended from a royal family of dragons revered as deities who were tasked with protecting Elyos from the Fell Dragon. Of course, Alear has no memory of the war with the Fell Dragon, but with the ability to summon characters like Marth and Celia with his ring, memories of where he’s from will start flooding back.
As Fire Emblem Engage will allow players to summon other heroes from the series as they face off against a great evil, it certainly seems like it will be a satisfying entry for longtime series fans. Ultimately, it looks like the game will find a nice middle ground between Fire Emblem: Three Houses and the popular gacha mobile game Fire Emblem Heroes.
After showcasing the game during the Direct, Nintendo also highlighted Fire Emblem Engage: Divine Edition. This collector’s edition-style release includes a physical version of the game, a Steelbook case, Art Cards featuring Fire Emblem characters, a poster of the game’s key art, and an art book titled The Art of Fire Emblem Engage.
Thankfully, Fire Emblem fans won’t have to wait too long to get their hands on all of this, as Fire Emblem Engage will release exclusively on Nintendo Switch on January 20, 2023.
- Nintendo Direct September 2023: how to watch and what to expect
- Super Mario RPG is getting a full Switch remake, and it’s coming this year
- The best skills to inherit in Fire Emblem Engage
- Fire Emblem Engage class guide: class skills, strengths, and weaknesses
- Fire Emblem Engage gift guide: every character’s favorite gifts


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OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -- Trucking company Werner Enterprises reported a smaller first-quarter profit on Thursday, in part due to bad weather that caused expenses to rise.
The company earned $17.5 million, or 24 cents per share, during the quarter that ended March 31. That was down by almost 18 percent from its year-ago profit of $21.2 million, or 29 cents per share.
Revenue fell 1 percent to $492.9 million, from $498.4 million a year earlier.
Analysts surveyed by FactSet had been expecting a profit of 27 cents per share on revenue of $504.3 million.
Werner said demand for freight hauling was about the same as last year. But more severe weather in the most-recent quarter raised operating expenses 29 percent.
Also, the quarter was one day shorter than a year ago , and the timing of Easter hurt demand compared to last year, the company said. It said freight demand so far in April is softer than it was during the same period last year.
Each truck logged an average of 3.2 percent fewer miles each month, the company said. Average revenue per mile rose 1.3 percent.
Diesel fuel prices fell by 4 cents per gallon.
Werner shares rose 6 cents to close at $22.93 before the results were released. They were unchanged in aftermarket.


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Comparing the Giants As far as large companies competing, it hardly gets better than the battle between Apple and Samsung. These technology titans sold over one billion phones combined in 2016, a number that has since gone up. The latest representatives of Apple and Samsung
Our foods must be healthy at all times. They help enhance our body both inside and outside, which is why knowing the right food choices is important. If you are in a supermarket shopping for foods, what are the things to know? Most people always
Unusual and impressive flower arrangements have long been a great gift option for loved ones. Whatever the occasion may be – a birthday, anniversary, graduation, a job promotion, the birth of a baby, even the death of someone – a bouquet of blooms is always
Scientists have developed a transparent, self-healing, highly stretchable conductive material that can be electrically activated to power artificial muscles and used to improve batteries, electronic devices and robots. The low-cost, easy to produce soft rubber-like material can stretch 50 times its original length, researchers said.
Gymnast Samir Ait Said’s leg snapped as he tried to complete his vault during team preliminaries in Rio Olympics 2016 on Saturday , with the sound of the injury echoing through the stadium. As he crumpled to the floor Samir writhed in pain while medical


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The Nigeria Federal Government Council has accepted the Nationwide Coverage on Blockchain drafted by the Federal Ministry of Communications & Digital Economic system, paving the way in which for the formal use of blockchain know-how within the nation.
In a Could 2 tweet, the particular assistant to the President on digital and new media, Tolu Ogunlesi, mentioned related businesses can be working to develop acceptable regulatory frameworks. He mentioned the federal government established a steering committee led by the Nationwide Data and Expertise Growth Company to supervise coverage implementation.
Nevertheless, the accepted coverage shouldn’t be but public. Ogunlesi promised that this might be supplied quickly.
Many Nigerians have welcomed the information of the approval even with out seeing the coverage doc. Some have additionally questioned if the brand new coverage legalizes crypto utilization within the nation.
In 2021, the Central Financial institution of Nigeria (CBN) prohibited monetary establishments from offering their companies for crypto-related transactions.
Since then, the CBN has but to make clear its stance in the direction of the business. Nevertheless, that has not stopped cryptocurrency adoption — Chainalysis ranked Nigeria within the prime 20 of its 2022 International Crypto Adoption Index.
Nigeria’s pro-crypto strikes
In the meantime, this coverage continues a current sequence of pro-crypto strikes made by Africa’s most populous nation. Earlier this week, CryptoSlate reported that the Nigeria Securities and Change Fee plans to assist asset tokenization.
In keeping with the report, the monetary regulator is at the moment processing functions from fintech companies that might function sub-brokers, crowdfunding intermediaries, tokenized coin issuers, and fund managers.
Earlier than that, one other Nigerian authorities company met with Binance to debate establishing a digital property free commerce zone much like the Dubai free commerce zone within the nation.
The publish Nigerian government formally approves blockchain use appeared first on CryptoSlate.


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We are barely into the third week since EcoSport made its way into India and deliveries have started to flow out, Ford has issued a recall of their compact SUV.
According to a report on Economic Times, Ford is recalling 972 sold EcoSports which is due to the positioning of a Glow Plug Module. Glow Plug Module is fitted to a diesel engine to keep the engine’s combustion chamber warm so that the fuel can burn efficiently.
Till now, the Glow Plug Module was placed near the front bumper of EcoSport and Ford will move it to a more protected area to avoid any water contact. No mishaps or accidents have been reported till now and its a voluntary exercise done in precaution.
Existing EcoSport diesel customers are being called and requested to take their vehicles to the nearest Ford service station which will carry out the required job. If you own a diesel EcoSport and if you have not been contacted, please call your nearest dealership to fix up an appointment.
It is obvious that the future diesel EcoSports will come with the rectification done. This is a minor exercise and we do not expect any further delay in production or deliveries of EcoSport. Like other international manufacturers, Ford has been proactive in carrying out such a recall exercise which could cost them a little in terms of its image in India. Couple this with the toppling incidents of EcoSport and a few people might move away from the car.


