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As the pandemic has dragged on, forcing adaptations for nearly every facet of life, Taos has begun to see its fair share of food carts pop up. What has become a phenomenon in almost every part of the country has finally made its way to our small northern New Mexico town, with local entrepreneurs looking for an alternative path to business ownership and restoration.
Inside one of the newest, and perhaps the smallest food cart to hit the scene, is one of the biggest menus in terms of variety. Aly’s Taos Eats, located in Arroyo Seco until the end of the 2021-22 ski season, serves an eclectic variety of foods.
From his 7ft by 5ft silver trailer, Aly Hyder serves up gyros (the smell of spit-roasted lamb/beef is sure to entice customers), falafel, freshly baked savory pies and treats like muffins and baklava. More recently, Hyder has started offering a weekend breakfast menu, which includes its unique twist on the traditional breakfast burrito, sausage rolls, and “pizza egg muffins.”
Hyder was born in New Zealand and moved to Taos 19 years ago after traveling the world. After turning 20, she opted to drop out and move to London, staying there until she was 32 before ending up in Taos.
The 51-year-old has since found herself busy with local bureaucracy, community and food. “People constantly say I’m recreating myself, but I guess I’ve fallen into jobs that welcome a sense of change,” she said of the roles she’s held over the years, including as manager of the Alpine Village Suites. and the director of the Taos Ski Valley Village Chamber of Commerce.
During his career in the village, Hyder decided to leave the Chamber of Commerce after seven years to open a “central reservation booking business” to help visitors book hotels and air tickets. Unfortunately, like many businesses, COVID-19 eventually forced its closure.
But through her previous relationships, Hyder was able to secure a position at the Austing Haus Bed & Breakfast, where she was able to rediscover her passion for food. Hyder said working at the Austing Haus “allowed me to bring back my love of cooking – and that’s breakfast.”
Regardless of the success of the B&B menu, COVID-19 ultimately took its toll on the Austing Haus as well. From then on, she decided to focus her efforts on creating an environment where she could express her true creative passion.
“I bought these food trucks in February [of 2021] with the anticipation that I would lose my job at the end of the ski season, and I did,” Hyder said of his position at Austing Haus and his subsequent decision to branch out.
The timing was perfect. Having a good relationship with Taos Ski Valley Inc. officials, Hyder began serving food from his new cart for the first time in late 2021.
Hyder said she doesn’t consider herself a chef, but said “I can cook.” The New Zealander said she draws inspiration from a variety of sources and her menu showcases flavors from many parts of the world.
During her travels, Hyder said she developed an appreciation for many types of food. She said she was just serving “some of my favorite things, like the song… That’s what I can do.”
One of the staple foods she brings from her home country are meat pies. “Every suburb [in New Zealand] at this dairy that sells meat pies. It’s just one of those things we grew up with,” Hyder said. “Even at gas stations, there is a meat pies stand. You can get a hot meat pie everywhere.
These days, she said pies have a higher status in the restaurant world, using meats like venison. Hyder offers a chicken chipotle pie, a beef bourguignon pie, a “traditional” ground beef and cheese pie and a vegetarian pie.
Since Hyder started serving breakfast on weekends, she started cooking a unique breakfast burrito with turmeric, roast potatoes, cilantro and feta cheese. She also makes sage and green chili sausage rolls, bacon and egg tart, and blueberry French toast – one of her signature dishes.
His gyroscopes are another popular item. Hyder credits the addition of gyroscopes to his time in London. “Every night after you came out, that’s kind of what you had. It was just a staple, and I love them. So we made them better and healthier.
Making it work during a pandemic
Due to Hyder’s timeline, she had to juggle many unpredictable circumstances. When she originally chose to lease her commercial kitchen space at the Quail Ridge Resort (on the site of the former Common Fire Restaurant), she hoped to expand into the restaurant space. But a fledgling restaurant was no match for a global pandemic.
“I ended up opening in Quail Ridge to support the pool,” she said, adding that she plans to be open again through next summer. Hyder said they have a “really awesome” pizza oven, but unfortunately commercial access is limited. “It’s just such a weird place to try to get in here,” she said of her space at Quail Ridge. Luckily, she had her cart to fall back on.
By the time Hyder received all the permits to get the cart running, it was January 2021, and the ski season at Taos Ski Valley was already well underway. She decided to set up her cart near the entrance to the TSV landing stage, attracting customers when they came to ski or returned home.
Hyder began exploring his options throughout the summer, appearing at Taos Town’s 4th of July event, Michael Hearne’s Big Barn Dance, Wool Festival, El Comeback Fest and more.
Now his cart remains fairly stationary, sitting in Arroyo Seco just south of Taos Cow and across from the Wake & Take. Hyder praises the spot to Seco Live and said they originally gave it a try until January 8, “but everyone loved it so much and the feedback on Seco Live was so positive they renewed it until the end of the ski season.
Sooner rather than later, Hyder hopes to move to town. She said she currently had a spot in mind for her second cart, but was still waiting for the clearance process to be completed. With two carts, she will be able to cover twice the ground, but she may not stop there. “I’m looking at all the festival routes this summer, so we’re starting to sign up for all of them, which potentially means a third carriage, which I’m also looking into,” she said.
The hope is to branch out into Santa Fe events and hopefully the Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque.
So far, she said things are moving at the right pace. “I definitely wish it was busier, but I think the way it’s all going is just perfect,” she said. “It gave us time to get the carts ready to be super efficient for people, because we’re really small.”
She also plans to change the map. “I don’t like to be bored so we are constantly adding new things,” she says. The hope is to expand gluten-free and vegan options. With the help of her crew of five, she has a solid base from which to grow.
Regardless of the various food cart projects, Hyder’s future remains set on one thing: a permanent restaurant where she can showcase her food.


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You can finally share tweets through private direct messages, Twitter announced today.
With the feature, you can send a public tweet to a follower privately as you would with a link, for example. To do so through the Twitter mobile app, open and long-press on the tweet from your timeline, and choose “Share via Direct Message.” From Twitter.com or TweetDeck, tap the “••• More” icon, and select “Share via Direct Message.” The user you sent the message to will be notified, and the tweet will show up embedded in the conversation.
This new ability was among the upcoming updates and new features the company announced last week. The other updates Twitter vice president of product Kevin Weil mentioned include native video shooting and editing, filters for surfacing relevant tweets, and other updates to direct messages.

domain: news


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TORONTO, Feb. 11 /CNW/ - Today's decision to freeze the minimum wage at $10.25/hour is welcome
news for Ontario's restaurant owners and will provide much-needed
certainty and stability after seven years of significant wage
"The restaurant industry is a fundamental building block of local
economies and a vital source of employment for thousands of Ontarians,"
says Ron Reaman, Vice President Ontario with the Canadian Restaurant
and Foodservices Association (CRFA). "We're very pleased the McGuinty
government has responded to our concerns and taken action to create a
more stable business environment for our members."
Labour costs constitute more than one third of operating costs for the
average restaurant - second only to food and beverage costs. More than
400,000 people are directly employed by Ontario's restaurant and
"Steep and successive wage increases have made it difficult for
restaurants to keep their doors open, let alone expand and invest.
This announcement sets the stage for our members to move forward with
strategies to invest in Ontario and create more jobs," says Reaman.
A recent survey by Ipsos found that the restaurant industry is the
number one source of first jobs, with 22% of Canadians getting a start
in this industry. In addition, one third of Canadians have worked in
the industry at some point in their lives.
CRFA is one of Canada's largest business associations, with more than
30,000 members representing restaurants, bars, caterers, institutions
and other foodservice providers. Ontario's $23-billion restaurant
industry directly employs more than 400,000 people in communities
across the province.
SOURCE Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association
For further information:
CONTACT: Ron Reaman, 416-937-8640 or email@example.com


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When you’re hoping to see extra Home windows video games on Mac then these goals may lastly come true quickly. Apple has dropped some large information for sport builders at its annual Worldwide Builders Convention (WWDC) this week, making it far simpler and faster to port Home windows video games to Mac due to a Proton-like setting that may translate and run the newest DirectX 12 Home windows video games on macOS.
Apple has created a brand new Recreation Porting Toolkit that’s just like the work Valve has accomplished with Proton and the Steam Deck. Apple’s device will immediately translate Home windows video games to run on macOS, permitting builders to launch an unmodified model of a Home windows sport on a Mac and see how effectively it runs earlier than absolutely porting a sport.
Mac gaming has been an extended operating meme among the many PC gaming neighborhood, regardless of Resident Evil Village and No Man’s Sky ports being some uncommon current exceptions to macOS gaming being largely ignored.
“The brand new Recreation Porting Toolkit offers an emulation setting to run your present unmodified Home windows sport and you should use it to rapidly perceive the graphics characteristic utilization and efficiency potential of your sport when operating on a Mac,” explains Aiswariya Sreenivassan, an engineering mission supervisor for GPUs and graphics at Apple, in a WWDC session earlier this week.
This Recreation Porting Toolkit even helps DirectX 12 video games like The Medium, with Sreenivassan demonstrating operating the sport by Apple’s translation layer. Very similar to how Wine and Proton mix to create a software program layer to translate Home windows API calls to Linux, Apple is doing one thing related right here to transform these Home windows API calls to its Steel API.
Apple’s new Recreation Porting Toolkit interprets Intel-based x86 directions and Home windows APIs to Apple Silicon as an alternative. APIs associated to keyboard, mouse, controller enter, audio playback, networking, the file system, and Direct3D are all translated to the corresponding APIs in macOS.
The result’s Home windows video games operating on macOS with none porting or modification. Apple says that is extra for evaluating video games proper now earlier than they’re ported throughout to macOS, however there’s nothing stopping macOS customers from putting in this Recreation Porting Toolkit and making an attempt video games out.
The massive challenge shall be precisely how video games run on this setting. Most gained’t be optimized by this device and there are sure to be efficiency points and bugs till builders create their very own ports. Code weavers introduced its personal highly-anticipated DirectX 12 assist for CrossOver Mac (the same Home windows compatibility layer) earlier this month. But it surely additionally warned that regardless of its development “there was no single magic key” that unlocked DirectX 12 assist on macOS.
“To get simply Diablo II Resurrected operating, we needed to repair a large number of bugs involving MoltenVK and SPIRV-Cross,” defined CrossOver Product Supervisor Meredith Johnson in a weblog submit. “We anticipate that this would be the case for different DirectX 12 video games: we might want to add assist on a per-title foundation, and every sport will probably contain a number of bugs.”
Apple’s personal translation layer remains to be vital, although. Apple has typically talked up how excessive efficiency its GPU cores are on its M1 and M2 chips, even asserting an M2 Extremely chip this week with a 76-core GPU that’s 30 % quicker than the M1 Extremely. We simply haven’t seen that GPU efficiency in video games on Mac as a result of so few get ported throughout.
Porting Home windows video games to Mac hasn’t been simple for builders, and usually entails a posh strategy of recompiling supply code, changing customized shaders, reimplementing the graphics subsystem, and changing audio, enter, and HDR rendering. Builders can use a cross-platform sport engine to chop down on all that complexity in the event that they’re concentrating on a number of platforms, however they nonetheless should debug a sport and optimize the efficiency on macOS.
Apple now has a device to let builders perceive how a lot porting work shall be required to repair bugs and optimize their video games on macOS, and it additionally has a brand new Steel Shader Converter to mechanically convert present GPU shaders to Steel. Each of those instruments considerably reduce down the time and work to port video games from Home windows to Mac.
Apple’s Mac gaming push additionally features a new sport mode in macOS Sonoma and sport developer Hideo Kojima showing throughout Apple’s WWDC keynote to announce that Demise Stranding Director’s Minimize shall be coming to macOS.
If Apple continues with this work on its translation layer, perhaps sooner or later it’ll be ok for finish customers to run Home windows video games on macOS identical to they do on a Steam Deck. That dream remains to be a methods off, however Apple has confirmed this week that it would finally develop into actuality.


