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In the January 2010 State of the Union address, US President Barack Obama set the goal of doubling the nation's exports over the next five years, supporting two million new American jobs through trade with international partners.
At the terminus of that timeline, our analysis indicates the completion of less than half the goal, with exports of goods and services at approximately US$2.35 trillion (S$3.14 trillion) last year, compared with US$1.57 trillion in 2009.
Although he did not hit the numbers, we credit Mr Obama for an ambitious trade agenda, including completion of previously negotiated free trade agreements (FTAs) with South Korea, Colombia and Panama, and the pursuit of new trade agreements like the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), and Trade in Services Agreement (TISA).
But why the failure in export growth? In 2009, total global trade decreased by 12 per cent, while US exports decreased by 14 per cent. At the time, it seemed reasonable to project stronger growth from 2010 forward. US exports did grow at a robust annual rate of nearly 17 per cent that year and 14 per cent in 2011. Growth of only 4 per cent in 2012 and 2.9 per cent in both 2013 and last year, however, did not help, since doubling exports requires annual growth of more than 15 per cent.
Mr Obama's export goal hinged on the strength of US production, but even the best products require customer spending to generate sales. Europe has experienced disappointing economic growth while major emerging markets like China, India and Brazil all sharply declined. A strong US dollar makes American products more expensive, further affecting demand.
One encouraging note is the transition of President Obama from a relatively protectionist US senator, in favour of trade barriers and subsidies for domestic industries, to a strong advocate of trade agreements.
Where are we now and where do we go from here? Jobs supported by exports now represent 13 per cent of the US economy, up from only 5 per cent in 1990. Yet, the US is still behind on a global scale. Exports represent half of Germany's economy, 30 per cent of Canada's, and one quarter of China's. These key trading partners export more than twice the value per capita than the United States.
Opponents of free trade agreements often claim that previous accords like the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta) sent US manufacturing jobs abroad. We disagree. A global economy imposes competitive pressures and requirements on all industries. US manufacturing and services companies cannot escape from the competitive realities of globalisation but they can benefit from FTAs.
Our outlook for this year's trade policy and politics: The administration and Republican majorities on Capitol Hill must and will collaborate on international trade. Mr Obama has asked for bipartisan support for Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), allowing Congress to vote yea or nay on trade Bills, but not on individual provisions. This will allow US trade negotiators to deliver meaningful industry and regional commitments. The TPA is a crucial negotiating tool which the Republican leadership supports. There should also be strong domestic support for FTAs like the TPP and TTIP, which can restore and perhaps even kick-start further global progress in the World Trade Organisation.
For both Republicans and Democrats, the key trade policy objective of increasing jobs requires policy assessments of the jobs affected by new laws, regulations and executive orders. It also means linkages between investment and job outcomes, and specific rewards for employment success and help for those hurt by trade. A successful economy requires new measures in technology-oriented education availability, and greater global partnerships in science, technology, research and development.
It is time for Congress and the administration to develop and share credit for progress in international trade. Past failures and shortcomings demonstrate the need for collaboration in achieving trade agreements that deliver significant economic results. This year offers an excellent opportunity for the President and Congress to achieve a new beginning. The US and the world will benefit from such joint leadership.
Professor Michael Czinkota researches international marketing issues and Professor Charles Skuba teaches international business and marketing. Both are from Georgetown University.


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Macy’s is furloughing a majority of its 125,000 employees because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which has sunk sales and forced it close to its stores.
The company said Monday that the pandemic has taken a “heavy toll” on its business. Macy’s (M), which also owns Bloomingdale’s and Bluemercury, closed all of its 775 stores in the United States earlier this month to slow the virus from spreading in crowded areas, and because of laws in some states that forced the closure of nonessential businesses, including retailers.
Macy’s painted a bleak picture of its already perilous financial situation. The company said that it has lost a “majority” of sales because of the brick-and-mortar closures and has implemented other changes to bolster its bottom line, including drawing down its credit line and freezing hiring and spending.
“While these actions have helped, it is not enough,” the company bluntly said. Macy’s is “moving to the absolute minimum workforce needed to maintain basic operations.” That is resulting in furloughs for a “majority” of its employees beginning this week. Affected workers will still get the company-funded health care for at least through May.
Macy’s CEO Jeff Gennette and the company’s board of directors will stop receiving their salaries, according to a regulatory filing.
Macy’s websites remain open for orders. The company will furlough fewer workers at its digital operations and distribution and call centers, Macy’s said, but online sales make up just a fifth of Macy’s overall revenue.
“We expect to bring colleagues back on a staggered basis as business resumes,” the company said. However, its unclear when retailers will be allowed to open. President Donald Trump announced Sunday he’s extending the nationwide social distancing guidelines until at least April 30.
The news is another blow for Macy’s, which has already been reducing its store count as dwindling sales took hold in the US even before the coronavirus pandemic. Department stores have already been being squeezed by discount chains, like TJ Maxx and Target (TGT), which is pressuring profits and forcing them to put products on sale. Meanwhile, more shoppers are migrating online.
Macy’s shares fell 2% in early trading. The stock is down nearly 70% for the year.

