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Mayor James Palmer hails rapid impact of Combined Authority’s coronavirus business grant scheme
The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority’s rapid response to the coronavirus has so far seen £4.48 million in cash grants awarded to support local businesses.
The newly created Covid-19 Capital Grant Scheme has now awarded money to 106 businesses across the region to fund investments which are forecast to protect 479 jobs and create a further 238.
Mayor James Palmer has said the scheme has so far succeeded in awarding grant funding to businesses quickly. The grants will fund things like new equipment, products and technology which businesses need to help them adapt and recover from the coronavirus. The funding is supporting eligible small and medium sized businesses employing six to 249 people, with grants of £2,000 up to £150,000.”
Although there is significantly more demand for grants than the £5.4 million of funding available, Mayor Palmer is now seeking further sources of funding to top up the available pot.
A series of case studies have also detailed how those grants are delivering results on the ground.
Mayor James Palmer said:
“We worked quickly to find as much cash as we could to load this fund to help local business.
“These are real cash grants, not loans, to directly support the capital investments businesses need to survive and adapt to a tectonic shock to the local, national and global economy which the coronavirus has brought.
“We’ve made it simple for businesses to access this money, using a common-sense approach in how we award these grants, because time is of the essence for so many employers.
“The grants will secure and create significant numbers of jobs, protecting people’s incomes and boosting business at this critical time.
“This is about easing the crisis but it is also about recovery, and adding some muscle to our local businesses so our economy can bounce back from the coronavirus as quickly as possible.
“But we also realise there is far more demand than we have funding available. That is why we’re using the success so far to seek opportunities to increase the fund further.”
An additional pot of £500,000 was also created to support the smallest, non-limited companies with grants of between £2,000 and £5,000 to help them survive and adapt.
The grants sit alongside other measures by the Mayoral Combined Authority and its Business Board to support local people and business. That includes free one-to-one consultations for businesses on how to safeguard their future, and a Talent Portal connecting people with jobs in the local economy.
The Capital Grant Scheme is currently oversubscribed, so new applications for funding are being put on hold until further sources of funding can be found.
Case studies: How businesses have been helped by the Covid-19 Capital Grants Scheme.
Case Study 1:
Company name: TDN Group Ltd
Based: Stevern Way, Peterborough
Sector: Automotive repairs
Covid-19 Capital Grant Scheme award: £25,000
Who: Jordan Fisher, Managing Director and founder
Jordan Fisher leads a growing business with significant expansion plans across East Anglia from its Peterborough base.
It uses advanced vehicle dent and bodywork repair technology, including using cutting edge robotics, which gives TDN Group a quality, cost and efficiency edge over its rivals.
Its ‘paintless dent removal’ service was augmented with a bodyshop facility two years ago. It also operates an e-commerce arm which sells tools and equipment related to the trade across Europe. The business has been spurred into particularly fast growth over the last two years.
Catering to mainly to vehicle repairs generated from the insurance industry, Mr Fisher believes its business model can easily be replicated at other sites. Places like Cambridge and Bedford are possible target locations, creating more jobs in the region.
But the coronavirus has unfortunately come at a time when the business was fully in its stride.
“We have seen revenue drop by 95% because clearly with the lockdown the auto repairs work is not coming in. We have had to furlough the majority of our staff, and we have topped up their salary beyond the Government cap. Fortunately we had some business which was residual from before the lockdown which has allowed us to tick over for new starter staff that wouldn’t have qualified for the furlough scheme.”
But Mr Fisher said the business is robust, and those growth plans will reboot once the economy gets moving more freely again.
The Combined Authority’s Covid-19 Capital Grant will be used to add another service to the business – vehicle recovery. The grant will fund a recovery vehicle, which will also create a new job for a driver.
“We have to collect vehicles directly when working for insurance companies,” said Mr Fisher. “Currently we have to outsource that work to others. Having our own recovery vehicle means we can control costs, but also ensure we deliver a more thorough, consistent service. It will be a significant boost to what we do.”
For more about TDN Group, visit trading site: axiomrepair.co.uk
Company name: Fountain Fresh Imports Ltd
Sector: Food import, warehousing, distribution and consumer delivery
Covid-19 Capital Grant Scheme award: £46,000
Who: Jack Hanson, Managing Director
Before the coronavirus, Wisbech-based fresh food import and distribution business Fountain Fresh didn’t do home deliveries.
Now, its swiftly created online grocery business is expected to add £1 million to their annual turnover.
“It has been a vital lift for us,” said Jack Hanson, managing director. “Our core business is fresh produce supply to the leisure, hospitality and education sectors. Coronavirus has been a hammer blow to this part of the economy and therefore to us.”
“We’ve had to adapt. We didn’t even have a website before coronavirus, but we’ve quickly launched an online shop and we’re now making around 800 deliveries per week to people in the local area.”
Mr Hanson has also been searching for as much loan, grant and other business support as possible from Government and local authorities to support Fountain Fresh through the period.
He found out about the Combined Authority’s Covid-19 Capital Grants Scheme and decided to apply for funding to support the purchase of two vans for the new home deliveries.
“The grant has been a huge boost to us and our employees and we are all extremely grateful to the Government. Without the grant, we wouldn’t have committed to buying the vans and we would have been forced to use the furlough scheme. The grant doesn’t just support jobs for the delivery drivers, but also for those in the warehouse sorting and packing the orders.”
“This side of the business will continue to be an important contributor to what we do after coronavirus and offers further future potential.”
The online delivery service offers a full weekly shop of goods. As well as a range of fresh fruit and vegetables, it offers store cupboard ingredients like tinned foods, pasta and flour. There are dairy products and a vast range of locally sourced foods. This includes meat from local butchers, locally grown asparagus and other vegetables, preserves, cheeses and much more. It is helping not only the local public during this time but also businesses that have to lost their ‘route to market’.
It is another string to the bow of a business which has grown rapidly from its Wisbech base and which turned over £20 million in its fifth year and employs a local workforce of more than 40.
Jack, who comes from a family of fruit and vegetable traders, said that the late spring, early summer period would be the most challenging yet. While some of the businesses down the supply chain have managed to hold out, including through home deliveries, the continued closure of schools, office canteens and hospitality businesses will bite hard.
“We are owed money from hard-hit businesses and we don’t know if we will get paid. We have managed to remain robust, but I’m spending a lot of time looking for every bit of support that is out there, because this coming period will be very challenging.”
More information: Fountain Fresh Imports
Sector: Advanced Digital Manufacturing Technology
Covid-19 Capital Grant Scheme award: £120,000
Who: Dr Simon Kew, Managing Director
Alchemie Technology is developing advanced manufacturing innovations which will help the world combat the coronavirus.
The company’s current focus is on showcasing its coatings and dyeing technology to manufacturers of products such critical PPE, including face masks. One of the applications of its existing technologies enables textiles to be made with properties which ‘inactivate’ the coronavirus, in other words, making the virus unable to infect.
This capability will have clear uses across many areas including medical PPE supplies, seat coverings used in public transport and for the clothing market generally.
Such innovations are expected to be in high demand in the expected long battle against the coronavirus.
The Capital Grant from the Mayoral Combined Authority will help Alchemie to invest in ways to demonstrate this technology to new markets across the world, creating new sales and job opportunities from their Cambridge base.
Although the business has been affected by a huge drop off in global demand, the grant fund will help Alchemie to prepare for when the economic picture improves. Alchemie’s dyeing technology is called Endeavour and the coatings technology is called Novara and both also bring greater efficiency and reduced environmental impact for manufacturers.
Dr Simon Kew, Managing Director of Alchemie Technology, said: “We had a fully booked May and June of visits from manufacturers across the globe, including Asia and Central America, to view our technologies. This grant funding from the Combined Authority will allow us to continue to invest in our ability to demonstrate those groundbreaking technologies, while reducing some of the risk which the coronavirus has brought our business. We have already had success by demonstrating what we do virtually.
“There are clear opportunities for our technologies in the battle against the coronavirus. We have been working hard to ready these quickly to support the worldwide effort to beat this virus. That includes global markets but it also includes national manufacturers of products like facemasks, where we are seeing a clear focus on greater domestic production of critical PPE.
“This grant will support our plans for growth, which in turn will create new employment opportunities. The investment is part of laying the groundwork for future opportunities, particularly when greater global confidence returns to areas like textile manufacturing.”


