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Growing up, Legos held a special place in my heart and a special corner in the toy closet. I kept them in one large, white-topped Rubbermaid storage bin (lest my parents find one underfoot at the wrong hour of the morning) and can’t fully fathom how many hours I spent digging through piece after piece to find a color-matching, 2×1-size brick. I took great pride in my creations, but even greater satisfaction in dismantling each, pouring the bricks back into my big rubber container, and starting the process all over again.
The promise of an electric car that can travel a hundred miles, be recharged in three hours (on a 220-volt system), and costs just $15,500 is a tempting proposition for some folks.
Make the car a 3-wheeled single seater and the proposition gets a little more convoluted.
Are Americans ready for another 3-wheeled single-occupancy commuter car? A company called Electra Meccanica thinks so, and plans to make its 2017 Solo available in the United States.
But there are some problems.
Continue reading >>>
The Jeep Wrangler is an unlikely success story. For all intents and purposes, the lumbering fuel-thirsty behemoth shouldn’t have lived through the economic crisis and automotive bankruptcies of 2008 and 2009.
The Wrangler shouldn’t have lasted through the takeover by Fiat or made it through the transition to FCA. During a time when heavy road hogs were getting slashed left and right, the Wrangler powered through thanks to loyal followers who continued to open their pocketbooks.
The Wrangler has proven that neither stumps, rocks, creeks, nor economic recessions can stop the infamous utilitarian 4×4. Its future should be secured for another few decades with the introduction of an all-new generation, which will include a diesel version and the switch to aluminum.
Mitsubishi doesn’t make the news cycle very often, especially when it comes to product-related news. The brand has, unfortunately, had plenty of coverage in recent months regarding its manipulation of fuel-economy results on vehicles in Japan.
Nothing guarantees news coverage like a scandal.
Mitsubishi’s admission of wrongdoing led to a heavy drop in stock value, a billion dollar net loss, and Nissan’s virtual takeover of the embattled company.
Still, though, the company is moving forward with new products while it phases out the old.
Sometimes the auto industry’s deepest secrets are revealed in the comment sections of blogs.
If, of course, the president of an auto company wants to correct an ill-informed writer.
That’s what happened last week when the outspoken leader of Cadillac, Johan de Nysschen, read an article on which he couldn’t resist commenting. In the process, he mapped out the company’s product plans for the next few years.
The original article detailed Cadillac’s product delays, changes to the upcoming product line, and the debut of the Cadillac Escala concept.
Evidently, not all of the information presented was correct, and De Nysschen called the writer out.
Let’s count the rumors being addressed in this one delicious and exciting report concerning a new Mazda sports car:
- Mazda has perfected the rotary engine
- The Ferrari-inspired RX Vision concept hasn’t been forgotten
- A car based on that concept could show up at dealers within four years as an RX-9
This is all drool-worthy stuff that will make any car aficionado perk up on a sleepy morning.
Is there a catch? Of course there is. The report is based on more rumors without a credible source, but it’s still just enough to get our rotary-loving engines burning.
We are in the midst of a technological revolution in the auto industry. The amount of change in the last five years has probably outpaced what we’ve seen in the last 50. The next five years could change it all again.
Remember when seat belts and air conditioning were considered big developments in the car world? Then came cruise control and heated seats. I, for one, lost my marbles when I finally owned a car that could unlock with the push of a button.
Now I don’t even need keys to unlock, or start, my car. Heck, I don’t even need gasoline any more. My Nissan Leaf, though, hasn’t even begun to crack the surface of what’s coming.
The Nissan Titan has been all but forgotten in the minds of full-size truck shoppers. Last month, the Titan placed dead last in truck sales, if we don’t include the extinct Chevy Avalanche and Cadillac Escalade EXT.
Almost 234,000 trucks were sold in the U.S. in July. The Titan accounted for just 1,143 of those sales, which amounts to a fairly average month when looking at the last six years of Titan sales data.
The 2015 version of the truck was widely panned as an outdated and underpowered entry in the market. Nissan overhauled the truck for 2016 and included a Cummins turbodiesel V8 engine in its Titan XD model, making it the only “light-duty” truck capable of towing more than 11,000 pounds.
So far sales numbers haven’t improved much.
For 2017, though, Nissan will make the standard half-ton Titan available. It won’t knock the Ford F-150 off its perch, but Nissan hopes it will at least move the Titan out of last place.
Fully autonomous cars were once the pipe dream of a utopian future.
Ten years ago, self-driving cars seemed so far-fetched that it wasn’t even worth bringing them up in conversation. We might as well have discussed the feasibility of bubble-powered fighter jets.
Today the reality of an autonomous future is closer than most of us realize.
Many major automakers, led by Tesla, have recently boasted about their autonomous plans and showed off early versions of their technology. Ford has quietly sat on the sidelines. So quietly, in fact, that it’s been criticized for not announcing plans for a self-driving future.
Ford shook things up recently, though, when it finally broke its silence and said it hopes for fully autonomous cars in just five years. The company’s vision brings up some new possibilities that could change transportation as we know it.
For about eight glorious years, U.S. buyers had the privilege of being able to purchase the lightweight Lotus Elise sports car. The car, fully assembled and ready to take on America’s highways and race tracks, was a hit with buyers thirsty for true driving thrills.
The car first became available in the United States in 2004 and offered a unique combination of speed, efficiency, and striking looks at a reasonable price. The Lotus dream in America lasted until 2011, when the British company had to pull the Elise out of the market due to non-compliant airbags.
Today Lotus is preparing for re-entry into the market with a new Elise and, potentially, an SUV.


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Seventeen items from 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey goaltender Jim Craig are now on the auction block.
Craig’s gold medal is the crown jewel of the collection and carries a pre-sale estimate of $1.5 to $2 million. A $100,000 bid was placed within hours of the auction’s opening on Tuesday morning.
The items were offered for $5.7 million as a buyer takes all proposition last summer but a buyer was not found. Individual, they may sell for more.
Craig isn’t the first member of the “Miracle on Ice” team that beat the heavily favored Soviets at Lake Placid to sell their gold medals. Mark Wells’ medal brought $310,700 in 2010 while in May 2014, Mark Pavelich’s medal sold for $262,900.
As the goalie who stopped 36 of 39 shots by the USSR in Team USA’s 4-3 win, Craig gained international fame. He was also in goal in the gold medal game against Finland.
The collection of items also includes the jersey Craig wore against the Soviets and the American flag that was draped over his shoulders afterward. Both are expected to sell for seven figure prices. Other items being offered are Craig’s gold medal game jersey, his mask, stick, skates and uniforms and other team-issued items from the 1980 Games.
Craig says he’s selling the medal and other items because of the difficulty in splitting them up among family members and to “ensure a healthy financial future for my children and grandchildren.” He also plans to donate some of the proceeds to non-profit groups and charitable causes “near and dear to my heart.”]
The “Miracle Auction” also includes the original rink boards from the arena where the 1980 Olympics were held, a 1937 Carl Hubbell New York Giants game-worn uniform, a 1939 Lou Gehrig National Baseball Hall of Fame bronze plaque, a 1908 Jack Pfiester Chicago Cubs World Champions pin, a Secretariat 1973 Marlboro Cup winner’s blanket and items from the career of Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry.
The auction ends June 17.

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Fife firm Havelock Europa to sell printing unit
Shop and office-fitter Havelock Europa has announced plans to sell off its Showcard Print business for £15.25m.
The Fife-based firm said it would sell its entire shareholding to Ingleby, a new company which is part-controlled by some of Showcard's senior management.
Havelock intends to use the proceeds of the sale to reduce its net debts, which stood at £17.2m last June.
The transaction will be put to a general meeting of Havelock shareholders on 23 April.
Under the proposed deal, Havelock will lease its Fontana House property to Showcard for a 10-year period, providing an annual rental income of £150,000 from January next year.
Subject to shareholder approval, the transaction is expected to completed by 30 April.
Showcard Print operates in the point of sale print and display market. In the year to December 2010, it made a pre-tax profit of £2.9m on sales of £21m.
Last October, Dalgety Bay-based Havelock announced it had won a three-year contract to fit out at least 30 new schools in the south of England.
Havelock said the deal with Balfour Beatty Construction, worth about £20m, was part of its strategy of investing in the education market.


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Business insolvency – particularly in sectors such as retail – is often closely linked with the performance of consumer finances on an individual or household level.
When consumers have money to spare, they tend to spend more on discretionary goods and services; conversely, when times are hard, they batten down the hatches.
So recent figures cited by Mintel, which show one in four households are “making ends meet, but only just”, could be cause for concern for some companies that are in a similar situation in business terms.
“These consumers are unlikely to have spare cash to invest in big-ticket purchases or experiences,” writes Catherine McColl in a Mintel blog post.
However, that does not need to inevitably lead to business insolvency, as some firms may be able to capitalise on the trend by catering specifically for cash-strapped consumers.
Ms McColl suggests that “renting initiatives and sharing schemes” could be the key to attracting spending, even from hard-up consumers.
While such structures are not unusual in some segments – such as vehicle hire-purchase schemes and home electronics rentals – innovation in payment terms in other channels could yet turn the economic turbulence into a long-term income stream for some brands.