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Electronic chip maker Intel's investment arm, Intel Capital, will buy 0.39 per cent stake in billionaire Mukesh Ambani's digital unit, Jio Platforms, for Rs 1,894.50 crore, the company said on Friday.
Intel Capital is 12th company to join the list of marquee firms who have recently invested in Jio Platforms, taking the total investment amount to Rs 1,17,588.45 crore.
"Intel Capital will invest Rs 1,894.50 crore in Jio Platforms at an equity value of Rs 4.91 lakh crore and an enterprise value of Rs 5.16 lakh crore. Intel Capital's investment will translate into a 0.39 per cent equity stake in Jio Platforms on a fully diluted basis," Reliance Industries and Jio Platforms said in a joint statement.
Jio Platforms, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries, also runs Reliance Jio telecom business. Jio leads the India market with over 38.8 crore subscribers.
"Intel Capital has an outstanding record of being a valuable partner for leading technology companies globally. We are therefore excited to work together with Intel to advance India's capabilities in cutting-edge technologies that will empower all sectors of our economy and improve the quality of life of 1.3 billion Indians," Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries, said Wendell Brooks, Intel Capital President, said that Jio Platforms' focus on applying its impressive engineering capabilities to bring the power of low-cost digital services to India aligns with Intel's purpose of delivering breakthrough technology that enriches lives.
"We believe digital access and data can transform business and society for the better. Through this investment, we are excited to help fuel digital transformation in India, where Intel maintains an important presence," Brooks said.Reliance Jio gets its 11th investor in just 9 weeks as Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund invests Rs 11,367 crAfter KKR, Silver Lake and General Atlantic, TG Capital may pick up stake in Reliance JioFacebook-Reliance Jio reach Rs 43,574 crore deal; Mark Zuckerberg's social media giant to buy 9.99% stake in Jio platforms
( To view our epaper please Tap here . For all the latest News, Mumbai, Entertainment, Cricket, Business and Featured News updates, visit Free Press Journal. Also, follow us on Twitter and Instagram and do like our Facebook page for continuous updates on the go)


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Rome on Monday published two food labeling laws that will force companies to reveal the national origin of their rice and pasta products.
Both laws are highly controversial. The government argues that they increase consumer transparency but critics allege that the schemes focus on struggling sectors and amount to protectionism.
The U.S., Canada, Brazil, Indonesia, New Zealand, Australia, Mexico and Uruguay, have raised concerns about Italy's pasta labeling plans at the World Trade Organization, for example.
This pasta scheme will force companies to indicate on packaging the country from which a company sourced durum wheat, and separately, where it milled the wheat.
Rice labels will similarly oblige companies to show which country the rice it uses comes from, as well the country of processing and packaging.
The goverment said that both schemes will run for two years on a trial basis, starting from mid-February.


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Watered-Down Bourbon? Distillery Drops Alcohol Content
(NEW YORK) — A major distillery is meeting increased demand by watering down its booze.
Maker’s Mark says it can’t produce its bourbon fast enough to meet demand, so it will reduce the alcohol by volume by 3 percent.
“This will enable us to maintain the same taste profile and increase our limited supply so there is enough Maker’s Mark to go around, while we continue to expand the distillery and increase our production capacity,” the company said in a letter to select customers, obtained by ABC News.
“Nothing about how we handcraft Maker’s Mark has changed,” the company said in the letter.
“In other words, we’ve made sure we didn’t screw up your whisky.”
Maker’s Mark is produced by Deerfield, Ill.-based Beam Inc.
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio


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Apple announced a new revenue sharing policy in the App Store earlier today. The company said it would change the subscription revenue split from 70/30 to a more generous 85/15 after those subscriptions have been active for a year or more. We were wondering if Google would follow suit, and it didn't take long. Recode is reporting that Google will be doing just that, but it's actually an even better deal for developers. Read More
For years, I have longed for the ability to remove apps I already have from results or lists in the Play Store (even back when it was the Android Market). It seems Google is finally, really testing such a feature according to screenshots we've received from a tipster. The current implementation of the "Show installed apps" toggle only appears in app lists, not search results, as far as we can tell. The new toggle also accompanies an apparently brand-new layout for the top charts splash, seen in the image above. Full screenshots are below.
Our tipster has uploaded a video of the new UI and toggle in action, which you can see here. Read More
Apps are getting big - that's one thing no one will deny. With some games reaching more than a gigabyte of space - LEGO Star Wars on my Nexus 6P is 1.17GB - it's becoming an issue for phones with less storage capacity than the more high-end offerings. To that end, Google is introducing an uninstall manager to the Play Store, nine months after Cody discovered its existence in an APK teardown.
We don't know how long this has been live - Google could have just flicked the switch on it, or maybe others have seen it in the past as well. Read More
The day has come. Okay, not quite. But you've waited a long time for Android apps to come to Chrome OS. You've left comments. You've replied to comments. You even left more comments. Now your work is being rewarded. As we've all recently heard, Google plans to bring the Play Store to Chromebooks. At Google I/O today, the company has made things official. Read More
I had a quick sit-down with leads on the Android TV and Google Cast team today, and while it's not exactly a huge deal, one of Android TV's oddly lacking features came up: app star ratings and reviews. They don't exist on Android TV.
Well, unsurprisingly, the Android TV team is very much aware of this. Sascha Prüter, Program Manager of Android TV, confirmed that Google is working on the feature, and that challenges on implementation in the area of user experience have been the hold-up. Admittedly, that does seem like a good reason - how are Android TV users, especially those not in the habit of using their phone as a remote, going to input text in an app review? Read More
The past year has been good for Android. As Google likes to do during each of its annual developer conferences, it happily boasted about a few numbers. Engineering Vice President Dave Burke appeared happy to give the news.
Companies launched over 600 phones in the past year. During this time, Android users installed apps over 65 billion times. Read More
Android has seen no shortage of Assassin's Creed companion apps. But games based on the franchise that were built explicitly for mobile devices? Those are rare. So rare, in fact, that 2014's Assassin's Creed Pirates has thus far been the only one. And to be fair, that game was hardly your typical AC experience.
Assassin's Creed Identity is different. Read More
Have a Samsung device with an S Pen? Then you're probably familiar with S Note. This note-taking app encourages you to pull out your stylus, pen notes or a doodle, and memorize things in a way that may seem a bit more artsy than Google Keep. Read More
The once beloved ES File Explorer was revealed recently to be little more than a Trojan Horse, used to get adware installed on thousands of devices with one update. This was apparently just the beginning. Users have started compiling a spreadsheet of apps that sneak the same adware-infused charging lock screen onto your device. There are already about 20 of them. Google, where are you? Read More


