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BUFFALO, N.Y. (FNS) -- The grand opening this month of Village Farms of Buffalo here marks a success story about taking an abandoned industrial facility that was an eyesore and turning it back into productive land -- in this case, producing vine-ripened tomatoes for retail sale.
The wholly-owned subsidiary of Agro Power Development, East Brunswick, N.J., is a state-of-the-art intensive agricultural greenhouse complex designed to grow true, vine-ripe tomatoes. It has eight other Village Farms in New York, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Texas. The Buffalo facility, located on the former Republic Steel site, has 18 acres of greenhouse and a 54,450-square-foot packing, mechanical and administrative building.
The entire operation has signed up a number of large retail accounts already, including Tops, Wegmans, H-E-B, Weis Markets and Giant. Another chain, Safeway, ran a test program with the tomatoes, according to an official there. Part of the appeal for retailers, say Village Farms representatives, is the year-round availability of tomatoes, which are locally grown as well.
In particular, the Buffalo Village Farms operation is expected to produce annually 8 million pounds of vine-ripened tomatoes in cluster or on the vine varieties.
The tomatoes are grown hydroponically, meaning that the roots of each plant are placed in a growing medium of fibrous volcanic rock, called "rock wool," which also isolates the plants from any possible remaining contamination. They are fed a rich diet through computer-controlled supplies of water, fertilizer and carbon dioxide, and the climate inside the greenhouse is carefully controlled, too.
Whenever possible, natural methods are used to combat disease and pests, and bumblebees are introduced on a weekly basis to pollinate the tomato plants.
The taste of the tomatoes is "excellent," claimed Donald Aiello, senior vice president of sales and marketing, Village Farms. Tomatoes are probably third in produce sales after bananas and potatoes, but are at the bottom in taste satisfaction "until the greenhouse product came along," he said.
For consumers, "the taste hasn't been there in terms of their memory and experience," he said. But the flavor of the greenhouse-grown tomato has helped to change that perception, despite its higher price tag. "We have some customers where the [greenhouse tomato] category is 60% of all the tomatoes they sell," Aiello said.
Pricing of the Village Farms tomatoes is competitive, Aiello continued. "We pride ourselves in being able to deliver a high-quality fruit 12 months a year [between its northern and southern facilities]. If it's not good quality, we won't pack it."
VIPs on hand for the grand opening ceremonies and a tour of the brownfield development project included New York Governor George Pataki, Buffalo Mayor Anthony Masiello, and Charles Gargano, who is chairman of the Empire State Development Corporation. There they saw the results of efforts, in which Vice President Al Gore has been instrumental, to influence initiatives that remove legal barriers to redevelopment and that offer targeted tax incentives to businesses that purchase and clean up brownfield sites, such as the one in Buffalo.
This is the first major venture in Buffalo's brownfield redevelopment effort. Construction of the $14.5 million agricultural facility started in mid 1997, and it actually opened around the end of 1997 when Village Farms first began planting the seedlings, according to Aiello.


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Effective July 1, All State Liquor Stores To Have Uniform, Expanded Operating Hours | Business
Monday – Thursday: 10:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Friday – Saturday: 10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Sunday: 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. (58 state stores open on Sunday)
“Having standard, reliable hours will be a significant improvement in convenience for our customers,” said Washington State Liquor Control Board (WSLCB) Chair Sharon Foster. “It took an investment by the Governor and Legislature to make it possible. We are excited and thankful to have this opportunity and look forward to providing this service to our customers and returning additional revenue as well.”
“The later hours are not expected to compromise our top priority - public safety,” said WSLCB Administrative Director Pat Kohler. “Washington State liquor stores have among the nation’s highest no-sales-to-minors compliance rate at 95 percent. Additionally, state store employee wages are not based on sales, so they do not have an incentive to sell to teens or apparently intoxicated people.”

domain: news


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Gen Digital is a victim of the Cl0p hacker group that’s exploiting the MOVEit file sharing platform vulnerability. Developers had been promised a strong set of software program instruments to create the corresponding software program when Apple launched the Vision Pro mixed reality headset. Pei posted a picture of the transparent cable with no caption and wrote “caption this” within the type of a Gif. Several US and European government companies use encryption chips made by a Chinese firm with ties to the Chinese military and intelligence, according to an investigation by Ars Technica. The firm claims that it’s a faster and extra private expertise than traditional testing as a end result of the software makes use of machine learning to pick questions which are relevant to the person.
The security of the customers could be in danger as a result of the chips have not been audited or certified. The well-liked website builder and internet hosting service has introduced that it has acquired the domain name registrar service from Google. The deal will permit customers to simply register and manage their domain names through the Squarespace platform. The Tech News Space staff screens and delivers information from the world of high technology, science, and the gaming trade in a well timed method.
On Wednesday, Apple launched patches to fix a vulnerability that could permit a program to be put in with out consumer intervention. The detection of Triangulation (TriangleDB) on Apple phones was announced three weeks in the past. Dozens of phones belonging to laboratory employees and other folks had been in danger. We need to attend to see if the present assist package is going to be enough to offer the stimulation this sector wants, because the potential advantages to have a bigger Semiconductor business within the UK cannot be ignored. Under the “system settings” in Realme units, there’s a feature known as Enhanced Intelligent Services.
There Have Been High Quality Photographs Of The Foldable Phone Oneplus V Fold
I think all of us agree that the well being care system is not client pleasant. Our work is mission pushed and that may really encourage you. We are starting to gravitate toward well being care as a Quick foster outcome of we’re realizing how complex the issues are. It may be gratifying to work on something that isn’t accomplished before. There is an opportunity for technology to make a difference here. Things are different now and we are partaking people in new methods.
How Vedanta Makes Use Of Technology In Production
NetChoice took aim at Microsoft and Oracle in one of many public comments. The German Competition Act gives the Federal Cartel Office extra energy to crack down on anticompetitive behavior by tech giants. The Federal Cartel Office last year categorized Alphabet as an organization of “paramount significance for competition across markets”, allowing for closer monitoring of attainable abuse of its market position. The variety of 5G cellular subscriptions in India will reach 10 million by the end of 2022, in accordance with a current report. According to the study, this figure will enhance to around 700 million by the top of the year, accounting for over half of all cell subscriptions. There isn’t any substance behind the work that could be complex and fascinating.
As a part of its ongoing efforts to give attention to its core services, Google determined to sell its.com domain to Squarespace It has a software program product that can be utilized to assess youngsters for special education and mental well being providers. The firm claims that it can ease the stress on colleges and the healthcare system. A grant from the government backed agency for supporting innovative companies has given funding to an organization that designs software for young folks with special instructional needs. Users can lengthy press on images while shopping to access the Lens function in the Chrome browser on the iPad.
The development of foldable phones is not going to be missing from the market either. According to leaked images from distinguished source Steve Hemmerstoffer, generally identified as OnLeaks, we are in a position to get a glimpse of the upcoming OnePlus V Fold foldable phone. The outsourcing of IT work to India has been a development for large companies since earlier than the flip of the century, with waves of outsourcing and the institution of captive technology centres. Businesses are increasing their footprints in business and tech hubs like Bangalore andPune. 600 knowledge and cyber safety specialists are going to be employed by Lloyds Banking Group as part of its digital transformation, which incorporates opening a tech centre in India.
The firm works with tech companies to develop in home improvements that handle business challenges and implement viable projects. High tech functions of metal have been added to the company’s portfolio. In the monetary yr that led to June, it produced half of India’s aluminum, at 2.29 million tonnes, and is ramping up production in cities corresponding to Jharsuguda and Korba. The social community has stopped paying for companies from the cloud. After shopping for a company that stopped paying each Google and different companies, the corporate is attempting to mend their relationship.
There isn’t any incentive to faux that talking to an individual isn’t true. The most important development in well being care will most likely be across the information units that people have in their heads. The mixed firm will work to enhance care supply capabilities, decrease costs, enhance levels of engagement and enable broad entry to prime quality take care of Medicare Advantage customers, according to the statement. The company confronts them with expertise, knowledge, abilities and proactive action despite challenges like legacy infrastructure, lack of readiness, and resistance to alter.
The affected states and prospects have been notified by Move It. The company has been attempting for a long time to convince prospects to purchase extra Chromebooks and costlier fashions with powerful hardware. It is feasible that such gadgets shall be part of the Chromebook X brand. The photographs show a again covered in either leather-based or synthetic leather and a 3 way volume button.
According to a report by ZDNet, the HR professionals are turning to Artificial Intelligence for help since some conversations could be tough. The chips are utilized in units that defend communications and information. HiSilicon is a subsidiary ofHuawei, which has been banned in the US and different international locations for posing a nationwide security risk. Even although it was created to compete with other online services, the product by no means gained a lot traction amongst customers.


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Yesterday on 10th July 2020 some of the popular apps Pinterest, PUNG Mobile, Spotify, Tinder, and several other apps were crashing for iOS users. iOS users took social media platforms to raise the issue-reporting about the app crash when loaded on the iPhone or iPad. According to Facebook, the issue was in its software development kit (SDK) and has now been resolved.
Few iOS users reported this on twitter that few apps on their iPhone were crashing. The outrage was also seen for these apps on DownDetector. According to the website, the issue started popping up around 4 PM IST. However, for Android users everything was fine.
According to the reports, the apps were crashing because of a Facebook SDK issue. Most of these apps use Facebook accounts to login to the application, and as the issue was in Facebook’s SDK, iOS users were not able to use those apps that required Facebook login.
PUBG mobile was most affected due to the SDK issue. The owner of PUBG Mobile, Tencent is organizing the PUBG Mobile World League. Initially, the PMWL time and date were scheduled to be July 10 from 5:30 PM. But, due to the app crash issue, ESports players were unable to login to the game, and PubG Mobile castle rescheduled the event until tomorrow.
To let you know, Tencent is organizing the first inaugural world league event. It’s a massive event where PUBG Mobile teams around the world will head face to face. The event has prize money ranging from $7,000 to $100,000 for the top teams.
In a statement PubG Mobile said,
We are aware of the current login problem iOS users are encountering with PUBG MOBILE currently and we have been informed that this issue is affecting multiple apps and games on iOS and we are actively working with related platforms and supporting to solve the problem
Now, Facebook has confirmed on its developer platform that the issue has been fixed. And iOS users can use the apps using Facebook login without any issue. The company said a code change triggered crashes for some iOS apps.
We are aware and investigating an increase in errors on the iOS SDK which is causing some apps to crash.
To recall you, this is not the first time, when an issue occurred in the Facebook SDK. Earlier in May, the same thing happened when several users reported similar issues and found the problem was with Facebook’s SDK. At that time, Facebook disabled a server configuration, which forced its SDK to crash the apps.


