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Soaring hot temperatures and extreme lack of rain this summer throughout Europe has caused an estimated eight percent drop in total European Union cereal production.
In its latest short-term outlook report by the European Commission, the EU total cereal production for 2018 is expected to be 284.3 million tonnes, which is a five-percent decline compared to 2017-18 and eight percent lower than the last-five-year average.
The drought conditions hit wheat production the hardest, leading to a decrease of nine percent compared to 2017. The wheat production forecast is set at 129 million tonnes for 2018.
As a result, cereal prices peaked during August, reaching levels higher than last year, with wheat prices increasing by $75 per tonne and barley by $90 per tonne over last year’s prices.
EU sugar production should be lower than last year’s record levels, forecasted at 19.2 million tonnes for 2018-19, compared with 21.1 million tonnes for 2017-18. However, sugar prices remain low because of significant sugar surpluses worldwide.
The dairy sector was also affected due to the significant reduction in grassland growth and feed production. The increase in EU milk collection is lower than expected, with a forecast of 166.6 million tonnes for 2018, leading to an increase of 0.6 percent compared to 2017.
As for the meat sector, beef production is growing more than anticipated due to a shortage of feed, which has sent more animals to slaughter. The net beef production for 2018 is forecast at eight million tonnes, which is 1.6 percent higher than in 2017.
Poultry production is also growing, expected to reach 14.9 million tonnes in 2018 in comparison with 14.6 million tonnes in 2017. This rise is linked with the recovery from last year’s bird flu, but also a drop in imports from Brazil, which is keeping EU prices high.
As for pork, ample supply is keeping prices down.


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When we come back from our gaming holiday after christmas, the next wave of big titles will be set to release in February with the likes of Battleborn, Mighty No 9, Far Cry Primal, and Deus Ex Mankind Divided are just a few to name.
So it’s probably a good thing that DICE and EA have decided to delay their upcoming first person-free-running game; Mirror’s Edge Catalyst, to May 24th 2016. Producer Sara Jansson broke the news late last week in an update stating that the team have been ambitious with the project, with mentions of a “vast city to explore” and a “more engaging story” than the first Mirror’s Edge.
“We set out an ambitious vision for Mirror’s Edge Catalyst,” she wrote. “Achieving that vision and delivering the best possible experience is equally inspiring and challenging. And it takes time.”
Mirror’s Edge Catalyst was first shown at E3 2014 under the title; Mirror’s Edge. The subtitle wasn’t added in until E3 2015, where the first gameplay footage was shown.

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Internet, journalism, media & publishing
Anything and everything in Internet, journalism, media & publishing from across our archives.
Daunting Task to Revive Waterstone’s
Online book retailers Amazon and Waterstone’s have both announced that ebooks are outselling print books. Amazon ebooks for its Kindle device are selling more than all hardbacks and paperbacks combined, not including free downloads. The caveat to this news is that the figures reflect volume, not value. Many Amazon ebook bestsellers sell for US$0.99.
In other news, Waterstone’s has been sold by its embattled…
For a long time, literary magazines have been the lifeblood of books, writing and ideas. With Harpers in trouble, the recent hiatus of Heat, and the whole industry in flux, here’s an overview of good reading on the subject.
We begin with a mythbuster. The myth is that a literary magazine or journal is less likely to survive in the marketplace than a…
Costly Proofing Oversights
Our symphonies to Penguin Australia, who have had to pulp a cookbook because of a proofing oversight let a racially offensive term make it into print. The pulping of 7000 unsold copies of The Pasta Bible will cost the company about $20,000, according to the company’s head of publishing, Robert Sessions, who was quoted as being mystified that anyone could take offense to what…
Explore these other subjects, across our site.


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New Delhi: Few price control policies taken by the governments, including India, are likely to backfire by making the international market smaller and more volatile, a think-tank of International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) has said.
“Price controls and changes in the import and export policies may begin to address the problems of poor consumers who find that they can no longer afford an adequate diet for a healthy life. But some of these policies are likely to backfire by making the international market smaller and more volatile,” said a IFPRI report titled ‘Rising Food Prices: What should be done?´
Like China and Russia, India has taken “the easy option of restricting food exports, setting limits on food prices, or both,” it said, adding that India recently took steps to minimize the effects of higher prices on the population by curbing non-basmati exports, extending ban on pulses for one more year and liberalizing imports of edible oils and maize to some extent.
“Export restrictions and import subsidies have harmful effects on trading partners dependent on imports and also give incorrect incentives to farmers by reducing their potential market size,” IFPRI warned.
Besides, these national agricultural trade policies undermine the benefits of global integration, as the rich countries’ longstanding trade distortions with regard to developing countries are joined by developing countries’ interventions against each other, it added.
Meanwhile, IFPRI said that price controls would reduce the price that farmers receive for their agricultural products and thus reduce incentives to produce more food.


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10 years after largescale protests, milk prices have still experienced positive change. On Sunday, the cooperative sought to raise further awareness.
On 16 September 2009, the frustration of European dairy farmers reached its zenith.
Three million litres of milk were dumped in a field in Ciney, Belgium, in protest at milk prices which were not compatible with production costs.
The "Fairer Mëllech" (fairer milk) initiative in Luxembourg was launched in the wake of the argument.
Ten years later, Mett Roeder, president of the cooperative, launched a thirteenth product on Sunday morning. As well as milk, butter, cream, ice cream and Luxembourgish brie, the cooperative has expanded into yoghurt, in vanilla, strawberry, mulberry, and natural flavours.
Gilbert Leider, from Erpeldange on the Sûre river, has been a part of the cooperative from the start. The cooperative has helped him approach customers, through tastings, fetes and fairs - all opportunities to introduce the public to the farmer's work.
Leider's farm has stood for 300 years in the village centre, and requires 24/7 work, he said.
Despite the cooperative's hard work, it is not easy to make ends meet in the farming industry these days. Further awareness campaigns are required to convince consumers to purchase "fair" products.
The dairy farmers are not prepared to give up their fight to defend their jobs. On Monday 16 September 2019, ten years after their first demonstration, European farmers will convene once again in Ciney.
A thousand tractors are expected to join the protest, with their decade-long fight still bearing the same message: they need fair milk prices.


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The Television crew from the popular Channel 4 programme “Come Dine with Me” have recently descended on our retail shop in Leabrooks to film one of our customers who is appearing as a contestant on the show within the next few months.
Our customer selected fillet steaks for his menu so hopefully his fellow contestants don’t ask for them well done so they can get the maximum enjoyment of the matured flavours and tenderness of local beef. We’ll be keeping our eyes out for the series and wish him and his guests bon appetite.
This isn’t the only filming that’s taken place recently at the shop as a google photographer visited to capture the shop for a virtual tour. The striking effects can be found on our website or from google maps.


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He was once the toast of the town, a wine dealer who became the “stuff of legends” because of an almost magical ability to procure the world’s finest vintages for the rich and famous.
But various well-heeled clients will now be spluttering into their Burgundy after it emerged that much of the wine that 37-year-old Rudy Kurniawan sold them was fake, and concocted in his kitchen in California.
The magic was nothing more than “smoke and mirrors”, a prosecutor told his fraud trial this week in New York.
It was a scam that lasted for eight years and made Kurniawan at least $1.3m (£794,000), according to the prosecution, although some witnesses claimed they paid him more.
Billionaire entrepreneur, yachtsman and wine investor Bill Koch told the court he alone had paid the Indonesian-born dealer some $2.1m for 219 fake bottles. He has also hired an expert to try to work out just how many of the 43,000 bottles of wine he owns are counterfeit.
Meanwhile, Kurniawan, of Arcadia, California, faces a heavy price for his audacious fraud – up to 40 years in prison.
It does not appear that the taste of his wine gave Kurniawan away, even though he mixed some fine wines with cheaper ones.
Instead, collectors became suspicious when they noticed some labels had spelling errors or were for vintages that did not actually exist for the date given on the bottle.
Michael Egan, the expert hired by Mr Koch, testified that 19,000 counterfeit labels of 27 of the world’s best wines had been found at Kurniawan’s house. “There’s going to be a lot of wines to be cleaned up,” Mr Egan said, according to the Los Angeles Times.
“The whole thing about these great wines is that they’re meant to be historical artifacts. Every time you open one, it’s less of a dwindling supply,” Mr Egan said.
Mr Koch said Kurniawan was a “clever counterfeiter” who “made some stupid mistakes”. “For example, he sold a rare French wine supposedly from 1928, which was six years before that particular wine was ever bottled,” he said.
In his closing arguments, assistant US Attorney Joseph Facciponti said that Kurniawan’s sales had become “the stuff of legends”. “For a while, his magic show worked,” Mr Facciponti told the jury, the Associated Press reported. “The magic seller wasn’t magic at all, but just a bunch of smoke and mirrors.”
Prosecutors said Kurniawan spent his money on luxury cars, designer clothing and fine food and drink. He had been ordered to leave the US in 2003, but had not left or been deported, they added.
Defence lawyer Jerome Mooney insisted Kurniawan had simply been trying to please his wealthy clients. “He was just showing off. He wanted to be part of the club,” Mr Mooney said. “Did he do something he should not have done? Probably. He re-corked. He reconditioned wines. But he didn’t set out to defraud anyone.”
Mr Mooney added that Kurniawan will have spent two years in prison on remand by April, when he is due to be sentenced. “I think that’s enough,” he said.
Laurent Ponsot, of leading Burgundy producer Domaine Ponsot, said Kurniawan had “played a game” and lost.
But while Mr Ponsot declared himself “satisfied” with the legal proceedings, he was saddened by the scam’s wider implications. “Wine is a kind of element made by nature to bring people together and make people happy,” he said. “I’m not happy because… the wine has been dirtied.”
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British Airways has launched a new online deposit payments service for customers booking their holiday package on ba.com. Customers who book 'Flight+Hotel' or 'Flight+Car' holidays are able to pay a deposit from as little as £150 per booking when they book and the remaining balance ten weeks before departure.
Claire Bentley, managing director, British Airways Holidays commented: "Following customer feedback we are delighted to be able to introduce this new function on ba.com which will really assist holidaymakers and allow them to take advantage of all the benefits that deposit payments give. Customers will have the ability to pay a deposit now, secure the price and then save for the remainder of the balance which they will then pay closer to departure. This will benefit both families looking to budget for their 2013 holidays as well as those looking to book a special occasion like a honeymoon or luxury holiday."
For 2013 Flight+Hotel and Flight+Car holidays valued between £300 and £999 can be secured for £150 deposit per booking or Flight+Hotel and Flight+Car holidays valued above £1,000 from £300 deposit per booking. The full payment is due 10 weeks prior to departure. This service excludes flight only, hotel, car and experience only bookings, and any hotel, car or experiences added to a flight only booking, all of which require full payment at the time of booking.
Looking ahead to 2013, the airline predicts top hot spots will be holidays in Orlando, Barbados and New York as well as some of the new destinations that British Airways has recently announced including Sri Lanka and Alicante from Gatwick which are both set to launch in the spring, 2013.
For further information British Airway's new low deposit holidays customers can visit ba.com/deposits.
- Ends -
About British Airways:
British Airways plc offers a wide range of worldwide destinations - including holidays in Prague and flights to Bangkok, as well as hotels, car rental with Avis and experiences. Customers can save time and money with ba.com when booking ATOL protected holiday packages, ATOL number is 5985. Passengers are offered added peace of mind to their holiday plans and the security of travelling with British Airways. British Airways plc constantly seeks to exceed customers' expectations, both in terms of the value for money and quality of the service provided.
This press release was distributed by ResponseSource Press Release Wire on behalf of pr-sending-enterprises in the following categories: Travel, for more information visit https://pressreleasewire.responsesource.com/about.