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A Forest Town woman has admitted using her landlady’s identity to order household goods from a catalogue.
Mansfield magistrates were told how Debra Timms (32), of Newlands Drive, intercepted mail and used the details to buy t-shirts, a hoover and a bed set worth £389.70.
Chris Lacey, defending, said: “Miss Timms accepts she had the items but did not open any other correspondence and she realises it was entirely inappropriate.”
Mr Lacey said Timms had six children subject to care proceedings and had to move out of her partner’s address.
He added: “So, when she got this new property there was an element of ‘right, we need to furnish it.’”
Timms was given a conditional discharge and made to pay a £15 victim surcharge.


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BlackBerry users hit by first service outage since BB10 launch this year
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BlackBerry users have been hit with yet another a service outage.
The company says its technical teams have addressed the problem and services are returning to normal levels.
However, BlackBerry did not say how widespread the problem was or how many users were affected, and representatives for the company would not confirm any details.
The outage was the first for the company since it launched its new BlackBerry 10 smartphones earlier this year.
It came a day after BlackBerry received approval from the U.S. Defence Department for the use of its new devices on its networks.
The company launched its long-awaited Z10 touchscreen at the end of January, while the Q10 version with a physical keyboard went on sale in Canada this week.
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The Toronto-based company is refocusing its flagship downtown store while also expanding gift offerings to keep up with the times.


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Smith Moore & CO. lifted its holdings in Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW) by 3.8% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 16,438 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 606 shares during the quarter. Smith Moore & CO.’s holdings in Illinois Tool Works were worth $2,743,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of ITW. Cetera Investment Advisers acquired a new position in Illinois Tool Works during the second quarter worth $601,000. Quantbot Technologies LP raised its holdings in Illinois Tool Works by 71.3% during the second quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 25,132 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,600,000 after purchasing an additional 10,457 shares during the last quarter. Parametric Portfolio Associates LLC raised its holdings in Illinois Tool Works by 100.8% during the second quarter. Parametric Portfolio Associates LLC now owns 1,409,208 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $201,869,000 after purchasing an additional 707,287 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in Illinois Tool Works by 72.8% during the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 357,404 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $52,881,000 after purchasing an additional 150,570 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Huntington National Bank raised its holdings in Illinois Tool Works by 1.9% during the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 317,131 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $46,922,000 after purchasing an additional 5,778 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.41% of the company’s stock.
ITW has been the subject of several research reports. Jefferies Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $190.00 price objective on shares of Illinois Tool Works in a report on Wednesday, November 29th. Wells Fargo & Co set a $190.00 price objective on Illinois Tool Works and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 4th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Illinois Tool Works from $147.00 to $151.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 24th. Zacks Investment Research cut Illinois Tool Works from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 30th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Illinois Tool Works from $143.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. Illinois Tool Works currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $177.18.
In related news, insider Sundaram Nagarajan sold 18,650 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $178.00, for a total value of $3,319,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 42,497 shares in the company, valued at $7,564,466. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Harold B. Smith sold 30,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $166.43, for a total value of $4,992,900.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 113,468 shares of company stock valued at $19,163,781 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.90% of the company’s stock.
Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE ITW) opened at $162.55 on Monday. Illinois Tool Works Inc. has a 1-year low of $128.03 and a 1-year high of $179.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $55,518.25, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.45, a PEG ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 2.38 and a quick ratio of 1.98.
Illinois Tool Works (NYSE:ITW) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 24th. The industrial products company reported $1.70 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $1.62 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $3.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.54 billion. Illinois Tool Works had a return on equity of 48.42% and a net margin of 11.79%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.39 earnings per share. equities research analysts anticipate that Illinois Tool Works Inc. will post 7.71 EPS for the current year.
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 10th. Investors of record on Friday, March 30th will be paid a $0.78 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 28th. This represents a $3.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.92%. Illinois Tool Works’s payout ratio is currently 64.20%.
COPYRIGHT VIOLATION WARNING: This story was first reported by Dispatch Tribunal and is the property of of Dispatch Tribunal. If you are accessing this story on another website, it was illegally stolen and republished in violation of United States and international copyright & trademark laws. The original version of this story can be viewed at https://www.dispatchtribunal.com/2018/02/19/smith-moore-co-has-2-74-million-position-in-illinois-tool-works-inc-itw.html.
Illinois Tool Works Company Profile
Illinois Tool Works Inc is a manufacturer of industrial products and equipment. The Company operates through seven segments. The Automotive OEM segment produces components and fasteners for automotive-related applications. The Food Equipment segment offers commercial food equipment. The Test & Measurement and Electronics segment produces test and measurement, and electronic manufacturing and maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) solutions.
Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ITW? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE:ITW).
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Satisfaction in self-managed superannuation funds (SMSFs) and public sector funds increased in March while industry and retail super funds decreased, according to research.
Roy Morgan’s latest super satisfaction report found SMSFs had the highest level of customer satisfaction (75%), up 0.3% from February followed by public sector funds on 74.5% (up 0.3%). However, satisfaction with industry funds fell 1.1% in the month to 64.4% while retail funds were down 0.2% to 60%.
The research house’s chief executive, Michele Levine, said industry funds based on employees in hospitality and retail industry that were particularly exposed to the Government’s early access to super due to financial hardship brought by the COVID-19 pandemic had many workers stood down in recent weeks.
“A majority of industry funds had declining month-on-month satisfaction in March and the challenge for all superannuation funds going forward will be finding ways to maintain customer satisfaction amid trying market conditions, reduced returns and ongoing uncertainty,” she said.
The average satisfaction rating across all super funds, the report said, was 64.2% in March, up 3.4% a year ago. However, Roy Morgan noted that this annual comparison missed a fall of 0.6% in March after the ASX 200 market peaked in late February.
“Driving this fall has been a monthly decline of 1.1% for industry funds in March. In the last month the concern for industry Funds and retail funds in particular is about how many Australians will take up the Federal Government’s $20,000 super fund withdrawal option over the next six months,” Levine said.