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Detailed new guide from IRENA reveals how auction schemes are pushing down the cost of renewable energy in more than 60 markets
Governments considering introducing renewable energy auction schemes in a bid to drive down the cost of clean energy subsidies are being offered support through a new guide, published today by the International...
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Chief operating officer Hans Bünting believes collapse of Hitachi deal could spell good news for renewable power developers
Retailer, charity, and TV chef to help train over 1,000 community cooks on how to avoid waste when using surplus food donations
Thousands of businesses advised on steps they should take to 'minimise any disruption in the event of a no-deal Brexit'

domain: news


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Nintendo Showcases New BMX Themed Splatoon 2 Stage
A week outside of Splatoon 2‘s Global Testfire (beta), Nintendo continues to delve more into what players can expect from the game. Only earlier today, the latest stage was revealed: Humpback Pump Track.
While it isn’t immediately clear from the name alone, the stage is a modified indoor BMX park with a ton of topographical variation. Not much is known about it besides the pictures in the gallery (below) however the walls and humps will undoubtedly make for trickier maneuvering and gameplay.
More details announced for Splatoon 2 this week include the new characterMurch and his “gear scrubbing” service, offering far more customization options when it comes to weapons. Also, it was discovered that Splatoon 2 — in its Global Testfire, at least — had a surprisingly low tick rate and memory usage, making playing multiplayer over mobile hotspots absurdly effective.
Splatoon 2 still doesn’t have a set launch date for Nintendo Switch, however it should be coming out sometime this summer. Check out the gallery below with all of the new pictures of Humpback Pump Track:


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Sina-backed Fintech Firm Pintec Technology Holdings Ltd., has filed for a US$70 million initial public offering on Nasdaq, according to its prospectus.
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There have been rumors that Samsung's new flagship Galaxy phone was not one for Mobile World Congress, but would instead have its own gala on March 14th. We'd heard reports earlier today confirming the date, but now Samsung has made it social media official. Get ready.
At Mobile World Congress, Samsung Electronics' mobile division chief JK Shin was quoted by Edaily as saying:
"We introduced the Galaxy S III in London last year, and this time we changed the venue (to New York)... as we were bombarded with requests from U.S. mobile carriers to unveil the Galaxy S IV in the country."
And Samsung's Twitter account has backed that up with a tweet, teasing a "Samsung Unpacked" event for March 14th in New York City where the "next Galaxy" will be revealed.


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Collector tray mayhem: New warning over Woolworths free plant promotion
Less than two days until the latest plant promotion starts
With Woolworths latest Discovery Garden promotion launching on Wednesday, September 11, excitement is already building amongst fans.
The brand new promo sees shoppers earn one free plant kit for every $30 they spend in store, with 24 to collect.
But while there’s huge anticipation building across social media, fans are already issuing warnings to fellow collectors - get your collector tray NOW.
The trays - which hold all 24 plants - cost $4 each and will be on sale in Woolworths stores nationally from Wednesday. But with cases always selling out first during similar promotions and being on-sold for inflated amounts on eBay, Facebook and various Buy, Swap and Sell groups, fans are being warned to get in one ASAP.
‘Even if you’re not sure that your kids will get into it, still get a case,’ warned one mum. ‘I was caught out with Ooshies and Little Shop last year - they’re always the first to go.’
In fact some fans are even contemplating buying extra cases for family and friends, for when they miss out - just to avoid disappointment.
‘I meet so many people on Facebook still trying to get an Ooshie case, so people need to make sure they don’t make the same mistake with Discovery Garden,’ said one social media user. ‘Buy one as soon as the promotion starts, that’s my advice.’
Eliza ScanlanEliza Scanlan is a contributor with New Idea Food. Eliza has written for several digital titles including Practical Parenting and New Idea, with a passion for consumer and shopping news. Eliza is also a contributor for the Trolley Watch and The Flawsome Mum podcasts. In her spare time, Eliza loves watching Netflix and tending to her horses.


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Hermen Hulst Says PlayStation Remains Committed to "Narrative-Driven, Single-Player Games" with PS5
As Sony starts to head towards the launch of the PS5, it sounds as though the publisher's focus on single-player titles won't be changing.
Alongside confirming that Horizon Zero Dawn would be coming to PC later in 2020 today, PlayStation’s Hermen Hulst also talked a bit more about the future of Sony’s Worldwide Studios.
Chatting with the PlayStation Blog, Hulst was asked what Worldwide Studios, the entity that houses all of Sony’s first-party developers, has in store when it comes to next-gen and the PS5. Hulst made clear that despite Horizon Zero Dawn coming to PC, Sony will continue to work with specific hardware in the future, which as of later this year will primarily be that of the PS5. “We’re very committed to dedicated hardware, as we were before,” Hulst stated. “We’re gonna continue to do that.”
Hulst then expanded more on the types of games that you can expect to see from Worldwide Studios developers in the future and it seems to be relatively in line with what we’ve come to expect in the PS4 generation. “And we’re very committed to quality exclusives. And to strong narrative-driven, single-player games,” Hulst stated. Sony’s first-party devs have largely been praised during the PS4 era for the sheer number of single-player exclusives that have come about. Games like God of War, Marvel’s Spider-Man, Bloodborne, and upcoming releases like Ghost of Tsushima and The Last of Us Part II have been a big reason as to why PlayStation has had so much success over the past few years.
Still, just because Sony seems to be doubling down on single-player games as we head into the PS5 era, that doesn’t mean some things won’t be shaken up. “At the same time, we’re going to be very open to experimentation, to new ideas. Just trying things out to see what works,” Hulst said. “I think that’s also very much part of the DNA of Worldwide Studios.”
As we now know, some of that experimentation Hulst is referring to includes the advent of bringing games like Horizon Zero Dawn to PC. In a PS5 era that will seemingly see sequels to games like Marvel’s Spider-Man, God of War, and Horizon Zero Dawn all arriving, it will be more intriguing to see where Sony decides to mix things up in the future rather than staying the course with what they already know works.
For now, we still don’t know what Sony’s full plans for the PS5 might entail later this year, but we should hopefully begin to learn a lot more about the next-gen console in the coming months.


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NHS's largest drugs supplier Teva in £27bn bid for US rival Mylan
A £27billion drugs takeover bid by the NHS’s largest supplier has scotched a £19billion tie-up between two of its biggest rivals.
Israeli firm Teva is the largest maker of white label generic drugs in the world, and accounts for one in every seven NHS prescriptions.
It yesterday tabled a £27billion bid for US rival Mylan, which was in the process of doing its own deal-making with a £19billion tilt for peer Perrigo.
Takaover bid: Israeli firm Teva is the largest maker of white label generic drugs in the world
Perrigo last night rejected Mylan’s offer.
If combined, Teva and Mylan would be a goliath of the industry, with annual sales of £20billion and a market value of almost £70billion.
A letter from Teva chief executive Erez Vigodman said: ‘We are confident that Mylan’s board of directors and stockholders will agree that our proposal represents a more attractive alternative for Mylan and its stockholders than Mylan’s proposed acquisition of Perrigo.’
Last week Mylan rejected industry talk of a deal with Teva. But Vigodman yesterday said he wanted to change its mind. Mylan has not responded.
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Sony Online Entertainment is no more – the company has new owners and a new name.
Columbus Nova has acquired the H1Z1, DC Universe Online and Planetside 2 developer from Sony. It will now go under the name Daybreak Game Company and has already stated that it intends to go multiplatform.
Effective immediately SOE will operate as an independent game development studio where we will continue to focus on creating exceptional online games for players around the world, and now as a multi-platform gaming company,” a statement confirmed. Yes, that means PlayStation and Xbox, mobile and more!
So what exactly does this mean for you? It will be business as usual and all SOE games will continue on their current path of development and operation. In fact, we expect to have even more resources available to us as a result of this acquisition. It also means new exciting developments for our existing IP and games as we can now fully embrace the multi-platform world we are living in.”
The studio also commented on what many are calling it’s bizarre choice of new name.
This name embodies who we are as an organisation, and is a nod to the passion and dedication of our employees and players,” it said. It is also representative of our vision to approach each new day as an opportunity to move gaming forward.”


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A host of retailers — Whole Foods and Amazon included — are jumping into an entirely new category: natural personal hygiene for kids.
In time for back-to-school, these merchants, along with Meijer, Giant and Stop & Shop, will stock a new line called Fresh Kidz from Kind2Skin Ltd., a company based in the U.K. and founded by Michael and Roberta Harris. The pharmaceutical industry duo were seeking a solution to their grandchildren’s “funky smell,” and created the Keep It Kind brand, which includes a range of deodorants called Fresh Kidz.
Fresh Kidz, which contains no aluminum, no drying alcohol and no parabens, launched with success in Boots. The Fresh Kidz deodorants were previewed to U.S. buyers during last year’s National Association of Chain Drug Stores’ Total Store Expo. Buyers said it was one of the most promising debuts of the show.
The company estimates Fresh Kidz could ring up sales of $1.8 million by the end of 2015, and grow to $9.8 million by the end of 2016. What’s notable is that it is incremental business since many of this target group is not currently using any product.
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Fresh Kidz deodorants are dermatologically tested, but not tested on animals and the company eschews sexy or controversial advertising. The U.S. launch includes two items, one for boys and one for girls, priced at $4.99.
“It was essential to create a brand that parents could trust and, at the same time, we wanted to design the range so kids would always want to use them,” said Rochelle Diaz, the chief operating officer for Kind2Skin USA. “With the age of the onset of puberty continuing to fall, there is a substantial need for a collection developed exclusively for the five million eight- to 14-year-olds in the U.S.,” said Diaz, adding that 50 percent of kids are entering puberty before the age of 10. “The most important thing is to make the products really cool for kids, but make parents rest assure they are safe.”
The company has big plans to extend into a full assortment of personal-care items for the age group with body sprays most likely on tap next. The initial U.S. launch includes 1,500 doors with plans to expand to as many as 8,000 units by summer.
In addition to a large public relations push, Fresh Kidz will be promoted via social media, sample and trade support.


