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Clinton says Zuckerberg has 'authoritarian' views on misinformation
FBI warns that smart TVs may be spying on users
An FBI field office is warning consumers that smart TVs can be hacked and used for spying.
"Beyond the risk that your TV manufacturer and app developers may be listening and watching you, that television can also be a gateway for hackers to come into your home," the bureau's office in Portland, Ore., said in a report on Tuesday.
"A bad cyber actor may not be able to access your locked-down computer directly, but it is possible that your unsecured TV can give him or her an easy way in the backdoor through your router," the FBI added.
The report also gives consumers several ways to protect against such attacks.
"Know exactly what features your TV has and how to control those features," the FBI suggests. "Do a basic Internet search with your model number and the words 'microphone,' 'camera,' and 'privacy.' "
Smart TVs are able to directly connect to the internet, allowing consumers to stream their favorite shows and movies through apps like Netflix, Hulu and Disney Plus.


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Thursday, 12 March 2020
In the first budget since the 2019 general election, the agricultural sector retained red diesel subsidies, for another year at least, despite them being scrapped for most sectors. This was in line with policies to encourage use of greener energy across the economy
Other environment focussed measures include a plastic packaging tax, to come into force from April 2022, and manufacturers and importers whose products have less than 30% recyclable material will be charged £200 per tonne. This is particularly applicable to food production where plastic packaging is widely used to extend shelf life of product and maintain food safety standards for consumers.
This budget was unusual, not just in that it appears primarily focused on tackling the challenges that the current Coronavirus outbreak may have on the UK economy, but also as it signals a clear departure from previous government policy of fiscal restraint and budgetary cuts.
The impact of Coronavirus was already being felt in global markets back in February as we have discussed before.
However, it has spread rapidly around the globe since then, and the UK seems poised on the brink of moving from the ‘containment’ phase to the ‘delay’ stage in an attempt to slow the spread of the disease thus limiting its impact.
Whatever happens next, it is inevitable that Coronavirus will have a significant effect on the UK economy. Domestic demand for goods and services will be negatively impacted, as people follow advice to stay indoors, work from home and avoid social gatherings.
If the UK follows Italy’s experience of Coronavirus and has to quarantine large areas of the country, then the impact on the UK economy are potentially severe. It is clear that the Bank of England had these consequences in mind when deciding to cut interest rates to 0.25% yesterday morning, in an attempt to mitigate the downturn in demand. In a raft of measures, the Bank also made lending easier and eased the burden on borrowers by extending time to pay loans and mortgages.
On the supply side, government estimates that up to 20% of the UK workforce may be unable to work at any one time. This could have major impact for small and medium sized enterprises, including most farm businesses. In addition, supply chains may face disruption with farmers unable to obtain the goods and services they need to operate effectively as well as facing potential problems supplying product to markets.
In the 2020 budget the chancellor has announced a £30bn stimulus for the economy specifically aimed at minimising the impact of Coronavirus. This included a promise to provide the NHS with ‘whatever it needs’ and a range of other measures including:
- Government will cover the cost of statutory sick pay for businesses with less than 250 employees if their employees have to stay at home because of the illness
- Businesses will be given more flexibility around tax payments with additional time to pay to ease cash flow issues
- A Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan will be made available up to £1.2m to small businesses
- Business rates will be abolished for firms in leisure, retail and hospitality sectors with a rateable value of less than £51,000
In wider measures for the economy, an enormous £175bn of additional spending on UK infrastructure, over and above that promised at the 2019 general election, including more money for the NHS, Education and housing sectors. This brings total spending on infrastructure to around £600bn by 2025.
In addition, emergency food relief of £10m for those communities affected this winter, along with a doubling of spending on flood defences to £5.2 bn over the next five years
So in summary, a very different budget to the ones seen in more recent times, both in its focus and in its ideology, marking a very decisive move away from the years of austerity and fiscal caution.

domain: news


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Coincidence? I think not. Right now Eric Schmidt is giving Google’s Keynote speech at MWC. So what can Apple do to keep the spotlight on them? Send out invites for a March 7 iPad 3 event in San Francisco at the same time and steel the headlines. It’s just a speculative launch date and it’s already overshadowed Schmidt on Twitter.
Being that MS is set to unveil Windows 8 Consumer Preview tomorrow this also tells you who Apple considers their prime competition right now…or their archenemies. Either way, the gloves are off…and a lot of iPad 3’s are about to be sold.


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New Hampshire sues 3M, DuPont, other chemical companies
Click here to view this article at the source publication
New Hampshire has sued eight companies including 3M and the DuPont Co. for damage it says has been caused by a class of potentially toxic chemicals found in pizza boxes, fast-food wrappers and drinking water.
The substances — known collectively as PFAS — have been used in coatings meant to protect consumer goods and are commonplace in households across the United States. Studies have found potential links between high levels of PFOA in the body and a range of illnesses including kidney cancer, increased cholesterol levels and problems in pregnancies. And because they persist for so long in the environment, PFAS has been dubbed a forever chemical.


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4/23/2012 10:07:20 AM
Consumers 'overestimating data needs'
Consumers are hugely overestimating their data needs and sign up to much pricier tariffs than they need to, a new survey has claimed.
Research by Ofcom-accredited price comparison site Billmonitor found that while 49% of all smartphone users consume less than 100MB per month, 88% have a montly data allowance of 500MB or more. The survey also revealed that while data use has more than doubled over the past 18 months from 71MB to 154MB, it is much lower than what consumers perceive they need.
The study revealed that 24% of smartphone owners have moderate data consumption of between 100-250MB per month, with the remaining 27% consuming more than 250MB per month.
Billmonitor.com founder Stelios Koundouros said: 'Virtually all smartphone users have one thing in common: they’re all paying more for mobile data than they should. It is notoriously difficult for people to estimate their real data usage, and smartphone users who don’t know how much data they are using cannot make an informed decision on which tariff is right for them. We urge people to take a good look at their consumption and make sure that they are not paying over the odds for their data.'
Editor: Graeme Neill


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Two of Britain’s biggest airlines are to scrap credit card booking fees in a move that could force their rivals to follow.
Monarch Airlines announced that from Thursday credit card charges would be cut from 3 per cent to zero. The reduction will apply to flight and holiday bookings made through the company’s websites or call centre.
The airline said that the move would save a family of four up to £60 on an average booking.
Virgin Atlantic later revealed that it had scrapped its 1.5 per cent fee. Flybe charges 3 per cent, Ryanair 2 per cent and easyJet 1 per cent.
James Daley, founder of the campaign group Fairer Finance, said: “The pressure is on the other airlines now and it is going…


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BANGKOK – Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad today proposed that ASEAN member nations introduce taxes on online businesses to increase their respective revenues.
Dr Mahathir said the online businesses had “swallowed” conventional businesses.
Citing Amazon.com as an example, he said the online bookstore had caused the folding of conventional bookstores.
“The online businesses which deal directly (with customers) have affected conventional stores, which in turn, reduced business taxes’ collection.
“With online businesses, we don’t know who gains the profits (from taxes collection),” he told the Malaysian media after attending the 34th ASEAN Summit Gala Dinner here Saturday evening.
Dr Mahathir said he made that suggestion during a plenary session of the summit earlier today.
Elaborating further, the premier said at present, only the origin country of the online businesses gained profits through taxes.
“We didn’t get anything. Therefore, I have suggested a few things so other countries (where online businesses operated in) can also receive part of the profit tax,” he said.
Meanwhile, Dr Mahathir said the plenary session also discussed other issues on ASEAN cooperations, including intra-ASEAN trade which he said was still very small in size.
“Therefore, something specific need to be done to increase intra-ASEAN trade,” said Dr Mahathir.
The closed-door plenary session which was chaired by Thailand’s Prime Minister Jen Prayuth Chan o-cha was where leaders of the ASEAN member countries hold a discussion on issues relating to the summit’s theme “Advancing Partnership for Sustainability”, including means to build a strong people-centred ASEAN Community that leaves no one behind and looks to the future.


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Medford business manager supports shopping cart ordinance
MEDFORD, Ore. —
The Medford City Council is trying to minimize cost for both business owners and city employees by coming up with a solution to abandoned carts.
Cart theft is a monetary loss for businesses and it costs the city about $10,000 a year to move out of parks, highways, etc.
"Nothing is more frustrating for a customer to come in and want to buy something and not be able to find a cart," said Toni Wilson, the Grange Co-Op manager.
Wilson says customer service and finances go down when shopping carts go missing.
"You lose a couple shopping carts a year, it adds up very quick. They're about $300 a piece," said Wilson.
She says this store alone will lose around more than 20 carts a year.
The Medford Parks and Rec department will retrieve that amount each week.
"That's time out of their day that they're not spending what they're really paid to do, which is maintenance," said Kevin Stine, a Medford City Council member.
This is why the city of Medford has voted for a shopping cart ordinance.
"So what this does is it allows anyone to go up to the cart, and it'll have a phone number for people to call. It can be either the business, or it can be the cart retrieval service that they contract with, and so they will just go pick up the cart," said Stine.
Once the call is made the business will have a seven-day window for pick up in order to avoid a $50 fine.
"It's a benefit actually because we'll have a second set of eyes retrieving our carts. Seven days I think is completely fair to go out and retrieve. We might not be able to do it the exact day, but within seven days we'd be very anxious to go pick up our carts," said Wilson.
Very anxious because Wilson says the Grange Co-Op actually has a seasonal shortage of carts so it's a win win.
"We run short on carts in the spring time because there's so many customers filling them up plants, and we much rather have them filled up with plants and product than trash somewhere," said Wilson.
However, Stine says it's not the perfect fix.
Eventually he'd like to see businesses incorporate shopping carts that lock at the wheel when attempted to be taken off the premises.