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Hungary's Rural Development Ministry on Monday said the Farm and Rural Development Office fined French-owned supermarket chain Auchan HUF 20.5 million for selling UHT milk imported from the Czech Republic under cost.
Auchan has already paid the fine, the ministry said.
Some imported UHT milk has been sold for HUF 115-145 per liter recently, while domestic UHT milk is not sold for any less than HUF 170-180 per liter, the ministry said.
The Dairy Products Council reported Auchan Magyarország as well as the local unit of UK supermarket chain Tesco for selling under cost in September.
The review of Tesco is expected to end at the beginning of December, the ministry said. (MTI-Econews)


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Disney revenue up 6% in second quarter: 'John Carter' $ 200 million writedown …
While "The Avengers" may be a blockbuster, Disney won't be able to count much of that coin until its third quarter. Still that didn't hold the Mouse House back from posting strong second quarter earnings, with revenue up 6% and profits 21%.
Disney at life-high on profit rise, Avengers success
Disney's Parks Add Some Spark
Disney shares ride 'Avengers' to record high
- Fun and Games
- Mickey News Store
- Mickey News Travel


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Russian gas monopoly Gazprom earned a 5th less from each cubic meter exported beyond the former Soviet Union in the 1st 9 months of last year, compared with the same period in 2015, the company reported on January 19, 2017.
Its unaudited accounts for the period showed that its operating profit was almost halved, at rubles 567.82 bln ($9.4 bln) compared with rubles 1.04 trillion.
But its finance costs were much lower; and its net profit came out higher, at rubles 737.4 bln compared with rubles 690.3 bln.
The results showed the average export price was rubles 11,994/'000m³, including excise and customs, down from a 2015 price of rubles 15,034/'000m³; sales within Russia rose in price, at rubles 3,798/'000m³, up from rubles 3,577/'000m³.
Exports to countries outside the former Soviet Union over the period were sharply up, at 161 bln m³ compared with 125 bln m³, although for the year as a whole the company exported a little over 179 bln m³, including some days of record amounts.
Author: William Powell


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Does Microsoft have what it takes to compete in the new mobile universe? Everyone is watching Microsoft as they attempt to push their new mobile platform to a dominant market share. The smallest mistake gets amplified quickly.
Since Microsoft launched Windows Phone 7, they’ve been fighting an uphill batter to gain mindshare among the consumer market and prove that they are a force to be reckoned with. But the truth may not be there just yet. Back at the launch, Joe Belfiore promised that an update would be release for Windows Phone 7 in early 2011 that would bring Copy & Paste to the platform. Then a couple months later at CES, Steve Ballmer committed to the Copy & Paste update being released at some point in Q1. Then on February 21st, Microsoft released a pre-update update. This was designed to prepare the device for future updates that would be pushed out. This update was suppose to be delivered on a “rolling schedule” although nobody seems to know what that schedule is.
(Image Curtsey of ZDnet)
And here we sit, two and a half weeks after the pre-update was to be released, and still a great number of devices have yet to received this update. The update itself doesn’t mean much, but the fact that a large number of devices have yet to receive this update is speaking volumes with the community.
Microsoft needs to move quickly and pump out the updates driving their platform forward and adding features at a crazy rate. It’s something I’ve said since the day Windows Phone 7 launched, and all eye’s are watching. Sadly, that’s just not what the public is seeing. It’s been just over 5 months since launch and the public has yet to see updates rolled out in any sort of mass release. And what makes it worse, is that Microsoft hasn’t managed to provide any communication to the public. All the community knows is that the update started to go out back on February 21st and that it hasn’t hit them yet – not a good feeling.
While Microsoft struggles to get these two updates out and prove that they are moving quick in this new mobile world, Apple manages to release 5 updates since the end of October. Does anyone else think that’s just a coincidence? I sure don’t. To me, it looks like Apple is doing all they can to keep the updates flowing and keep the consumers thinking about the iPhone.
Today is a prime example of how Microsoft is stumbling out of the gate. Apple announced the latest update v4.3 to their iOS a week and a half after Microsoft announce the pre-update update was going live. Today, Apple made that update available, and earlier this evening I was already able to upgrade my device. Announced after Microsoft’s availability and rolled out / installed before Microsoft gets the update to me. Shines a pretty big light on the sad state of affairs at Microsoft. There’s no doubt that they have the knowledge to get things done, but they are certainly lacking the drive and openness in communication to drive excitement and build customer loyalty.
I hope Microsoft is paying attention and can see that they are losing it in the publics eye. Of course, that’s only half the battle. They would then need to pull up their socks and get things moving out the door at a breakneck speed. As it stands now, there should be 2 updates heading to my device before the end of the month. Based on the success of the first update, I don’t expect much before the middle of April.


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Bundeep Singh Rangar commenting on the government ban of 500 and 1,000 rupee bank notes.
27 January 2016, London and Delhi: Oracle Capital Group, the global independent multi-family office and wealth management company, has signed a memorandum of understanding to form a Joint Venture with IndusView UK Limited, the London-based India advisory firm, and reputed financial services professional Rudra Dalmia to establish their presence in the Indian market.
- India is the world's second largest producer of textiles and garments.
- The Indian textiles industry accounts for about 24% of the world’s spindle capacity and 8% of global rotor capacity.
- The potential size of the Indian textiles and apparel industry is expected to reach $223 billion by 2021, according to a report by Technopak Advisors.
- The sector contributes about 14% to industrial production, 4% to the gross domestic product (GDP), and 27% to the country's foreign exchange inflows.
- It provides direct employment to over 45 million people. The textiles sector is the second largest provider of employment after agriculture.
- Textiles exports stood at $28.53 billion during April 2013–January 2014 as compared to $24.90 billion during the corresponding period of the previous year, registering a growth of 14.58%.
- The industry (including dyed and printed) attracted foreign direct investment (FDI) worth $1.11 billion during April 2000 to February 2014.


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Venture capital investments surge in September quarter
- World’s oldest person dies in Japan at age of 117
- Nirav Modi fraud: PNB moves Hong Kong court
- Q4 earnings, oil prices to chart equities market direction this week
- Iran threatens to ‘vigorously’ resume enrichment if US quits nuclear deal
- President Kovind promulgates ordinance providing death penalty for child rapists
Bengaluru: Venture capital (VC) investment in India almost doubled in the September quarter from the preceding three months even as number of deals remained flat, signalling big-ticket funding and something of a revival in investor interest which had hit rock bottom, according to a KPMG-CBInsights report.
Venture capital companies ploughed in $1.04 billion between July and September as against $584 million in the June quarter, although the number of deals was flat at 108, from 107 in the previous quarter.
Venture capital investments in India have been falling since October-December 2015.
Investments in the December quarter halved to $1.5 billion from $3.4 billion in July-September 2015 and further slumped to $1.4 billion in the March quarter.
Investors have turned cautious and are questioning business models and valuations before pouring money into start-ups. Apart from demanding that start-ups slow down expansion, slash costs and cut discounts, many VCs are setting performance milestones, and some are only releasing funds in instalments, Mint reported in January.
The September-quarter saw some large funding rounds, with Bigtree Entertainment Pvt. Ltd, which owns online entertainment ticketing platform BookMyShow, raising $75 million, online hotel-room aggregator Oyo about $60 million, TCNS Clothing Co Pvt Ltd, owner of the W brand of women’s clothes, raising $140 million and Concord Biotech Ltd $70 million.
Investments could rebound in the September-December quarter as Flipkart Ltd, online payments firm Paytm (One97 Communications Ltd) and its rival, the Snapdeal-owned Freecharge, cab-hailing service Ola (ANI Technologies Pvt.Ltd) and healthcare start -up Practo Technologies Pvt. Ltd are seeking large funding.
“The investment environment in India is becoming stable with clearer business models emerging in the start-up ecosystem, said Sreedhar Pra- sad, partner, e-commerce and start-ups, at KPMG in India.
“Though speed of investments has not increased, we see a clear increased interest by investors in financial technology start-ups with online-to-offline models which have better control in the ecosystem, as well as interest in the payments space,” Prasad said in a statement.
Globally, venture capital investment shrank by about 14% in the September quarter from the previous quarter.
Between July and September, venture capital investment stood at $24.1 billion as against $28.1 billion between April and June.
Deal volume, however, remained almost flat, growing to 1,983 deals in the September quarter, five more than the previous quarter.
The June quarter included multi-billion dollar fundraising by cab-hailing companies Uber Technologies Inc. and Didi Chuxing, as well as messaging app Snapchat which were not matched in the September quarter.
Even the median value of late stage deals slumped to $22.1 million in the September quarter as against $25 million in the previous three months.
Total funding raised in the September quarter was the lowest since 2014, when venture capital investment stood at $22 billion.
“There is liquidity in the market, but venture capital investors are very hesitant to put the money to work,” said Arik Speier, co-leader, KPMG enterprise innovative start-ups network and head of technology, KPMG in Israel.
“Given the market conditions, we should continue to see fewer mega rounds over the next quarter. Investors will likely continue to be cautious, with any late-stage deals linked to external milestones, such as development, market penetration, profitability or gross revenues,” Speier said in a statement.