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Headquartered in Hørsholm, Denmark, Natural Colors is a developer and manufacturer of natural coloring ingredients, serving more than 1,600 customers in the food and beverages industry. The Natural Colors division employs approximately 650 people and has grown organically by around 9% per annum during the past five years up to 2018/19. The Company generated sales of €224m ($261m) in 2018/19.
Natural Colors’ products are made from all-natural fruit and vegetable concentrates from sweet potatoes, grape skin, spirulina, carrots and beetroots. The products are primarily used within F&B applications where the conversion from artificial to natural colorants is highest, such as dairy- and fruit preparations, confectionery, ice cream, prepared foods and beverages.
Natural Colors’ underlying market is supported by trends such as increasing consumer awareness around health and the environment, the ongoing transition from synthetic components to natural ingredients, and a growing demand for sustainable and plant-based food.
EQT said it intends to build on the existing strategy of continued organic growth in current markets with a focus on the US and Asia. EQT will also support acquisitive expansion within the fragmented foods coloring market by utilizing the Natural Colors platform for industry consolidation. It said it plans to invest in the company’s organization and strengthen its digital infrastructure, sustainability capabilities and supply chain setup.
Mauricio Graber, CEO of Chr. Hansen, said, “The divestment of the Natural Colors Division completes the review part of our recently launched 2025 Strategy. Chr. Hansen can now focus on fulfilling the ambition of becoming a pure-play, microbial and fermentation company with industry leading, profitable growth. I am convinced EQT will be a great owner of the Natural Colors business which has a leading global position in the industry. During the process it has become clear that EQT showed the strongest conviction in the potential of the business, and the highest dedication to the future development of it. I want to thank all the employees of the Natural Colors business for their contribution to Chr. Hansen over many years and wish them all the best in the future journey as an independent company.”
Mads Ditlevsen, partner at EQT Partners, and investment advisor to EQT IX, said, “We are immensely proud and humble of having been chosen as the future owner of Natural Colors. It is a high-quality and truly global business with a proud legacy of servicing customers all over the world for more than 100 years. We are highly impressed by the strong ESG profile, the high-quality organization and talented people we have met during this process, as well as the dedicated focus on food safety. Natural Colors fits very well with EQT’s thematic investment criteria and is operating in two of EQT IX’s five prioritized sub-sectors within Industrial Technology. EQT’s ambition is to help the business achieve further growth both organically and through acquisitions.”
Klaus Bjerrum, executive vice president of Natural Colors Division, said, “I am very pleased to announce EQT as the new owner of Chr. Hansen’s Natural Colors Division. EQT has acquired our great business (pending closing) to grow it organically and inorganically based on our capabilities and organization, and not least our leading market position. It is my conviction that this marks a new and exciting chapter for us, and I am excited to embark on this journey with EQT and all our talented employees around the world.”
The transaction, subject to customary conditions and regulatory approvals, is expected to close in H1 2021.


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TSINANDALI, Georgia -- Alexander Chavchavadze must be turning in his grave.
Georgia's most refined 19th-century aristocrat was a general in the czar's army, and a poet to boot. At his summer mansion in Tsinandali he entertained a stream of distinguished Russian visitors with music, wit, and -- above all -- the fine vintages made at his estate winery.
Alexander Pushkin came for a merry sojourn in 1831.
``What would Chavchavadze have thought of Russia banning the wine he gave to his friends?" mused Nino Bitskinashvili, a guide at the estate museum . ``It would have been very taxing for him to digest this reality," she finally said .
In the Kakheti region of eastern Georgia, the former Soviet state that sits below Russia, locals are smarting at Moscow's decision to ban imports of wine from the country.
Wine is Georgia's second-biggest export, and until March 27 -- when Russia announced the embargo and implemented it with immediate effect -- 70 percent of it was sold to its northern neighbor.
The abrupt restriction, on grounds that alcohol imports from Georgia were contaminated with pesticides and impurities, was widely seen as a political swipe by the Kremlin. Georgia's pro-Western president, Mikhail Saakashvili, disparaged the allegation of contamination, saying, ``Georgian wine is being punished because of our freedom and democratic aspirations."
Only now, as the difficulty of finding new buyers hits home, is the ban starting to bite deep in Kakheti , a sweep of shallow green valleys full of vineyards where 80 percent of the workforce is involved in the wine-making industry.
``It was the most unfriendly and serious blow they could inflict on us," said Nuzgar Bachiashvili, mayor of Telavi, the regional capital. Wineries have slowed or halted production, and there are growing fears that the autumn harvest will see major job cuts for seasonal workers.
The blockade began when Russia's chief sanitary doctor, Gennady Onishchenko, requested the customs service stop imports of Georgian alcohol because new tests had shown banned pesticides such as DDT and aldrin in imports of wines and spirits. Onishchenko said that many bottles were of uncertain origin, and that 61 percent of Georgian wine fell below sanitary levels in laboratory checks.
Up to half of the alcohol consumed in Russia is thought to be fake or sold under the counter. Illegal producers use forged labels and custom stamps to imitate respected foreign imports. Counterfeit wine is often made from cheap grapes or alcohol produced with other fruits and dyed with food coloring.
In public, most wine producers in Georgia are putting a brave face on the crisis, saying the government has thrown itself into seeking new markets. The hawkish defense minister, Irakli Okruashvili, a former businessman, has been tasked with sniffing out new buyers abroad; a hint that the search is considered an issue of national concern.
Saakashvili even raised the issue in Beijing during a recent summit with President Hu Jintao of China. That prompted producers to joke that if every Chinese family could be persuaded to drink at least one bottle per year, it would be more than the Georgian market could produce.
In private, however, many in the business are rattled -- and angered -- by Russia's blanket ban.
``When you find a bad carton of milk on the shelf, you don't throw out the whole fridge, do you?" says Gia Kurdovanidze, commercial director of Shumi Wine Company, just beyond the walls of the Chavchavadze estate.
Levan Koberidze, head of sales at of Georgian Wines and Spirits, the country's biggest wine exporter, said the closing of the Russian market is ``a very serious blow."
``For the peasant workers it means that the autumn harvest is under question," he adds. ``A minimum of half of it won't be bought by the bottled wine producers."
Moscow denies any political undercurrent to its actions. Alexei Gordeyev, agriculture minister, told reporters Russia wanted to ``restore order on the market so that people no longer get poisoned and companies stop cashing in on our citizens' health."
But observers say the ban most likely is a politically motivated attack as relations deteriorate between Russia and its former Soviet neighbors.
Vladimir Nuzhny, a toxicologist in Moscow specializing in alcohol, said large quantities of foreign wine had not corresponded to the required quality since the fall of the Soviet Union.
``It never killed anyone, and the Russian leadership used to turn a blind eye, but now that relations are worsening with the Georgian and Moldovan leaders, they don't see a need to ignore it anymore," he said. Moscow also cut off all imports of alcohol from Moldova at the end of March. The Kremlin is angry at Moldova for imposing a recent economic blockade on a pro-Russian separatist territory.
In Georgia, Saakashvili's government has upset Moscow by increasing cooperation with Washington since the ``Rose Revolution" that brought him to power on the back of popular protests in 2003.
After the uprising, US military advisers were drafted quickly to help the Georgian army under the ``train and equip" program, and Saakashvili is propelling the country toward NATO.
There are other bones of contention: Russia supports Georgia's breakaway regions, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and refuses to withdraw Russian peacekeeping troops in the two regions.
Georgia's hints at plans to leave the Commonwealth of Independent States earlier this year irked the Kremlin. ``That may have been the final straw," said a Western diplomat in Moscow. The Commonwealth is a loose affiliation of former Soviet states that Russia has used as a tool to influence its neighbors.
Not all Russians favor the ban. In April, 38 Russian alcohol importers published an open letter to President Vladimir Putin in national newspapers urging him to end the ``catastrophic situation." They estimated Russian businesses could lose $700 million as a result of the embargo.
Georgia is drenched in the tradition of wine, and Kakheti producers take pride in their pedigree. Residues on shards of ancient ceramic storage jars discovered in the south of the country suggest wine-making was underway 8,000 years ago, arguably a first in the world .
Ironically, Shumi Wine Company won prizes for its wine at several recent competitions in Moscow. It also exports to the United States and western Europe. Workers at its factory are nonplussed by Moscow's ban. ``So the Russians think we'll poison them with this," said one, shaking his head as he offered a glass of Kindzmarauli, Stalin's favorite.
In fact, it recently emerged that Kremlin canteens had decided to eke out their last supplies of Georgian wine rather than destroy it. Dry, full-bodied reds like Saperavi and semi-sweet varieties like Kvanchkara have seduced Russian drinkers for centuries.
Wine producers in Kakheti accept there is a large market in fake alcohol. What irks Bachiashvili is that most counterfeit ``Georgian" wines are known to be produced in Russia. ``The hypocrisy is incredible," he says. ``They should fight that first before criticizing us."
Moscow has suggested the ban could be lifted if quality checks prove all imported alcohol is up to scratch, but there seems little hope of a quick solution.
A few miles away from Tsinandali at the award-winning Telavi Wine Cellar, 20 workers have been laid off and construction work halted on a new presentation hall and bottling plant. The company had export orders for 4.3 million bottles this year .
``It's a poor political decision," said Natalie Gigitelashvili, marketing manager. The company hopes to get back on the Russian market, but it could be too late, she said.
``All those empty shelves in Moscow will soon be filled with wine from other countries."


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The old adage “If it seems to be too good to be true, it probably is”. That is, it’s NOT true. Crowdsourcing companies promise a lot more than they can deliver. Our previous post proved to be way too optimistic when we tried to get a couple of those companies to actually deliver those views. What we found was that some proxy servers MIGHT do so.
However, it seems that proxy servers are as much of a bag of snakes as crowdsourcing entities. We noted during our experiments with crowdsourcing companies that some of them proposed to use proxy servers, or actually did so, but they apparently did not succeed in adding more than a handful of views. That apparently was because YouTube is too clever, and they disqualified most of the views for a variety of reasons. For example, if the crowdsource operative used a proxy server located in a country other than his/her own (which they could tell if the visiting IP was from one country in one time zone but the time of the computer to which the IP was attached was set to a different time zone), YouTube disqualified those views.
The other challenge is that most proxy server folks want to be paid in Bitcoin. While you can use dollars or credit cards or gift cards at sites like Paxful, they can be pretty expensive.
The bottom line is that many owners of YouTube channels may find it too expensive and time-consuming to boost their view counts via crowdsourcing or proxy servers.
Facebook and a handful of other social media are so entrenched that few people think about life before them. But the Web was conceived 15 years before Facebooks’s founding in 2004. Facebook put a pretty face on the Web, and billions of people have flocked to it. And Google Search, YouTube, and a handful of other giants –fueled by tons of advertising revenues—exercise a lot of control over what people can see and do, so much so that there is growing sentiment about breaking up these monopolistic organizations. And delivering fake news or vicious propaganda from the likes of ISIS (ironically ISIS can even get PAID by YouTube while it disseminates its messages of hatred) adds further pressure for this breakup.
We at Wild Bill Web Enterpises have been tracking the visitors (and other metrics) for our three websites–including TechnologyBloopers, WhyMenDieYoung, and Wilddancer—on a weekly basis using Google Analytics and on a monthly basis using our ISP for nearly two years, and are baffled by the helter-skelter, all-over-the-map, random-looking numbers Google Analytics is providing us. Apparently this is a common problem, with a lot of possible causes, including some possibilities that could be our fault (well, the lack of useful guidance from Google and other sources isn’t really OUR fault). And it isn’t that our visitor volume is so high that we are the victim of Google’s sampling process. But we, and probably millions of other website developers, find it highly difficult, even impossible, to make any decisions based on this data. Why don’t the Internet and the Web take advantage of the huge computing power of the hardware and software to provide reasonably accurate statistics so that we can make things easier and more productive for both us and our visitors?
The Internet and the Worldwide Web have arguably changed the path of history. And they have made companies like Google into mega successes. But those companies have also caused much consternation among their millions of users. Why? Apparently they don’t bother to check with many (or any!) of those users to see how logical and self-evident their websites and associated tools are for their target audiences. Examples abound, and we will be posting some of the more egregious. But the Internet giants could have been even more successful, and keep website visitors on their sites longer (where they would be exposed to more advertisements) if their user interfaces were less opaque. The goal is usability, which is not rocket science. Two of most used tools are the Chrome browser and YouTube, which we will discuss in separate posts.
I was shopping for MEN’s pickpocket-proof travel pants, and I must have visited travelsmith.com in my search. That was on Monday, May 2. Now, on Wednesday, May 4, EVERY site I visit—on searches totally unrelated to clothing—I am dealt a Travelsmith WOMAN’S Walkabout Knit Short-Sleeved Drape-Neck Top. I hope that Travelsmith is not paying Google (I am using Chrome) or another ad-dealing company very much for these ads. What is their logic? Do they think that I want to buy my wife this top (admittedly, at $27 it IS a lot cheaper than the pants)? Fortunately, after repeating this advertisement ad nauseum, Google graciously offered to let me fine-tune my ad preferences. Hmmm.
But it’s already too late to put the sword back in its place. The Internet, the Worldwide Web, Google Search, social networks, and other on-line miracles have given billions of people capabilities they never had dreamed of. But in their haste the makers of these tools have also enabled evil-doers capabilities beyond the masses’ worst nightmares. History is full of other technological advances that have been used for both good and evil purposes, but more recently cyberattacks have permitted individuals or small groups, sitting in safety at their personal computing devices, to wreak havoc on millions of innocent victims. These cyberattacks appear to be increasing in frequency and scope of havoc. Most recently several news sources reported the charging of an Iranian hacker on March 24 of his 2013 attack on a dam in Rye Brook, NY, which he found vulnerable using a technique called Google Dorking. (The wheels of justice certainly turn slowly … especially compared with the speed of computers and their hacker masters!)
Apparently he did not use his knowledge to operate the sluice gate of this small dam (perhaps because it was disconnected from computer control at the time). And although this dam is in a rather backwater community (pun intended) and not much of a threat to national security or even significant injury to people or damage to property, the ability of the hacker to infiltrate the computer system demonstrates a capability to attack a much bigger and more dangerous dam or other strategic infrastructure such as an electric power grid.
The really scary thing is that almost certainly many other sectors are under similar attacks. One such sector is hospitals. Within the last two months the computer systems at the Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, the Methodist Hospital in Henderson, KY, and the MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, DC were crippled by cyberattacks. These were not minor incidents; the overall MedStar 10-hospital group has 30,000 staff and 6,000 affiliated doctors. And patients in critical condition could die from the delays caused by inoperative computer systems.
Another sector is financial. On March 29 hackers breached the security at two large law firms whose giant Wall Street banks and corporate clients are constantly dealing with confidential matters, knowledge of which could net hackers millions of dollars through insider trading.
The general populace can only hope that the responsible governmental agencies are working hard to identify strategic facilities throughout the U.S. and its allies, and alert vulnerable ones so they can take steps to minimize the dangers from Google Dorking and other hacker nastiness. And also hope that “white hat hackers” (the good guys)–the modern-day equivalent of yesteryears’ vigilantes—step up their activities. It would help considerably if these strategic facilities would reward these hackers for their efforts.
Did Stephanie Lenz make a bag of money from her video that Universal would otherwise have made? It seems that actually Universal and Prince got a lot of free advertising out of it starting in 2007, no? A U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal has just struck a blow against the hubris of music publishers such as Universal who send out takedown notices at the drop of a hat. If every YouTube (or Vimeo et al) video that borrowed a little, or even a lot, triggered so much legal argy-bargy, there wouldn’t be enough lawyers and judges on the planet to deal with it all. Similarly for the print world, and look at all the examples of “the pot calling the kettle black”:
-Google violated copyrights wholesale by scanning millions of books; but didn’t that provide a service to humanity by making intellectual content available for out-of-print volumes?
-Facebook was essentially a college Freshman Register; could it have been sued by thousands of universities collectively?
-Amazon’s Kindle refuses to let owners copy even one word. So all students writing term papers are back to the archaic 3×5 cards in the digital age. How stupid can they be, especially in the days of the Turnitin plagiarism checker technology?
History buffs may liken this situation to the spy-and-counter-spy among countries. It surely seems to us at Technology Bloopers to be a great waste of resources and a great inconvenience to the more than 3 billion current users of the Internet today. Most users have already been spoiled by the “free” goodies they enjoy in return for their viewing increasing volumes of advertising. This arrangement has been around for at least 150 years in newspaper and magazine publishing, although most of the important hard-copy publications make their revenue from a combination of subscription fees and advertising purchases. By contrast, the much more recent Internet is mostly free to users and paid for by advertisers. Some interesting exceptions are Wikipedia, language-learning site Yabla, and purchase or rental of plugins and themes for WordPress. In the opinion of Technology Bloopers, there are many Internet sites for which users would pay reasonable fees, which would reduce the conflict among the titans of Silicon Valley. Google has contributed great gobs of technology but financed it heavily with ads. But users have had their fill of ads, leading to a rapid growth of ad blocking software. And some of the ads are so intrusive (the ones on SpanishDict.com are the worst in our experience, interrupting users with highly-distracting audio and video) that they cry out for ad blockers … and boycotting of such sites in favor of more ones that are less obnoxious. The advertisers have been spooked by this software, leading to a rapid growth of software that undoes the blocking. Most recently Apple has jumped into the fray with its own ad blockers, which is a welcome counter-force, though actually Apple has its own ads buried in its Apps, so the only beneficiary is Apple, while Google loses business and consumers continue to be annoyed by ads.
But though most people can recover from having their credit card data compromised (or perhaps weren’t personally affected by it), they might not recover so well from having their marriage destroyed, so perhaps the most poignant of recent hacks was the one of the Ashley Madison extramarital affair website. Most recently Ashley Madison users filed class action lawsuits in Canada and the US, which will almost certainly destroy the company and at a minimum disgrace its parent company Avid Life Media Ironically, the hackers had originally not tried to destroy the whole thing but to force more ethical behavior on it, and when the company stonewalled the hackers carried out their threat of disclosure. Another example of hubris … which has at a minimum forced the CEO of Avid Life Media to resign.


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Mumbai-based Haygot Education Pvt Ltd, which runs ed-tech startup Toppr, has raised $100,000 (INR 65 lakh) as part of an extended Series B funding round from Hong Kong-based early-stage investor Axis Capital Partners
Multichannel marketing and campaign management platform Corefactors has raised an undisclosed amount in pre-Series A funding from growth catalyst firm ah! Ventures.
Billionaire Mukesh Ambani-controlled TV18 Broadcast Ltd is investing up to INR 40 crore in Ahmedabad-based Infibeam Incorporation Ltd.
Mumbai-based ed-tech startup Shirsa Labs Pvt Ltd has raised $500,000 in a pre-series A round
Jason Kothari, chief strategy and investment officer at Snapdeal, has made a personal investment in ItsByU, a flower e-commerce company in the US.


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Can There Be Winners in a Trade War?
This document is directed at investment professionals and qualified investors (as defined by MiFID/FCA regulations).
The U.S. and China trade war has disrupted markets this year and is causing meaningful change in global supply chains. While it is straightforward to identify countries that have gained from the conflict, singling out the companies that may thrive amid this turmoil requires deep research.
- The U.S.-China trade war is having significant, tangible results with year-over-year (YOY) U.S. imports of Chinese goods down over 13% and U.S. exports to China down over 6% YOY. Chinese imports have been negative on a YOY basis for six straight months.
- While imports from China have been decreasing, other countries, such as Japan, the Philippines, Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam, have all increased exports to the U.S. on a YOY basis. In fact, these five countries in aggregate have increased their exports to the U.S. more than 8% in the last 12 months.
- American companies are already adjusting their supply chains in case the trade war becomes a long-lasting conflict. 42% have said they expect to get materials normally sourced from China from a different provider in the next year, according to a recent survey by Bain & Company, and 81% have indicated that escalating trade tensions have affected their current business operations.
- Some people believe only those multi-nationals with flexible supply chains may have the ability to successfully mitigate the impact of increased tariffs. Identifying these companies necessitates diligent research. However, those corporations that operate in the digital sphere, such as new media, cloud computing and enterprise software businesses, may be impacted less than those that deal in physical goods, e.g., industrials and materials companies.
Download Alger On The Money


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Cyber Thieves Took Data On 145 Million eBay Customers By Hacking 3 Corporate Employees
EBay has come under fire over its handling of the cyberattack, in which hackers accessed personal data of all 145 million users, ranking it among the biggest such attacks launched on a corporation to date.
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Wenig would not say when the company first realized that the cyberattackers accessed customer data, nor how long it took to prepare Wednesday's announcement.He said hackers got in using the credentials of three corporate employees, eventually making their way to the user database.
Hackers accessed email addresses and encrypted passwords belonging to all eBay users. "Millions" of users have since reset their passwords and the company had begun notifying users, though it would take some time to complete that task, Wenig said."You would imagine that anyone who has ever touched eBay is a large number," he said. "So we're going to send all of them an email, but sending that number all at once is not operationally possible." At least three U.S. states are investigating the company's security practices. Customers have complained on social media about delayed notification emails. And New York's attorney general called on eBay to provide free credit monitoring services to users.
But the Internet retail giant has no plans to compensate customers or offer free credit monitoring for now because it had detected no financial fraud, Wenig said.
Wenig declined comment when asked if he thought eBay had good security prior to the breach. He said the company would now bolster its security systems, and has mobilized senior executives in a subsequent investigation of the attack."We want to make sure it doesn't happen again so we're going to continue to look our procedures, harden our operational environment and add levels of security where it's appropriate."
The breach marked the latest headache for eBay this year. In January, it crossed swords publicly with activist investor Carl Icahn, who mounted a campaign to get it to spin out PayPal. Then in April, the e-commerce company disappointed investors with a weak second-quarter outlook, pressuring its shares.
AVOIDING BACK DOORS
Buying and selling activity on eBay remained "fairly normal" though eBay is still working out the cost of the breach, which included hiring a number of security firms. Wenig, who was previously a senior executive at Thomson Reuters Corp, declined to comment on whether the cost could be material to eBay's results.Wenig's revelation that the company initially believed that no customer data had been compromised might take some of the heat off eBay's executive team.
"In some cases you go in and find the smoking gun immediately. Other times, it takes a few days or even a few weeks," said Kevin Johnson, a cyber-forensics expert who was not involved in the eBay investigation but has worked for other Fortune 500 companies.Daniel Clemens, a forensics expert and CEO of Packet Ninjas, said investigators often ask companies to hold off on disclosure until they believe they understand the full extent of an attack. Otherwise, they risk tipping off attackers who might cover their tracks or leave "back doors" so they can return after the investigators complete their probe.
On Wednesday, the e-commerce company announced that hackers raided its network between late February and early March. The company said financial information was not compromised and its payments unit PayPal was not affected.When eBay first discovered the network breach in early May, the senior team was immediately involved and held multiple daily calls on the issue. EBay staff have been working around the clock since Wednesday. Wenig said he could not provide much more detail about what happened in the attack beyond the scant information given out so far. He declined to provide further specifics, citing ongoing investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and several forensics firms including FireEye Inc's Mandiant division.
(Editing by Edwin Chan, Lisa Shumaker and Andrew Hay)
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Facebook has been taking rapid steps forward towards entering into the blockchain and cryptocurrency business. The company started off a blockchain division earlier this month and has since been planning to tap into the virtual currency markets to some extent. However, as of this writing, their final plans are still a mystery. Over the past few days, however, the company has been taking some steps forward in this direction.
David Marcus Steps Down From Coinbase Board
Facebook, which was heavily rumoured to be acquiring Coinbase, has been planning to downplay the news for quite some time now. This past week, Facebook’s head of the blockchain division, David Marcus, decided to shut down from Coinbase’s board of directors. Marcus, who was the former Vice President of the Facebook Messenger division, was assigned to lead their newly-formed blockchain division this May.
As per CCN, a Coinbase representative has informed that Marcus stepping down from the company is a move consciously taken to ensure that it does not appear that there is any conflict of interest between the two companies. This is in light of the rumours of Facebook acquiring Coinbase. Moreover, Facebook also has plans to launch their own cryptocurrency or a virtual token - which they are expected to announce over the next few months.
Facebook Meets Stellar
In another news update, it has been reported that Facebook’s blockchain research division has recently had a meeting with Stellar. The discussion that took place between the two companies was to determine how Facebook could make better use of the Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) to improve their platform.
Reportedly, talks about Facebook splitting the main Stellar blockchain to carry their own cryptocurrency over it also took place. This was similar to how Kik, the chat application decided to leverage the Stellar platform for their Kin cryptocurrency token. Moreover, it is also understood that Stellar has been pitching this idea to a number of other cryptocurrency and blockchain based projects as well.
Facebook’s Blockchain Plans
Facebook’s blockchain division is one of the most ambitious projects of the company in quite a while now. The company is now looking forward towards expanding their blockchain division. A recent job posting from Facebook explains their blockchain division as: “is a startup within Facebook, with a vision to make blockchain technology work at Facebook scale and improve the lives of billions of people around the world.”
Facebook, in the past, has experimented with virtual currencies. The company had introduced virtual credits which the users could use to buy virtual gifts for each other. However, that wasn’t a long-living experiment as it shut down in just a couple of years. However, introducing a cryptocurrency token could have multiple applications in Facebook today, which is a much more mature platform. Facebook could possibly leverage the use of cryptocurrency tokens for advertising on their platform - however this is just a speculation and the company’s final plans are yet to be revealed.


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Pace, one of the most important providers of set-top boxes for cable companies in the US, has just announced that it has entered a partnership with TiVo to port the software developed by the latter to its STBs and gateways.
Pace has already licensed TiVo's Hardware Porting Kit and will work with its partner to build a verified TiVo platform.
This will provide operators who want to offer TiVo
solutions to their customers the choice of utilizing Pace set-top boxes
According to Pace, in order to simplify operational integration and speed to market, these devices will leverage the company’s provisioning and device management capabilities, and provide integrated high-speed data connectivity for broadband communications and content delivery.
The solution will also harness TiVo's whole-home capabilities, such as multi-room streaming and support for both traditional set-top and IP clients, including TiVo's mobile and tablet applications.
"We are thrilled to be working with TiVo as they have a great solution for operators looking to answer their customers' increased demand for advanced and hybrid TV capabilities," said Mike Pulli, CEO of Pace plc.
"We've seen increased interest from all segments of our service provider business to integrate the TiVo solution.
“In working together, we will provide an offering which seamlessly marries the operator's television and Internet services in an elegant and easy to use product for their end users," concluded the company’s rep.
Pace intends to offer implementations for both DVR
and advanced gateway set-top boxes globally, but so far it hasn’t mentioned when it expects these solution to arrive into the hands of cable operators.
The company did however say that the first such devices would be made available to operators in the Americas.


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"FRAUD ALERT: COVID-19 Vaccine Survey Scam"
"Distribution of the approved COVID-19 vaccines is well underway, but fraudsters are gaining access to vaccine-related data almost as fast as the rollout. According to Google’s vaccination statistics, over 7 million people in Massachusetts have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine – that’s over 60% of the state’s population.
After getting the first dose of any approved iteration of the COVID-19 vaccine, some consumers may receive imposter emails or texts posing as Moderna, Pfizer, or Johnson and Johnson. These messages often claim to be “post-vaccination surveys,” however none of the current vaccine providers are conducting surveys at this time. Special Agent William McNamara from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) says “consumers receive the surveys via email and text message, and are told that, as a gift for filling out the survey, they can choose from various free prizes, such as an iPad Pro.” This is a scam – do not respond!"
Continue reading the article online http://blog.mass.gov/consumer/massconsumer/fraud-alert-covid-19-vaccine-survey-scam/
"The Federal Communications Commission Offers New Emergency Broadband Benefit"
"Staying connected has taken on a whole new meaning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The orders to shelter in place over the past year have created a surge in our digital landscape. This transition happened quickly and caused some to be left behind as work, school, health, and social activities moved to online platforms. To make internet service more affordable, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is providing Emergency Broadband (EBB) discounts to struggling families through a temporary program which just launched this week.
The EBB will provide eligible households with a monthly discount of up to $50 towards broadband service and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal lands. Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers if they contribute more than $10 and less than $50 toward the purchase price. See link for EBB details: GetEmergencyBroadband.org."
Continue reading the article online https://blog.mass.gov/consumer/massconsumer/the-federal-communications-commission-offers-new-emergency-broadband-benefit/


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Check Point says the acquisition will strengthen its ability to proactively challenge IoT related threats and vulnerabilities, with the new technology to be integrated into its Infinity architecture.
Check Point claims it is the first company to provide a consolidated security solution that hardens and protects the firmware of IoT devices and makes them secure against the most sophisticated attacks.
According to Check Point the proliferation of Internet-of-things (IoT) devices in consumer, enterprise, industrial and healthcare organisations, and their inherent security weaknesses, have created a security blind spot where cybercriminals launch 5th and 6th generation of cyber attacks to breach devices (IP camera surveillance), manipulate their operation (medical device infiltration) or even take over critical infrastructure (manufacturing plant) to generate “colossal damage”.
“Today’s announcement represents our continuous effort to provide the best cyber security on all digital platforms” said Dr Dorit Dor, Check Point VP Products.
“The 5th and 6th generations of cyber threats are leveraging the growing usage of new and developing platforms, including IoT devices which require extending cyber security solutions capabilities.
“Incorporating Cymplify into Check Point’s Infinity architecture will strengthen our ability to reduce our customers’ exposure to the IoT cyber risk, and proactively tackle IoT related threats and vulnerabilities without disrupting critical operations.”


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23 March 2020
Britain-based workers needed to support UK growers
A bid to create a UK workforce that will work with growers to address demand during the coronavirus outbreak, could also help those who have found themselves out of work, or struggling financially, during the crisis, it has been claimed.
HOPS, a specialist in supplying seasonal labour to the land-based industry, is trying to build a UK workforce to help farms harvest crops that will feed the nation following the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on seasonal labour travelling from abroad.
Travel restrictions and tighter border controls around the world are having a major impact on the number of people willing to travel to the UK during the Covid-19 outbreak.
Potato packing is one of the jobs HOPS is encouraging people to apply for, stating that the paid positions could provide an income for anyone who has been laid off work as a result of the impact of Covid-19, such as those working in hospitality and catering, stressing that strict protection procedures will be in place and they will not be put at risk from the virus.
The organisation is also working with The National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs (NFYFC) to help gather support from the YFC community and has launched a #YFCRuralSupport campaign to find applicants.
HOPS Operations Director Sarah Boparan said: “We urgently need a UK labour force who can help harvest crops to feed the nation. At a time when international travel is restricted and people are panic buying due to the Coronavirus, it is crucial that growers can provide enough British produce to our supermarkets and local shops.
She added: “We are aware that there are many people facing sustained periods away from their usual employment or studies and HOPS can offer paid positions for those who are willing to work.”
Interested applicants will be asked to complete an online application form after they have reviewed the information about the work involved.
Successful applicants will receive training on the farm and can be assured that all HOPS farms are following the correct procedures around safe working conditions during the coronavirus outbreak.


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The release date for NBA 2K20 has been set for this week and is already available to download on PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.
The pre-load is going live today, meaning fans who have digitally pre-ordered can get ready for the full launch on September 6.
This is the official release date for NBA 2K20, which does not include an early tip-off for gamers on PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.
Access is reportedly being granted to everyone at the same time, depending on where you live in the world.
However, some stores will be selling the game early on September 5, at around 9pm local time – more about that below.
It should also be noted that there is an NBA 2K20 demo available to download and play now for those itching to try out the MyPLAYER Builder.
For everyone who is buying the game digitally, we have a good idea when NBA 2K20 will be out.
According to the latest reports, the NBA 2K20 release time has been set for midnight locally.
That means everyone should be able to jump on and play in the UK on September 6, from midnight.
Things are being treated a little differently in the United States, with midnight EST being the set launch time.
That means some gamers will get access a few hours early, especially if they live in the PST time zone.
Any changes to this schedule will likely be shared on the game’s social media channels before launch.
It should also be noted that some retailers like the Microsoft Store, has listed NBA 2K20 going live at 6pm in the UK on September 5.
Most of the above information is based around the digital launch of the game, meaning things might be a little different for those buying it off the shelf.
Some stores will be selling NBA 2K20 earlier, on September 5, before the official release date.
And with servers expected to be turned on quite early on September 5, it means some gamers might start playing before the official release time.
It will be worth calling your local store and finding out if this is something they are planning to do.
There is no guarantee that this will be an event that every NBA 2K fans will be able to take advantage of.
As an example, Best Buy has confirmed that NBA 2K20 will be available to buy on September 5 at around 9pm, from most of their stores.
The same goes for Gears 5, Borderlands 3 and FIFA 20 when they are released later in 2019.
We recently found more about the new MyCAREER Mode and how it will run on all platforms.
“This year’s narrative features the storyline of an NBA prospect named Che on his quest for gold both on and off the court, covering the importance of mentors, dealing with off-court pressures and current social issues,” a message from 2K explains.
“In this game setting, the path to stardom is firmly in the gamers hands.
“The cinematic narrative was directed by up-and-coming visionary Sheldon Candis, and features a star-studded cast including Idris Elba, Rosario Dawson, and NBA all-stars past and present.
“This is the most visually stunning MyCAREER cinematic experience to date and brings the journey to life in a completely new and immersive way.”
NBA 2K20 launches on PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch digitally on September 6.
Source: Read Full Article


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Those who fear that Nike will turn N.F.L. uniforms into highlighter-hued, reflective-surfaced, overengineered showcases for fashion-forward football apparel have no cause for concern. Yet.
Nike unveiled the new uniforms Tuesday at Steiner Studios in Brooklyn, and with the exception of the Seattle Seahawks, every team escaped the event sartorially unscathed.
The new uniforms are a result of a deal that makes Nike the exclusive uniform and apparel provider for the N.F.L. for the next five years, a position Reebok had held for a decade.
With smoke machines and lasers, a Cinemascope-size movie screen and bone-rattling hip hop and drum-line music, the event was part fashion show and part pep rally.
“Today is opening day for a new era of potential,” Mark Parker, Nike’s president and chief executive, said. It was also a banner day for tradition. When 32 players — one representing each team — finally stepped onto the stage lined with artificial turf in front of bleachers full of members of the news media, after a seemingly endless series of promotional videos and presentations by Nike executives, it was hard to tell the difference between the new uniforms and the old ones.


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Posts tagged Manchester
A rather unusual encounter took place yesterday ahead of this Sunday’s much anticipated Manchester Derby. Usain Bolt, the World’s Fastest Man, caught up with Manchester City’s star striker Sergio Agüero to give him a unique lesson in speed.
As we look towards the start of the season, so do the pros. Three members of the ‘New Breed of Attack’ are premier league superstars Wayne Rooney, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Danny Welbeck. We got to take a sneak peak at their custom made boots as they prepare to take on the 2013-14 season.
Nike today showed off the New Manchester City Away shirt, which reflects the club’s historic past.
Manchester City will play in their first ever Nike home kit next season – a kit that pays homage to their heritage while reflecting the club’s modern style.
At a recent shoot for the Nike FC247 collection in Manchester, England, Wayne Rooney shared insights about small-sided football, opened up about growing up in Liverpool and named his favorite part of training. During the shoot, Rooney tried out Nike’s new Bomba Finale II, a shoe created for the demands of astroturf-based football.
Over the last six months Nike have been scouring the UK for The Chance, a global talent hunt that
aims to uncover talented teenage footballers who have been overlooked by traditional scouting
networks. Nike’s scouts watched more than 5,000 players in the UK and an extensive series of trials
has produced three UK winners: Liam Baker (a forward), Jose Figura and Ashleigh Artwell (both
midfielders) were selected by a panel composed of experienced coaches, ex-professional footballers
and Manchester United and England’s Rio Ferdinand.