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The Oral Health Professionals Association (OHPA) has partnered with the Australian Made Campaign as a ‘Campaign Associate’ to increase awareness about the benefits of buying locally-made dental prosthesis.
As a Campaign Associate OHPA will be promoting the green-and-gold Australian Made logo to its members in order to better market products and give an assurance of quality.
OHPA Chief Executive Chantelle Adams says most dental patients do not know that much of the manufacturing of dental prosthesis happens offshore.
“There is a choice to be made about where their dental prosthesis come from,” Ms. Adams said in the Australian Made media release.
“As an Australian Made Campaign Associate, OHPA supports technicians and prosthetists making custom-made dental prosthesis in Australia with high quality raw materials that are registered with the Therapeutic Goods Administration and supplying dentists in Australia.”
Dental prostheses include products like dentures crowns, bridges and implants.
Australian Made’s Chief Executive Ian Harrison has welcomed OHPA to the Campaign, praising the group for its efforts to inform dental practitioners and patients about buying locally-manufactured products.
“We choose to buy locally manufactured food products because we know that what we are putting into our bodies has been grown and processed to high quality, health and safety standards; and we should insist on locally manufactured dental prosthesis for those same reasons,” Mr. Harrison said.
Mr. Harrison said nearly all of Australian consumers surveyed recognize the official Australian Made logo and trust it to identify genuine Aussie products. As such it will also be helpful in providing patients and dentists with a credible point of reference when selecting a supplier of dental prosthesis.
OHPA strongly advocates for their patients and dentists to use Australian laboratories when making dental prosthesis.
“The OHPA Accredited Laboratories deliver high quality, Australian Made prosthesis. We believe that the laboratories that we accredit, deliver some of the highest quality items available,” says the organization.
For more information OHPA, visit http://www.ohpa.org.au/.


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Published at: 2019-01-21 11:38 | Author: RM
The deputy mayor of Belgrade, Goran Vesić was on hand to lay the foundation stone at the construction site of a new shopping center by MPC Properties and Atterbury Europe on the corner of Vojislava Ilića St. The developer’s CEO Ingo Nissen also took part in the ceremony for the project, a 43,000 sqm GLA mall that he claims will bring the Serbian capital into...
The project represents an investment of over €110m and is scheduled to open in the spring of 2020 with more than 150 shops. The design has been carried out by the design office Chapman Taylor in Dusseldorf. “MPC Properties has been present on the market for more than 16 years and sets the highest standards of construction and development of shopping and business destinations,” said Nissen. He said his team had determined that now was the time to create a major new shopping destination for Belgra...
Warburg-HIH Invest acquired a fully-occupied 1,908 sqm commercial building in the city of »
Union Investment has appointed Multi Poland manager of its 3 Stawy shopping center in Kato »
Penny Market is planning to open between 20 to 25 new stores across Romania this year. The »
Czech Republic ♦ Czech investors could push for Metro AG management change
The upcoming shareholders meeting for German retail giant Metro AG is shaping up to be a l »
Poland ♦ Discounter set for Polish expansion
Rumors that Tesco is on the way out of Poland are certainly nothing new, but another Briti »
You’ve been expanding your portfolio as quickly as possible. How are you using the incre »
In a deal that’s reportedly still being finalized, Jeronimo Martins and Auchan will take »


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Call 855-808-4530 or email GroupSales@alm.com to receive your discount on a new subscription.
It’s no surprise that Amazon, one of the world’s largest retailers for entertainment products, maintains its own process for managing infringement and counterfeit allegations. This process has opened up new strategies for asserting and defending infringement claims. In this article, we explain how copyright, trademark and patent infringement issues unfold on Amazon by describing the process for rights holders to report infringement, and the impact of successful infringement take-down requests. We also address the situation where an infringement dispute evolves into a lawsuit, the resulting personal jurisdiction and state law issues that may arise.
By Stan Soocher
A Q&A with Entertainment Lawyer Leslie Zigel
By Karen Hoffman Lent and Kenneth Schwartz
In June, the DOJ announced its plans to review the two music-licensing antitrust consent decrees that have been in place, in some shape or form, for almost 80 years. Due to this newly initiated review, the competitive mechanisms that dictate how music is broadcast, streamed or played live could drastically change.
By Charles Toutant
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit tossed out an injunction against sales of a book by Commerce Bank founder Vernon Hill II even after finding that the work infringed on a manuscript copyright owned by TD Bank.
A look at moves among attorneys, law firms, companies and other players in entertainment law.