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For some time now, the Galaxy S series has not been performing as well as Samsung would want it to. However, the South Korean firm is hoping that this lacking performance changes next year when Samsung finally unveils the Galaxy S22 series.
Samsung's Plans with the Galaxy S22 Series Are As Ambitious As They Get
According to a new report, Samsung is expecting the global smartphone market share to reach nearly 22% next year. The company reported expects the global smartphone increase to 1.52 billion units and is also hoping to sell 390 million of the devices. When you break down the 390 million units, Samsung firm expects the Galaxy S22 series to make up 33 million units.
Allegedly, Samsung has targetted to sell 14 million of the base Galaxy S22 units, 8 million of the Plus variant, and 11 million of the Ultra variant, and these numbers are global. The company is expecting to sell 267 million units of the Galaxy A23 and A33 and 92 million units of the Galaxy A53 and Galaxy A73.
Samsung is also reportedly planning to improve its marketing strategies and focus on offering more colors along with the features at the same price so these additions can help improve the sales. It seems like Samsung is also looking into cost optimizations when you are talking about smartphone production. Last but not the least, there is a chance that the company could also bring ingress protection rating to more phones like they have done with the A-series phones in the past.
If the report is correct, then the plans Samsung has are very ambitious, to say the least. The Galaxy S22 series is certainly looking promising. We will have to wait and see how the devices perform in the global and home market. Let us know what you think of the upcoming Samsung devices.


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New Rules Chip Away at ObamacareApril 11, 2018 |
by Amanda Michelle Gomez
The Trump administration issued a ton of regulatory changes Monday that chip away at the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Moving forward, states will have more flexibility to set their own standards and people will be given new exemptions to avoid the health care law’s individual mandate penalty.
The 523-page regulation is one that comes out every year, and is intended to outline what ACA plans will look like for consumers next year.


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The new Ferrari Portofino ? which replaces the California T as the entry-point to the Maranello-based brand?s local range ? has officially launched in South Africa.
The price? Well, this drop-top will start at R4 543 000?
Its turbocharged 3,9-litre V8 (mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission) is worth 441 kW at 7 500 r/min and 760 N.m between 3 000 and 5 250 r/min, completing the sprint from zero to 100 km/h in a claimed 3,5 seconds (and hitting 200 km/h in a claimed 10,8 seconds). Top speed is in excess of 320 km/h.
Revealed at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2017, the new Portofino features an all-new chassis boasting ?a significant weight saving? over the California T it replaces. A set of 20-inch alloys (shod in 245/35 ZR20 rubber up front and 285/35 ZR20 tyres at the rear) are standard, along with carbon-ceramic brakes.
Inside, you?ll find a 10,2-inch touchscreen, a new air-conditioning system, a redesigned steering wheel, 18-way electrically adjustable seats and Ferrari?s nifty passenger display. There?s also a new wind deflector that Ferrari says cuts air-flow into the cabin by 30% and also reduces aerodynamic noise.
?We are thrilled to introduce our latest addition to the Prancing Horse family in South Africa. The Portofino is a benchmark in its segment and surpasses all expectations of a V8 grand tourer. We believe this exceptionally versatile drop-top embodies the perfect combination of design excellence, supreme performance and unmatched technology,? said Mervyn Eagles, CEO of Scuderia South Africa.