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It’s the battle of the mobile plans lately, and consumers aren’t complaining. In the latest attempt at affordable pricing AT&T has introduced “Best Ever Family Plans”
With the Best Ever Family Plans, you can connect up to 10 smartphones and get unlimited calls and unlimited text . If you want to calculate the price, start off with $100 for 10 GB of data, and add $15 per line. Let’s not forget that AT&T is offering $100 off to new customers that switch over to AT&T (Check out that deal HERE). Makes more sense if you already have a phone that you don’t have to make payments on, or else the price would come out to just about the same.
You can check out how the plan works below:
AT&T “Best Ever” Press Release
Get ready to take advantage of AT&T’s1 (NYSE:T) best-ever prices for people wanting a family-size bucket of data and unlimited talk and text on the nation’s most reliable 4G LTE network.2 As an example, a family of four can now get unlimited talk and text, and 10GB of data – enough for the whole family to share – for $160 a month.
New Customers Can Switch and Save
Customers new to AT&T can get these best-ever prices on AT&T’s award-winning network when they sign up for a 10GB or larger bucket of data and purchase a phone with AT&T NextSM (no annual service contract and get a new device every year for $0 down) or bring their own device or purchase a phone at full retail price.
Here’s an example: Today, Verizon charges $260 monthly for a comparable plan that’s now $160 from AT&T. A family with four smartphones with unlimited talk and text, and a shared 10GB bucket of data, could switch to AT&T from Verizon and save $100 a month. In addition to the big monthly savings, the family in this example would get a $400 bill credit for the four smartphone lines of service added.4
Savings for Current AT&T Customers
Current AT&T customers can save big with these new plans, too, when they choose a 10GB or larger bucket of data. For example, a family or small business with four smartphones could move to this new plan and save between $40 and $100 per month, depending on their current plan.5
“These new plans give customers what they want – our best-ever prices on a best-in-class network,” said David Christopher, chief marketing officer, AT&T Mobility. “We’re making it easy for families who want it all – great service, great value and big bucket of data to share.”
Also, for a limited time only, all new and existing AT&T customers will receive a $100 bill credit for each new line of service added – whether a smartphone, tablet, feature phone, mobile hotspot or AT&T Wireless Home Phone.6
Starting tonight, customers can learn more about the new plans and determine which plan is best for them at www.att.com/mobilesharesavings.
Is this new plan making you think twice about switching over to or from AT&T?


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1 month to GDPR: The forgotten “cookie law” and what businesses need to do right now
With business owners across Britain preoccupied with GDPR compliance ahead of next month’s introduction, its forgotten sibling the so-called cookie law? could also change the way brands communicate with consumers and collect data. So what should firms being doing right now to prepare for new regulations?
This article was updated on 25/04/2018
What is ePrivacy regulation?
While ePrivacy and GDPR are both EU-led directives, they are not the same and understanding the differences is crucial for both business owners and consumers.
Fresh research from Mailjet considered the impact of the ePrivacy regulation, or the “cookie law”, on marketing strategies at UK companies. The platform surveyed 400 marketers in the UK and France to see what direction the changes could take brands in.
New ePrivacy regulations will take on board the definitions of privacy and data included in GDPR and create detailed guidelines over specific areas. The regulations are an extension of the existing EU ePrivacy directive, otherwise known as the cookie directive, taking GDPR into account.
The cookie law was due to arrive alongside GDPR in May, but the regulation is yet to be finalised and could have to wait a little longer.
__________________________________________________________________________________ GDPR factsheet: It isnt just about customers, it matters for employee data tooThis May will see a change in the rules governing management the personal data of EU citizens. Is your business ready for the changes to the way employee data is handled?
What is going to change?
Under ePrivacy changes, online users will be able to set cookie permissions from their internet browser. Subsequently, users will be faced with cookie request pop-ups upon arriving at a website. The ease of potential opt-outs could mean the withdrawal of millions of consumer datasets from brands and digital marketers, according to Mailjet.
Some 91 per cent of respondents to Mailjet’s international survey expected these pop-ups to directly cause of a loss of traffic by restricting access to some, or all, of a website’s content.?However, 57 per cent believed the traffic loss could only be around ten per cent.
Of greater concern could be the loss of user tracking via websites. Almost a third of UK marketers claimed the most important information from cookies they collected was via Google Analytics, suggesting alternative data sources would become even more vital.
Return of email marketing
A sudden loss of direct traffic on such a scale could see brands shift to new marketing channels. Almost eight in ten respondents admitted email marketing could emerge as a practical channel for procuring data. Meanwhile, 72 per cent would invest more in social messaging services, while two-thirds were looking to Amazon as a direct communication channel.
Commenting on the how changes to ePrivacy could affect brands, Michyl Culos, head of marketing communications at Mailjet, said: ePrivacy will impact marketers across the world in many different ways.
immediate concerns will likely centre on the loss of data fuelling customer experiences and revenue, the longer term opportunity of browser-level cookie approval means both B2B and B2C brands will have to focus strategically on how they can grow and maintain the most valuable customer insights that really drive their business forward.
__________________________________________________________________________________ Uber data leak could have earned 17.75m fine under GDPRExperts have suggested Uber would have faced the harshest penalties of incoming GDPR rules following a data breach affecting 57m of its users.
One month to GDPR: What businesses need to do now
Over the last year, our experts have been helping company owners get their house in order ahead of GDPR. Here are their essential tips.
Undertake an organisation-wide data audit
Ryan Wain, chief marketing officer at Unlimited Group, advised decision makers to undertake a full audit on data held by a business.
“By doing this you will understand and identify what data you have, where it is and how it is being used, ” he said.
In today's digital world, youd be hard-pressed to find a business that didnt use the internet for one process or another. As a result, warning about cyber attacks are never too far from the headlines. more»
To assist small business owners in preparing for new data protection legislation, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has confirmed that a dedicated GDPR helpline will go live on 1 November 2017. more»


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- Unveils master plan to set up new truck bus radial tyre plant
- To double production of radials and motorcycle tyres and grow exports
- Investment- a mix of internal funds and borrowings
CEAT Kelani Holdings yesterday announced an infusion of Rs.3 billion in new investments for the enhancement of manufacturing capacity, new product development and growth of exports, in a significant vote of confidence in the prospects for the India–Sri Lanka joint venture tyre manufacturing operation.
The investments, made up of internal funds and borrowings, will see the establishment of a state-of-the-art plant in Kelaniya for the manufacture of Truck Bus Radials (TBRs) and the expansion of the existing cutting-edge passenger car radial tyre plant at the same location, the company said.
New machinery already on the way from Europe, when commissioned circa June-July 2018 will commence the production of truck bus radial tyres.
The company also plans to double CEAT Kelani’s passenger car radial (PCR), van and SUV radial tyre production from a current 500,000 tyres a year to 850,000 a year, CEAT Kelani Holdings Chairman Chanaka de Silva told media yesterday.
The company’s motorcycle tyre manufacturing capacity, currently at 375,000 tyres a year, would also double as a result of the investment, de Silva disclosed.
The first ever domestic production of truck bus radials in Sri Lanka will lead to noteworthy import substitution, substantial saving of foreign exchange, the transfer of the latest international knowhow and technology for the manufacture of this category of tyre, and the launch of TBRs designed and built for local conditions, he said.
“This new investment is part of CEAT-Kelani’s investment master plan in Sri Lanka, and is projected to generate a substantial increase in turnover over the next three years from Rs 10.5 billion in 2016-17, de Silva added. The joint venture’s cumulative investment in Sri Lanka to date totals Rs.5billion.
Anant Goenka, Managing Director of CEAT Limited India, and CEAT Kelani Holdings Managing Director Vijay Gambhire joined their fellow directors of the joint venture (one of the most successful ventures benefitting from the Indo-Lanka FTA), at the announcement of the new investments.
“CEAT India is happy with the progress of the joint venture in Sri Lanka, which completes 20 years this year,” Goenka said.
“Our focus now is on taking the extensive portfolio of Sri Lanka made tyres to the next level in terms of performance specifications and attributes, to keep pace with product developments in highly developed markets. CEAT India has already gone down this road, and CEAT Kelani enjoys the benefit of our technological knowhow and market experience,” he added.
CEAT Kelani Holdings Managing Director Vijay Gambhire said: “The CEAT brand currently accounts for nearly half of Sri Lanka’s pneumatic tyre requirements and exports about a third of its production in Sri Lanka.
Our market share in the passenger car radials segment is steady at 32 percent, and we enjoy a 51 percent share of the market for truck and light truck tyres. The rapid ‘radialisation’ of the commercial tyre segment in Sri Lanka makes us confident that this is the ideal time to invest in expansion of production capabilities.”
With part of the investment for radials going into upgrading tyre building equipment and techniques, new tyre presses, upgrading of compound mixing technology and global-standard machinery and technology, CEAT will continue to enhance its capabilities in the manufacture of high-end premium radial tyres for the SUV and luxury vehicle segments, move up the value chain in the radial category and double market share in the segment, he said.
The company also plans to increase its focus on developing products based on functional and performance platforms such as fuel saving, long tyre life and premier performance, Gambhire added.
In the motorcycle tyre segment, CEAT Kelani currently manufactures 33 sizes that fit the majority of popular models including high-performance superbikes. These tyres are manufactured at a state-of-the-art plant commissioned at the company’s Kelaniya complex in 2015. Part of the Rs. 3 billion investment is intended to upgrade manufacturing technology for these tyres while doubling capacity.
CEAT Kelani’s manufacturing operations in Sri Lanka encompass the radial, commercial, motorcycle, three-wheeler and agricultural machinery segments.
The brand accounts for market shares of 32 percent in the radial segment, 51 percent in the truck/light truck category, 54 percent in the 3-wheeler segment, 23 percent in the motorcycle segment and 72 percent in the agricultural tyre category.
CEAT Sri Lanka exports to 15 countries in South Asia, the Middle East, Africa and the Far East.