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As the market wades through what many people hope is a sixth bull year, some have grown nervous about how long the run can go.
VIDEO ON MSN MONEY
Donor pays $2.63 million to eat steak with Buffett. Dick Bove calls out Cohan for "hot air" comment. J.C. Penney shares take a wild ride.
By Gregg Greenberg, TheStreet
5. Lunch lunacy
What kind of value investor forks over $2.63 million for a steak lunch?
The anonymous bidder who ponied up this outlandish amount to charity will get to dine with the king of all value investors, Berkshire Hathaway's (BRK.B) Warren Buffett.
One of the company's largest stakeholders criticizes management and says he's dumping half of his holdings.
Not long ago, it seemed the company could do no wrong. Its BlackBerry device was a must-have for business and a status symbol for executives. RIM had the business world in its palm.
But the company and its stock has been on a devastating downward spiral, punctuated by disappointing quarterly earnings like the report we saw Thursday (Charley Blaine has the gory details here).
And now, even some of RIM's top investors are publicly bashing the company.
Bargain-hunters return after one of the worst sell-offs in decades.
Investors have suffered a crisis of confidence over the past few weeks as all the negative factors I started discussing in my columns and blogs months ago -- the eurozone crisis, inflationary pressure, high gas prices and Japan's supply-chain problems -- replaced an air of confidence and optimism with fear and distrust.
As a result, by some measures, stocks fell to their most oversold levels since 1999, as I discussed in my most recent blog post. And then they continued falling.
But now it appears that the turn I've been writing about is finally at hand as the economic fundamentals improve and bargain-hunters enter the fray. You could see this in Friday's report on leading economic indicators, which jumped more than expected, thanks to an increase in the yield curve (the subject of my previous column), consumer expectations and permits for new housing. And you can see it in the way bullish investors have initiated new uptrends in solid companies like United Technologies (UTX) and Kraft (KFT) by bidding shares up and over their 18-day moving averages.
This is just the start.
The consumer-review website is reportedly getting ready to file in August.
The website publishes consumer reviews about plumbers, roofers, mechanics and other service providers and charges users a membership fee. In the Phoenix market, for example, the fee is $39 for one year. The company also gets revenue from advertising.
Perhaps I shouldn't dismiss Angie's List at first glance. Perhaps the company has huge plans that warrant an IPO. We'll know more when it files its paperwork to go public. The company has picked Bank of America (BAC) to lead the IPO, Bloomberg reports.
What is Pottermore, and what does it mean? Rumors abound of a new venture.
What's next for Harry Potter? Rowling's people say it's definitely not a new book. An editor at the Harry Potter news site HPANA got a sneak preview of Pottermore and said it's "breathtaking in scope, detail and sheer beauty."
Check out this video report about the mysterious new site and what it means for Harry Potter fans.
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Their stocks have held up surprisingly well and could lead the market's next leg higher. These 3 might be worth a nibble.
The critics nuke Duke, and Pandora's out of the box.
By Rick Aristotle Munarriz
Stupidity is contagious. It gets us all from time to time. Even respectable companies can catch it. Let's take a look at five dumb financial events this week that may make your head spin.
Wait a minute. Weren't these the same four analysts that took the Wi-Fi hot-spot operator public at $13.50 just a month ago? Oh, they were.
Despite its profitability and slow yet determined growth, shares of Boingo Wireless were smacked down to $7.65 before Monday's orchestrated CPR session. There's nothing dumb about standing behind the poorly received stock that these four analysts helped take public, but why did Pacific Crest issue a price target of $13?
After some shaky years, the airline appears to be headed in a promising direction.
By Don Dion, TheStreet
So far, 2011 has proved an interesting and controversial year for Berkshire Hathaway's (BRK.A) fractional jet ownership company, and there's a good chance the Oracle of Omaha will use the event to ease tensions and restore customer confidence in the company.
Since Berkshire initially acquired NetJets in 1998, the company has been a tricky investment. As Buffett noted in his 2010 Berkshire letter to shareholders, "Even though NetJets was consistently a runaway winner with customers, our financial results, since its acquisition in 1998, were a failure."
After much hype surrounding some big-name public offerings, Bankrate and others are falling short. Is the 2011 IPO scene flaming out? With video.
Bankrate (RATE) made its big debut on Wall Street on Friday morning, raising about $187.5 million in its IPO. The offering was priced at $15 a share.
But as with other IPOs lately, the initial price didn't hold. In early trading, Bankrate had slumped as low as $14.10 a share.
What makes Bankrate interesting, however, is that unlike other recent offerings, it didn't even get the hoopla of a big bounce right out of the gate. That bodes very ill for upcoming 2011 IPOs that could include Dunkin' Donuts, Groupon and Facebook.
Let's look back at some of the biggest recent offerings to show you what I mean.
No matter the cause of crude's precipitous decline, consumer spending will rebound as the price of gasoline drops.
We're not seeing the stories yet. The stories that say, "Gasoline has come down so much that people are going out more again." We didn't see them in 2008 either.
But it happened. And judging by the violence of the move down coupled with the charts being horrendous for crude and the soon-to-be-toppled Moammar Ghadafi, you are going to be getting that good feeling real soon. I had thought my $90-a-barrel price target was a stretch when we got to $110, but I am now thinking that looks too high!
It took about three months from oil's outrageous peak to its hideous trough in 2008 before we saw a spending rebound -- and remember, that was during a period of heavy layoffs. You still saw spending go up, principally because the oil "tax" on consumers eased.
A profitable combination of diverse businesses puts DuPont on the path to solid revenue growth.
Starting Friday, renters can get video games in addition to Redbox's traditional movie offerings.
Starting Friday, the company will begin renting video games at 21,000 stores across the United States, the Associated Press reports. The games will rent for $1.50 a day. Redbox already charges $1 to $2 to rent DVD movies for a day.
Redbox has been testing video-game rentals since 2009. The move gives the company an advantage over Netflix, which doesn't rent video games. Some of the games available at Redbox will include "Call of Duty: Black Ops" and "LA Noire."
An analysis of flight records shows some company planes are making lots of trips to resort destinations.
But when half of a company jet's hours are devoted to vacations for the top bosses and these guys don't have to pay a dime -- well, that veers quickly into questionable territory.
The Wall Street Journal reviewed the flight records of dozens of corporate jets over a four-year period, and found that sometimes, more than 50% of their trips were to or from resort destinations -- usually locations where executives owned homes.
Companies are supposed to disclose all that travel time to shareholders, but they don't. Take the case of computer-storage company EMC (EMC), which has five company jets.
In what world does it become more relevant in 3 years than it is now?
By Rick Aristotle Munarriz
Shares of Best Buy (BBY) rose nearly 5% Tuesday after the consumer electronics retailer posted better-than-expected quarterly results. The company is pretty popular around Fooldom. Several of our newsletter services like it. Fellow Fool Alyce Lomax feels that "value-minded investors should give the electronics retailer props" after the report.
I have to respectfully disagree. Best Buy may not be the second coming -- and going -- of Circuit City, but the chain has nonetheless peaked.
Let's go over the reasons I think buyers are running into a burning building.
On the 100th anniversary of IBM, we look at young names that experts say have the staying power to endure the next century.
By Olivia Oran, TheStreet
With one of the world's best track records when it comes to the ability to remake itself time and time again, IBM (IBM) celebrates its centennial on Thursday, joining a list of iconic American stocks like Colgate (CL), John Deere (DE) and Tiffany & Co. (TIF) that have all out-gunned countless competitors and economic cycles to reach 100 years of age.
Though this type of lasting power inevitably has, at times, colored IBM as stodgy, slow-growing and unexciting -- especially in a sector where many investors crave a continuous stream of new consumer gadgets -- Big Blue has repeatedly reconquered tech with its own world-changing brand of innovation.
So who in tech is in for the next 100 years?
Obvious answers from our sources include Apple (AAPL) -- whose ability to innovate in consumer electronics is viewed as virtually untouchable -- and Google (GOOG), thanks to its significant investment in efficient data centers and sustainability (not, as you might think, its core search business).
MORE ON MSN MONEY
Copyright © 2014 Microsoft. All rights reserved.
These ETFs are benchmarked to extremely out-of-favor foreign markets that most investors would quickly pass over. Whoever said being a contrarian was easy?
Top Stocks provides analysis about the most noteworthy stocks in the market each day, combining some of the best content from around the MSN Money site and the rest of the Web.
Contributors include professional investors and journalists affiliated with MSN Money.
Follow us on Twitter @topstocksmsn.
[BRIEFING.COM] The stock market finished the Wednesday session on a modestly lower note, but it is worth mentioning today's retreat took place after six consecutive gains. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (-0.1%) and S&P 500 (-0.2%) settled not far below their flat lines, while the Nasdaq Composite (-0.8%) lagged throughout the session.
Equity indices started the day in the red, with the Nasdaq showing early weakness as large cap tech names and biotechnology weighed. The technology ... More
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Apple has released iOS 13.6.1 and iPadOS 13.6.1 as its new software updates for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad devices. The latest iOS update fixes a “green tint” issue that was noticed by iPhone 11 users. Both the iOS 13.6.1 and iPadOS 13.6.1 updates also resolve a problem that could cause unneeded system data files to not be automatically deleted when storage is low. The new software updates are likely to be the last ones in the iOS 13 and iPadOS 13 series as Apple is preparing to launch iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 as its next-generation operating systems.
What’s new in iOS 13.6.1
The changelog provided by Apple shows that iOS 13.6.1 fixes a “thermal management issue” that resulted in the green tint on the iPhone display for some users. It was largely noticed by iPhone 11 users — mostly when using Night Shift or while in a dark room. However, a report by MacRumors, citing user reports on its forums and Reddit, mentionsthat some iPhone X also noticed the strange hue on their displays. The issue cropped up after downloading iOS 13.4.1.
In addition to the green tint, Apple has addressed the issue that could cause unneeded system data files not to be automatically from the device when available storage is low. The update also fixes a problem where Exposure Notifications could be disabled for some users. Furthermore, Apple’s security webpage shows that the update doesn’t include any new vulnerability patches.
The iOS 13.6.1 update comes just in a monthafter Apple released iOS 13.6 with a setting to enable automatic update downloads on a Wi-Fi network. That update also brought “Symptoms” as a category in an updated Health app as well as included support for digital car keys.
What’s new in iPadOS 13.6.1
As per the official changelog, iPadOS 13.6.1 carries a single noteworthy fix that is related to the issue where unneeded system data files might not be automatically deleted from an iPad when its storage is low. There are also unknown bug fixes.
How to download iOS 13.6.1, iPadOS 13.6.1
You can download iOS 13.6.1 on your iPhone or iPod touch or iPadOS 13.6.1 on your iPad by going to Settings > General > Software Update. To begin the download, your device needs to have a sufficient amount of battery and should be connected to a Wi-Fi network. Moreover, the updates are available for all iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad models that are compatible with iOS 13 or iPadOS 13.
Like us on Facebook. Follow us Twitter and Instagram. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel. Join our WhatsApp Group and Telegram Channel. Read more on Latest News, Tech News, Media and lot more.


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COVID-19: Cayman Waives Tourist Accommodation Tax
by Mike Godfrey, Lowtax.net, Washington
19 June, 2020
The Cayman Government has approved an exemption from tourist accommodation tax for the period April 1, 2020, to September 30, 2020.
The Government further announcement that surcharges for late payment of tourism taxes for the months of February and March 2020 will also be waived.
"This temporary relief measure for the tourism accommodation sector will assist many properties that are currently closed and struggling to meet their financial obligations during this COVID-19 pandemic crisis lockdown," the Government said.
The Government has said that tourist accommodation tax return forms will not need to be submitted until September 1, 2020, for all accommodation providers.
Timeshare Tax is not included in the waiver and the usual submission requirements apply, the Government said.
See all of today's news


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With the cost of gas soaring, it’s not uncommon to hear people say, “I’ve really got to buy a hybrid.”
If your goal is to save money, this could be a disastrous move unless you needed a new car anyway. While you might save money at the pump, the cost of prematurely switching from a gas hog to a fuel-sipper would take years to pay off.
Why? You’re probably paying about $1 a gallon more for gasoline than you did a year ago. In a 25-mpg vehicle driving the average yearly mileage of 14,000, that would be $560 out of your pocket — enough to hurt.
But the average price paid for new cars has risen by 10 times that amount in the past year alone, topping $46,000 in October, according to Kelley Blue Book. Proportionately, used car…