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Keeping in mind the rapid growth of Mobile phone industry, Qualcomm Takes Significant Step: Leading its Way Towards 5G. According to Qualcomm, 5G will expand mobile networks and technologies into a much wider range of industries.
Mobile World Congress Announces 2017 Conference Themes containing seven overarching themes for the year. Each theme will be allocated to one or two of team members who will be responsible for creating a number of conference sessions under the theme heading.
Nargis Fakhri being criticized a lot for her last posters for Jazz X series, has come up with a very good TVC this time. The operator has come up with a brilliant campaign to introduce its Jazz X JS1 & JS7 smartphones.
At last the wait is over, as now Android users will be able to enjoy their tweets when the sun dips past the skyline, hurling the world into dark. Twitter Android App Finally Gets “Night mode”. Though it took time to add this facility, but the wait was worth it..
In line with its commitment to facilitate customers’ lives, Pakistan’s premier telecom services provider Telenor Pakistan has joined forces with Careem to provide discounted rides to Telenor customers.
Telenor is Giving 4g SIMS to Limited Customers for Trail Basis. Telenor first started giving 4G SIMS to its employees and now the operator has decided to provide 4G SIMS to limited customers of Telenor as well.
If you are using today's most popular App, Prisma, then you surely face the problem of its slow Speed. No doubt, Prisma's intelligent, artistic filters are impressive, but they can take a lot of time to apply.
Samsung Releases TVC to Introduce its New Smartphones J7 and J5. Both J7 and J5 are durable smartphones and has a durable metal frame with a diamond-polished finish. Last month J7 and J5 were lunched in Pakistan.
As compared to same period last year mobile phone imports in the country have recorded 4.23% rise during year 2015-16. Overall imports of mobile phone stood at $753.22 million in 2015-16. Marginally up from $722.622 million in same period previous year.
Appraised results released in a company statement disclosed that total sales revenue touched 245.5 billion Yuan ($36.7 billion) in January-June. Though Huawei did not offer an analysis of the statistics.


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The Brisbane-based company relies heavily on a young workforce and customer base and to match theor expectations Domino’s has flagged a significant shift that gives it a point of difference in the food sector that is dogged by wage theft, poor conditions, health concerns and staff turnover.
Cowin said it wanted Domino’s to be “food without regret”.
But Domino’s has also warned of problems in Japan where sales have slumped and it admitted it can’t forecast an outcome for 2022. It has also warned of higher food costs. Its shares dived 17 per cent this morning on the news before a recovery had them down 12 per cent.
Cowin also said the year ahead would be challenging.
Although there was shift in consumer habits to fast food there were expectations that more than half of all food will be ordered online and delivered, combined with the demand for online shopping deliveries. Domino’s view was there would was that there was not be enough delivery drivers on the planet to meet this demand.
The company said it would continue to invest in technology, “including the use of autonomous vehicles alongside our team members, which are likely to be part of Domino’s delivery fleet in the next decade”.
Further to its push to change the company, Domino’s has appointed a chief ESG officer and a policy ambition of net zero emissions by 2050, produced a modern slavery document and lifted the quality of its food.
He said Domino’s would live up to the responsibility to the younger generation by providing them a role that made a difference in their community.
“This core value of Domino’s is mutually beneficial as our industry faces the likelihood of labour shortages across the next decade, it is the employer with the best trained, most engaged and efficient team that can offer value to customers. We intend to be that employer,” Cowin said.
He said society owed a great debt to the younger generation for carrying out many of the functions in the retail sector during the pandemic.
“Our young people have adapted to home schooling, they’re frequently not been allowed to catch up with friends and loved ones, including grandparents, they’ve not been allowed to travel and in times of fear and uncertainty they have been asked to roll up their sleeves to protect others,” he said.
“At the same time they’ve turned up to their part time jobs, they’ve put on masks, they’ve stood behind plastic barriers and they’ve worked hard and they’ve served communities with a smile.”
Cowin said that two years ago he told shareholders the company values included doing the right thing.
“Let me be clear, our ESG approach (Domino’s for Good) is not about improving our image, but instead about improving our company,” he said.
“We want to offer food without regret, so customers feel good about the safety and quality of our meals and the supply chain that make it possible.”
In its trading update, Domino’s said its Japan market had not emerged well from the state of emergency imposed at the height of the Covid outbreak. Network sales had lifted since the end of the state of emergency but were negative on a one-year basis and management were unable to provide a forecast for 2022.
However, overall sales were up 8 per cent and on a same-store basis 4.3 per cent.
“There’s no question the next six to 12 months will be challenging. That should not be surprising _ the past 18 months have been just as challenging,” Cowin said.
Cowin claimed that growth had outpaced “not only most companies in Australia, but some of the world’s best known technology companies listed on Wall Street” with total shareholder returns since it listed at 8200 per cent.
Alongside its already announced expansion plans for the next decade, Domino’s has also vowed to go green with the appointment of its first chief of ESG and an ESG vision.
“In the next 12 months we will set time-bound and science based targets with an interim goal and an ambition to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions before 2050,” Cowin told the company’s annual general meeting.