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The European Commission (EC) wants to make mobile TV more streamlined within the EU, saying that Europe needs one common standard for mobile TV.
The EC yesterday gave its support to the Nokia and Motorola-supported DVB-H technology for broadcasting TV to mobile phones. DVB-H - or Digital Video Broadcasting for Handhelds - is the most widely-adopted of the three technologies that enable mobile TV in the European Union.
"DVB-H technology is the strongest contender for future mobile TV, with successful commercial launches and trials in 18 European countries, and increasingly worldwide," said Viviane Reding, the EC's media and telecoms commissioner.
Rival systems used for mobile TV in Europe include DMB or Digital Multimedia Broadcasting, which is widely used in South Korea, and another provided by US firm Qualcomm . In the UK, Virgin Mobile offers DMB-based technology, while Vodafone , T-Mobile and O2 plan to show mobile TV using DVB-H.
Mobile TV allows the broadcasting of live programming, news and sports direct to mobile phones but has yet to take off in Europe. But next year is set to be a big year for mobile TV as people may tune into watch the Beijing Olympics and the Euro 2008 football championship on their mobiles.
Having just one standard will make it easier for mobile TV watchers, just as the mobile phone industry previously agreed on the GSM standard in the 1980s, the Commission said.
"Europe is today at a crossroads. We can either take the lead globally - as we did for mobile telephony based on the GSM standard developed by the European industry - or allow other regions take the lion's share of the promising mobile TV market," Reding said. "Wait-and-see is not an option."
The European Union believes the mobile TV market could be worth over £13 billion by 2011.
For more on what the EU's adoption of DVB-H means, check out Mobile TV: one standard to rule them all?
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When people talk about illegal trafficking in wildlife, the glistening merchandise laid out on crushed ice in the supermarket seafood counter — from salmon to king crab — probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. But 90 percent of U.S. seafood is imported, and according to a new study in the journal Marine Policy, as much as a third of that is caught illegally or without proper documentation.
The technical term is IUU fishing, for illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing. But such improbable allies as
members of the U.S. Senate now refer to it as “pirate fishing.”
And it ensnares seafood companies, supermarkets, and consumers alike in a trade that is arguably as problematic as trafficking in elephant tusks, rhino horns, and tiger bones.


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Programmatic advertising platform Jelli expanded its roster of radio stations using RadioSpot in the first quarter of the year.
The Jelli audio-serving platform automates terrestrial radio advertising for advertisers and network operators.
As the audience moves from over-the-air to online, the San Mateo-Calif.-based Jelli says it brings transparency, accountability and real-time delivery of the Web to terrestrial radio.
Jelli launched 188 radio stations on RadioSpot during the quarter, representing 109% growth in terms of number of stations versus Q4 2013. Some of those new stations are owned by Emmis, Entercom and Townsquare Media.
The company has also reduced time to launch stations on its cloud-based ad server to 133%, in comparison to 2013, based on investments in networking and an ad trigger technology that Jelli says works with all traffic and automation systems.


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Anheuser-Busch latest move: pricier organic beer
It’s not just big food corporations looking to change up their products to target health-conscious consumers anymore — now big beer companies want in.
The world’s largest brewer, Anheuser-Busch InBev, announced Monday that its Michelob Ultra brand has a new beer called Michelob ULTRA Pure Gold, which is made with organic grains and is free of artificial colors and flavorings.
The new lower-calorie beverage is part of the company’s push to capitalize off Americans’ desire to eat and drink cleaner.
“More and more, we’re seeing that people want to know what ingredients make up the products they enjoy, and they work hard to try and incorporate organically sourced food and beverages into their daily lifestyle,” Azania Andrews, vice president of Michelob ULTRA, told FOX Business.
The light beer will begin hitting U.S. stores on Monday, including popular organic grocer Whole Foods Market. However, the beer will be priced higher than its regular ULTRA, Andrews notes.
“It will be priced at parity with Mexican imports,” she said, adding that she hopes the new organic addition will play a significant role in what they believe is a growing market in the beer business.
“As the overall trend of consumers seeking out organic products continues to gain popularity across non-alcoholic food and beverages, we expect the beer category to follow suit and are excited to be a leader in this category.”
Pure Gold isn’t AB InBev’s only footprint in the organic space. Last year, the company acquired HiBall Energy, an organic energy drink company, and last May it said it plans to invest $2 billion in U.S. breweries and soft drink facilities through 2020.
What’s more, ULTRA has been performing well on its own, growing double digits for the last 10 quarters, the company said.


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Tata Consultancy Services’ revenue from other Tata companies grew more than 13% to nearly Rs 2,600 crore in FY19.
Going by the figures, in FY19, TCS earned Rs 27 crore in revenue from Tata Sons, Rs 298 crore from subsidiaries of Tata Sons and Rs 2,241 crore from affiliates and joint ventures of Tata Sons and its subsidiaries.
In rupee terms, TCS’ FY19 revenue grew about 19%.
The move comes after Sarthak Banerjee became the vice president of group digital in May. He was global head of strategic automation and AI consulting at TCS.
As IT firms look to the private sector for growth in India, TCS has made strong headway in the market, analysts say.
TCS, with its experience in retail and manufacturing, was capitalizing on the group’s plans to spend in those areas.


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Marina looking to fill restaurant void during holiday season
Questions are popping up surrounding food vendors at the Marina Dunes Shopping Center and whether or not food trucks should be permitted there when the holiday shopping season kicks into high gear.
The move to bring food into the center has been going on for a while. Last month, the city blocked plans to develop 3.5 acres of Dunes’ property for restaurants, and local food truck operators are hoping to fill that food service void.
The Dunes Shopping Center is full of big box stores, like REI, Target, and Bed Bath and Beyond, with lots to buy but nowhere to eat.
"So there are a lot of sales lost just by people not staying here. If you talk to any of the managers, they'll tell you their number one complaint: No food," said developer Scott Negri.
Negri has been trying to develop what is now a dirt lot into a complex full of fast casual restaurants. He already has the development 80 percent pre-leased to chains including Chipotle, Smashburger, Blaze Pizza, Starbucks, and Deli Delicious. Some of the chains would be unique to the peninsula, like most of the big boxes next to it.
"People from all over the Monterey Peninsula come here to shop here. Well how long are you going to shop without taking a rest and eating something?" Negri asked, while making the point that food is needed in the area.
Negri and others argue that without food, people will stop shopping, and the stores will lose sales. Six hundred seventy-eight people agree with him and have signed a petition to rethink their two rejections of the development.
The city of Marina rejected his first plan months agom, citing it didn't meet the minimum floor area ratio required by the city's general plan. Last month, the city rejected an amendment to the general plan that would allow the development in a 3 to 2 vote.
Councilwoman Nancy Amadeo, who voted in favor of the development, wasn't happy about the vote.
"I thought it was a very poor excuse," Amadeo said, explaining that similar, if not the same, amendments have been made to the plan to accommodate other developments in the city.
At Tuesday's council meeting the city showed interest in the possibility of having food trucks at the Dunes as a temporary fix to the food shortage during the holiday season.
Amadeo said food truck vendors were organized by someone at the city and came in serving food, as the council was asked to consider pushing the stores and developers at the shopping center to allow food trucks.
"I felt like I was being bamboozled to get something done," she said.
In the end, no action was taken, and even if food trucks at the Dunes has popular support, ultimately, the decision on whether or not to allow them will rest with the Dunes’ developers.