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Epic Games Store has made Subnautica free to claim until December 27. Once claimed, it will be added to the library, to keep forever. It's unclear whether the game's VR mode will work, however.
Articles by Vishal Laul
Twitch is selling Curse Media to Fandom, including all its media assets and employees. A price for this acquisition is unknown for the moment but Fandom says it expects to close it by early 2019.
Amazon has resumed the sale of Google's Chromecast devices after a break of about four years. Chromecast Ultra and the third-generation Chromecast are both available for purchase, with Prime shipping.
Hello Games, the developer behind No Man's Sky, today announced its new title: The Last Campfire. A release date isn't known yet but the game will be coming to PC via Steam next year.
Journey, developed by ThatGameCompany exclusively for the PlayStation 3 in 2012, is coming to PC via the newly-launched Epic Games Store. A release date, however, has not yet been announced.
Epic today launched the Epic Games Store with three launch titles: Ashen, Hades, and Hello Neighbor: Hide and Seek. A new game will be available for free every fortnight for all of 2019, as well.
A new update to the Spotify app on Xbox One adds support for Cortana voice commands, as well as improvements to the UI. There's also a new Gaming genre featuring curated playlists for gamers.
Valve has released a version of its in-home streaming solution, Steam Link, for Raspbian Stretch running on Raspberry Pi 3 and 3 B+. Though, it's a beta release, so there might be a few kinks.
Nvidia today announced the Titan RTX, its flagship RTX-enabled card utilizing the Turing architecture. It comes with 24GB of GDDR6 memory and offers 130 teraflops of compute performance.
AMD will be bringing along a host of new features to its Adrenalin software with an upcoming driver update, as per a report. Adrenalin 2019, despite its name, is expected to arrive in December.
Nvidia's latest Game Ready 417.01 WHQL-certified drivers bring optimizations for Darksiders III along with a fix for the bug that limited refresh rate to no more than 30Hz on 4K monitors.
Cloud Imperium Games will be hosting a free fly week for Star Citizen starting from November 23 until November 30, showcasing ships from a different in-lore ship manufacturer each day.
Google launched its Neighbourly app in India back in May this year. Today, it announced an expansion that will see the app roll out across the country in the next few weeks, along with new features.
Feral Interactive today announced that it will be launching its port of Total War: WARHAMMER II to players on Linux and macOS on November 20. The game is available for purchase via its own store.
The Raspberry Pi Foundation today announced the Raspberry Pi 3 Model A+, a cutdown version of the B+ that lacks an Ethernet port, has only one USB port, and half the amount of RAM, but sells for $25.
Microsoft today announced the first 15 titles that will be getting keyboard and mouse support on the Xbox One family of consoles, along with a few more details regarding its partnership with Razer.
At its X018 event today Microsoft announced that it will be adding three new FINAL FANTASY titles to the Xbox One Backward Compatibility list next week, along with an updated Civilization Revolution.
Disney intends to expand Hulu internationally as it works towards building its own streaming service set to launch in 2019. Hulu will be under Disney as part of the $71.3 billion Fox acquisition.
Nvidia today released its WHQL-certified 416.81 drivers, bringing optimizations for Battlefield V along with quite a long list of issues fixed. Battlefield V is set to launch later next week.
China's state-run Xinhua news agency has debuted an "AI anchor" capable of synthesizing lip movement, facial expressions, and voice from just text. The technology was jointly developed with Sogou.
Apple today announced the new Mac mini, starting at $799. Its base model features a four-core eighth-gen Intel processor, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of SSD storage. It will start shipping November 7.
Apple will be hosting its October event in just a few hours at the Howard Gilman Opera House in Brooklyn, where it is rumored to be announcing refreshes to the iPad as well as its Mac lineups.
Traders from the Ulhasnagar town of India intend to bombard online retailers with fake orders in order to get the entire town blacklisted. Other areas could also employ the strategy, per the traders.
Nvidia today released its GeForce 416.64 hotfix drivers, fixing several issues that have been lingering along for the past few driver releases. This is, however, an optional beta update.
Netflix is considering cheaper pricing models with the goal of further expanding its subscriber base. It's also focusing on its growth in India, with plans to produce more local language content.
Google is adding a new feature to Maps, allowing users to see real-time information from supported EV charging stations across the world. The feature is now rolling out for iOS and Android.
Discord today launched a new update introducing its game store to the public as well as a new library feature and an "evolved" Nitro subscription program, of which existing subscribers get upgraded.
Nvidia today released its GeForce Game Ready 416.34 drivers, bringing optimizations for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, SOULCALIBUR VI, and GRIP. There is, however, a long list of issues as well.
Cloud Imperium Games today released a new trailer for its upcoming Squadron 42 single-player saga that's jam-packed with a AAA-cast. There's also a demo of the upcoming Alpha 3.3.0 for Star Citizen.
Aspyr Media has managed to port the Firaxis-developed turn-based strategy game to the iPhone, just as it did it for iPad last year. There are many UI changes to make the experience intuitive.
Nvidia today released its GeForce 411.70 WHQL drivers, replacing the 411.63 release from last week as the Game Ready drivers for Forza Horizon 4, Assassin's Creed Odyssey, and FIFA 19.
Plex has introduced a new subtitle search feature that lets viewers find an accurate subtitle for their content right from the Plex client. Announced, however, is also the retirement of plugins.
Netflix is looking for a new partner to develop the Stranger Things game that was originally being worked on by Telltale Games. It's unclear when or if this title will ultimately come to fruition.
Nvidia has released new GeForce Game Ready 411.63 WHQL drivers, introducing support for RTX as well as optimizing for upcoming AAA titles. These drivers require Windows 10 Fall Creators Update.
Valve and Ubisoft have been fined with monetary penalties of €147k and €180k respectively due to improper refund policies. The two companies now must display a notice informing users of said fines.
Microsoft is bundling Forza Horizon 3 and Forza Motorsport 7 with an annual subscription of Xbox Game Pass, at a discounted price of $99. The offer is available until September 30.
Samsung has opened another of its flagship experience store, this time in India. The Samsung Opera House is its largest flagship store worldwide and offers various VR experience among other things.
Nvidia's new GeForce Game Ready 399.24 WHQL drivers introduce optimizations for Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the upcoming Open Beta for Black Ops 4 Blackout, and Assetto Corsa Competizione.
OnePlus has confirmed that its next flagship - the 6T - will feature an in-display fingerprint sensor. The device is expected to launch sometime next month, but pricing remains a mystery.
Mega witnessed a breach with its Chrome Web Store account, allowing an attacker to push a malicious version of its extension that captured user credentials and crypto keys from several websites.


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Nike’s Reflective Jacket Will Steal The Limelight At The Olympic Podium
Jul 17, 2012 14:32
Nike's going big on the Olympics this time around, though its no surprise that any sports brand wouldn't do the same. Olympian medalists of Bronze, silver and gold that take the podium this year will be wearing Nike’s 21st C. Windrunner V, a jacket made in conjunction with artist Marcus Gaab.
It looks like just any other athletic apparel at first, but it actually changes as soon as the first photographer takes a shot of it. Check it out in the video:
The Windrunner V is based on Nike's Vapor Flash jacket, and has been constructed to create 360 degrees of reflection. It's polyester is coated in a laminate face that can amplify ambient light by 400% across its entire surface.
Aside from sportsmen taking the podium and wearing them, this could be very good for joggers at night. But for London’s medal winners, it means that those wearing Nike apparel (including the United States, Brazil, Kenya, and Estonia) will literally glow brighter than their competitors.
A very clever way of stealing the limelight, we'd like to add. Check out a couple more pics below:
Taiwan's local elections are coming up, and challenger Cheng Yung-chin contesting for the Magistrate of Hsinchu County really wants the seat. So much that he's launched an ad to show voters the values he's going to bring: Read more
Getting arrested sucks, but it is inevitable if you think you can outrun the law. But what's worse is if you get caught wearing a t-shirt that has a message of irony. Here are 17 people who wished they didn't wear them on the day they were caught. Read more
Reddit user Chestpants12's 9 year old struggled with a bit of homework, so he decided to help his son, Ryan. But instead of keeping things hush, Ryan let it slip that his dad had helped him out. He posted this to Reddit: Read more