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We put Public Health England's new sugar smart app to the test on popular 'healthy' foodsMore
Following revelations that 4-to-10 year olds eat more than 5,000 sugar cubes a year, Public Health England (PHE) has launched an app to help parents see – in real terms – how much sweet stuff is in everyday food and drinks. The Sugar Smart app scans a food's barcode and reveals the number of 4-gram sugar cubes inside. The app is free, easy to use and available on both iOs and Android.
We're fans, because understanding sugar content by the number of cubes is far easier than trying to decipher a food label. While the app can currently scan over 75,000 foods, there are still a number products it can't yet, but PHE assure us they're adding more all the time.
And because it's not just kids who are eating too much sugar, we tried out the app on some of our favourite seemingly healthy snacks to see how much hidden sugar they contain. Compare this to the recommended amounts (five cubes max for kids aged 4-6; six cubes from ages 7-11 and seven sugar cubes max after that). The amounts might surprise you...
A box (375g) contains a whopping 41.3 sugar cubes, or 5 cubes per 45g serving. That's more than double the amount you should be aiming for, according to nutrition experts.


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Google Pixel 5 Stories June 17
Google Pixel 5 Stories June 9
We first reported over a year ago that Google was working on a new gesture for Pixel phones that allowed a quick double-tap on the back of the phone to perform a customizable action. Now, finally in the second beta release of Android 12, Google has released the “Quick Tap” feature previously known as “Columbus,” but it’s only available on the Pixel 5.
Google Pixel 5 Stories May 25
Google Pixel owners will still get these Google Photos storage perks going forward
Google Photos is ending its perk of free unlimited storage starting on June 1, 2021. It was a huge selling point for the service for years, which, understandably, has many wishing they could keep it. The good news, though, is that Google Pixel owners will still be eligible for a few Photos perks. Let’s break it down.
Google Pixel 5 Stories May 12
The best cases and covers for your Google Pixel 5 [Video]
We have collated some of our favorite and some of the “best” Pixel 5 cases and covers, having tested a fair few since the staggered release schedule of the “flagship” Made by Google phone for 2020.
Google Pixel 5 Stories May 5
The Pixel 5 has been a very divisive device for Google, but if you are happy to look past the lack of top-tier specifications, you still might find something to fall in love with.


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Rimac has cut the tape for its first UK R&D office as it prepares for the launch of the production version of its C_Two electric hypercar.
Based in Warwick Enterprise Park, Warwickshire, the office is expected to employ 30 people by the end of 2021. However, Rimac said it could “grow significantly in the years to come” as the office progresses. and as the company advances in its product lines.
The office will collaborate with the Croatian headquarters in Rimac, allowing the company to take advantage of British engineers, whom Rimac founder and CEO Mate Rimac considers to be among the best in the world.
The office launch is part of preparations for Rimac to launch its second electric hypercar, the C_Two, which Rimac will deliver to the UK via a new £ 40million HR Owen ‘Experience Center’ in Hatfield, Hertfordshire .
The C_Two is expected to be one of the fastest production cars in the world, with Rimac claiming the hypercar can speed 0-60mph in 1.85sec, just ahead of Aspark Owl, which last year hit 0-60mph in 1.72sec when testing.
It develops 1888 hp, with a 120 kWh lithium battery and four electric motors, one at each wheel, providing power in conjunction with four independent gearboxes and allowing all-wheel drive. It is claimed to be capable of a top speed of 258 mph.
The C_Two is the successor to Rimac’s first electric model, the Concept One. This model is capable of sprinting to 60 mph from a standstill in 2.5 seconds and only eight examples of it have been built.
Rimac hopes to bring the C_Two to the UK by the end of this year. It will cost around £ 2million.
Rimac C_Two: an 1888 hp hypercar on track for deliveries in 2021
VW group confirms talks with Rimac on Bugatti joint venture
Porsche invests an additional £ 60million in Rimac for 24% stake


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CBD (short for cannabidiol) is one of over a hundred components in marijuana that are collectively referred to as “cannabinoids.” CBD has received attention lately because new research has shown that it may potentially have medical benefits and it is not psychoactive (despite some misconceptions).
For investors, this means that CBD stock is a contender to keep an eye on. New estimates predict that the CBD market will reach $2.1 billion by 2020 (it was at $205 million in 2017). Here are a few reasons you may want to consider investing in CBD stock:
1. New Research Shows Promise
Sufferers of sports injuries and chronic back pain have used CBD to help alleviate pain for quite some time, but new research shows that the agent may also help with symptoms related to cancer, diabetes, and conditions that lead to inflammatory or neuropathic pain. In light of the current opioid crisis, researchers have become curious about whether CBD could help alleviate symptoms traditionally treated with opioids.
Research has already shown that CBD can be an effective treatment for seizures related to epilepsy. There is even an FDA-approved CBD prescription drug that is capable of treating seizures associated with two particular syndromes that affect children with epilepsy (Dravet and Lennox-Gastaut syndromes). that cannot be treated via antiseizure drugs prescribed to adults.
Researchers will likely continue to find beneficial effects of CBD in healthcare, making investing in their stock now worth it.
2. CDB is Gaining Legitimacy and Legality
While illegal on a federal level, CBD legalization on the state level is trending. Some companies already have CBD medications in the works. Epidiolex (developed and manufactured by GW Pharmaceuticals) was approved by the FDA in June 2018 as the first prescription pharmaceutical formulation of CBD, and other companies are following suit. Zynerba Pharmaceuticals Inc. is committed to “developing next-generation transdermally-delivered cannabinoid therapeutics to help address significant unmet medical needs and improve the lives of patients with rare and near-rare neuropsychiatric conditions such as Fragile X syndrome (FXS), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), 22q, and a heterogeneous group of rare and ultra-rare epilepsies known as developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEE).”
Another stock boost could come from the 2018 Farm Bill, which included a provision that removes hemp from the Controlled Substances Act. This, in turn, has led to the rise of wholesale CBD and high-quality CBD manufacturing facilities, which will encourage more research and production.
3. Other CBD Products Could Be Released Soon
Apart from medications, news from Canada suggests that there could be an emerging market for CBD in recreational products.
Recently, a number of big names US beverage companies–including Molson Coors Brewing Co and Heineken–have shown interest in the Canada marijuana industry, either via joint ventures with domestic companies or via investments. The eventual product would likely be CBD-infused beverages.
Other CBD products already have a market in the US, including essential oils, shampoos, soaps, and makeup products.
A Rise in CBD Stock Value
The demand for these products is likely to drive an uptick in high-quality CBD manufacturers and private label CBD products. And with new studies and more research, it’s likely to become a hot commodity in the near future. It’s best to start investing now by getting CBD stock in order for your investment to make a powerful impact now and in the future.


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With Spider-Island ready to kick into high gear with Amazing Spider-Man #666, Marvel is hoping to get comic shop owners in on the event by creating variant covers specifically for their retail shop.
Marvel is proud to unveil the highly anticipated comic shop variant covers to Amazing Spider-Man #666, the kick-off to Spider-Island! That’s right True Believers, we’re putting YOUR comic shops on the cover to the biggest Spidey event of the decade! In the Amazing Spider-Man #666 Comic Shop Bugle Variant by Ryan Stegman, an actual photograph of your comic shop will be front page news of the Daily Bugle! Then, in the Amazing Spider-Man #666 Comic Shop Battle Variant by Humberto Ramos, Spider-Man leaps into action defending your favorite comic shop from the villainous lizard, complete with store name and logo prominently featured!
Amazing Spider-Man: Spider-Island Prelude kicks off in Amazing Spider-Man #66 that arrives in shops on July 27, 2011. The issue will feature a $3.99 cover.