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On the afternoon of December 11th, a number of entrepreneurs from Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business attended the salon themed with innovative product design at iMotion headquarters.
As a brand innovation company, iMotion has been awarded the title of "China's Most Potential Enterprise" relying on its creative abilities and huge growth potential.
iMotion was recognized as the Shanghai specialized, Fined, Peculiar and Innovative SMEs.
Recently, iMotion was awarded the "Shanghai Municipal Industrial Design Center" honor issued by the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization.
In order to combat the pneumonia epidemic caused by the 2019-nCoV, iMotion donated a "High-frequency Chest Wall Oscillatory Airway Clearance System" to the Wuhan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine through the Wuhan Red Cross at the end of march to support the clinical work of preventing and curing the novel coronavirus.
On January 16 th, the Shipment Ceremony of " the third-generation BrightSource Solar Tracking System" was held at iMotion.
On the afternoon of November 29th, the Founding Conference of Shanghai Artificial Intelligence Technology Association and the 4th International Community Festival Awards Ceremony was held at Hotel in Minhang District, Shanghai.
On August 13, Zhangjiang Entrepreneurial Workshop @AIsland officially opened in Zhangjiang Artificial Intelligence Island, where the first large enterprise innovation demand conference was held. As one of the first companies to move into Artificial Intelligence Island, new CEO Zhuo Li and CMO Mujie represented iMotion at the innovation demand launch.
On May 22, the China Industrial Design Institute's "CIDI +" strategy conference was held in Shanghai. The "CIDI Intelligent Manufacturing Design Innovation Research Institute", jointly established by iMotion and CIDI, was officially unveiled.
From March 8 to 10, 2019, iMotion jointly with Xi'an University of Technology Alumni Association organized alumni enterprise alliance part of the board of directors, as well as the University of Shanghai For Science and Technology, Shanghai University, Harmontronics Automation Technology, and other universities leaders and business senior guests have been to Shanghai, Zhenjiang, and Suzhou. They went to local innovation industrial park and high-tech enterprises will continue to expand the influence of alumni enterprise alliance.
On April 12, 2018, the Zhangjiang Series of Activities" "Linked the Yangtze River Delta, Incubating the Big Future" - The Zhangjiang Transnational Incubation Forum officially opened. iMotion participated in the event as one of six strategic partners.


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Learn about the debate on how government regulation could affect the internet sector and where americans stand on internet regulation. How the internet could be regulated the iwf has no government funding, often when i introduce such a notion into the debate on internet regulation. Self-regulation of internet content: a government, and other internet stakeholders to play a critical role in the filtering and rating debate provides a good. Greater regulation not necessary for internet, much of the net neutrality debate has focused on whether the government regulation will by.
Net neutrality will be back in the news again as the us senate currently is scheduled to debate wednesday and vote thursday on whether to overturn the. Debate about internet the importance of self regulation of the repression and government control. Debate simmering in us over regulation of internet want the us government to prohibit high-speed internet broadband providers,. The great debate: should we censor the internet thus dixon supports regulation of the internet this is too much power for government and such power is.
A brief history of internet regulation an active public policy debate is underway regarding internet regulation government and industry alike to embrace the. Debate 3-argument for the resolution internet regulation is those us companies actually assisted chinese government to design a internet fit its. The government's own assessment was no things could the debate about internet regulation by the government be - legal landscape: key cybersecurity regulation.
Get access to internet regulation essays only from pornography regulations there is a debate going on as to if the government should get involved in regulation. This sparked an internal debate between the two and it got here without government regulation and access to the internet net neutrality supporters had. Should governments control the internet sep 18th, government regulation report 26 min read eliminating identity politics from the us census.
The house of representatives has gone along with the senate and voted 215-205 to overturn a yet-to-take-effect regulation that would have required internet. Legislation and debate internet regulation tackling internet hate crime is another area that poses a challenge to the adaptation of law to this medium. Ver vídeo theresa may is planning to introduce huge regulations on the way the internet works, allowing the government to in the regulation of the.
Fcc approves sweeping internet regulation though critics warn of future regulation but the law allows the government to investigate if consumers. When it comes to information technology sweden is considered to be at the forefront both in terms of technological innovation, as well as in progressive policy-making. Welcome to the debate over internet self-regulation of the internet a fundamental question about the continuing debate about internet. Pros and cons of net neutrality one of the biggest internet controversies what should the government do to ensure network neutrality in the internet.
Children and the battle for and against canadian internet regulation, debate opponents of government regulation and against canadian internet regulation. Debate over net neutrality focuses on government regulation it's no surprise that internet regulation has there's been a lot of passionate debate over the. Government regulation of speech on the the more active debate over the appropriate level of access to the v private regulation of speech on the internet.


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We're roughly a month away — 35 days to be exact — from Rihanna's concert extravaganza, which apparently coincides with some big sports event (Super Bowl LVII ring a bell?).
In preparation for the musician's highly-anticipated Halftime performance, Rihanna gets fans game-day-ready with a sporty Savage X Fenty collection, now available at the brand's website.
Appropriately dubbed the "Game Day" collection, Savage X Fenty's latest drop consists of apparel and accessories celebrating the famed football game — and Rihanna's grand return to the stage, of course.
Sweatpants, hoodies, and beanies read "The Property of Savage X Fenty" in a collegiate typeface. On the other hand, the drop's mesh jerseys — a two-tone and cropped brown rendition — boast oversized Fenty graphics on the back.
The Surprise Tee undoubtedly leads the already-banger release, which cleverly reveals a photo of Rihanna wearing a football helmet when flipped on the wearer's head.
Also, it's hard to ignore the top's oversized bold message, which reads, "Rihanna concert interrupted by a football game, weird but whatever."
It seems Miss Fenty keeps up with the internet, who jokingly downplays the famed football game — the "Rihanna show" or "Fenty Bowl" as they like to call it — in favor of their fave's headlining slot.
Now, I tune into the Super Bowl yearly, but it's mostly to watch the 20-minute Halftime show (and I'm sure many others will agree). Nonetheless, go sports!
Naturally, the lingerie brand also has some boxers up for grabs in addition to other Fenty-approved gear like tube tops and baseball caps — all of which are available on Savage X Fenty's website.
It's yet to be revealed whether Rihanna will take the Super Bowl Halftime stage alone on February 12 (though her lengthy musical catalog is more than capable of handling the job).
However, according to her musical director Adam Blackstone, Rihanna's performance will be "unlike anything you've seen before."


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Just a day after a clear Galaxy S8 press render leaked, BGR has posted photos of a live Galaxy S8 unit. The photos show the thin bezels at the top and bottom of the device, the on-screen navigation buttons, and the slim form factor which also seems to confirm that the device will lack any kind of camera bump.
Thanks to the minimal bezels, the front of the Galaxy S8 is dominated by its 5.8-inch QHD+ circular AMOLED display. While not shown in photos, the rear glass panel of the phone is also curved to improve ergonomics.
The leaked photos also confirm that the Galaxy S8 will feature a 3.5mm jack despite its slim bezels. Samsung has traditionally used a physical home button on its devices, but the lack of bezels on the front of the Galaxy S8 meant that the company had to switch to on-screen navigation buttons and relocate the fingerprint scanner to the rear of the device.
Samsung has confirmed that it will be launching the Galaxy S8 at an event in New York on March 29. The company will be launching the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ this time around with 5.8-inch and 6.2-inch QHD+ Super AMOLED display. The handsets will be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 chipset (or Exynos 8890), sport 4GB RAM and 64GB storage, iris scanner, and a 12MP Dual Pixel camera at the rear.
Are you looking forward to Samsung unveiling the Galaxy S8?[Via BGR]


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Augmented reality (AR) is a pretty unique concept with a magnitude of use-cases that many companies have started to offer. In fact, the crypto world has also taken notice of this technology which is why we are starting to see some offerings also. Recently, Bitcoin rewards application Fold announced a new game utilizing AR technology forging a BTC Metaverse.
Fold has introduced a new game called Fold AR. This game is available to users leveraging the Fold mobile application. In fact, Fold has partnered with the popular American software company Niantic to develop the AR game and improve the BTC metaverse.
Fold AR “allows users to earn bitcoin and in-app benefits by exploring their physical surroundings.”
The team behind Fold had rolled out the initial lot on Tuesday. Moreover, it will allow a fraction of users to test the game for a limited time each day.
The company’s CEO Will Reeves said in a statement:
“This is the easiest, most fun way to get your first piece of bitcoin. Anyone can use our app to earn bitcoin and other rewards by exploring the world around them. For us, it’s always been important to make participating in the bitcoin economy easy for anyone, regardless of education or technical expertise.”
Looking at the company, Niantic has developed popular mobile games such as AR mobile game Ingress and Pokémon Go. In fact, Ingress was released in 2013 and has a download count of over 20 million. Also, Pokémon Go was released in 2020 which raked in $6 billion in revenue. The game has a download count of more than a billion.