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Human Centered Design (HCD) is arguably a concept triggered by the famous work of Christopher Alexander, Notes on the Synthesis of Form (1964).
Part of Briglobe team during the launch of their application on March 20 at ‘Frideation’.
Even as the Kenya Government is putting in place measures geared towards achieving a cash-light economy for its people, and eventually a cashless one, many Kenyans are still using hard cash,
An InvestRoot founder doing an elevator pitch at #Frideation.
On the Friday of August 1 2014, in the presence of keen tech enthusiasts and knowledge lovers, Intelligent Traffic was making a pitching debut at #Frideation .
One of the founding members of Tevat, an online investment and crowd-funding platform.
Part of the team doing wonders at Techxus Systems.
Pitching was Victor Wekesa, co-founder Telvic Paking Solutions.
Edwin Mutuma of Ideal Animations pitching.
The group FarmDrive deliberates at the well-attended forum.


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The States of Alderney has re-established a free moorings and water taxi offer to Bailiwick visitors and the deal will run until September 12th.
Earlier this week the States announced that they were terminating the offer from 10th August, despite the fact Visit Alderney had promoted the offer in Guernsey media as running until at least September 1st.
Revenue from the 70 visitor moorings, which are sold for £20 per night, goes to Harbour Office coffers and the reason given for withdrawing the offer was because it was adding to the HO deficit, which currently stands at £180,000.
The cost of the offer will now be met by the Economic Development Fund, which has been in surplus since the start of Coronavirus restrictions.
The General Services Committee decision was reached in a ‘remote’ vote after listening to the views of local businesses and elected Members.


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Small businesses find opportunity in slow economy
from The Columbus Dispatch
Politicians in Washington have differing ideas about how to jump-start the U.S. economy, but most agree that entrepreneurship and small business will be the driving forces behind a long-term recovery. This year, Congress has passed two major job-creation packages, and, in each case, small business was a big focus.
7701 Las Colinas Blvd., Ste. 800, Irving, TX 75063


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Vitra Acquires Artek
September 11, 2013,
NEW YORK--Vitra, the Swiss furniture manufacturer, has acquired Artek, the Finnish design company founded by architect and designer Alvar Aalto in 1935.
For the past 20 years, Artek was owned by Proventus, a capital development privately held firm.
"We are all so excited about the new partnership that has been sealed... in the world of design. We are looking forward to even greater growth and opportunity in the marketplace that we've been building since we started Artek USA in 2010," said Simone Vingerhoets, executive vice president of Artek.
Other Articles By Author
SPONSORED: Abbyson's Fashion-Forward Collections Shine in High Point


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In a surprising turn, Korean studio IMC Games has resumed development on its MMORPG Wolf Knights (thanks 2P). Previously, development of Wolf Knights was dropped in favor of concentrating on the Korean and international versions of IMC Games’s other MMORPG Tree of Savior.
Around the beginning of August, the official Wolf Knights website was updated with a message that says a new beta site for the game will be launched on August 14th. Alongside that, the game’s YouTube channel had several videos uploaded to it that showcase each of the available classes, as well as the character customization tool.
Wolf Knights was first announced back in 2013. It’s the latest project Kim Hakkyu, who is the lead developer on Tree of Savior, and also acted in the same role for Ragnarok Online and Granado Espada. It focuses on large-scale online battles.


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AT&T will stop sales of services in 7 states
NEW YORK - AT&T Corp. said Wednesday it will stop selling traditional local and long-distance residential service in seven states, blaming its move on a court decision that it says will result in higher prices for its use of regional networks.
AT&T will stop marketing its traditional services to residential customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, New Hampshire, Ohio, Tennessee and Washington. Existing customers will be able to keep their service and the announcement does not affect business or government customers.
The company also will continue to sell its voice-over Internet protocol services in the seven states. The service comes into homes over broadband connections such as DSL lines or cable, bypassing access fees that have been a source of contention between AT&T and its regional rivals.
AT&T has 4.3 million residential customers nationwide and 30 million long-distance customers. It would not disclose how many customers it has in the states where it will stop selling its traditional service.
The company said its decision came as a result of a court ruling that overturned Federal Communications Commission rules requiring the regional Bell companies to sell access to their networks at a discount. The company said the rates it pays the Bells could increase as early as November, meaning "AT&T will likely be unable to economically serve customers with the competitive bundles currently available."
AT&T said it is reassessing its residential service in the other 39 states in which it provides local and long-distance service.
"We foresee a future with less choice for consumers," said David Dorman, chairman and CEO of AT&T.
"Competitive alternatives are simply not available today for most Americans," he added, "because as AT&T loses the ability to provide them with an alternative to the Bell companies, they will have virtually no choice of telecommunications provider."
But Scott Cleland, chief executive of Precursor, an investment research firm, called AT&T's move "a political announcement" driven by the company's anger at the Bush administration. AT&T has blamed the White House for refusing to challenge the court ruling.
"The states that are mentioned are election-sensitive states," Cleland said. "AT&T will continue to offer local service in those states."
AT&T shares rose 7 cents to close at $16.41 Wednesday on the New York Stock Exchange.
In recent years, the bulk of AT&T's revenue has come from business customers. In 2003, revenue from that segment was $24.9 billion, while revenue from residential customers was $9.4 billion.
Long-distance price wars and the substitution of cell phones for hard-wired phones have depressed AT&T's revenue for the past four years. In its 2003 annual report, the company said it expects a 7 percent to 10 percent decline in long-distance voice revenue this year.
"The traditional carrier long-distance business is in very bad shape," said Farooq Hussain of the Network Conceptions LLC consulting group. "We're looking to see who survives. MCI and AT&T are the most damaged, since they don't have any wireless."
Of AT&T, he said, "This is a ship that's sinking."


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Instagram leads as the primary choice of brand for influencer marketing: Buzzoka report
Leading influencer marketing company Buzzoka launched the fourth edition of its Influencer Marketing Outlook report this week.
The annual survey, which offers a comprehensive look at the influencer marketing landscape and its impact on consumer-facing brand communication and marketing, revealed that Instagram leads as the primary choice of brands (for influencer marketing) in India.
As many as 82 percent of brands in 2020 opted for Instagram to promote their brands. This was followed by YouTube, at 41 percent.
Ashutosh Harbola, Founder and CEO of Buzzoka, said:
"As the world saw a phenomenal crisis that literally broke the neck of advertising spends globally, influencer marketing saw similar declining numbers. But as times progress, we see a V-shaped recovery in the influencer marketing landscape and are confident the next financial year will be a fruitful one for the industry."
Key highlights of 2020-2021
- Instagram leads as the primary choice of brands in 2020 with 82 percent of marketers' choice. This is followed by YouTube at 41 percent.
- 64 percent brands spend less than $100,000 per year on influencer campaigns. However, 15 percent brands went above $1,000,000 per year.
- 38 percent brand custodians feel influencer marketing is becoming more important with each passing year due to better reach and engagement.
- 82 percent marketers believe Instagram has been the most effective influencer marketing channel in 2020 whereas only 5 percent incline towards .
- According to 72 percent marketers, influencer marketing is the fastest growing online customer acquisition method whereas 4 percent still believe email marketing is.
- Indian short video apps are over-priced which is a challenge faced by 45 percent brands.
- 55 percent marketers have not successfully executed an influencer marketing campaign on any of the available DIY tools whereas 40 percent have tried to but were not satisfied.
Forecast for 2021-2022
- According to the brand custodians, the top three platforms in 2021-2022 for influencer marketing will be Instagram (94 percent) Mx Takatak(52 percent) and YouTube (52 percent).
- 45 percent marketers think Mx Takatak will be very effective to drive influencer marketing in Tier I and Tier II markets.
- 53 percent brand custodians feel Instagram reels cannot become an effective alternative for TikTok in the coming year.
- 70 percent brands feel common people have an extremely important role in the influencer marketing ecosystem in the coming years.
- 51 percent marketers feel influencer marketing is ready for a DIY-product revolution.
- 87 percent brand custodians feel 2021-2022 will be the year for influencer marketing as 2001-2022 was for digital.
Edited by Teja Lele