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Bloomberg reports that the government of India is discussing a plan to prohibit the export of non-basmati rice amid higher rice prices in the domestic market. The ban also aims to avoid inflation on the threshold of important elections in the country.
Different levels of rainfall in rice-growing areas in India caused the rice price to surge by 20 percent within 10 days.
The ban, if imposed, would affect 80 percent of rice exports of the country. It would help reduce the rice price in India, but would push up rice prices internationally, because India is the biggest rice exporter, accounting for 40 percent of total global rice output.
In September 2022, India prohibited the export of broken rice (HS 1006 4000) and at the same time taxed 20 percent on some types of rice exports, including unhusked rice (HS 100610), unpolished rice, and other types of rice, except parboiled rice and Basmati rice. The move immediately affected rice prices all over the globe. Vietnam’s rice prices rose daily.
According to the World Meteorological Organization, El Nino has developed in tropical Asia Pacific for the first time in seven years, threatening to cause drought in many rice growing regions in Asia. India's rice export ban, if implemented, may further strain global supply.
Many countries have increased purchases of rice, not only for daily consumption, but also for storage for fear that El Nino will cause rice shortages. The US Department of Agriculture predicts that the rice inventories globally fell by 8.9 million tons to 173.5 million tons in the 2022-2023 period, and the figure will be 170.2 million tons in the 2023-2024 period.
This means that the world would lack 10 million tons of rice, and the situation may become worse next year.
Rice is the major food of half of the world's population, 90 percent of which is consumed by Asians. The 5 percent standard broken rice in Asia has soared to a 2-year high price.
On July 13, Vietnam’s 5 percent broken rice was traded at $513 per ton, while rice of the same kind in Thailand was at $517 per ton, and India rice $493.
Vietnam’s rice export price at 10-year peak
The director of an enterprise that has exported rice for 30 years confirmed that the rice price has soared due to lowered supply. Countries have rushed to buy rice to store for fear of drought.
In 2022, India prohibited the export of rice to ensure domestic food security, pushing world prices up, including Vietnam’s export prices.
According to the director, in addition to the Philippines, which buys 2.5-3.1 million tons of Vietnam’s rice each year, Vietnam’s exporters have recently received orders from China and Indonesia as well.
Some countries in South Africa have resumed buying Vietnam’s rice. All these factors have caused Vietnam’s rice prices to bounce back.
Analysts predict that Vietnam’s rice may set a new record in export price by the end of 2023 or early 2024.
However, the price increases will still depend on large exporters such as India and Thailand. Vietnam’s companies need to consider the market thoroughly before signing contracts in order to obtain best prices.
Export companies have been asked to ensure certain stocks before signing contracts, or they would face the risk of signing contracts at low prices, but have to collect rice from farmers at high prices and take a loss.
According to the General Department of Customs (GDC), in the first half of 2023, Vietnam exported 4.24 million tons of rice, earning $2.26 billion, up 21.3 percent in quantity and 32.2 percent in value year on year.
The average export price in the first half of 2023 was estimated at $539 per ton, up 10.2 percent year on year, the highest in the past 10 years.
Vietnam’s rice exports grew at two- or three-digit rates. New markets such as Indonesia, Chile, Turkey and Senegal saw sharp growth rates of 1,147-15,972 percent.
Nguyen Nhu Cuong from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) said that if India imposes the ban, the global rice prices would escalate.
In 2008, rice price rocketed to $1,000 per ton after inventories dropped to the 30-year record low while global demands increased sharply.


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A lot has changed during this pandemic, but the pandemic sure hasn’t put a hold on special occasions, festivals, and celebrations entirely. As all the momentous occasions have fallen amid the pandemic this year, we’ve altered our ways of commemorating them. Our idea of gifting, too, has been completely transformed. Our society is witnessing the rise of various kinds of gifting options across the country. This, coupled with the rising awareness of health and immunity and growing demand of solution-based gifting options within the Nutraceutical market has given momentum to the rapidly evolving health-focused ecosystem.
Altering Gifting Choices
The pandemic has had people realize the importance of a healthy body and a healthy functioning immune system. They not only want it for themselves, but also for all their loved ones. In these difficult times, people are reminding their friends and family that they are cared for with health and wellness gifts. Immunity boosters, health kits, and other health supplements have been on the top of the list for gifting choices this pandemic-bordered festive season.
With the festive season approaching, and the latest trend of gifting health to your friends and family, the nutraceutical and the wellness industry is expecting to witness a further rise in the demands and sales of various products, especially immunity-booster and other immunity-related products.
The Evolution Of Nutraceutical Industry Amidst The Pandemic
The nutraceutical and the wellness industry in whole have witnessed a massive increase in demands in the past few months. As people have become more conscious about their health and look for preventive measures, they turn to supplements and nutraceutical products. This growth can also be attributed to the rise in the amount of disposable income. Until a few years back, these products, including supplements and functional foods, were mainly purchased and gifted by those in higher income groups, a pattern that we are seeing a drastic change in because of rising disposable income and greater purchasing power. Higher spending power has also prompted Indians to pay more attention to their lifestyle and health, with a focus on nutrition as preventive.
The current market size of the Indian nutraceutical industry is worth nearly $2.1 billion, and is projected to grow at 20% year-on-year in the next 5 years. In terms of revenue, only 2% of the global nutraceutical market revenue comes from India, although we have 17% of the world’s population and this itself should give you an idea of the mega opportunity that is in store for us!
As wellness becomes the top priority for most, people are constantly looking for immunity-related products on the internet. According to a recent Google report, the queries in the health and wellness category are mostly pivoted towards immunity-boosting and wellness products, and there has been a hike of 500% in the search related to such products.
Industry Initiatives To Celebrate Health
We as a fraternity are taking up the responsibility of educating our consumers about the importance of a strong immune system, especially during such unpredictable times. Increasing sales are secondary; the industry’s top priority has always been to ensure the good health of our customers. We are also trying our best to ensure that all our consumers, even from the nooks and corners of the country, have access to nutraceutical and preventive healthcare products. We are not limited to metro cities anymore, we’ve expanded to the tier I and tier II cities, and are working towards tapping the rural population as well. The industry is working tirelessly to ensure that India soon becomes a healthy nation.
Sushil Khaitan, CEO & Director at Purenutrition.in, Bengaluru


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Bank of America has reportedly signed a deal to lease the former Shreve, Crump & Low store in Boston’s Back Bay.
The bank will take up nearly 8,500 square feet on two floors at 440 Boylston St. at the Berkeley Street intersection.
A spokesman for Bank of America declined to comment.
The two levels at Boylston and Berkeley streets were originally leased by upscale toy retailer FAO Schwarz.
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The pursuit of beauty in China is as long as its 5,000 years of written history, yet the modern beauty industry is only 30 to 40 years old. Today, China’s beauty industry is valued at $60 billion, and consumers are keenly interested in imported cosmetics, with 70% of Chinese shoppers believing that imported cosmetics are higher quality. As eCommerce has risen to the top of American beauty company’s agendas during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is critical to understand the current landscape in China if American brands hope to find global growth.
To discuss these current trends, on May 26th Egon Zehnder hosted an invitation-only virtual session with top leaders in the U.S. beauty industry. Chris Tung, Chief Marketing Officer of Alibaba, and Sherri Wu, Chief Revenue Officer of VoyageOne, a third-party technology company that provides turnkey solutions to help American brands sell online in China, led the conversation, which focused on how to take advantage of Alibaba’s Tmall and other China eCommerce channels. Minh-Ha Nguyen, Catherine Zhu, and Akiba Smith-Francis of Egon Zehnder, who together bring perspectives on the beauty industry, the Chinese market, and leadership issues, moderated the session.
China is the world’s largest eCommerce market, worth a staggering $2 trillion last year – almost four times larger than the U.S. eCommerce market. Further, eCommerce penetration in China is expected to reach 44% in 2020, compared with only 10.7% in the U.S. Alibaba’s Tmall and Taobao are vehicles for this growth, dominating 55% of the Chinese eCommerce industry. (Tmall is Alibaba’s business-to-consumer (B2C) eCommerce platform where companies can host their virtual store online; Taobao is Alibaba’s consumer-to-consumer (C2C) eCommerce marketplace.) To put Alibaba’s impact into perspective, in 2019 Alibaba’s Singles Day generated over $38 billion in sales in a single day. That is six times more than Amazon Prime Day’s sales and four times the size of the U.S.’s Cyber Monday and Black Friday sales combined.
The China market offers enormous growth potential, but it is highly complex and very competitive. Therefore it’s critical for foreign brands to have a well thought-out and sophisticated approach. China is a vast market with six different city-tier classifications, each with different types of consumers with different needs. Tung and Wu said that Tmall is an important channel to start with because it functions as a de facto brand dashboard. “If you’re a small brand and you’re not on Tmall, Chinese consumers might question your credibility,” says Wu. “Having a strong third-party partner that you can trust is key to launching successfully on Tmall.”
“But a presence on Tmall is not enough,” continues Wu. “A multi-channel approach with curated content is critical to thriving longer-term in China.” Having an integrated marketing plan across multiple channels such as Little Red Book (social shopping app for exploring products and sharing opinions and recommendations where you could find the right blogger for your brand), WeChat (Tencent’s mobile messaging ecosystem that integrates eCommerce where you can announce promotions and new product launches) and TikTok (which features short but catchy promotional videos) are important to amplify and reinforce your brand message and drive traffic to Tmall. “Using livestreaming online shopping events hosted by Chinese influencers or beauty advisors can also be extremely effective,” said Tung. For example, Kim Kardashian’s Tmall livestreaming event attracted 13 million viewers and sold out her KKW Fragrance in just a few minutes. Wu states, “Since consumers want to be able to touch and experience beauty products, having pop-up stores offline where consumers can try on your cosmetics and then giving them a QR code that directs them to your Tmall store to purchase your products online enables brands to engage with their customers both online and offline.”
Tung emphasized that foreign beauty brands can leverage Alibaba’s data analytics, consumer insights, and micro-segmentation capabilities for better targeting. The young generation of Chinese consumers values personalization and newness, so enabling consumers to discover your brand is important. “For brands that want to maintain their prestige positioning,” Tung pointed out, “Tmall’s sophisticated data analytics can target a premium customer segment. This is a capability that luxury players like LVMH have employed with much success.”
Launching a brand in China is no small feat, and having talented leaders who can spearhead the China cross-border eCommerce business will be a key differentiator. The qualities of leaders who can thrive in this situation include adaptability, or being able to immerse themselves in the local Chinese culture in order to connect and engage with local Chinese consumers and understand the differences between Chinese and American consumers. In many cases, these leaders will need to “unlearn” some of the things they learned in America. Such leaders also must be able to motivate the local Chinese team that will execute their strategies, and their strategies must be flexible because China is a dynamic market that changes quickly.
China is well on its way to recovering from the Coronavirus pandemic, with consumption rising. Tung observed that Tmall has witnessed a ‘revenge shopping’ phenomenon taking place in China as the country’s residents emerge from quarantine. And since China’s export business continues to be negatively impacted by the global impact of COVID-19, the Chinese government is now focusing on driving domestic demand to lead China’s economic recovery. Foreign beauty brands that can take advantage of this momentum will be well set up for growth in both the short- and long-term.