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Nielsen recently released research that confirmed what we have known for years: Radio is the “King of Reach”.
Here is an excerpt from the blog “Audio Today: Radio 2016 – Appealing Far and Wide”.
Radio leads all other platforms when it comes to weekly reach (93%) among adult consumers – and with new insights available to compare radio to other platforms on a regular basis, it’s clear that radio is an integral part of media consumption for millions of Americans.
Today the words “radio” and “audio” mean many different things to many different people: music, commentary, podcasting, digital listening, in-car entertainment and on and on. What’s certain is that the radio consumer is a highly qualified audience, delivered in real-time across hundreds of markets every single day. Most radio listeners are in the workforce and are reached when they’re away from home and ready to buy.
In a time of intense competition for audience attention, radio reaches more Americans each week than any other platform. Ninety-three percent of adult consumers (18+) use radio on a weekly basis, more than TV or smartphones.
February 25th, 2016


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LAS VEGAS — Microsoft better get moving on that Yahoo deal — the Web portal is announcing some big partnerships here at CES that could make YHOO more valuable.
Samsung just announced that its new line of TVs will come bundled with Yahoo’s new “TV Widgets” platform. The initial applications display photos from Yahoo’s Flickr photo service, reports from Yahoo News and Finance and information from eBay, with a streaming TV and movie download applications expected soon.
“This will make TV into something bigger, better and more exciting than ever before,” Patrick Barry, Yahoo VP of Connected TV, said during his cameo at Samsung’s press conference.
Samsung’s the biggest TV maker now, but others such as Toshiba are also signing up for Yahoo’s Web-on-the-TV software.
Samsung executives showed how the software will appear on a TV: as a ribbon across the bottom of the screen, where applications can be selected via remote control.
The software will appear on new sets with its new “Luxia” brand, which sounds a lot like the “Bravia” brand Sony has used on its TVs for several years. Samsung also displayed a new unified control interface for its TVs, cameras and other equipment that resembles Sony’s crossbar.
(Internet stuff aside, the Luxia sets also have a nifty new built-in system for hanging them on a wall similar to the way pictures are mounted, so they protrude just 0.6 inches from the wall instead of the two or more inches needed with a standard wall mount).
Here’s the top end Luxia LED 8000 from the side and the front:
Connecting the widgetized sets to the Internet is getting easier but there’s still a ways to go: Samsung noted that it’s supporting new standards such as Wireless HD and Wireless USB, but the best way to connect its 2009 sets appears to be via its new Blu-ray players announced today.
Especially the BD-P4600, a 1.5-thick player that can be connected to home Wifi networks (including 802.11n) via an optional dongle.
The player’s niftiest trick may be its superfast ejection system — the slot drive can spit out a disc in one second. I wonder if the discs will fly across the room. The player:
Samsung also showed a Blu-ray player combined with a soundbar home theater speaker system. It includes a wireless subwoofer, plus the ability to play content from other devices via Bluetooth or home networks:
Also cool was the company’s new HMX-H106 camcorder, which uses a 64 gigabyte solid-state drive. It captures high-definition video and 4.7 megapixel stills:
The company also introduced an inch-thick plasma display and a 22-inch monitor aimed at gamers, with the capability of displaying 3-D images with the addition of 3-D glasses and an emitter device.
“Even in these tough times people are investing in family … and home entertainment,” said Tim Baxter, Samsung’s executive vice president of sales in the U.S., who added that “we are meeting the evolving consumer demand for accessing content.”
Update, 5:21 p.m.: Other electronics companiew using Yahoo’s software announced today include LG, Sony and Vizio.
Content and Web companies developing the onscreen widgets include CBS, MySpace, The New York Times, Amazon.com, Netflix, Blockbuster and Twitter,


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The European Union fulfilled the last formal step to extend for one year, until June 6, 2024, the exemption of tariffs, quotas and other trade barriers planned for imports from Ukraine, a gesture with which the bloc wants to help Kiev to recover their trade routes abroad, weighed down by the Russian invasion.
The measure has been endorsed by the trade ministers of the European Union at a meeting in Brussels and will enter into force on June 6, once it is initialed by the EU institutions and published in the Official Journal of the EU.
“Russia’s unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine has had a devastating impact on the country’s economy,” said Swedish Trade Minister Johan Forssell, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency. while he stressed that the extension is proof of “unequivocal support” for Ukraine but also allows the EU “to protect, if necessary, the internal market from significant increases in agricultural imports.
The exemption that will be maintained for another year includes the total suspension of tariffs for industrial goods, the suspension of entry prices for fruits and vegetables and anti-dumping measures, and includes safeguard measures for steel imports for one year.
From the European Union, moreover, they insist that these measures, together with military, financial and humanitarian support, will help the invaded country in its recovery in the long term.
The EU and Ukraine have had a free trade association since 2016 to promote trade between the two regions, but it is a gradual application agreement and there are still sectors that do not benefit from the principle of “zero quotas and zero tariffs” that with this exemption the EU grants to Ukrainian trade.
(Reference image source: Christian Lue, Unsplash)


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WiMax's 4G technology allows for the delivery of last-mile wireless broadband access, promising faster download speeds than current cellular networks, and holds the potential to be a competitor to fixed-line broadband such as DSL. Verizon Wireless, AT&T and other mobile carriers have committed to a 3G technology known as LTE.
"Today is a historic day for the evolution of mobile computing and communications services in Portland and the U.S.," Clearwire CEO Benjamin G. Wolff said in a statement. "Clearwire is reinventing wireless by delivering an unmatched combination of Internet speed and mobility."
Read the rest of this story at eWEEK: Clearwire Extends WiMAX to Portland


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A Ukrainian man who said he was part of plan to hack into business newswires to get advance news on company earnings reports, generating an estimated $30 million in illegal earnings, pleaded guilty Monday in federal court.
Vadym Iermolovych, 28, of Kiev, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit fraud using computers and aggravated identity theft before U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo.
Iermolovych admitted he was part of a ring of hackers and thieves who from 2010 through July 2015 cracked into PR Newswire, Business Wire and Marketwired to get advance notice of company earnings statements. Iermolovych personally sold that insider trading information for “tens of thousands” of dollars, prosecutors said.
He is the fourth person to admit guilt to being part of the scheme, which federal prosecutors said is the largest of its kind to be prosecuted.
Iermolovych hacked into the business wires’ computer systems and sent the information to traders who executed deals to buy or sell stocks based on the news it planned to release, according to a court document.
The hackers stole information from 150,000 news releases on hundreds of companies, including Caterpillar Inc., Hewlett Packard, Home Depot, Panera Bread and Verisign, Inc., it said.
Iermolovych broke into PR Newswire twice and installed malware on its computer servers, only to have the malicious code identified and removed, it said.
Hackers from all over the world have been targeting U.S. corporations, stealing millions of dollars through massive credit card fraud schemes that have come to light in a growing number of federal cases in New Jersey.
Iermolovych bought the stolen credentials of PRN employees and used their sign-in information as if he were an employee accessing the system from a remote site, it said.
Once the transactions were complete, the traders shared the illegal earnings with the hackers through foreign shell companies, it said.
Iermolovych, who authorities arrested in the United States in November 2014, faces up to 20 years in prison for the conspiracy to commit wire fraud charge, five years for the fraud using computers charge and two additional years in prison for the aggravated identity theft charge. He also may end up fined and ordered to make restitution when he undergoes sentencing Aug. 22.
Altogether, 10 people were charged in the hacking ring following an investigation by the U.S. Secret Service, court records said.
Besides Iermolovych, those charged are: Ivan Turchynov, 28, Oleksandr Ieremenko, 24, and Pavel Dubovoy, 33, all of Ukraine, Arkadiy Dubovoy, 51, and Igor Dubovoy, 29, of Alpharetta, GA, according to the office of U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman.
Arkadiy Dubovoy and Igor Dubovoy pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy earlier this year.


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Without a moment to spare for the new year, a report from Net Market-share puts.
Microsoft previewed White Board last May, alongside the new Surface Pro, eventually rolling it.
Windows Collaboration Displays are some of the most intriguing bits produced by Microsoft’s Computex.
If you have an essential Internet of Things device running Windows 10 IoT Core.
Microsoft has introduced a ton of new features with its Windows 10 April 2018.
Emirates is all set to unveil its new Boeing 777-300ER First Class Private Suite exhibit.
Previous week, Yubico, the company which is the backbone of the famous YubiKey USB authentication.
Microsoft has revealed the source code for the original, 1990s-era File Manager that is.
Today Microsoft announced the upcoming version of Windows Server, which launches next in present.
The company announced in a blog post earlier today, Microsoft aims to bring a.