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There are one billion people online every day expressing their views on one issue or another.
There has to be information out there which is useful in the financial or commercial world. Based on this premise, a Singapore-based company has set out to mine all that's being put out on the Web every day, and distil it into a few sentiment metrics that investors can use to trade the market.
Two of the shortcomings of financial market data - price, volatility and correlations - are that one, they reflect new unstructured information only with significant delay; and two, they don't "price" properly the shifting market sentiment and insights, says Marcello Fontana, founder and managing director of Wavecatch.
"We try to capture that sentiment on the ground as it happens, combines it with market data, to come up with short-term price forecasts for equities," he says.
According to Mr Fontana, the company's system scans the 800 million documents published in the various channels of the Web every day - news, blogs and social media platforms such as Twitter - in English and Chinese, and filters them for certain relevant keywords.
Documents with these keywords will go through further downstream analysis. Typically, 2.5 million "relevant" documents will be identified each week. The system will identify, for example, brands, sub-brands or names of companies with positive or negative mentions. The information will then be scaled and standardised.
This measure of sentiment will then be combined with market data such as company-specific time series, macromarket indicators such as index futures or bond indices.
The output is short-term, that is 24-hour, forecasts of volatility and price movements for that particular stock. Three or four signals daily will be generated across the markets.
The system now covers 240 big-cap stocks in the United States, UK, Greater China and Australia.
Wavecatch is focusing on the equities market first and intends to start off by licensing its sentiment metrics and forecasts to institutional investors, hedge funds and proprietary trading desks of banks. Over a longer term, it is looking to partner online brokers to develop products for the retail investors.
For retail investors, the system will have to be tweaked to predict the one-week performance of stocks, says Mr Fontana. Twenty-four-hour trading does not generally make sense for retail investors because they incur higher transaction costs.
According to Mr Fontana, Wavecatch has back-tested its systematic strategies. "Potentially, after transaction costs, the strategies could return around 15 basis points per day."
The brain power behind the company is impressive.
Mr Fontana, "half German, half Italian", has over 15 years of global experience in financial services and technology/media companies such as Wells Fargo Bank, Intuit, Standard Chartered Bank, Aegon and Fox/News Corp.
Prior to founding Wavecatch, he was managing director for Asia-Pacific at Fox Mobile (Fox/News Corp), and global head of R&D and innovation at StanChart, where he established and managed the $1 million a year Innovation Lab @ SMU.
He holds an MSc in econometrics/statistics, and earned his MBA (technology management) at UC Berkeley (Haas). He's been in Singapore for eight years.


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India’s logistics industry plays a crucial role in driving economic growth and facilitating seamless trade. Abhyansh Shipping, as a company, acknowledges the significant strides made by the Indian government through the implementation of the National Logistics Policy (NLP). The NLP, announced in September 2022, marks a milestone in recognizing the importance of logistics and supply chain in India’s overall development. In this article, we explore how this policy is set to transform the shipping and logistics industry, attract global investments, and propel India towards becoming a global logistics hub.
Enhancing Infrastructure and Services:
The NLP focuses on improving critical infrastructure, including roads, railways, waterways, airports, and logistic hubs. This comprehensive approach recognizes the need for robust logistics networks to support efficient transportation and supply chain operations. By investing in enhancing infrastructure and leveraging digital services, the policy aims to streamline logistics processes, reduce costs, and enhance service quality. The result will be a logistics ecosystem that promotes efficiency, reliability, and competitiveness.
Competing on the Global Stage:
India’s ambition to become the third-largest economy necessitates positioning itself as a formidable competitor in the global market. The NLP aligns with this vision by creating an enabling environment for logistics and supply chain operations. With streamlined processes, improved infrastructure, and digital integration, India can enhance its competitiveness and challenge global leaders like China and the USA. This policy aims to position India as a preferred logistics destination, attracting foreign investments and fostering economic growth.
Boosting Economic Sectors:
The implementation of the NLP will have a direct positive impact on India’s primary and secondary sectors. By improving logistics services, supply chains of manufacturing companies operating in India will be bolstered. This will result in enhanced efficiency, reduced costs, and increased productivity. The policy’s holistic approach is in line with India’s mission of achieving self-reliance and driving domestic production. As logistics operations become more streamlined and efficient, the nation will witness the emergence of some of the best logistics companies in India.
To ensure effective policy implementation, industry stakeholders have a crucial role to play. As a leading player in the logistics industry, we welcome the government’s invitation for collaboration and participation in shaping the policy landscape. By providing insights and suggestions on the requirements of manufacturing companies, we can contribute to attracting more foreign investments. This collaborative approach will foster a favorable business environment, stimulate growth, and create new opportunities for the shipping and logistics industry.
The National Logistics Policy marks a significant milestone in India’s journey towards becoming a global logistics powerhouse. By focusing on infrastructure development, streamlining processes, and fostering collaboration, the policy aims to enhance the efficiency and competitiveness of the logistics sector. As we celebrate the National Logistics Day, let us recognize the transformative potential of the NLP and its ability to drive economic growth, attract investments, and position India as a leading logistics destination. Together, we can build a vibrant and resilient logistics ecosystem that powers India’s progress and contributes to its global standing.


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Apple launches Mountain Lion OS and fires pre-trial salvo including $2.5 billion damage claim at Samsung while reporting cooling iPhone sales soft earnings report.
New York Yankees look to leverage Ichiro Suzuki's personal brand.
Skype founders break up as eavesdropping concerns arise.
American Airlines ready to evaluate merger possibilities.
Ann Taylor brings back Kate Hudson for fall campaign.
Canon cuts full-year outlook.
Caterpillar begins to wear down some unionists in strike.
The Dark Knight Rises star Christian Bale visits the wounded and grieving in Aurora, Colo.
Domino's sees an uptick, including European boost from rain and soccer.
Ford reports drastically lower profits on European woes, sets sights on Chevy Volt.
Foursquare unveils paid ads for pilot group.
Fox sees advertisers assess impact of Mariah Carey addition to American Idol.
Goodyear tests viral marketing by tapping into Gymkhana phenom.
Google nears antitrust deal with EU.
GSK CEO addresses pricing pressure in Europe.
Intel and Toshiba join for second social film project.
JCPenney signs a retail partnership with Canada's Joe Fresh apparel brand.
Levi Strauss campaign pitches its clothes as the uniform for twentysomethings taking on the world.
MGA Entertainment sues Lady Gaga over eponymous line of its Bratz dolls.
Mars plans to launch french vanilla Milky Way.
Monsanto sued by migrant workers.
NBA taps SAP in deal aimed at stats-mad fans.
PepsiCo counts on two new summertime-only flavors to build trial and awareness for Pepsi Next as currency and other factors hurt earnings.
Popchips signs Katy Perry endorsement deal.
Smithfield Foods turns to Brazil for corn for its pigs in wake of U.S. drought.


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Synthetic identity fraud has been a growing a problem for years. IBM Red Cell has been writing about this threat and its implications for the last 18 months.
Cybercrime Enters the Auto Industry
Organized crime groups (OCGs) leverage synthetic identities to commit various fraud schemes. Vehicle buy-and-ship schemes use synthetic identities to finance purchases from new and used car dealers, which allows OCGs to reap huge financial gains with little to no risk. The Wall Street Journal proclaimed synthetic identities as one of the top three risks facing financial institutions in 2016.
Auto finance fraud is not a new phenomenon; OCGs have successfully stolen vehicles using straw buyers and identity theft for years. In the past, OCGs would target individuals to lend their Social Security numbers and credit ratings to act as straw buyers for new and used cars. Often, the straw buyer would claim identity theft for the purchase of the vehicle after it was shipped out of the country.
From the criminal’s point of view, a straw buyer leaves a potential trace or connection. The beauty of synthetic identities is that there is no one behind that identity to question or to track — the synthetic identity is a ghost. In essence, OCGs are able to eliminate the middleman and interact with the dealer directly.
The Auto Fraud Process
Synthetic identities are created using real and fictitious data to form an identity that, for all intents and purposes, looks legitimate. Synthetic identities can be created by the OCG or purchased in Dark Web marketplaces. IBM Red Cell has written extensively about how synthetic identities are created and co-wrote a white paper with Turnkey Risk Solutions concerning the evolution and implications associated with them.
OCGs are able to exploit weaknesses in credit reporting to use a synthetic ID to acquire financing for the purchase of vehicles at multiple dealers throughout the same day. A fraudster using a synthetic ID can go from dealer to dealer in one day and apply for credit without each dealer knowing about previous or same-day inquiries.
Often, communication with the dealer and the purchase of the vehicle will take place over the Internet. Fraudsters commonly exploit technology and conveniences designed to enhance the customer experience to further their criminal schemes. An increasingly large percentage of consumers prefer to shop for vehicles via the Internet to avoid the unpleasantness of interacting with the dealer in person. This newer and acceptable way of buying autos makes it easier for fraudsters to successfully carry out the scheme.
Upon purchase completion, the fraudster will often have the vehicle shipped to a location, sometimes directly to a port, where the vehicle will be signed for. While some dealerships now require the buyer to take possession of the car in person at the dealership, this is a small hurdle that can be easily overcome with fraudulent identification documents.
Vehicles are shipped overseas to various countries, with China being a popular destination; certain autos can fetch a price that is three times the value of the car in the U.S. The shipment expense is paid for with a credit card tied to the synthetic ID. Thus, an OCG is able to obtain a vehicle (often a luxury car or SUV) with little or no cost involved.
Identifying Fraud and Synthetic Identities
Auto manufacturers and dealers across the U.S. have begun to recognize synthetic identities as a substantial threat. They realize that a significant portion of their credit losses may come from fraud schemes.
While they recognize this as a problem, they are struggling to identify an effective solution. Because synthetic identities look and act like any other customer, identification is extremely challenging.
Many people point to national credit bureaus to solve the problem, but they, too, have been struggling with the synthetic ID issue. It is important to understand that credit bureaus are data aggregators, not data validators. However, credit bureaus may be a key factor in solving or reducing the problem because of the vast amount of data they hold.
Additionally, there are controls that may be added to the underwriting and financing process to limit the issue. Those controls would likely come at the expense of the customer experience, which could potentially hurt sales overall. The ultimate answer will come from input and potential changes to the process in addition to technology solutions.