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The New Normal for Master-Planned Communities Sales, Marketing, and Management Technology
With every major crisis event, people are quick to claim that the “old normal” is gone and it is time to get on board with the “new normal” to continue to be relevant, along with an abundance of predications about what comprises the “new normal.” But what actually changes and becomes permanent are typically shifts that were already trending, and big disruptions like the current COVID-19 crisis merely accelerate rather than create the need to adapt and change. The technology transformations to MPC sales, marketing, and management preceded the current crisis, but are being greatly accelerated by it, and those who do not adapt will likely find themselves at a competitive disadvantage.
Prior to the social and economic upheaval of the pandemic, there was already a great need to update and improve the consumer experience around homebuying, and those builders and developers who are already utilizing online and virtual technology to make such improvements have had a significant advantage during this period of social distancing. While many builders and developers were already using online and virtual technology to enhance their sales and marketing, those tools are still underutilized in the real estate space. Builders and developers who had previously made investments in technology have been rewarded with less impact on their traffic and sales during this health crisis, and the current crisis has forced other builders and developers still on the fence to revisit their strategies for adopting online and other technology-oriented tools. These tools were widely available before the COVID-19 crisis, but many organizations were still wedded to antiquated marketing practices, whether due to fear that customers wouldn’t adapt, concerns about investing in the wrong technology platform, or simple inertia.
Changes in Marketing
“In my opinion, the COVID-19 crisis has created a leap-frog scenario whereby reluctant users have had to adapt and have now passed the threshold of discomfort with virtual technology” says Laura Cole, Senior Vice President at LWR Communities, LLC, who adds that “you are going to see builders and developers fall behind in this housing recovery if they have not embraced virtual technology and other online tools that facilitate the consumer’s ability to research and purchase from afar.” LWR Communities, LLC are the developers of the top-selling multigenerational community in the country, Lakewood Ranch, in Sarasota, Florida. Over the past several years, Lakewood Ranch has undertaken a sizable restructuring of their marketing program, consolidating three information centers into one Main Street storefront and hiring community specialists with online customer service experience to service more than 75% of prospects and buyers that come from other parts of Florida, the Northeast, and throughout the United States. That investment has paid dividends during COVID as their team shifted efforts entirely online with chat, virtual tours, customized digital maps, and virtual lifestyle programming serving as their most impactful tools. They anticipate that Information Center walk-ins and bus tours (when they return) will continue to be valuable but believe 75% of interactions with customers will occur online. Two years ago, that percentage would have been completely flipped—75% of interactions were face-to-face. The digital advancements by Lakewood Ranch and others result in more thorough research for buyers such that by the time they come to the community they are far down their decision-making path and more prone to take action.
The digital advancements by Lakewood Ranch and others result in more thorough research for buyers such that by the time they come to the community they are far down their decision-making path and more prone to take action.
Changes to the Sales Experience
The current crisis has created more urgency around a pre-existing problem: improving the consumer home- buying experience. Many aspects of traditional homebuying are unpleasant for the consumer. Until recently, buying a home remained an archaic process, while other areas of our lives were dramatically improved by technology, from Zoom meetings to digital banking to ordering a latte from Starbucks. As with all technology, there are the early adopters at one end of the spectrum, those who fail to adapt until it is too late at the other end, and many others in between. Because of the pandemic, more builders, developers, and salespeople have been pushed to adapt sooner than they might have otherwise, simply because other methods were no longer workable. As States re-open, surveys show that a majority of consumers remain wary of returning to “in-person” house-hunting and other “exposure intensive” activities, making those companies that adopt new technologies, such as accommodating self-showings to transacting 100% on-line, more attractive to consumers for their safety as well as their simplicity and ease of use. New technology platforms for residential real estate are also providing greater efficiency to builders and developers, enhancing their overall competitiveness.
When compared to other industries, real estate has been relatively slow to evolve to new ways of doing business. The COVID-19 pandemic has been a wake-up call – in RCLCO’s interviews with dozens of MPC executives about the trajectory of their business the past two months relative to traffic and sales, most commented on the huge uptick in online traffic, touchless sales, and even some sight-unseen virtual home sales. The most successful builders and developers quickly adapted their digital platform to better accommodate their customers’ preference to minimize interpersonal contact in the home-buying and closing process, as well as to conform to State-mandated restrictions.
“In March we set up consumer facing messaging on our website as well as physically onsite through community signage and worked with our builder partners to align sales processes around virtual homebuying” says Cameron Jackson, Director of Marketing for Daybreak Communities, who adds “the pandemic has forced us all to think differently about the future of how we market and sell our homes and communities and has given us an opportunity to rethink the customer experience and bring it into the 21st century.” Daybreak moved fairly quickly to shore up the digital footprint on their website by adding Matterport tours and additional interior imagery of model homes. Matterport virtual tours allow the user to do a 3D walkthrough on their device, as well as experience the floorplan in full VR using inexpensive Google Cardboard technology and their own smart phone.
Sample walkthrough of the Matterport virtual tour platform
Heath Melton, Executive Vice President, MPC Residential at The Howard Hughes Corporation, notes that they “acquired our own Matterport camera about 4 years ago and have used it to shoot all of our builder models and even some inventory homes. We provide the files to builders to use as an asset to drive engagement and it has proved to be very effective in increasing the consumer experience of ‘shopping from home’.” At their Bridgeland project, they are utilizing an interactive map that allows the consumer to explore different floor plans and elevations on particular lots from the comfort of their home. By the time they talk to a salesperson, they are more than 70% through the evaluation process before ever stepping foot in a model home, greatly enhancing the consumer journey. Heath believes they will eventually be able to achieve virtual homes sales in a similar fashion to Amazon or Carvana.
Andy Carmody, Managing Director with Tricon Residential, which owns and operates over 21,000 single-family rental homes, reports they “have taken the rental process completely online, where a prospective resident can search our listings on the web, conduct a self-showing, apply and execute a lease online, and even do a remote move-in without ever seeing or speaking to a Tricon associate. While we are welcome to modest personal interaction, particularly to ensure a smooth move-in, it’s no longer required and many new residents prefer this approach.” Carmody also believes that in selling or renting a home, “those who rely on the “old way” are at severe risk in crises like this, and are likely missing out on sales when times are good, too.”
Changes to Management Technology
Well before the COVID-19 pandemic made changing the home-buying experience a requirement, there was great need for improvements to the process. Buying a home is one of the most important decisions a consumer will make in their lifetime, yet the customer experience has largely been lackluster, confusing, time-consuming, and frustrating, and in the age of COVID-19, risky. Furthermore, the interface between developer and builder is often clunky and inefficient, which ultimately lengthens the sales cycle and further erodes the customer home-buying experience. To combat these prevailing issues, Cecilian Partners created a bespoke real estate software platform for community developers that simplifies the management of community development information to both enable a better home-buying experience and provide for more transparent and efficient operations. The XO platform is designed to help communicate with consumers, coordinate sales, manage builder relationships, and view on-demand reports. The technology helps MPC developers organize everything from site plans to sales reports to customer demographics in one secure, accessible, and manageable place. “The new platform saves everyone time – the developer, the builder and the buyer. We have improved connectivity to potential purchasers, near real time reporting data, and quicker approval processes through the inviting and intuitive application. The technology has empowered the buyer with immediate and accurate information to review homesites, pricing and availability and has streamlined design review processes as well,” said Rob Adams, Vice President, Residential Development, Tavistock Development Company. The software provides real-time updates on lot and home inventory, accelerates architectural reviews and approvals, and provides real-time lot availability to builders. It includes a three-dimensional map interface which informs salespeople, management, consumers, builders, and other stakeholders of lot and home availability, permitted floorplans by lot, and allowable color and design schemes. Tony Ruggeri, Co-President of Republic Property Group, uses XO in their Texas community developments, and notes that “in addition to the benefits of a more dynamic customer experience with near real time updates through the consumer facing map, we have seen the XO aide in cleaning and organizing our internal data so it is digestible and more accessible for our team. We have converted a manual and overhead intensive process into one which is automated, saving substantial man hours.” Full disclosure: RCLCO has been so impressed that we have established a formal relationship with Cecilian Partners as we believe their software product, the XO, has substantial benefits for our clients. Contact us to learn more.
The XO User Interface
RCLCO Senior Managing Director Taylor Mammen observes that “wherever you are on the journey, it’s time to get to the next level on your real estate technology investments. There is no time like the present to do so.” There is a wide range of technology responses across the real estate industry, from those whose investments are revolutionizing their operations, to those who are still operating like they did ten years ago. It’s a good reminder that Darwin did not say it would be the most intellectual or the strongest that survives, but the ones that are best able to adapt and adjust to the changing environment.
Article and research prepared by Gregg Logan, Managing Director, and Todd LaRue, Managing Director.
Disclaimer: Reasonable efforts have been made to ensure that the data contained in this Advisory reflect accurate and timely information, and the data is believed to be reliable and comprehensive. The Advisory is based on estimates, assumptions, and other information developed by RCLCO from its independent research effort and general knowledge of the industry. This Advisory contains opinions that represent our view of reasonable expectations at this particular time, but our opinions are not offered as predictions or assurances that particular events will occur.


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Sheetz plans location in New Albany
Sheetz is ready to join the New Albany International Business Park.
In an Oct. 1 news release from Skilken Gold Real Estate Development, the developer announced the purchase of 2.91 acres from the New Albany Co. for a Sheetz gas station, restaurant and convenience store.
According to the release, the site is at the northeast corner of Johnstown Road and Walton Parkway, west of the Abercrombie & Fitch headquarters at 6301 Fitch Path and east of state Route 161.
Isaac Gold, vice president of real estate with Skilken Gold, said the location ensured Sheetz would be able to serve customers traveling on state Route 161, as well as those living and working in the community and business park.
“We’re excited about this location,” he said.
Gold said he was not able to speak to the anticipated construction start or when Sheetz would open for business.
“All things are moving ahead as scheduled and as we hoped,” he said.
Nick Ruffner, public-relations manager for Sheetz, said the tentative timeframe for opening is June 2021.
New Albany spokesman Scott McAfee said construction continues to be robust in the New Albany International Business Park, even during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
"With Sheetz and their wide array of food and fuel offerings, this project will bring an added amenity to this area of park where thousands of people work on a daily basis," he said.
Sheetz is a family-run chain that got its start in Altoona, Pennsylvania, and operates in Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia, according to the company's website.
Late in 2019, the company announced plans to enter the central Ohio market, and it recently revealed its intentions to open about 50 stores in the region by the end of 2025. Known communities of interest include northwest and west Columbus, Delaware, Hilliard and Obetz.


text: The Financial Times reportedly uncovered information about an upcoming tablet being developed by Motorola in partnership with Verizon Wireless. The product will supposedly be an Android-powered 10-inch tablet that will support Verizon’s FiOS (fibre optic service) digital television service, apart from Adobe Flash. Motorola already manufacturers Verizon’s FiOS set-top boxes, though the point of fibre optics connecting to a handheld device is as yet unknown...more likely, it will stream the pay-TV via 3G. Other specifications revealed by FT’s source indicate that the Motorola tablet will come with Android 2.2, and feature both front and rear cameras. It will apparently launch in the American autumn.


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Hot Pockets created an all-new line of products, inspired by the food truck craze. The company teamed up with Los Angeles and Chicago food trucks, Komodo, The Lobos Truck, Baby’s Burgers and Toasty Cheese Mobile Eatery. Each package has the flavors' co-creation story.
The bites are available in four flavors, and the sandwiches in two. The bite flavors consist of Triple Cheesy Bacon Melt Bites, created with The Toasty Cheese Mobile Eatery; Smokin' Bacon BBQ Recipe Burger Bites, created with Baby's Burgers; Fiery Jalapeno Lime Chicken Rollers, created with the Lobos Truck; and Spicy Asian Style Beef Rollers, created with the Komodo Truck. The roller bites are a packed mini spring roll. Fiery Jalapeno Lime Chicken and Spicy Asian Style Beef are also available as sandwiches.
In a press release, the Nestle Pizza and Snacking Division president said the idea was inspired as a way to bring both international flavors and food truck cuisine into homes. "Based on the explosion of these trends and the popularity of mobile eating, we wanted to give consumers a delicious and creative new product that brings food truck cuisine to life in their own kitchens,” said John Carmichael.
The line is available nationwide for $5.99 for Food Truck Bites bags and $2.29 for boxes of two Food Truck Sandwiches.


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Mobile TV provider MobiTV has passed 7 million subscribers, including growing by more than 2 million new subs in the last six months, it announced today.
Two qualifications: Some of that growth is unintentional, as subscribers sign onto bundles like Sprint Nextel's (S) "Simply Everything" plan, which comes with MobiTV automatically. And it shows that most Americans still have no interest paying to watch TV on their phones: 7 million subscribers still represents just 3% of the overall U.S. mobile subscriber base.
But still, a nice milestone.
What's next for MobiTV? We think the company is going to invest a lot more into Apple's (AAPL) iPhone, where, so far, it's mostly helped power other apps, such as the CBS March Madness app. (A company rep wouldn't comment.) But because people actually use their iPhones and watch video on them, it makes sense that MobiTV would double down there.
Two hurdles will be lifted soon: The iPhone 3.0 software, shipping this summer, includes official video streaming support and subscription billing support, which should make life easier for MobiTV.