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Ink manufacturers showcase a wide range of new products during world’s largest printing exhibition.
David Savastano, Editor07.29.16
Every four years, drupa, the world’s largest trade show covering the printing industry, returns to Messe Dusseldorf in Dusseldorf, Germany. This year, more than 260,000 attendees walked the 19 halls and approximately 1.8 million square feet of drupa 2016.
This year’s drupa was held over 11 days, down from two weeks in 2012, and attendance declined from 314,000 in 2012. The trend was clearly toward digital and packaging printing, and among the nearly 2,000 exhibitors on hand were many ink manufacturers, who highlighted new products and services.
EFI made a major announcement at EFI CEO Guy Gecht discussed the company’s new EFI AquaEndure water-based inkjet inks for packaging.
“Everyone has figured out that the combination of water-based inks and UV is a holy grail, but the ability to print it is key. This will really help our inkjet platform become more successful,” Gecht said. He added that AquaEndure will be ready in 2017.
“With the Aqua
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Uncle Sam is giving Virginia a $1.7 million bonus for its performance using food stamps, which the feds now call the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says Virginia has the lowest payment error rate in the country. More than 908,000 Virginians get food stamps and in the latest fiscal year, the Commonwealth issued $1.4 billion in SNAP benefits.
Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, are expecting their first child.
August is shaping up to be a good month for streaming some hit movies and the TV series you've been meaning to check out.
In the latest installment of the "Mission: Impossible" franchise, Tom Cruise may have finally found a marriage that will work.
The "Hero" hitmaker is stepping behind the camera to direct her upcoming Christmas TV movie.


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The search function of the Pixel Launcher uses Google search by default, although this really shouldn’t be surprising. This feature allows users to search not just the web, but for content on their phones and it’s pretty useful. But in case you prefer using a different search engine, that could soon be possible.
A post on X by @Nail_Sadykov has revealed that in an upcoming update to the Pixel Launcher, users may soon be able to choose something other than Google search. The post shares a screenshot where there appears to be an option for users to choose a different search engine to use as its default.
Pixel Launcher will soon allow you to choose the default web 'Search engine'.
The app build that comes with Android 14 QPR2 Beta 3 contains a hidden search settings item called "Search Engine". This feature will allow you to choose an app for the web search. pic.twitter.com/EbbCCd6bvX
— Наиль Садыков (@Nail_Sadykov) January 11, 2024
This means that if you prefer using something more privacy focused like DuckDuckGo, you can. This will most likely not impact local search, but will be more for searches you do on the web. The change was spotted in the recently launched Android 14 QPR 2 Beta 3. Users not part of the beta won’t be able to see it just yet.
It’s an interesting move on Google’s end since search is one of the company’s core products. It is possible that with all the antitrust allegations Google is facing, giving users the option to change the search engine on the Pixel Launcher could be their way to appease regulators.
These changes aren’t live yet so it is unclear how exactly this will work, so we’ll have to wait for its public release to get a better idea.


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The BlackBerry 10 L-Series, which has been spied before, just got a full centerfold at Tinhte.vn and the biggest surprise? It kind of looks wonderful. The L-Series, which is also known as the hail mary phone that RIM is banking the entire company, looks a lot like an iPhone 5 from some angles but at the same time, feels decidedly BlackBerry.
Here Are The Clearest Pictures Of The BlackBerry 10 L-Series AKA Blackberry's Last Hope
Trending Stories Right Now
Singer, dancer, icon and Trolls cast member Justin Timberlake participated in the great democratic experiment we call these United States of America yesterday, documenting his personal contribution in his hometown of Memphis. What the critically-acclaimed artist behind FutureSex/LoveSounds didn't realise, as noted by The Hollywood Reporter, is that Tennessee is one of the many states where photography inside a voting booth is illegal.
As if having to return the latest and greatest device from their favourite smartphone maker didn't already sting, now Apple fans can stick it to their Samsung-loyal friends with these smartphone skins that make it look like an iPhone's battery has had a severe meltdown as well.


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Ewan McGregor's Halston, Liza Minnelli, and more revealed in photos for Ryan Murphy Netflix series
Following all the Golden Globes nominations for Ratched, Ryan Murphy has unveiled a sneak peek at his next Netflix series.
The streamer debuted a slew of new photos that showcase the cast of Halston, the limited series starring Ewan McGregor as fashion designer Roy Halston Frowick.
The show, which is now officially set for a May 14 premiere on Netflix, follows Halston as he "leverages his single, invented name into a worldwide fashion empire that's synonymous with luxury, sex, status, and fame, literally defining the era he lives in, 1970s and '80s New York — until a hostile takeover forces him to battle for control of his most precious asset… the name Halston itself," reads a plot description.
Halston hails from co-creator Daniel Minahan, who also directs the miniseries.
Most of the images take the form of Andy Warhol-inspired polaroids featuring the faces of Halston's entourage.
Appearing alongside McGregor's Halston are Krysta Rodriguez as star of the stage and screen Liza Minnelli, Rebecca Dayan as jewelry designer Elsa Peretti, Gian Franco Rodriguez as artist and window dresser Victor Hugo, David Pittu as fashion illustrator Joe Eula, Rory Culkin as future filmmaker Joel Schumacher, and Vera Farmiga as Adele. (Not that Adele.)
Also in the cast is Bill Pullman as corporate giant David Mahoney, Sullivan Jones as buyer for Alexander department store Ed Austin, and Kelly Bishop as fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert.
"I grew up in Indiana — where Halston is from — surrounded by cornfields and churches, and I always heard about two people who had gotten out and gone on to bigger, glamorous things: One was Florence Henderson, and one was Halston," Murphy told Tom Ford and Hamish Bowles in an interview published in Vogue. "He was always a big figure in my mind—a representation of somebody who had come from humble beginnings and had gone on to do something incredible with his life—and I was always moved by him.
Murphy, McGregor, and Minahan executive produce Halston with Ian Brennan, Alexis Martin Woodall, Eric Kovtun, Sharr White, Christine Vachon, and Pamela Koffler.


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Tron [TRX] enters the Korean gaming industry
South Korea has the world’s 4th largest gaming market. And Tron is entering it. The company’s Head of Business Development, Roy Liu, has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with 2 major South Korean blockchain and gaming associations – Korea Mobile Game Association (KMGA) and the Korea Blockchain Contents Association (KBCCA).
KBCCA has openly shown interest in the Tron’s investment in the blockchain and the gaming industry. The signing of MoU marks the first step towards Tron’s plan to dominate South Korea’s rapidly growing gaming market.
Tron is not the only player in this space though. In 2018, Enjin Coin, the blockchain specifically designed for gaming and trading of non-fungible assets, too signed an MoU with KMGA for the use of blockchain in mobile games.
South Korea’s gaming market is worth $5.6 billion (2018 est) with 28.9 million players. Apart from gaming Blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies are thriving there as well. Signing these MoU paves the way for Tron to dominate one of the biggest gaming industry in the world.
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Disclaimer: Blockmanity is a news portal and does not provide any financial advice. Blockmanity's role is to inform the cryptocurrency and blockchain community about what's going on in this space. Please do your own due diligence before making any investment. Blockmanity won't be responsible for any loss of funds.


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Since sales for Apple’s latest iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus began, users around the world have experienced a number of issues, bugs, and glitches with their devices. Earlier reports pertained to issues like a weird hissing noise, loss in cellular service and Lightning EarPod issues. Recently, two separate polls revealed that spotty Bluetooth connectivity was among the most common issues being faced by users.
The polls, conducted by popular tech sites Gizmodo and 9to5Mac, reveal that many users are unable to connect their iPhones to in-car entertainment systems. The problem, however, is not limited to iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus users. Those who have updated their iPhone units to the latest iOS 10 OS are also facing the issue.
Gizmodo has received 12 different email tips related to Bluetooth connectivity on the iPhone. One of the readers told the site that automatic Bluetooth connectivity failed with the iPhone 7 but worked seamlessly with older units like iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s.
Meanwhile, 9to5Mac has received complaints from BMW owners stating that their iPhone 7 device abruptly disconnects or stops working when connected to their car’s system.
Apple has been releasing updates in quick succession in its attempt to solve various bugs and issues. So far, none of the updates have resolved the Bluetooth connectivity issue and one can expect a third update to iOS 10 to roll out soon enough to address that. Notably however, Apple has not yet officially acknowledged the issue.
Spotty Bluetooth connectivity as an issue would not have garnered so much attention had Apple stayed with the headphone jack. However, with the Cupertino giant aiming for a wireless future, Bluetooth connectivity is now a major factor for Apple’s latest devices and the company needs to make sure that connectivity is seamless on this front.[“source-gadgets.ndtv”]


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Authorised representative network Insurance Advisernet has no plans to sell its authorised representatives business after divesting its underwriting agencies to Austagencies
, the chairman Ian Carr has told Insurance Business
IAA sold to Austagencies
100% of Mint Property and Casualty, Mint Transport (Civil Contractors) and Mint Taxis and will take 50% of Mint Plus. IAA last year consolidated six underwriting agencies into Mint. The sale of the IAA’s underwriting agencies to Austagencies
is to be completed by 31 March. The acquisition is set to give Austagencies
a GWP of $280m. Meanwhile, by 30 June, IAA in Australia will have $400m of premium.
IAA chairman Ian Carr told Insurance Business
that the network had no plans to sell the AR business, stating the deal allows the IAA to focus on growing the AR business: “We are dedicated to growing our authorised representative network in Australia and New Zealand and Austagencies
is keen to grow their agency business. Therefore we were able to come to an arrangement whereby Austagencies
takes over the underwriting, allowing us to focus on our AR network.
is stronger and able to deliver more products and services to our ARs that is in the best interests of the IAA too.”
MD Craig Patterson has welcomed the company’s acquisition of Insurance Advisernet Australia
’s underwriting arm.
He told Insurance Business
: “The proposed acquisition of Mint Underwriting by Austagencies
unifies the underwriting agency model within the group and has the support of Mint shareholders. At this point Austagencies
are still working through the acquisition process and there are a number of actions that require completion.”
Holdings acquired 50% of IAA in October 2006, for an initial payment of $4.3m.