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Flipkart-backed GPS navigation and location-based services provider MapmyIndia, which is operated by New Delhi-based CE Info Systems Pvt. Ltd, has acquired Bengaluru-based VIDTEQ for an undisclosed amount, it said in a statement.
VIDTEQ, which is run by VidTeq (I) Pvt. Ltd, was founded by Chandra Thimmannagari and Navada Muraleedhara in May 2008. VIDTEQ’s VideoMap technology allows users to view the video clip of a route between two locations within a city.
The company claims to have 'video mapped' more than 20 cities in India. Its products also include Drone View, Map View and 360 Interior/Exterior View. Besides, VIDTEQ owns mapmyhome.com, a portal that lists new real estate projects.
Rakesh Verma and Rashmi Verma, Founder, MapmyIndia, said, "Our business is growing fast, with a CAGR of 40% year on year over the last decade, healthy profitability and an 80% market share in the location intelligence sector."


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Already know about Oz the Great and Powerful movie from Disney? If you like it, maybe you should glance at this one game.
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Inspired by the MacBook Air.
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Electronic Arts (EA) has recently announced a new game highly desirable, Battlefield 4.
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After a long time not been heard, the latest info says that LG soon release updates to Jelly Bean Optimus 4X HD.
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Jakarta – SpeedUp launched “Pad 8″ tablet equipped with HD Display and SpeedUp Studio.
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Linux developers, Canonical, claims a new version of Ubuntu 13.04 or so-called Raring Ringtail more efficient.
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Facing the war in the “second front”
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A product many Americans use in around their homes has been tied to multiple forms of cancer. Earlier this month, the World Health Organization published a report stating that Roundup weed killer is “probably carcinogenic to humans”. The report, published … Continue reading
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The president of the Liberia Marketing Association (LMA), Madam Lusu K. Sloan, has called on the government to address the issue of dual currency in the country. Madam Sloan made the call, recently at a roundtable symposium on the economic and constitutional implications of Liberia’s dual currency regime in Monrovia. The round table discussion was organized by the Governance Commission in partnership with the Constitution Review Committee, and it brought together several state actors from public and private sectors. According to Madam Sloan, business women and petty traders are calling for local business transactions to be done in Liberian dollars. She said local traders are not making profit because they are buying their goods in US dollars from foreign importers and selling them in Liberian dollars. As a result, the LMA president said, local traders, especially market women, are selling without adequate income from the business to better their living conditions. She stressed that dual currency is causing instability of the Liberian economy and not improving the livelihood of local marketers or the economy. The LMA boss highlighted that dual currency is increasing countless problems as many schools are charging fees in US dollars, instead of in Liberian dollars. “We actually want the government and those that are in charge to look at the situation carefully; we are selling our goods and services in Liberian dollars, but some schools are charging fees in US dollars. I don’t think it is supposed to be that way. You can’t have your school in Liberia and charge the parents in US dollars,” she said.Madam Sloan indicated that foreign importers are taking excess US dollars from Liberia to develop their countries, while Liberia remains under-developed. “Buying in US dollars from the importers, selling the goods in Liberian dollars and at the end of the day you have to change the Liberian dollars to US dollars to re-buy drops the profit margin. So you see, more money is going out of the country on a daily basis, because they come here to look for US dollars to carry it,” the LMA president asserts. She wants the government to monitor the behavior of importers toward retailers to enable the local traders to profit from their businesses. Madam Sloan said the National Legislature in collaboration with the relevant authorities should put in place policies to stabilize the Liberian dollar on the market, adding that it is losing its relevance.Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
The Texters can run with the Beermen when Smith is on the bench, but when the import is in the game, Racela always calls for Smith to have a touch inside, creating problems for San Miguel’s defense.Sports Related Videospowered by AdSparcRead Next WATCH: Firefighters rescue baby seal found in parking garage The rookie coach will almost always clam up when asked about situations in his team—even if the situation he is being pressed about is something major. Like, say, import Joshua Smith’s state of health.And no one seems to mind. What’s important is that his brilliant mind is delivering and he has allowed his team to take momentum in this best-of-seven series not a few have predicted the Beermen will dominate with ease.FEATURED STORIESSPORTSSEA Games: Biñan football stadium stands out in preparedness, completionSPORTSPrivate companies step in to help SEA Games hostingSPORTSMalditas save PH from shutoutLeo Austria, meanwhile, is the exact opposite and talks at length whenever asked.“We have less than 48 hours to realize what’s going on,” Austria said, not referring to anything specific after his Beermen trailed most of Wednesday night before failing to cover Smith effectively at winning time. Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. Heart Evangelista admits she’s pregnant… with chicken Robredo: True leaders perform well despite having ‘uninspiring’ boss PLAY LIST 02:49Robredo: True leaders perform well despite having ‘uninspiring’ boss02:42PH underwater hockey team aims to make waves in SEA Games01:44Philippines marks anniversary of massacre with calls for justice01:19Fire erupts in Barangay Tatalon in Quezon City01:07Trump talks impeachment while meeting NCAA athletes02:49World-class track facilities installed at NCC for SEA Games World’s 50 Best Restaurants launches new drinking and dining guide Heart Evangelista admits she’s pregnant… with chicken 1 dead in Cavite blast, fire “But definitely, we will make the adjustments,” Austria said.Racela may contemplate on adjustments and convince people he will be busy working on them, but the burden of coming up with new strategies lies heavily on Austria in the 7 p.m. contest slated at Smart Araneta Coliseum on Friday.“We need to contain their perimeter shooters,” Austria said as TNT’s outside guns pelted them with the baskets that mattered in the crunch, with Jason Castro’s triple in the dying seconds putting the Beermen in a 102-99 hole.TNT managed to gut out the win despite playing Smith sparingly—torn ligaments in the import’s right foot make him a liability when the game’s tempo picks up.When he is on the floor, however, Racela has made it sure that the Texters can maximize his imposing 6-foot-9, 330-pound presence in the shaded lane.ADVERTISEMENT Filipino fighter Yabo looks for redemption in ONE Championship MOST READ Lacson: SEA Games fund put in foundation like ‘Napoles case’ LATEST STORIES TNT KaTropa head coach Nash Racela. PBA IMAGESNash Racela’s young coaching career in the PBA has been predominantly marked by two things: Safe answers during interviews and success.“We will make the adjustments for Game 2,” Racela, with a straight face, said Wednesday night, looking and sounding like he and his TNT KaTropa were the ones on the losing end of a 104-102 decision over favored powerhouse San Miguel Beer at the start of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals.ADVERTISEMENT Jordan delivers on promise: 2 Cobra choppers now in PH View comments What ‘missteps’?


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Apple has included images of a new MacBook Pro with an OLED touch panel and a Touch ID sensor in the latest version of macOS Sierra.
Whether it intended to or not, Apple has out-scooped the entire news industry that has developed around Apple rumours, by revealing what the new MacBook Pro due to be unveiled tomorrow (27 October) will look like.
Apple is planning a total refresh of its Mac line-up. This can’t happen fast enough, as Mac sales are down 14pc, with 4.8m computers being shipped in Q4.
‘The new line of MacBooks will feature the Apple Smart Button and the Magic Toolbar’
– BRIAN CONROY
Apple is pinning its hopes on a buoyant Q1 Christmas sales season, forecasting revenues in the region of $78bn.
The return of the Mac and there’s no Esc
It has been at least two years since Apple has gone crazy with its Mac line-up. One of the rumours circulating of late has been the inclusion of an OLED strip panel along the top of the new MacBook Pro, which would change according to what apps were being used.
It is an interesting development and shows Apple still has a few innovative tricks up its sleeve.
Interestingly, the OLED panel is being accompanied by a Touch ID button with Apple Pay integration.
When not in use, the OLED strip remains completely dark, but could transform itself in terms of touch buttons, colours and symbols – depending what app is in use.
Eagle-eyed observers have also noticed that the new MacBook Pro comes with no Esc button, showing Apple is being quite fearless in jettisoning old tech that has served its purpose.
Say hello to the Apple Magic Toolbar
Considering the furore around the disappearance of the headphone jack in the latest iPhone 7 devices, it remains to be seen if Apple is also planning on getting rid of USB ports, in favour of a single USB-C port for charging and transferring data.
But the OLED strip could inform the future of all notebooks as we know it.
Irish trademark expert Brian Conroy is carving something of an international reputation as The Trademark Ninja, after spotting the correct name for Apple’s new wireless headphones: the AirPods.
Conroy has spotted a trademark application for the Apple Magic Toolbar, which was filed in Delaware as well as in Benelux countries.
After careful research, Conroy spotted a number of coincidences and trademark applications by an entity calling itself Presto Apps America LLC, which he believes is actually Apple.
“So, I’m pinning my flag to the mast now,” Conroy said. “The new line of MacBooks will feature the Apple Smart Button and the Magic Toolbar.”
As usual, only Apple really knows, and we will have to wait and see what the tech giant reveals tomorrow (27 October) in Cupertino.