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CINCINNATI — Kroger is hiring about 1,200 new workers in southwestern Ohio.
The Dayton Daily News reports that the new jobs will be at the supermarket chain’s stores in the Dayton, Springfield and Cincinnati areas.
The Cincinnati division of Kroger said Thursday it will hold several career fairs during the next few weeks to recruit the new employees, which are needed for all departments and shifts.
Those who want to attend the job fair need to apply online at www.kroger.com/company_information/careers/Pages/store_opportunities.aspx. An appointment will then be scheduled.
In September Cincinnati-based Kroger reported that its second-quarter profit climbed as it booked lower charges and tried to build shopper loyalty with improved offerings.
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The following organisations representing 1000 domestic hemp and CBD businesses in the UK, yesterday issued a statement saying…
A 0.03% product limit would be a disaster for the burgeoning domes:c UK hemp industry. The ACI’s proposal will create further red tape around the plant and hinder the progress of the British hemp industry with unnecessary bureaucracy and restrictions.
A 0.03% limit to import flowers and leaves would be incredibly restrictive and destroy a domestic industry worth up to £300 million in the UK.
Their list of supporters, is to say the least, impressive
We are involved in the hemp recommendations for the upcoming white paper, by Professor Mike Barnes, that represents our views for the future of the Hemp industry.
The white paper is backed by:
All Party Parliamentary Group For Drug Reform
British Hemp Alliance
Cannabis Health Magazine
Cannabis Trades Association
Conservative Drug Policy Reform Group Drug Science
Labour Campaign For Drugs Reform Mackrell Solicitors
Medical Cannabis Clinicians Society
Northern Ireland Hemp Association
Scottish Hemp Association


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Artificial Sweeteners: A Global Strategic Business Report
San Jose, California (PRWEB) November 12, 2012
Follow us on LinkedIn – In recent years, the growing incidence of life threatening conditions such as diabetes and obesity is leading to greater emphasis on physical well being. People suffering from conditions such as these are constantly looking for ways to maintain a healthy life and therefore are turning to products that provide them an easy and a stable remedy for such ailments. In this context, artificial sweeteners have emerged as potent products, as they help in managing such ailments, without the need for consumers to give up intake of various food and beverage products. Artificial sweeteners that were initially targeted at the diabetic populace, have slowly found their way into the food and beverage industry, as the market for diet food products took off at a robust pace. Foods and drinks such as confectionery, soft drinks, juices, sauces and condiments, marketed as ‘diet’, ‘low-calorie’, ‘low-sugar’ or ‘lite’ are the products that are generally sweetened by such sweeteners. Owing to such widespread applications in myriad products, the global market for artificial sweeteners is heavily impacted by the performance of various end-use markets and generally reflects the trends in these sectors.
In general, companies engaged in the production of artificial sweeteners seek market domination by developing novel products based on proprietary compounds and huge R&D investments. However, slow regulatory review process and stringent government policies more often than not mar the growth prospects for artificial sweeteners. Most of the artificial sweeteners are associated with negative health effects such as headaches, dermatological problems, behavioral changes, mood variations, respiratory problems, and even cancer. To counter such issues, artificial sweetener producers are targeting R&D based upon Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) ingredients. A product based on GRAS ingredients can be launched in the market prior to the FDA approval provided its use as food additive is established and acknowledged as safe. Therefore, while there are reports that state artificial sweeteners are harmful for humans, there are also studies that conclude such sweeteners to be effective and safe for regular consumption. The availability of such contradictory data has caused widespread confusion among a large group of consumers, discouraging them from freely using low-calorie sweeteners either for table top use or consuming products which are artificially sweetened.
Rising concern over the safety of artificial sweeteners is paving way for increased acceptance of various natural sweeteners such as plant-extracted stevia, cane sugar and agave nectar in the market. Stevia-based sweeteners are emerging as major alternative to the existing low-calorie artificial sweeteners, owing to its ability to offer enhanced health benefits in comparison to other sweeteners. However, robust growth of this sugar substitute is currently hampered due to several issues, with the major ones being improper access to extraction and refining technology, lack of coordinated standards and unpleasant after-taste profile of the sweetener, among others.
The United States commands the largest individual share of the global artificial sweeteners market, as stated by the new market research report on Artificial Sweeteners. Growing health conscious population, rising incidence of diabetes, launch of newer products, increased access to health-related information, changing consumer needs, and rising costs of various competing sweeteners are the major driving forces for artificial sweeteners in the US market. High intensity sweeteners, despite their decreased usage in soft-drinks market, are likely to continue to grab a lion’s share in the US sweeteners market. Asia-Pacific represents the fastest growing regional market displaying a CAGR of about 4.6% over the analysis period. Propelled by markets such as Japan, Indian and China, Asia is fast becoming a manufacturing hub, with China in particular gaining importance as a leading market, both in terms of production and consumption of artificial sweeteners. While Japan is considered an important aspartame producing country, Singapore has become a focal point for sucralose, with international market leaders such as Tate & Lyle setting up production facility in the country.
Within the artificial sweeteners market, aspartame and sucralose garner significant share of the market. While Aspartame sweetener captures the largest chunk of the market and is largely used in diet soft drinks and food products, sucralose in combination with polyols finds application in sugarless gums. Sucralose represents the fastest growing artificial sweeteners segment owing to its usage in various end-use industries including the table-top sector. Saccharin which has long been considered to have a harmful effect on humans is now being regarded as safe for consumption, causing no negative effects on health. The substance which had been on the ‘list of hazardous substances’ in the US since 1981 due to fears of increased risk of bladder cancer, has been removed from the list in 2010 on the basis of research proving it be safe for consumption and having no carcinogenic indications.
Major players in the marketplace include Ajinomoto Co. Inc., Cumberland Packing Corporation, Hermes Sweeteners, Merisant, Spherix, and Tate & Lyle, among others.
The research report titled "Artificial Sweeteners: A Global Strategic Business Report" announced by Global Industry Analysts, Inc., provides a comprehensive review of trends, issues, recent industry activity, and profiles of major companies worldwide. The report provides market estimates and projections in value terms (US$ Thousand) for product segments including, Aspartame, Acesulfame Potassium, Saccharin, Sucralose and Other Artificial Sweeteners. Key geographic markets analyzed include the US, Canada, Europe (France, Germany, Italy, UK, Spain and Rest of Europe), Asia Pacific, Latin America and Rest of World.
For more details about this comprehensive market research report, please visit –
About Global Industry Analysts, Inc.
Global Industry Analysts, Inc., (GIA) is a leading publisher of off-the-shelf market research. Founded in 1987, the company currently employs over 800 people worldwide. Annually, GIA publishes more than 1300 full-scale research reports and analyzes 40,000+ market and technology trends while monitoring more than 126,000 Companies worldwide. Serving over 9500 clients in 27 countries, GIA is recognized today, as one of the world's largest and reputed market research firms.
Global Industry Analysts, Inc.
Web Site: http://www.StrategyR.com/


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AutoWeb Inc. (Nasdaq: AUTO), an Irvine-based marketing firm for automakers and dealers, reported a third quarter loss of $18 million, or $1.41 per share, compared to net income of $69,000 a year ago.
The company said the loss was mainly “driven by one-time impairment charges.”
Revenue was $31.7 million for the quarter, a 14% decline from a year ago.
Analysts expected the company to post a quarterly loss of 14 cents per share with revenues of $30.7 million.
Advertising revenue was also down at $6.6 million, compared to $8.9 million last year.
Chief Executive Jared Rowe, who joined the company earlier this year, told analysts on a conference call that it’s working to implement a new strategic plan that will bring AutoWeb back to growth and profitability.
Shares are down about 76% from a 52-week high in January. The company has a $29 million market cap.


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Killington, VT- An opportunity has opened for Killington students who are attending or will be enrolling in an accredited two or four-year college and who have a minimum 3.0 GPA. A-1 Auto Transport, Inc., a car shipping company based in California who delivers vehicles to and from the Killington area of Vermont announced this week they are extending their offer for their $1000 college scholarship to students in various cities nationwide including Killington.
The scholarship was set up in 2016 and the company has opened entry in various cities worldwide since its origination. Students can enter for the scholarship by doing the following:
Students must write a 1000-word minimum essay with a topic coinciding with the auto shipping industry. All content written must be 100% original and not found elsewhere on the internet. Content will be checked for plagiarism when received and will not be accepted if found to be printed anywhere online.
Topics are suggested on the company website on the scholarship page at:
All entries will be posted to the company website to be voted on by the public. Students may enter by sending their essay, full name and name of the school to: [email protected] Entries will be accepted on a rolling basis now through March 10, 2010 and a winner will be announced by the Scholarship Committee by the end of March 2018 on the company website as well as by direct email communication.


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The technology behind pizza ordering (of all things) is becoming a modern miracle to the degree that it may have even saved lives in the recent case where a woman in a hostage situation was able to request 911 help as a special order alongside her large pepperoni and garlic bread.
Brands are now using these new tech-enabled ordering strategies to deliver not only tasty pies, but core brand messages to boot. For the pizza delivery businesses in particular, convenience has always been a core brand attribute (as exemplified by the possibly apocryphal story of a delivery person who brought an order not only to a house, but directly to the specific room inside where the hard partying customer lay waiting).
For Domino’s, this emphasis on convenience is perhaps especially true to the company’s essence, with its legacy as the “30 minutes or it’s free” delivery brand. The company has now leveraged state of the art Twitter to enable ordering by emoji, where followers who set up accounts including their Twitter handle, location and payment details – as well as their favorite order – can simply tweet the pizza emoji to Domino’s and receive their order conformation and delivery soon after.
It’s a clever in-your-face move, but it is clearly geared at a specific target of tech-savvy, impatiently hungry Domino’s lovers. While this may gain loyalty among that subset, it’s unlikely to move the dial on a larger scale.
With that said, Domino’s has consistently pushed into new and innovative spaces, starting with its brutally honest campaign of a few years ago which asked customers to share pictures of their pizzas on social media. This kind of transparency about the customer experience – and what their food really looked like – was unique to the industry. (Shortly after that the chain introduced a pizza tracker that addressed customers’ impatience while waiting for their pies to arrive.)
Expedited online ordering like Domino’s now offers via emoji does face an uphill battle towards widespread use, but it will likely become more common. There are barriers around customer trust – both in terms of the brand (e.g. Can I trust your company with my payment info? What safeguards do you have to prevent accidental/duplicate orders?) and with respect to the technology (e.g. How secure is my payment info? How is it being stored/protected?).
For a parallel technology adoption, I’d look to the adoption of app-based payments like Starbucks’ branded app. Consumers will continue to adopt these technologies, but there will be a learning and adoption curve.
Staying with Starbucks for a moment, the coffee chain is looking to launch its own delivery service, recognizing that further adoption of new technology around convenience is a competitive necessity. Starbucks is even testing out “green apron” delivery, where actual baristas deliver food and drinks to customers, extending their in-store experience to the customer’s location.
In contrast, long-standing QSR leaders like McDonald’s and Burger King have struggled to maintain their competitive leads for several reasons, and technology adoption is among them. However, a question Starbucks must be weighing is how transitioning into a delivery service will redefine their brand, when legacy success was found in offering a comfortable location (the “third place”), as much as for providing coffee. It’s important that Starbucks maintain the integrity of the brand current loyalists love, and having actual baristas in green aprons make the deliveries may just do the trick.
Embracing new technologies and meeting customers’ changing expectations of convenience and quick service has helped brands like Domino’s, Starbucks, and Taco Bell win loyalty and increase sales. As more companies test technological strategies designed to provide better service, they’d be smart to keep what’s best about their brands and create offers in line with their core brand messaging.
Lily Croll is Senior Social Strategist at Wire Stone, an independent digital marketing agency for global Fortune 1000 brands.