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GRAND PRAIRIE – The Grand Prairie Farmers Market is getting a little wild with a petting zoo Saturday, Aug. 3, 2013, at Market Square, 120 W. Main St., 8 a.m.-1 p.m. The Prairie Paws Waggin' Wagon mobile adoption trailer will also be on site with adoptable animals from the animal shelter.
Rock 'n' Roll at Market Saturday, Aug. 10, featuring the band Roadmasters playing 9 a.m.-noon. Kids can enjoy hula-hoop contests and a bounce house. Shop all your favorite farmers market products 8 a.m.-1 p.m.
Things will be buzzing Saturday, Aug. 17, with free Bee Keeping classes presented by Roundrock Honey at 10 a.m. and noon.
Then, heat it up at the Hatch Chile Festival Saturday, Aug. 24, featuring delicious raw and hot roasted Hatch chiles available for purchase. The market will also offer a gift market, a strolling Zydeco band, bounce house, game trucks and food trucks. Be sure to bring the whole family out for the Hatch Chile Festival.
And finally, cool things off with a Make It and Take It Rain Barrel class Saturday, Aug. 31. The class costs $35 for Grand Prairie residents and $50 for non-residents. The class will be from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and pre-registration is required. Send a check or money order payable to the city of Grand Prairie to: Selena Jackson, P.O. Box 534045, Grand Prairie, TX 75053. For more information about the class, call 972-237-8377 or email firstname.lastname@example.org.
The Grand Prairie Farmers Market sells locally grown fruits and vegetables, meats, cheeses, wines, tamales, candles, soaps and much more. The market is open every Saturdays spring to December, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
For more information about the Farmers Market, call 972-237-4599 or visit www.gptx.org/farmersmarket.


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After some tense weeks of picketing and negotiating, Philadelphia-based Dock Street Brewing announced it would change its service model so that front-of-house employees at its West Philadelphia location would be paid regular hourly wages, rather than relying on tips.
On this week’s Brewbound Frontlines, Fresh Fest co-founder Day Bracey joins to discuss the upcoming beer festival showcasing Black-owned breweries, and industry professionals share taproom staff management best practices.
The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) ruled on Friday that the 51% calculation of gross receipts should only include the sale of alcoholic beverages for on-premise consumption. As such, to-go sales of alcoholic beverages, as well as distributed volume to retailers and wholesalers should not be included in the calculation of gross receipts to determine which establishments should shutter for on-site consumption.
As it planned for eventual reopenings of its 11 own-premise locations, craft beverage rollup Artisanal Brewing Ventures surveyed consumers in April and found they wanted more than just the basics to combat the spread of COVID-19 inside taprooms. So, ABV is going a step farther and adding needlepoint bipolar ionization (NPBI) technology to the heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems at its nine indoor locations by the end of June.
Flying Dog Brewery will keep its brewery taproom shuttered until at least June 2021, when the company will “evaluate the possibility of reopening,” the company announced in a press release. The company cited a need to focus on producing its core offerings, as well as support for its retail accounts.
With mandated shutdowns of bars, restaurants and taprooms in more than 20 states and voluntary closures in many others, the novel coronavirus has forced craft brewers to get creative in getting their beer to consumers.
Statewide shutdowns of on-premise consumption at bars and restaurants have been announced in Illinois, Ohio, Washington, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Michigan. Restaurants in these states can still sell food for takeout or delivery.
As the coronavirus disease known as COVID-19 spreads across the U.S., beer companies are adjusting their businesses for a reality in which being social is discouraged. Many companies are bracing for a downturn in on-premise business, including brewery taprooms.
The craft brewery where the brut IPA trend started in 2018 shuttered with little warning over the weekend. San Francisco brewpub Social Kitchen and Brewery announced it would close its doors last weekend, citing lease issues.
One of Rochester’s original breweries, Roc Brewing Co. LLC., is expanding its footprint and welcoming the addition of a restaurant partner, F.L.X. Wienery of Dundee, NY, in spring of this year. Roc Brewing Co. currently brews craft beer in-house behind a tasting room which serves pints, flights, and light food made to order.
Great Lakes Brewing Company (GLBC) announces the reopening of their historic brewpub after two weeks of extensive renovations. Established in 1988, GLBC’s brewpub has long been the place where friends meet to enjoy award-winning lagers and ales and fresh local food in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood.
The parent company of Brizzy Seltzer Cocktails has filed a lawsuit against Molson Coors Beverage Company in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, alleging that the second largest U.S. beer manufacturer’s Vizzy Hard Seltzer name “is nearly identical to Brizzy in sight, sound and appearance” and infringes upon its trademark.
The 14,000 sq. ft. Samuel Adams Taproom has been a couple of years in the offing, located about 20 yards from the statue of the beer brand’s namesake, a Founding Father and revolutionary. Historic ground, indeed, but also a bit of a cursed location for previous tenants.
Pabst Brewing Company is launching a line of craft beers, as the craft segment has matured and sales of craft offerings have slowed to low single-digit growth. The Los Angeles-headquartered maker of Pabst Blue Ribbon announced today the launch of Captain Pabst, a standalone craft beer brand outside of the PBR family, and the launch of its flagship offering, Seabird IPA, in Wisconsin and Illinois.


text: Manufacturing Japan to invest $187m in Moroccan automotive industry By Gavin Gibbon December 22, 2022 Reuters Japanese group Sumitomo is to invest MAD1.965 billion ($187 million) in nine industrial projects across Morocco to boost the North African country’s automotive ecosystem. Regions set to benefit from the investment in the manufacturing of wiring and components include Rabat-Salé-Kenitra, Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima and Casablanca-Settat. Some 16,000 jobs are expected to be created by 2028. Morocco in drive to become a global EV manufacturing hubAnswer to UK’s energy needs is blowing in the Moroccan windUAE partners with Japan to drive low carbon tech The first project will be led by the group’s subsidiary SEBN, in Bouknadel, with the construction of an industrial unit dedicated to manufacturing electrical harnesses. The MAD320 million ($30.5 million) investment will see the creation of 4,500 jobs. Ryad Mezzour, Morocco’s minister of industry and trade, said: “With this new investment by the Sumitomo group, the Moroccan automotive platform confirms its attractiveness to global suppliers, allowing us to continue to generate employment for our young Moroccans.” According to EOS Intelligence, Morocco is one of the leading automotive manufacturing hubs in Africa, with the capacity to produce over 700,000 vehicles per year and around 220,000 people employed in the sector. In July Morocco, announced plans to ink a deal with several electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturers to construct a huge production facility in the kingdom by the end of this year. At the time Mezzour described the proposed facility as a “gigafactory” – a term that has become synonymous with Tesla’s $2 billion production plant in Shanghai that was built to manufacture 500,000 EV batteries each year. However, the minister declined to identify the manufacturers or the total capacity of the proposed site. As well as this partnership with Morocco, Japan’s Sumitomo is also working on a project with Dubai-based Amea Power to deliver 1 gigawatts of wind and solar energy projects in Egypt.


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What in the World, a free weekly newsletter from our foreign correspondents, is sent every Thursday. Below is an excerpt. Sign up to get the whole newsletter delivered to your inbox.
Singapore: Like many kids their age, my two boys are rather transport obsessed. Buses, trains, they’re wrapped up in it all and after nearly three years in Singapore they seem to have just about every service and route etched into their eight and seven-year-old minds.
The fascination extends, of course, to prestige and sports cars their parents can’t afford and which are anything but a rarity in the Asian finance hub.
“What’s that one, Dad?” the eldest asked last weekend, spotting a particularly sleek and luxurious-looking machine in front of our Grab ride (that’s Singapore’s version of Uber).
Before I could make out the badge, our driver answered: “That’s a Bentley.”
Still curious, my youngest followed up: “How much does one of them cost?”
“More than a million dollars,” replied the driver.
Clearly, a Bentley is a very pricey set of wheels, beyond the grasp of most, no matter what country you’re in. Here in Singapore, however, it is not just premium vehicles that cost a relative fortune. The island nation of 6 million people is the world’s most expensive place to own a car because of a quota system that limits the number of vehicles on the road.
To buy a car, Singaporeans and expats here must bid for a 10-year certificate of entitlement – essentially a permit – and the cost has soared to record levels in the past month.
A certificate for a so-called category B vehicle, a class that includes popular crossover SUVs, as well as larger and more upmarket cars, is now costing buyers $SGD150,000 ($172,000), while permits for more basic, less powerful Category A vehicles are selling for up to $SGD106,000.
The clincher is: that cost is on top of the price of the actual car. It means that with other fees, including a customs duty, GST and additional taxes, new Subaru Foresters, for example, are on the market here at more than $SGD200,000 ($230,000). In Australia, they start at just under $40,000.
Bentleys, Ferraris and the like are marked up even more by luxury car taxes.
The eye-watering price tags are indicative of a city that was last year named alongside New York as the costliest on the planet by the Economist Intelligence Unit, and which has attracted an influx of new offshore wealth since the global health crisis.
Singaporeans are used to paying over the odds to drive in a country where the median annual household income is $SGD121,188, according to Reuters. But as the cost of new car certificates has soared from as low as $SGD30,000 during the pandemic, many are having to reconsider their options.
Neo Tiam Ting, a car dealer and president of the Singapore Vehicle Traders Association, says demand has been driven by businesses and ride-hailing providers beefing up their fleets during the city-state’s comeback from COVID-19.
All the while, the vehicle population, as he calls it, has remained set at less than 1 million, with car and motorcycle numbers frozen and only a fractional lift in commercial vehicles allowed. The freeze, to prevent the traffic jams that clog the streets of other South-East Asian cities, was imposed in 2018 and will remain in place until 2025.
”The individual user will be suffering because category A and B are mixed together having to bid [for certificates] against businesses,” Ting says. “For people who still really need the car for family use or their own job use, they’ve got two ways. One is they own the car, with the higher price. The second alternative some people turn to is leasing a car for one or two years. They don’t need to come up with a down payment, just the monthly rental, but it is still high.“
Car sharing is another concept that has been raised as an alternative for those priced out of owning a vehicle outright. Of course, second-hand vehicles are cheaper, but they naturally have fewer years remaining before their 10-year certificates expire. When that happens, owners can either splash out for another five or 10-year permit or sell the car to a scrapyard or exporter.
It all comes down to personal priorities, says civil servant Allan Shew. He told me he and his wife Beekhin, a tax consultant, own two cars, a Mercedes and a Volkswagen, both of which they bought second-hand. They have two children who they ferry around, but that’s not the only reason they choose to own cars in a geographically small city that is well-connected by public transport.
“I always believe that everyone places value on different things,” he says. “Some people are willing to spend their money on travelling, some on watches ... but myself and my wife, both of us are car lovers despite knowing they are depreciating assets.
“We work so hard and spending on something we like is just one way of rewarding ourselves.”
As for my family, we’ve managed to make do without a car during my posting here. Fortunately, my sons are more than happy with the bus.
Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for the weekly What in the World newsletter here.