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2013-02-14 07:04:01 -
BELIMO Holding AG /
BELIMO Holding AG: Innovative product line helps boost sales
. Processed and transmitted by Thomson Reuters ONE.
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Press release from the Belimo Group - Hinwil, February 14, 2013, 7:00 a.m.
The Belimo Group is a global leader in the field of actuator solutions for
controlling heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems. The company
posted a solid 2012 despite the difficult market environment. Sales developed
well thanks to the multifaceted and innovative product line, although the growth
in sales varied by region.
In Swiss francs, net sales grew by 6.9 percent to CHF 444.6 million. Adjusted
for currency effects, total growth amounted to 5.4 percent. Growth was 5.7
percent in Europe, 5.9 percent in the Americas, and 1.7
percent in Asia/Pacific.
The air and water applications business grew by 4.0 percent and 7.5 percent
On the basis of preliminary numbers, the Belimo Group expects its operating
income (EBIT) to be around CHF 76 million (first half 2012 CHF 36.0 million,
previous year CHF 67.8 million). Net income also moved higher and is expected to
be CHF 61 million (first half 2012 CHF 29.6 million, previous year CHF 51.6
Detailed information on the 2012 financial year will be announced at the media
information session on Monday, March 11, 2013.
The Belimo Group is a leading global manufacturer of innovative electrical
actuator solutions for heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems. The
Group generated sales of CHF 445 million in 2012 and employs close to 1,300
people. Information about the company and its products is available on the
Internet at www.belimo.com/investorrelations.
The shares of BELIMO Holding AG have been traded on the SIX Swiss Exchange since
Contact Beat Trutmann, CFO Phone +41 43 843 62 65
Agenda Media information session/
Publication of 2012 Annual Report March 11, 2013
Annual General Meeting 2013 April 8, 2013
Semiannual Report 2013 August 6, 2013
Press release (PDF):
This announcement is distributed by Thomson Reuters on behalf of
Thomson Reuters clients. The owner of this announcement warrants that:
(i) the releases contained herein are protected by copyright and
other applicable laws; and
(ii) they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and
originality of the information contained therein.
Source: BELIMO Holding AG via Thomson Reuters ONE


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MOSCOW, August 11. /ITAR-TASS/. Russian smartphone manufacturer Yota Devices will not relocate its headquarters from Moscow to Canada, the company’s press service said on Monday.
“We are talking about opening an office in Canada and not about relocating the headquarters,” the press service said.
Earlier, The Financial Post reported that the company was planning to move to Toronto or Waterloo by the end of this year. The decision to relocate its headquarters to Canada was motivated in large part by lower costs, tax benefits and government support, on top of the potential recruitment opportunity, CEO Vlad Martynov was quoted as saying.
Yota Devices started in 2009, making primarily 4G routers and modems before introducing its YotaPhone 1 in December 2013, featuring an LCD touchscreen on the front and an always-on e-reader style screen on the back. Some 70% of the company’s 150 staff is currently based outside Russia, spread across six offices, including some sales marketing and logistics in Frankfurt, and manufacturing based out of Singapore, and three sales staff in Toronto.