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High Times recently attended a conference that featured a panel of scientists, physicians, inventors, designers and entrepreneurs—all of whom were women.
The seminar focused on the critical role science plays in the cannabis industry, and while they were at it—the rise of women in the industry.
The event was hosted by Intersection Seattle, a concept and collective that describes itself as the place “where science, wellness, and the cannabis industry meet.”
The conclusion drawn by High Times was that female scientists and developers are leading the charge.
Women Weed Warriors
Take Oregon-based Dr. Janice Knox, who, after nearly four decades as an anesthesiologist, retired and became an expert in cannabis therapeutics and endocannabinology.
“How could I be a physician and not be interested in the endocannabinoid system?” she asked.
Knox teamed up with her husband, Dr. David Knox, as well as both of her physician daughters, Dr. Jessica Knox and Dr. Rachel Knox, to form a cannabis-based practice. Dr. Rachel Knox is also the current medical chair for the Minority Cannabis Business Association.
Research biologist, Jessica Tonani, co-founder and CEO of Verda Bio, a bio-tech company sequencing the cannabis genome, told the conference that she is encouraging legislation to allow cannabis research businesses to operate in Washington State.
“The research that needs to be done on this plant isn’t reinventing the wheel; it’s just doing what we need to do,” said Tonani, who also co-founded Basic Jane.
CEO of Eden Labs AC Braddock agreed.
“This industry will not flourish and move forward unless it’s based on a medical platform,” she said.
Braddock also wants to see a paradigm shift away from the “patriarchal basis of power that has been running our world for thousands of years.”
“Hopefully, what we’re seeing is the last gasp and burnout of an old way of politics and medicine,” Braddock said.
Women Take Leading Roles In The Cannabis Industry
Currently, women fill 36 percent of executive positions in companies that grow, test, sell and market cannabis products. A recent survey by Marijuana Business Daily showed that women own and operate 35 percent of the country’s medical and retail cannabis shops.
Mara Gordon, founder of Aunt Zelda’s and Zelda Therapeutics, got involved as an MMJ patient when testing and dosing information did not exist. This compelled Gordon, formerly a process engineer, to “solve the dosing conundrum.”
Gordon now specializes in developing treatment protocols using bio-pharmaceutical grade cannabis extracts for cancer and other seriously ill patients.
“I created a practice with platforms and medicines that could be understood,” said Gordon, “with testing labs and software to allow doctors to make dosing recommendations.”
Sarah Blankinship, CEO of biotech firm Right Sciences, previously worked in global information security for Microsoft.
“If you’d have told me I was going to end up in the cannabis industry, I would have thought you were smoking too much of what we’re here talking about tonight,” said Blankenship.
April Pride, founder of cannabis lifestyle brand Van der Pop, which was recently purchased by Tokyo Smoke, believes in female marketing techniques and insists women are key in the cannabis space. Van der Pop’s goal is to normalize weed and make it part of an acceptable lifestyle.
Discussing the stigma connected to women’s increasing cannabis use, Pride pointed to reports confirming “nearly half of women who try CBD stop taking pharmaceuticals once they see how effective it is.”
With cannabis expected to bloom into a $50 billion dollar industry by 2026, it is a potential gold mine for anyone with the nerve to get involved. And, everyone knows, if women have anything, it’s nerves of steel.
For this reason, instead of utilizing the usual corporate modus operandi of their male counterparts, women are creating communities and networks to coexist and excel in the industry.
This is the goal of Intersection, which describes itself as a “women-driven events company highlighting women in business in emerging industries,” with a commitment to empower women globally.
As AC Braddock said: “All we have to do is keep backing it and doing what we’re doing, because we’re on the precipice of massive change.”
How could we not be with so many women taking the lead in this industry who are determined to do things differently?


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Freedom Boat Club Expands its Presence in Australia Announcing Three Upcoming New Locations and its First Franchise Operator
SYDNEY – April 5, 2023 – Freedom Boat Club, a Brunswick Corporation (NYSE: BC) business and the world’s largest boat club, announced today the planned opening of three new locations in Australia at Bobbin Head, Pittwater, and Lake Macquarie. These new locations will provide direct access to picturesque waterways north of Sydney. Together with the previously announced company-operated location on Sydney Harbour at d’Albora’s the Spit Marina, these three new locations will begin the process of quickly scaling Freedom’s presence in the Asia-Pacific region, replicating its successful model in North America and Europe.
“We are thrilled to continue our growth into truly stunning and popular yet accessible boating locations in Australia,” said David Kurczewski, General Manager, Shared Services Asia-Pacific. “We are confident in Darren and Nicky’s ability to expand marine participation in this market with their clear passion for the on-water lifestyle, and commitment to delivering impeccable service. We look forward to our growing our partnership and supporting our members in the region.”
The new clubs will be franchise locations led by Darren Vaux, Managing Director of Empire Marinas Group, president of ICOMIA and previous president of the Boating Industry Association in Australia, and Nicky Vaux, the Boat Princess and Director of the Marina Industries Association, who have more than 40 combined years of marine industry experience.
“One of our key drivers is helping people access the boating lifestyle and Freedom Boat Club is a world leader in this regard. With full member training, access to boats in incredible locations and affordable, flexible memberships Freedom really is boating reimagined,” said Nicky Vaux. “As boaters ourselves it’s great for us to be able to share the passion.”
"Freedom Boat Club creates a new, accessible and affordable pathway to the boating lifestyle for seasoned and first-time boaters alike,” said Darren Vaux. What makes the Freedom model so compelling is that members not only have access to the outstanding range of boats available through the Brunswick brands, but also access to fleets of boats in more than 380 locations worldwide.”
The locations are planned to open in July 2023 with a wide selection of boats, including bowriders, ribs, center consoles and enclosed cabins, delivering members a variety of on-water experiences to suit their needs. Through Freedom’s best-in-class operating model, members will have access to professional training and the ability to explore all of Broken Bay, Pittwater and Lake Macquarie, as well as any of Freedom’s 380+ locations worldwide.
About Freedom Boat Club
Freedom Boat Club, a division of Brunswick Corporation (NYSE: BC) and headquartered in Venice, FL., is the world’s oldest and largest boat club with more than 380 locations in 34 states, Canada, Europe and Australia. More information about Freedom Boat Club and membership opportunities can be found at FreedomBoatClub.au and franchise opportunities at FreedomBoatClubFranchise.com.
Brunswick Corporation (NYSE: BC) is the global leader in marine recreation, delivering innovation that transforms experiences on the water and beyond. Our unique, technology-driven solutions are informed and inspired by deep consumer insights and powered by our belief that “Next Never Rests™”. Brunswick is dedicated to industry leadership, to being the best and most trusted partner to our many customers, and to building synergies and ecosystems that enable us to challenge convention and define the future. Brunswick is home to more than 60 industry-leading brands. In the category of Marine Propulsion, these brands include, Mercury Marine, Mercury Racing and MerCruiser. Brunswick’s comprehensive collection of parts, accessories, distribution, and technology brands includes Mercury Parts & Accessories, Land ‘N’ Sea, Lowrance, Simrad, B&G, Mastervolt, RELiON, Attwood and Whale. Our boat brands are some of the best known in the world, including Boston Whaler, Lund, Sea Ray, Bayliner, Harris Pontoons, Princecraft and Quicksilver. Our service, digital and shared-access businesses include Freedom Boat Club, Boateka and a range of financing, insurance, and extended warranty businesses. While focused primarily on the marine industry, Brunswick also successfully leverages its portfolio of advanced technologies to deliver an exceptional suite of solutions in mobile and industrial applications. Headquartered in Mettawa, IL, Brunswick has more than 18,500 employees operating in 29 countries. In 2022, Brunswick was named by Forbes as a World’s Best Employer and as one of America’s Most Responsible Companies by Newsweek, both for the third consecutive year. For more information, visit brunswick.com.
Released April 5, 2023


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January 21, 2020
For the second straight year, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) organized the world’s largest startup competition in tourism. Launched in 2018, this initiative works to identify and reward the new companies that will lead to the transformation of the global tourism sector within the framework of innovation and sustainability.
The UNWTO, in association with Turismo de Portugal and Globalia (leading tourism group in Spain and Latin America), announced the winners of the 2nd Tourism Startup Competition.
The final event happened on eve of FITUR, Spain’s biggest and most important tourism trade fair. The event was attended by UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili, Javier Hidalgo, CEO of Globalia and Luís Araújo, president of Tourism of Portugal.
“This competition shows how much talent is out there, in countries large and small. And while the ideas may be very different, they all have one goal in common: making tourism smarter, better, and ensuring it contributes to sustainable development”, said Mr. Pololikashvili announcing the winners.
In all, the UNWTO awarded eight prizes, each for a different category.
Turismo de Portugal awarded the Innovative Solutions in Tourism award to HiJiffy (Portugal). HiJiffy centralizes, automates and measures all hotel customer service activities.
The Special Recognition in Sustainability prize, supported by UNWTO and Globalia has gone to Live Electric Tours (Portugal). This company offers tours in 100% electric vehicles.
Luís Araújo, President of Turismo de Portugal, added: “Innovation is a major force for growth and sustainability, providing the ingredients for a long-term success in the tourism sector. The UNWTO Tourism Startup Competition’s finalists applications highlight the most innovative solutions to the future of the tourism sector. This provides a great opportunity to establish international contacts and to push innovation to the next level.”
In its first two editions, the UNWTO Tourism Startup Competition has received proposals from almost 5,000 startups.
Source: UNWTO, PUBLITURIS


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Matrix, a virtual assets trading platform serving global investors, has partnered with BitGo, a provider of digital asset financial services. The union will see BitGo provide Matrix with several different options for custodial services, including hot- and cold-storage capabilities for traders utilizing the Matrix platform. The… Read More
We recently connected with James Wo, the Founder and CEO at Digital Financial Group, an investment company empowering Web 3.0 applications and blockchain or DLT -enabled platforms. Wo discussed the different products and services that his company supports. He also discussed the long-term impact that… Read More
Virtual asset trading platform Matrix, this week launched as the first regulated virtual asset multilateral trading facility (MTF) and custodian under the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) virtual asset policy framework. It is licensed by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA). The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which… Read More
UK-based decentralized communication company New Vector raised $8.5 million to help drive adoption for an alternative messaging protocol, called Matrix. The Matrix protocol has been designed to enable secure communication through end-to-end encrypted messaging platforms such as Riot.IM, which is an alternative to Slack, Telegram,… Read More
Jihan Wu, departed CEO and co-founder of the world’s largest crypto-mining hardware producer, Bitmain, will launch an OTC cryptocurrency custody and trading desk called Matrix within a month, sources to The Block report. The unnamed commenters also believe the exchange will have a tremendous advantage in… Read More
Some time ago, I created a grid comparison that addressed the differences between the various iterations of investment crowdfunding. In the US, there are effectively three different securities exemptions, created by the JOBS Act of 2012, that allow issuing business to raise capital online by… Read More
Qudian.com announced to exit from campus installment market in which it used to be the leader, and turned their focus on consumer finance. Qudian.com (previously named Qufenqi.com) announced this week that they would exit from the campus installment loan market, and made consumer finance for… Read More
Crowdfund Insider is the leading news and information website covering the emerging global industry of disruptive finance including investment crowdfunding, Blockchain, online lending, and other forms of Fintech.