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Internal documents from Apple reveal that the company was aware that the iPhone 6 and 6 plus were significantly weaker than previous phones and would bend prior to release
This was revealed after Apple was required to provide internal documents relating to the iPhone 6 and 6 plus in court, in response to a lawsuit against Apple regarding “Touch Disease”, a condition where the corner of the screen stopped responding to touch as a result of the phone bending. The class action lawsuit that was filed against Apple in California claims Apple wilfully misled customers and breached customer trust by selling the phones despite knowing the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus were flawed.
The internal documents show that Apple’s pre-release testing revealed that the iPhone 6 is 3.3 times weaker than the 5S and the iPhone 6 Plus is a whopping 7.2 times weaker. Although the majority of the lawsuit cannot be divulged, U.S. District Court judge Lucy Koh released a snippet of information from the case to the public:
Back in 2014 when the iPhone 6 was released, users reported the phones bending in their pockets due to poor design but Apple claimed this was “extremely rare” and said the products had been rigorously tested. After this, touch disease emerged, this was caused by a flaw in touch controller chips that was attributed to the bending. Of course Apple denied that this was due to an engineering flaw, they refused to repair customers’ devices for free and said the issue was caused by dropping the device multiple times on a hard surface. In May 2016, Apple began quietly reinforcing the phones with epoxy around the affected area, this was not announced at the time but was revealed recently in the internal documents released in the court case. Apple eventually agreed to repair units affected by the problem public pressure for Apple to fix the mess it had created but they do charge a fee of $149 dollars (£156 in the UK which works out to be $208 USD).


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MORE stolen vehicles are being recovered as police continue their investigation into a car-smuggling syndicate, believed to be the biggest of its kind in the Eastern Cape and Western Cape, where it operates.
Dozens of Nelson Mandela Bay residents have fallen victim to the syndicate in a scam in which a secondhand car dealer in Uitenhage has allegedly been selling stolen vehicles in sales which appear to be legitimate.
Police first swooped on the dealership – Monte Carlo Motors, owned by alleged kingpin Simon van Vuuren – in December and since then they have recovered 41 cars worth more than R2-million. Most of the cars were stolen in Cape Town.
Van Vuuren, 65, was arrested and is out on R20000 bail. He is facing 41 charges of motor vehicle theft, and is due back in the Uitenhage Magistrate’s Court on March 20.
For the full story read The Herald, or get the complete newspaper, including comics, classifieds, crosswords and back editions in our e-Edition


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Dell said it will warranty servers to run at 113 degrees Fahrenheit (45 degrees Celsius) for a limited number of hours per year, so that customers can make wider use of “fresh-air cooling” in their data centres.
The announcement comes as data centers are trying to rein in escalating energy costs. The energy used to keep IT equipment cool can account for as much as half the total cost of running a data centre.
Most big data centers use chillers, big mechanical pieces of equipment that provide cold water for cooling. By contrast, fresh-air cooling is an emerging technique that draws outside air into the data centre, filters it and uses that to cool the IT gear.
That can make fresh-air cooling far more energy-efficient than a chiller, but using outside air can also lead to wide fluctuations in temperature, particularly during warm summer months.
Dell will warranty many of its mainstream servers, as well as some network and storage products, to operate at 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) for up to 900 hours per year, and at 113 degrees Fahrenheit for 90 hours per year, the company said.
That will give more data centres the opportunity to use fresh-air cooling year-round, because their equipment will be tested and warrantied for use during the hottest hours, said Eric Wilcox, power and cooling product manager for Dell.
Ninety hours doesn’t sound like a long time, he acknowledged, but temperatures in most of North America, for example, rarely exceed 113 degrees Fahrenheit for more than a few hours a day during a few weeks of the year.
The higher temperature rating will allow year-round fresh-air cooling all over North America, apart from very hot and humid places like Atlanta, he said. The same will be true for much of Europe.
The announcement covers only Dell equipment, of course, and it remains to be seen if other vendors will follow suit. Some data centers divide their computer rooms into zones, so they could potentially operate different areas at different temperatures.


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The UK government is set to introduce financial incentives for wind companies that cut their carbon footprint in 2025’s Allocation Round 7 (AR7).
Offshore wind and floating wind winners of the contracts for difference (CfD) round in 2025 will see additional payments through ‘Sustainable Industry Rewards’ (SIR).
To be eligible, firms will have to invest in the wind supply chain and be seen to take action to increase their sustainability.
Examples of how to meet these requirements include investing in new factories in economically disadvantaged areas to shorten their supply chains or choosing companies investing in sustainable manufacturing practices to build their projects, a government update outlined.
In January RWE, the largest electricity generator in the UK, said that there was “quite a lot of scepticism in the developer community” surrounding the changes to the CfD process.
At an industry event early this RWE’s senior regulatory affairs manager James Brabben said: “I think it’s fair to say there is quite a lot of scepticism in the developer community about these rewards at the moment, mainly because we’re still in a period of heightened supply chain volatility and constraints globally, not just in the UK. And introducing a measure like this, which hasn’t been done in other markets, does come with risks.”
However, RenewableUK’s markets policy analyst Nick Hibberd argued that if “SIRs are implemented in the right way” the UK offshore wind supply chain will grow, “supporting new manufacturing, job creation, technical innovation and investment in skills.”
The trade body warned that the government must give the scheme an “ambitious budget” to meet objectives.
He added: “This will enable us to build new projects faster, deliver value for consumers, accelerate our transition to clean, low-cost power and strengthen Britain’s energy security significantly.”
Calling the announcement “particularly timely” Mr Hibberd explained that “the global offshore wind supply chain is constrained” and he believes that if the UK grows its industrial capability, it will find itself in a “strong position” to sell goods domestically and internationally.
‘No better way of strengthening the long-term growth’
The introduction of these changes came following responses to a consultation on introducing SIR into the CfD scheme.
Energy minister Andrew Bowie commented: “There is no better way of strengthening the long-term growth of our renewable energy supply chain than through our flagship Contracts for Difference scheme, which has already had enormous success in supporting British low-carbon electricity.
“Sustainable Industry Rewards will enable offshore wind companies to kickstart the investments that will create an even stronger sector, boost our energy security and grow our economy.
“I look forward to their formal introduction, which will enhance our reputation as one of the most attractive places globally to invest in renewables.”
RWE has previously said it supports moves to help the supply chain but SIRs could introduce “unwelcome complexity and risk”.
SIR applicants will compete against each other in a competitive auction, in order to ensure the best value for money for billpayers, the UK government explained as it announced the introduction of SIRs into AR7.
Despite previous concern from RWE, RenewableUK’s Mr Hibberd said after the announcement: “The Government’s new system of Sustainable Industry Rewards fits into a much wider suite of measures to support the development of the UK’s offshore wind supply chain which the sector is supportive of, including the Green Industries Growth Accelerator (GIGA) and the upcoming Industrial Growth Plan (IGP).”
£800m set aside for offshore wind in AR6
Recently the UK government confirmed the budget for the sixth allocation round, setting aside £800 million for offshore wind projects.
The next CfD auction will be open for bids from developers on March 27, with renewable energy types grouped into three pots.
The total budget for AR6 will include just over £1 billion in funding from each financial year from 2027/28 to 2029/30, plus an additional £905 million in 2030/31.
The government will allocate a record £800 million for offshore wind projects in AR6, part of efforts to make up for a disastrous AR5 auction which saw no bids from the sector.
September’s AR5 fell flat for offshore wind as developers argued strike prices were no longer cost effective” amid soaring inflation.
The rising cost of offshore wind development was cited in a recent government document as a reason for the introduction of SIR.
“Component costs have increased, and many supply chain companies have struggled as a result, deployment targets have increased faster than manufacturing capacity, the carbon footprint of the industry remains substantial, and consumers rightly expect to see more benefits from greater renewables deployment in terms of economic and environmental gains,” the response to consultation explains.
The document called for an offshore wind industry which can roll with weather economic and global challenges while delivering sustainable deployment.
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Thieves have ram-raided two bike shops within 25 miles in one night, making off with thousands of pounds worth of bikes, in what are believed to be linked thefts.
In midnight ram-raids on the shops, the Specialized Concept store in Nottingham, and Chesterfield Cycle Centre in Chesterfield, thieves stole a number of high-end, rare bikes worth thousands of pounds.
The public are asked to be vigilant of anyone attempting to sell the bikes, and police are appealing for anyone with information to come forward.
Nottingham Police report just after midnight in the early hours of Tuesday 15 March, two men drove a stolen Ford Fiesta into the Specialized Concept Store on Nottingham Road, New Basford, stealing two bikes worth £3,000-£3,500 each (images of the bikes are here).
Officers believe the incident may be linked to the Chesterfield Cycle Centre ram-raid, also in the early hours of Wednesday morning, 16 March, when a van was driven into the front doors of the shop, in Top Road, before thieves took three bicycles, leaving the van at the scene.
Det Sgt James Bond, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “We would urge anyone who saw anything suspicious in the area at the time of this incident to get in touch.
“We are also asking people to look out for these bikes – which are quite unique in appearance - particularly on selling sites. If you hear of anyone attempting to sell such a bike, we would like to hear from you.”
Chesterfield Cycle Centre employee, Tom Henton, posted images of the bikes, which he says are worth £15,000, on Facebook.
He said: “Let's make these bikes to [sic] hot to handle share please!!”
He says the stolen bikes include a large Yeti sb6c in teal, a medium Yeti sb4.5c in green (both pictured, above) and a Lapierre zesty am 527 carbon.
Anyone with any information is asked to call Nottinghamshire Police on 101 quoting incident number 6 of 15 March 2016. Alternatively Derbyshire Police on 101 quoting crime reference number 11571-16, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
On the same night, Expert Bike Repair in Rotherham, which is 19 miles North of Chesterfield Cycle Centre, was broken into. Bikes stolen include a red and white Lappierre 214 with dropper post, a black Bergamont hardtail and green Bergamont hardtail.