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Panama's sales reached the highest level since the IMO 2020 transition in December. Image Credit: Ship & Bunker / Data Credit: AMP
Bunker sales in Panama dropped sharply on a monthly basis in January, but remained well above the levels seen at the start of 2021.
Total sales reached 451,664 mt in January, according to preliminary data from the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP). The total was up by 9.2% from a year earlier, but was down by 7.2% from December's level.
Panama's sales were significantly more positive than those at the world's largest bunkering hub last month. Demand in Singapore in January fell by 10.4% on a yearly basis and by 3.5% on a monthly basis.
The number of ships coming to Panama to bunker dropped by 10.9% on the month to 615 in January, taking the average stem size up by 4.1% to about 734 mt. Over the previous 12 months the average stem size was about 710 mt.
VLSFO sales sank by 7.7% from a month earlier to 324,456 mt, while HSFO sales declined by 6.1% to 79,896 mt. HSFO took a 17.7% share of total sales in January, up from 17.1% a year earlier.
MGO sales sank by 30.7% on the month to 7,743 mt, while low-sulfur MGO advanced by 2.4% to 38,649 mt.


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At its I/O developer conference on Wednesday, Google said it’s working with Qualcomm on a sample design so other manufacturers can build headsets that don’t require a connection to a smartphone or high-powered computer.
Current VR headsets, including Facebook’s Oculus Rift and Google’s own Daydream system, require a PC or phone. Google is working on standalone headsets with Lenovo Group and HTC and it is expected to begin hitting the market later this year.
Google also will expand its Daydream headset, which was announced last year alongside the Pixel smartphone. Samsung Electronics’s new Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus phones will get Daydream support this summer while LG Electronics’s next flagship smartphone, expected this fall, will also support the Daydream device.
Virtual reality immerses users in an artificial world and initially has been taken up most actively for gaming.


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Today is Stop Food Waste Day. In Pittsburgh and Allegheny County this year, this falls on Food Rescue Hero Week. The County council and the Mayor’s office will both declare Food Rescue Hero days this week – celebrating the work that Pittsburgh has led and is growing into a global movement.
I’m excited about these proclamations, first of all because it recognizes the tremendous work our Food Rescue Hero volunteers have done in this region and in the 20 cities it is currently used in. Guided by our Food Rescue Hero app, more than 33,000 people in North America have redirected 80 million pounds of fresh, surplus retail food, preventing it from getting thrown away by delivering it to people in need.
But I’m also excited because this move goes beyond spreading awareness of the issue of food waste to highlight a solution that can involve all of us, creating impact on both food insecurity and climate change.
In the U.S., around 35% of all the food we produce goes to waste. Globally, discarded food makes up the largest single source of material in landfills and is one of the biggest contributors to total methane emissions, a greenhouse gas with more than 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide.
The scale and pervasiveness of food waste demand solutions that involve governments, businesses, nonprofits, and individuals. Here in the U.S., we are beginning to see more governmental recognition of the problem, in everything from municipal declarations like Pittsburgh’s to state legislation like the organic waste bills recently enacted in New York and California. Meanwhile, internationally, we’ve seen France and Italy pass laws requiring or incentivizing the donation of surplus food from businesses.
California’s SB 1383, a.k.a. Short-Lived Climate Pollutants: Organic Waste Methane Emissions Reduction, which took effect this January, is the most ambitious food waste legislation in the U.S. thus far. Among other stipulations, it requires businesses that generate a certain amount of organic waste to reduce and redirect that waste away from the landfill, with an emphasis on donation for edible food. Eventually, noncompliance will result in fines.
Legislation like this creates an opportunity to build wide-reaching systems of surplus food donation. But it is not enough to put pressure on businesses or municipalities to reduce waste – we also need truly innovative logistical solutions that address the formidable barriers to food donation – because current models cannot effectively redirect food surplus at retail.
For retail food businesses like grocers and restaurants, located at the end of the supply chain, fresh food is reaching the end of its viability, which complicates donation. Surpluses of fresh foods arise irregularly, in varying amounts, and need to be consumed right away. The traditional truck-and-warehouse model of commercial food donation is not agile enough to capture this type of surplus.
This is where our team’s work comes in.
Food Rescue Hero takes an existing model for mobilizing and tracking a distributed transport network – platforms like DoorDash and UberEats – and adapts it to serve recipients like nonprofits and food-insecure households. In this non-profit version of the model, the key is community. We mobilize citizens to be the logistics and driver network, by providing a platform that makes it easy and rewarding to perform volunteer food rescues.
And it turns out that, when people have an opportunity to show up and feed their neighbors, they do – the Food Rescue Hero network performs at a 99% service level (better than some commercial food delivery services), meaning on average, we miss only 1% of food rescues made available to our network. Collectively to date, our network has redistributed almost 100 million pounds of good food, preventing it from going to landfills to feeding people.
As we celebrate our Pittsburgh volunteers with the city’s Food Rescue Hero Day (and our own Food Rescue Hero Week, which started on Monday), we’re also celebrating the many Food Rescue Heroes across the country (and soon, the world). With the impetus to fight food waste percolating through communities, cities, states, and countries, we are looking forward to helping everyday heroes step up and turn climate goals into reality.
– Leah Lizarondo
CEO & co-founder, 412 Food Rescue