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Walmart (is a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell) that is the popular retail giant known for low prices. The company engages in retail and wholesale, but over the years has evolved its online business and branched into other areas of retail through acquisitions. WMT Quick Quote WMT - Free Report) The stock did very well during the pandemic, moving from the $120 level to a high of $160 earlier this year. However, a recent earnings miss showed that inflationary costs are eating into the bottom line. The stock is now trading below that $120 mark and investors are wondering where to buy this big down move. About the Company Walmart is headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas and employs almost over 2 million people. The company was founded in 1945 and has grown to operate supercenters, supermarkets, hypermarkets, warehouse clubs, cash and carry stores, discount stores, and ecommerce websites. The company offers grocery and consumables, which includes dairy, meat, bakery, deli, produce, dry, chilled or frozen packaged foods, alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages, floral, snack foods, candy, other grocery items, health and beauty aids, paper goods, laundry and home care, baby care, pet supplies, and other consumable items; and health and wellness products covering pharmacy, over-the-counter drugs and other medical products, and optical and hearing services. The stock has a Zacks Style Scores of “A” in both Growth and Momentum, while sporting a “C” in Value. Q1 Earnings and Estimates Walmart reported earnings on May 17 th, seeing an 11% miss in EPS. Revenues came in above expectations, showing that sales are not the issue. The big miss had to do with costs that ate in to the bottom line and made Walmart much less profitable than it has been in the past. Looking closer at the quarter, e-commerce grew at 1%, SSS were up 3% and FCF was down $7.3B v up $0.6B year over year. Management blamed inflationary costs of food and fuel for the pressures on margins this quarter. The company plans to adjust to the environment to deliver profit and growth for the future. The company guided Q2 EPS “flat to up slightly” and revenues up 5%. So for the short-term, the company is expecting the problems to persist. Estimates Analysts are taking their numbers down due to the earnings miss and margin fear. Over the last 7 days, numbers have fallen across all time frames. For the current quarter, estimates have ticked down from $1.90 to $1.82, or 4%. For the current year, estimates have fallen to $6.46 from $6.75, again 4%.
Technical Take Walmart's stock saw one of the biggest losses in its history, falling from $150 to $120 after earnings. This brings the stock down to levels not seen stocks rallied after the COVID lows. Buying this earnings dip might be a little early, as management thinks its cost issue will remain. Investors should be watching that low from March of 2020 around $102 as a possible entry point. If the stock takes out those lows and holds the $100 area, this is likely the time to buy. This possible move lower is over 15% from current levels. So investors can likely sit back and wait as the bears take Walmart down to lower prices. In Summary At some point Walmart will be a great long-term buy for investors. But for now, money might be better off spent somewhere else in retail. The sector is struggling, but a better choice in the space might be Korger ( KR Quick Quote KR - Free Report) . The stock is a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) that has held up well in the recent market sell off.


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Originally published on Thu November 28, 2013 4:08 am
The forecast, by the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, was issued on Wednesday. It contrasts with that of the Greek government which says the economy will grow next year.
Oklahoma residents for the first time in 70 years will be able to legally enjoy the true meaning of Black Friday and its mega-deals after legislators repealed parts of a law that prohibited retailers from selling items below cost.
Low-price retail events, in which retailers price items at a steep discount to attract shoppers, were technically illegal in Oklahoma. That's because of a 1941 law called the Unfair Sales Act required retailers to sell products for at least 6 percent more than they paid for it.
The Obama administration is delaying yet again online signup for small businesses through the Affordable Care Act. The program was intended to make it easier for small employers to provide health insurance to their workers on a more equal footing with big business.
Originally published on Wed November 27, 2013 6:29 pm
The Obama administration announced it is delaying until November 2014 a requirement that small businesses shop for health insurance via the troubled federal HealthCare.gov site, which has been blamed for many problems since its launch last month. The shift applies to businesses with fewer than 50 full-time workers.
Originally published on Wed November 27, 2013 12:22 pm
A U.S. judge says American Airlines can exit bankruptcy and join forces with US Airways Group, all but ensuring that their merger can take place within weeks. Wednesday's bankruptcy court ruling was one of the final hurdles for a huge merger that's been in the works for more than a year.
The ruling by Judge Sean Lane comes months after he gave his preliminary approval to the plan. The two companies are now planning to finalize their merger on Dec. 9, when they would combine to create the world's largest airline.
NPR's Tell Me More is again using social media to reach out to a new community of leaders — this time, to recognize black innovators in technology. African-Americans represent just 5 percent of America's scientists and engineers, according to a 2010 study by the National Science Foundation.
Originally published on Wed November 27, 2013 8:02 am
Peppered with complaints from citizens about burning eyes, sore throats and headaches, city officials in Irwindale, Calif., went to court to see if they could do something about smells coming from a factory that produces Sriracha hot sauce.


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Daniel Nemukuyu, Harare Bureau
Former CBZ Holdings Limited group chief executive officer Mr Nyasha Makuvise has been dragged before the High Court for failing to pay for air tickets and service fees amounting to $12 766.
Mr Makuvise engaged the services of Traverze Travel (Private) Limited to book and pay for his air tickets in advance.
In terms of the agreement, Mr Makuvise was supposed to pay for the air ticket and services within seven days of ticketing.
Summons filed at the High Court on February 20 show that he did not make the payment as agreed.
The travel agent, through its lawyers Mutamangira & Associates, is claiming $12 766 plus interest.
Traverze is also seeking an order for costs against Mr Makuvise on a higher scale.
In May 2015, Mr Makuvise entered a verbal agreement with Traverze for the booking and provision of air tickets.
“The agreement was that the defendant would pay his tickets and service fees within seven days of ticketing,” reads the plaintiff’s declaration. “Plaintiff proceeded to use own resources to purchase air tickets on behalf of the defendant who then proceeded to fly to different destinations.
“In breach of the agreement and the plaintiff’s standard terms of business, the defendant failed, neglected or refused to pay for the air tickets and the service fees.”
Despite demand, it is claimed, Mr Makuvise has refused, neglected or failed to pay the outstanding debt.


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Dulux is one of myriad suppliers in negotiations with Woolworths ahead of the opening of the retailer’s first hardware store next year.
Mr Houlihan, a 21-year paints veteran, wants Dulux front and centre on the Woolworths shelves, even if it means upsetting its biggest customer, Bunnings.
But Valspar’s close relationship with Woolworths’ joint-venture partner Lowe’s has prompted speculation that Wattyl could be elevated under the alliance at the expense of Dulux.
US-based Valspar, which agreed to buy Wattyl for $142 million in July, is a major paint supplier to Woolworths’ joint venture partner Lowe’s – so much so that there is a dedicated Valspar at Lowe’s website.
Merrill Lynch analyst Mario Maia has warned that Dulux faces increasing margin pressure in three to four years as Valspar and others are able to muscle in on its territory through the Woolworths venture. “In the short term, Dulux should continue to enjoy modest sales growth from rising disposable incomes and positive macro trends," Mr Maia said. “In the midterm, though, competition will get fiercer following the entry of Valspar into Australia and Woolworths’ plans to open 150 hardware stores over the next three to four years."
Mr Houlihan said Dulux had a track record of improving its earnings in the face of new competition.
Dulux has 40 per cent of the Australian market and has increased its share by 7 per cent since 2004 in the face of increasing competition from Nippon Paints and Taubmans, which was bought by global paints giant PPG in 2007.
“Over the last 10 years we have outperformed the market that was mildly positive, with earnings up 7 per cent," Mr Houlihan said.
He said Woolworths was a rational retailer that was in the market to win consumers, which leading suppliers had a proven history of attracting.
Mr Houlihan said Dulux, which was demerged from mining explosives group Orica in July, wanted a strong position within the new Woolworths hardware chain.
“You have to be widely accessible," he said. “But if you are shoved in a corner you might as well not be there at all. The only reason we are there is for access to the customer."
He would not be drawn on whether Dulux would offer Woolworths exclusive labels as it does to Bunnings with its British Paints brand. “We’re still working through that," he said.
This comes as Bunnings dumps Nippon Paints, ending a two-year experiment with the Asian paints group that had tried to create a foothold in the Australian market. It had replaced much of Wattyl’s products on the hardware giant’s shelves.
Mr Houlihan said Dulux already had a working relationship with Woolworths through its Shelley’s and Yates brands.
The Australian Financial Review


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Investigative inquiries by the American TV network CBS News and Swiss SRF affirm that human rights are openly disregarded within the supply chains of coca production manufacturers. Cocoa prices are at unprecedented highs, yet numerous farms employ children. The chocolate industry has persistently taken insufficient action on this matter for an extended period.
Nestlé, along with fellow chocolate titans Mars, Ferrero, and the maker of Milka, Mondelez, has faced public backlash for years. These corporations amass billions from chocolate, often at the detriment of cocoa farmers and their families. Numerous farmers endure poverty, compelling them to enlist their children into labor.
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SINGAPORE — The lifting of car financing restrictions for used-car buyers for 60 days will not be extended beyond the stated period, said Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Lawrence Wong in Parliament yesterday.
He added that the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) “will not for some time revert to the pre-February situation of having no financing restrictions on car purchases”.Mr Wong, who is a board member at the MAS, was speaking on behalf of Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who is the Minister in charge of the MAS, in response to parliamentary questions filed by Members of Parliament (MPs) Lim Biow Chuan (Mountbatten) and Lee Bee Wah (Nee Soon GRC).
Mr Wong said data from the Land Transport Authority (LTA) indicated that of the 11,000 used cars acquired before the introduction of the financing restrictions on Feb 26, 4,000 were sold in the one month since the loan curbs were introduced.
“Based on this trend, and with the temporary lifting of the financial restrictions, dealers should be able to sell most of the remaining 7,000 used cars within the two-month window,” said Mr Wong.
See on www.todayonline.com


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A statement on Brompton’s website said: "It is with great pleasure that Brompton Bicycle Ltd is able to announce that Her Majesty the Queen has today graciously approved a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in both the Innovation and International Trade categories."
The award in the Innovation category was made in recognition of the continued improvements to the design and manufacture of the Brompton folding bike over many years.
The award in the International Trade category is Brompton’s second, having first received this award in 1995. The award this year recognises the consistent increases in export revenues over the past six years, creating over 60 jobs and accounting for two-thirds of production output.
Brompton MD Will Butler-Adams said:
"In 1995, as a fledgling company led by the inventor Andrew Ritchie, Brompton was honoured by the Queen’s Award for Export Achievement. That award gave the staff and distributors great pride and enthusiasm as it recognised the success of this London-made folding bike. That team, augmented by a further 90 staff, has worked hard over the intervening 15 years to turn that early triumph into a long-lasting British manufacturing success story."