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Paytm Payments Bank customers can now make payments from term deposit accounts held with IndusInd Bank
- No fees or penalties for early withdrawal of FD from IndusInd Bank
- Offers the possibility of partially liquidating the FD
- Customers can continue to earn interest on the FD balance amount at the applicable IndusInd Bank rates.
New Delhi: Digital payment platform Paytm announced that its all-in-one payment gateway now allows Fixed Deposit (FD) balances to make payments on partner platforms. This is in association with Paytm Payment Bank Ltd, whose account holders can now use their term deposits with IndusInd Bank to make instant payments on online platforms.
The new installation does not require any additional integration on the side of the partner merchants who use the payment gateway services. Customers with a Paytm payment bank account can exchange IndusInd Bank FD into a real-time Paytm payment bank account and use the money to make payments.
While there are no fees or penalties for the premature liquidation of FDs opened in association with IndusInd Bank, this arrangement gives clients the flexibility to partially liquidate FDs according to their immediate needs, and to continue to collect payments. interest on the amount of the balance as the case may be. rates.
The company said it was the only payment gateway in the country to have introduced such an innovation. Praveen Sharma, Senior Vice President of Paytm, said: “Product innovation is at the heart of our payment solutions and it is a great example. We are proud to be the first in the country to enable real-time redemption of fixed deposit balances from the client’s checking / savings account to make payments, which will promote wider acceptance of digital payments in the world. country.
The spokesperson for Paytm Payments Bank Ltd. said, “This partnership with Paytm Payments Gateway is a unique solution that uses the fixed deposit balance as a source of payment. This will provide greater convenience to the user and also help them liquidate their balances to easily make real-time payments. “
India’s architects of the future will set the growth agenda for this golden decade, at the Times Network India Economic Conclave – March 25, 26 | New Delhi. Watch LIVE coverage from the ground on Times Network News and www.india economicconclave.com.
For all the latest business news, market news, tax news, equity market, live updates from Sensex Today, follow Times Now


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February 5, 2014 |
GREATER NOIDA: India's car market leader Maruti Suzuki India today unveiled two concept models -- sedan Ciaz and crossover SX4 S-Cross -- as it looks to enhance its position in the bigger sedan segment going forward. Amid a slowdown in the market, the company said it was looking to achieve sales it had in last fiscal year in 2013-14. "The SX4 S-Cross and Ciaz are models to expand our product range in future," Maruti Suzuki India Managing Director and CEO...
August 13, 2003 |
NEW DELHI: Global communications major Motorola on Wednesday said it was "excited" about opportunities in the Indian market and was looking at increasing its presence in the country, but did not divulge investment plans. "We will be increasing our presence here in engineering particularly in IT professionals... We do not have a specific targets yet," Mike S Zafirovski, president and chief operating officer of Motorola (Global) told reporters on sidelines of a Ficci seminar here.
May 29, 2004 |
KOLKATA: Haier Appliances (India), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chinese white goods major Haier Technology, is planning to enter the Indian market in a big way by launching models across various product categories. Director of Haier India Pranay Dhabai told reporters at a press conference here on Saturday that the company has entered into strategic collaboration with Whirlpool and Voltas to manufacture refrigerators and air-conditioners for the Indian market. He said once volumes justified setting...
June 11, 2002
Ruchir Sharma This is turning out to be one heck of a Faustian bargain. Like the sixteenth century legend of Faust, who made a pact with the devil, whereby the devil gave him 24 years of pleasure and power in return for his soul, to only repent at the end for the illusionary gains, after nearly two decades of compounded hedonism it's all coming back to haunt US equities. The excesses of the multi-year bull market are being weeded out and in the process many a myth from the power of new economy...
April 3, 2007 |
MUMBAI: Spicing up competition in the entry-level sedan segment, French auto major Renault today launched Logan in the Indian market through its joint venture partner Mahindra and Mahindra. The car, which was unveiled at a function here, will be priced at Rs 4.28 lakh for the petrol variant and Rs 5.47 lakh for the diesel model. The Mahindra-Renault joint venture will be rolling out 50,000 units of Logan this year from its Nashik facility in Maharashtra set up at a cost of nearly Rs 700...


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Popular Ilkeston chippy to close
Jackson’s Chippy, a favourite fish and chip shop with many Ilkeston people, is to close next month.
The Market Street takeaway will serve its customers for the last time on
Owner Dennis Jackson, 84, said he was being forced to call it a day by rising prices.
He revealed that he has been hit with a massive increase in energy costs.
“The cost of frying has quadrupled, making it impossible to continue,” he told us.
Dennis has been in business since 1961 when he bought The Noted Pie Shop at 39 Market Street.
The fish, chips and pies he made proved popular and he was soon able to upgrade his old coke-fired range to a modern gas one.
In 1982, the move was made from 39 to 54 Market Street, a former solicitors office.
While trading here, Dennis has used his enjoyment of cycling to raise funds for local charities, especially Ilkeston Hospital.
He has promised that a donation from the takings on his last day of trading will go to the hospital.
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Dietary Supplements Can't Treat or Cure Concussions
Agency tells consumers to ignore manufacturer claims and 'walk away' from these products
By Mary Elizabeth Dallas
THURSDAY, Jan. 9, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Concussions can't be prevented, treated or cured with dietary supplements, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The agency issued a warning against these products in response to a number of false claims, including promises to promote faster healing times after a concussion or other traumatic brain injury (TBI).
No scientific evidence exists to support this claim or others, according to a recent FDA news release. The agency advised consumers to avoid these products, which are marketed on social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook and sold online and in various retail stores.
"As amazing as the marketing claims are, the science doesn't support the use of any dietary supplements for the prevention of concussions or the reduction of post-concussion symptoms that would enable one to return to playing a sport faster," Daniel Fabricant, director of the FDA's division of dietary supplement programs, said in the news release.
The FDA pointed out that dietary supplements marketed as cures or treatments for concussions or other traumatic brain injuries are not only untested, but also possibly dangerous.
These supplements typically contain the Indian spice turmeric and high doses of omega-3 fatty acids. The FDA recommends taking no more than 3 grams of omega-3s daily due to increased risk of bleeding, high cholesterol and problems controlling blood sugar levels.
Even if the ingredients in the products aren't harmful, the agency is concerned that those who believe the claims might not take the proper precautions to prevent a concussion or heal properly after such an injury.
A concussion is a type of serious brain injury that can occur after a hit to the head or rigorous shaking of the head or upper body. These head injuries must be properly diagnosed and treated by a doctor, experts say.
Although the long-term effects of concussions have been the subject of recent debate, research suggests that people who sustain a concussion and resume playing sports or participating in strenuous activities too soon are at greater risk for another concussion. Experts note that concussions have a cumulative effect on the brain, which can cause brain swelling, permanent brain damage or even death.


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NARINCHOT Akharawanitlert’s passion for cycling set him on the road to opening a bicycle shop in his home district in Sukhothai province that now generates average monthly sales of Bt70,000.
“I decided to open our bicycle shop in 2014 at a time when the interest of Thai people in cycling had really picked up,” Narinchot, 43, said of the business he started in the province’s Si Satchanalai district.
“This trend helped us to increase sales from an average of Bt10,000 a month to Bt100,000 in 2015, although the sales value has since dropped back to an average of Bt70,000 a month after a decline in the market.”
Narinchot, in an interview with The Nation, said he embarked on the business with savings of Bt50,000 and a further Bt200,000 in borrowings from an older sister.
He seized on the business opportunity after having enjoyed success with online sales of used bicycles and accessories on the ThaiMPB website.
That inspired him to open his own shop to sell bicycles and accessories, especially with the strong demand he had seen for them when cycling enjoyed a surge in popularity among Thais in 2014.
Narinchot said that for the first six months of the business, it was pulling in average sales of Bt10,000 a month, before climbing rapidly to the Bt100,000 mark in 2015 at the height of the sales.
Then, in the middle of last year, demand for bicycles and accessories began declining, leading to the drop in average monthly sales to Bt70,000.
As a result, Narinchot decided to change his way of doing business in order to reduce inventories in the shop and move to sales on a pre-order basis.
“The pre-order concept helps me to reduce inventories and manage my cash-flow during a period when the bicycle market has declined,” he said.
He also provides after-sales service to his customers, especially to those who are new to cycling.
This has improves sales as the after-sales service differentiates his business from other bicycle shops in the market.
“I focus on new customers who are starting to ride because I can supply models priced at not over Bt20,000. I also make suggestions and provide more service to such customers,” Narinchot said.
“This approach has helped my business grow together with them and this will drive our business growth for the long term.”