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Ivy Tech Corporate College has announced an online certification partnership with Michigan State University. The new program will be focused on training for professionals in logistics and supply chain management. December 19, 2013
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Ivy Tech Corporate College announces an expansion of its in-demand, online Supply Chain program. The new certificate-based, job-ready courses focus on the key business disciplines of logistics and supply chain management, featuring content developed by top U.S. News & World Report-ranked Michigan State University (MSU).
This 100 percent online course is ideal for procurement and sourcing professionals in any industry responsible for creating competitive environments and identifying cost savings. It's also a must for managers and executives who are responsible for supply chain processes and developing initiatives to support supply chain performance.
There are several high-level Supply Chain online courses offered in this unique online partnership conducted by Michigan State University faculty:
-Supply Chain Management I
-Supply Chain Management II
-Manufacturing Planning & Control
-Global Supply Chain Management
“Ivy Tech Corporate College is very excited to add these prestigious, 100 percent online, video-based programs to our course offerings, providing Indiana's supply chain professionals an effective and efficient way to enhance their skill-sets to advance in their career,” said Dr. Jeff Pittman, Vice President of Ivy Tech Corporate College Online Education, Information Technology and Entrepreneurial Outreach.
For additional information and registration visit: http://www.ivytech.edu/corporatecollege/onlinetraining
Ivy Tech Corporate College is the premier provider of quality workforce training solutions for the needs of businesses, industry, organizations and individuals. Corporate College will contribute to business success through talent development, organizational improvement, and increased productivity and profitability. With 30 campuses and more than 100 learning facilities statewide, Ivy Tech is readily accessible and has a proven track record of providing value-based solutions for thousands of businesses and students each year.
Source: Ivy Tech Community College


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Since Pharad first developed its wearable antenna line in 2008, the company has seen a growing number of new applications for the radiators apart from the more conventional commercial and government customer base. One such interest is the tagging, tracking and monitoring of animals in the wild.
The lightweight, unobtrusive, and waterproof design of the Pharad wearable antenna technology provides a more robust solution compared to whip or stub antennas for wildlife tracking applications. For the tracking of animals, interest in Pharad’s wearable antenna technology for communicating the tag sensor data has ranged from Satellite Communication systems such as Iridium and Inmarsat to cellular frequency bands.
“I have to admit, when I was first told of the animal tracking application for our wearable radiators, I was a bit surprised,” said Pharad’s Chief Technology Officer, Dr Rod Waterhouse. “However when you think about it, it is very cool. It’s not every day that we get to see our technology being used to help the planet. The potential ecological benefits are enormous.”
Business Development Associate


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Ehud Olmert at the age of 70, received a prison sentence
An elderly Israeli politician was sent to prison for a term of 19 months. As reported by Israeli sources, Ehud Olmert, the former prime minister of the country, got a real sentence. 70-year-old politician was found guilty on charges of corruption.
Olmert will direct one of the Israeli prisons, located in Ramle. Nobody doubted that the policy will get a real term for bribery. The prime minister of Israel, he worked for about three years, but during that time his name appeared constantly in the media, and the prime minister linked to corruption groups. Olmert could not bear the pressure and "rumors", and then in early 2009, has resigned.
In addition, Olmert served as Jerusalem mayor. While he was in office, he faced a number of charges. In particular, Olmert was accused that he demanded a bribe of large sums of money during the construction of an expensive apartment complex.
After some two weeks, Apple company will begin sales of the iPhone 7! Until now nothing really known about the cost of a new version of the famous tablet. Intrigue glow voiced earlier declarations of
The recent presentation of the new iPhone 7 divided all the Apple fans into two groups: one is excited about the new iPhone, another one is skeptical. Here is an important information about this
In October 2015 Tesla Motors showed the world its electric car Tesla Model S P85D. Creator of Elon Musk kept his word given to them at the beginning of the year. Sedan is now faster, now it's to
At least two unknown men attacked famous Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte during the show "Dancing with the Stars". According to Usatoday.com, two suspects of this case have already been arrested.
Ferdinand Porsche - the creator and father of acclaimed automotive brands. More than a century ago, the band released the first hybrid car, which gave a good start to the development of the company


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Between 2013 and 2020, there is the possibility of more than $12 billion in healthcare cost savings if women older than 55 years were to take with calcium and vitamin D supplements, the Council for Responsible Nutrition revealed in a release issued Tuesday.
Mylan on Wednesday announced the launch of risedronate sodium tablets USP, 150 mg. The drug is the generic version of Actonel tablets from Warner Chilcott and is used for the treatment of osteoporosis in post-menopausal women, according to the company.
For seniors older than 65, taking a daily supplement of vitamin D with calcium — but not vitamin D alone — can offer some protection against the risk of common bone fractures, according to an updated review from the Cochrane Library, as released by the Health Behavior News Service Tuesday.
The Nutritional Magnesium Association noted magnesium is an essential nutrient that helps absorb necessary nutritional supplements like vitamin D or calcium in response to a recent U.S. Preventive Services Task Force report that suggested supplementing with these ingredients may not help prevent bone fractures in postmenopausal women, while also increasing the risk of kidney stones.
The Council for Responsible Nutrition on Wednesday announced it is partnering with the National Osteoporosis Foundation in hosting a free webinar for pharmacists and nurse practitioners around updated recommendations and research of calcium and vitamin D.


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May 08, 2012
Ultima and Yoplait resolve issues, successfully reach agreement
Production and distribution of Yoplait to continue and grow across Canada
GRANBY, Quebec – Yoplait and Ultima Foods announced today they have successfully reached an agreement that amicably resolves questions between the two companies.
Ultima Foods, a joint venture of the two largest dairy cooperatives in Canada, Agropur and Agrifoods International, agreed to produce Yoplait brand products for General Mills Canada in Ultima’s Granby, Quebec plant. General Mills Canada will market, distribute and sell Yoplait brand products across Canada. “Yoplait is a brand leader in Canada, with a long history of quality and innovation,” said Dave Homer, President, General Mills Canada. “General Mills Canada is proud to continue this tradition. We will leverage Yoplait’s global innovation pipeline to bring new offerings to the marketplace that will excite Canadian consumers.
"We look forward to working with Ultima in this new agreement,” added Homer, “and to continuing to grow the Yoplait brand.”
Headquartered in Boulogne-Billancourt, France, Yoplait is the second largest brand in the global yogurt market. Jointly owned by General Mills and Sodiaal, a leading French dairy cooperative, Yoplait brand products are marketed in more than 70 countries around the world.
About General Mills Canada
With iconic brands such as Cheerios, Nature Valley, Old El Paso and Pillsbury, and new businesses like Yoplait and Liberté, General Mills Canada is one of the country’s leading food companies.


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For those who have been following the iPhone 5 rumors since the late summer of 2010, the notion that Apple would have waited this long to release the much-anticipated overhaul of the iPhone 4 might seem crazy. In the course of that time, numerous new Android smartphones have hit the market, including the recent Samsung Galaxy S 3, which to date has sold 10 million units. While that little victory is being celebrated in Android circles, it stands to be dwarfed once the iPhone 5 is finally released.
A new ChangeWave survey, as reported on by Computerworld and host of other tech media sites, indicates that the iPhone 5 is set for a massive sales wave:
“Advance demand for the ‘iPhone 5′ is strikingly higher than we’ve seen for any previous iPhone model,” said Dr. Paul Carton, 451 / ChangeWave’s VP of Research. “Overall smartphone sales should spike to an all-time high this fall, and of course Apple is going to be the number one beneficiary. But besides Apple, and to a lesser degree Samsung, no other manufacturer is likely to benefit from this coming wave of demand.”
More good news for Apple: 14 percent of consumers say they are Very Likely to purchase an iPhone 5 while a further 17 percent say they are Somewhat Likely, the survey said, concluding: “Advance demand for the next-generation iPhone is strikingly higher than for any previous iPhone model.”
What’s particularly interesting is the fact that polls like these have been claiming massive sales for the iPhone 5 for well over a year now.
Last year almost to the day we posted this article, which outlined a survey in which it was determined that “35% of all consumers will purchase the iPhone 5.” Not 35% of Apple customers. Not 35% of smartphone users. 35% of all consumers. That’s a bold statement, and one that Apple could only been seen capable of achieving.
Following up that study, Charles Moore posted an article last September that outlined an InMobi survey which found that 41% of mobile users were set to buy the iPhone 5 in September 2011.
Obviously, when you compare these big claims to the more recent survey quoted above, the new data appears lackluster compared to big numbers like 35% and 41%. And the difference in these survey findings is the difference between the iPhone 5 being a top-selling mobile device as a true cultural icon; something that the average person would come to possess that would completely change their lives.
In order for the iPhone 5 to reach that level of ubiquity, it would need to have some wide-ranging, new features that would change the face of everyday life. And no, I’m talking about the segway. I’m talking lightbulb. Is there anything rumored to be coming to the iPhone 5 that would come close to rising to the level of a game-changer like that?
NFC is one possibility, particularly in the U.S., where we, the hyper consumers, spend, therefore we are. Something like NFC technology could become so pervasive that it could lead to an economic stimulus in and of itself.
However, there are still many roadblocks to NFC becoming a mainstream feature, no so much because of limitations in the technology, but rather the massive rollout needed at the retail level, as well as trepidation among mobile users who are leery of making their money so accessible. In an informative piece on Technology Review today, Christopher Mims explores why NFC has still yet to take off, and why it still may end up being a no-show in 2012:
NFC has been in phones since 2006, so why aren’t we all using digital wallets by now? As futurist Scott Smith points out on Twitter, one of the problems is that “banks and operators would want a pound of digital flesh somewhere.” Indeed, even as operators like Square and Stripe try to make an end-run around banks, they remain inherently dependent on them. It’s a safe bet that Visa and Mastercard aren’t about to cede an inch of the incredibly lucrative trade in usurious rates on easy credit they’ve built up over the years.
In the case of the iPhone 5, since the NFC technology clearly exists, it might be that we’ll see it unfold in 2012 as an extension of Passbook. However, Passbook is not iWallet — the iWallet and NFC-related patents reveal a much different user interface, not to mention the fact that Passbook as it was first revealed will not be about making payments with your iPhone.
It very well may be that Apple will take baby steps into NFC payments, ensuring not to potentially gamble the long term success of the iPhone on the success or failure of an Apple-sponsored NFC initiative. But without something like NFC, it remains to be seen if iPhone 5 sales can live up to those lofty “35%” expectations.
By Michael Nace