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What if you could swallow a computer the size of a poppy seed, and it could report back exactly if and when you took a medicine while recording how your body responded to the drug?
It sounds crazy, but the tiny computers exist. It sounds dangerous, but they were approved by the Food and Drug Administration. And the company that makes them, Proteus, has tens of millions of dollars and relationships with some of the biggest drug companies in the world, including Novartis.
David O’Reilly, the chief product officer at Proteus, says he believes that someday soon every single pill a doctor prescribes will come with an electronic component embedded right in it that tracks the pill’s absorption in your body.
Working together with a small flexible patch you wear, like a Band-Aid, and a smartphone, Proteus wants to ring in a new era of what it calls “digital medicine” in which your body’s vital signs and the medications entering your bloodstream can be tracked by computers. Software will search your body’s data for patterns in real time and report that information to your doctors.
Read the full, original story: Someday Soon You May Swallow A Computer With Your Pill


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January 29, 2013
SAN DIEGOA prospective study published in Cancer Causes and Control ties low vitamin D levels to high risk of premenopausal breast cancer. Researchers from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine found women with low serum vitamin D levels in the three months prior to diagnosis had three times the risk of breast cancer compared to women with the highest serum levels (Cancer Causes Control. 2013 Jan 8.). The study used blood serum samples from 1,200 women frozen by the Department of Defense Serum Repository for routine disease surveillance.
While the mechanisms by which vitamin D could prevent breast cancer are not fully understood, this study suggests that the association with low vitamin D in the blood is strongest late in the development of the cancer," said principal investigator Cedric Garland, DrPH, FACE, professor in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at UC San Diego.
Researchers from Creighton University recently utilized the Serum Repository and found low vitamin D levels may correlate to suicide in active duty military personnel. Stay up to date with the latest vitamin D news in the INSIDER Vitamin D Topic Feed.
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Shares in JD Sports soared more than 6% on Monday, after the U.K. retailer stepped up its U.S. expansion by snapping up Baltimore-based athletic footwear and apparel company DTLR Villa.
JD Sports’ stock was up 6.88% in early morning London trading on Monday.
The deal comes just six weeks after JD Sports JDSPY, +0.28% bought San Jose, Calif.-based Shoe Palace, giving it a foothold in states including Arizona, Nevada, Florida and Hawaii, through a network of 167 stores.
It also comes as demand for leisurewear has soared during the COVID-19 pandemic, as lockdowns have kept people at home. In January, retailer Marks & Spencer MKS, -1.10% said 52% of customers reported wearing activewear more as everyday clothing in 2020, as it expanded its activewear range for children and men.
“JD is starting to scale in the U.S. and with its best in class retail systems, long standing relationships with the brands and tight cost and stock control, the U.S. division is starting to come of age in the largest sportswear market in the world,” wrote Greg Lawless, analyst at Shore Capital, in a research note to clients on Monday.
“In our view, this looks a further sensible bolt-on acquisition and plays to the theme that the largest retailers are starting to scale up using their balance sheets,” he added.
JD Sports first entered into the U.S. in 2018 with the $558 million acquisition of Finish Line. The group recently launched a flagship store in Times Square in New York. The U.S. now accounts for more than a quarter of the group’s total sales.
Peter Cowgill, executive chairman of JD Sports Fashion, called the deal a “milestone” in the group’s development in the U.S.
DTLR, which is currently majority owned by BRS & Co. and Goode Capital, was originally founded in 1982 as Downtown Locker Room. The company later rebranded as DTLR, and in 2017 merged with Philadelphia’s Sneaker Villa.
Total cash consideration for the acquisition is $495 million, of which approximately $100 million will be used to repay existing company debt, JD Sports said Monday. The deal is being funded from the group’s cash resources and existing bank facilities.
The DTLR management team, headed up by Glenn Gaynor and Scott Collins, who will continue in their roles as co-CEOs, will reinvest some of the proceeds from the sale back into a new minority stake of approximately 1.4%.
Separately on Monday, online fashion retailer ASOS ASC, +6.93% said it has bought the Topshop, Topman, Miss Selfridge and HIIT brands from the administrators of Philip Green’s collapsed Arcadia retail empire.
Shares in ASOS rose 3.87% in early London trading on Monday.
In a statement, the retailer said it had acquired “strong consumer-facing brands” and saw “a significant opportunity” to drive further growth for these globally.
“We see this as a sensible deal for ASOS, adding four well-regarded brands, offering a solid (if not outstanding) return on investment, supporting rapid development of one of the group’s key strategic pillars, and all with a relatively high degree of visibility. We retain our positive stance on the stock,” said analysts at Jefferies in a research note.