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For all the fears we had that Facebook could initiate the presence of ads in WhatsApp, the verdict is now clear. It is highly reported that the company will not go on with the plan, as reported by WSJ.
Over the past months, WhatsApp was doing its best to find out how to integrate ads into the service and there was a likelihood that this would take effect this year .
Initially, WhatsApp was making money off download fees and a then $0.99 annual subscription, but the service became free to use upon Facebook acquiring it. The parent company would later unveil plans to generate more revenue from the app with the option of selling ads.
Lest we forget, this is one of the reasons app founders Jan Koum and Brian Acton decided to resign from the company. WSJ reports that these two, in 2016, changed WhatsApp’s terms of service to explicitly forbid displaying ads in the app.
Probably the bigger concern was that a commercial messaging feature would force WhatsApp to weaken its end-to-end encryption.
Actually, as of last May, Facebook officially unveiled prototypes for ads in its Status feature, where one can spot ads in between status views. But all has been put to rest.
Much as the plans to introduce ads to Status could be implemented at a later time, the focus for now shall be on building out money-making features that let “businesses communicate with customers and better manage those interactions”.


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One of Huawei's top executives warned about clogged supply chains. "If Shanghai continues being unable to resume work and production, from May, all tech and industrial players involving the Shanghai supply chain will completely shut down, especially the auto industry!" Richard Yu, head of Huawei's consumer and auto segment, said on the social media platform WeChat.
COVID controls have shut down some of China's largest cities, fueling public irritation, threatening an already weakened economy and prompting warnings of possible global shockwaves.
Shanghai has been at the epicenter of China's struggle to contain its outbreak, as authorities recently sought to loosen some restrictions to quell residents' dissatisfaction. But health officials warned this week that despite a slight lowering in infections, Shanghai didn't have the virus under control.
China's growth expected to slow
Beijing shot back at criticism of its strategy, at a time when the US and other governments are dropping restrictions and trying to live with the virus.
"Prevention and control work cannot be relaxed,'' Xi said, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. "Persistence is victory,'' he concluded.
But COVID restrictions in regions producing the world's smartphones, consumer electronics and other goods have prompted forecasters to cut China's economic growth projection to as low as 5%, down sharply from last year's 8.1% expansion.
The figure is lower than the ruling party's target of 5%. China's growth sat at 4% in the final quarter of 2021 after tighter official controls on debt triggered a collapse in home sales and construction, industries that support millions of jobs.
Auto industry affected
Chinese auto makers have warned there could be a halt in production if Shanghai's COVID curbs continue.
"If supply chain companies in Shanghai and its surrounding areas cannot find a way to dynamically resume work and production, all original equipment manufacturers may have to stop production in May," Xpeng chief He Xiaopeng said Thursday on social media.
Xpeng has been touted as a Chinese challenger to US electric car giant Tesla.
Covid curbs have also affected foreign manufacturers. Volkswagen said it had been "severely hit by Covid-19 outbreaks in Changchun and Shanghai," with the firm being "temporarily unable to meet high customer demand," CEO of Chinese operations Stephan Wollenstein said on Thursday.
Residents clash with authorities
Most of Shanghai's shops remained closed on Friday, with the exception of some shops with half-opened shutters selling goods through delivery drivers.
Locked down residents have vented frustration on social media over a lack of food and medicine. Authorities on Thursday announced they would be converting residential apartments into quarantine space, prompting anger.
Residents scuffled with hazmat-suited police ordering them to surrender their homes, videos on social media showed. Authorities have tried to clamp down on social media posts through censorship.
In one unverified viral video, a drone purportedly deployed by authorities is seen flying through a residential area urging residents to "control your soul's desire for freedom."
jcg/kb (Reuters, AFP, AP)


text: Casper Sleep Inc. /zigman2/quotes/216229741/composite CSPR -1.13% stock jumped 4.6% after the mattress company reported fourth-quarter revenue that beat expectations and narrower-than-expected losses. Net loss totaled $15.0 million, or 37 cents per share, after a loss of $25.6 million, or $2.41 per share, last year. Revenue totaled $150.3 million, up from $126.9 million last year. The FactSet consensus was for a loss of 39 cents per share and revenue of $138.0 million. "Fourth-quarter revenue growth was driven by 43% year-over-year growth in North American retail partnership revenue and 19% growth in North American direct-to-consumer revenue," said Chief Executive Philip Krim in a statement. Casper is guiding for revenue of $118 million to $125 million for the first quarter, and full-year revenue of $570 million to $600 million. The FactSet consensus is for Q1 revenue of $130.1 million and full-year revenue of $577.9 million. Casper shares have rallied 57.2% over the past three months, though the stock is down 6.4% for the past year. The S&P 500 index /zigman2/quotes/210599714/realtime SPX +1.01% has gained 20.3% over the last month.


text: The global network has now won global exposure. A study carried out by the International Research Institute, a global alliance of independent market research firms, found that in most industrialized nations, more than three quarters of the population have now heard of the internet and know what its uses are. The survey, which canvassed the opinions of 670 adults in 22 countries, found the highest level of internet awareness in Sweden and the US, where more than 19 out of 20 people claim to know about the internet. The lowest levels of awareness of the countries surveyed were in Peru and Turkey, where less than one in five had heard of the net. The International Research Institute study also found that, not only have more people heard of the internet, a significantly larger proportion of people can now access it. In most of the countries surveyed, more than a third of all PCs are equipped with modems, while in the US that figure rises to over 70%. But despite the growing awareness of the internet, home internet/TV devices will fail to make a significant impact on the market until the year 2000, says market analyst Forrester Research. The company claims that it will take three years for the industry to create hardware and content that can deliver what consumers really want – interactivity that enhances their television experience, severely limiting the opportunities for devices such as those developed by WebTV (recently bought by Microsoft). By 2002, however, Forrester predicts that the widespread availability of televisions delivering relevant interactive experience will drive 14.7 million households to connect their TVs to the internet. Meanwhile, the market for products and services that enable internet commerce will soar to over $100 million by the year 2000, according to Zona Research. That is three times the $34.97bn spent on internet commerce infrastructure in 1996.


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Worms, Trojans and rogue software known as 'scareware' continue to plague UK firms, but the UK is ahead of most of its global peers in protecting against such threats, according to the latest figures from Microsoft.
The seventh biannual Microsoft Security Intelligence Report, released today, is one of the most comprehensive on the market, as it uses Microsoft's extensive footprint on consumer and corporate desktops and the web.
The report comprises information gleaned from scans using Microsoft's Bing search engine, and data from the Forefront Protection for Exchange cloud service, as well as Live OneCare and Windows Defender products and the Malicious Software Removal Tool (MSRT) which runs on 450 million PCs worldwide.
The research, which covers January to June 2009, found that Trojans are still the single largest threat category, and that worm infections doubled. As a threat category, worms jumped from fifth to second place, boosted by the activity of the high profile Conficker and the less-well known Taterf.
Taterf primarily targets massively multi-player online role-playing games, looking to harvest gaming credentials. However, it could be of concern in the corporate environment as it can transfer via USB keys brought in to the office and plugged into the corporate network, according to Microsoft.
"In many ways it's the modern day version of an old boot sector virus," said Microsoft UK head of security Cliff Evans.
"We'd recommend, in addition to automatic updates, firewalls and up-to-date anti-virus, that users never log into an account unless they're on a machine they trust, and don't download cracks or tips unless from a trusted server."
The number of rogue security software instances detected or cleaned dropped from 16.8 million in the last report to 13.4 million, but scareware still represents a significant threat, the report said.
Yet despite the figures, Evans was optimistic about the UK's security posture. For every 1,000 scans conducted by the MSRT, only 4.9 UK PCs had to be cleaned up, down from 5.7 last year and far lower than the global average of 8.6, placing the UK just outside the top three.
"In terms of preventing online crime, it's up to everyone. No one individual or company can do it alone," he added.
Cotton seedling freezes to death as Chang'e-4 shuts down for the Moon's 14-day lunar night
Fortnite easily out-earns PUBG, Assassin's Creed Odyssey and Red Dead Redemption 2 in 2018
Meteor showers as a service will be visible for about 100 kilometres in all directions
Saturn's rings only formed in the past 100 million years, suggests analysis of Cassini space probe data
New findings contradict conventional belief that Saturn's rings were formed along with the planet about 4.5 billion years ago


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Europe leads as global divestments soar nearly 80% in 2014
15 March 2014
Global divestment activity has increased sharply in 2014, up 79% in the first two months of the year. 50 deals worth $16 billion have been reported, compared to 28 worth $11.6 billion, according to analysis from Deloitte.
Europe accounted for 53% of all divestments sales in 2013. This contrasts to a sharp decline in divestments in North America (down from 32% in 2012 to 23% in 2013) and the UK (down from 17% in 2012 to 7% in 2013).
Dan Beanland, head of divestments at Deloitte, said: “Europe is now divesting a great deal more than anywhere else in the world. A large amount of corporate rationalisation is boosting supply as private equity houses look for attractive divested businesses to turn around. We are also seeing an increasing number of smaller, tactical deals, which have pushed deal volumes up, but values down.
“Divestments are becoming a matter of strategy more than survival as companies look at ways to enhance performance by repositioning for growth. Divesting produces the dual benefit of increased cash from a sale which can be invested to expand higher growth segments, coupled with a sharper focus on a smaller, more nimble portfolio.”
Since 2009, companies globally have made over $500bn worth of (vendor initiated) divestments.
Dan Beanland concluded: “We expect to see more divestments in 2014 as companies respond to pressure from shareholders, activists and analysts to demonstrate how their corporate strategy is aligned with their M&A strategy.
“Based on a review of FTSE 100 annual reports, investor presentations and analyst comments, we consider only a quarter of the companies are being truly transparent in their market communications. Good communicators include HSBC and Aviva, and a number of outside pressures, including shareholder activism, will force other companies to be clearer about their divestment strategies.
“Analysis has shown us that 63% of sellers where divestment activity exceeded $500 million outperformed their relative index from 2006-12, so it can be a great way of adding value.”
Notes to editors
In this press release references to Deloitte are references to Deloitte LLP, which is among the country's leading professional services firms.
Deloitte LLP is the United Kingdom member firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (“DTTL”), a UK private company limited by guarantee, whose member firms are legally separate and independent entities. Please see www.deloitte.co.uk/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of DTTL and its member firms.
The information contained in this press release is correct at the time of going to press.
Member of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited.
“Europe is now divesting a great deal more than anywhere else in the world. A large amount of corporate rationalisation is boosting supply as private equity houses look for attractive divested businesses to turn around"-Dan Beanland, head of divestments at Deloitte