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David McNarry sounds alarm over rise in card fraud
Ulster Unionist Assembly member y has expressed concern at the level of credit and debit card fraud occurring in Northern Ireland.
According to the latest figures from the Payments Council, credit and debit card fraud rocketed in Northern Ireland in 2011, with losses up 652% on 2010 figures — to £6.3m.
In 2010, the figure stood at just £0.83m.
Across the UK, fraud fell by 7% to £341m last year, and has fallen by 45% over the past three years.
“The figure of £6.3m is double what a region this size could expect,” said the MLA.
“The abnormal rise in card fraud in Northern Ireland was apparently due to card-not-present fraud and may reflect the fact that some mail-order head offices are located here.
“The good news is that victims are fully protected against loss through fraud in the UK.
“I think these very bad local figures, however, indicate that people need to be careful.
“Cheque fraud, for instance, has risen by 17% and phone banking losses have increased by 32%.
“The message is that you cannot be too careful.”


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HOUSTON, Texas – A pair of clerks at a Houston store say they are lucky to be alive after a terrifying armed robbery.
Friday started as a normal day at the store before gunshots rang out.
The suspects try to break through the door, even firing their weapons at the lock, but are unsuccessful.
Cashiers told KTRK that the gunmen were saying they were going to kill them if they got through the door.
So far, no arrests have been made.


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Lucid Games is working on a video game of an extensive intellectual property for PlayStation 5 using an A3 processor. The team responsible for Destruction AllStars, released on the new Sony console earlier this year, has an unannounced AAA project. This isn’t a new IP, but a new installment of an existing saga.
The twitter user has identified his profile for the company between August 2020 and October 2021, with the help of Robert Williams-Rostron, Technical Game Designer, Lucid Games, for a brief time. Because after Destruction AllStars, which is a new IP-based strategy, it remained to be seen what the British team would embark on and if it would do it again with PlayStation.
The source shows that Twisted Metal reboot is likely to follow.
It would likely be a higher price title if they don’t know what it is called. Journalist sources reported by VGC pointed out that we could have faced the resurgence of Twisted Metal, a rumor that has been circulating long. Especially when it’s confirmed that PlayStation works on a live action series, that’s based on the saga of which there is already a protagonist.
The third installment of Twisted Metal takes place from 2012 on PlayStation 3. According to the source, this new title is likely to be launched in 2023, coinciding with the inauguration of the television series, and will be released under a free-to-play business model. Sony hasn’t confirmed or denied this information. Exactly what they are working on is to be revealed in a matter of minutes.
Meanwhile, Lucid Games continues to work on Destruction AllStars, which after its first attempt as a video game for seven9.99 dollars dropped in price and was subsequently included in the PlayStation Plus program subscriber incentives.
Sources | East; through ResetERA. VGC


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Diablo III Breaks PC Sales Records
If you're playing Diablo III, you're definitely not alone. According to Activision Blizzard, the action-RPG has broken day-one PC sales records, selling more than 3.5 million copies of the game in 24 hours. And that's just the beginning.
When you include players who got the game as part of the World of Warcraft annual pass, that number jumps to 4.7 million players worldwide on the game's first day. Diablo III has sold more than 6.3 million copies in its first week.
"Regarding today's announcement, we recognize that setting a new launch record is a big achievement," said Mike Morhaime, Blizzard founder and CEO. "However, we're especially proud of the gameplay feedback we've received from players worldwide. We're pleased that Diablo III has lived up to players' high expectations, and we're looking forward to welcoming more players into Sanctuary in the days ahead."


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Nielsen India Report: Preparation of Indian Customers for Uncertainty, Healthy Food, Investment and Medical, Apart from Restriction on Excessive Expenses
New Delhi: After a long time, the situation in the FMCG sector is seen to be changing, in the month of June, the fast moving consumer goods industry has seen a huge increase in demand. Nielsen) of South Asia Head Prasoon Basu. Basu says that at present the demand is being seen around the demand level (demand increased) before the coronavirus. Talking about the increase in demand in the FMCG sector, he said that both rural India and urban areas are seeing good growth, but the increase in demand in rural areas is more than urban areas. The increase in food category is 1 plus point, apart from this, beauty, health, hygiene are also giving good performance.
The point to note here is that the shopping index was 100 in March, it had increased to 75 in April-May. Which has increased again to 98 in June. The special thing is that the recovery in rural areas is much better than in urban areas. The rural areas have reached 84 points in April May and 109 points in June. Rather, it would not be wrong to say that the growth rate in rural areas was higher than in March. Whereas in urban areas it was 100 before Kovid, it decreased to 70 in April-May which increased to 94 in June.
Revenge Consumer View
The Nielsen report claims that Unlock 1.0 has changed the way people spend. Corona has reduced the salary of people by 84%. Because of which people are being careful towards spending. As a result, there has been a significant decline in spending on things like Dineout and alcohol. You can see more information about this in the infograph above.
Those who used to go for local shopping up to 74 percent before Kovid is now 65 percent. Similarly, the rate of visiting the department store has also come down from 50 per cent to 24 straight.


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Earlier this month, the Google app pulled its custom in-app browser for opening Search results and Discover articles. It was not particularly well liked for eschewing the standard Chrome Custom Tab implementation on Android. The latest Google app beta is now testing it again and made some tweaks along the way.
Work on a custom browser for the Google app dates back to November 2019 and started appearing for users in late April. However, by early July, it was gone for those running the beta.
Version 11.21 of the Google app this week brings it back. In Settings > General, the “Browser” menu at the very bottom has returned. There’s a high-level toggle to enable/disable, while there are now Chrome-like “Site settings” and “Safe Browsing.”
The in-app browser still has a fancy and compact loading app bar, off-center domain address and HTTPS/lock icon, as well as shortcuts for adding to Collections, sharing, and overflow. In the latter menu, you now have the ability to “Find in page.”
For some, that’s an important feature to regain, but the deviation from normal browsing practices on Android is quite annoying. The Google app might want its own browser so that it can implement custom features down the road, while the menu is less complicated than the full one offered by a Chrome Custom Tab.
Even though you can turn off the option to “Open web pages in Google app,” the experience of using the full Chrome app — instead of a Custom Tab implementation — is slower. You’re essentially switching from the Google app to the Chrome browser for every URL.
As of the latest Google app beta, it’s appearing on several devices we have on hand.
More about Google app:
- Google is working on an ‘Assistant Chat Head’ and here’s what it looks like [APK Insight]
- Report: Google negotiating to give Assistant, Play Store ‘more prominence’ on Samsung devices
- Revoking access to Google Assistant devices, including Android TV, can de-link Nest devices
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.


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The publisher has tasked agency St Lukes to develop the campaign along with a redesign of the book covers, after a three-way pitch against undisclosed agencies. Mills & Boon covers were redesigned last year.
More than seven million Mills & Boon books are sold in the UK each year, and the company celebrated its centenary last month.
The publisher launched in 1908 producing general fiction and etiquette guides. However, founder Charles Boon moved the company into romance novels.
The publisher is launching its first line of explicit erotica with a new imprint called Spice, already launched in North America and coming to the UK next year.


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Not only rumors about the iPhone 8 and the iPhone 9 lives on Apple; After all, Apple has a diverse line of gadgets that is updated every year. So, nothing is fairer than the next version of the iPad Pro, for example, also be the target of rumors that anticipate its release.
After a leak that brought to the public photos of supposed covers of the new tablet, now it is the turn of rendered images based on just the measures of cases try to anticipate the look of the gadget. The person responsible for the image is the designer Benjamin Geskin, who published the photos on his Twitter account.
Although there is no radical change in the chassis of the device, you can see that the rendering suggests something even more refined and delicate for the 10.5-inch device, with soft and relatively common changes in new Apple releases. The big highlight here is the front edges, even smaller than in previous versions of the gadget.
However, it is worth remembering that these images are only suppositions of an enthusiast, that is, they have nothing even of”unofficial”. But it’s no wonder rumors about the new tablet from Apple begin to become more and more common, giving an almost exact idea of what’s coming. Let’s stay tuned.