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In 2010, British designer Harry Brignull coined a handy new term for an everyday annoyance: dark patterns, meaning digital interfaces that subtly manipulate people. It became a term of art used by privacy campaigners and researchers. Now, more than a decade later, the coinage is gaining new, legal, heft.
Dark patterns come in many forms and can trick a person out of time or money, or into forfeiting personal data. A common example is the digital obstacle course that springs up when you try to nix an online account or subscription, such as for streaming TV, asking you repeatedly if you really want to cancel. A 2019 Princeton survey of dark patterns in ecommerce listed 15 types of dark patterns, including hurdles to canceling subscriptions and countdown timers to rush consumers into hasty decisions.
A new California law approved by voters in November will outlaw some dark patterns that steer people into giving companies more data than they intended. The California Privacy Rights Act is intended to strengthen the state’s landmark privacy law. The section of the new law defining user consent says that “agreement obtained through use of dark patterns does not constitute consent.”
That’s the first time the term dark patterns has appeared in US law, but likely not the last, says Jennifer King, a privacy specialist at the Stanford Institute for
Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence. “It’s probably going to proliferate,” she says.
State senators in Washington this month introduced their own state privacy bill—a third attempt at passing a law that, like California’s, is motivated in part by the lack of broad federal privacy rules. This year’s bill copies verbatim California’s prohibition on using dark patterns to obtain consent. A competing bill unveiled Thursday and backed by the ACLU of Washington does not include the term.
King says other states, and perhaps federal lawmakers emboldened by Democrats gaining control of the US Senate, may follow suit. A bipartisan duo of senators took aim at dark patterns with 2019’s failed Deceptive Experiences to Online Users Reduction Act, although the law’s text didn’t use the term.
California’s first-in-the-nation status on regulating dark patterns comes with a caveat. It’s not clear exactly which dark patterns will become illegal when the new law takes full effect in 2023; the rules are to be determined by a new California Privacy Protection Agency that won’t start operating until later this year. The law defines a dark pattern as “a user interface designed or manipulated with the substantial effect of subverting or impairing user autonomy, decision-making, or choice, as further defined by regulation.”
James Snell, a partner specializing in privacy at the law firm Perkins Coie in Palo Alto, California, says it’s so far unclear whether or what specific rules the privacy agency will craft. “It’s a little unsettling for businesses trying to comply with the new law,” he says.
Snell says clear boundaries on what’s acceptable—such as restrictions on how a company obtains consent to use personal data—could benefit both consumers and companies. The California statute may also end up more notable for the law catching up with privacy lingo, rather than a dramatic extension of regulatory power. “It’s a cool name but really just means you’re being untruthful or misleading, and there are a host of laws and common law that already deal with that,” Snell says.
Alastair Mactaggart, the San Francisco real estate developer who propelled the CPRA, and also helped create the law it revised, says dark patterns were added in an effort to give people more control of their privacy. “The playing field is not remotely level, because you have the smartest minds on the planet trying to make that as difficult as possible for you,” he says. Mactaggart believes that the rules on dark patterns should eventually empower regulators to act against tricky behavior that now escapes censure, such as making it easy to allow tracking on the web, but extremely difficult to use the opt-out that California law requires.
King, of Stanford, says that’s plausible. Enforcement by US privacy regulators is generally focused on cases of outright deception. California’s dark patterns rules could allow action against plainly harmful tricks that fall short of that. “Deception is about planting a false belief, but dark patterns are more often a company leading you along a prespecified path, like coercion,” she says.
More Great WIRED Stories


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Peet’s Coffee & Tea said Monday it wouldn’t bid more for Diedrich Coffee, but it also refused to end its monthlong effort to buy the roaster, arguing that an offer from Green Mountain Coffee Roasters may face challenges, The Associated Press reported.
In a statement Monday afternoon, Peet’s acknowledged Green Mountain’s competing all-cash bid — which already has the support of Diedrich’s board — was superior to its own offer.
But Peet’s, a the coffee house chain, based in Emeryville, Calif., said a combination of Diedrich, based in Irvine, Calif., and Green Mountain, based in Waterbury, Vt., would likely face scrutiny from federal regulators, who could derail the deal.
Peet’s executives said they hope that would be enough to scuttle Green Mountain’s bid.
“It is our view that there are significant antitrust issues and resulting timing and closure risks associated with GMCR’s competing proposal,” Peet’s chief executive, Patrick O’Dea, said in a statement. He added that while Green Mountain’s proposal undergoes regulatory scrutiny, “we stand ready to close a transaction swiftly.”
Peet’s and Green Mountain have been fighting to acquire Diedrich for weeks, each hoping to own the company’s license to produce popular single-serve coffee pods called K-Cups that are used in Keurig Inc.’s brewing system.
Green Mountain’s latest offer — $290 million, or $35 per share — came last week. It trumped Peet’s now-expired cash-and-stock offer of roughly $32.50 per share, or $269 million.
After that sweetened offer expired, Peet’s said it stood by its early November bid of $26 per share in cash and stock.
Green Mountain, which owns the Keurig system, already owns three other K-Cup licensees. Some analysts predict the company could control about 85 percent of K-Cup sales if it succeeds in buying Diedrich. At least two of the other deals didn’t require regulatory approval.
Peet’s would be new to the growing market for K-Cups if it wins Diedrich.
Peet’s shares fell 86 cents, or 2.7 percent, to end regular trading at $30.99 Monday.
Green Mountain shares fell 80 cents, or 1.3 percent, to $60.39.
Diedrich shares fell 20 cents to $35.15.
Mata Amritanandamayi, known as Amma, is a globe-trotting guru who embraces the masses — and a get-it-done management style for her charities.
It’s that time of year when shareholders speak their minds at annual meetings. But that doesn’t mean the companies’ boards are always listening.
Despite all the hoopla about an “open data” society, many consumers are being kept in the dark.
While the leak was small, it received intensive coverage in Japan’s news media, a reflection of the country’s anxiety over nuclear safety.
Environmentalists are worried that a wind-energy project near the Mojave Desert could affect the fragile condor population.
An energy company’s plan to drill an exploratory oil well in a bucolic area of southern England has galvanized residents.
Mr. Johnson was a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, television commentator and author who spent most of his career at The Washington Post and won wide acclaim for his coverage of the capital.
The measure also bans the sale of alcoholic drinks between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., except in tourist zones, and prohibits alcohol sales near mosques and schools.
Mike Darnell, who has supervised reality programming for Fox since before the term reality show entered the lexicon, oversaw “American Idol,” once the most popular show on American TV.
A federal judge’s ruling could halt the resale of digital music as well as other digital good like e-books.
A world-renowned physicist meets a gorgeous model online. They plan their perfect life together. But first, she asks, would he be so kind as to deliver a special package to her?
The Winklevoss brothers have moved on from their battle with Mark Zuckerberg and are more active than ever.
An Alabama lawsuit argues that a law declaring teeth whitening the exclusive province of dental professionals is unconstitutional.
For millions of people below the poverty line, no assistance for health insurance will be available in states that have refused to expand Medicaid.
Chia seeds aren’t just for terra cotta pets. Adding chia to a smoothie can make an energy-rich breakfast or give you a boost after a morning workout, writes Martha Rose Shulman.
Procter & Gamble said on Thursday that its chief executive, Robert A. McDonald, had resigned. | Four executives of SAC Capital Advisors have received subpoenas to testify before a grand jury. | In a push to soften financial regulations, bank lobbyists are helping lawmakers draft legislation. | Congressional concern over SoftBank’s bid for Sprint Nextel is growing.
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The giant resort’s shuttle-and-luggage service, Disney’s Magical Express, ferried a little more than 1.1 million arriving passengers from the airport to Disney World hotels between January and June.
That was about 11,000 fewer than during the first six months of 2011. It was also the lowest total for the first half of a year since 2007.
Disney makes Magical Express complimentary to all of its hotel guests. It uses the shuttle as a lure, hoping travelers will choose its hotels over cheaper, off-property competitors and will spend more in its parks and restaurants by reducing the likelihood they will rent cars while in Orlando.
The shuttle’s 2012 performance was dragged down by an abysmal May, in which Magical Express ridership plunged 14.1 percent — from nearly 212,000 in May 2011 to less than 182,000. Traffic rebounded slightly in June, rising 2.5 percent to 184,000.
“Ridership alone is not an indicator of business performance,” Disney spokeswoman Andrea Finger said. “Disney’s Magical Express is a popular service provided to our guests. While our guests appreciate the service, it also positively impacts the airport and our community in numerous ways.”
Two years ago, the Walt Disney Co. stopped reporting theme-park attendance and hotel-occupancy trends for Disney World and instead began reporting only combined results for its domestic operations, which include Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif. That makes Magical Express traffic one of the only Disney World-specific business barometers publicly available.
The data suggest that Disney may report lower U.S. hotel occupancy when it releases its quarterly earnings Aug. 7. Because of the weak May, Magical Express traffic slumped 3.8 percent from April to June, which parallels Disney’s fiscal third quarter.
Disney said in May that U.S. hotel bookings for its fiscal third quarter were running 1 percent ahead of last year’s pace. And roughly 90 percent of the company’s domestic rooms are at Disney World.
Magical Express ridership rose 1.9 percent during the first three months of the year compared with the same period in 2011. Disney’s U.S. hotel occupancy rose two percentage points during that quarter, to 82 percent.
- Disney World Quick Tips – Planning your Disney World Budget (chipandco.com)
- Disney World Training: On-Site Car Rental and Return Service (couponingtodisney.com)
This site contains affiliate links to products on Etsy, ShopDisney and Amazon. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. Also As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.