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The terminal’s general cargo throughput will increase to 1.3 million tonnes and container capacity to 720,000 TEU
The new technology will ensure 100 per cent traceability of containers, as well as the potential to launch an autonomous vehicle system
The exchange’s market capitalisation increased 27 per cent during the first quarter of 2021 to Dhs940bn
The issuance was more than 4.5 times oversubscribed
The decision is expected to impact over 1,400 companies within KIZAD and ZonesCorp
MICCO was the first logistics company to set up in the Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi
The expansion will substantially increase handling volumes by providing additional deep-water access and enhanced infrastructure
Re-exports fell 24.6 per cent year-on-year to Dhs13bn and non-oil exports by 8.5 per cent to Dhs18.3bn
As a key international trading partner, how is the region protecting its supply chain during the current crisis?
SAFEEN FEEDERS will introduce a feeder service linking Abu Dhabi to ports serving the UAE, the wider Gulf region and the Indian subcontinent
The plaza, which will offer refueling and recreational facilities, will cover an area of more than 87,000 square metres
© 2021 MOTIVATE MEDIA GROUP. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.


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After hackers temporarily shut down the websites of the one of world's biggest credit card companies, Mastercard, there is growing concern about the spreading cyber war of attacks and counter-attacks.
The Operation Payback campaign is targetting firms that have withdrawn services from Wikileaks, the whistle-blowing website which has been publishing leaked secret cables from US diplomats.
The hackers' top targets have included websites run by the financial groups MasterCard, Visa and PayPal.
Jeff Jarvis is a technology journalist in New York.
First broadcast 9 December 2010


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The Coffee Podcast: Super Specialty Coffee in California
January 2019 / The Coffee Podcast
Not all coffee myths are built on lies. You would think something called “Super Specialty Coffee”" would be something that falls into a category with snake oil and dancing goats. As it turns out, Jay Ruskey is a tree farmer...
S.D. Coffee: Wake Up, and Smell the Profits
January 2019 / San Diego Business Journal
Farmer and consultant Scott Murray, who works with singer/songwriter Jason Mraz at his Oceanside farm, Mraz Family Farms, stands next to a coffee tree. Photo by Scott Murray A couple of years ago, Jay Ruskey, a seasoned California farmer, tapped...
California-Grown Coffee at California Prices
November 2018 / Alta
With coffee shops seemingly on every block, there’s little question that California is one of the world’s biggest consumers of java. But a collective of 26 coffee growers outside Santa Barbara is hoping to make the state a major coffee...
Sustainable Coffee Farming, Right Here in California
September 2018 / Blue Bottle
Last year, Blue Bottle was proud to introduce our first coffee grown in our home state. Nurtured and produced on Good Land Organics, the SoCal paradise founded by Jay Ruskey, California Good Land Organics marks a new tradition of coffee far from its tropical origins. For...
How Frinj is planting the seeds for California's coffee growing industry
October 2018 / World Coffee Portal
California has long been the pantry of America, producing up to 90% of many fruits, vegetables and nuts consumed in the country. But among the luscious groves of guavas, avocados and finger limes growing across Good Land Organic’s estate near...
California-Grown Coffee Is Becoming The State's Next Gold Mine
February 2018 / NPR
In most coffee shops, you can choose a cup of joe brewed with beans from countries like Ethiopia, Colombia, Costa Rica and Yemen. Now, a new crop of coffee growers is working to get coffee brewed from California-grown beans included...
Growing Coffee on the Frinj
September 2018 / Stir
Jay Ruskey walks among his coffee trees, pushing back branches in search of ripe cherries. A broad-brimmed hat shields his eyes from the bright Southern California sun on this warm June morning. He finds two ripened Caturra Rojo cherries and...


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With consumer pressure for food and drink that supports their increasing focus on health and wellbeing, the beverage industry is under pressure to deliver a diverse and well-rounded offer, with reduced sugar, natural ingredients and clean labels. So how can it set itself up for success?
Today, consumers want it all – better-for-you, organic, natural, fewer ingredients, clean label, green label, the story behind where the ingredients are from – to name a few. And it’s not surprising when our top concerns as consumers are both our own wellbeing and the wider health of the planet.
Health and wellness is now the greatest driver in the drinks industry. It touches every beverage category in one way or another, and from vitamin-infused sparkling water to ginger lemonade, health-conscious consumers are drawn to products that support their lifestyle.
In an industry which has been battling a growing backlash against high sugar levels, how can it set itself up for success?
Understanding the trends driving sugar reduction
Things are changing at a pace that we haven’t seen before, notes Emma Bowles, global marketing manager at Treatt, the global natural extracts and ingredients manufacturer.
“The escalation in the health and wellness movement, seen since the pandemic, has boosted demand in the functional beverage space. Consumer insights and actionable data have come to the fore to help us understand what’s driving these seismic shifts.”
Top health and wellness consumer behaviours set to impact beverages over the next year include:
● Moderation and avoidance
● Fresh and natural
One only needs to consider the growth in premium ’low and no’ new product launches to see these trends in action. With a mindset focused on improving their wellbeing, consumers are showing restraint. They are moderating or saying no to many ‘villain’ ingredients, such as sugar, artificial additives and alcohol, and instead are saying yes to a whole host of novel flavours and premium drinking experiences.
Insight into consumer behaviour
Research shows that consuming too much added sugar has become one of the riskiest health behaviours in the modern world. Around 50 countries globally have implemented taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages and demand for healthier beverages shows no signs of letting up.
In a global survey carried out by GlobalData in 2021, when asked:
● ‘What best describes your consumption of sugar?’ 76% replied that they were actively trying to reduce consumption or moderate their consumption of sugar
● ‘How appealing do you find the following concepts/claims in food and drink products?’ 81% found ‘low sugar’ very or somewhat appealing
Consumers increasingly want reassurance that sweetness is derived from natural ingredients as far as possible. The ‘no added sugar’ positioning is valued and increasingly embraced by manufacturers as one of the most prominent on-pack claims across beverage categories.
Mintel offers a clear insight on how brands are positioning their new products in market:
● Over the past five years (2017-2022) low- and reduced-sugar claims are up by 54% in the UK in new product launches
● Most consumers prefer seeing fewer ingredients on packaging, again indicating desires for natural ingredients.
Consumers will not compromise on taste
“Consumers’ tastebuds do not compromise,” says Bowles. “Expectations are the same for reduced-sugar beverages as they are for full-sugar products.
“Treatt has been around for over a century, so we’ve been with the industry through it all. Our beverage partners trust us to create ingredients that help them meet regulatory obligations and, critically, hit that consumer sweet spot when it comes to flavour.”
Formulation challenges with sugar reduction
Rosie Travers, health and wellness category manager at Treatt, is well aware of the problems to be solved. “Sugar reduction is a challenge for beverage formulators for many reasons, mainly because of the various roles sugar plays in food and beverage,” she says. “It’s certainly not as simple as removing the sugar because, once you do this, it completely changes the entire flavour profile, with increased acidity just one example of what can happen.”
Some of the challenges specific to sugar reduction include:
● Loss of mouthfeel
● Cost control
Finding solutions to these problems is where innovation, technological expertise and creativity come in, together of course with quality raw materials.
Tapping into our senses
“Sensory techniques play a crucial role in delivering on taste, adds Travers. “An in-depth understanding of sensory preferences is critical for applications teams to develop the beverages of tomorrow. The aromatic intensity of a product can take on a whole new importance when reducing sugar.
“Natural sweeteners and sugar extracts have come a long way in the last decade. Marrying sweeteners with natural extracts is an increasingly popular solution. Sugar content can be reduced; the mouthfeel and sweetness of products can be maintained. Made entirely from 100% natural ingredients, our sugar reduction solutions impart a fresh and natural sweetness without adding any calories, sugar or colour.”
The taste, the smell, the benefits – all are critical to the success of a beverage in a healthier world. But what about the look? What sings on social media can translate into sales success. A ‘better-for-you’ drink that looks the part will capture the attention of the digital-savvy generation, a key part of the demographic that will drive sales.
Lessons learned can help with future legislation
Later this year in the UK, the Department of Health’s Nutrient Profiling (NP) model will be introduced, used to classify food and beverage products that are high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS). But the beverage industry has been here before, when the sugar tax was introduced in 2018.
Some lessons were learned the hard way, which is why cost control is an important part of the reformulation mix and should not be forgotten as a key factor. The ability to effectively get it right the first time is important.
Travers explains: “Before the sugar tax came in, many manufacturers made small, incremental changes to their formulations – coming in just enough to meet the levy required, rather than make big step-changes to their beverage brands which risked consumer backlash. This approach seemed a sensible one and it also opened their eyes to working with manufacturers like us, offering natural extracts and ingredients as well as quality sugar reduction capabilities, innovating as a trusted partner in the process.”
Brands must innovate
The mantra of ‘innovate, don’t replicate’ certainly holds true now and for the near future, but reformulation is not a magic bullet. It will be interesting to see how future advances in technology will impact new product development with sugar reduction. For now, it shows no signs of slowing.
The UK is unlikely to be the last to put into effect this type of HFSS legislation. The increase in countries imposing sugar taxes globally is particularly interesting in the emerging economies just because of the sheer size of this market – and therefore opportunity for brands.
“Mass-market approaches still have value but we’re increasingly seeing the need for bespoke solutions that aim to fit the many disparate needs of consumers,” concludes Bowles. “It is incredibly exciting to see how brands are responding to this and the potential that lies ahead.”
To find out more about Treatt’s sugar reduction expertise, click here.