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JAKARTA (TheInsiderStories)—Japanese sanitary ware brand TOTO’s distributor PT Surya Pertiwi plans to raise up to Rp1.06 trillion (US$77.37 million) from initial public offering (IPO), equal to 26 per cent of its total equity.
The company hopes to price the initial public offering of its stock between Rp1,160 and Rp1,520 a share. Presiden Direktur Tjahjono Alim said on Monday (17/04), the proceed from the IPO will use for debt repayments and to inject capital into its subsidiary PT Surya Pertiwi Nusantara (SPN).
SPN has plan to add two sanitary ware production lines and fittings to a new plant in Gresik, East Java with a production capacity of 500,000 units per year for each line. The company expects to boost its subsidiary’s production capacity to 1.5 million units by 2019.
Surya Pertiwi posted revenue of Rp2.14 trillion last year, rise by 3.38 per cent compared to 2016 of Rp2.07 trillion. The local product’s sales contributed 89.5 per cent, while the imported products sales only contributed 10.5 per cent.
The distributor established in 1917 and became the sole distributor and agent of TOTO since 1968. The company has 11 distributor chains in 14 major cities outside Jakarta areas and Surabaya and it has 100 dealers in both cities.
The current shareholders of Surya Pertiwi consist of PT Multifortuna Asindo and PT Suryaparamitra Abadi with 50 percent ownership. After the IPO, the composition of the company’s shareholders will be changed to 37.04 percent of MFA, 37.04 percent of SPA, 23.33 percent of the public, and 2.59 Employees.
Director of Surya Pertiwi Irene Hamidjaja estimated the sanitary goods will increase in line with the economic growth. The average sales of the company grow 12.2 percent in 2008-2017. This year, the company targeting the sales growth of seven percent to Rp2.29 trillion.
The underwriters for the IPO Ciptadana Sekuritas Asia. The book building is conducting on 16-24 April 2018. The company expects the effective statement from Financial Service Authority to be obtained by May 3, 2018. The public offering will be held on May 4-8, 2018 and listing on the Stock Exchange by May 14, 2018.
After IPO, the shareholders of Surya Pertiwi plans to offer 380 million shares or 14.07 per cent of its paid-in capital for the strategic investors. The two companies desire to look at the major investors of pension funds, insurance companies, long-term international investors, hedge funds, and wealth management global.
As one of Asia’s fastest emerging economies, Indonesia is enjoying a boom in construction. And with this is coming and this is creating big demand for top quality sanitary and bathroom ware in all sorts of building projects. This means lots of opportunities for international brands to make a big splash in Indonesia.


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The companies have been fighting since the start of the year when a license agreement covering Apple's use of Ericsson patents on LTE high-speed wireless technology expired. Apple complained that Ericsson had asked too much money for the patents during negotiations.
Apple sued Ericsson in January, arguing the patents are not essential for LTE technology and that the price was excessive. Ericsson counter-sued two days later, alleging Apple had infringed the patents and that the price was fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory -- the requirement for patents used in industry standards.
Patent lawsuits can be complex and often take years to go through the U.S. courts, leaving lawyers to argue about products that have become obsolete.
So companies lately have been turning more often to the ITC, which acts faster and can ban products from being imported to the U.S. if they find there is a likelihood of infringement. An import ban has an immediate effect on sales and can pressure a defendant into settling.
One of Ericsson's ITC suits involves "Apple iPhones, iPads, and other cellular-enabled products that use the 2G GSM and 4G LTE telecommunications standards." The other covers "smartphones, tablet computers, digital media players, and smartwatches."
The launch of an investigation by the ITC isn't an indication of infringement.
Martyn Williams covers mobile telecoms, Silicon Valley and general technology breaking news for The IDG News Service. Follow Martyn on Twitter at @martyn_williams. Martyn's e-mail address is email@example.com


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This article is more than 1 year old
Samsung Gear splurge skews smartwatch market Google’s way
Android score on shiny devices flooding the channel
Strategy Analytics, a market watcher, has provided an object lesson in how statistics can give a potentially skewed picture of the evolution of a new product category.
Around a million Samsung Galaxy Gear were pumped into the channel after its launch
SA yesterday claimed that Google’s OS, Android, commanded 61.1 per cent of the smartwatch market in 2013. It bases this figure almost entirely on the million or more Galaxy Gear smartwatches Samsung pumped into the channel following the device’s launch in September 2013.
As any fule kno, shipments and sales are not the same thing, especially when they include items being given away for free, but none of the three SA analysts quoted in the press release choose to draw this distinction between items handed over to consumers and products consumers make a conscious choice to buy.
SA, of course, doesn’t track over-the-counter sales so has no real data to show how many Gears - or other smartwatches, for that matter - are wrapped around punters’ wrists. However, it does think that fewer than 19,000 of the 1.9 million smartwatches that shipped during 2013 - one per cent, in other words - were bundled with phones.
A table of data included in the release contains just three entries for smartwatch operating system: Android, Firefox and Others. Bizarrely, SA has chosen not to include Pebble - without question the best known name in the smartwatch arena - as a player in its own right.
A Pebble in its competitors' shoes.
You might think this is because Pebble has a tiny, won’t-trouble-the-scorer market share. Not so. Pebble accounts for at least a third of vendors in the "Others" category, which together have a combined market share of 38.4 per cent.
Firefox’s share of the smartwatch market, however, is, according to SA, a mere 0.5 per cent. Rounding annual shipments of Firefox-based smartwatches to one decimal place, as SA does in its table, gives the Mozilla OS shipments of “0.0” million. Firefox-based smartwatches have been announced in China, but have any actually shipped? We think not.
Yet SA judges that Firefox warrants an entry of its own in the table, but that Pebble does not.
Pebble says it had sent out more than 190,000 smartwatches by 6 November 2013. Even making the (ridiculous) assumption that Pebble sold or shipped no further smartwatches in 2013, that still gives it 10 per cent of the market, far more than any player other than Google/Samsung.
We suspect Pebble’s share is much higher than this because so few other brands - excluding Samsung, of course - have shipped. We have yet to see compelling sales or shipment numbers from Meta, Martian, Cuckoo, I’m Watch or Sony.
Yet SA doesn’t see Pebble as a threat to Android’s “dominance” which in any case arises from what is effectively the involvement of a single firm, Samsung.
“Android’s main risk to its smartwatch dominance in the future will come from Apple iOS, Microsoft and perhaps Tizen or COS,” says the SA release. “These four brands have the potential scale or marketing power to offer a credible alternative to Google’s popular platform.”
That’s true, but Google’s “dominance” could equally be toppled by Samsung simply choosing to get out of the smartwatch market, or to switch to another OS. That Android is dominant is because Samsung happened to chose it, not punters did.
“We have opted at this stage to publish the main smartphone-related platforms in this press release for smartwatches, as we think that is where most of the future action will be,” SA's executive director of Wireless Device Strategies Neil Mawston told The Register. ®


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The company is having serious financial troubles, according to a Wall Street Journal report. Though no specific locations are mentioned, the company is reportedly planning to close more than 100 of its 275 stores:
If the Port Washington, N.Y.-based retail chain cannot find emergency financing, it may have to liquidate its 275 stores in 40 states, including 10 stores in the Chicago area, according to the Journal report.
Previous media reports have said that Steve & Barry’s was unable to pay its vendors because of the cash squeeze.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the principals of the chain have sought help from Sears Chairman Edward S. Lampert, a hedge-fund billionaire, as a possible investor, but that it has received little interest from potential retail investors.


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Richard Skellett, a founder of Digital Anthropologist and an expert for Future of Work, has warned of a future in which British workers have chips inserted underneath their skin.
The process has already been trialled with company BioTeq fitting 150 implants in the UK.
And Sweden-based firm Biohax told the Sunday Telegraph that it is in discussions with several British companies about microchipping.
But as humans and machines become more in-sync, it could open up all sorts of possibilities – including being able to live forever.
Speaking to Daily Star Online, Mr Skellett explained: “There’s a lot of talk at the moment about microchipping employees and there are some companies that are actually doing that.
“I can see benefits from it, but also opens up a whole roster of other things – like being reborn.”
The microchips from BioTeq are similar to those for pets and are implanted in the flesh between the thumb and forefinger.
Chips will be able to store medical data and other personal information.
Mr Skellett added: “Living forever might sound crazy at the moment because the technology isn’t quite there, but we already have the technology to clone.
“The only thing is that something may be an exact replica in terms of DNA but it may be nothing like you because we are made up of both nature and nurture.
“Well I would say that nurture is all to do with learning, you are a product of everything you have experienced, your likes and dislikes and that’s arguably your soul.
“Your soul is you, it’s your beliefs, it’s your values.
“So imagine now that you’ve got a chip, and that chip has been collecting all of your personal details, all of your learning, that effectively becomes our soul.
“It may sound ridiculous, but you may be able to take that chip out and put it in another body and live forever – it’s not actually that ridiculous, is it?”
But the tech chief warns of other problems with microchipping and says it will make it possible to be spied on 24x7.
He also warns of people “hacking” people’s chips and making them susceptible to crime, saying: “What will happen to individuals when their body-chip is hacked?
“Identifications could be stolen without the individual even being aware it has happened. It could mean that you are cloned without even knowing it by a hacker.
“Hackers and thieves being able to track the movements of people to enable both digital and physical theft.
“Our home security being breached whilst hackers know we are on holiday or at work is a risk too far. Why would we even want this information to run the risk of hacking?”