text: TORRINGTON --The Torrington Downtown Partners anticipate a lively spring season. The group, which purchased about 120,000 square feet of retail and residential space downtown last fall, has been busy showing parts of that space this week. "We have had a busy week," communications director Sharon Waagner said Wednesday. "I have been showing people spaces all week and it looks like it is going to continue into next week." Waagner said there are groups interested in restaurant space on Water Street, and noted that a national fast food chain also will soon be moving downtown. One business location that still hasn't been decided upon is the site of a former pawn shop on Main Street across from the Warner Theatre. Before the partners purchased the space, it was in the hands of a Boston-based bank. The tenant kept paying rent on the property despite the fact that the shop was closed. Partner Steve Temkin said Wednesday that there have been no decisions made on the space, whether to keep the location as a pawn shop or to have a new business come in instead. "We don't have a comment on that space right now," Temkin said. "We have had a number of people interested in the location and have shown it to a few people, but nothing is concrete right now.' Temkin said the Torrington Titans are looking at a few locations downtown for a box-office and office space for General Manager Mike O'Malley. "There is a lot of common interest; what is good for the Titans is good for us," Temkin said. "There is a lot of potential downtown, and I think we are coming up on a lot of positive changes in the spring." The partners presented residents with a unique opportunity after they purchased the property by selling "shares" for $100 People who became partners could then vote on such things as what type of businesses they wanted to have come into the city, and even what color awnings would be added to several of the properties downtown. "Our awnings should be up in the spring," Waagner said. "The designer has the colors and patterns, and hopefully we can get them up over the doorways soon." The awnings were voted on recently by members and will mark entrances to about 11 of the partnerships entryways. Mike Agogliati can be reached by e-mail at firstname.lastname@example.org. Follow us on Twitter at Twitter.com\/registercitizen or Twitter.com\/mikeagogliati.


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Challenges in the supply chain – fight or flight?
Following the Government’s announcement for all non-essential workers to work from home and for pubs, restaurants and non-essential shops to close, thousands of businesses across the UK are now embedded within the ordered lockdown. Some have found creative ways to adapt, but many still feeling the understandable strain.
Business are not only adapting to a change in working environment (with many having switched to remote working), but many have also been forced to adapt their supply chain to respond to demand and to react to the global disruption affecting their operations. For some, these challenges will only be intensifying as the lockdown continues, but many are now starting to look beyond the lockdown and what life will be like afterwards. Not only must businesses and service providers ensure they can continue to provide the level of service expected of them, they are battling to ensure they ride the current storm and also adapt successfully after COVID-19.
You only need to take one look at the news channels to see it littered with examples of ways business are adapting positively. Of the most high profile, we have seen a consortium of British manufacturers taking part in the Ventilator Challenge UK to deliver a record number of ventilators to the NHS in a short space of time. We have seen supermarkets, restaurants and pharmacies switching their operations to focus on key products and delivering to the most vulnerable. We have seen gyms and fitness centres providing live workouts, as well as football clubs and players opening their hotel doors to NHS staff. More recently, we have seen a number of well-known consumer brands step up to produce NHS protective equipment. The response to COVID-19 has been described as nothing short of a “wartime effort”.
Whilst workforces are showing their resilience and ability to adapt to a change in working conditions, vulnerabilities in the supply chains both in the UK and globally are nevertheless being exposed as the disruption takes hold and manufacturing outfits are finding their exports restricted, creating difficulties in delivering. The lockdown rules of some countries mean that their imports and exports are restricted, whereas some are continuing, causing inevitable breaks in the supply chains across the globe.
As a result, businesses are undoubtedly finding themselves looking deep into their supply chain and contracts in place to ascertain how they can react, now and going forward. We have considered steps businesses can take to mitigate their position and look forward. As a starting point, businesses should:
- Review their underlying contracts with suppliers and customers before taking decisions to suspend supplies and cancel orders. Seek legal advice at the earliest opportunity. Some contracts will contain force majeure clauses. The application of the doctrine of frustration is also being brought to the fore.
- Maintain a dialogue within the supply chain. Talk to suppliers, manufacturers and customers and discuss how they are adapting and how best companies can work together. Relying on force majeure clauses or frustration is rarely straightforward and is fact sensitive, so negotiating a mutually acceptable solution is often preferable.
- Mitigate losses. Assess alternatives and contingencies in place and how quickly these can be brought into effect and at what cost. As above, communication is crucial.
- Check insurance in place as to what losses could be recovered and take advice on that.
- Take advice on potential regulatory issues to ensure ongoing compliance as the manufacturing of products change. This will also ensure standards are maintained and product liability issues are avoided
- Keep a record of the steps taken to adapt and new (and ever-changing) measures in place. This may prove important in the future, both in the event an insolvent event occurs (in which case directors’ decisions could be scrutinised), but also to assess long-term changes to supply chain operations when businesses return to normal.
Looking beyond COVID-19 and in addition to the above, wider reviews of supply chains are inevitable to ensure resilience going forward. Examples will be: looking at where issues occurred during the pandemic and look to diversify going forward both at a supplier level and geographically to reduce risk by not putting all of their eggs in one basket and reviewing IT systems to ensure lines of communication with others in the supply chain are resilient.
Many businesses are likely to find themselves implementing measures taken during the COVID-19 pandemic long-term where they have proven to be successful. Legal advice should be taken to assess the legal impact of those changes and how best they should be implemented. The team here at Charles Russell Speechlys would be happy to discuss any concerns you have, so please do feel free to contact us for more information.
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Law firms entering damages-based agreements face a catch-22.
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Residents of Maui County, Hawai'i voted on November 4 to ban the growing of genetically modified (GMO) crops on the islands of Maui, Lanai, and Molokai until scientific studies are conducted on their safety and benefits. Monsanto and Dow Chemical's unit Mycogen Seeds have sued the county in federal court to stop the law passed by the people.
In Vermont, the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA, of which Monsanto and Dow were recently listed as members) has sued the state over its law requiring GMO labels. And Monsanto has a history of suing to prevent consumer labeling regarding its products. The company sued a number of dairies in the 1990s and 2000s for labeling milk free from recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH), which Monsanto developed and marketed as Posilac® (sold to Eli Lilly in 2008), the only commercially approved form. Vermont itself is no stranger to such suits. The International Dairy Foods Association sued Vermont for passing a law requiring labeling of milk containing rBGH (Monsanto wrote an amicus brief in support of the plaintiff, and GMA was a plaintiff-appellant) -- and it won in federal court.
On the same day that Monsanto said it would challenge the decision of Maui's citizens to regulate their own land and environment in court, the company also launched a new national advertising campaign as part of an effort to improve the image of the widely reviled company.
The glossy ads portray families of many cultures sitting down to eat gorgeous foods, invoking images more often seen in the pages of Saveur than in the hallways of one of the world's largest chemical companies.
In addition to print ads in several national magazines and TV ads airing on national cable networks and several local stations in coastal cities, the campaign includes a slick new website launched in September, Discover.Monsanto.com.
The website invites questions from the public. The vast majority are skeptical, if not hostile. Others sound like they were written by Monsanto staff. Predictably, some of the hardest questions, like the one posed by Tim H., "In 2013, how much money has Monsanto spent on lobbyists in DC? What laws were these lobbyists attempting to create/amend and why?" are given short shrift.
Monsanto's pretty TV ads target moms and millenials, according to the company's corporate brand lead, Jessica Simmons. Monsanto has even hired a new "director of millenial engagement," Vance Crowe, 32. He represented the company at a recent South by Southwest Eco conference in Austin, where revelations that Monsanto had paid for a panel of farmers to attend and present generated some excitement, as Tom Philpott reports in Mother Jones.
Crowe told NPR's "The Salt" blog, "[T]he challenge with something like SXSW Eco is that it doesn't do anybody any good if people are so passionate that they're yelling. The challenge is how can we enter the conversation so that people don't feel like they have to yell to be heard?" Apparently, Crowe hopes to "enter the conversation" one party at a time. He enthusiastically describes how he and a gay colleague attended sessions on "sustainable fashion" and got invited to parties where they won fans and accolades.
Coincidentally, the front page of Discover.Monsanto.com contains, under "Here's where we work," a picture of corn crops being tended in Maui, with the text, "Hawaii’s unique climate allows for three to four growing seasons a year, reducing the time it takes us to develop new products. Our island roots go back more than 45 years."
The marketing text may indicate the issue at the heart of Monsanto's lawsuit against Maui. Those multiple growing seasons mean that "about 90 percent of all corn grown in the U.S. is genetically engineered and has been developed partially at Hawaii farms," according to the Associated Press. Monsanto and the rest of the seed crop industry reap $146.3 million a year in sales from their activities in the state, according to a 2009 USDA report. Now Monsanto would have to substantially downsize its activity in Maui County in order to follow the new law, according to its lawsuit.
Monsanto's new PR campaign seeks to make its brand approachable to the American consumer. Yet, with 92 percent of Americans demanding that GMO foods be labelled, according to a new Consumer Reports poll, Monsanto and its new millenial hires have their work cut out for them.
Consumer Reports recently put out a study on where GMOs are hiding in your food, including in packages labeled "natural." You can access the report here.


