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Michael Barrett, president and CEO of Gay Lea Foods Co-operative Limited plans to retire effective January 31, 2023. Suzanne Dalrymple will succeed Barrett and take on the new role February 1, 2023, although she will begin her transition on October 31.
Barrett has been with Gay Lea Foods for 22 years, serving as president & CEO since 2014. During his time as CEO, the Canadian co-operative has grown rapidly through several strategic acquisitions, including expansion into Western Canada, constructed the only nutraceutical-grade dairy ingredients facility in Canada, and made record investments to modernize and expand existing processing capacity and capabilities in Ontario.
Most recently, Dalrymple led the Canada Pet Nutrition unit for Mars as general manager. Prior to senior roles with Mars Pet Nutrition Canada, she spent almost two decades at Procter & Gamble Canada, working progressively through senior roles in brand management and sales. Throughout her career, she has had a passion for people, often sponsoring the Women’s Network, and driving inclusive succession planning.


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Today’s news round up in Poland
Start your day with a summary of today’s top stories from Poland’s leading news sites.
rp.pl – The Rzeczpospolita daily wrote that Poles have changed their shopping habits due to rising prices. As salaries are not increasing at the same speed as inflation, Poles are being forced to limit their spending. According to a poll done by SW Research for the Blix Group, 84.1 percent of Poles are reading promotional leaflets at least once a week to search for sales and to plan their shopping. In December, prices of consumer goods and services increased by 16.6 percent year on year, the Central Statistical Office (GUS) reported. Almost half of Poles (44.9 percent) search for coupons three times per week, and 14 percent do it on an everyday basis.
wPolityce.pl – A poll done by Social Changes for the website shows that Poles are convinced the introduction of the euro in Poland would lead to increased prices. This was indicated by 61 percent of the respondents. This opinion is most popular among supporters of the governing party Law and Justice (PiS), as 82 percent of those pollees believe the euro will initiate higher prices. Less than half (48 percent) of Civic Platform (the largest opposition party) voters share that opinion. One in ten Poles (11 percent) said that prices would be lower and 24 percent had no opinion on the matter.
RMF24.pl – The biggest private radio broadcaster carried a story on a Polish adventurer who had reached the South Pole. He skied 1200 kilometres through Antarctica on his own, without any support, carrying all the necessary equipment. Mateusz Waligora is the fourth Pole to manage such a feat. "When you dream about this kind of a goal for such a long time, and you work hard to achieve it and suddenly you do, then on one hand there is a great joy but on the other a feeling of emptiness," Waligora told RMF. "What am I supposed to do now?" he asked.
Wyborcza.pl – The biggest daily wrote that Shopee, Asia's largest e-commerce firm, as of January 13, is withdrawing from Poland. Shopee had been operating in Poland since the autumn of 2021. According to the daily, this may result in problems for sellers who may have problems getting refunds. Wyborcza.pl wrote that Shopee was breaking its own rules, according to which, there should be 30 days for the termination of an agreement.

domain: news


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WiredGov Newswire (news from other organisations)
LGA: six in 10 retailers selling knives to children in some areas, as prosecution fund runs dry
Six out of 10 retailers in some areas are breaking the law on underage knife sales with councils warning that a lack of funding for enforcement activity will make tackling the knife crime epidemic a huge challenge.
The worrying findings come as latest official figures show a 59 per cent rise in knife crime in England and Wales in the past five years.
The dedicated Home Office Prosecutions Fund – set up as part of the Serious Violence Strategy – does not provide enough help to council trading standards teams to enforce breaches of knife law sales, by in-store and online retailers in the longer term.
The £1 million funding, split equally over two years, was given to 11 councils for in-store test purchase operations in 2018/19, as well as funding one council to run a national online test purchase operation.
The success of the test purchasing operations last year means most of the funding allocated for 2019/20 will have to be used to prosecute those businesses already caught making illegal knife sales. As a result, there will be only enough funding left to support further in-store test purchases by six councils, with no further online enforcement planned.
With trading standards budgets and staffing having been cut by around half since 2010, as a result of cuts to council funding, the LGA is calling for more funding to be allocated to the Prosecutions Fund to support enforcement activity in 2019/20 and for the Fund to be extended beyond 2020 as part of the Spending Review.
Councils’ trading standards teams are also concerned that they don’t have the necessary resources to enforce the requirements of the new Offensive Weapons Bill, which is likely to become law later this year.
The Bill will make it a criminal offence for knives and dangerous corrosives sold online to be delivered to anyone aged under 18 at a residential address, and for dangerous corrosive products, such as acids, to be sold to anyone under the age of 18.
Councils will have new responsibilities for undertaking underage test purchase operations at the point of delivery for online knife sales and for enforcing restrictions on sales of acids and other corrosives. Councils also face the cost of providing advice and training for businesses about the new legal requirements.
The LGA said the Government needs to fund the extra enforcement activity needed in light of the Offensive Weapons Bill coming into force and for knife test purchase funding to be made available to many more councils to ensure the worst rogue knife retailers are brought before the courts.
Cllr Simon Blackburn, Chair of the LGA’s Safer and Stronger Communities Board, said:
“Rising knife crime is causing horrendous destruction and grief in our communities and councils are uncovering some shocking cases of illegal knife sales which risk fuelling this tragic epidemic.
“The retail supply of knives and acids needs to be managed robustly across all sales points, and retailers must ask for proof of age if they suspect the buyer is under 25.
“The Prosecutions Fund announced in the Serious Violence Strategy has helped some councils prosecute retailers for blatant breaches of knife sale laws.
“However, given the knife crime epidemic, the significant cuts to trading standards budgets and the extra enforcement activity that will be needed when the Offensive Weapons Bill becomes law, this Fund needs urgent further investment and extending to many more councils to tackle illegal knife sales and protect people from harm.”
Anyone who suspects that knives are being sold illegally should contact their local council’s trading standards via Citizens Advice on 03454 040506.
- Six out of 10 retailers – three businesses and five online retailers - sold knives to a 16-year-old in a test purchase operation by North Yorkshire County Council.
- A company director has been ordered to pay more than £5,500 after a store employee illegally sold a pack of 13 knives to a 14-year-old girl, following a test purchase prosecution by Croydon Council. The employee who sold the knives was given a four-month prison sentence suspended for 12 months, ordered to pay £315 in costs and given a community order. Police had previously given a verbal warning to the shop for selling a two-piece cutter set to two 13-year-olds in school uniform.
- Three out of 10 retailers in Southend have been identified for further training after they sold a knife to an underage test purchaser in an operation involving Southend-on-Sea Borough Council’s trading standardsand police.
- Three shops were investigated after selling knives to a 15-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl following a test purchase operation carried out across nine retailers by Stoke-on-Trent City Council trading standards. The children were able to buy a Stanley knife and two utility knives without being asked for identification. Two of the retailers received written warnings and one remains under investigation.
- The Prosecutions Fund – part of the Government’s Serious Violence Strategy – was made available to 11 councils (including five London Boroughs) for extra in-store test purchases and for a national online test purchase operation. Of 100 online test purchases from UK knife sellers, 41 per cent were sold illegally to under-18s.
- Retailers who sell a knife to someone aged under 18 face up to six months in jail or a fine of up to £5,000.
- Office for National Statistic figures show that there were 40,829 offences involving a knife or sharp instrument for the year ending December 2018. This compares to 39,598 offences in 2017, 32,648 in 2016, 28,008 in 2015 and 25,583 in 2014.
- The Government’s Serious Violence Strategy can be read here. Details of the Offensive Weapons Bill can be read here.
#CouncilsCan: Spending Review 2019
With the right funding and powers, councils can continue to lead local areas, improve residents’ lives, reduce demand for public services and save money for the taxpayer. Securing the financial sustainability of local services must be the top priority for the Spending Review.
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WiredGov Newswire (news from other organisations)
UK Space Agency: New space mission to chase down comet will be led by UK scientists20/06/2019 16:05:00
A new mission called Comet Interceptor, which was proposed by the UK, has been targeted for launch by the European Space Agency in 2028.
CBI: Manufacturing output slowed to a halt in the three months to June20/06/2019 15:15:15
Manufacturing output slowed to a halt in the three months to June, marking the slowest growth since April 2016, according to the latest CBI Industrial Trends Survey.
Audit Scotland - More leadership needed to achieve Scotland’s digital ambitions20/06/2019 14:40:00
The Scottish Government needs to show greater strategic leadership across the public sector to achieve its digital ambitions, says the spending watchdog.
LGA responds to inspection of fire and rescue services20/06/2019 13:40:00
Cllr Ian Stephens, Chair of the Local Government Association’s Fire Services Management Committee, which represents 48 fire and rescue authorities in England and Wales, responds to the second tranche of a national report on fire and rescue services by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services.
Unicef UK calls on the international community to support vulnerable refugee children20/06/2019 12:40:00
Unicef UK responds to UNHCR Global Trends Report which found that 70.8 million children, women and men were forcibly displaced at the close of 2018.
CBI responds to prompt payment measures20/06/2019 12:33:00
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Wales Audit Office - Unlawful action at Town Council20/06/2019 11:40:00
Failures in decision making and internal control at Town Council results in loss of £234,000
LGA responds to calls to repeal Vagrancy Act20/06/2019 10:40:00
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Citizens Advice responds to a new scheme to help people in debt20/06/2019 09:40:00
Yesterday the government has announced a new ‘breathing space’ scheme which will protect people in debt for 60 days from interest, fees, charges and enforcement, as well as providing statutory protections from creditors for people who have plans to repay their debts.
Law Commissions’ analysis of responses to automated vehicle consultation points to the way forward19/06/2019 15:15:15
The Government could begin work to establish a safety assurance scheme, building on its existing work in the Code of Practice, to allow for the commercial deployment of highly automated driving systems, the Law Commission of England and Wales and the Scottish Law Commission have announced today.