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Computex 2018 brought with it a huge announcement for computer lovers and miners alike – the world’s first ever 7nm GPU. This came in the form of the VEGA INSTINCT, a 32GB beast that has already got tongues wagging. Whilst the VEGA INSTINCT has been released to compete in the machine learning market, AMD’s head Lisa Su has confirmed that consumers can expect the architecture commercially in the future as well. This, in conjunction with AMD promising a new Graphics product every three years bodes well for the GPU market in general.
What is Infinity Fabric?
Infinity Fabric is not new to the AMD stable. It has been designed to facilitate communication between components and has been showcased in AMD processors previously, specifically the Threadripper and the Ryzen. In the Instinct, AMD have extended the role to be played by the Infinity fabric, to facilitate better communication pathways between multiple GPUs. This is not a new development, with something similar seen in top of the range NVIDIA products. Infinity Fabric has also previously been seen facilitating communication between components like GPUs and your machine’s hard drive. Popular consensus is that latency is reduced as a result of the infinity fabric and it is part of the logical progression for this tech that it will soon facilitate communication between CPUs and graphics cards. AMD could be the best positioned to make the move towards this development, which will excited miners everywhere.
Timeline And Possible Release Date
The expectation for AMD in 2018 was a release of its 12nm GPUs. Thus, the acceleration to 7nm processes is a big one, which should excite the community. The Vega is currently being tested with AMD’s partners, with an expected release date of sometime towards the end of this year, including several initiatives designed to ensure optimal performance in the machine learning space. AMD’s newest GPUs, complete with 7nm processes, are expected prior to the end of 2020.
What Specifications Have Been Promised
Whilst actual specifications have not been confirmed, the Radeon Instinct Vega is expected to double the process thickness of its predecessor, whilst coming in at roughly 60% of the size. Importantly from a mining perspective, the Instinct doubles the power efficiency of the 14nm GPU that was previously AMD’s flagship, but improving on performance by 35%. These expected specifications are a clear indication that the 7nm process being developed by AMD is nearing completion, a theory which is backed up by the fact that AMD’s 7nm CPU was also demoed at this year’s Computex. AMD have also promised that their GPU comes standard with deep learning functions.
The Radeon RX Vega Instinct in Action
The power of the latest and greatest of AMD’s GPU stable was shown running a Cinema4D render, making use of AMD’s very own freeware app, Pro Render ray tracing solution. With the ever-increasing memory requirements of GPUs in order to facilitate AI architectures, AMD’s newest showcase required all 32GB of the HBM2 that it was equipped with. Whether or not AMD also plan on releasing a 16GB model is unclear, but the 32GB model coped well with the tasks bestowed upon it.


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Abu Dhabi’s luxury shopping and dining destination, The Galleria Al Maryah Island, is hosting a never-before-seen selection of historical moments commemorating the Founding Father of the UAE, His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, for the Year of Tolerance.
In collaboration with the National Archive, The Galleria Al Maryah Island is hosting a unique photography exhibition, devoting this year’s holy month to the Year of Tolerance. The incredible exhibition is now open to all visitors during The Galleria’s operating hours.
Building upon the success of last year’s Ramadan display marking the Year of Zayed, the exhibition will showcase a curated selection of images featuring His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan during key moments in the development of the UAE. The photos focus on his efforts to establish tolerance and plant the seeds of this virtue among the UAE community and residents.
Spanning more than two decades, from 1965 to 1990, the collection highlights the fundamental values the Year of Tolerance represents – such as the spirit of coexistence amongst all cultures and enrichment of society through the promotion of tolerance through education and within the community.
“The participation of the National Archives in this exhibition opens the door to many historical pictures that showcase the efforts of our founding leader in shaping the UAE community and driving its ambitions and human values, which increase its solidarity and enhance its standing among all countries in the world,” says Husniya Al Ali, acting head of the corporate and community outreach department at the National Archives
The National Archives exhibition at The Galleria further establishes the national identity and promotes a sense of loyalty and belonging. They are inspired by some aspects of the visions, values, noble achievements and national principles of His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
Visitors can also come together at The Galleria Al Maryah Island from 8-11pm during the last five days of Ramadan to enjoy complimentary family-friendly activities, including henna art, children’s face painting, sand art, lantern making and more. Exclusive Eid Al Fitr themed activities will also continue throughout the first week of June. The Galleria also welcomes guests to dine for iftar and suhoor during the holy month at its award-winning selection of Dining Collection restaurants, including COYA, Zuma, La Petite Maison, Almaz by Momo and Roberto’s.
Snapchat has been betting big on Augmented Reality’s (AR) retail future consideringJune 22, 2021 | By Jibran Chouguley
Words by Katie Streten Experiential Strategy Director, VMLY&R COMMERCE Throughout the last year,June 13, 2021 | By Shruthi Nair
UAE-based Al Maya Group announced that it will be boosting import of
UAE-based grocery retail chain, Grandiose has opened its first hypermarket in Abu
UAE-based Carrefour announced its theme and plans for Ramadan 2021. The brand
Locally owned supermarket Spinneys celebrates 60 years of doing business in the
UAE-based Carrefour will become the first retailer in the region to offer new levels
The Organic Farmers’ Market is back in Bay Avenue for its 12th
UAE-based Lulu Group recently inaugurated its first-ever all-female staff store in Jeddah,
Jones the Grocer, the gourmet grocer and cheese retailer launches the Jones
UAE-based Al Maya Supermarkets is hosting a two-week food festival at select
Locally-owned supermarket Spinneys has launched its ‘Power of Plants’ initiative in the
Carrefour UAE has launched “Cookit Yourself” — a curated recipe box created
UAE-based Al Islami Foods, one of the largest frozen food companies in
Extravagant, conceptual, great food and views are some of the ways that
UAE-based Al-Madina Group opened two new projects, Crown Mall and Mango Hypermarket,
Abu Dhabi’s state investment company ADQ is in talks to invest about $500 million
UAE-based REDTAG has launched its latest retail outlet on at Doha’s City Center
UAE-based Carrefour has opened a new store at the world’s busiest international
The once powerful department stores that anchored malls and streets around the
FILA has opened its new futuristic flagship store in Dubai Mall. The 158m²
Who isn’t a sucker for discounts? Customers today are spoiled for choice
The various e-commerce and virtual retail stores that cater to different product
UAE-based Times Square Center is getting ready to reveal its newly refurbished,
A private helicopter carrying the chairman and managing director of Lulu Group,
UAE-based Majid Al Futtaim has officially opened its newest lifestyle and retail


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Multevo marks their UK launch of a new multi-purpose suction sweeper vehicle with Halloween themed video adventure lighting up local landmark in aid of charity.
Multevo, the distributor of Multihog multi-purpose tractor vehicles in the UK, has produced a parody Halloween themed video to coincide with the launch of their new Multihog CV Sweeper –‘Count Vacula’.
The Lancashire based business decided to take a different and creative approach to their conventional product launches due to current circumstances around COVID as Josh Sweeney, Director of Marketing and Growth explains:
“2020 marks 10 years being in business for Multevo, so we had hoped to host a celebratory event to include the official UK launch our latest machine – the Multihog CV Sweeper.
The pandemic, of course, called this idea off so we decided to create a Halloween themed video, hence the name Count Vacula as a bit of fun to hopefully provide some light entertainment as it is not an industry norm.”
The video shows Count Vacula fill up at a petrol station before embarking on a mysterious adventure, sweeping up pumpkins and bobbing for apples before ascending off-road to Dracula’s home under a creepy full moon.
Impressive drone footage captures the journey over Darwen Moors culminating to a lit up Darwen Tower, a local landmark close to Multevo HQ. The company has kept close to their roots by also producing the video in aid of Blackburn with Darwen based charity Nightsafe too.
Nightsafe work with young people who are homeless or at risk of being homeless in order to provide them with accommodation and to support them with education or getting back into work as Jan Larkin the charity’s CEO describes:
“Nightsafe was set up in 1990 to help alleviate the plight of homeless young people across Blackburn with Darwen. Our aim is still very relevant today as we celebrate our 30th Anniversary and even more so in light of the current Covid restrictions.
The incredibly generous donation from Multevo has come as we re-open our Emergency Night Shelter and will help us ensure that homeless young people have somewhere to go, somewhere to stay and someone to talk to.”
The Multihog CV Sweeper is articulated, all-terrain and multi-purpose tractor unit like all models in the Multihog range, but stands out as a sweeper first and foremost with its incredibly strong suction performance.
Multevo are undertaking a COVID compliant road show to showcase their latest machine and have backlog of demonstrations booked up into 2021.
Find out more about Multevo and the Multihog range –
To donate to Nightsafe head to their Just Giving page – https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/night-safe
To find out how else you can help the charity and read about the great things they are already doing head to their website – https://nightsafe.org/


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After officially making it three years of monthly limited edition flavors in December, Black Market is now getting ready to kick off its fourth year. As always the underground brand is going to be launching its latest Guerrilla Edition on the last Monday of the month, which for January is of course two days from now. While Black Market hasn’t yet confirmed what its next limited edition flavor is going to be, it has dropped some interesting clues.
Last year Black Market did in fact launch quite a few previously released flavors, one of those being the flavor we saw just last month in Hard Apple Cider. Despite December being a repeat, this month the brand is going to be launching an entirely new Guerrilla Edition. The official title of the recipe has not yet been confirmed, however it will be Black Market’s 33rd unique flavor, with the brand’s last unique one being from two months ago in November with Blood Orange.
Black Market fans can tune in Monday to find out exactly what the flavor is, unless of course the brand unveils the Guerrilla Edition sometime between now and then.