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Hello and welcome to joinfreesat.co.uk, the unofficial Freesat news site. Find out the very latest information on the Freesat satellite television service, available throughout the UK. This site includes all the latest news, reviews and product details, plus where to buy online at the best price...
Feb 06 2017
Freesat is announcing a number of changes to its TV guide genre list. The update, which will take place tomorrow, Tuesday 7th February, will see several channels being allocated new genres.
Following the changeover, viewers will be able to access a new “International” genre to view channels including Rishtey and Colors, and faith-based channels …read more »
Nov 01 2016
A+E Networks UK extended distribution of its new free-to-air channel BLAZE, following a deal with subscription-free satellite TV platform Freesat.
On Monday 31st October, BLAZE became available to the 1.9 million Freesat homes on channel number 162. The announcement came six weeks after the successful global debut of the new entertainment brand in the UK on …read more »
Oct 18 2016
Freesat has announced the addition of STV Player to its On Demand line up. Freesat viewers will be able to catch up on their favourite TV shows such as Taggart and Rebus as well as STV’s flagship programmes, including STV News at six and Scotland Tonight.
Available to Freesat viewers in Scotland from today and the rest of the UK on Thursday, STV Player offers catch up and live streaming access to programmes …read more »
Sep 26 2016
Freesat has announced the launch of Korean public service channel Arirang TV. Available in HD on channel 214 from today, Arirang takes Freesat’s total HD channel offering to 14.
Based in Seoul, South Korea, Arirang TV is an English language public broadcaster delivering news, cultural affairs and documentaries to international audiences. With the addition of Arirang to its service Freesat viewers can now watch …read more »
Jul 12 2016
BIKE, the first television channel entirely dedicated to the world of cycling, is now available to over 17 million households in the UK after signing a distribution agreement with Freesat.
Available on Freesat channel 251 from 12 July, viewers will be treated to world-class live and exclusive coverage of many of the season’s top professional …read more »
May 05 2016
Viewers rejoice, Channel 5 HD has finally arrived on Freesat, after spending its entire life since launch in 2010 behind Sky’s encrypted pay-wall, despite being a ‘free’ channel (known as free-to-view).
Although current owners Viacom have invested heavily in new content, including US hit dramas Gotham and the X-Files revival, the lack of a universal …read more »
Apr 27 2016
Freesat, the subscription free satellite TV service, has today announced the launch of video on demand service Wuaki.tv on its platform. Available from today to all Freesat viewers with a connected set-top-box, Wuaki.tv offers instant access to a huge range of the latest and best-loved movies and TV shows.
From recent blockbusters to critically acclaimed television …read more »
Feb 02 2016
Independent archive Film and TV channel Talking Pictures TV launches today on channel 306, bringing the best of time-honoured British cinema to Freesat viewers.
Talking Pictures TV covers films of all genres including westerns, comedy, thrillers, horror, romance, and drama, stretching back to the 1930s. Viewers can relive classics such as Brighton Rock, Jigsaw, Moby Dick and Two Way Stretch. …read more »
Jan 21 2016
It has been brought to our attention by a joinfreesat reader that, following changes to the Forward Error Correction (FEC) used by ITV on it’s HD satellite transponders, Panasonic 2009 – 2012 televisions and their range of DMR XS350/BS750/BS780/BS850/BS880 DVD and BD PVR’s can no longer receive the channel properly …read more »
Dec 15 2015
Humax today announced that the award-winning Freesat with Freetime set-top boxes will be the first in its product range to roll out Netflix, the world’s leading Internet television service.
Netflix has over 69 million members worldwide, streaming more than …read more »


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Sony’s upcoming teen horror game, Until Dawn, has a new Halloween trailer. No kids getting ready to make out in a deserted cabin here, though. Just a buzzsaw and and its unfortunate victim. Check it out below:
Until Dawn will be released for the PlayStation 3 sometime in 2013.


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A new range of models by Land Rover, the first offering in the new Road Rover line-up will be an electric-powered XJ-sized luxury model.
In a surprise move, Jaguar Land Rover will launch a new range of models, called the Road Rover, by 2019 reports our sister publication Autocar UK.
The first production-spec model in the new Road Rover range will be an all-electric luxury car for markets such as China and California, US.
Meant to rival the Mercedes S-class in terms of luxury and equipment, the first Road Rover will also boast off-road capability. As the name implies, the model will also be tuned to perform well on-road by taking advantage of potential offered by the electric motors.
The model may be showcased for the first time at the 2019 LA motor show, with an official launch in early 2020.
Over time, the Road Rover line-up is expected to develop into a series of more car-like and road-friendly, but still rugged, vehicles.
The Road Rover name harks back to the Land Rover’s past. Like the Velar nameplate, it was an experimental model in the early 1950s that was proposed as a bridge between Rover cars and the original Land Rover. A three-door estate concept was developed in the 1960s, which previewed the original Range Rover line-up.
Beyond speculation, there is very little formal information regarding the new model range as JLR has been extremely secretive about the development.
Gerry McGovern, Land Rover’s design director, is known for spotting niches, what he describes as “the white space” around existing models. This has helped to launch models like the Evoque and the Range Rover Velar.
In a 2015 interview with Director magazine, McGovern said, “By 2020, there’s going to be 22 million SUV-type vehicles sold globally. So that’s a massive market. We’re asking: what are the products we could be creating that don’t actually exist yet – like the Evoque, which we didn’t have in our portfolio before.” The result was the Velar.
Speculation suggests that Land Rover is also planning a Rolls-Royce Cullinan rival that will offer similar levels of opulence and a different body style.
In 2014, Wolfgang Ziebart, the then group engineering director, hinted at JLR’s electrification plans, predicting that the market for EVs was going to split into inner-city vehicles and a “second or third car for a wealthy family”. Ziebart suggested the latter segment had potential for JLR and that any EV would be the size of a “Jaguar XJ” and “aimed at the US and China”.
Autocar UK, our sister publication, reported that the first Road Rover model is being developed in parallel with the next-generation XJ. The underlying structure for both is a new-generation aluminium platform that can accommodate battery packs and internal combustion engines.
The new XJ sedan and the upcoming Road Rover will be offered as electric-only models with twin electric motors and on-demand all-wheel drive. The Road Rover sedan is expected with S-class rivalling space and features, have a range of 480km, a claimed 0-96kph time of under 5 seconds and height-adjustable suspension for a degree of all-terrain ability.
Rivals such as Porsche and Audi are both coming out with EVs in the next two years. The Road Rover’s closest rival at launch is expected to be the Audi E-tron Sportback, due in 2019, and boasting a 480km range on a single charge.
The upcoming model’s design is unknown though it is likely to follow the Velar’s styling and have more of a shooting brake design. The new XJ, Road Rover and Jaguar I-Pace are part of JLR’s plan to meet stringent new Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) sales targets in California.
While a new sub-brand for range-topping electric vehicles may be a risky move, there are a number of reasons why JLR bosses concluded that an electric Range Rover was a stretch too far.
First, the off-road ability of a Range Rover model cannot be compromised and a fully electric vehicle with a heavy battery pack would have been a serious technical challenge, especially in terms of waterproofing the powertrain.
Second, getting the best possible real-world range from a battery-powered car is vital, making aerodynamic performance a crucial part of the new model. The bonnet and face of the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport are too large to work efficiently as battery-powered vehicles. Indeed, the Tesla Model X is probably about as tall as any EV is likely to get.
Third, JLR strategists have a clear eye on the longer-term future of the brand and what’s expected to be a medium-term aim of hitting annual sales of one million units. Although Jaguar has made huge strides thanks to the F-Pace (and the upcoming E-Pace will also boost the brand significantly), sales of Jaguar road cars are becalmed.
According to JLR’s figures, Jaguar sold 94,000 XE, XF and XJ models in the 2016/17 financial year. Even with a sales boost from the XF Sportbrake, Jaguar’s road cars are unlikely to make up serious sales ground in the next few years.
JLR bosses have clearly concluded that, in order to meet the million vehicle target, they need to continue to exploit the huge market shift towards crossovers and SUVs, while also hedging their bets by building premium vehicles that are more fuel efficient and less like conventional off-roaders.
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