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It appears that holiday shopping will be a wee bit different this year. No big surprise there!
A recent survey found:
28% of consumers will start their holiday shopping earlier this year. Did you already start with the big online discount days last week?
Naturally, 46% are worried COVID will hinder their ability to shop and 41% want to avoid the large crowds.
So, you guessed it... 49% of consumers plan to do more shopping online this year.
52% of shoppers say they will purchase more gift cards than usual this year.
I've also included some videos below..!
Photo credit: Getty Images


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(Image source: The Wall Street Journal)
LaserShip Inc is closing on a $1.3 billion deal to buy Western U.S rival OnTrac Logistics Inc, extending its last mile delivery within the region with the emergence of e-commerce demand. With this acquisition, the company’s regional last-mile delivery will reach across states. The joint network will make a 2-day shipping option available to 74% of the U.S population.
Acquiring smaller regional operators boosts the LaserShip’s growth in a faster and cheaper way than building capacity on its own. Once the deal officially closes at the end of October, the company will own over 100 sorting and delivery hubs in 30 states and the District of Columbia, close to competing with coast-to-coast solutions of big logistics companies like FedEx and UPS.
“LaserShip’s acquisition of OnTrac is a transformative step to becoming a national last-mile delivery company by combining the eastern and western regional networks of LaserShip and OnTrac, respectively,” according to Moody’s Investors Services.
For this holiday season, LaserShip and OnTrac will still operate separately. The integration will officially start in 2022, creating a bi-coastal network.


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- China’s Factory Prices Ease as Commodity Market Surge Abates
China’s producer price gains slowed more than expected in April, adding to signs of a potential easing of global reflation fueled by the world’s second-largest economy.
- Producer price index rose 6.4 percent from a year earlier, versus a 6.7 percent Bloomberg survey estimate and 7.6 percent gain in March
- Consumer price index climbed 1.2 percent, versus 0.9 percent gain a month earlier, the statistics bureau said Wednesday
Resurgent producer prices, which rose the most in eight years in February, have helped fuel the world’s shift away from deflationary pressures and their recent easing signals that the boost may not endure for much longer. Moderated inflation also means stronger industrial profits may be harder to sustain and suggests corporate debt burdens may grow heavier.
Global commodities sank to a five-month low last week, nearly erasing the gains since Donald Trump’s surprise U.S. election win. The retreat has been led by industrial metals and oil, two sectors that fueled raw-materials price rises earlier this year on the view that faster global growth would boost demand.
“PPI has already peaked in China and it’s on the way down further from here,” said Shen Jianguang, chief Asia economist at Mizuho Securities Asia Ltd. in Hong Kong. “The shadow-banking crackdown and housing tightening policy will slow investment and a decline in global commodity prices will help China contain price pressures.”
“April’s price data add to the impression of moderating momentum in China’s economy heading into the second quarter,” Bloomberg Intelligence economists Tom Orlik and Fielding Chen wrote in a report. “Rapid gains in producer prices had buoyed corporate profits, lowered real borrowing costs, and made the corporate debt mountain a little easier to scale. Slower price increases reduce those benefits.”
“Falling prices and destocking are reinforcing each other,” said Larry Hu, head of China economics at Macquarie Securities Ltd. in Hong Kong, adding that growth is likely to slow after accelerating in the first quarter. “The Chinese economy passed its peak.”
“A softer PPI has two sides,” said Ding Shuang, chief China economist at Standard Chartered Plc in Hong Kong. “It negatively affects corporate profit but helps put down the stagflation fears people had early this year. At least there’s no need to tighten from the inflation point of view.”
- Producer prices fell 0.4 percent on month, the first drop since June
- Consumer prices climbed on non-food inflation, as airline tickets and hotel rates strengthened during the tomb-sweeping holiday in early April and the Labor Day holiday weekend at the end of last month, the National Bureau of Statistics said in a statement
- Sectors have diverged with non-metal minerals, nonferrous metals and textile prices rising, the NBS said


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Pinduoduo Heats Up Rivalry in China With Amazon Partnership
Pinduoduo, which posted high losses for the third quarter, is expanding its buyer base through a deal with Amazon, kicked off during Black Friday.
Pinduoduo Inc. (Nasdaq: PDD) is further disrupting the dominance of the two online retail giants in China, now selling products from Amazon Inc.'s (Nasdaq: AMZN) pop-up store.
The Amazon Global Store, launched last week on Pinduoduo, will run until the end of the year and sell 1,000 overseas products, according to a Reuters report.
Thus, Pinduoduo, as it expands in various directions, is further heating up the rivalry against top Chinese online retailers, JD.com (Nasdaq: JD) and Alibaba Holding Group Ltd. (NYSE: BABA; HKEX: 9988).
The four-year-old discounter platform, launched by an ex-Google engineer, continues to see high losses, however. Last month, Pinduoduo reported revenue of $1.1 billion in the third quarter on a net loss of $326.7 million. By contrast, JD scored $2.2 billion in revenue and income of $77 million. Alibaba, meanwhile, posted revenue 16 times that of PDD and 8 times that of JD. Alibaba's income was $9.9 million for the third quarter.
As of May, Alibaba and JD.com accounted for 73% of consumer product sales in China, while Pinduoduo had just 7%, according to data from online research company, Statista.
Already in October, however, PDD's founder and chairman Huang Zheng said the platform's gross merchandise volume (GMV) has surpassed that of JD, as reported by news medium KrAsia. Zheng did not disclose specific results, however.
China's three top online retailers participated in the Black Friday sales last week, seeing continuous demand for imported products in China, as Caxing Global reported today. JD.com posted surging sales in cosmetics and imported baby formula, Caixin said. Alibaba's Tmall reported 40% sales growth on Nov. 25 to 26, when it held sales ahead of America's Black Friday. Pinduoduo, meanwhile, kicked off its sales with Amazon that week.
Earlier in November, during China's largest shopping festival, Singles' Day, Pinduoduo sold more than 400,000 most iPhones, David Liu, the vice president of strategy for the company, told analysts a week ago following its third quarter results. The company did not disclose its full results for the festival.
Alibaba set a record on Singles' Day with gross merchandise volume (GMV) reaching $38.4 billion, while JD.com beat its last year totals, posting $29.2 billion in sales.
Just yesterday, Alibaba said it would raise an additional $1.7 billion after the underwriters on its initial public offering in Hong Kong last week have fully exercised the over-allotment option.
Pinduoduo's shares dropped 32 cents on Tuesday to $35.57 per ADS, while JD.com closed 1% lower, at $31.56 per ADS and Alibaba's stock slipped by $1.26 to $193.74 apiece.


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''We call on all the companies not to take advantage of the current situation,'' Georgian Economic Minister Natia Turnava said after holding a meeting with distribution companies.
She said the government would strictly control the process.
Georgian Economic Minister Natia Turnava and Agriculture Minister Levan Davitashvili met with distribution and importer companies today.
The parties discussed financial and logistic issues during the meeting, including the maintenance of supplies of food and other product.
According to Natia Turnava, the importers and distributors confirmed again that there is no problem in terms of food supplies.
Georgian Minister of Agriculture Levan Davitashvili says the government carries out the monitoring to prevent any obstacle in terms of food and items of primary necessity.
He says there is no reason for panic.
Levan Davitashvil also called on the importers and distributors not to artificially raise prices as the government will react very strictly to this.


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Volkswagen’s crippling supplier feud shows limits of penny pinching
VW agreed to compensate Bosnian parts maker Prevent Group for a canceled contract and extend their partnership for another six years.
PM Modi lays down foundation stone of new BJP headquarters
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah ...
Volkswagen, suppliers settle dispute after marathon talks
The conflict had threatened VW's profitability following last year's diesel emissio...
Libya pro-govt forces seize Islamic State headquarters in Sirte
The city's capture raised deep concerns in the West, with fears the jihadists were gaining an important foothold just across the Mediterranean from Europe.
Volkswagen diesel scandal threatens to ensnare Bosch
The case’s focus is shifting to Bosch after VW negotiated a preliminary US settlement that doesn’t include the German supplier.
Over 40% of Volkswagen owners seek emissions cheating settlement
The figure was revealed in a federal court motion by class action attorneys seeking final approval of the settlement involving 475,000 owners.
Volkswagen reaches deal to compensate US dealers for polluting diesels
VW must submit by late October its specific plans to fix the 3.0 liter vehicles, which it said include a mix of software upgrades and emissions equipment modifications.
Separatist Kashmiri groups demonstrate near UN headquarters
The demonstrators also shouted slogans in support of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani, who was killed this month by security forces in Kashmir.
CAG signs 11 UN audit reports at New York headquarters
Comptroller and Auditor General Shashi Kant Sharma, along with auditor generals of other countries, today signed 11 United Nations (UN) Audit reports.
Volkswagen plans to suspend Golf production for a few days in October, December
VW said the stoppages were part of regular production adjustments planned for the following quarter and were due to output being higher than expected.
Volkswagen begins deliveries of Ameo in India
The new model would compete with the likes of Maruti DZire, Honda Amaze, Hyundai Xcent and Ford Figo Aspire that are priced between Rs 5.21 and Rs 8.57 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).
Volkswagen eyes transportation deals to boost self-driving car plans
VW took a $300 million stake in May in ride-hailing company Gett which competes with Uber as it builds a services business that VW expects to generate billions of euros in sales by 2025.
Volkswagen files for US class action suit to be dismissed
Volkswagen wants to dismiss the Consolidated Securities Class Action Complaint, filed by the Arkansas State Highway Employees' Retirement System, VW said.
Volkswagen pauses Vento, Polo launch on MQB platform in India
The Vento sedan and the Polo hatchback on the MQB platform were under works and were slated to roll out in India in 2018-19.
Volkswagen's next gen Jetta won't be made available in India
If we dive into the numbers as well, the current generation Jetta isn't rolling out of showrooms as fast as its rivals. Volkswagen sold 1,940 units of the Jetta last year.