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|THE ALL-NEW MAZDA MX-5 RF TO MAKE ITS EUROPEAN DEBUT AT THE 2016 GOODWOOD FESTIVAL OF SPEED|
|◾The all-new Mazda MX-5 RF will take centre stage on Mazda's Festival of Speed stand.
◾Further MX-5 highlights include the MX-5 Spyder and Speedster concept cars.
◾The success of this iconic roadster will be celebrated with the display of the one-millionth MX-5.
With the European debut of the all-new Mazda MX-5 RF as the focal point, Mazda will celebrate the past, present and future of the MX-5 at the 2016 Goodwood Festival of Speed. Having made its global debut at the New York Motor Show i...[Read more...]|
|ROOKIE MARK DRENNAN TAKES THE WIN IN WET AND WILD WATKINS GLEN MAZDA MX-5 CUP RACE|
|• Spec Miata Champion Scores His First Series Win in the Battery Tender Global Mazda MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires|
WATKINS GLEN, NY (May 14, 2016) – Thirty-nine cars took to the Watkins Glen International circuit on Saturday afternoon for the first professional race at the newly repaved track in pouring rain. Series Rookie, Mark Drennan, used his Spec Miata experience and his confidence in the BFGoodrich rain tires to score the win after starting 12th and taking the lea...[Read more...]
|MAZDA MX-5 RF TO FEATURE MACHINE GRAY PREMIUM COLOR DESIGNED TO COMPLEMENT KODO DESIGN|
|HIROSHIMA, Japan—Mazda Motor Corporation has announced that the Mazda MX-5 RF will be available in Machine Gray, a new premium color designed to accentuate the beauty of vehicle bodies featuring KODO design. Machine Gray is Mazda's second premium color following Soul Red, which since its launch has come to represent KODO design. Machine Gray will be made available on a wide range of Mazda models, including the all-new Mazda CX-9 due to go on sale in North America this spring.
Mazda bel...[Read more...]|
|MAZDA SELLS OUT INITIAL ALLOCATION OF 1,000 MX-5 MIATA RF LAUNCH EDITIONS|
|• Two-Thirds of Customers Select Manual Transmission, Deliveries to Begin Early 2017|
IRVINE, Calif. (October 11, 2016) – Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) today announced that it has sold out of the 1,000-car allocation for the 2017 MX-5 Miata RF Launch Edition.
In the first week of ordering, which started September 26, more than 500 loyal Mazda customers put down deposits to buy a Retractable Fastback MX-5 Miata. When ordering opened to the general public on October 3, ...[Read more...]
|2016 MAZDA MX-5 MIATA CLUB EDITION TO DEBUT AT NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW|
| ||- 2016 MX-5 Club represents most aggressive road-going version -
IRVINE, Calif., March 25, 2015 -- Ready to join the Club? The 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata Club edition, that is.
Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) will be introducing the North American-spec MX-5 Club next week at the New York International Auto Show. The MX-5 Club represents the most aggressive road-going iteration of Mazda's fourth-generation flagship roadster.
The 2016 MX-5 sheds approximately 150 lbs. from...[Read more...]|
|CHRYSLER GROUP LLC REPORTS APRIL 2014 U.S. SALES INCREASED 14 PERCENT; BEST APRIL SALES SINCE 2007|
| ||◾49th-consecutive month of year-over-year sales gains
◾Jeep®, Dodge, Ram Truck and FIAT brands each post sales gains in April compared with same month a year ago
◾Jeep brand records its best sales month ever; April sales up 52 percent
◾Ram pickup truck sales up 17 percent; best ever April sales
◾Seven Chrysler Group vehicles set April sales records
◾New 2015 Dodge Charger and Challenger debut at the 2014 New York International Auto Show
◾Ward's names all-new 2015 Chrysler 200 and 2014 Jeep...[Read more...]|
|2015 FIAT 500 LINEUP NOW FEATURES INNOVATIVE INSTRUMENT PANEL WITH NEW 7-INCH HIGH-DEFINITION DISPLAY|
|◾Seven-inch HD TFT display helps drivers to easily monitor and configure vehicle information
◾Other interior updates for driver convenience include Bluetooth streaming audio and a revamped center console with an additional USB port
◾Three new exterior paint colors for 2015 are Giallo Moderna Perla (modern pearl yellow), Laser Blu (bright metallic blue) and Billet Argento (billet silver)
April 7, 2014 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - The 2015 Fiat 500 vehicle lineup, to be showcased at the 20...[Read more...]|
|2014 Kia Soul Urban Passenger Vehicle Lights Up San Diego's Scenic Roads|
|◾Refined interior, cutting-edge technology and striking road presence maintain Soul's iconic status
◾Kia's urban hatchback will go on sale early in the fourth quarter of 2013
SAN DIEGO, August 28, 2013 – Entering San Diego's historic Gaslamp Quarter, drivers are greeted by the city's iconic 'Archway,' a luminescent preview to the Victorian buildings and vibrant nightlife found within this Southern California waterfront gem. Surrounded by universities, San Diego is home to nearly 65...[Read more...]|