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Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Ltd. said its coming mode called the Wraith will have a shallow-sloping “fastback” design. The ultra-luxury car maker also released its final teaser image of the car prior to its unveiling at next week’s Geneva Motor Show.
The image is a sketch which, Rolls-Royce said, “illustrates the three lines that underscore the car’s striking profile.”
The sleek shape reflects a trend in large luxury cars toward sportier rooflines that used to appear mainly on smaller sports cars.
Bentley Motors, the British ultra-luxury car unit of German auto giant Volkswagen AG, said it will unveil its redesigned Flying Spur, the company’s most powerful four-door model ever, at the Geneva Motor Show on March 5.
Bentley said the new car will establish “a new luxury performance sedan benchmark,” and the numbers make a good case. The company said the Spur’s 6-liter, 12-cylinder engine generates 616 horsepower and will drive the 5,451-pound sedan from zero to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds, and to a top speed of 200 mph.
Exotic sports-car maker Ferrari SpA said it will unveil its latest, fastest model, the F12 Berlinetta, this Sunday during the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in Pebble Beach, Calif.
While the car, a 12-cylinder two-seater, made its first appearance earlier this year at the Geneva Motor Show, this weekend’s event will mark its North American debut. The occasion reflects a shift in the upper-crust car business away from introducing new vehicles at traditional automotive trade shows like those in Detroit and Los Angeles.
Instead, car makers are rolling out their most expensive new models in smaller, more exclusive venues that attract people who can actually afford them.
Bentley Motors counts the Queen of England, the Sultan of Brunei and Paris Hilton among its clientele. Now, the iconic British limousine maker wants soccer moms, too—provided they can afford the world’s most expensive sport-utility vehicle.
Bentley is joining ultraluxury-car rivals Maserati and Lamborghini in offering a peek at plans to bring silk wool blends, handcrafted wood and leather to the high-riding super rich. Though no price has been set, Bentley says its SUV—complete with 12-cylinder engine and a picnic set with silver and Lalique crystal—could cost north of $180,000.
Having spent a few hours wandering around the 82nd Geneva Motor Show, ending March 18, I have many nutritious and entertaining things to say about the global car business, the titanic forces of the industry consolidation, dazzling leaps in powertrain efficiency, diversifying products and alliances, and so on.
But can we talk about how frightening the Bentley SUV concept is?
Oof. Wow. Woof. The EXP 9F—which wags dubbed the Bentley PCP on account of whoever approved it being on drugs—is a graceless, nay cynical, nay terrible attempt to translate Bentley’s sleek styling vocabulary onto a vehicle with Range Rover size and proportions. Somewhere in France there’s a bell tower missing its hunchback.
Rolls-Royce, the ultra-luxury unit of BMW AG, is showing a version of its Ghost sedan with two-tone paint at this week’s Geneva Motor Show.
The car maker said it is offering the paint style for the first time on the Ghost this year. It reflects the popularity of two-tone color schemes on the flagship Phantom models. It could also be part of a larger trend toward paint jobs that have retro appeal. Sports-car maker Ferrari made a similar move last summer, reviving two-tone styles it last used in the 1950s.
GENEVA – Jaguar Land Rover’s success with the compact Range Rover Evoque sport-utility vehicle is unquestioned. It received the 2012 North American Truck of the Year award and has been a big success for the British luxury utility company owned by Tata Motors Ltd.
Perhaps Land Rover is just testing the waters, but it has put out a concept convertible version of the Evoque at the Geneva Motor Show. There’s no promise the company will make the squat drop top – executives say they are testing the waters by showing the model to gauge consumer interest.
GENEVA – Volkswagen AG showed off a pretty sweet sports truck concept called the Amarok Canyon at the Geneva Motor Show, virtually promising a production version to be built in Hanover sometime this year.
In Europe, the medium-sized pickup virtually doesn’t exist – the full-sized pickup actually doesn’t exist. People use vans to haul stuff around and the size of the roads and cost of fuel make selling trucks a tough proposition.
This new pickup from V-dub is pretty cool, however, and might fill niche in Europe that is lightly contested. Volkswagen makes a smaller version in South America already.
Italian exotic-car maker Automobili Lamborghini removed the top and windshield from its Aventador flagship and will present the result at this week’s Geneva Motor Show. The car, called the Aventador J, has 700 horsepower and is made largely of carbon fiber. Lamborghini says the radical car is, “supremely powerful and supremely open.”
The Aventador J resembles open racers that competed in the Targa Florio when that Sicilian endurance race reached its peak in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Of course the cars dominating the competition then were from rival manufacturers Ferrari, Porsche and Alfa Romeo. Few Lamborghinis made it to the racing grid in those days.
Luxury car maker Bentley unveiled a sport-utility concept called the EXP 9 F at the Geneva Motor Show. The vehicle, which seems to borrow from the spirit of the Porsche Cayenne and early Range Rovers, is meant to redefine the touring segment.
Bentley says the EXP “feels equally at home at an opera gala performance, on the sand dunes and the overtaking lane of the autobahn.”
The company says the concept may foreshadow a third line of Bentley vehicles in addition to the current Continental series of coupe, sedan and convertible models, and the larger, ultra-luxury Mulsanne.
Driver’s Seat is a blog featuring news, views, and advice about cars, auto safety, driving, and transportation. Driver’s Seat is written by Jonathan Welsh with contributions from auto critic Dan Neil, columnist Joe White and Wall Street Journal staffers and others.


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Retail price of potato now fixed at Tk 35 per kg
Published : Tuesday, 20 October, 2020 at 5:30 PM Count : 344
After reviewing the price of potato, the government has fixed Tk 35 a kg of the essential vegetable's price at retail market.
The new rate will be effective from Wednesday.
The decision was taken at a meeting among Department of Agricultural Marketing (DAM) and the representatives of cold storage owners, wholesale traders and government agencies concerned on Tuesday.
DAM Director General Mohammad Yusuf informed this on Tuesday.
On the other hand, the wholesale price was fixed at Tk30 per kg and at cold storage gate at Tk27 per kg.
Earlier, the DAM had set the maximum retail price of the potato at Tk 30 a kg, Tk 25 at wholesale market and Tk 23 at the cold storage gate.


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SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Apple Inc’s new iPhone goes on sale on Friday with a bigger screen and 4G wireless technology, as the company seeks to safeguard its edge over rivals like Samsung Electronics Co Ltd and Google Inc.
The iPhone 5 fulfilled many of the expectations laid out by gadget geeks and technology analysts ahead of its Wednesday unveiling but offered few surprises to give Apple shares — already near record highs — another major kick.
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Apple Inc on Wednesday took the wraps off the iPhone 5, the thinnest-ever version of a smartphone that yields the majority of its profit and helped it become the world’s most valuable corporation.
CEO Tim Cook, who took over from the company’s late co-founder Steve Jobs last year, faces pressure to introduce a gadget that can help Apple remain at the forefront of the industry. The iPhone 5 sports a larger 4-inch “retina” display, ability to surf a high-speed 4G LTE network, and is 20 percent lighter than the previous iPhone 4S.
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept 12 (Reuters) – Apple Inc Chief
Executive Tim Cook kicked off Wednesday’s coming-out party for
the new iPhone, the latest version of a device that yields the
majority of his company’s profit and helped it become the
world’s most valuable corporation.
Cook, who took over from the company’s late co-founder Steve
Jobs last year, began as usual by describing the growth of its
online store and media content. But the star of the event will
be the so-called iPhone 5, to be unveiled later and expected to
sport a larger screen and ability to surf a high-speed 4G LTE
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept 11 (Reuters) – Intel Corp
showed off hybrid tablets and ultrabook laptops with voice and
gesture recognition technology along with an upcoming low-power
chip in a bid to convince Wall Street a slump in the personal
computer industry is only temporary.
At the annual Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco, the
company demonstrated sleek “ultrabook” laptops with improved
gesture- and voice-recognition features, similar to those
already found on some smartphones.
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Intel Corp showed off hybrid tablets and ultrabook laptops with voice and gesture interfaces along with an upcoming low-power chip in a bid to convince Wall Street that a slump in the personal computer industry is only temporary.
At the annual Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco, the company demonstrated sleek “ultrabook” laptops with improved gesture- and voice-recognition technology, similar to features already found on some smartphones.
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Top chipmaker Intel Corp is recruiting for a new software team focused on tablets, according to a new job ad, underscoring the top chipmaker’s efforts to expand beyond the lackluster PC industry.
The company plans to fill several senior positions this month on the team, which will have responsibility for technology architecture as well as marketing and dealing with suppliers and customers, according to the ad Intel posted Thursday on social networking site LinkedIn.
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept 7 (Reuters) – Intel Corp cut
its third-quarter revenue estimate more than expected on Friday
due to a decline in demand for its chips as customers reduce
inventories and businesses buy fewer personal computers.
Intel also said it was scaling back capital spending as a
result of the business slowdown. Intel’s stock fell 3.6 percent,
and shares of ASML and other companies that
make chip-manufacturing equipment also lost ground.
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Intel Corp will tout a new generation of processors next week that consume less power, hoping to reinvigorate a stagnant personal computer industry and soothe increasing concerns about its growth.
Wall Street is reassessing its outlook for the top chipmaker after Hewlett-Packard Co and Inc warned last month of weak demand for PCs.
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Amazon.com Inc’s decision to use a processor made by Texas Instruments Inc for its newest Kindle Fire tablets has surprised some investors and experts who thought Nvidia Inc’s Tegra 3 chip would be tapped for the high-profile device.
At an event in Santa Monica, California on Thursday, Amazon Chief Executive Jeff Bezos said TI’s OMAP 4470 chip is being used in the new, higher-end Kindle Fire.
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Shares of chipmakers Micron (MU.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and SanDisk (SNDK.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) surged on Thursday after a solid-state drive maker warned of component shortages, increasing expectations that production cutbacks are tightening the market for flash memory chips.
Shares of Boise, Idaho-based Micron jumped 7.59 percent to $6.66, and SanDisk surged 8.25 percent to $43.95.


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Daraz kicks off Ramadan Bazar Campaign
Daraz has announced its Ramadan Bazar Campaign on Wednesday with a range of offers to provide customers with ‘affordable’ shopping experience ahead of Ramadan.
The week-long campaign will run from March 15 to March 22, reports UNB.
Talat Rahim, Chief Marketing Officer of Daraz Bangladesh said: “We are excited to launch our Ramadan Bazar Campaign and provide our consumers with a unique shopping experience that is both rewarding and affordable. We are confident that our consumers will consider the offers made throughout the campaign to be unmatched, and they will use this opportunity to shop for their Ramadan essentials.”
As part of the campaign, the country’s leading online marketplace will offer 45% discount on 200,000 deals and up to Tk 600 vouchers.
In addition, customers can also enjoy free shipping, seller vouchers, and up to 65% off on Home and Living products, according to a press release.
Both local and global brands such as Bata, Lotto, Marico (Studio X), Nestle (Maggi), Realme, Dettol, Lifebuoy, Infinix, and Bajaj Electricals, Fabrilife, Godrej, Nescafe, Manfare, Marico, Motion View, Stone Rose, Swapon’s World, and Dove have partnered with Daraz for this campaign.
Meanwhile, bKash, Nagad, City Bank, Eastern Bank Limited, HSBC, Prime Bank Limited, Community Bank Bangladesh Limited, Southeast Bank Limited, LankaBangla Finance Limited, and United Commercial Bank are also part of this campaign as payment partners.