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Swatch Group denies working with Apple on smartwatch
ZURICH (Reuters) - Swiss watchmaker Swatch Group has denied a media report saying it was working with technology company Apple on a smartwatch, a wearable device with interactive functions.
Technology website VentureBeat said in a report on Wednesday Apple was working with "at least one partner, Swatch" on a smartwatch project, citing an unnamed source.
A spokeswoman for Swatch Group said on Thursday the report was unfounded. She said the only business relationship Swatch Group had with mobile phone makers was as a supplier of integrated circuits and other electronic components.
Signs are mounting that Apple, which landed huge successes with its iPhone mobile phones and iPad tablets, is preparing the launch of an iWatch, following the commercialisation of smartwatches by rivals such as Samsung and LG Electronics.
Swatch Group shares rose 2 percent to 510 Swiss francs by 1045 GMT, outperforming a 0.2 percent higher European sector index.
"I have no doubt that Swatch is up on the back of these press reports - against a rather dull market and sector performance today," Exane BNP Paribas analyst Luca Solca said, adding smartwatches seemed to be at the centre of attention in the investment community.
JPMorgan analysts said in a note the VentureBeat article looked questionable because they would find it surprising if Swatch launched products under its own brands to link them to Apple applications, as the report had suggested.
"One of (Swatch Chief Executive Nick) Hayek's main concerns over smartwatches, repeatedly stated in analysts conference calls in the last six months, is the possible dependence on software and applications from other companies," they said.
Hayek told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday he was not interested in teaming up with a tech group to develop a smartwatch.
(Reporting by Silke Koltrowitz; Editing by Dale Hudson)
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DAVOS, Switzerland - Central banks have done their best to rescue the world economy by printing money and politicians must now act fast to enact structural reforms and pro-investment policies to boost growth, central bankers said on Saturday.
Trending On Reuters
Apple Inc quarterly results smashed Wall Street expectations with record sales of big-screen iPhones in the holiday shopping season and a 70 percent rise in China sales, powering the company to the largest profit in corporate history. Full Article
From Oscars to Sundance, Sharma and Revolori discuss India's 'Umrika' Full Article
Frenchman, American among those killed in Tripoli hotel attack - Libyan official. Full Article


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Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, who accused Diageo of racism, withdraws his lawsuit against spirits giant
Rapper and entrepreneur Sean “Diddy” Combs has withdrawn his lawsuit against Diageo as part of a settlement with the London-based spirits giant.
Combs and Diageo “have now agreed to resolve all disputes between them,” the two parties said in a statement released Tuesday. Diageo is now the sole owner of Ciroc vodka and DeLeon tequila, two brands Combs had part-owned and promoted in the past, and has no business relationship with Combs going forward.
No further details of the settlement were released.
Combs sued Diageo last May, saying the company didn’t make promised investments in Ciroc and DeLeon and treated them as inferior “urban” products.
Combs, who signed a deal to promote Ciroc in 2007 and purchased DeLeon with Diageo in 2013, said the neglect worsened after Diageo bought two competing tequila brands: Don Julio in 2014 and Casamigos in 2017. Diageo owns more than 200 brands, including Guinness beer and Tanqueray gin.


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The committee, led by Economic Affairs Secretary Subhash Garg, has proposed jail terms of up to 10 years for anyone indulging in crypto activities like mining and trading
The startup, founded in 2013 by Sathvik Viswanath, Harish B V, Abhinand Kaseti and Sunny Ray, scaled down its team to just 14 employees last week from a peak of a little more than 100 people in February last year.
Sathvik Viswanath and Harish BV had set up India’s first bitcoin ATM kiosk at the Kemp Fort Mall on Old Airport Road. The kiosk facilitated cryptocurrency deals.
Unocoin co-founder Harish BV operated the Bitcoin kiosk which facilitated cryptocurrency deals.
Cryptocurrency exchange Unocoin has launched an ATM for Indians to buy and sell bitcoins. The first of these has been installed in a mall in Bengaluru.
UNODAX supports multiple crypto-assets and provides crypto trading enthusiasts with unlimited order validity.
Most of the cryptocurrency exchanges are exploring whether they could shift base to countries like Singapore, Delaware or Belarus.
India’s top seven Bitcoin exchanges Zebpay, Unocoin, CoinSecure and BtcxIndia, plan to approach the Advance Authority of Ruling for clear answers to these questions.
The blockchain technology that underpins cryptocurrencies is a tech skillset that will see increasing demand in '18 & beyond, said the CEO of Randstad India.
Registrations at leading Indian Bitcoin exchanges have doubled in recent weeks, spiking up trading volumes, as the price of the decentralised crypto currency breached $10,000 a unit on Tuesday.
According to domestic cryptocurrency exchanges Unocoin and Zebpay, Bengaluru ranks among the top five cities in the country for transactions and interest levels in digital currencies, alongside Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Pune
Amidst discussions within the government of India on the regulatory mandate for bitcoins, New York based Bitcoin wallet provider and software developer Blockchain has decided to enter the Indian market with a strategic partnership with Bangalore based crypto currency exchange Unocoin.
"Government will soon host a seminar to understand block chains for governance & Bitcoin. If necessary, we will evolve a policy," tweeted IT-BT minister Priyank Kharge
Bitcoin and blockchain startup Unocoin has taken its website offline after identifying vulnerabilities in its architecture.
Bitcoin and blockchain company Unocoin has partnered with PayUBiz, a payment gateway, to facilitate the buying of bitcoins through net banking.
A handful of bitcoin startups, led by Zebpay's Saurabh Agrawal, had been talking for a while about reviving their defunct industry group.
Bitcoin players such as Zebpay, Unocoin, Coinsecure and Searchtrade have formed the Blockchain and Virtual currency Association of India and are in the process of formally registering it.


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DEARBORN - Since its launch back in 1997, the Lincoln Navigator has established a very loyal customer base, many of which hail from the Lone Star state.
With the recent launch the all-new Cadillac Escalade, a Navigator competitor, Lincoln has partnered with influential organizations in key Texas cities to deliver a unique vehicle and brand experience for potential luxury buyers as Lincoln prepares to launch the newly-designed 2015 Navigator this fall.
Lincoln joined forces with the “Great Create,” a family-focused Dallas-based event that raises money for the Nasher sculpture center, as the key sponsor this year in an effort to engage a new base.
“We want to do a better job reaching families with the 2015 Navigator. This event was a huge opportunity for us,” said Carey White, manager, Navigator Marketing.
The event featured a 2015 Navigator on display for attendees to look at. While parents were looking at the vehicle, children painted matchbox car-sized Navigators.
“Kids painted 166 mini Navigators and we also were able to schedule 86 test drives. This is important because now these mini-3D versions of the new Navigator are at home with families in the Dallas area,” noted White.
In Texas’ largest city, Houston, Lincoln was the presenting sponsor at “Keels and Wheels,” a classic car and boat show. On display at the event were two 2015 Navigators and a rare 1934 K-Series.
“We exceeded our goal by 200 percent with 462 participants,” said White. Like the Dallas event, Lincoln field employees were able to schedule Lincoln test drives and provide children the matchbox car-sized Navigators to paint.
Lincoln has plans to conduct a second larger event in Dallas later this summer, as well as a large event in San Antonio, Texas.


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The trade group hopes to apply as early as this spring to launch an organic check off program, which it says if approved by USDA could generate at least $30 million to $40 million – a significant portion of which would go toward educating consumers about organic is, its benefits, how it is distinguished from other “unregulated seals,” such as natural, and why organic food sometimes costs more, says Laura Batcha, CEO of OTA.
“‘Organic’ is a value-added seal that is harder to” to qualify for than “natural” or “local,” and yet, most consumers do not fully understand what it means, what is required for qualification and how it differs from other claims, she said.
For example, a 2010 consumer survey conducted by Context Marketing found 50% of consumers said the term “natural” was important or very important to them, compared to only 35% who said the same about organic. Likewise, a more recent survey from April 2014 found more than 80% of consumers though “natural” meant the food was free of pesticides, artificial ingredients and genetically modified organisms, when in reality FDA has not defined the term beyond excluding added color, artificial flavors and synthetic substances. (Read more about consumer perceptions of organic and natural HERE.)
Misunderstandings about what each word stands for makes it difficult for consumers to understand why organic can cost more than natural – placing organic at a disadvantage.
A check-off program could help the industry fill this gap in education by funding a long-term education and promotion campaign, Batcha said, noting the success of the check off campaign for the beef and dairy industries, which used funds to create the “Beef. It’s what’s for dinner,” and the “Milk does a body good,” campaigns.
Batcha noted that a one-and-done campaign would be insufficient because 35% to 45% of consumers buying organic products have been doing so for less than two years and the influx of consumers new to the market in need of education will continue.
“The education burden will not go away” after one campaign – it will be continuous, she said.
Funding recruitment and research
The level of outreach generated by a check off campaign also could help the industry recruit more farmers to grow certified organic food, which would ease the supply crunch that currently is hindering overall industry growth, Batcha said.
“We are in a tremendous supply crunch. There is not enough organic production coming off farms and there are pinches everywhere in the system. One of the highest needs is to use the collective funds to encourage new farmers to come into organic,” so that the industry can grow beyond a high volume niche market into an industry that “not only touches people’s lives, but impacts the environment and local economy,” Batcha said.
Funding from a check off campaign also would go toward organic-specific research that otherwise could be overlooked because only 1% of farmed acres in the U.S. are organic, Batcha said.
She explained most research currently focuses on tools that are prohibited in organic farming, such as chemicals. But dedicated funds for organic research could cover agronomic and husbandry research focused on farmer needs, nutritional value, market data and environmental and human health benefits.
While OTA has worked closely with stakeholders during the past three years to draft its check-off campaign application and ensure those with a vested interest understand the program’s value, it still has a few hurdles to overcome.
For example, some stakeholders oppose mandatory payments worth one-tenth of 1% of their organic sales to the program for fear that the board managing the funds would not represent them or that there would be no way to end the program if it was not successful.
Batcha says the organic check off would address these historic concerns by requiring stakeholders every seven years to “take a step back and ask if this continues to be a good business decision,” and if the answer is no it gives them a chance to dissolve the program and end payments.
She also said the board for the organic check off would be balanced regionally and have strong producer representation with at least eight of the 16 voting seats for producers.
Even once the OTA submits the proposal, stakeholders will have a chance to comment publicly after USDA published the proposal in the Federal Register. Given how long this, combined with USDA’s review, could take the check off likely would not be actionable until 2016 at the earliest.