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Over the years, I’ve witnessed many great programs The Salvation Army offers. But recently, I experienced an exciting new project that I’ve been wanting to tell everyone about!
The Central Maryland Area Command, part of the Maryland/West Virginia Division, opened DMG Foods, a nonprofit grocery store in northeast Baltimore. DMG stands for “Doing the Most Good,” The Salvation Army’s motto.
The surrounding neighborhood is considered a food desert, and this store is within walking distance for many local residents. In addition to offering healthy and affordable food choices, DMG Foods will also have nutrition and cooking classes, meal-planning services, and a workforce development program. This five-week training program is designed to provide hands-on food retail experience and assist with job placement. They have also partnered with the Maryland Food Bank to provide additional food assistance and cooking demonstrations.
Major Gene Hogg, General Secretary of the Maryland/West Virginia Division and Area Commander for Central Maryland, was kind enough to give us a tour. I found myself smiling around each corner, feeling truly excited for this community. It had everything a larger grocery story would — a butcher shop, bakery, and deli counter — in addition to regular staple items.
While we were waiting for the official grand opening, I started talking with Jennifer, a local resident who anticipated shopping at the new store. Jennifer lives across the street and wanted to be the first in line when the doors finally opened. “This store will be helpful to a lot of people who don’t have transportation,” she said. “It’s awesome and well needed.” She was so lovely, and I was happy for her and this community. You could feel a buzz of excitement when other residents started to form a crowd. I suspect this store will be life-changing for so many.
The Salvation Army has always provided for those in need, and this first-of-its-kind grocery store is no exception. We wish DMG Foods an abundance of success, and hope this innovated program catches on across the county.
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Narrative: Uber Treats Drivers Badly
Each narrative page (like this) has a page describing and evaluating the narrative, followed by all the posts on the site tagged with that narrative. Scroll down beyond the introduction to see the posts.
Narrative: Uber Treats Drivers Badly (Jan 28, 2017)
Written: January 28, 2017
Uber has two major stakeholders – its passengers and its drivers. Its customers pay the bills, and it arguably treats them pretty well, but its drivers and their cars are the infrastructure of the service, and it has arguably treated them far less well.
The major complaint against Uber from its drivers is that it refuses to treat them as employees, worthy of benefits and other protections. Instead, Uber treats even full-time Uber drivers as contractors, requiring them to buy their own insurance, offering no guarantees of income, and providing no meaningful benefits as most employers would. This obviously serves Uber well – it has much lower costs and far fewer assets on its books than it would if drivers were employees and their cars belonged to an Uber fleet. Uber effectively operates as a pure digital layer on top of physical infrastructure it doesn’t own.
But the complaints go beyond employment status – drivers have complained that Uber reduces fares constantly, squeezing their incomes until they either have to work longer hours or give up. Surge pricing and other features are intended to make up for the shortfall in some cases, but can’t be relied upon. Some drivers have taken to sleeping in their cars at nights between shifts in order to reduce their travel time and costs so they can make ends meet. The Uber Pool service has reduced fares even further for shared rides, and this has been another source of complaints from drivers.
In some ways, Uber’s relationship with its drivers is similar to Amazon’s with its warehouse workers (see related narrative): both companies offer employment to those who might not otherwise be able to find it, but do so under conditions that many of them find intolerable, often imposing significant physical costs in the process. Both companies argue that they provide net benefits to local economies through both the employment opportunities they offer and the services they provide, but not all employees agree with that rosy perspective.
Uber Talking to SEC About Giving Drivers Equity (Jun 29, 2017)
According to Axios, Uber has been meeting with the Securities and Exchange Commission to discuss giving drivers equity in the company. As the piece notes, this was something recently-acquired ride sharing startup Juno promised to do, but which it found legally difficult given SEC regulations. Of course, if drivers were employees, there would be entirely standard ways to deal with stock-based compensation, but the combination of the fact that Uber is a private company and drivers are contractors rather than employees make this more complex. Given the historical meteoric rise of Uber’s valuation, I could certainly see the appeal for drivers of getting a stake in the company, though the attraction will have waned a little as there have been reports of shares selling at lower prices in the private markets over recent months. Longer term, there are still big questions about whether Uber’s valuation will continue to grow if it doesn’t have a clear path to profitability and doesn’t seem to be winning decisively against Lyft and other big competitors in its important markets. And its big investment in autonomous driving is another potential huge cash sink which isn’t guaranteed to pay off, especially given the distraction and uncertainty created by the Waymo lawsuit and the departure of Anthony Levandowski and Travis Kalanick in recent weeks. Still, Uber does seem to be genuinely interested in trying to find ways to improve its relationship with drivers recently, and this is another potential step in that direction.


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In another austerity measure, debt-laden Jet Airways has announced to scrap complimentary meals for economy class passengers traveling on domestic routes under two more fare categories. In a release, the private airliner said that the new offerings will come into effect for bookings made December 21 and for travel starting January 7.
Presently, for its domestic passengers, Jet offers five fare options in the economy class which includes light, deal, saver, classic and flex. The release said that "In addition to the light and deal categories introduced earlier, Jet Airways will offer two more categories under economy travel saver and classic."
It is to be noted that the latest announcement related to complimentary meals would be applicable only for economy passengers who booked their tickets under the flex option.
However, Jet passengers who have made bookings prior to December 21, will continue to enjoy complimentary meals across saver and classic fare options. Moreover, its frequent flyers holding platinum and gold card members will also be continued to avail on-board complimentary meal facility.
Depreciating rupee, increasing oil crude oil prices in the international market and heavy discounts offered by no-frills airlines has resulted in the airline reporting huge losses. The future remains uncertain for the troubled airline as the proposed deal between Jet Airways and Tata for a possible takeover is not being conceptualized.
Recently, the airline reported its third consecutive quarterly loss; India's second-biggest airline by market share registered a net loss of Rs 1,292 crore for July-September quarter as against a net profit of Rs 46 crore a year earlier.


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UB cuts carbon emissions with shift to canal transport
United Biscuits (UB) this week announced that it will use inland waterway shipping to transport goods in Northern Europe. Initially, up to 65% of the company’s biscuit products bound for the US and Canadian markets will travel via this environmentally friendly transport mode from an inland container terminal at Willebroek to the Port of Antwerp. UB cargo was loaded on to barges at Willebroek at the official launch of the inland waterway shipping initiative on Tuesday (4th October).
The waterways project follows a feasibility study carried out last year by the department of the Flemish Government responsible for all inland waterways in Flanders, which revealed a huge potential from an operational, financial and environmental perspective for this alternative mode of transport. Following the positive results of the study, the government decided to invest in infrastructure to upgrade and modify the waterways and barges so they were capable of transporting reefer containers.
Nico Van Puyenbroek, UB’s Logistics and Distribution Manager for Northern Europe, said it was a win win situation for UB: “Our products for the US and Canadian markets are mainly chocolate coated biscuits that must be stored and transported at a constant low temperature so reefer containers are the only option as they allow us to control the temperature and keep the products cool.
“The Government asked UB to launch a pilot project in January where we did trial runs with around 10 tonnes of product per container to test things like temperature control, timescales and lead times, and linkages between our logistical providers and the outcome was absolutely positive.
“There is no operational impact whatsoever, there’s potential for future cost savings and huge environmental benefits, which fits in perfectly with UB’s focus on sustainability and ongoing efforts to reduce its carbon footprint. Each container is saving 31% CO2 emissions versus road transport.”
The Flemish government hopes to make more food manufacturers aware of the benefits of transport by inland waterway shipping, and UB’s logistics partner Keuhne & Nagel and Schenker are working on behalf of the company to help get more shipping agents on board.
“At the moment we’re starting with three out of six shipping lines but by March 2012 we hope to have 80% of our exported goods for the US and Canadian markets being transported via barge,” said Van Puyenbroeck.
“We’re concentrating on outbound shipping initially but there may also be potential for inbound transportation as well further down the line.”


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Y Research this morning released our annual Perth CBD Office Market Census. The Report reviews the occupancy of the 280 office buildings in the Perth CBD.
The Report found that the Perth CBD office vacancy rate has increased to 25.2% from 22.1%, 12 months ago as resources companies continue to downsize. New sectors are emerging as post boom office space occupiers, in particular technology, medical, education and shared work spaces but these industries occupy a small percentage of the space of the resources industry.
Coverage of the Report: