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Continuing the Panel Borders radio show’s month of shows about the crossover between games and comics, Alex Fitch talks to writer Pat Mills about the series of seven online comic strips he’s written to accompany the release of the new PlayStation game inFAMOUS 2 – InFamous 2: The Fame Strips.
In the comic strips, riffing on the idea of fame and infamy, Pat and editor Howard Marks are satirising modern celebrities and also giving them and their companions the kind of powers you might find in the game.
Alex and Pat talk about writing these strips, his previous experiences in writing interactive comics in the form of 2000AD spin off title The Dice Man and his thoughts on web comics and strips available for ebook readers.
• Panel Borders: Infamous Games and Comics airs at 5.00pm, Thursday 21st July 2011 on Resonance 104.4 FM (London) / streamed at www.resonancefm.com / podcast after broadcast at www.panelborders.wordpress.com
• Read the full collection of InFamous strips online here
Categories: Audio, British Comics, Comics, downthetubes News


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Marchionne Vows to See Fiat-Chrysler Deal Through, Despite Supreme Court Holdup
Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne is fully dedicated to merging his company with Chrysler even if the American automaker fails to restructure by the June 15 deadline, Reuters reports.
"We would never walk away," Marchionne said to Bloomberg. "Never."
The deal was recently frozen by a Supreme Court judge for an undetermined amount of time, but Fiat still maintains its option to pull out of the deal if Chrysler fails to gain federal approval of its restructuring plan by June 15.
Insiders claim the judge delayed a decision in order to take into account the requests by three Indiana-based pension funds that claim the whole merger is unlawful. According to the firms' officials, the deal rewards unsecured creditors over secured lenders, which amounts to an illegal restructuring outlook.
"The Indiana funds [contended] that the sale trampled on their rights as senior lenders because they would recover less than junior lenders. The funds also claim that the manner of the sale did not comply with bankruptcy law, and that the Treasury illegally used billions from the federal Troubled Assets Relief Program, meant for financial institutions, to prop up Chrysler," the Washington Post reports.
A U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge recently granted Chrysler the ability to sell its assets to a new company that is 68% controlled by a United Auto Workers' healthcare trust, 20% by Fiat, and 12% by the U.S. and Canadian governments.
New Ford Ranger Tremor Could Make Chevy's Trail Boss Quiver
Maxed Out! 2024 Chevy Silverado Gets Diesel ZR2 + TurboMax 4-Cylinder
Hurricane Kills Million-Mile SUV, Toyota Replaces It For Free
First Look: Lamborghini Revuelto Is the Hybrid Hypercar to Replace Aventador
Latest Ford F-150 Lightning Price Hike Hands Chevy Silverado EV a $20K Advantage

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DUBAI — A group of prominent Muslim scholars has called for an end to the boycott of the Danish retailer Arla Foods, in what may prove to be a major step toward resolving the crisis between Muslim nations and Denmark over the publication last autumn of cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad.
The International Committee for the Support of the Final Prophet, in a statement issued at the end of a meeting of prominent religious leaders in Bahrain last week, advised that “Arla Foods should be withdrawn from the boycott on Denmark,” in recognition of the company’s efforts to reach out to the Muslim world.
Arla, the second-largest dairy products company in Europe and the largest Danish packaged foods supplier in the Middle East, saw its sales drop to nearly zero in the region when the boycott began in February. Although the statement names only Arla, the move is widely expected to break the embargo on other Danish suppliers in the region.
The scholars’ statement said that their recommendation “is based on the announcements that Arla Foods had placed throughout the Middle East condemning the actions of the Danish newspaper, as well as refusing to accept any excuse in this regard.”
“Arla has been facing tremendous pressure and criticism for its position,” it added.
Jyllands-Posten, Page 3 of culture section, Sept., 2005.
The cartoons can be viewed here.
Arla last week placed full-page ads in major Arab newspapers condemning the cartoons for insulting Islam, a move that sparked as much approbation in Denmark as it did applause in the Middle East.
“We made the decision” to place the ads “because we really believe that you shouldn’t insult people’s religions,” said Jan Petersen, regional director for Arla Foods Middle East. “As a company we have been caught in the middle of something that nobody could have ever expected.”
The controversy over the publication last September of the cartoons in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten boiled over in early February as a region-wide boycott of Danish products. The boycott quickly spread across the Middle East, one of the fastest growing markets for Danish packaged goods companies, and escalated into all-out violence in Syria, Lebanon and other Muslim countries.
Danish diplomats said the latest resolution was the product of intense political, diplomatic and social exchanges and weeks of dialogue between Danish representatives and businessmen and Muslim leaders and communities.
Denmark plans to increase its budget for a program set up in 2003 to improve relations with Middle East countries, currently at about 100 million Danish crowns, or $16.4 million, a year, by about 20 percent, Reuters reported Monday, citing Danish government officials.
“We are extremely pleased,” Thomas May, the Danish consul general in Dubai, said of the call to end the boycott. “Taking product companies as hostages has never been a solution. I am glad to see that things are getting back to normal.”
The conflict over the 12 cartoons – one of which showed the prophet wearing a turban shaped like a bomb with a lit fuse – simmered for months before it erupted into violent protests, flag- burning and attacks on Danish and other Western embassies in several Muslim countries. Dozens of people were killed in the protests. Denmark temporarily closed its embassies in Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Indonesia and Pakistan.
Many muslim scholars were divided about ending the boycott.
“Any human being or a country that lifts the ban and stops boycotting Danish companies or the arrogant Danish government is not worthy of being a Muslim,” said Abd Al Moaty Bayoumy, former dean of the faculty of theology at Al-Azhar University in Cairo. The boycott must continue, he said, “until the government, not the companies apologize.”
But Abdel Ghaffar Helal, a professor of Islamic jurisprudence and Koranic studies at Al-Azhar, applauded the step for emphasizing dialogue over anger.
“We urge Muslims not to boycott but to engage. All Westerners see of Muslims is the negative news in the media. They should see another side,” he said.
Many retailers said they intended to keep Danish goods off their shelves. By Tuesday, Petersen said, Arla’s products could be found in only 1,500 stores in the region, far from the 50,000 stores that carried its products before.
“The boycott is not in our hands or in the hands of the government. It’s in the hands of the people and ultimately the consumer must decide,” said a product manager at the Sharjah Cooperative Society, a retailer in the emirate of Sharjah, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
At least some customers have already decided. At a local Geant outlet in Dubai on Tuesday, Mansoureh Abidi, a housewife from Iran, said she was very happy to find Three Cows cheese on shelves again. “I bought it before and I like it very much. Last week, when I saw it on the shelf, I thought, ‘This is my lucky day.’ I bought 10 packages,” she said.
Nada el Sawy in Dubai and Abeer Allam in Cairo contributed reporting for this article.


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Ring, whose mission is to make neighbourhoods safer, announced that it has been recognised by the Superbrands organisation, an independent authority and arbiter of branding excellence. Brands awarded Superbrand status are rated by the independent Superbrands Council, following a rigorous selection process that includes thousands of brands available in the country.
“We’re proud to gain Superbrand recognition as we continue to deliver on our commitment to keeping our customers safe, providing peace of mind whether they are at home or away. We will continue to focus on our mission to make neighbourhoods safer, as we innovate to make daily life more convenient and secure for our customers”, said Mohammad Meraj Hoda, Vice President, Emerging Markets, Ring.
Over the past few years, Ring has evolved to offer a full line of affordable, whole-home security products, allowing customers to create a ‘Ring of Security’ around their homes, ready to meet the unique requirements of different home types and lifestyles. Ring’s product line-up includes their flagship Video Doorbells, where customers can see, hear and speak to whoever is at their door from wherever they are, as well as Wi-Fi-enabled indoor and outdoor security cameras. Ring recently introduced its latest addition –Ring Alarm–to the UAE. Ring Alarm is a DIY security system that provides an extra layer of protection, sending customers alerts should there be motion detected or a contact sensor is triggered. All Ring devices can be connected, controlled and monitored together from one location – the Ring app.
“Consumer demands are constantly changing, and technology evolves day by day to meet these new requirements. Ring is committed to keeping homes and communities safe and connected, with easy-to-use, affordable home security solutions that help customers protect what matters most. As a ‘Superbrand,’ we will continue to innovate on behalf of our customers, to make life more convenient, accessible and safe”, concluded Hoda.


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Slotmill agrees to supply Videoslots with current and upcoming slot titles
The portfolio of Slotmill's games is coming to Videoslots after the groups agreed on a new license deal.
Relax Gaming will be the facilitator of the deal between Relax and Videoslots. Relax will supply VideosLots with current and upcoming slot titles from Slotmill.
Slotmill agrees to supply Videoslots with current and upcoming slot titles. Videoslot customers can access several Slotmill hits such as Neon Dreams, Outlaws, Vegas Gold, Lucky Lucifer and newest slot title Three Samurai.
Slotmill has entered into a string of deals aimed to expand its operational reach. It has secured a Critical Gaming Supply License from Malta Gaming Authority last month.
Johan Ohman, founder of Slotmill, is excited about his company's new venture with Videoslots. William Ahlberg, head of commercials at VideosLots, welcomes SlotMill to his firm's list of partner supplies.


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Plus new hard mode, cloud saves
Piper, who runs a newspaper in Fallout 4, has been added as a legendary character, but she is exclusive to Apple device’s App Store (along with five free lunchboxes). The free-to-play game made its way to Android two months ago, about two months after it launched for iOS after being announced at Bethesda’s E3 event.
The new survival mode makes the game harder and lets you skip the tutorial upon starting a new game, while cloud saves let you take your game across all of your devices. You can also earn bottlecaps for identifying “a mysterious individual” who has been spotted in Vaults and scavenge dead Raider invaders.


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Google EMD Update : What is the real impact ?
Date:2012-10-19 09:19Origin:admin Author: admin Click:
Matt Cutts,the head of webspam at Google and an esteemed engineer ,announced a few days a new algorithm update ,created to impact exact match domain sites,that offer low quality content and duplicate content .EMD (Exact Match Domains) is the
Matt Cutts,the head of webspam at Google and an esteemed engineer ,announced a few days a new algorithm update ,created to impact exact match domain sites,that offer low quality content and duplicate content .
EMD (Exact Match Domains) is the newest algorithm Google implemented in order to make sure that low -quality websites won't rise high in their search results.Many people or businesses had websites that use keywords in the domain's to help their websites rank high in Google's search results and not only.For example,if you want to sell shoes for ladies,you will acquire shoesforladies.com or other extension in order to rank ghigh for the keyword phrase "Shoes For Ladies " .
Matt Cutts,the head of webspam at Google,was the one who announced the new alghoritm on Twitter on September 28 :
"Minor weather report: small upcoming Google algo change will reduce low-quality “exact-match” domains in search results.”
Matt Cutts also added that the new alghoritm will affect 0.6% of English-US queries to a noticeable degree.Moreover he added that Google EMD Update is unrelated to their other recent algorithms - Panda (the algorithm that fights against low quality content) and Penguin (the algorithm that fights against web spam) .
This should come as no surprise,as Matt Cutts made the following comment about exact match domains in 2011 :
"We have looked at the rankings and weights that we give to keyword domains and some people have complained that we’re giving a little too much weight for keywords in domains. And so we have been thinking about adjusting that mix a little bit and sort of turning the knob down within the algorithm so that given two different domains, it wouldn’t necessarily help you as much to have a domain with a bunch of keywords in it."
Even though Google assured everybody that those websites that have EMDs and have quality content will still rank high in Google's search results,we all know that whenever a new algorithm is pushed out,there is also reason for concern.Many webmasters have already seen changes in their EMD website traffic and feel that their websites have been unfairly target.However,if you have experienced a drop in traffic ,you should wait for a couple of weeks for the final results,because these new alghoritms do have a tendency to fluctuate.
Google announced many new algorithms lately and even the best SEO experts are still struggling to find out what exactly changed and what a website should have to rank well in Google's search results.
Another important thing is that Google's EMD Update will be a periodic update.It won't be looking constantly for bad EMD domain names .
What to do when you have experienced a drop in traffic and your website was targeted by Google's EMD update ?
You have to remove all the poor quality content .After you have removed all the poor quality content,you will have to wait untill the EMD filter runs again.
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Chicago's own 6 year old fashion correspondents and models will be taking the red carpet to cover the urban and streetwear fashion show powered by Fashion Bar Chicago.
The Urban & Streetwear fashion show will take place on Saturday April 29th at 5:00pm. The show aims to spotlight intersecting trends between urban culture and versatile fashion. Guest can expect to encounter the future of fashion as powerful clothing hits the runway at this show.
Come out and experience Chicago Fashion Week powered by FashionBar LLC as you meet and greet designers, models, influencers, journalists, and media while experiencing The Shows at Water Tower Place on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile!
To purchase tickets to the urban and street wear show and or to learn more about Chicago Fashion week Chicago visit https://www.rebelity.com/Events/v2/3971/chicago-fashion-week-powered-by-fashionbar-llc-the-shows


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Last month, SAP was named the highest-ranked software company in the 2009 Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes for the third time. This is good news for SAP, but hardly surprising, given SAP’s focus on sustainability and endorsing a “green” life.
This past May, SAP outlined its sustainability strategy at Sapphire in Orlando. The vendor explained how its approach to ‘going green’ focuses more on the business benefits rather than the environmental benefits alone.
If it’s the business benefits SAP is interested in, things should roll out nicely, at least according to a new report by IDC Manufacturing Insights titled Seeing the Business Benefits of Sustainability: Revenue, Profit and Inventory Management.
I’ve covered SAP as a reporter and editor for over four years, and the CRM market in particular for six
So I took more than a little interest in recent reports that SAP is giving away CRM licenses. Of course, as several have noted, there’s FreeCRM and there’s free CRM and this is neither. Don’t forget to read the fine print, Thomas Walgium wrote. Free software isn’t really free, Ray Wang chimed in.
First and foremost, customers are still paying maintenance on the licenses, a not inconsiderable cost. Continued »
Over at SearchSAP.com, we just published a series of articles dealing with the role that hardware plays in the SAP application infrastructure. These articles covered trends in hardware design and how more powerful hardware will affect software development and software performance; server virtualization to increase application performance through hardware strategies; how hardware can be mission-critical; and the role of hardware personnel in the SAP team.
One trend the series did not cover was the change in hardware buying patterns. More specifically, it didn’t Continued »
Well, the Business ByDesign news is in from a recent SAP event in London with members of SAP’s SME team and the most interesting thing about it is the lack of any new details – or a ship date – for the service analysts once touted as “most comprehensive SaaS ERP offering on the market.”
This is the same thing we’ve been hearing since SAP first announced its ambitious plans to develop and Continued »
A few months ago, I wrote about how some of the big vendors — SAP and IBM most notably — were selling software packages to help governments deal with the new American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) reporting requirements.
I checked in with state of Pennsylvania Secretary of Administration Naomi Wyatt, who was planning to use some of the SAP BusinessObjects dashboards in the SAP package, to see how the tracking process was going there.
She said in an email interview that the process was going well. They built a database using SAP BusinessObjects and other SAP tools that will centrally collect all of the federal reporting requirements into a single report that will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget.
“That we already have much of the required information in our central SAP system has given us a huge head start,” she wrote. “In addition, the Business Objects tool, which pulls information outside of SAP into a report with our SAP data, made building a comprehensive reporting solution straightforward and doable in the extremely tight timeframe we are facing.”
But in other state and local agencies, the process isn’t as advanced. And despite billions headed for states, cities and towns, the stimulus package so far doesn’t appear to be the boon to the software industry that many vendors counted on.
“We haven’t seen anybody buying any software,” said Ron Wince, CEO of Guidon Performance Solutions, a consulting firm that helps public sector agencies, among others, implement lean principles.
The ARRA sent $787 billion to U.S. state governments with the promise to its citizens that such spending would be transparent. To that end, the federal government has set up a website — Recovery.gov — that is supposed to provide up-to-date data on the expenditure of the funds.
Analysts have said software vendors were hoping some of this money would trickle down to software purchases – especially those aimed at helping ARRA compliance.
But in most cases, governments are using workarounds with what they already have, and relying on Excel for reporting, Wince said.
What’s worse, the amount of information they need to collect, and a lingering ambiguity about how exactly to do so, is leading to the development of a lot of bad processes, Wince said.
What’s a government to do?
Some are getting ahead of the problem. Guidon’s been getting a lot of requests from state agencies to assess where they are and put a roadmap in place for a better IT management system, Wince said. What they’re doing with many of their clients are three to four small, one week quick-hit projects on hot spots, and completing process redesign in four to five days.
Wyatt recommends nailing down all the data required as a first step, and determine what’s already in existing systems. Then fill in gaps using other tools.
If you work in government, how are you dealing with ARRA compliance? Have you had any challenges and how are you dealing with them?
Oracle’s demand for Rimini Street to give it information in its lawsuit against SAP wasn’t the only development in the SAP vs. Oracle saga last week.
Oracle also filed more allegations in the case – filing a fourth amended complaint that attempts to make Siebel and Oracle’s database technology part of the lawsuit.
Oracle now alleges that SAP extended TomorrowNow’s illegal business model to Siebel just days after Oracle completed the acquisition. It also says that TomorrowNow’s environments ran on copies of Oracle database software that weren’t licensed for commercial or production use, according to court documents. SAP refused to purchase Oracle database licenses for TomorrowNow’s use, “even though as an authorized Oracle database reseller, they knew full well the permissible uses of database copies,” the document states.
Oracle certainly hasn’t been shy about piling on the charges in this lawsuit – amending its original complaint four times over the past two years. One now has to wonder what this means for Rimini Street, and whether it will now be dragged into this lawsuit.
This week, Oracle took a step closer to offering the McDonald’s value meal of the tech world – the U.S. Justice Department giving the green light to a deal with Sun that will have Oracle selling “hamburger, fries and a soda” software/hardware packages to companies.
There’s still the matter of the European Union’s OK – which is being held up by concerns over Java, middleware and databases, according to the Wall Street Journal. But the WSJ also reports that the Justice Department’s OK is an encouraging sign that the EU’s approval isn’t far behind.
Meanwhile, SAP CEO Leo Apotheker has been making it very clear over the past few weeks, in interviews with the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times, that SAP has no intention of following the Sun.
One of the more interesting questions during last week’s “Does IT Matter” forum in Boston came from AMR Research’s Bruce Richardson, who asked the panelists if they had a half an hour with SAP’s North American president Rob Enslin, what product or service would they ask for to make life easier?
Day & Zimmermann’s Anthony Bosco Jr. said he wanted more robust workforce planning capabilities. Raytheon’s Lesley Dickie said she needed a quicker turnaround on product development for her industry.
“I believe we still end up customizing and filling the gaps on our own,” she said.
Thomas Doyle of GT Solar, which manufactures materials used to make solar cells and panels, said he’d like more SaaS applications. It’s a way for his business to achieve a smaller application footprint, he said. He could envision launching applications such as human resources in this manner.
Doyle’s response was perhaps a signal that SAP’s approach to on-demand applications for the big guys may need to trickle down to the smaller ones too. GT Solar is an SAP Business All-in-One customer, SAP’s on-premise ERP for the midmarket.
A few months ago, SAP said it would develop on-demand applications for large enterprises that would integrate with and extend functionality in the on-premise SAP Business Suite.
And in the past few weeks, it’s been pushing SAP Business ByDesign – its SaaS ERP for the midmarket — highlighting an upgrade and some Web services integration that the 80 or so pilot customers are trying out.
But what’s SAP’s strategy for selling applications like HR, or line-of-business apps, to small and midsized companies? It seems to be companies like GT Solar will fall in the middle, leaving even more targets for companies like Salesforce.com, Workday and SuccessFactors.
What do you think? And what product or service from SAP would make your life easier?
SAP said this morning it’s aware of a slow-install issue with SAP BusinessObjects Service Pack 2 for Windows, but decided to release it anyhow to make its benefits available.
The problem will be fixed in Service Pack 3, according to SAP. SAP didn’t specify when the third service pack will be available.
PC World reported this morning that SAP BusinessObjects users are having a tough time deploying the new service pack, according to an independent BusinessObjects message board.
Users complained that it was taking too long – upwards of 18 hours — to install, one saying they had to stop the process because the downtime was too long.
SAP, when asked for comment, said that the install for Windows is very time-sensitive, but not for Linux or Unix.
“We were aware of this issue…but decided to go ahead and release it to make the benefits of the latest Service Pack immediately available to Windows platform customers as well,” Franz Aman, vice president of platform product marketing for SAP BusinessObjects said in a written statement. “The issue is documented in the release notes.”
Technically the slow install is caused by a Windows install routine that does dependency checking, he said. To avoid this in the future, SAP has an alternative approach that it will deploy in the next service pack release, Service Pack 3. Customers have the option of installing Service Pack 2 now if they have a compelling reason to do so, or they can move to Service Pack 3 when that becomes available.
One of the posts on the message board said that the new pack came with some nice goodies, but the install time was too long.
“Nice new features, another good step forward for WebI especially,” the poster wrote. “However, shame about the release build. It would be very difficult for my clients to negotiate sufficient downtime with the business to justify the install. Let alone change management testing for a back-out strategy.”
I’m curious whether there are other SAP BusinessObjects components that have proven particularly troublesome to install. Is installation more difficult on a Windows platform than Unix or Linux? How have you been overcoming issues? Please share.
SAP held a roundtable in Boston yesterday afternoon, which featured a good sampling of industries and a who’s who of some of SAP’s biggest, and soon to be biggest, customers – Raytheon, Day & Zimmermann, Boston University, and GT Solar.
With the exception of Boston University, which is about to embark on a massive SAP rollout, all of the panelists indicated that their IT budgets would remain flat over the year and for some, through 2010.
We’ve heard over and over again that to meet economic challenges, customers are choosing quick projects with near immediate ROI. And that’s the case at the majority of companies. But it was interesting to hear a different perspective yesterday from companies that aren’t focusing on immediate gratification at all.


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LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The global drone flight management system market is expected to post a CAGR of close to 30% during the period 2019-2023, according to the latest market research report by Technavio.
A key factor driving the growth of the global drone flight management system market size is the increase in the adoption of drones by different industries. The growing innovations in the development of drones have led to diversified applications in various industries including construction, mapping, logistics, and surveying sectors. Several logistics companies are testing deliveries by drones and are planning to fully adopt drone delivery services in the future. Furthermore, surveillance drones and UCAVs are gaining traction in defense applications owing to increased capabilities of integrated thermal imaging cameras in drones. Thus, the increase in adoption of drones by different industries is likely to stimulate the adoption of drone flight management systems.
As per Technavio, the increase in R&D leading to the development of autonomous drones will have a positive impact on the market and contribute to its growth significantly over the forecast period. This global drone flight management system market 2019-2023 research report also analyzes other important trends and market drivers that will affect market growth over 2019-2023.
Global Drone Flight Management System Market: Increase in R&D Leading to the Development of Autonomous Drones
Drone manufacturing companies are increasingly focusing on developing autonomous drones to expand their area of applications. The constant efforts of companies have led to the development of advanced solutions, sensors, and technologies, which is swiftly changing the size, shape, and application of drones. The development of sensors such as fusion sensors and high-frequency radar sensors has improved the sensitivity of drones. Thus, continuous R&D in the field of drones is leading to the development of completely autonomous drones, which will fuel the growth of the drone flight management systems during the forecast period.
“Apart from the increase in R&D leading to the development of autonomous drones, other factors such as the increase in M&A activities, and the development of lithium-metal batteries will have a significant impact on the drone flight management system market growth during the forecast period,” says a senior analyst at Technavio.
Global Drone Flight Management System Market: Segmentation Analysis
This market research report segments the global drone flight management system market by component (ground controller, data link, and onboard controller), and geographic regions (APAC, North America, Europe, MEA, and South America).
The APAC region led the drone flight management system market in 2018, followed by North America, Europe, MEA, and South America respectively. The growth of the drone flight management system market in APAC can be attributed to factors such as technological advances in electronic components, the availability of drones at a lower cost, and the growing demand for drones in the construction, event organization, mining, surveying, and industrial sectors.
Looking for more information on this market? Request a free sample report
Technavio’s sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report such as the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more.
Some of the key topics covered in the report include:
- Market ecosystem
- Market characteristics
- Market segmentation analysis
- Market definition
- Market size and forecast
Five Forces Analysis
- Regional comparison
- Key leading countries
- Vendors covered
- Vendor classification
- Market positioning of vendors
- Competitive scenario
Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions.
With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio’s report library consists of more than 10,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio’s comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.
If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at email@example.com.


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Chicago — Ferrara Candy Co., Inc., owner of the candy corn sector’s number one brand, Brach’s is kicking off the Halloween season by teaming up with Michelle Williams, with a new song.
The anthem, entitled “Candy Corn Love,” pays homage to the Halloween staple through lyrics that nod to Michelle’s love for Brach’s candy corn.
“Anyone who knows me, knows I’m a Brach’s candy corn stan through and through. Halloween is my favorite time of the year and when I see their candy corn back on shelves, I know it is finally time to celebrate,” says Williams. “I hope my new song inspires everyone who can’t get enough of the delicious candy to make it known that they too are on #TeamCandyCorn! Let’s settle this debate.”
From now until Oct. 6, consumers who share why they’re #TeamCandyCorn on socials will win Halloween inspired prize packs such as a year’s supply of candy corn, one-of-a-kind swag for the season and more.
Today, Brach’s makes approximately 86 percent of candy corn sold in the U.S each year, enough product to circle the Earth over five times end-to-end, according to the company
“Michelle has been one of our most passionate and outspoken fans for years, making her the perfect partner to help us bring candy corn lovers together with a powerful anthem to start this Halloween season off right,” says Chad Womack, director of Brach’s seasonal marketing at Ferrara Candy Co. “We’ve been helping friends and families make new memories together over this original tri-colored treat for decades, and we can’t wait to see how #TeamCandyCorn celebrates.”


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Tsunan Sake Brewery Will Join One of the Biggest Terroir Sake Event on October 8th
Tsunan, Niigata (October 6th, 2022) — Tsunan sake brewery, the maker of terroir sake in Japan, today announced the return of its beloved “Niigata Sake no Jin NEXT” Japanese alcoholic festival on October 8th .
Brewed with Niigata Gohyakumangoku rice and Niigata koji(yeast), our Tsunan series of this terroir sake pays tribute to “Niigata Sake no Jin NEXT’s Niigata roots. Embodying the Tsunan community through its rare animal appearance, slight sweetness, subtle dryness, and rich flavor of rice, these terroir sake are about 15% ABV and Fit For Fall Times.
“Tsunan” series are available in 4 different flavors.
Niigata Sake Brewers Association are collaborating 74 breweries from Niigata prefecture, and for visitors, they will prepare more than 300 kinds of Niigata sake. Each featured brewery will be pouring one unique sake of their choosing, which will surely result in a sake list unlike anything before seen at a Japanese sake festival. Beyond sake, the event will feature a handful of plum liquor breweries, toji(master sake makers), and chefs for what’s sure to be a stunning Saturday in Niigata.
The Terroir Sake Festival will take place on the afternoon of October 8th in Bandaijima, Niigata. Tickets will be limited and go on Niigata Sake Brewers Association’s website. Full brewery list and further details to come.
“Our team looks forward to bringing this offering back each fall, and we love seeing that more international drinkers enjoy these Niigata sake flavors.” said Atsushi Kabasawa, CEO of Tsunan sake brewery.
Sake no Jin NEXTー one of the biggest terroir sake festival in Japan
The first “Niigata Sake no Jin” was held in 50 to commemorate the 2004th anniversary of the Niigata Sake Brewers Association.The model was the Oktoberfest, a traditional beer festival that has been held since 1 in Munich, Germany.The concept is to cherish the land and enjoy local food and sake with people from outside the prefecture and abroad.
More details be found at
You can oder directly from this online store, as well as internationally.
About Tsunan Sake Brewery
Founded in 1996, Tsunan sake brewery is the maker of sustainable sake.
Our ambition is “Brew for future”, achieving a new lifestyle, living with Sakagura.
For more information, including the products, visit our website.


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MIDLAND - A Midland Walmart will be closing their doors for at least six months starting on Monday night.
Walmart representatives tell NewsWest 9, it's because of plumbing issues.
Employees at the Walmart store on Midland Drive weren't told until 2 p.m. Monday afternoon that they won't be going back to work on Tuesday.
Also, not all 400 employees will keep their jobs.
"Deciding to close the store is not a decision we make lightly but after careful consideration, we thought it was necessary to make these repairs so we can better serve our customers and the community in the long run."
Company representatives confirm that some workers will be reassigned to the Walmart on Rankin Highway or one of their locations in Odessa.
They couldn't tell NewsWest 9 how many of the 400 Midland Drive employees would be transferred.
The employees who don't get transferred will get 60 days of pay and severance if it applies. After that, they can reapply to Walmart or find another job.
Walmart Representative, Bill Wertz, says they aim to take care of all plumbing issues and re-open their Midland Drive location by October.


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The Market: Stock market sell-off continues as companies count cost of coronavirus crisis – business live
Olivier Blanchard, a former chief economist at the International Monetary Fund, fears that governments will struggle to cushion this blow:
A woman from Bergamo, who was on holiday with her friends in Sicily, has tested positive for Covid-19. The patient, who is not in serious conditions, has been transferred to the Hospital Cervello in Palermo, our Coronavirus liveblog reports....
Three more people have died from the virus in Iran (taking the total to 15), and there are almost 1,000 cases in South Korea.
This bad news is weighing on the markets, with cruise operator Carnival and holiday operator TUI both down 2%, among the big fallers in London. The UK, Italian and Spanish markets are all in the red again.
Josh Mahony, senior market analyst at IG, explains:
What was largely a Chinese issue to resolve has soon become an international problem, with European eyes transfixed on Italian efforts to curb the spread of the virus. With European borders open and the Italian ‘patient zero’ still unknown, things could easily turn from bad to worse in the efforts to keep the coronavirus at bay.
With tourism to and from China plummeting, there is little reason to expect any different in Europe if this virus spreads throughout the continent. The declines seen for largely European-focused airlines such as easyJet and Ryanair highlight the increasing fear that we will see travel locked down closer to home, with obvious knock-on implications for consumer activity should that occur
Britain’s FTSE 100 has dropped back to yesterday’s two-month closing low of 7163 points, and the Stoxx 600 index is slightly negative.
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Morgan makes heat-resistant products such as thermal ceramics, crucibles and high-tech seals for use in extreme temperatures and corrosive environments.
It has has been forced to suspend work at a Chinese factory since the coronavirus outbreak began. It also expects to keep a plant in northern Italy closed for the next two weeks.
This will dent Morgan’s output - and thus revenues and profits -- as Reuters explains:
Industrial materials maker Morgan Advanced Materials has closed its manufacturing facilities in China because of the coronavirus outbreak and expects a hit to 2020 revenue and headline operating profit as a result, the company said on Tuesday.
Morgan made operating profits of £134m last year, so this is a small but noticeable hit.The British company, which generates around 10% of its revenue from China, said the outbreak will take around £3.5m ($4.5m) off its headline operating profit and about £7m pounds off its revenue in 2020.
Engineering firm Ricardo's coronavirus profits warning
Ricardo, which focuses on the transport, energy and scarce resources sectors, has told investors that full-year earnings will suffer a ‘material’ hit because of the Coronavirus’ disruptive impact on its China auto and rail operations.
Ricardo, which has nine offices and technical centres in China, says business development, project delivery and client engagement have all suffered from the crisis.
As we start the second half of the year, we have seen increased headwinds in the automotive sector which we anticipate will lead to suppressed order intake in our US, EMEA and China Automotive businesses.
The Coronavirus outbreak...has already had an operationally disruptive impact on our Automotive and Rail operations in China and we anticipate continuing disruption to client engagement, project delivery and business development in the coming months in mainland China and surrounding countries. Based on the issues highlighted above we are anticipating material impact to our forecast second half profits and thus full year
The EU-wide Stoxx 600 index is up 0.5% this morning, having tumbled 3% yesterday. Germany’s DAX and France’s CAC are up around 0.6%.
However the Italian FTSE MIB is continuing to fall, down another 0.5%, after it reported 7 coronavirus deaths and over 200 infections.
Chemicals firm Croda: Covid-19 could disrupt operations
FTSE 100-listed Croda has five offices in China, in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing, Hong Kong and Taipei, so has suffered some disruption from the restrictions enforced by Beijing.
It told shareholders this morning:At this time, to the best of our knowledge, no Croda employees have been infected by the virus. Our sales offices have reopened, as have our two production units, albeit with more limited operations than usual. China represents 6% of Croda’s Core Business sales, 2% of Group production and a limited component of our raw material supply chain.
Shares in Croda are down 1.5%, after it also cautioned that demand in industrial markets is expected to remain weak but stable.However, there is potential for some disruption to customer and consumer demand. We will continue to monitor the impact.
Meggitt: Coronavirus will hurt profit growth
Meggitt, which makes components for the aerospace, defence and energy markets, told shareholders that its key markets will suffer from the spread of Covid-19.
It told the City that organic revenue growth will slow this year, explaining:
Sector specific factors including the production halt of the 737 MAX and supply chain disruption, as well as the wider macroeconomic impact of COVID-19 are expected to hold back margin progression in the short-term.Meggitt added that air travel grow is likely to be curtailed by the virus (as industry body IATA warned last week), and that global supply chains will probably suffer from a production backlog due to Chinese factories being closed.
This has pushed the company’s shares to the bottom of the FTSE 100 leaderboard, down 27p at 567p.
European markets struggle back after Dow's plunge
Investors around the globe are reeling from the worst day in two years, as anxiety over the coronavirus crisis hit fever pitch.
Stocks tumbled across the globe on Monday, with America’s Dow Jones shedding more than 1,000 points by the close. That’s its third biggest points decline ever, as technology companies, energy providers and mining firms bore the brunt.
The corporate cost of the crisis is mounting too. Overnight, Mastercard cut its financial outlook due to the outbreak and United Airlines withdrew its full-year 2020 guidance.
Japan’s stock markets has suffered heavy losses overnight, as traders catch up with events after a holiday on Monday. The Nikkei index has fallen by 3.34%, or 781 points, to 22,605 in a spate of nervy selling.
Australia’s S&P/ASX index has fallen again today, losing another 1.6%.
European stocks also shed over 3% yesterday, with the Italian FTSE MIB sliding by over 5% after a spate of coronavirus deaths in Italy.
Fears of a pandemic, with massive implications on global supply chains and world economic growth, are rife.
But after very heavy losses across the board yesterday, we may see a small recovery in European stock markets today. Britain’s FTSE 100 has just opened 30 points higher, at 7,186.
That’s only a teensy recovery, mind, as it plunged by 247 points during Monday’s rout.
Investors are glued to the latest reports of infection levels, with the global death toll now over 2,600.
So there’s little chance of the markets calming down soon, argues Michael Hewson of CMC Markets.
There is no question financial markets are coming round to the realisation that this particular crisis is likely to have a slightly longer shelf life than many thought was the case a couple of weeks ago, however flu outbreaks are hardly anything new. They happen every year and according to the World Health Organisation flu kills up to 650,000 a year, yet markets are reacting to an outbreak that has so far only affected a fraction of that number.
That is not to downplay the seriousness of the coronavirus outbreak, given how little we know about it, but it could be argued that the reaction of governments to the outbreak in closing borders and restricting movement is actually making things worse, as well as sowing confusion and fear amongst their populations.
For now, there appears little prospect that financial markets look likely to settle down in the short term, which means investors will have to get used to an extended period of uncertainty and volatility.
- 11am GMT: CBI’s index of UK retail sales: expected to rise to 4, from 0 in January
- 2pm GMT: The S&P/Case-Shiller index of US house prices
- 3pm GMT: US consumer confidence survey for February: expected to rise to 132, from 131.6


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The rumour mill has been running hot about this one for a while now, but it’s finally been confirmed that Melbourne’s favourite croissants are headed north with Lune Croissanterie confirming the whispers this week.
In a chat with the folks over at Broadsheet, chief croissant creator and former aerodynamicist Kate Ried said that Sydney is definitely in the near future for the croissants with the insane cult following.
“I can tell you that we are currently looking at a few sites,” she said.
“Which means that yes, there is a Lune Sydney firmly on the cards.”
Although there’s no 100% locked in brick and mortar shop that Kate and her team have landed on, she’s definitely bringing her beloved pastry babies north of the border in the future. This year? Fingers bloody crossed.
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It’s not the first time that Sydney has been blessed with the presence of possibly the best croissants in the world (sorry France, lol) – the buttery suckers made an appearance back in 2017 in Surry Hills for a one-day tease. There might have been 500 handed out that day but good lord that’s nowhere near enough.
Lune Croissanterie currently has two (2) stores in Melbourne, the original on Rose St in Fitzroy, and another on Russell St in the CBD. If you’ve tried your hand at getting one first thing in the morning, you’ll know of the hectic lines those world-class pastries draw.
I mean, can you blame ’em when they look like this?
We’ll keep you updated on when and where the first Lune Sydney store is opening because those of us in Sydney will absolutely be in the line with you, hot coffee at the ready.


text: Multiple announcements have just been made by the popular cryptocurrency wallet, Abra. They have announced that they have now added support for the Basic Attention Token, Cardano and TRON and they now plan to allow users to fund Abra wallets using Bitcoin Cash within the next week. Customers will also be able to make transfers from European bank accounts directly to Abra wallets. Essentially, this will allow all users in Europe to fund an Abra wallet using a European bank account. A bank customer from Europe will be able to buy any of the 28 digital currencies supported on Abra. The Abra app interface allows users to track portfolios, exchange crypto for crypto through Bitcoin and perhaps most importantly, check the market prices. There are also 50 fiat currencies available which users can buy. The 28 digital currencies supported by Abra: Four members of the European Free Trade Association are supported for digital currency purchases as well as bank accounts for all the members of the European Union. The goal of Abra is the generate a wide on-ramp for existing digital currency investors as well as new investors that come to light. Before the announcement was made, users were able to fund their Abra wallets by using bank and wire transfers in the US as well as through American Express, MasterCard debit, Visa and credit cards throughout the globe. Abra is fully peer to peer and lets wallet users hold their own private keys directly without any intermediaries. Their competitor, Coinbase currently supports five cryptocurrencies which includes, Litecoin, Ethereum, Ethereum Classic, Bitcoin Cash and of course, Bitcoin.


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Is the food industry putting profit before America's health?
Obesity associated with poor nutrition has been a growing health problem across the United States and worldwide. It appears that in spite of the growing awareness of this serious health problem far too many people are continuing to eat unhealthy junk food while leading sedentary lifestyles. Overall it appears the food industry is making this problem worse due to a focus on profits before health.
Food companies generally do not prioritize healthy communities over healthy profit margins
It has been observed that corporations generally do not prioritize healthy communities over healthy profit margins even though their profits are dependent on community acceptance reported the journal Social Currents. In their efforts to be viewed as legitimate citizens, some corporations use the rhetorical tactics which are typically associated with social movement organizations in order to frame their profit-maximizing practices as appearing to be a solution to the serious problem of obesity.
Via an apparent partnership with interests which focus on healthier communities food companies claim they are in the forefront of fighting obesity. Yet, the bottom line is the primary focus is aimed at having the public buy their products. Psychological marketing tactics may make it appear a primary concern for health is the bottom line when in fact profits are the bottom line vital interest which drives these firms.
When people eat less profits go down


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After the pandemic, companies have seen the need to accelerate its digital transformation to survive. A circumstance that favors technology companies, which are living their moment of glory. That is where Nunsys moves, a Valencian company in the sector that, given its good prospects, had planned to make the leap to BME Growth this summer. Initially, the listing plan was put on hold sine die due to the uncertainty that exists in the market. Paco Gavilán, president, general director and one of the founders of the firm, explained at the time the reasons for this decision: “It has been a decision agreed upon and recommended by Renta 4 that responds to various reasons. The main one is the uncertainty in the markets caused by the socioeconomic and geopolitical context. The war in Ukraine continues to condition the economy, the prices of energy and many other raw materials, the context of inflation, the rise in rates… Many of these issues do not have a direct impact on our business, but they do condition the receptivity of the markets. We prefer not to rush.” However, this same week the company changed its mind again and set March for its IPO “because the business results have been very positive so far and it is expected to close a record year of business that could boost valuation” .
While this moment arrives, Nunsys has carried out a singular purchase operation in which the small fish has eaten the big one. A few months ago he acquired Sothis, the comprehensive digitization consultancy owned by Juan Roig, owner of Mercadona, which bills 71 million (21 more than Nunsys) and has more employees (800 compared to 500). With this purchase, of which the price has not been revealed and which has had the financial support of the Valencian Institute of Finance (IVF), the technology company has become a top player, in the words of Gavilán, who adds that, despite to what it may seem, it has not influenced the decision to go public, “which was already taken before”.
With the support and advice of Renta 4, their project to debut on the stock market will, according to Gavilán, be insignificant, since they will only put 10% of the shares up for sale. And it will mean for Beade, the patrimonial company of Paco Gavilán and his wife, Amaya Fernández de Uzquiano, to manage 70% (previously 80%), while the rest will be distributed among four founding shareholders of the company.
Gavilan sees a safe bet. “It is one more step in growth that not only provides capital, but also value to the product to internationalize it. A customer from the United States may wonder who we are. This is one of the reasons why it is key to have that seal of validation. It is also true in Spain, where we compete with the big ones like Indra or Deloitte. Doing it without notoriety is difficult. With this jump we will make a mark and it will give us value”.
A value that will have to wait and that adds the odd inconvenience, such as the price to pay for the advice that will place them on the market, which is around 600,000 euros. “It is still positive. Within our roadmap we are going to take a very big leap. We have gained four or five years of growth with the purchase of Sothis and the IPO will also gain us a couple of years”, he argues.
With different lines of activity such as the development of network infrastructures, SAP consulting, robotics, cybersecurity or the development of its own software and technological products, Nunsys’ intention is to grow and do it fast. “Our plan is to run a lot this year and the next and take advantage of the fact that we have a tailwind,” Gavilán adds.
This year they have a turnover forecast of 148 million euros and get 12 of ebitda and by 2023 they expect 200 million with an operating result of 20 million. Growth has its nerve center in Spain. “Here is our heart and it is where we are going to grow the most. More than 90% of the business is in Spain and not much is going to change. The objective is to become the big player, although we know that we have competitors, but there are many clients who need to transform. The question will be how to meet so much demand”.
Currently, there are 1,300 employees and by the end of the year they could reach 2,000, who manage 5,500 clients spread across all sectors, from the public administration to Red.es or Renfe to others, such as large distribution, automotive, pharmaceuticals…, but, for the moment, Mercadona is its most important client, which accounts for around 20% of billing. He was the one who gave them the opportunity to advance in the industry 4.0 sector (digitization of industrial processes) when he chose them to transform their logistics centers, and there, says Gavilán, “we were ahead of time.” “We use this experience to transform other industries. In Spain we are one of the few with the capacity to install this type of process”.
In its commitment to rapid growth, software development and the sale of its own products to third parties stand out. With more than 20 references, some stand out such as Happydonia, an internal communication platform and corporate social network, in which five million euros have been invested and which has more than 100,000 users in Spain alone, with companies such as Osborne or Pikolin among its clients. , or BatOnRoute, a software specialized in the management of routes by bus, vans, bicycles…, intended for transport companies, day centers or residences with more than 70,000 users. “We have found something different, which offers solutions. In school routes we are the largest company in the world… If it works here, why don’t they buy it abroad? A question that has led them to internationalize these products. “We are already at Banco Nacional de Costa Rica and at Arcelor, with thousands of employees around the world,” he adds.
The products of their own creation have reported about five million of their turnover. “The rest comes from traditional consulting, where we have a long history with a presence in 40 countries, but only as clients’ companions. We implant and we go. Now our bet is our own product, which is what we want to grow with, above all, internationally”, he underlines.
Nor do they leave aside inorganic growth after the purchases of technology companies such as Ainfor in 2013, Castle CRM in 2018, Euroelettra in 2019 and the aforementioned Sothis this year. There are already 25 companies acquired since 2011 and the list will continue to grow. “We have created a purchasing network that works. We are analyzing 20 possible operations and this year we will buy three or four more, generally small and some very small ones”, he confirms. There are many opportunities on the table both in Spain and abroad, with their eyes set on one in Colombia, which especially attracts them because of its specialization.
Five Days agenda
The most important economic appointments of the day, with the keys and the context to understand their scope.
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Iran discloses amount of investments made by private sector in ports
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 27
By Elnur Baghishov - Trend:
Private companies invested approximately 60 trillion rials (approximately $1.4 billion) in 10 projects related to the Iranian ports so far this Iranian year (beginning on March 21, 2019), Deputy Chairman of Iran’s Ports and Maritime Organization Farhad Monteser Kuhsari said.
“Such investments are of great importance for the organization,” Kuhsari added, Trend reports referring to the organization’s website.
“The contracts on 231 projects worth 160 billion rials (about $3.8 million) were signed last Iranian year (from March 21, 2018 through March 21, 2019),” the deputy chairman said. “This shows that the private sector is interested in investing in big projects.”
“Some 138 million tons of goods have been shipped in Iranian ports so far this year,” the deputy chairman added. “This shows a two percent increase compared to the same period of last Iranian year.”
“Some 31 million tons of products were imported, which is an increase by 23 percent,” Kuhsari said. “Some 48 million tons of non-oil products were exported, which is an increase by two percent.”
Kuhsari called a 20-percent-increase in Iran's export of oil products during the period of the US sanctions against Iran as an important step.
The US imposed sanctions on Iran in November 2018. The sanctions had a great negative impact on Iran's oil export.


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As players and programs begin to navigate through the new landscape of college sports following the new NIL laws, one school has decided to allow players to capitalize on these rules uniquely. The University of North Carolina has just announced that it will allow its players to sign endorsement deals not only as individuals but also in groups of 3 or more.
The school has partnered with The Brandr Group, which is a small brand agency, to help create this group sponsorship program.
This has potentially large implications for players that are less likely to receive endorsement deals, due to either inferior ability or a less glamorous playing position. Professional athletes for years have signed off NIL deals in small groups to help attract more sponsorship. Now, college athletes that may not receive the most recognition on an individual basis, will be able to enjoy similar benefits.
Deals like this can leave you wondering what kinds of deals a group like the Michigan Fab Five could have secured should they have been allowed to.
The other major effect of this new program lies in licensing deals for merchandise. Most notably, video games. Being able to work with players as groups will make it easier for third-party companies to license video games, trading cards, and other merchandise that includes several college athletes.
They will also allow students to appear on camera with UNC trademarks and logos. This means that players will receive a share of the revenue from their jersey sales, as well as any promotions that show them in Tar Heels gear.
Implying that the days of officially licensed blank jerseys are numbered. Soon fans will be able to buy official jerseys with the names of their favorite student-athletes proudly displayed on the back.
It seems as if UNC is wasting no time in allowing its student-athletes to maximize their profit potential. In a recent interview with the school’s athletic department, Bubba Cunningham stated, “I thought this was the logical next step. Let's take what we're doing institutionally, let's apply it to the students, let those students go to market, and also share in the revenue”. And this is exactly what the program is doing. By allowing players to profit off their jerseys and to be seen in full uniform allows for more lucrative and comprehensive marketing campaigns.
While this will serve as a new and innovative way to compensate players for their countless hours in the gym, some have voiced concerns over group sponsorships. In a recent statement, The Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics stated, “The concern is that group licenses will become a new tool for recruiting college athletes and will morph into a form of pay for play. Rules must be put in place to avoid pay for play, impermissible benefits, and improper recruiting or retention arrangements.”.
This concern is a genuine one as programs that allow group sponsorships will be able to promote opportunities for star athletes to help sign deals with fellow athletes and friends. It is not impossible to imagine schools pitching athletes on the idea of signing their best friends to group deals just to secure their commitments.
Although this remains a possibility, and will surely face backlash if it becomes a common practice. What remains true is that allowing group sponsorship and use of official trademarks will allow UNC players, and hopefully soon all college athletes, the opportunity to fully capitalize off the new NIL era in college sports.


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In a recent press release announcement, financial services suite Ternio has shared that they are rebranding as ‘Unbanked’. The company’s flagship product, BlockCard, will continue to be a pivotal offering for the firm, along with a wide suite of financial services.
The Unbanked Products:
Unbanked will continue to showcase a bevy of different products, with current and future products including bank accounts, debit cards, rewards, enterprise financial solutions, and the ability to buy, sell, and send crypto.
Unbanked is continuing to double down on these products as well, such as offering FDIC-insured bank accounts across the globe while allowing customers the option to hold their money in a decentralized wallet. Additionally, Unbanked will offer digital (and physical) debit cards that are compatible with major payment platforms such as Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay.
Card offerings have been a focal point for the company historically, after previously partnering with Paxful in November last year. The collaborative product provided U.S.-based users with a debit card that allowed them to convert crypto, open a checking account, and withdrawal funds from any ATM worldwide. Now, Unbanked is looking to take it all a step further. The company will also integrate cash back rewards; rewards for using an Unbanked card are anticipated to yield up to 6.38% in crypto.
Unbanked also currently supports twelve major cryptos and enables direct purchases of BTC, ETH, and TERN. The company looks to aggregate prices across multiple exchanges to work to get the best rate available for clients.
The enterprise solutions products will include a wide suite of offerings, including white-label card issuance, bank accounts, and financial toolkit APIs that can provide crypto-based assets to organizations looking for increased digital asset utility and spend-ability.
The Full Suite:
In a statement regarding the rebrand, co-founder Ian Kane stated that the firm “cannot be more excited about introducing Unbanked to the world”, adding that “demand for crypto-focused financial services has caused companies to create a patchwork of offerings that only address a handful of needs at a time.”
Unbanked will look to leverage their wide scale of offerings, while many firms focus on individual offerings, and as Kane states, offer “customers a more complete blockchain-enabled banking experience that is faster, lets them have greater control of their crypto, and cuts down on cost-prohibitive fees”.
Unbanked is laser-focused on providing a product that as they describe, is unconventional, uncompromising, unafraid, untried, and unstoppable.
The Focus Moving Forward:
The company is rolling out new brand identity assets for a full-scale consumer and enterprise rollout, and the firm’s website features an email signup for early access for consumers. New product releases are anticipated June 30, 2021.
You can find the latest from Unbanked at unbanked.com.


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From the 19th July 2023, real-time vehicle recalls information will be added to the MOT Testing Service (MTS), the vehicle’s MOT history, MOT reminders and the MOT certificate.
Manufacturers, including Toyota and Ford, have agreed to share data that will cover nearly half of the vehicle on UK roads. The vehicles not yet covered by an existing agreement will be supported by monthly data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), although this information won’t appear on the MOT certificate. This means that testers and the public will have access to 47% of the most up to date vehicle recall data.
Chris Price, DVSA’s Head of MOT Policy, said: “I’m really pleased that we can announce this latest improvement to our MOT digital services. We want to improve safety recall rectification rates. Providing ‘live’ recall data, and marking it more available to motorists, will further help everyone to keep vehicles safe to drive on Britain’s roads.”
The changes to MTS will mean from August that if a customer has an outstanding safety recall when they bring their vehicle to test, testers will be prompted via an ‘interrupt’ screen. This will give the tester an opportunity to encourage the customer to address the recall as soon as possible to make sure that their vehicle is safe to drive.
When an outstanding safety recall has been identified on a vehicle produced by a participating manufacturer, the customer’s MOT certificate will automatically have an additional section on it stating the vehicle is currently subject to a safety recall.
Improvements to the MOT history and MOT reminder services will come into effect 16th August. For the MOT history service, motorists will receive a prompt when they enter the registration of a vehicle that has an outstanding recall. The improvement to the MOT reminders service will enable motorists to receive a prompt if their vehicle has an outstanding recall alongside their reminder of MOT.


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Ludhiana (Punjab), Nov 27: Facing acute labour shortage mainly due to less influx of migrant labourers, particularly from Bihar, employers are doling out freebies like mobile phones and bicycles to lure workers.
Witnessing almost 30 per cent labour shortage, nearly 5000 small and big manufacturers of bicycles and parts in Ludhiana, popularly known as the country's “bicycle capital”, are facing threat of closure, traders said.
Some of the leading names in the bicycle manufacturing here include Hero, Avon and Rolex.
The ill-effect of the labour crisis is also felt on the farm sector as well as on textile manufacturing in the district.
MGNREGA was another factor pointed out for this.
“The labourers are also given mobile recharge coupons of Rs 50 to Rs 200 denominations to talk to their families,” D S Chawla, former president of United Cycle and Parts Manufacturing Association, told PTI.
A bicycle costing around Rs 2500 is given either free or for a paltry sum to these labourers so that they can paddle to their work place, P D Sharma, president of Chamber of Commerce and Industries (Punjab), said.
A survey has found that migration of labourers from Bihar in search of livelihood to places like Punjab and Delhi has declined by over 26 per cent, thanks to initiatives taken by the Nitish Kumar government in the past five years to check their exodus.
Flow of unskilled workers from Bihar to different parts of the country came down by 26.53 per cent in 2006-08 as compared to 2001-03, the survey, carried out by NGO Bihar Institute of Economic Studies, said.
The scenario is even more starker in the farm sector.
Facing acute shortage of hands particularly during sowing and harvesting seasons of wheat and paddy, farm owners have almost doubled the daily wage of labourers to Rs 300 as a special incentive, farmer Inderjit Singh said.
Chawla said earlier the migrants while going home used to request their employers to keep their jobs intact till they returns, but today the situation has changed.
Now many employers make a call to their homes and even deposit additional money in their bank accounts to motivate them to travel back to work here, Chawla added.
Queues of lorries and tractors outside railway stations to ferry migrant labourers used to be a common sight earlier, he said, adding they are not to be seen now.
Chawla said bicycle manufacturers had in the recent past met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Industries and Commerce Minister Anand Sharma to provide special fund for technology upgrade to help survive in limited supply of labours.


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Enthusiasts are calling for the exemption of classic cars in plans to ban older cars from central London. The proposal would see a blanket ban on petrol and diesel cars that don’t meet EU4 and EU6 emissions standards from entering the London Congestion Charge Zone.
Autocar's sister title Classic & Sportscar magazine is leading a campaign to ensure exemptions for classics in the legislation. It is concerned that classics could bear the brunt of the new rules aimed at reducing pollution in the capital.
The magazine wants to ensure the free movement of historic vehicle owned by users living both in and out of the zone; this will ensure the continuation of events such as the Regent Street motor show and the London to Brighton run. It is also proposing that classic car-related businesses should be free to operate without restriction.
Classic & Sports Car group editor James Elliott said: "Even though there are some 800,000 pre-1981 classic cars in the UK, their contribution to pollution is so tiny it is virtually immeasurable, yet they will be just as affected by this as the heavily polluting diesel vehicles that this is intending to curb.


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A Nigerian restaurant on the verge of closing down has received financial relief from Beyoncé.
Chuku’s restaurant, located in London, England, is one of the small businesses to benefit from the investment, beating out over 500 applicants in the area. According to the Miami Herald, siblings and owners of the restaurant, Ifeyinwa and Emeka Frederick, received $8,793.20 USD from Beyoncé’s foundation.
The unexpected blessing brings a great deal of relief for the entrepreneurs as COVID-19 had occurred just five weeks after the restaurant first opened its doors, and they never fully recovered, the brother and sister shared.
“Your fave foodie spot, our Nigerian tapas restaurant – is at risk of closure,” a post by the company read on Instagram. “Yes, despite our excellent press and rave reviews, we have been struggling. We’re more than just food and we’re proud to have brought our celebration of Nigerian culture to Tottenham’s High Road for the last 2.5 years. But we have been battered by the series of lockdowns, the subsequent staff shortages and a whole host of other challenges facing restaurants right now.”
Keeping them afloat has been a combination of local support and customers such as A-list celebrities, including Beyoncé who participated in their “Six Week Charge” challenge to secure 600 reservations in six weeks in the latter part of 2022.
View this post on Instagram
Coupled with community support and new funding, the restaurateurs have been afforded more time to bring their community together by celebrating Nigerian cuisine.
“This grant couldn’t be more welcome,” Emeka said, according to Miami Herald. “Chuku’s, like other restaurants that don’t have a financial reserve, has been battered by lockdowns and the cost of living crisis. Every day, we’re fighting to stay open to make it to our fourth birthday. This money will make that fight a little easier and allow us to continue celebrating Nigerian culture on Tottenham’s High Road for the time being.”
Ifeyinwa explained, “I still can’t quite believe that Beyoncé has backed our restaurant – it feels a bit surreal. We’d already felt her impact when she was in town and concertgoers chose Chuku’s for their pre-gig meal, but this is a whole other level.”


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Nicolas G. Hayek knows that the right timing is important
According to Automotive News, Swatch Group AG CEO Nick Hayek is considering IPO of 20% of Swatch's Belenos Clean Power division to commercialize a new type of batteries.
The Belenos Clean Power division was established in 2008 and is engaged in several areas, including fuel cells, batteries and more.
Belenos' claims are pretty bold, because their batteries (developed together with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich) stores more energy than Panasonic and charges faster:
"Companies from China, Korea and Germany have shown interest in the batteries, Hayek said. Belenos makes them using a patented compound containing a metal called vanadium rather than rare raw materials, making them cheaper to produce in mass quantities, Hayek said."
"Belenos can produce a battery that weighs about a third less than the Panasonic pack used in vehicles made by Tesla Motors Inc., Hayek said. Yet a car could run further on the Belenos battery, which charges twice as fast, according to the CEO."
That would double the number of our battery breakthroughs reported this week.
"A considerable effort within Belenos Clean Power is being spent on the development of new battery materials. The N.G. Hayek battery project specifications present a considerable challenge in terms of energy density. A pilot line has been installed for the production of the first Belenos battery cells."
For now, Belenos has about 50 employees and a pilot production line.
Production is to start in June, while batteries for cars could be ready in 2017:
"Swatch will begin production in June through its Renata unit, which makes batteries for timepieces. Initially Renata will produce as many as 200 a day, in various sizes. The technology will be used and tested in e-bikes, drones and electrical scooters in 2016, and it'll be ready for cars from 2017, Hayek said."
Source: Automotive News


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FoodSharing Ottawa’s Addressing Canada’s Food Waste Problem
By Olga Tkachuk
As the debate continues to rage in regards to the Ontario government’s consideration of a disposal ban on organic waste as part of its Strategy for a Waste-Free Ontario, one message is getting less emphasis than it should. At the very root of the problem is the fact that we simply throw out too much perfectly edible food, and a local volunteer organization called FoodSharing Ottawa is trying to do something about it.
At the current rate of generating approximately 12 million tons of waste annually in this province alone, we are poised to run out of existing landfill capacity within 20 years. Even with green bin use, a significant portion of what ends up in those landfills consists of food and organic waste. At a conservative estimate from 2014 that does not include government institutions such as schools, prisons, and hospitals, Canadians as a whole were found to waste $31 billion worth of food annually. Ontario’s share of that is $12 billion, equal to 3.6 tonnes of food and organic waste, over 60% of which ends up in a landfill. 47% of that waste occurs at household levels, while the rest is shared at every other stage of food production and distribution. And while individuals are the biggest culprits in terms of what gets tossed, organizations and businesses recycle far less organic waste than households, sending more of it to landfills.
The economic, social and environmental implications of these staggering numbers are manifold. The monetary costs amount to $1456 worth of food that is thrown out by an average Canadian household every year, while the waste that takes place before the products reach the consumer drives up the overall cost of the groceries. This has the greatest effect on those Canadians in one out of eight households who are already faced with issues of food insecurity, and the number of people with inadequate access to food is on the rise as costs of living continue to increase. Of course added to that is the financial cost of disposing of organic waste, which is both a monetary, as well as an environmental problem, since the generated greenhouse gases, including a significant amount methane, add to Ontario’s emissions.
And this is where Foodsharing Ottawa comes in. It’s a community of volunteers who aim to reduce Ottawa’s food waste. Working with both members of the food industry such as farmers, grocery stores, restaurants and bakeries, as well as individuals, the organization takes food that would otherwise end up in the garbage, including products that have passed their ‘best before’ date, but remain safe for consumption. It is then redistributed to charities, other non-profits, and the FoodSharing network.
As per Ontario’s Donation of Food Act, there are no legal risks to businesses that donate their food, even if it has passed the ‘best before’ date. Where there is a large volume of donations, volunteers will sort through what is salvageable and what isn’t, saving businesses time. Disposal costs for those who donate go down due to decreasing volumes of waste that have to be picked up by the city. The group is also more than happy to advertise these businesses that help reduce the city’s environmental impact, and contribute to the community by donating their excess products. In some cases, tax receipts can also be arranged for the donors.
And since almost half of all food and organic waste occurs at the level of individual households, a Facebook group called Share it – Don’t toss it has been set up as a conduit between those who find themselves with a surplus, and those who are more than happy to take it. People post a photo of items that they no longer need or want to use, and other members of the network come to pick it up. Occasionally a volunteer is even happy to deliver the items to a member with mobility issues.
The great thing about FoodSharing is that everybody wins. Thousands of pounds of perfectly edible food are diverted from landfills, resulting in less greenhouse gas emissions. Business costs are reduced for owners willing to help out, and individuals participate in creating an immediate positive impact on their community. The end result is that more people have access to foodstuffs, including healthy produce that would otherwise become costly trash, and our practices become more sustainable.


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NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- The broader market was essentially unchanged on a slow Monday of trading.
Regarding the market entering "bubble territory," Tim Seymour, managing partner of Triogem Asset Management, said on CNBC's "Fast Money," that the market isn't necessarily in a "bubble" yet, but that it is starting to become a bit worrisome.
He added that the amount of IPOs flooding the market could be a cause for concern.
Josh Brown, a financial adviser at Ritholtz Wealth Management, reminded investors that the retail "mom and pop" players haven't been in the market for a while, so the rush to get in isn't that surprising.
Guy Adami, managing director of stockmonster.com, said there are still a few solid secular trends playing out and he liked Visa (V - Get Report) and Mastercard (MA - Get Report). He warned investors to be careful with biotech stocks.
Seymour said the valuation for consumer staples is getting stretched, especially compared to their growth rates. He likes companies with exposure to emerging markets, like Pepsico (PEP - Get Report) and Mondelez (MDLZ), and would be a seller of Doctor Pepper Snapple (DPS) and General Mills (GIS - Get Report).
Brown called consumer staples the "ultimate irony" because it is considered the "safe-haven" of equities, but will likely feel a lot of pain when interest rates rise and money starts to flow out the stocks.
Liz Dunn, associate director of Macquarie Capital, was a guest on the show who said J.C. Penney (JCP - Get Report) has enough liquidity to make it though most of 2014 and needs to maintain positive comp-sales. She added that she's cautious on Kohl's (KSS - Get Report) and preferred more luxurious brands like Polo Ralph Lauren (RL - Get Report), Coach (COH), and Nordstrom (JWN - Get Report).
Karen Finerman, president of Metropolitan Capital Advisors, said she liked Coach because of its strong balance sheet, despite the stock having a bumpy 2013.
Tesla Motors (TSLA - Get Report) bounced back after several volatile sessions and Brown said to let the charts set back up before getting long. Adami added that there seems to be support near $140, but investors should let the stock consolidate for a few more days.
Deckers Outdoor (DECK) was the first stock on the show's "Pops & Drops" segment and Finerman noted Piper Jaffray upgraded its price target to $100.
E-Commerce China DangDang (DANG) jumped 11% and Seymour said market participants are looking for a better-than-expected earnings result later this week.
Rackspace Hosting (RAX) disappointed on earnings and Adami said the stock could trade down to $40 per share, given the short-interest.
Dennis Gartman, editor of The Gartman Letter, was a guest on the show who said bonds look like they might be headed for a bear market and have put in a massive "top." He is bullish on equities, copper, and shipping and rail stocks. He added that the economy seems to be recovering nicely.
D.R. Horton (DHI - Get Report) also reports on Tuesday and Adami said the company needs to say something positive, because below $17.50 per share, the price action could get ugly with an 18% short-interest.
Finerman said Clean Energy Fuels (CLNE - Get Report) is a good way to play natural gas, along with Apache (APA - Get Report), Southwestern Energy (SWN - Get Report) and Chesapeake Energy (CHK - Get Report).
For their final trades, Adami said to buy KSS and Finerman suggested selling upside calls against a long position in Macy's (M - Get Report). Seymour said to sell DPS and Brown said to buy Google (GOOG - Get Report).
-- Written by Bret Kenwell in Petoskey, Mich.


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Everything about the mysterious phone Motorola under the command of Google, the “X Phone” has been based on hearsay. There was speculation that the phone would be presented at the last Google I/O Developer Conference, however, did not.
Now a Google document with the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) states that the “X Phone” will arrive later this year in a deal with U.S. operator Sprint.
According review page specializing in BGR technology, Sprint version will be identified under number XT1056, a terminal that will include LTE connectivity support. Besides 4G support, the team will be equipped with NFC technology, thus known as Wi-Fi fifth generation, Bluetooth 4.0 and run the latest version of Android.
Various aspects have been leaked previously although according to published, features vary. For example, it is speculated that there is a version of the “X phone” with 4.7 inch screen and Nvidia Tegra processor and 16MP and 5MP camera. However, there are others who say that the screen is 5 inches, will have a Snapdragon S4 Pro dual core processor and 10MP camera.


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Call center answering services can help any business improve its customer support approach because these services prioritize the client above all – ensuring his or her needs are met first so that company leadership can focus on other commercial objectives.
Ultimately, the customer is a company’s most important asset, so organizations must ensure they are served every step of the way. A new report suggests that two of the country’s largest telecommunications providers are re-prioritizing customer service, a fact reflected in their improving satisfaction rates.
eWeek reported on the results of a study by surveyor Vocalabs, which found a 13-point increase in the number of satisfied Verizon customers in the past year, as well as a 6-point gain in the number of customers who would buy from Verizon again. One of Verizon’s top competitors, Sprint, enjoyed a much more gradual improvement over the past three years, said the study.
Alternatively, T-Mobile and AT&T experienced modest declines in satisfaction, the study found.
Verizon’s improving figures could be tied to a rededication to resolving customer disputes.
“We also found that the percentage of Verizon customers reporting that their problem was resolved during their call has improved eight points from 2010 to 2012,” the report noted. “This may be driving some of the impressive gains in call satisfaction at Verizon, since resolution is a significant driver of overall customer satisfaction with the customer service experience.”
Businesses in any industry may be able to enjoy an improvement in call resolution if they work with a trusted answering service. Outsourced answering services employs skilled customer support specialists who can offer immediate, satisfying help to client in need.


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The 86 top retailers actively tracked by RetailEmail.Blogspot sent out 120 emails during the week ending Aug. 18 as part of their core email marketing campaigns. That was an decrease of 4% compared to the week before. Eighty percent of the retailers tracked sent out emails last week, up from 79% the week prior.
Fall collections: Nineteen emails about the fall season were sent last week by 14 retailers. That’s up from 15 emails from 12 retailers the week before.
Back to school: Sixteen emails about back to school were sent from 14 retailers last week. That’s down from 20 emails from 17 retailers the week prior.
Denim: The denim trend seems to be petering out, with only three emails sent about it last week from three retailers—Bluefly, J. Jill and Old Navy.
Last week there was one reference to Halloween—from Lillian Vernon, who continues to be the only one tooting that horn—and there were no references to Labor Day.


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In a move to promote financial inclusion in rural India, Hindustan Unilever Ltd. (HUL) is collaborating with public sector bank, the State Bank of India (SBI), to open bank accounts for poor rural consumers. The collaboration will start with the launch of a pilot program in Maharashtra and Karnataka, which will leverage HUL’s Shakti Ammas or women customer service representatives who distribute the company’s products across villages. To date, 12 Shakti Ammas have opened approximately 1,000 bank accounts for rural customers. In the next one year, HUL and SBI plan to expand the project across India with a target of having HUL’s 43,000 Shakti Ammas open more than 300,000 bank accounts. Namrata Singh, TNN, Apr 7, 2011, 01.57am IST
MUMBAI: There’s fortune at the bottom of the pyramid. But as much as corporates like Hindustan Unilever (HUL) would like to tap into this pool of consumers, they would also want to ensure that the rural folks not only get access to capital, but also generate savings. In a step to promote financial inclusion in rural markets, HUL’s ‘Shakti Ammas’, a network of self-help groups that distribute the company’s products in remote villages with a population of 2,000 and less, will now be opening bank accounts for people.
HUL has tied up with leading public sector bank, State Bank of India (SBI), to kick off a pilot project on financial inclusion in Maharashtra and Karnataka. At present, 12 Shakti Ammas, as customer service providers, have opened around 1,000 accounts, and the plan is to roll out the project across the country in the next 12 months. With a network of 43,000 Shakti Ammas enrolled with HUL, in excess of 30 lakh bank accounts are expected to be opened in the next one year-each Shakti Amma is expected to open at least 70 accounts.”The objective is to bring about financial inclusion in rural areas. By doing this, we strengthen the Shakti network and also provide villagers with the opportunity to access capital,” said Hemant Bakshi, executive director, sales & customer development, HUL.
As for the bank, the project would lead to more customers in rural areas and a platform of trained personnel who are capable of managing bank accounts in remote areas. It also assists the bank in meeting the objective of improving financial inclusion, which finance minister Pranab Mukherjee has been urging the banks to achieve.
HUL will expand the project in phases. Most of the villages where the project will be carried out have a population of 2,000 or even less. “In most villages where we have started the project, we have achieved 20% penetration-i.e. almost a fifth of the households in the villages are participating in the financial inclusion project. Interestingly, almost 80% of the participants are women who find this a friendly and accessible way of reaching the formal financial system,” said an HUL spokesperson.
Financial inclusion, a key determinant of sustainable and inclusive growth, is capable of unlocking the potential of savings, consumption and investment propensities of the poor. The finance minister had announced in Budget 2010-11 that all unbanked villages with population of 2,000 and above will be provided with basic banking services by March 2012. Banks propose to provide banking services to these villages by either opening branches or through business correspondents and technology that facilitate branchless banking in the hinterland.
Reports suggest that only 5% of around 6 lakh habitations in the country have a bank branch. The section of population with a bank account is just about 40%. Experts said that the idea of financial inclusion should be more broad-based, so that people are able to not only access credit but also various financial services and products through the banking access point. http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-04-07/india-business/29392013_1_financial-inclusion-bank-accounts-banking-services


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Source | www.hrdconnect.com | Debra Corey
According to an article published in June last year, 90% of executives agreed that the COVID-19 crisis would fundamentally change the way they do business over the next five years; but that fewer than 30% felt they were adequately prepared to address these changes. Conclusion? A significant innovation gap exists in the world of modern business – namely, a gap between what the organization needs, and what it’s equipped for.
Six months on, companies are still facing challenges, but many have jumped onboard the ‘innovation bus’, closing the gap by using innovation to drive change when it comes to their people and their businesses.
I shared examples of such innovation in my eBook, Bringing your values out to play, highlighting how companies have truly thought outside the box to care for and support their employees.
Companies have also shown pandemic-era innovation in how they drive revenue and generate new opportunities. A great example is Japanese restaurant group Sticks’n’Sushi, which has had to shift its focus to takeaway in recent times.


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Revenue: $53.36 billion expected versus $53.27 billion YOY It will be especially interesting to see what Cook has to say on Apple’s earnings call. The report itself comes less than
President Donald Trump talks to Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook during the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board’s first meeting in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington,
The report comes after the Federal Trade Commission levied a $5 billion fine against the social media giant related to the Cambridge Analytica Scandal. The company put aside $3 billion for the
Facebook Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg waves as he arrives on stage during the annual Facebook F8 developers conference in San Jose, California, U.S., April 18, 2017. REUTERS/Stephen Lam More
Facebook is expect to announce is Q2 earnings on Wednesday. (Image: Chesnot/Getty Images) More Daniel Salmon at BMO Capital Markets is similarly high on Facebook’s decision to put advertising on Instagram’s
Astronaut Buzz Aldrin, lunar module pilot for Apollo 11, poses for a photograph beside the deployed United States flag during an extravehicular activity (EVA) on the moon, July 20, 1969.
“We’re in the early innings of this industry, and we think it’s a huge opportunity,” Phreesia CEO Chaim Indig said on Yahoo Finance’s On The Move. Phreesia specializes in customized patient
Verizon Communications’ robust 5G rollout for this year remains on track. Verizon launched 5G availability in St. Paul, Minn., joining previous launches in Denver, Chicago, Minneapolis and Providence. The company also debuted


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Apple remains on top of the global wearable band market
Global shipping of basic watches showed growth during the second quarter of 2023
Noise, a wearable firm based in India, was next with 3.5 million units shipped. The company offers a wide range of Bluetooth smartwatches and had the largest annual gain of the manufacturers on the list with a year-over-year hike of 93%. The company’s market share doubled from the 4% it had during the second quarter last year to 8% this year. That left another Indian wearable brand, Fire Boltt, to finish fifth. Fire Boltt had 3 million units shipped, up a hefty 86% on an annual basis. It left the company with a market share of 7%, up 75% from 4% during the same quarter in 2022.
Apple continues to show the way when it comes to pricing on the global wearable band market
Canalys Research Manager Cynthia Chen said, “In light of current economic challenges, wearables maintain significant long-term prospects. Though short-term economic factors push consumers to value-driven wearables, their enduring appeal lies in consistent quality and long-term data benefits. Canalys forecasts the wearables market is poised for sustained growth at a CAGR (compounded annual growth rate) of 4.1% through to 2027, underpinned by shifting consumer needs.”


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Volkswagen is getting out of the hybrid business in the States, which means that, if you really want a new Jetta Hybrid, you’d better act fast.
In announcing its changes to the 2017 line on Thursday, VW of America quietly revealed it’s dropping the slow-selling and forgotten Jetta Hybrid. This comes a year after it axed the even more-forgotten Touareg Hybrid.
The Jetta Hybrid was introduced at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show, a model aimed at North America using a 1.4-liter turbo four mated to a 20-kW electric motor for a combined 170 horsepower through a seven-speed DSG system – unusual for a hybrid. The idea of a turbocharged hybrid didn’t catch on with buyers, however, and was further hampered by a hefty price tag that was thousands more than a Jetta without an electric motor.
Timing of the Jetta Hybrid’s demise, however, comes as VW of America has been prohibited from selling its TDI models since last fall and the company generally lacking much green cred of late due to the emissions scandal.
Other noteworthy changes to VW’s U.S. lineup for 2017 include the previously announced #PinkBeetle with its standard hashtag in the name, new Wolfsburg Editions for the Golf hatchback, Tiguan and Touareg, a new GTI Sport model that incorporates the Performance Package and other features on the base GTI S and 4Motion all-wheel drive now offered on the Golf SportWagen S and the new Golf Alltrack. With that new, larger Tiguan for the U.S. still about a year off, VW hopes it can sway some Subaru shoppers with a new jacked-up wagon and all-wheel drive on its wagons.
In fact, the biggest theme of the changes from VW of America is that it’s trimming the fat to boost popular (and presumably popular) models. GTI 2-doors only come in base S grade, the V6 CC is gone (although a less expensive Passat V6 SE is added) and most models add safety and technology features as standard equipment.


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Almost everyone who is concerned about severe food allergies has seen the recent study which shows that a huge percentage of food allergic kids gets bullied for having food allergies.
We've seen situations where adults have gone to restaurants and made specific requests that food items they are allergic to not be included in a dish that they've ordered. However, those food items were still in the dish and were actually concealed.
I could never figure out why that happened until I saw that study about bullying. I guess these are just the same bullies acting in the same way now that they are grown up and have jobs. I also can only assume that if they had been properly educated that doing this could seriously injure or kill a person, they wouldn't do it. So I put that as much on the employer as on the person who prepared the meal.