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A Chinese company has been teasing a new Linux-based operating system designed for tablets for the past few weeks, promising to release JingOS, “the world’s first iPadOS-style Linux distro” on January 31.
But it looks like the operating system may not only be for tablets – the company’s latest tease shows the operating system running on an 8 inch convertible mini-laptop that looks a lot like the Chuwi MiniBook.
There’s still a lot we don’t know about the operating system, but you can read some preliminary details in a FAQ (the OS is currently based on Ubuntu 20.04 and KDE 5.75 with the Plasma Mobile 5.20 user interface, but the custom Jing Desktop Environment is coming later this year and the roadmap calls for adding support for Android apps with the release of version 1.0 in June).
Here’s a roundup of recent tech news from around the web.
- JingOS Linux-based tablet OS running on a 2-in-1 mini laptop [JingOS/YouTube]
The touch-friendly user interface makes it easy to launch apps, view notifications, or run finger-friendly full-screen software in tablet or laptop modes. But the keyboard and optical touch sensor (in place of a touchpad) allows you to use LibreOffice or other productivity software that may not be optimized for touch. via @tuxphones
- Intel Iris Xe Discrete Card Will Only Work With Select CPUs and Motherboards [Legit Reviews]
Intel’s new discrete graphics cards for desktops only work with some Intel CPUs and motherboards. AMD users need not apply. But since the GPUs are only available to system builders anyway, it’s not like end users are likely to mismatch their GPU and CPU.
- Samsung Display to sell foldable displays to outside companies [ETNews]
Report: Samsung plans to sell foldable smartphone displays to Chinese phone makers in the second half of 2021, marking the first time its foldable display technology will be available in phones that aren’t made by Samsung itself.
- Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 21301 [Microsoft]
The latest Windows 10 Insider Preview dev channel build features touchscreen keyboard improvements, a new “open file location” option when you right-click on local files in jump lists, and support for toggling touchpad on/off without admin privileges.
- James Bond bosses set to face re-shoots after delays to save product placement deals [The Sun]
The latest James Bond film has to have reshoots because because pandemic-induced delays in releasing the film means the Nokia phones and other items featured as product placement are outdated and need to be updated.
- Carl Pei’s new company is called Nothing, which is about as much as we know about it [Android Police]
The new company from OnePlus founder Carl Pei is called Nothing, and the company is telling us nothing about the products it hopes to launch eventually.


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EVGA has teased its new "Active Cooling Xtreme" (ACX) graphics card cooler with a 38 second trailer that unfortunately only reveals that it will incorporate two cooling fans and that more information will be available on May 23rd 2013.
The trailer is available after below. Be sure to stay tuned for further updates as we learn more about EVGA’s new cooling system.
How is it any different to msi twin frozr, asus directcu or any other manufacturers aftermarket cooling?
I think EVGA is finally realizing that their typical reference coolers are in need of an upgrade. No matter what upgrades they put into their PCB's and components, that reference cooler always put them a step behind in terms of perception.
Will the blades on the fans move?
Can't believe I've read it and watched the god damn 38 sec video
Can't believe I'm wasting my time writing this...


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Mullen Automotive (NASDAQ: MULN), an emerging electric vehicle (“EV”) manufacturer, today announced preliminary financial results (subject to change) for its period ending March 31, 2022. Among the highlights, the company reported cash and cash equivalents amounting to $65.2 million, as well as total debt of $22.1 million continuing its downward trend. In May 2022, Mullen signed a proposal with Thurner Design for the vehicle development of the Mullen FIVE RS, a high-performance EV sport crossover vehicle featuring close to 1,100 HP, 0-60 mph in just 1.95 seconds, and 200 mph top speed. Further, Mullen FIVE reservations increased substantially and more than doubled the volume attained in the last quarter of 2021, which included the world debut of the Mullen FIVE at the Los Angeles International Auto Show in November 2021. Reservation progress continues to build, showing strong consumer interest.
“We have made significant progress during the second quarter and have demonstrated significant finance progress for moving forward,” said David Michery, CEO and chairman of Mullen Automotive. “Our balance sheet continues to improve, and our EV programs are all moving forward, including the start of the Mullen FIVE RS program.”
To view the full news release, visit https://ibn.fm/h0RSJ
About Mullen Automotive Inc.
Mullen is a Southern California-based automotive company that owns and partners with several synergistic businesses working toward the unified goal of creating clean and scalable energy solutions. Mullen has evolved over the past decade in sync with consumers and technology trends. Today, the company is working diligently to provide exciting EV options built entirely in the United States and made to fit perfectly into the American consumer’s life. Mullen strives to make EVs more accessible than ever by building an end-to-end ecosystem that takes care of all aspects of EV ownership. For more information about the company, visit www.MullenUSA.com.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to MULN are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/MULN
QualityStocksNewsBreaks provide a rapid summary of corporate news that catch the attention of QualityStocks. QualityStocksBreaks are designed to keep investors up to date on important and breaking news in the small-cap and micro-cap markets. Spanning all industries, including energy, entertainment, telecommunications, healthcare, retail and more, these news breaks deliver opportunities the investment community may have missed. Whether it is earnings results, mergers and acquisitions, or any other market-moving news, our news breaks keep you in the know. QualityStocks is committed to connecting subscribers with companies that have huge potential to succeed in the short and long-term future. It is part of our mission statement to help the investment community discover emerging companies that offer excellent growth potential.


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Air travellers are increasingly turning to mobile and this is hardly surprising given the widespread adoption of these devices. According to the latest annual survey conducted by TripAdvisor, 48% of air travellers in the United States have used a smartphone to research flights. This represents an increase of 12% over 2013 and shows how important it is for travel providers to offer a mobile friendly user experience. The poll findings also reveal that 69% of travellers have checked the status of their flight via mobile phone, up from 56% in 2013. In addition, 55% have checked in for a flight through their mobile device compared to 38% in 2013.
Furthermore, the study suggests that even though more and more travellers now carry smartphones, the majority of them are not paying for Wi-Fi. In fact, a staggering 90% have never or rarely paid to use Wi-Fi. And while practically everyone owns a mobile phone these days, most air travellers are not happy when the passenger seated next to them makes a phone call: a massive 81% say they are against the Federal Aviation Administration allowing in-flight phone calls.
Mobile devices feature high on the list of essential items carried by air travellers: 52% consider their tablets a must-have item for travel, placing these gadgets at number three on the necessities list. The first place was occupied by reading materials, which were cited by 77% of the sample, and second place went to medication which was mentioned by 53%.
Other findings of the poll show that booking and boarding technologies are improving. When participants were asked what improves their air travel experience, 38% cited the streamlined check-in process, 36% said the easy booking process, 32% highlighted the more streamlined boarding and 25% noted the improvement in in-flight entertainment options.
Aside from travel technology, TripAdvisor asked US air travellers about the state of air travel and 93% of those surveyed said they would take at least one domestic flight this year. Such intentions were revealed by 89% in 2013. International travel also saw a solid increase, with 63% revealing plans for overseas flights compared to 55% in 2013.
Comfort is still among the biggest issues, proving an even greater concern than additional fees and costly tickets: 73% complained about uncomfortable seats or limited legroom compared to 66% who were unhappy about excessive fees or high ticket prices. Among the top five issues, unpredictable flight delays took the third spot with 45%, while long security queues and loud or crying children completed the chart of major issues, mentioned by 35% and 32% respectively.
Finally, 42% of passengers said that they were willing to pay more for flight tickets in exchange for getting seated in a child-free area. Another 35% of travellers believe that their air trip would be more pleasant and comfortable if there was increased legroom, while 32% said that more comfortable seats would enhance their trip.


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Impending FCA review impacts Shop Direct share price
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which is poised to review the borrowing charges made to customers, has caused some investors to sell their shares in Shop Direct causing its value to fall by £55 million. There is a general nervousness about the high interest rates charged to consumers by businesses like Shop Direct which are heavily reliant on the use of credit to generate high average order values. Many expect that Shop Direct could be ordered to repay significant sums to its customers.
There are campaigns running on social media offering "no win no fee" services for the reclaim of over-charged or wrongly communicated rates of interest which could potentially attract millions of past mail order customers in addition to the those who currently buy on credit from direct retailers.
To read more coverage on Shop Direct, in general, simply use the search bar on the top right of this page. To view any articles, you will need to subscribe.


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Yesterday mortgage backed securities (MBS) dropped in price increasing consumer costs by .25 in discount. Lenders where quite conservative yesterday with the rates they offered to hedge against any unexpected events over the 3 day weekend.
All markets are closed today in celebration of Good Friday and Easter weekend; however, banks are open for business. We will get rate sheets from lenders but I suspect they will be very conservative with par 30 year fixed rate mortgages anywhere from 4.75% to 5% for the most qualified consumers.
Next week we do get some new economic data that can move the markets. On Tuesday and Wednesday, we get inflation data on the producer and consumer level. Since inflation is the biggest enemy to mortgage rates, investors will be paying these reports a lot of attention. We are also getting retail sales data, industrial production, housing starts, jobless claims and consumer sentiment among others. We have a busy week next week not just for economic reports but also corporate profit and losses. I will bring you all the action and a detailed week in review on Monday.
I hope everyone has a pleasant holiday weekend.


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RadioShack’s Super Bowl Commercial The 80’s called…. They want their store back was a big hit, and may have been extremely prescient. But despite the headlines, the new store design promoted in the commercial is not counter to closing excess and underperforming stores— in fact it supports it, says JLL’s Michael Hirschfeld.
Shuttering storefronts is not revolutionary anymore, it’s evolutionary! In one fell swoop Radio Shack is changing how consumers perceive them, and… Read More


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Perkins Engines has announced that Diesel Distribution, one of its three master distributors in Canada, has signed an agreement in principle to sell its assets to Toromont Industries of Concord, Ontario. Diesel Distribution is headquartered in Mississauga, a Toronto suburb, and includes a network of 76 dealers throughout Ontario that sell, service and distribute Perkins engines. Toromont says it will keep the Diesel Distribution name.
Perkins master distributor to sell assets
Aug 25, 2003