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"I see we have big potentials to develop digital economy and the market of digital economy is potential with a population of 250 million of which 94.3 million are internet service users," Jokowi said when presiding over a limited cabinet meeting on digital economy here on Tuesday.
Jokowi said when attending the G20 Summit in China, big nations began to speak loudly about new industrial revolution based on digital economy.
Almost all nations taking part in the summit meeting spoke about digital economy, he said, adding, "We must not be left behind. We must play a role in the process."
The president said he had information that in 2014, sales through e-commerce in Indonesia reached US$2.6 billion with penetration of only 6 percent of the total population.
Whereas e-commerce could help 56 million units of small and medium enterprises (UMKM) which contribute around 55 percent to the countrys GDP.
"Just compared with in China, where the users of e-commerce already reached 30 percent of the population and contribute 20 percent to its GDP," the president said.
The president repeated saying the potential market must not be wasted, adding that he was confident Indonesia could be the largest digital economy in Southeast Asia.
"For that purpose I want acceleration of the implementation of digital economy, otherwise, we would be lagging behind other countries," he said.
As the first step Indonesia should develop world logistic interlink system with existing products in rural areas, he said.
"At the same time we also must make a breakthrough step to strengthen our digital economic players as we see the potentials among our youths in this area," he said.
The president also said he wants that the new comers in digital economy are facilitated including in capital that they could expand.
"Take large scale deregulation to support development of e-commerce industry," he said.
He said training is necessary to improve the skills and capacity of new comers or players to be competitive," he added.
He said a number of Indonesian digital economic players have been bought by foreign companies such as OLX.
He also said he wanted special treatment of new players in digital economy.
"We need to be serious in addressing development of digital economy with protection," he said.


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Amazon have made it easier for users to cancel their Prime subscriptions in just two clicks after consumer groups took their grievances about the e-commerce giant to the EU last year.
The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC), the Norwegian Consumer Council and the Transatlantic Consumer Dialogue criticised Amazon for pushing users to go through a number of stages to cancel their subscription, and lodged a complaint to the European Commission April last year.
The groups pointed to the confusing wording and complicated menu options used by Amazon to make it more difficult for customers to cancel their payments.
Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders said in a statement this afternoon: “Consumers must be able to exercise their rights without any pressure from platforms. One thing is clear: manipulative design or ‘dark patterns’ must be banned”.
An Amazon spokesperson said: “By design we make it clear and simple for customers to both sign up for or cancel their Prime membership. We continually listen to feedback and look for ways to improve the customer experience, as we are doing here following constructive dialogue with the European Commission.”
As reported by City A.M. earlier this year, new laws being pushed through UK parliament are calling for fake reviews and “subscription traps” to be made illegal.
Under new provisions, the UK competition watchdog plans to make it “clearly illegal” to pay someone to write fake reviews, and will have new powers to fine firms up to 10 per cent of their global turnover.
The rise of fake reviews has come alongside the wide e-commerce boom, which has resulted in fraudsters flooding the market to falsely incentivise people into buying products. This loses customers thousands of pounds a year.
The new provisions will mean the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) can put a heavier onus on sites, like Amazon, to ensure that customer reviews are genuine, as well as to avoid trapping users into payment schemes.
Consumer choice site Trustpilot said it “welcomes legislation introduced with the aim of protecting consumers from fake reviews”, whilst some have warned the rules should not be too erroneous on firms.
Amazon Prime services, including video and delivery, cost UK customers £7.99 a month.


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Armagh transport and logistic company – Derry Bros Customs Clearance – has achieved the prestigious Business All-Star Accreditation from the All-Ireland Business Foundation.
Shining a spotlight on the very best businesses on the island of Ireland, the Business All-Star Accreditation recognises and celebrates companies who take pride in the quality of their work and the satisfaction of their clients.
Following a robust, rigorous and independent accreditation process and demonstrating star quality in their performance, trust and customer centricity, the family-run business picked up the illustrious honour in June, proving the value they bring to the marketplace.
Following accreditation, businesses can attain and, most importantly, maintain the highest verified standards for the benefit of both businesses and consumers as well as engage in peer-dialogue, collaboration and support to each other.
Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon, Alderman Glenn Barr said: “I am so proud to see local business Derry Bros gain this prestigious accolade, which not only recognises their commitment to quality but also their progressive, successful and determined team.
“In achieving this accreditation, Derry Bros joins a unique group of local businesses, all of whom are forward-thinking, optimistic and open to new business growth opportunities; and I wish the Armagh company all the very best.”
Overseeing the accreditations, the All-Ireland Business Foundation is made up of volunteer judges, mentors and business experts, and promotes meritocracy and encourages businesses to aspire to reach the highest level.
Brigid Derry, Managing Director at Derry Bros Customs Clearance said: “We’re absolutely delighted to receive this Business All-Star Accreditation. Our team have been really busy over the last eight weeks working alongside the All-Ireland Business Foundation to achieve this status.
“This accreditation is an outstanding achievement and recognises the hard work and dedication of our team in providing a best-in-class service to all our clients.
“I believe this continues to demonstrate our commitment to improving our service to our clients and suppliers. And is a further endorsement of all the hard work and effort the team put in day and night. I’m really proud my team are getting the recognition they deserve.”
In an effort to support the borough’s important transport and logistics sector and companies like Derry Bros Customs Clearance, ABC Council will roll out a new pioneering programme specifically targeting these local businesses later this month.
Through the delivery of bespoke webinars, mentoring support and the creation of a sector specific forum, the programme aims to not only engage with these businesses but to also assist with their sustainable and long term growth.
If you would like to find out more about this new programme, please contact ABC Council’s Economic Development department on email@example.com.
To find out more about the Business All-Star Accreditation and All-Ireland Business Foundation visit: https://aibf.ie/.


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The House of Representatives has urged the Federal Government to begin an industry-wide audit of the quality of service being provided by internet service providers (ISP) in Nigeria.
The lawmakers said the exploitation of internet service consumers by ISPs had gone on for too long without being checked.
The lawmakers said the audit was necessary because since the introduction of commercial scale internet services in Nigeria, consumers have been subjected to exploitation, ranging from exorbitant rates, poor service delivery, limited coverage and non-existent roll-out option to slow internet access, among others.
The sponsor of the motion, which was adopted by the House, Oluwole Oke (PDP, Osun) said the trend had continued to cause untold hardship to many subscribers and businesses which have been deprived of the right quality of service to enable them stay competitive.
In their resolution, the lawmakers also urged the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to set up a framework through which internet service consumers would be compensated for poor services by ISPs.


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Apple plans to sell as much as $6.5 billion in bonds
NEW YORK - Apple is planning another large bond sale at a time when investors are paying near record premiums for high-quality bonds.
The technology giant will sell a combination of bonds with maturities ranging from five years to 30 years. The company was originally trying to sell $5 billion in bonds, according to traders, but investor demand has been strong and Apple's offering might go as high as $6.5 billion.
The sale is not one of the largest bond offerings from Apple.
Apple sold roughly $17 billion in bonds in 2013, which at the time was the largest bond sale ever by a U.S. company. A year later, Apple sold $12 billion in bonds.
The company has used the proceeds previously to pay investors dividends and increase its share buybacks.
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Legally blind teacher works, can't get disability assistance
Community gathers to honor Martin Luther King Jr. on MLK Day


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Denny's closes Duncan restaurant as lease ends
Company: All affected employees were offered positions at other locations
Published: Monday, August 1, 2011 at 3:15 a.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, August 2, 2011 at 12:16 a.m.
Duncan diners will have to drive a little farther to get their Grand Slam fix.
The Denny's restaurant at the intersection of Highway 290 and Spartan Green Boulevard has shuttered after 20 years in business.
Craig Herman, a former Denny's Corp. executive turned franchisee, owned and operated the store along with several other restaurants in Spartanburg, Anderson and Greenville.
Herman could not be reached for comment.
A sign posted in the restaurant's window and on the front lawn informed customers that its lease had expired.
The Spartanburg-based family dining chain released a statement about the closure late Monday.
“We have made the decision not to renew our lease at our Duncan location,” the company said in the statement. “We are regularly evaluating each of our restaurants and decided to close this unit in order to focus our attention on our other area restaurants. We encourage our guests to visit our Denny's restaurants located in Spartanburg and Greenville for 24/7 service and hospitality.”
The company said all of its affected employees were offered positions at other Denny's locations.
According to Spartanburg County records, the 5,000-square-foot restaurant at 1515 E. Main St. was built in 1992. The property is owned by CNL Funding 2000-A LP of Orlando.
The store was a popular stopping point for travelers from nearby Interstate 85. It also attracted a good amount of business from employees at various facilities and offices along the busy Highway 290 corridor.
Denny's has two other restaurants in its hometown at 2306 Reidville Road and 115 Sloan Garden Road in Boiling Springs.
Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.