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Google Pixel 2 to launch in India on November 1, price starts at Rs 61,000 Alphabet Inc’s Google on Wednesday unveiled the second generation of its Pixel smartphone along with new voice-enabled home speakers, redoubling its commitment to the hardware business as it competes with a surge of devices from Apple.
In India, the Pixel 2 will be priced as: Pixel 2 64GB (Rs 61,000), Pixel 2 128GB (Rs 70,000), Pixel 2 XL 64GB (Rs 73,000), Pixel 2 XL 128GB (Rs 82,000).
Speaking at the launch in San Francisco, Google hardware chief Rick Osterloh said the new products “perfectly demonstrate our strategy of re-imagining hardware from the inside out”, a Reuters report said.
Google Pixel 2 to launch in India on November 1, price starts at Rs 61,000
Pre-orders commence on October 26, 2017, and Pixel 2 will be available for sales in more than 1,000 stores across the country and online starting November 1.
Pixel 2 XL will be available for sale in stores and online starting November 15, 2017. Pixel 2 and Pixel 2XL will be available online, exclusively on Flipkart.
Google’s new products, including a Pixelbook laptop, wireless earbuds and a small GoPro-like camera, showcase Google-developed operating systems and services, notably the voice assistant. That means usage of those devices should stoke the company’s core ad sales business as buyers of the hardware use Google services like search and maps.
XL smartphones are seen at a product launch event on October 4, 2017 at the SFJAZZ Center in San Francisco, California. (AFP)
Pixelbook, priced at $999, is the first laptop powered by Google Assistant and will support Snap Inc’s Snapchat, the company said. The keyboard folds behind the screen to turn the 12.3-inch touchscreen into a tablet. It will be available in stores from Oct 31, Reuters said.
Google Home Mini, one of the new speakers, is priced at $49 in the United States and would rival Amazon.com Inc’s popular Echo Dot. It will be available Oct. 19. The Home Max, with dual woofers for more powerful sound, is priced at $399 and with availability by the end of the year.