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Google is to be recalled before MPs to clarify its UK tax position after evidence emerged which appeared inconsistent with the internet giant’s previous testimony.
Matt Brittin, Google’s vice-president for northern and central Europe, told members of the Public Accounts Committee last year that “nobody” in Britain sold Google products to UK customers. Instead, Mr Brittin said, all sales were made out of Dublin.
The effect of the Dublin arrangement is to lower legally Google’s corporation tax bill by billions of pounds because it allows the company to state it does not have a British presence.
However, a Reuters investigation suggests that both Google’s staff and its UK customers often view sales as being made from London, rather than Dublin.
“All the people you tend…


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New ecofriendly vehicles
There are new Iveco Stralis NP 460 trucks powered by 100% liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the fleet of the GLS courier company. They already support an important long distance route in GLS network. These modern vehicles ensure much lower emissions and lower fuel consumption than comparable cars with traditional propulsion. This is an element implemented by GLS Think Green strategy.
Speedway Grand Prix in Toruń
The last event in the Speedway Grand Prix 2019 series will take place on 5 October at Toruń's Motoarena. It will be accompanied by a unique atmosphere of the finals, and additional emotions, including virtual races, are also waiting in the fan zone.
GLS has opened a new depot in Tarnobrzeg
The courier company strengthens its network in south-eastern Poland. GLS Poland is implementing or is planning further investments in core infrastructure also in other regions of the country.
GLS opens a new branch
The newest, 37th branch of a courier company in Poland is located in Bielawa in Lower Silesia. GLS Poland is systematically investing in core infrastructure: it will soon open and expand further facilities in other regions of the country.
GLS Poland with speedway champions
The courier company is more and more cooperating with the Polish Speedway National Team. For the third consecutive season, GLS Poland will be the general sponsor of the white and red. The quality leader in European shipping logistics promises new opportunities also for fans of the sport.


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Teva's Ajovy may have been rejected by Express Scripts for reimbursement but other US health insurers will accept it, say the analysts.
The Israeli stem cell cancer therapy developer will hold the offering at a company valuation of $275 million.
Express Scripts has endorsed coverage of competing migraine drugs made by Amgen and Eli Lilly.
The Asana Bio Group Israeli holding company has invested $2.3 million in founding a laboratory for research on the active ingredients in the cannabis plant.
The Israeli company, which has developed a minimally invasive way to replace the tricuspid heart valve, is aiming at a $6 billion market.
BOL produces and markets cannabis for the Israeli market.
The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld a 2017 decision by a Delaware court canceling four patents on the 40 mg version of Teva's blockbuster multiple sclerosis treatment.
The companies have entered into a clinical trial collaboration to evaluate Compugen’s COM701 with BMS's PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor Opdivo, in patients with advanced solid tumors.
If the FDA approves CT-P10 for marketing, this will be the first biosimilar generic version of Rituxan.
Murray Kessler is replacing Uwe Roehrhoff, who lasted 10 months in the job.
Medtronic is buying Prof. Moshe Shoham's Mazor for $1.6 billion, while he is looking forward to more robots and more startups.


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Madam Chair, the Bank of Canada is buying all kinds of different bonds. In fact, it is doing so in a secondary market, which means the first people to get the new money the Bank of Canada is creating are bondholders, hedge fund managers and corporate institutions. The Bank of Canada is also buying record amounts of corporate bonds.
Many of these companies are facing significant hardships. Who pays if the corporations go bankrupt?


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- Created: Thursday, 05 February 2004 13:44
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SUPERMARKET chain Asda has slashed £18 million from the prices of its electrical products.
Not only are they claimed as the biggest round of price cuts the store group has ever introduced on electricals, but it is the first time it has singled out electrical products in a solus price-snipping campaign.
"The cuts, are set to make way for some of the best value electrical products on the market - in some cases offering goods at 48% lower than at the same time last year," said the grocer, which is owned by American mega-retailer Wal-Mart.
From ERT Weekly


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UAE-based Zbooni has closed its latest funding round of $1.1 million led by the Chalhoub Group and B&Y Venture Partners. It will use the funding to continue to grow its business.
Founded in 2017, Zbooni helps merchants conduct transactions with customers via preferred social media and chat services such WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook.
“Business is increasingly done through WhatsApp and social media services such as Instagram and Facebook. These channels are the modern equivalent of shop windows that showcase a merchant’s products and services to the world, but consumers want to engage before they transact,” said Ramy Assaf, chief executive officer at Zbooni.
“We see strong demand from businesses in the UAE for this service, with the transaction volumes consistently growing at above 30% month-on-month,” he added.


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The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and American Semiconductor have collaborated to create a new 3D printed silicon chip that will bring together both previous and newer techniques for assisting with today’s innovative networked realities.
Their scientific goal has been to further the area of embedded objects, popular in 3D printed projects centered around electronics, as they work to:
- Establish more innovative connections
- Communicate data
- Transfer information
With silicon chips that are even smarter and capable of forging more improved connections, companies using such technology can look forward to exponentially more memory, power—and all in a much smaller, lighter device.
“Typical silicon-based, integrated circuits are brittle, rigid components that are packaged in a way that protects them. When we look at putting these type of devices into a flexible form factor, rigidness works against us,” said Dr. Dan Berrigan, a research scientist at the AFRL Materials and Manufacturing Directorate. “Working with American Semiconductor, we took silicon integrated circuit chips and thinned them until they became flexible but were still able to maintain circuit functionality. This now allows us to place the microcontrollers—essentially minicomputers—in places we couldn’t before.”
These new pieces allow for maximum versatility, able to flex and bend. The scientists involved project that they will be helpful in new technology such as wearables, as well as soft robotics—perhaps even to monitor individual’s energy levels; for example, some senior citizens or soldiers need to have their fatigue levels watched.
“This helps bring things like wearable sensors into the ‘internet-of-things.’ Now you can monitor things like hydration levels, temperature, strain from an arm flexing, and more,” said Berrigan.
The chip is expected to further the microcontroller industry too. The 3D printed devices they have created offer ‘onboard memory’ which can not only power a system but also take in large amounts of data for scientific examination. These new circuits have 7,000 times more memory than any other devices available in the commercial market.
The chip also won the ‘Best New Material or Component Development Award’ for the Wearable Technology Category at the 2017 IDTechEx Show.
“It’s capable of turning a system on and off, and it can also collect data from a sensor and retain it in memory. We can wrap this type of chip around a fuel bladder sensor to detect leaks, use it to monitor munitions inventory and even augment cold-chain monitoring through temperature sensing. Enhancing logistics is just one of many ways this effort can help meet Air Force needs,” said Berrigan.
“Whereas the European industrial base is focused on printing all parts of these types of devices, we are helping the U.S. silicon manufacturing community to convert to flexible capabilities and integrating this with low cost, 3D printed electronic circuitry. This is a unique U.S. manufacturing capability.”
“Being recognized as one of the best in the world truly underlies the benefits of military and industry working together to meet Air Force needs,” said Berrigan.
What do you think of this news? Let us know your thoughts; join the discussion of this and other 3D printing topics at 3DPrintBoard.com or share your thoughs below.[Source: DVIDS]
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Masked robbers appear on CCTV but elude Virar cops
Gang has robbed around 25 stores selling car, auto parts in Virar, Vasai and Nallasopara in past 5 months; Wear masks to hide identity
A gang of robbers is keeping the Virar police force on its toes. Targeting showrooms selling car and auto parts in Virar, Vasai and Nallasopara, the gang has robbed around 25 showrooms in the past five months, and is still at large.
This is despite the fact that one shopkeeper has provided the cops with the CCTV footage of the robbery in progress. According to police sources, the gang has been active for a few years and the members wear masks to hide their identity while stealing.
“We are keeping a close eye on their activity,” said Senior Police Inspector Chandrakant Jadhav, Virar police station. “We have formed two separate teams and have alerted our local informers. Our officers are investigating the case on top priority. Soon all accused will be in custody,” he added.
Two months ago, the robbers broke into Magnus Motors Showroom owned by Purav Mehta in Virar and looted Rs 10 lakh worth of car tapes and cash. In December, they hit his store again, but this time they broke the windshield of five brand new vehicles and stole car tapes.
“My security guard went missing both times, days after the robbery. The police didn’t question him while he was present. I suspect the involvement of the guards. I also gave the CCTV footage to the police but still no arrests have been made,” said an agitated Mehta, who owns two stores in Virar and Nallasopara.