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Some intriguing results emerge from a recently published report by Scarborough Research which shows that most teens respond positively about their own healthy lifestyles and use the parents and the Internet most frequently for information about health, especially concerning nutrition and exercise.
If the panel results indeed are valid and reliable, they are significant in how they contradict more widely reported data from federal health agencies and other sources focusing on childhood obesity, in particular. In fact, the teens’ sense of self-awareness about what constitutes a healthy lifestyle should then be the foundation upon which public health messages are created and disseminated.
The S.K.I.P. Teen Health Perceptions Study was fielded via an Internet panel from December 30, 2008 through January 10, 2009, and covered health-related topics. The panel included 1,800 respondents between the ages of 13 and 17.
Nutrition and exercise were most prominent in teens’ responses. What you eat (38 percent) and exercise (32 percent) were the most frequently mentioned pillars of a healthy lifestyle. More than 57 percent said they would eat healthy foods more frequently if they were less expensive.
For teens, what constitutes healthy?
* Fresh fruit, raw vegetables and salad are most healthy.
* Candy, soda and salty snacks are least healthy.
* Bottled water is perceived as healthy—nearly as healthy as fresh fruit.
* Sports drinks are perceived as significantly less healthy than bottled water.
* Energy bars are not perceived as healthy.
* Energy drinks are perceived as nearly as unhealthy as soda.
With regard to exercise, teens were decidedly more ambivalent:
“The majority (69%) feel they are physically fit. However, more than half strongly feel they need more exercise. And, when asked why they are not exercising as much as they should, the most common reasons given by teens are ‘too lazy’ or ‘no time.’”
Less than a third (30%) say they exercise every day and nearly half (49%) said just a couple of times a week.
There also was a correlation between how students perceived their healthy lifestyles with the number of activities they engage in during or after school. Students had the option to select their activities among 61 choices that ranged from playing video games to BMX racing and virtually every imaginable sport possible. To no one’s surprise, the most frequent choices were playing video games, hanging out with friends, and playing basketball.
Where teens go to for health information should be of particular interest to school officials:
“The two best channels for reaching teens with health information are their parents and the Internet. Sixty-three percent of teens said that when they have questions about health and nutrition, they go to their parents/guardians for information. One-half (50%) turn to the Internet. Girls are more likely than boys to use either source.”
These findings do suggest that most public health messages would work more effectively if they also target parents as well.
Also, teens use search engines, common medical sites such as Web MD, MayoClinic.com and FamilyDoctor.org, and health-related blogs more frequently than social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Despite their heavy use of social media, teens clearly see more traditional search engine strategies as the best way to access reliable health information.
And, teens appear to be quite discriminating consumers when it comes to making online health-related purchases such as vitamins, nutritional supplements, and sporting and exercise equipment:
“Fifty-six percent say a ‘very informative website’ is ‘very or somewhat important’ when it comes to making a health-related product purchase. Forty-six percent cite ‘recommendation from websites like WebMD or MayoClinic.com.’ The influence of the adult is prevalent here as well, with 54% of teens saying their coach’s recommendation is ‘very or somewhat important’ to their buying decisions.”
These findings fit with what the Pew Internet and American Life Project has found as Pew’s Susannah Fox has noted: 79% of American adults use the Internet and many of them not only gather and share health information online, but make health decisions based on what they find.
Fox also notes many more people are going online to connect with what those traditional sources of health information including professionals in the field, friends, and family members.
She cites the impact of PatientsLikeMe, a social network for individuals who are managing chronic health problems. The site administrators assist participants by recording their daily observations of living to help similar patients become better informed about their own treatments for a particular problem. As she indicates:
“Peer to peer advice turns out to be powerful and influential. A survey of HIV community members on PatientsLikeMe found that two-thirds of respondents said they are more knowledgeable about risks and benefits of a ‘treatment holiday’ because of what they have learned from other users at PatientsLikeMe. Seven in ten said using PLM has increased their interest in results of tests ordered by the doctor treating their HIV.”
And, with teens, who have mastered the art of mobile communication and text messaging, those involved in healthcare marketing and promotion should wisely consider the value of cellphone apps to encourage and persuade people to seek content on the Web or even contact a center. Not only does it work with the H1N1 flu or other illness outbreaks such as salmonella, but the strategy would be potentially quite effective with getting out empathetic, empowering messages about what teens consider to be the pillars of a healthy lifestyle — nutrition and exercise.
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Many analysts now believe that Advanced Micro Devices may never recover from its current problems and will inevitably sink. While everything may happen in this industry, it is unlikely that companies of AMD’s size can vanish into oblivion. An analyst believes that Xilinx, a maker of field-programmable gate arrays, may be interested in acquiring AMD in order to better compete in the market of datacentres against Intel Corp. and Altera.
AMD has money in the bank and will not need to pay back its huge debts in the next several years (AMD will need to pay $600 million only in 2019). As a result, the company will unlikely go bankrupt unless the management will make it bankrupt. However, in the era of FinFET process technologies, AMD’s expenses will definitely increase significantly and somehow the management will have to address this situation. In fact, in order to stay competitive, AMD needs to increase its research and development spending now. As a result, many analysts believe that one of the only solutions for AMD is to sell the company off to a larger investor with plenty of money.
Many believe that a state-supported microprocessor developer from China may be interested in AMD because the country needs processors for datacentres, supercomputers and other applications. Still, it is unlikely that the U.S. government, which recently banned sales of Intel Xeon Phi co-processors to China, will authorize sale of AMD to a Chinese entity. Nonetheless, there are a number of viable contenders for AMD in the U.S. For example, Xilinx, an ambitious maker of field-programmable gate arrays, which will face more competition than ever from Altera, its arch-rival that is about to become a part of Intel, in the coming years.
“Another potential acquirer would be Xilinx as it would combine FPGA and x86 making a viable second source for CPUs in the data centre market,” said Gus Richard, an analyst with Northland Capital Markets, in a note to clients, reports Tech Trader Daily. “However, given the margin profile of AMD we think short term concerns would overwhelm the longer term opportunity of an Xilinx-AMD combo.
Xilinx develops and sells field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), system-on-chips (SoCs) and various special-purpose processors used in automotive, cloud computing, industrial, medical, military, telecommunication, storage, high-performance computing and other industries with custom requirements. In 2015, Xilinx earned $2.38 billion in revenue and increased its net income to $648 million. Gross margin of the company was record 70 per cent. By contrast, AMD earned $1.03 billion in revenue, lost $180 million and recorded gross margin of 32 per cent.
Even though Xilinx is considerably healthier than AMD from financial point of view, AMD could help the company to better compete against Intel-Altera. The merger between Intel and Altera will naturally improve positions of both on various markets. Moreover, eventually, Intel could integrate FPGA and other special capabilities from Altera into its Xeon chips, which means that Xilinx could lose a part of the market it serves. Customization of central processing units and platforms will help Intel to further improve its positions against multiple developers of server-class system-on-chips based on ARM architecture and will further undermine AMD’s positions on the server market going forward. In short, AMD and Xilinx may need each other.
While Xilinx could develop server chips itself by acquiring an ARM license or even a designer of such chips, the prospects of ARM-based servers are not too bright. Moreover, in-house development will take three to four years, an amount of time Xilinx does not have
“We believe that shifting existing data center workloads from x86 to other CPU architecture would require a herculean effort to re-write the existing software,” added Mr. Richard. “For this reason, we continue to believe that x86 will continue to dominate the server market and this also explains the lack of traction for ARM based servers.”
While any change of AMD ownership will terminate the cross-licensing agreement between AMD and Intel, the latter could eventually sign a new agreement with the new owner of AMD because the company still holds a number of crucial CPU patents.
“While change in control would invalidate the existing cross license agreement, we think in most circumstances Intel would be very willing to renew the agreement with a buyer of AMD as it owns several key patents used in modern x86 processors,” said Mr. Richard. “In addition, we believe that Intel is interested in expanding the use of x86.”
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KitGuru Says: While it may make sense for Xilinx to buy AMD, it does not mean that it will actually do it. AMD has a lot of troubles and its consumer business will not fit Xilinx. Nonetheless, when it comes to datacentres, the two companies just need each other. Even if Xilinx does not acquire AMD, the two companies could sign a strategic relationship agreement.