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The E.A. Rawlinson Centre, North Saskatchewan River, Grey Owl’s Cabin and Amy’s on Second—those are just a few of the city’s staples included in Prince Albert-Opoly.
The limited edition of the Monopoly game, sold exclusively at Walmart, hit the market a couple of weeks ago.
Walmart sold out of the game within a couple weeks. They’re currently shipping another round of about 300 games.
Jean-Paul Teskey is the vice-president of the British Columbia-based Outset Media, which designs, builds and distributes games and toys.
“We’re really excited and we’re so pleased that Prince Albert has really embraced the idea,” he said, adding they’ve gotten positive feedback.
But, as Teskey explained, they have gotten some comments that they’ll take into consideration should they sell the game again.
Prince Albert residents will notice a few of the city’s standouts are missing: The Art Hauser Centre, the home of the Prince Albert Raiders, or the Diefenbaker Bridge, a symbol of the city being the Gateway to the North.
“If we do produce another run for next year, we’ll include some different locations,” said Teskey. “I would hope to do another run closer to Christmas.”
He added that someone said they should include the area’s jails as locations on the board.
He said Outset Media has sales representatives living in cities close to Prince Albert, specifically Regina. The company chose the landmarks with the help of those employees and through researching online.
Teskey emphasized that personal games tend to do better in smaller centres: “I just think that smaller cities kind of celebrate it a little bit more.”
He said they’re planning on expanding the games across the prairie provinces.
Teskey said the Late for the Sky Production Company custom makes their Monopoly games. Hasbro, the owner of Monopoly, allows them to remake it with a few changes, such as removing the go to jail card.
Parker Brothers acquired the rights to Monopoly in 1935. Hasbro bought them out in 1991, who continue to own the classic game inspired by Atlantic City, New Jersey.


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Ubisoft have stated in the past that Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is going the have the biggest map in the entire series’ history– which is a bold claim, given just how huge the map in 2017’s Origins was. Now, a new report on Powerpyx has verified those claims. This is accompanies by an image of the full world map in the game, which you can view below.
The world of ancient Greece in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey 130 km², which is 62 % bigger than the world map of Origins, which amounted to 80 km². As you can see in the map’s image below, though, and as Ubisoft themselves have stated in the past as well, a large portion of that is going to be covered by water, which means that in terms of just the landmass, Origins is still larger than Odyssey. Naval and underwater exploration, however, are going to be a huge part of the experience in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, so it makes sense that a large part of the map is covered by water.
There is, as you can see, one huge landmass in the game, with the rest of it being divided into several other islands of varying sizes. As for what these masses will cover, there are going to be a total of thirty eight areas (or regions) in Odyssey’s map, the names of all of which have been listen and compiled by Powerpyx in the report linked above.
These areas are: Makedonia, Malis, Phokis, Lokris, Boeotia, Megaris, Attika, Korinthia, Achaia, Elis, Arkadia, Argolis, Messenia, Lakonia, Kythera Island, Thera, Messara, Pephka, Anaphi, Nisyros, Kos, Melos, Hydrea, Paros, Naxos, Mykonos, Delos, Seriphos, Keos, Samos, Andros, Chios, Lesbos, Lemnos, Skyros, Euboea, and Kephallonia.
Interestingly enough, you can also see in the image of the map below that each of these areas has a recommended level attached to them as well- and the recommended level for each area seems to be 48 (with level 50 – which is the level cap in Odyssey – for a few areas). Of course, that doesn’t mean that every area in the game is gated behind a ridiculously high level requirement right from the very beginning.
Instead, it seems to be implying that the enemies in Odyssey will have levels that scale alongside yours, which, incidentally, is something that Game Informer confirmed earlier as well. “You never burn a zone, come back, and it’s level 2 when you’re level 20,” creative director Jonathan Dumont said. “We have a system that will catch up, but never fully.”
Definitely looks interesting. Not just because the map is incredibly huge, which is it, but also because it holds the promises of varied biomes and regions. Hopefully Odyssey adds a Discovery Mode down the line just like Origins did.
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey launches on October 5 for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC.