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Now we see the status quo is: a lot of physical stores in various industries have been blocked, or even close the phenomenon. Whether it is because of the impact of e-commerce, or the poor management of entity businesses, or the rising operating costs.
This is a socio-economic status quo, and the operating costs of companies are getting higher and higher. To open a physical store, it's better to open an online store and engage in a financial business. We don’t comment on which kind of remarks are more reliable, which actually caused the closure of our physical stores. The reason for this is not a single one. All of the above remarks are one of the factors. What we are going to discuss now is how will the fastener industry go from the close of the physical store in China?
This article discusses the current status of business operations in various industries.
The Malaysian department store Parkson Commercial Group, which has the reputation of being the first foreign-owned store, has been caught in the storm. Following the closure of Beijing Dongsihuan Store, the only store in Tianjin was closed on March 31, 2015. Wal-Mart has also been affected by the pressure of retail deflation in China. About 30% of existing Chinese stores will be closed.
The prestigious Wanda Department Store has also closed its doors, involving closures in Ningbo, Qingdao, Shenyang, and Wuhu, while Wanda Department Stores, which involves the compression of department store floors, are located in areas such as Wuxi, Xiamen, Qingdao, Yantai and Changzhou. At present, some stores have started to adjust.
Earlier this year, due to the poor performance of McDonald's globally, its global CEO was replaced. In the first quarter of this year, the net profit fell by 32.6%. McDonald's announced that it will close 700 stores worldwide this year, including 220 underperforming stores in the United States and China, including about 80 in China. In the same way, another foreign fast-food giant, KFC, operates in an average condition.
Belle International’s latest retail sales data for the first quarter (March to May) of the fiscal year showed that the number of retail outlets in the country’s largest footwear production and retail company decreased by 167, while sales of its footwear business grew year-on-year. Declined by 7.8%. Previously, the size of stores has always been Belle International's advantage. Data shows that in the most “crazy” days of opening stores in 2011, Belle International opened an average of 2 to 3 new stores every day.
Many cases seem to have the fact that the real economy is no longer beautiful. Looking at online channels, many stores and brands have reduced offline stores, but they have increased their sales channels: online stores, official websites, takeaways, computer clients, and mobile phone APPs. These have greatly reduced the cost of physical stores. Get more customers. This may be one of the reasons for the “close tide” in the current physical store.
Looking at the fastener industry in China, has it been affected by this "closed-door tidal wave" that has swept all industries in the country? The answer is inevitable.
According to the reporter of this journal, the current phenomenon of polarization in the fastener industry in China has occurred, and some companies have been unable to make orders, but some companies are “waiting for rice”. The reason for this is of course comprehensive, but it is undeniable that there are also a few companies that face “closed doors” in the fastener industry. According to the person in charge of the fastener company, “It is getting faster and faster nowadays, and fastener companies like us, especially small and micro enterprises, are mostly following the traditional business model and are not adapting to the development of this society. Some enterprises with financial resources and qualifications have already started their transformation and have sought to develop in many ways, including e-commerce and online trading platforms, for example. These are major trends in the future development of the industry."
We can see that most of the fastener industry business models in China are still stuck in the traditional model. Although in recent years some companies have jumped out to try e-commerce and involve logistics, most of them are actually solid manufacturing, regardless of industry. The limitations of the characteristics, or the impact of the entire environment, China's fastener industry as a whole is still the absolute dominant entity management. Therefore, in the face of the current “shut-off” wave of physical stores in various industries, we cannot help asking whether the fastener companies should “follow the tide” or “stick to the rules”.


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A strong end to the RPA firm’s FY2022 was overshadowed by lower-than-expected guidance.
In its first ever end of year and fourth quarter earnings announcement, UiPath highlighted the stickiness of the UiPath platform and continued and new customer successes.
The company discussed customers including T-Mobile and Vodacom and the continued growth of its customer base. For instance, UiPath crossed over the 10,000-customer mark during this most recent quarter, closing the period with over 10,100 customers.
To note, 1,493 are customers with more than $100,000 in annualized renewal run-rate (ARR). Of those, 158 each represent more than $1 million in ARR. Fourth quarter ARR of $925.3 million was up nearly 60% from Q4 of FY2021, $107 million of which was net new.
All said, momentum in attracting new customers and scaling with existing customers remains strong.
Revenue growth reflects this, with full year FY2022 revenue growing 47% to just under $900 million. Already two months into the company’s first quarter of FY2023 as of today, UiPath estimates its full year FY2023 revenue will cross over the $1 billion mark.
This is noteworthy given the company’s continued growth and success especially over the past two pandemic years and the still-emerging nature of the market in which it plays.
The company’s outlook, however, missed Wall Street’s expectations and much of the time during the Q&A portion of the earnings call was spent addressing financial analysts’ questions regarding 2023 performance and headwinds.
Not meeting Wall Street’s expectations caused UiPath’s stock price to fall in after-hours trading on March 30. PATH stock closed at $29.04 that day and fell 26% the following day to close at $21.59.
UiPath co-founder and CEO Daniel Dines, who was born in Romania, indicated on the earnings call that roughly 30% of its business is in Europe. UiPath does business in both Ukraine and Russia and has paused its Russian operations and has some employees in Ukraine.
As a result, UiPath has factored in foreign exchange headwinds for FY2023 from both countries’ currencies as well as on-going disruption in both economies among other global challenges such as rising inflation in the U.S. Full year guidance assumes these challenges will continue throughout the year rather than subside part of the way through.
Moreover, the company expects shorter-term headwinds as a result of bringing on a new go-to-market executive as chief business officer, Chris Weber, which was announced in tandem with earnings.
While cloud is the fastest growing business within UiPath and maintains a gross margin of more than 80%, the company factored a 4% headwind attributed to its SaaS business. This is due to the difference in revenue recognition for software licenses versus SaaS, the latter of which is recognized ratably over the contract period. As the SaaS business grows, the company’s revenue profile will change and until the SaaS business scales to a certain size, these headwinds will persist.
This is not unique to UiPath and has been seen across providers of both software and cloud solutions for years, nor does it indicate any weakness, rather an enterprise shift towards SaaS offerings. This, in part, is why UiPath utilizes ARR instead of revenue alone as a key metric of performance.
Cassandra Mooshian is senior analyst of AI & Intelligent Automation at Omdia, our sister research group.


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Armin Van Buuren is one of the world's most well-known trance music DJs. He also apparently has had his credit card details stolen.
Visa Inc. last week sent a fraud alert to banks and payment processors warning them to look out for a "large batch settlement fraud scheme" involving a merchant account in East Europe.
As his parents and sister silently wept, hacker mastermind Albert Gonzalez was sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court to two concurrent 20-year stints in prison for his role in what prosecutors called the "unparalleled" theft of millions of credit...
Hacker mastermind Albert Gonzalez was sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court to two concurrent 20-year stints in prison for his role in what prosecutors called the "unparalleled" theft of millions of credit card numbers from major U.S. retailers.
Fraud losses due to counterfeit payment cards fell by half in 2009 from the year prior in the U.K., but online banking losses continued to rise, according to new banking industry figures released Wednesday.
A Thai court has approved the extradition to the U.S. of a Malaysian man allegedly involved in hacking credit card information, causing massive losses for victims in the U.S.
An Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) report reveals that Australians lost almost $70 million to scammers last year.
Three brothers were sentenced to prison on Tuesday in a London court for creating counterfeit credit and debit cards, defrauding victims of more than £600,000 (US$978,000), according to the Metropolitan Police.
Ericsson is courting major banks with a security service the company thinks could cut down on credit card fraud as well as eliminate an inconvenience for travelers using cards overseas.
LexisNexis acknowledged Friday that criminals used its information retrieval service for more than three years to gather data that was used to commit credit card fraud.
According to a new report on data breaches from Verizon Business, cyber criminals are no longer attacking where the credit card files are, but where they once were.
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The doyen of business cloud computing Salesforce.com has brought out a ‘Lite’ version of its customer relationship management (CRM) technology for BlackBerry smart phones, the iPhone and Windows Mobile devices.
Mobile Lite gives Salesforce.com customers basic access to some of the most common Salesforce CRM features, and an easy way to get started with the productivity and efficiency of cloud computing on mobile devices.
“We want even more customers to experience the success possible with mobile access to our cloud,” said Marc Benioff, chairman and CEO, Salesforce.com.
“We want our customers to take the cloud with them, wherever they go. By delivering mobile access to our cloud, for free, we’re accelerating adoption of the cloud and delivering value to customers in times when they need it the most.”
Mobile Lite enables users to access the Sales Cloud and Service Cloud from their mobile devices.
The Mobile Lite service also allows users to log calls and emails, update activities and tasks, as well as view account and contact details, leads, opportunities, cases, solutions, assets and dashboards, all from their mobile device.
“Ten years ago, accessing applications on your cell phone was considered advanced. Today, mobile access to enterprise applications is expected,” said Sheryl Kingstone of Yankee Group.
“Salesforce.com understands the productivity benefits that come with mobile access, and is making Mobile Lite an added benefit of Salesforce CRM.”
By John Kennedy
Pictured: the BlackBerry Bold, just one of the smart phones for which Salesforce.com has brought out a ‘Lite’ version of its customer relationship management (CRM) technology


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Keeping up to date with the latest news in a dynamic and ever-changing industry can be tough work, but fear not, our Digital Roundup listicles curate the need-to-know information from across the month.
Let’s take a look at the key events in October 2022.
- Netflix announces ‘Basic with Ads’ subscription plan
- YouTube launches @ handles
- TikTok introduces Photo Mode
- Meta’s virtual reality avatars to get legs
- Figma enables videos in prototypes
- Kanye West to purchase extreme free speech app Parler
- Elon Musk to fire 75% of Twitter staff
- Instagram tests in-app post scheduling
Netflix announces ‘Basic with Ads’ subscription plan
Popular video streaming service Netflix announced the exciting news of an even cheaper subscription plan. But with a catch – ads.
The new ad-supported plan is due to launch in the UK on Friday, 4th November. The plan comes in at £4,99, £2 cheaper than the current lowest-priced subscription of £6.99.
For those who don’t mind the odd advert break, the Netflix Basic with Adverts plan is said to have on average around 4-5 minutes of ads for each hour of viewing. The ads themselves will appear before and during shows and will last 15 to 30 seconds in length.
However, that’s not all. A few other key differences include:
- Basic with Ads plan will stream in 720p resolution (HD Read)
- Certain shows won’t appear on Basic with Ads, due to rights
- Subscribers won’t be able to download shows for offline viewing
YouTube launches @ handles
This month, YouTube announced that creators can now finally make use of @ handles on their channels.
The video platform will be rolling out the update over the next month, and creators will be notified when they’re able to create their own handle. This update will make it easier to increase engagement on videos and allow users to mention others in their comments.
TikTok introduces Photo Mode
For the first time ever, TikTok announced that it will be straying away from video-only content, with the rollout of its Photo Mode.
TikTok Photo Mode will allow users to share still images on the platform, in an Instagram-style carousel format. The swipeable photo layouts can be edited in a similar manner to video content within the app, with the ability to add any music and effects.
Meta’s virtual reality avatars to get legs
Mark Zuckerberg’s metaverse is about to get a major upgrade, as the company announced that the virtual reality avatars will be getting legs in an attempt to make them more lifelike.
“I know you’ve been waiting for this. Everyone has been waiting for this,” said Zuckerberg, revealing the news at the annual Meta Connect developer event, Zuckerberg said: “But seriously, legs are hard, which is why other virtual reality systems don’t have them either.”
The company admitted that legs are a challenge to introduce, as its AR/VR headsets only track upper-body movements and have no way of knowing what our legs are doing. However, Meta is determined to bring legs to Horizon Worlds first, before expanding to other products.
When this will happen, we’re not sure.
Figma enables videos in prototypes
Cloud-based design tool Figma announced a huge update welcomed by designers, offering the ability to add videos into prototypes.
Videos can be added in a number of different ways and helps to provide a more accurate representation of user experience in websites with video previews or playbacks.
Kanye West to purchase extreme free speech app Parler
Kanye West has agreed to buy conservative social media app, Parler, for an undisclosed amount. The move comes after he was temporarily suspended from Instagram and Twitter for making anti-semitic comments earlier this month.
In a Parler press release, Kanye West said: “In a world where conservative opinions are considered to be controversial we have to make sure we have the right to freely express ourselves.”
Chief Executive of Parler, George Farmer, said the deal would “change the way the world thinks about free speech” and that the move means West “will never have to fear being removed from social media again.”
Elon Musk to fire 75% of Twitter staff
Elon Musk has announced that if he takes over Twitter, he will cut 75% of the company’s employees.
Twitter currently comprises nearly 7,500 employees and according to the Washington Post, Musk revealed that he plans to fire 75% of the workforce if his takeover goes ahead.
Instagram tests in-app post scheduling
For a select number of users, social media platform Instagram has launched a live test of native post scheduling within the app.
Currently, Instagram posts can only be scheduled via Creator Studio, or with the help of a third-party app. The new update would allow users to create and schedule their posts all within the Instagram app.
Meta said: “We are testing the ability to schedule content with a percentage of our global community.”
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Popular play-to-earn blockchain Axie Infinity’s token unlock event could lead to significant sell-pressure on the platform’s native token AXS.
On Oct. 25, around 8% of AXS’s token supply will be scheduled to be released in a token unlock. At the time of writing, these 21,543,000 tokens were worth more than $200 million.
Of the tokens to be distributed across the ecosystem, advisors will be paid out 2.5 million AXS tokens, worth $27 million and 1.9 million tokens, worth $21.6 million, will be distributed to those who participated in its private sale.
This is particularly significant because the last four times advisors and private sale participants saw their tokens unlocked, the price of AXS has dropped almost immediately after.
According to data from Lookonchain, a Twitter account that tracks high-value on-chain transactions, Axie Infinity’s advisors and private sale participants will bring $45.8 million worth of sell pressure to the market.
Lookonchain noted that Axie Infinity raised $864,000 during its private sale in 2020, when the price of AXS was just $0.08.
“Even if investors in the private sale dump AXS at $10, they’re still making 125x. So selling after unlocking is very likely to happen,” he said.
Some of those who participated in Axie’s private sale include crypto investment firms Delphi Digital, Arca and now-insolvent crypto hedge fund Three Arrows Capital.
Earlier this week, Aleksander Leonard Larsen, COO of Axie Infinity and its parent entity Sky Mavis, confirmed that this will be the final token unlock for private investors.
“I’m also happy to say that Sky Mavis will not be selling a single token of our upcoming unlock,” said Larsen.
At the time of writing, the unlocked AXS had not yet been transferred to the private sale investors and advisors. However, the token fell by 22% over the last week driven by traders anticipating the token unlock. AXS is down 94% from its all-time high ahead of $164 and is currently trading at $9.28.


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05 September 2012 | Analysis | By BioSpectrum Bureau
High expenditure, low R&D weakens industry
Increasing R&D expenditure is one of the major cause of concerns for big pharma
Singapore: According to the latest global report from industry experts, GBI Research, low R&D productivity, combined with the patent cliff and a stringent US FDA approval process, is resulting in climbing expenditure without the corresponding output.
According to a new report titled 'Accelerating Drugs to Markset - Despite Challenges, Adaptive Clinical Trials Reduce Drug Development Costs and Time to Market', by market analyst GBI Research, despite efforts by pharmaceutical firms to cut down on costs, R&D expenditure expanded at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of six percent from $26 billion in 2000 to $50 billion by the end of 2011. Conversely, the number of new molecular entities (NME) approved during this same period has dropped on average, decreasing at a CAGR of one percent.
R&D is a core and integral part of the pharmaceutical industry, but poor productivity means that there may soon be a drought in the R&D pipeline. GBI Research estimates that currently as much as 55 percent of the entire late-stage pipeline is made up of life cycle management (LCM) projects, while a 28 percent share of the industry's top 20 companies' pipelines is devoted to LCM research.
To compound the frustrations of the industry, the FDA adopted a stricter drug approval policy. Following controversies regarding products such as Vioxx and Exubera, as well as product recalls for made in China drugs, the agency has been more cautious in analyzing the risks and benefits of drugs before approving them, slowing down or cutting out potentially marketable treatments.
Additionally, the patent cliff has damaged company revenues, severely curbing the selling power of blockbuster medications and opening the market to generics. The reduction in NME approvals has meant the big pharmaceutical firms are less able to offset the loss of revenue resulting from patent expirations, with new drugs offering therapeutic superiority to the generic versions of their predecessors.


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The U.S. stock market had a good day, back up to the high it hit a couple times in the last ten days but no further, at least yet. This is simple consolidation and it says nothing about whether stocks will go up more or fall back. The idea that stocks move every day based on the economic news is what newscasters say in order to make themselves seem relevant, but it is not exactly true.
So, what is the economic news today?
S&P cuts economic growth forecast for Europe to -0.5%, Europe is in a mild recession and looks to continue in it.
IMF says Italy must improve its banks’ capital positions
US durable goods order up 5.7%, more than expected, though mainly in civilian aircraft orders, which is very volatile
Home prices on average rose 8% since last year, though some of that is more moderate price homes being added to the sales mix in addition to low price homes. Your home probably did not increase 8% in value last year.
Home sales slowed down in February and inventory backed up some
Consumer confidence index dropped much more than expected, down to 59
Pretty mixed, wouldn’t you say? Next time someone on TV wants to explain why the stock market is up or down simply in terms of news stories, understand that is not the whole picture.


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New York City George Floyd Riot And Protest Damage
Have you wondered what the George Floyd protests and riots in New York City look like? Here's a look at some of the damage.
CBS New York reports that The NYPD has made hundreds of arrest as protests continued over the death of George Floyd. Videos online show luxury stores being smashed into and robbed.
Fireworks were set off and some windows were smashed as large crowds gathered in the street."
What does that damage look like?
Here is more photos and destruction:


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Published on : Monday, February 11, 2013
Top level executives from the Asia-Pacific region will come together to discuss key challenges being faced in today’s macro business environment at the AIME Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Summit, which will be held during the Asia-Pacific Incentives & Meetings Expo (AIME) in Melbourne, on 26 February, 2013.
Three top thought leaders have been chosen to stimulate discussion on key external change agents which are impacting the business events industry.
Summit Chair, Elizabeth Rich, said this event is a departure from advocacy-based industry forums, to focus on business issues that are front of mind of C-level executives.
The event will be moderated by Yeoh Siew Hoon, Founder and Editor of Web in Travel. Respected Asian commentator, Ms Yeoh has been an established speaker and facilitator at travel industry conferences since 2005, when she recognised the need for the industry to manage the changes that would come from internet technology.
“The first CEO Summit at AIME will enable business events leaders to discuss and find common ground on issues and trends beyond the industry,” said Ms Yeoh.
“My aim is to draw out insights on growth and innovation that will help CEOs in today’s competitive and changing times, and for them to share experiences and ideas.”
Ms Yeoh will be joined by two expert commentators: leading economist, Jonathan Pain; and Peter Williams, CEO of Deloitte Centre for the Edge, Australia. Both experts will share their insights into where the world is heading and inspire CEOs to reflect on their own business directions and rethink traditional approaches.
Focusing on the key economic factors set to shape the world’s direction, Jonathan Pain will share his expert knowledge on growth opportunities and where money is going to be made over the next decade.
Peter Williams will lead a discussion on innovation, covering the changing world of virtual and physical connectivity, and how smart leaders should be rethinking how they respond to changing customer and employee values, leverage virtual flow and drive innovation in a way that delivers better results.