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TRADE OFFICIALS, IN JAPAN, MEET AND CALL FOR ACTION
By SUSAN CHIRA, Special to the New York Times
Published: April 27, 1987
KASHIKOJIMA, Japan, April 26— Senior trade officials from the United States, Japan, the European Community and Canada agreed today that ''action, rather than words'' was necessary to stave off a grave crisis in the world trading system.
The call came in a statement delivered at the 13th of an occasional series of Quadrilateral Trade Ministers Conferences. The ministers gathered here at this resort island in central Japan at a time of escalating trade tensions - much of them centered on Japan's huge trade surplus - and at a time when concern is mounting over protectionism and the continued decline of the dollar.
At the conclusion of the two-day conference, the officials pledged to fight protectionism and to strengthen the rules and procedures of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. Harsh Measures Against Japan
Despite the pronouncements, however, the European Community and the United States are taking harsher unilateral measures aimed directly at Japan. In addition to semiconductor tariffs, Clayton K. Yeutter, the United States trade representative, outlined trade bills now being considered by Congress. He said that improved trade statistics in dollar terms as well as in volume terms would be necessary to convince Congress of Japan's efforts to solve the trade problem.
Besides existing European Community restrictions on Japanese copying machines, automobiles and a range of other products, the community is now considering further measures. Willy de Clercq, the European Community's Commissioner for External Affairs, suggested that further restrictions on Japanese car exports might be in the offing. He called Japan's increase in automobile exports to the community ''unacceptable.''
Indeed, Mr. de Clercq proved the toughest critic of Japan during the conference. In a one-on-one session with Hajime Tamura, Japan's Minister of International Trade and Industry, as well as during the conference, Mr. de Clercq said that European frustration with Japan was on the rise, and warned that Japan must take quick action to avert harsher measures.
Just two weeks ago, the United States imposed 100 percent tariffs on selected Japanese electronics products in retaliation for what it called Japanese violations of a United States-Japan semiconductor agreement. Mr. Yeutter renewed his criticism of Japan's trading policies in meetings last week in Tokyo with senior Japanese officials. At the conference, however, Mr. Yeutter was careful to refrain from public criticism of Japan and suggested that the American semiconductor dispute with Japan might soon be resolved. Commitment by Japan
Mr. Tamura told reporters that Japan understood the frustrations of its trading partners and was committed to following up on its pledge to open markets and expand domestic demands.
''From now on, announcements must be accompanied by action,'' he said at a news conference after the meeting. ''We must have credibility. We have to be humble, we have to open our ears.''
Mr. Tamura said that in their talks, the ministers had expressed concern over the fact that currency markets appear increasingly skeptical that government announcements will result in actual policy changes. He and other ministers noted that pledges of policy coordination made after recent meetings of the leading industrialized democracies in Paris and Washington did not stabilize exchange rates. Nor did Japan's recent announcement of new measures to stimulate domestic demand initiate much response in world currency markets.
The ministers said that they had made progress in agriculture, which is expected to become a key issue in continuing discussions in the new GATT round, and noted that intellectual property rights and trade and services were also important issues.
Photo of Yasuhiro Nakasone (AP)


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Boeing signs pact with Beijing for 80 737s
Published 10:00 pm, Tuesday, April 11, 2006
The Boeing Co. signed an order agreement with the Chinese government Tuesday for 80 airliners to be divided among various carriers, Chinese Vice Premier Wu Yi said.
The 737s, valued at about $5 billion at list prices, are part of a Chinese government plan announced in November to buy 150 of the jets. Boeing had received firm orders for 70 so far. The orders become firm when individual airline customers sign for the aircraft.
The single-aisle jets used on domestic routes carrying fewer than 200 passengers are Boeing's top-selling aircraft, helped by China's state-owned airline's demand for newer planes that are cheaper to operate. Both Boeing and European rival Airbus are benefiting from rising travel demand in Asia.
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Tuesday's signing follows an order booked by Airbus for 150 of its single-aisle A320s in December, and a Chinese Ministry of Commerce report that the country's trade surplus widened to $11.2 billion in March from $2.43 billion in February.
Airlines in China may buy 2,612 new aircraft valued at $213 billion by 2024, according to a June 2005 estimate by Boeing. The company sold its first airplane to China in 1972, 13 years ahead of Airbus. Boeing made about 63 percent of the 868 planes operating in the country as of October 2005, according to its Web site.


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2016 Infiniti QX50 Starts at $35,445, AWD Model at $36,845
New wheelbase means new pricing.
Prices for an entry-level, rear-wheel drive 2016 Infiniti QX50 starts at $35,445, with prices hopping up to $36,845 for the base all-wheel drive model. Infiniti says the 2016 QX50 includes an additional $1,700 worth of standard features compared to the outgoing model, including standard power moonroof and heated front seats.
The biggest change on the 2016 Infiniti QX50 is a wheelbase extended by 3.2 inches, providing 4.3 inches of additional legroom and 3.9 inches of rear knee room. Overall passenger volume has increased by 8.3 cubic feet, and cargo capacity has increased by 2.7 cubic feet as a result of the stretch. Ride height has increased by 0.8 inches, and the front fascia has been modified to appear more aggressive and SUV-like.
Tack on the $500 Premium Package, and the QX50 comes with an 11-speaker Bose audio system, an enhanced climate-control system, wood accents in the interior, and aluminum roof rails.
Prices for the various optional packages begin at the Premium and move up to the $2,000 Premium Plus Package, while the Deluxe Touring adds $2,400, and the Tech Package adds $2,750. Go all in, and the top-tier 2016 Infiniti QX50 will sticker at $43,095 with rear-wheel drive, with prices rising to $44,495 for the AWD model.
The 2016 Infiniti QX50 is available in dealers beginning this month.


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What did they find? As it turns out, the NASA investigation pointed to the same culprits as both Toyota and the Department of Transportation. Instances of unintended acceleration were caused by sticky pedals, floor mat interference, or good old-fashioned pedal misapplication.
Automotive News reports that according to YouGov/Brandindex, a company that tracks customer perception of popular brands, Toyota saw a sizeable boost in its reputation in the days following the announcement.
Toyota, meanwhile, says that the company doesn't view the findings as a victory. Instead, the news is simply validation of what the automaker believed to be true all along.
[Source: Automotive News – sub. req.]


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Citigroup is set to exit from Massachusetts retail banking market by shutting down its remaining 17 branches in the Boston area.
The move comes as the bank reconfigures its operating model by reallocating resources to digital channels and developing a new branch model in key, target markets, the bank’s spokesperson Andrew Brent said in a statement.
However, the bank did not disclose details on the precise number of employees to be affected by the move.
The bank would make efforts to help affected employees find other opportunities at the bank if they are willing to, Brent added.
Citi, which started retail banking operations in Massachusetts in 2007, will retain its commercial banking, private banking, municipal finance and other services for institutional clients in the region.


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TiVo bows cross-media measurement
February 26, 2013
TiVo has expanded its media measurement capabilities, and it’s going beyond just TV.
The company’s TiVo Research and Analytics has launched a cross-media measurement service that combines media exposure with consumer purchase data.
The company will use more than 500,000 TiVo households to measure TV ad exposure, as well as more than 100,000 cross-media households (both TV and digital).
In addition, the company says it will use consumer packaged goods purchase data of 60 million households and 115 million automotive purchase records, as well as digital display and video ad exposure in 70 million U.S. homes.
The company will also get help from Experian Marketing Services, which will serve as a third party to help match and aggregate the data.
To honor the participants’ privacy TiVo will not use personally identifiable information, and users can opt out at any time.
The new service is now up and running. For more information, visit www.traglobal.com.
Tags: arbitron, capabilities, cross media, cross media measurement, cross-media ratings, Experian Marketing Services, exposure, households, media, media buyers, media measurement, nielsen, tv, tv ratings
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‘Empire’ dominates another Wednesday
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Amazfit has recently unveiled a new model called T-Rex Pro which is built upon the foundation of its T-Rex watch that the well-known wearable company launched at CES 2020. At a glance, the new watch may even look almost similar to its 2020 sibling but it appears to be even more durable.
According to Amazfit, the new T-Rex Pro has passed 15 military-grade endurance tests which are three more than last year’s T-Rex. Even the company didn’t clearly list down the exact tests that the watch has gone through, T-Rex Pro is apparently able to withstand 70C to -40C and has humidity as well as salt spray resistance level of 240 hours and 96 hours, respectively.
Equipped with a 1.3-inch AMOLED display, the T-Rex Pro also offers a water-resistance rating of 10 ATM which means that it can withstand a water depth of up to 100 meters. In addition to having a heart rate sensor, the watch also comes with plenty of other sensors including blood oxygen (SpO2), accelerometer, gyroscope, geomagnetic (compass), ambient light, and barometric altimeter.
Amazfit also said that the T-Rex Pro can support four satellite navigation services including GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, and Galileo. In terms of workout tracking, the watch which works in hand with the analytical algorithm from the world-famous FirstBeat is apparently able to cover more than 100 types of workouts while the company’s own ExerSense algorithm can also detect and record eight types of workout automatically including running, walking, and swimming.
Another major attraction of the T-Rex Pro is its long-lasting battery life which can go up to 18 days as well as 40 hours of continuous GPS usage. In terms of availability, the Amazfit T-Rex Pro is now already available for pre-order in Malaysia through the company’s official Shopee store for RM 659.


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‘Refill your plastic water bottle here’. That’s the message that’s appearing in cafés and charity shops round Rye as part of the campaign to reduce plastic waste.
The trail blazed in Bexhill and Battle has now come to Rye. Where you see the poster you can refill a disposable plastic bottle for free rather than just throw it away.
Distributing the posters, Liberal Democrat Councillor Howard Norton said, “The ‘RyeFill’ initiative is another small step in the battle against single-use plastics. Anything that raises the profile of the cause has to be worthwhile”.
Image Credits: June Cockton .


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Malaysia: Retail Foods
Link to report:
According to the Department of Statistics, Malaysia’s food and beverage sales contributed 11.8 percent ($1.7 billion) to total wholesale sales value of $14 billion for January-April 2022, with a growth of 11.5 percent over the same period last year. The country’s food retailers continue to rapidly develop, and premium grocery stores and convenience outlets are increasingly popular. Top prospective U.S. products for the Malaysian food retail market include dairy, fresh and processed fruits & vegetables, seafood, wine, pork, and beef.


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Newark, New Jersey: Another restaurant chain will open a location along Halsey Street in Downtown Newark.
A franchise of Grabbagreen will be located at 98 Halsey Street, between Prudential Drive and Cedar Street. The restaurant will be located within Prudential's Shoppes on Broad development, which has attracted other restaurants like Blaze Pizza and Qdoba.
According to the company, the business will be owned by Maplewood residents Paul Stephen Hudson and Bernard Ciszewski, who plan to open 20 locations in New Jersey over the next ten years, including another in East Hanover, Morris County. Currently, there are locations in California, Arizona, Texas, Colorado, Tennessee, Florida, Washington, Idaho, and North Carolina.
The Newark Grabbagreen is expected to open this summer, and will serve juices, smoothies, sandwiches, and other items.
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Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the undisputed leader in networking technology, but its core business has been facing challenges over the
Shares of Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT) were down 4% on Thursday, yet to fully recover from the beating it took a day
Foot Locker, Inc. (NYSE: FL) is a highly sought-after sportswear retailer, offering a wide range of products including sneakers and athletic apparel.
Shares of Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD) were down 6% on Wednesday, despite the company delivering a strong earnings report for the
Shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) plunged 11% on Tuesday after the company delivered mixed results for its first quarter of 2023.
Dropbox, Inc. (NASDAQ: DBX) had a strong start to the new fiscal year and it seems everything is working in the file-sharing
Shares of Pinterest Inc. (NYSE: PINS) stayed in green territory on Monday. The stock has dropped 40% year-to-date and 62% in the
Food companies have performed better than most other sectors during the pandemic as government restrictions forced people to cook at home. Investors,
Shares of Beyond Meat Inc. (NASDAQ: BYND) gained 20% on Friday, recovering from the beating it took following the disappointing first quarter
The business world is slowly getting back on track after the authorities eased restrictions and economic recovery gathered steam, but some sectors
Shares of Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) were down 2.6% on Thursday, a day after the company reported its second quarter 2022
The video game industry witnessed a boom after COVID-related movement restrictions made people stay indoors. More than two years into the crisis,
Shares of Tyson Foods Inc. (NYSE: TSN) were down 1.5% on Wednesday. The stock has gained 14% over the past 12 months.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE: MRK) is recovering from the virus-induced slowdown supported by stable demand across its product line globally, a
Shares of Shopify Inc. (NYSE: SHOP) were down 5% on Friday after the company delivered a lacklustre earnings report for the first
CVS Health Corporation (NYSE: CVS), a diversified health services company, made an impressive start to the year after ending 2021 on a
Shares of eBay Inc. (NASDAQ: EBAY) plunged 11% on Thursday, a day after the company reported its first quarter 2022 earnings results.
Biogen Inc. (NASDAQ: BIIB) is currently going through a difficult phase as the biotechnology firm’s main products face stiff competition and the
Shares of Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ: SBUX) jumped 10% on Wednesday, following a strong Q2 2022 earnings report from the company a day
For Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY), 2021 was a fruitful year in terms of financial performance and product development. Reflecting the
Shares of Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) gained nearly 2% on Tuesday after the company delivered better-than-expected results for the first quarter of


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More than ever the auto industry and its customers are looking at ways to cut back on petroleum use, but it isn’t just about getting better fuel economy – it’s about using eco-friendly renewable materials as well.
Having already pioneered the use of soy foam seat cushions in vehicles, Ford’s biomaterial researchers have engineered a patent-pending formula to use renewable soy oil to improve rubber car parts and make them more environmentally friendly.
By using renewable soy oil as a 25 percent replacement for petroleum oil, Ford researchers more than doubled rubber’s stretchability and reduced its environmental impact. Soy-based rubber parts such as radiator deflector shields, air baffles, cupholder inserts and floor mats are under consideration for future Ford vehicle programs.
The scope of Ford’s recent rubber research, which was funded in part by grants from the United Soybean Board (USB), included the use of soy fillers (flour, meal) as well as soy oils.
Ford researchers found that soy fillers could provide an inexpensive and environmentally friendly partial replacement of carbon black, a petroleum-based material traditionally used to reinforce rubber. Used together, soy oil and soy fillers could replace up to 26 percent of the petroleum-based content in automotive rubber applications.
While rubber’s role in automotive applications is generally not a glamorous one, it is significant. According to the International Rubber Study Group, the automotive sector accounts for more than 50 percent of worldwide rubber consumption, which exceeded 22 million metric tons in 2008. Automotive rubber usage is expected to rise more than 4 percent through 2013.
Learn more about Ford’s work on soy-based rubber.


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Microsoft and Amazon are giants in the cloud storage business. With Microsoft’s Azure platform, and Amazon’s AWS, they dominate the cloud file storage market. Both of these companies take security and privacy seriously, ensuring customers that the data they upload to cloud is safe. This is why it was such a shock to find that they both allow Google to index the files in the blob storage.
Although this was discovered by a security researcher in 2011, it has recently garnered the attention of security professionals on twitter. Mikko Hypponen of F-Secure pointed his followers to try out the “bug” by searching for content on Azure Blob Store with the words “Confidential” in it:
Microsoft doesn’t seem to block Google Search from indexing files in the Azure Blob storage.
— Mikko Hypponen (@mikko) May 30, 2017
That search query
site:core.windows.net "confidential" yields some very interesting results:
To search for content in Amazon’s AWS storage, use the query:
You can also search for specific types of files, for example:
site:http://s3.amazonaws.com filetype:xls password
site:http://s3.amazonaws.com filetype:xls secret
site:http://s3.amazonaws.com "TOP SECRET"


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One of the Commissioners of the U.S. FCC (Federal Communications Commission) Brendan Carr has urged tech giants Google and Apple to pull TikTok from their app stores over data security concerns.
The popular short video platform is owned by China’s ByteDance and has long faced scrutiny from the U.S. when under the Trump administration. The commissioner has shared a letter via Twitter to Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai and Apple CEO Tim Cook.
The letter pointed to some reports as well as other developments that showed that TikTok does not comply with the tech giants’ app store policies. This includes transferring U.S. user data to China’s servers, India’s ban on the app, and unlawful access to user data.
Carr claimed that TikTok is essentially a sheep’s clothing that runs on a sophisticated tool to harvest personal and sensitive data. It is worth noting that the commissioner’s letter is based on a BuzzFeed News Report that showed statements made by TikTok employees, claiming that engineers in China were granted access to U.S. user data dated from September 2021 to December 2022.
Following BuzzFeed’s report, TikTok revealed that it was routing all U.S. user traffic to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, essentially moving users’ data from its data centers to cloud servers located within the country.
The commissioner has asked Apple and Google to provide statements by July 8th if the short video platform is not removed from the app stores. The two companies must provide a basis for their conclusion through the statement that TikTok complies with their app store policies.
For those unaware, Carr was nominated for a five-year term with the FCC in 2018 by former U.S. President Donald Trump. In December last year, the Senate confirmed that Jessica Rosenworcel would hold her seat as the commission’s chair for another five-year term.
Source Credits –


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The Skatepark of Tampa held their first All Ages Contest of the year last week with the Valentine’s Day Massacre presented by Dickies. Love was in the air and so was the smell of B.O. as everyone sweat out the day trying to get their best run. Check out a photo recap and the story at their website.
Earlier today, Transworld posted the Chris Haslam Spotlight video. Check out the video and accompanying article by heading to the TWS website.
Hip-hop and skateboarding collide in color as Bobby Worrest takes the 2015 Nike Dunk High Premium SB ‘De La Soul’ for a spin. Get the launch details by clicking here.
Thrasher Mag has compiled a collection of some of the rails that David Gravitate has conquered.


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Spa awards honour industry’s best
Yorkshire's Titanic Spa has continued its multi-award winning year with an accolade at the 2019 LUX Life Hotel & Spa Awards.
The location (pictured) picked up ‘Most Innovative Eco-Spa Service' at this year's ceremony, praised for its commitment to the wellbeing of guests and the environment.
Commenting on the recognition, Titanic Spa's director, Warrick Burton, comments: “We are dedicated to making our industry more environmentally friendly and are pleased to be leading the way. We are extremely proud to find ourselves amongst such strong competition and it is an honour to be crowned ‘Most Innovative Eco-Spa Service' on an international level.”
Global spa consultancy Raison d'Etre also had cause for celebration, being crowned ‘Best Wellness Concept & Brand Creator' for Scandinavia.
The acknowledgement honours the Stockholm based consultancy's expertise in creating award-winning spas, spa brands and spa concepts worldwide, including their own LivNordic.


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By Wale Azeez, business reporter
Marks and Spencer, a bastion of the UK high street, is expected to be expelled on Wednesday from the FTSE 100, the group of the country's biggest listed companies.
M&S' relegation would mark the first time the bellwether retailer has traded outside of the index of top 100 listed UK companies in the 35 years since it was launched.
The demotion will compound an already challenging year for the company in which it struggled to address changing consumer habits – particularly the ongoing shift to online shopping – and a period in which shares have fallen by 40%.
In July the company dismissed its fashion boss Jill McDonald after two years in the position, leading chief executive Steve Rowe to take personal charge of the division.
Last year the retailer also announced plans to close up to 100 stores by 2022.
And it was hit by investor backlash in February after striking up a £750m joint venture with online delivery company Ocado.
M&S shares closed down 1.5% on Tuesday, giving the company a market capitalisation of £3.7bn as the London Stock Exchange closed for the day.
More from Business
The company's future ranking will be determined from this value and will be officially announced after the market closes on Wednesday.
All FTSE companies that fall below the ranking of 111th are automatically demoted from the FTSE 100, and pushed into the FTSE 250 index.
For automatic entry into the FTSE 100, FTSE 250 companies need to reach the 90th highest position overall.
As there are a fixed number of companies in each index, a "rebalancing" through deletions and additions must take place.
Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, said that in the event of its demotion M&S chairman Archie Norman and chief executive Steve Rowe must "not try to manage the share price" but rather, continue to focus on the retail giant's assets.
He said: "The issue is their strategy will need time, especially when it comes to the Ocado deal, and investors have become impatient."
He added: "InveRead More – Source


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Boatsetter utilizes technology to bring luxury boat experiences to anyone, at any time.
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Event includes global tech speakers, showcase of startups CINCINNATI, April 17, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- OCEAN, the nation's first faith-based startup accelerator, announced today details
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Simonian Farms, a California-based fourth generation family farm known for growing and direct marketing over 100 varieties of fruits and vegetables, has unveiled a new wine labeled ‘3 Farmer’s Daughters.’
3 Farmer's Daughters is a California Pink Moscato wine that is named after the Simonian Farms owners Dennis and Bonnie Simonian's three daughters Stacy, Kimberly and Ashley.
Through the month of January 2013, the farm will donate 50% of the net proceeds from the sale of Moscato wine to Mighty Moms Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides financial aid to single moms with cancer.
Bonnie told abclocal.go.com that people usually donate during the holiday season in December.
"And they've been very generous to this point because this wine is just flying out of here," Bonnie added.
Priced at $10.99 per bottle, the farm has already sold 400 bottles and is still selling the wine at its Clovis Avenue farm and Jensen farm in Southeast Fresno.


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- COVID-19 has created significant opportunities in the tech sector, for big and small players alike.
- Small tech-based companies have noticed a substantial growth in demand for their offerings that has also helped their respective stocks to surge on the ASX.
- The sudden rise in demand created the need to scale-up the businesses to tap the growth prospects.
- Following a debt facility worth GBP25 million, Openpay issued ~14 million shares to raise A$33.77 million to accelerate its businesses.
- QFE raised US$7.5 million via a placement to fund its growth opportunities while Yojee rolled out its SaaS logistics platform in the Philippines.
While the COVID-19 pandemic has adversely several industries, the technology sector is amongst those that witnessed multiple prospects arise from the crisis. Tech-based companies left no stone unturned to make the most of the opportunities that came during this period.
Not only did the big players from the industry benefit, but some small tech players also tapped the opportunity and saw their respective performance get a big push.
In this article, we would be looking at three such small-cap technology companies that have reported a significant growth in their share price driven by the improved operational performance amid the growing opportunities in the tech space.
Openpay Group Ltd (ASX:OPY)
Openpay is an omni-channel solution that offers with flexible, interest-free payment plans, in-store, online and via the Openpay App.
During Q3 FY2020, Openpay delivered strong growth in Active Plans and has maintained strong momentum for it BNPL business across all key operating metrics despite the global economic slowdown due to COVID-19. The number of active plans which was 198,749 in Q3 FY2019 increased to 602,559 by the end of Q3 FY2020, representing a growth of 203%. The number of active customers increased by 113% to 250,381 as compared to the previous corresponding period.
Its UK BNPL business was a significant contributor to the Company’s strong top-line result during the third quarter of FY2020.
The number of active plans in the UK improved by 111% while the number of active users by 66%.
In the quarterly update released on 30 April 2020, OPY also pointed on its investment in growth and key areas. It made new investments in its growth capabilities during the third quarter.
OPY’s Growth Plan:
On 1 June 2020, the Company announced that it secured UK funding facility for £25 million from Global Growth Capital. Out of this amount, £10 million would be used to support the fast-growing UK business.
OPY achieved a significant milestone with the launch of JD Sports in the UK.
Also, the active plan in May 2020 increased by 220% to 739,000, active customers by 131% to 293,000, and active merchants by 50% to 2,096 on pcp. Total Transaction Value surged 95% to A$170 million. These growths were because of the Merchant marketing initiatives across all industry verticals during ‘OpenMay’.
Support Received from New and existing institutional investors for 14,069,742 shares:
On 4 June 2020, the Company announced that it received keen inbound interest and binding commitments to raise ~A$33.77 million. The fund raised via Placement would support the Company to accelerate its Australian and UK businesses. These funds would also aid in further geographical expansion and extending its platform capabilities.
OPY shares ended the day’s trade at A$2.260 on 26 June 2020, an increase of 0.444% from the previous close. The Company has a market cap of A$242.7 million and ~107.87 million outstanding shares.
In the last three months and last six months, OPY shares have delivered impressive returns of 516.44% and 85.85%, respectively.
Yojee Limited (ASX:YOJ)
Yojee is a cloud-based Software as a Service logistics platform that effortlessly & uniquely handles, monitors & improves freight changes along the complete logistics chain.
During Q3 FY2020 ended 31 March 2020, the revenue from the ordinary activities improved by 21% to A$225,000. A drop was seen in the cash receipt in Q3 FY2020. In Q2 FY2020, the cash receipt which was A$141,000 slipped and reached A$121,000.
During the quarter, two companies Hub Express Singapore Pte Ltd and Magic Hand Car Wash Franchisor Pty Ltd signed an agreement with Yojee for its SaaS platform. Further, the Company strengthened its board with the appointment of new Chairman and Non-executive Director, David Morton.
Agreement with Kuehne + Nagel in the Philippines:
On 18 May 2020, YOJ announced that it signed a three-year agreement with Kuehne + Nagel Logistics Solutions, Inc to roll out its SaaS logistics platform in the Philippines.
On 24 June 2020, Yojee’s subscription-based SaaS logistics platform went live in the Philippines. There were 10,000 transactions in the country on the first day of business.
YOJ shares ended the day’s trade at A$0.087 on 26 June 2020, an increase of 8.75% from the previous close. The Company has a market cap of A$78.83 million and ~985.34 million outstanding shares.
In the last three months and last six months, YOJ shares have delivered impressive returns of 370.59% and 50.94%, respectively.
QuickFee Limited (ASX:QFE)
QuickFee is a financial technology company that has funded more than US$250 million in fees for clients of professional service firms globally.
During Q3 FY2020 ended 31 March 2020, the Company experienced a limited impact of COVID-19 on its business. QFE noted a modest increase in arrears on payment plans three weeks before the release of the announcement on 6 April 2020.
The lending in the third quarter in the US increased by 61% to US$3.6 million and 19% to A$11.6 million in Australia. There was an increase in the demand for the payment plans from large professional services firms for their clients, given business disruption. The transaction in the US during the period increased by 118% to US$66.7 million.
Third performance milestone completed
On 30 April 2020, QFE attained third & final performance milestone for the issue of deferred consideration shares under its agreement for the acquisition of QuickFee Group LLC.
As per the prospectus, the Company raised capital to drive expansion of the QuickFee business throughout the US professional services market. One milestone needed that QuickFee US attain a total value of currently held loans made to users of the QuickFee US service over US$6 million by 9 July 2021. On 27 April 2020, QFE exceeded the US$6 million milestones which would allow QFE to issue further 3,049,544 shares to the vendors of QuickFee US as per the terms and condition in the prospectus.
Completion of US$7.5 million Share Placement:
On 6 May 2020, QFE announced the successful completion of US$7.5 million share placement to sophisticated and professional investors. The raised funds would be used to support growth opportunities.
The breakdown is as per the below table:
QFE shares ended the day’s trade at A$0.530 on 26 June 2020, a decline of 2.752% from the previous close. The Company has a market cap of A$102.6 million and ~188.26 million outstanding shares.
In the last three months and last six months, QFE shares have delivered remarkable returns of 289.29% and 67.69%, respectively.
There is no investor left unperturbed with the ongoing trade conflicts between US-China and the devastating bushfire in Australia.
Are you wondering if the year 2020 might not have taken the right start? Dividend stocks could be the answer to that question.
As interest rates in Australia are already at record low levels, find out which dividend stocks are viewed as the most attractive investment opportunity in the current scenario in our report.


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A Rotorua woman has appeared in the Rotorua District Court facing more than 85 charges, including 79 charges of offering to supply methamphetamine (P).
Monique Jane Eggleton, 24, appeared before Judge James Weir in court last week on 59 charges of conspiring with others to supply methamphetamine, two charges of conspiring to supply LSD, two charge of offering to supply cannabis oil, five charges of offering to supply cannabis and a charge of manufacturing methamphetamine.
Eggleton already faces a further 20 charges of conspiring with others to supply methamphetamine. The charges relate to offending allegedly committed at Taupo between September 30 and October 27 last year.
She has not entered pleas to any of the charges and Judge Weir remanded her in custody to appear in court again on July 12.


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The Moorings has been named an official charter supplier for the America’s Cup in Bermuda this May and June.
Charter clients can book a Moorings 4800 or Moorings 5800 catamaran, with captain and chef, for a vacation that includes watching the America’s Cup racing.
The yachts will have premium access to designated on-water spectator zones in front of the America’s Cup Village at the Royal Naval Dockyard.
“The Moorings is proud to partner with such a prestigious and significant sporting event that draws international support from some of the most prominent brands in the world,” Josie Tucci, general manager of The Moorings, stated in a press release.” We are honored to offer this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for charter guests to experience the event in such a unique and memorable way.”
Charter dates for AC35: Bookings are available from May 19 through July 6.
Head to the Moorings website to book now.


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After six years, blogging platform Tumblr is now home to more than 100 million blogs.
The achievement was first spotted by The Next Web, which was paying close attention to a ticker on Tumblr's "About" page, which shows how many blogs exist on the site. That counter has now crossed the 100 million mark, and continues to ratchet up.
It also shows that 44.6 billion blog posts have been created and posted on Tumblr to date. Additionally, there are some 80.2 million Tumblr posts created each day.
Back in November 2012, Tumblr boasted nearly 170 million monthly visitors worldwide. At the time, Tumblr had more than 82 million blogs, and 36.6 billion blog posts.
Tumblr introduced a new version of its iOS app, which made it easier to post photos. There were also reports recently that Tumblr is planning a mobile ad platform, which has seen a huge jump in traffic.
Tumblr isn't the only web company to hit a huge milestone in recent months. Instagram hit 100 million users in February. Meanwhile, YouTube last week announced an achievement that only few sites on the Internet have reached — one billion monthly users.


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Six out of ten customers use the same password for multiple websites, which could potentially compromise financial data, according to US fraud-detection vendor CSID.
Most passwords contain between 8 and 10 characters, though there are websites that don’t allow for more, according to TechWorld.
“Many businesses don’t fully grasp how consumers’ password habits can impact their security and safety,” Adam Tyler, chief information officer for CSID, told TechWorld.
Consumers can take some steps to protect their financial access online, according to U.S. News.
A strong password is random and combines uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols, according to U.S. News.
Using various passwords for different online accounts reduces the damage caused when one is breached, according to TechWorld.
When possible, make your password longer than 10 characters, according to TechWorld.
Financial institutions never ask you for your password. Be careful about what information you give away online — if it can compromise an online account, don’t share it, according to U.S. News.
Several banks and credit unions offer an extra security layer by providing an extra passcode upon request, according to U.S. News.
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For many years there has been a common refrain for mobile health app discovery: There's no Consumer Reports for health apps. With tens of thousands of health-related smartphone apps, dozens of direct-to-consumer wearable health sensors now available, and various other websites and services -- how is the increasingly health-conscious consumer to choose? Or, perhaps, if you believe that digital health tools are a new product category: How do consumers even hear about all these digital health tools in the first place? The discoverability problem is a big one, but there are many new and existing players doing something about it.
First off, while Consumer Reports has yet to truly step up and come up with a definitive and ongoing assessment of which digital health tools are best for consumers to adopt, it might do so in the future. In 2009 a Consumer Reports analyst compiled a fledgling list of health and medical apps that the writer says shows the diversity of health apps available at the time. Not a true "recommended" list, but -- at the time, anyway -- it certainly seemed like a start.
Earlier this year Consumer Reports provided some press for popular diet and fitness app MyFitnessPal. Consumer Reports asked 9,000 of its magazine subscribers about which diet plans they prefer, including commercial diet plans and do-it-yourself ones. The usual suspects came out on top for the commercial diet plan category (Weight Watchers, Medifast, Jenny Craig), but MyFitnessPal won the do-it-yourself diet plan category, besting diet plans like the Paleo Diet and the Mediterranean Diet.
The survey led NBC's The Today Show's blog to declare MyFitnessPal a top app according to Consumer Reports. That's a coveted designation many health app developers have been wanting for years -- even if it wasn't as official an assessment as other have previously hoped.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) writes on its HealthIT.gov site: "Whether you’re looking to maintain or improve your health, a large number of web sites, apps, and devices exist to help you track and manage your health and wellness. On your own, you can use such resources to better understand your health and meet your personal health goals. But you may also be able to use the information you collect to help your doctor better understand your concerns and conditions." As HHS notes, the list "contains just a fraction" of digital health tools available currently, and the government is quick to point out that it doesn't endorse any of the tools listed.
Apple has stepped up its curation of the iTunes AppStore over the course of the past year with new sections, including one on top iPhone fitness apps to "get moving", which now includes top running, swimming, and cycling apps for the first time. AppStore users no longer are on their own wading through the tens of thousands of health apps if they don't want to be.
There are many great review sites, like Greatist, a StartUp Health company, that often provide consumers with suggestions for digital health tools. Sites like Greatist could turn out to be the next generation Consumer Reports.
Meanwhile, brick-and-mortar stores like Apple, Best Buy, Walgreens and others are increasingly stocking health and fitness gadgets. While in-person retail sales are proving difficult for some businesses, these impromptu encounters with a relatively new product category like digital health might be crucial for adoption in these early days.
Health economist and Health Populi blogger Jane Sarasohn-Kahn noted over the weekend that digital health companies were marketing their wares to mothers -- and those buying gifts for mothers -- for Mother's Day. Newspaper magazine insert Parade included a piece on Mother's Day gift ideas that featured Fitbit's "smart pedometers" as one suggestion. Men's Health Magazine prodded sons and husbands to consider a Garmin Forerunner watch. Entertainment Weekly pointed to the Jawbone UP.
Sarasohn-Kahn concluded (and I agree): "From Parade magazine to Amazon, digital health is mainstreaming."
Maybe Consumer Reports will join the fray someday. Maybe not. Despite that, the marketing and curation of consumer-facing digital health tools is now well underway.


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There is a new solar mobile phone from Samsung. It is Samsung Electronics Company of South Korea which has created the solar mobile phone. Well, a new version of the solar mobile phone. Few months ago I wrote a post about solar charger for Iphone. I think that the next generation of iPhones will integrate solar charger inside.
The new solar mobile phone is known as Blue Earth. The solar panel which absorbs the sun’s rays and converts it into usable energy can be found right on the back of the battery. The Blue Earth is made of recycled plastic, features a pedometer, and even software that reaffirms just how much you’re helping the planet by using it.
This mobile phone can be very usefull to moutain walkers. Also campers, hunters, fish enthusiasts, and other sportsmen could extend their trips into the wilderness while remaining in contact with the outside world in case of emergencies. I hope that there will be soon more and more solar powered mobile phones on the market. The Samsung’s Blue Earth is one of the first ones.
technorati: Blue Earth Samsung Solar Phone Samsung Solar Phone


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Vivo after introducing its new flagship device V9 has brought the budget version of the device called Vivo V9 Youth for the people. The device was first launched in India last week and is now available in the Pakistani markets.
The new device carries the same design as the Vivo V9. It has a 6.3 inches tall display and a notch above the display but the rest of the specs have been toned down owing to the price category of the Vivo V9 Youth.
The smartphone will be powered by Snapdragon 450 chipset, 4GB RAM and 32GB of internal storage. It will have a dual 16MP + 2MP dual cameras at the back and a 16MP font snapper which will also come with AI capabilities.
The Face Unlock feature has also made the cut in Vivo V9 Youth and the device is available for Rs. 32,999.
Specs of Vivo V9 Youth
- Display: 6.3 inches
- Screen Resolution: 1080 x 2280 pixels
- Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 450
- RAM: 4GB
- Internal Storage: 32GB
- Rear Camera: 16MP + 2MP
- Front Camera: 16MP
- Battery: 3260mAh
- OS: Android Oreo
The company made its device available in the market on 28th April but officially launched them for the people on 30th April at a press event. here are a few pictorial highlights of the event:
Disclaimer: The above-mentioned price reflects the retail cost of the device at the time of its launch. It does not represent any price changes made by the company over time.


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At the Google I/O developer conference this week, two new payment related initiatives were announced. One was the unveiling of Google Wallet. You may be thinking, doesn’t Google already support G Pay? The difference here is that this wallet allows U.S. users to store other documents beyond payment credentials including boarding passes, vaccination cards and alike. Here’s how FastCompany describes the features:
Google Wallet is a new service that will allow Android users to store everything from payment services to tickets to vaccine records. Google is a latecomer to the digital wallet space. Apple first introduced the concept with the release of iOS 6 in 2012 (though it wasn’t formally named Apple Wallet until 2015). While Google Pay has long allowed people to store digital payment methods, it has not allowed storage of other items for users in the U.S. or Singapore. (It does, however, in 39 other markets.)
Like Apple Wallet, Google Wallet will let users store credentials (like boarding passes, concert tickets, student IDs and loyalty cards), payment methods, and access tokens (such as digital car keys). It will also let them store vaccine records, assisting with access to facilities that insist upon proof of vaccination.
Future iterations, the company says, will support mobile driver’s licenses, hotel keys and office badges.
The other announcement introduces virtual cards to replace card credentials when shopping through the Chrome browser or on Android devices. Good thing the card networks introduced new BIN series. Here’s more about that development:
Virtual cards will be rolling out this summer in the U.S. Google said it will support Visa, American Express, and all Capital One cards initially, with MasterCard coming later this year. Chrome browser users won’t need to install any extensions or supplementary software.
“This is a landmark step in bringing the security of virtual cards to as many consumers as possible,” said Arnold Goldberg, vice president and general manager of payments at Google, in a statement. “Shoppers using Chrome on desktop and Android can enjoy a fast checkout experience when shopping online while having the peace of mind knowing that their payment information is protected.”
Overview by Sarah Grotta, Director, Debit and Alternative Products Advisory Service at Mercator Advisory Group


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BancABC partners with Mastercard and Zimswitch to Transform Zimbabwe’s payment landscapeOctober 22, 2021 | Harare, Zimbabwe
- BancABC is the first bank to launch Mastercard and Zimswitch co-branded cards
- The collaboration will see BancABC introduce several card innovations including a Home and Away card that links to both a local currency and foreign currency account
- Cards can be used for contactless payments, as well as for e-commerce, thereby minimising contac
BancABC Zimbabwe announced the launch of a new suite of co-branded Mastercard and Zimswitch payment cards, enabling its customers to make safe and seamless digital, domestic and international payments including e-commerce transactions.
BancABC is the first bank to launch Mastercard and Zimswitch co-branded cards, following a partnership between the national payment switch and the global payment technology company announced last year.
Speaking at the launch, BancABC CEO Dr Lance Mambondiani said, “We are delighted to be the first to market with this solution. It is thanks to the collaborative partnership between Mastercard, a global financial services powerhouse and Zimswitch, our national switch. There has been a lot of work that has gone into launching this project from all the teams involved and my gratitude is to the teams that have worked tirelessly to deliver this innovation.”
In the coming months, BancABC will introduce several co-branded card innovations tailored to different market segments including Corporates, SMEs, Retail and Private Banking individuals. One such innovation incudes its ‘Home and Away’ card that links to both a local and foreign currency account, enabling Zimbabweans to make local and international online and in-person payments with a single card. Other solutions include a combo card onto which up to four different currencies can be loaded, a prepaid card and local and foreign currency cards for businesses.
In compliance with the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe’s cyber-security regulations, the new BancABC cards include EMV Chip and PIN technology, providing cardholders with additional peace of mind while making them more difficult to counterfeit. The EMV cards are also enabled for contactless payments, meaning that customers can ‘Tap to Pay’ at any contactless-enabled point of sale terminal. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, use of contactless technology has rapidly gained traction as consumers have become more conscious about hygiene.
Businesses and individuals can also use the cards to shop and pay online for subscription services such as DSTV and Netflix, advertising on Facebook, online shopping, as well as travel and bill payments. BancABC has also enabled the card-to-card fund transfer functionality. By dialling the *243# USSD code, or using the BancABC A360 mobile application, people will be able to transfer funds directly from one Mastercard payment card to another.
According to Charlton Goredema, Vice President of Country Business Development, Botswana and Zimbabwe at Mastercard, people are increasingly embracing digital payments – a trend that has accelerated due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Zimbabweans are increasingly seeking safe, seamless and consistent digital payment experiences. Backed by the speed and security of Mastercard’s global network, we are pleased to partner with BancABC and Zimswitch to lead the transition to digital, while supporting the Reserve Bank’s vision to modernise the payment system. Together, we can connect more people to the global digital economy while laying the groundwork for future innovation.”
Cyril Nyatsanza, CEO of Zimswitch, added, “We are proud to kick off this market-wide partnership with Mastercard and BancABC. Through this collaboration, we have no doubt that the provision of convenient, innovative and secure payment solutions will contribute to and encourage positive market developments on multiple fronts.”
To exchange an old card or collect a new card, existing customers can visit any BancABC branch with a copy of their National ID and account number. The new card will be issued on the spot. Corporates can contact their relationship managers to arrange for new card issuance. New customers will be able to open accounts and get cards after producing the required KYC documentation.


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Sports Illustrated is breaking the mold with the group of women involved in its latest model search.
The magazine has released the 17 finalists vying to land a spot in next year’s coveted Swimsuit Issue in hopes of following in the footsteps of former SI models Kate Upton, Ashley Graham and Chrissy Teigen.
Standing out among this year’s crop of would-be models is Christie Valdiserri, a dance and fitness instructor with alopecia. Despite having some previous modelling experience, the Los Angeles resident revealed walking the runway for SI was the first time she has ever modeled showing off her bald head.
Vadiserri’s hair journey began three years ago when she found a small bald patch on the top of her head.
“The next month I found another patch, and then my showers were spent watching chunks and chunks of hair clog my drain with tears running down my face,” she told the magazine.
Read more HERE


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Business forum to build bond
Updated: 2013-09-19 08:21
By Zhang Lei (China Daily)
"We should first recognize the history of relations between us, since most people may think that China and African countries have just entered a new relationship," says Belinga Thierry, 31, chairman of the Junior Africa China Economic Forum.
By tracing the history, Belinga, from the Cameroon capital of Yaounde, says China's presence in Africa today is positive and practical. He compares it to a friend who visits another to compare cultures, resources and ideas on how to improve lives.
"It's not wrong to say that the Chinese presence in Africa is mostly geared towards doing business - that is, using their comparative advantage as a means of exchanging goods and services," Belinga says. "But it's wrong to reduce it to just doing business. There is a deep cultural exchange that exists, and with that, China and Africa have built a strong friendship and relationship that will last for many generations to come.
"To enhance and reinforce that relationship, Chinese and African youth who represent the current and the future thinking have to come together as one body to create and sustain economic growth."
Following this belief, he created the Junior Africa China Economic Forum, in the hope that by training and equipping African youth, they can change the face of Africa positively in the next 10 years.
Many young Chinese and African people are not entrepreneurial and are unaware of the opportunities offered to them in China and in Africa, Belinga says, and the young entrepreneurs whom he and his team have found do not know how to start a business. Yet, there are many Chinese companies in Africa struggling to find people who can help them with their operations, particularly ones trained in China.
The forum was set up in response to this situation, but building a new network of young entrepreneurs requires appropriate training resources and workshops.
"At present, we have more than 100 participants in the forum, and have the full support of 15 African students unions and several African embassies in China, and Chinese companies," Belinga says. "Our primary strategy is to organize regular seminars and one international conference every year. We also plan to create a website to equip and train participants, where they can also share their experiences."
The forum has four main activities: conference-themed presentations with Q&A sessions, workshop sessions, business meetings, and companies' product exhibitions.
Its first forum, which took place in Beijing over two days in June, was on youth, entrepreneurship and economic growth.
"After two days of intensive work, the forum helped people find new business partners, and we can't wait for next year's to see what these partnership agreements have brought," Belinga says.
He is also hoping for more partnerships between Chinese and African universities that will bring together young people to discuss and propose solutions to problems faced by both economies.
"Having exchange programs among African and Chinese Universities will help achieve that purpose," Belinga says. "We appreciate the initiative taken by the Chinese government to grant annual scholarships to African students, but for more effectiveness, we need more."
Belinga says he finds young Chinese entrepreneurs are more relationship-oriented, allowing time to establish trust and friendship with partners. Once that trust is gained, everything goes smoothly, he says. Young African entrepreneurs are more results-oriented, focusing more on the benefits to be gained at the end.
Chinese and African entrepreneurs also differ in their ability to meet deadlines when doing businesses, Belinga says. "Because of the lack of appropriate infrastructure, there is a delay on the part of African entrepreneurs to give vital information required by their partners. During the forum, we found a way to solve this issue by suggesting African participants have a database of vital information, which is to be regularly updated.
"We also emphasized that both Chinese and African young entrepreneurs should be truthful when accepting an order. What is the sense of pretending that you have the ability to supply goods when in fact you can't?"
Belinga summarizes the method of releasing true potential in young entrepreneurs as:
First, young people should be offered internships and other opportunities for voluntary service, where they can work, learn and discover their potential.
Second, financial resources should be allocated to those who have feasible and profitable projects. And, finally, there should be seminars and forums on topics such as entrepreneurship and leadership for both African and Chinese young people.
"Dr Myles Munroe, a well-known international speaker, emphasizes that work is the master key to releasing people's potential," Belinga says. "If we want to see people's potential, let's give them work. If they can't work, let's teach them how to work.
"With the right resources at our disposal, we can achieve our dreams and improve people's lives and livelihoods," he says of his forum. "Four weeks before the first forum, we had less than 3,000 yuan ($490) to realize this program. But we found ourselves at the right place, with the right people, who believed in our dream and who decided to help us achieve it.
"After the forum, we were so happy to see three Chinese people who traveled all the way to Kinshasa with the CEO of Congolese company Alma SPRL.
"Another successful outcome of the forum was the creation of an international company whose goal is to collect and finance feasible and profitable projects in Africa. We look forward to seeing many more projects of these sorts.
"We're sure that the next edition of the Junior Africa China Economic Forum will have a greater impact than the first one. So we welcome any companies, organizations and individuals who want to join us in that exciting adventure of changing our communities."