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Volkswagen has recently announced that they are bringing back a new and improved version of their all time favourite hippie van- as an electric vehicle.
Volkswagen (VW) has finally managed to draw the public attention away from their recent scandals- installing a software in diesel automobiles that allows them to cheat emission testing- with their latest announcement.
Rumors were going around a while ago about the iconic Volkswagen van returning, however until now that was just a hopeful prediction.
Hans-Jakob Neusser, the VW development chief, announced the van publicly at the New York Auto Show, while explaining that currently they are working on the new and improved electric version of the nomadic classic.
Volkswagen hippie van history
The old Volkswagen vans (also commonly known as a Camper or Kombi) have only been accessible through second-hand dealers and websites for many years since production of the popular car stopped, a move which was questioned by many enthusiasts.
Production of the initial VW vans began in the 1950’s. It was originally undertaken in Germany, however thanks to a number of safety regulation changes, the vehicle manufacturing was outsourced in the 70’s to Brazil.
Production was them completely stopped in 2013, after once again safety standards were changed this time in Brazil, and the vehicles did not comply as the did not include the required multiple airbags and ABS.
The new version
The van’s newest generation is predicted to begin being manufactured in 2017 at Puebla, Mexico’s VW plant.
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The engine which used to be a air-cooled boxer engine, and then a set 1.4 flex water-cooled engine when produced in Brazil, is going to be replaced by a hybrid-propulsion type that has several recently developed technologies that have been newly presented in other sustainable models from the VW group.
This means that it will run on battery packs that will be hidden under the vehicles floor, rather than petrol, powering an electric motor driving the front wheels, making it an eco-friendly and fossil-fuel saving alternative.
The new van’s autonomy can climb up to 500km, conditional to which settings are used. Customers will also be given diesel and gasoline powered engine options.
Mr Neusser stated that in terms of the design, any attempt in recreating a new version of the camper van concept must include a number of the original hippie van characteristics that are very important.
“First the wide, solid, D-Pillar, second the boxy design of the centre section and, thirdly, the front end must have a very short overhang. The distance from the A-pillar to the front end must be very short,” Mr Neusser said.
The booming vintage trend in 2001 was taken advantage of by VW, and during the Auto Show in Detroit, they displayed the micro-bus concept car, which actually was scheduled for production, but later cancelled.
10 years later at the Geneva Motor Show, they debuted the Bulli concept, which was already adapted to the requirements of the maker (a less polluting model).
It is clear that VW has always had a longing desire to bring back the hippie camper van, they just haven’t got around to it, until now, it seems.
All we can do is hope that the beauty and essence of the classic original van remains in the new design.
Photo courtesy of Flare


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“With the evolution of AI, human will also evolve” We will develop the world's first widespread AI robot to advance the world one step further.
We, donuts robotics, are a startup founded by engineers and designers.
Founded in 2014 in a garage in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka.
We have continued development with the theme of "Changing the world by linking hardware and AI".
In 2017, our product was adopted for the Haneda Airport Robot Project.
In 2020, the world's first "smart mask" was announced. Featured in the New York Times, etc.
In 2022, "Smart Earphones" were announced at CES (World Consumer Electronics Show) and published in TIME magazine.
Prompted by the evolution of AI in recent years, human is entering the era of higher intelligence.
As a result of highly advanced evolution of AI, human with high spirituality may build a better real world with new values.
donut robotics will promote innovative development with the aim of spreading the world's first AI robots.
donut robotics CEO / Taisuke Ono


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Digital Vision has partnered with CineForm as a key element of its forthcoming Nucoda 2009.1 release. The new color grading/DI software, which will be unveiled at Broadcast Video Expo in London, Feb. 16-18, will include native support for the CineForm RAW format used by Silicon Imaging’s highly acclaimed SI-2k camera.
“Following a popular industry trend and feedback from our customers, we have introduced native support for SI-2K material,” said Bruno Munger, Digital Vision product manager. “This is a highly attractive proposition for film makers who were impressed by the success of the camera’s use on Oscar winning movie Slumdog Millionaire.”
“Extending CineForm RAW to the Digital Vision workflow is a natural fit that will result in significant value-add for Digital Vision’s customers,” said David Taylor, CEO and co-founder of CineForm. “Our two companies share the same commitment to extremely high image quality throughout the workflow, from camera, to postproduction, to finished product.”


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New data released today by the Plant Based Foods Association and The Good Food Institute shows U.S. retail sales of plant-based foods have grown 11 percent in the past year, bringing the total plant-based market value to $4.5 billion. The total U.S. retail food market has grown just 2 percent in dollar sales during this same period, showing that plant-based foods are a key driver of growth for retailers nationwide. Since April 2017, total plant-based food sales have increased 31 percent. Additionally, plant-based foods unit sales are up 8.5 percent, compared to total U.S. food sales, which are flat, showing the overall health and momentum of the plant-based foods category. This data covers the total U.S. grocery marketplace and was commissioned from SPINS, a wellness-focused data technology company and retail analytics provider.
Plant Based Foods News
The Plant Based Foods Association recently joined with member company Upton’s Naturals to file a lawsuit in Mississippi challenging the state’s new labeling law which could make using “meat” terminology to describe plant-based foods subject to criminal penalties. The public interest law firm, Institute for Justice (IJ), is representing PBFA and Upton’s Naturals in this case.
We are proud to have received widespread media coverage of the lawsuit, which you can find listed below:
Today, the Plant Based Foods Association (PBFA) joined with member company Upton’s Naturals to file a lawsuit in Mississippi challenging that state’s new labeling law which could make using “meat” terminology to describe plant-based foods subject to criminal penalties. The law went into effect on July 1.
Team PBFA is just back from the first-ever Plant Based World Conference and Expo at the Javits Center in New York City and we are thrilled to report it was a huge success!
The event attracted over 3,700 attendees and the show floor and education sessions were packed throughout the weekend. An impressive 42 PBFA members exhibited at the show and we had our own booth where the entire PBFA staff could speak with conference attendees, journalists, members, and experts from across the plant-based foods industry.
The Plant Based Foods Association strongly opposes SB 152, legislation in Louisiana which would restrict the use of certain terms in connection with plant-based foods. A hearing on the bill is schedule for Thursday, May 30, 2019. The following is a statement from Michele Simon, executive director of the Plant Based Foods Association, on SB 152:
San Francisco - Mailing Address
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San Francisco, CA 94111


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BEIJING — China’s lottery sales rose 25.1 percent year-on-year to 47.96 billion yuan ($7.2 billion) in January, according to the Ministry of Finance (MOF).
Sales of welfare lottery tickets edged up 9.7 percent from a year ago to 21.22 billion yuan, while sports lottery sales jumped 40.8 percent to 26.74 billion yuan, the MOF said in a statement.
Under China’s lottery management rules, money from lottery ticket sales is used for administrative expenses, public welfare projects and prize money.
Twenty-seven provincial regions posted year-on-year sales increases in January, with Sichuan, Jiangsu and Shandong leading the sales growth.
China’s total lottery sales in 2018 stood at 511.47 billion yuan, up 19.9 percent year-on-year.


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As with most modern businesses, the Oil and Gas (O&G) industry has begun adopting 3D printing technology into its regular workflow in several key areas. It has proven itself to be a valuable tool for the production of custom, one-off or small run components as well as reworking existing designs to create something more refined and streamlined. While the technology hasn’t advanced to the point where additive manufacturing can replace traditional manufacturing, the industry has found plenty of other uses for the technology. The primary use for the moment seems to be rapid prototyping, which dramatically reduces both cost and turnaround time for developing prototypes.
There are few industries that operate on the sheer scale of the many businesses that make up the O&G industry. The development of related technology and production of equipment and machinery is a constantly evolving process with the goal of harvesting and transporting oil and fuels more efficiently with less waste. The freedom that 3D printing brings to the industry in regards to the advancement and development of new products simply can’t be understated, and it is quickly proliferating every aspect of the business.
Some of the longer-term applications for 3D printing in the O&G industry are expected to completely transform the way that components for a wide range of essential equipment and machinery are produced. Companies have been looking into using 3D printing technology to reconceptualize parts and components, the development of augmented manufacturing processes and instant, on-demand manufacturing. 3D printing is also playing an increasing role in the O&G industry’s research and development activities, and that trend is expected to expand to oil and gas operators, oil field service providers and OEMs.
Soon companies will no longer need to wait for replacement parts but will have the ability to 3D print them on-location when needed. Having 3D printing technology on-site will eliminate long waits in areas where standard parts are going to be in short supply or where shipping and customs clearance issues are likely to delay parts from arriving quickly. On-site 3D printing can also be used to create new parts for use in drilling, where flexibility and adaptability are both important to the successful extraction of oil. Not only will this speed up the process, but it could potentially save millions in lost profits from lost work that can often be attributed to malfunctioning or damaged machinery. That can translate into higher profits for the company, and likely lower oil prices for customers.
However, there will be some challenges that O&G companies looking to adopt 3D printing technology will need to address. Because 3D printing technologies rely heavily on digital information, IT leaders will need to play an important role in any newly integrated technology. IT staff will need to create a strong and secure digital infrastructure to manage the company’s 3D data. Engineering teams will also have to prepare digital assets for on-site use as well as develop new products that leverage the freedom of designing for additive manufacturing without sacrificing performance or safety.
Until adequate solutions for any potential issues related to the security and confidentiality of intellectual property are found, 3D printing will probably not expand beyond the projected numbers. Licensing and manufacturing guidelines for the legal and safe reproduction of parts manufactured using 3D printing are only in the early stages, and most of the industry leaders are only just beginning to address the issue. Unfortunately, until their intellectual property, 3D files and 3D data can be secured, O&G companies are going to only move cautiously into the adoption of large-scale additive manufacturing.
“With increasing adoption of 3D printing, intellectual property issues will undoubtedly loom large in the future. O&G, as well as oilfield service, companies must enable intellectual property protection, especially within the engineering domains. CIOs and other IT leaders will need to address issues such as preventing intellectual property theft and counterfeiting, ensuring the durability and high performance of 3D-printed parts and enabling collaboration and involvement of enterprise architects with engineering and operations personnel to implement security best practices,” wrote research director for Gartner’s Upstream Oil and Gas Industry Advisory Service Morgan Eldred.
Despite these obstacles, the future of 3D printing technology with the O&G industry is bright, and expected to continue to expand in the next few years. Technology and research company Gartner is even predicting that by 2019 more than ten percent of all O&G companies, including oilfield service providers, will be transitioning from traditional manufacturing methods to more advanced additive manufacturing methods. This shift is expected to be reflected across all of their various operations throughout the industry. Discuss in the Oil & Gas 3D Printing Future forum over at 3DPB.com.
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