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Brokerages largely recommend subscribing the issue given the domestic dependence and focus on lifestyle disorders.
Eris Lifesciences’ IPO witnessed a not-so-exciting response from investors, with the issue being subscribed just 0.21 times as of 12 pm on Monday—the second day of the issue.
Against a total 1,59,48,750 shares up for grabs, the issue received bids for just 32,84,760 shares, data available with the NSE showed.
The company set to raise Rs 1,800 crore through an IPO which will give an exit to Chrys Capital, which holds around 16.25 percent in the company.
The initial public offer (IPO) will see sale of 28,875,000 equity shares by the existing shareholders. Private equity giant ChrysCapital's investment arm Botticelli would sell its entire 16.25 per cent stake, or 22,344,000 shares, in Eris Lifesciences. The issue will close on June 20. The price band for the issue has been set between Rs 600 and Rs 603.
Axis Capital, Citigroup Global Markets India and Credit Suisse Securities (India) are the book running lead managers to the issue.
Moneycontrol tells you what brokerages are talking about the issue.
Angel Broking| Rating: Subscribe
The brokerage house highlighted that the company’s focus on chronic and specialty acute therapeutic segments was a good strategy. It gained market share in most of the therapeutic segments of its focus.
Moreover, with no plans for exports, the company is insulated from the risk of foreign regulator and higher expenses for R&D.
On the valuations front, it said that its FY2017 earnings per share (EPS) of Rs 17.6, the issue is priced at P/E of 34.25x, which is at par with its MNC peers but higher than domestic peer, Alkem Labs. “Considering that Eris’ faster growth, superior returns, debt free status, and specialty play, we believe that this is a fair valuation,” the brokerage house said in its report. We believe that Eris is likely to continue growing faster than its competitors owing to its marketing capability, higher operating leverage and growing market share of its mother brands.
Geojit Financial Services | Rating: Subscribe
Geojit recommended subscribing to the issue with a medium to long term perspective on the back of its unique business model and strong focus on Tier-I cities and metros.
Moreover, it stated that numbers for doctor prescriptions show that the company was one of the favourite choices of practitioners. It is also among the top five companies in India by prescription share.
“Doctors prescribing ELL products has increased to 50,282 (from 37, 842 in FY13) with a prescription share of 1.3 percent in FY17,” it said in a report.
The company is consistently showing improved top and bottom lines with revenue and EBITDA growing at a CAGR of 16.5 percent and 32 percent respectively during FY13-17, it added.
ICICI Securities | Rating: Subscribe
The brokerage house also highlighted the company’s focus on lifestyle disorders, which are chronic in nature. Even in the acute segment, it said, the company focused on categories that are connected to lifestyle disorders that are required to be prescribed over an extended period.
Moreover, the company is among the top five companies in India by prescription share. Doctors prescribing in metro cities and class 1 towns in India of Eris products have increased from 37,842 (constituting 13.8 percent of total doctors) in FY13 to 50,282 (constituting 15.7 percent of total doctors) in FY17.
Khambatta Securities | Rating: Subscribe
The specialist and super-specialty such as diabetologist/endocrinologist, cardiologist and gastroenterologist who prescribe high value prescription are the main target audience of Eris, the brokerage house said in its report.
At upper price band of Rs 603, stock is available at P/E of 31.98x FY17E. At lower price band of Rs 600, stock is available at 31.82x FY17E EPS. “Considering high growth prospects and expanding profitability while being a pure domestic player we believe forward multiple would be cheaper at current rate and offers an investment opportunity at current level,” it said in its report.
Sharekhan | Rating: Subscribe
Sharekhan highlighted that the company has guided into venturing into new therapeutic segments in the industries such as neurological pain, dermatology and gynecology. The company also plans to expand in products with niche capabilities such as injectable products.
“The company expects to leverage its existing sales, marketing and distribution infrastructure to explore in licensing opportunities. The sales team comprises of 1,501 MRs,” the report added.It also highlighted that the company now awaits patent expiries of six products (sitagliptin, vildagliptin, linagliptin, insulin aspart protamine crystalline recombinant, and ticagrelor and liraglutide recombinant) in the cardiovascular and antidiabetics therapeutic areas, which are expected to expire by FY24.


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Older adults who continue to drive into their 80s have a more than five-fold risk of getting into a fatal accident than middle-aged motorists, according to a new Consumer Reports analysis.
Age-related declines in sight, reflexes and mental acuity can make the task of driving more difficult and dangerous for an elderly person. Many states have implemented special requirements for seniors seeking to renew their driver's licenses, including additional road tests and driver's education courses.
To an aging adult, a car represents a source of much-needed mobility in a world where grocery stores, doctor's offices and shopping centers often aren't within walking distance. Most seniors are understandably reluctant to relinquish the keys to such a vital piece of freedom.
Companies are beginning to include extra features in vehicles aimed at keeping older adults behind the wheel longer. Features like large buttons, backup cameras, and programs that will notify a driver if they've veered out of their lane are becoming commonplace in many recently-made automobiles.
In their investigation, Consumer Reports included a list of cars recommended for older drivers. These automobiles were chosen based on how they scored in assessments of visibility, controls, driving position, comfort and access.
Their list of senior-friendly vehicles includes:
- Subaru: Impreza (2012), Legacy (2010-2013), Outback (2010-2013), and Forrester (2009-2012)
- Mercury: Sable (2008-2009)
- Infiniti: M (2006-2010)
- Hyundai: Azera (2006-2011) and Genesis (2009-2012)
- Toyota: Avalon (2005-2012), Camry (2007-2012), Highlander (2004-2012), and RAV4 (2006-2012)
- Honda: Accord V6 (2006-2007) and Accord (2008-2012)
- Nissan: Altima (2010-2012)
- Volkswagen: Tiguan (2009-2012)
- Ford: Taurus (2008-2009)
- Lexus: RX (2006-2009)
- Acura: RDX (2013)


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Topps on track as it finishes on flourish
Tile and wood flooring specialist Topps Tiles is on track to meet expectations after finishing its financial year with a flourish.
Tiles are us: Shares have slipped despite the news
Like-for-like revenues rose 4% in a better-than-expected fourth quarter, prompting at least two City analysts to raise their full-year forecasts.
Despite this, shares dipped 1.75p to 58.7p.
The group, which trades from 313 stores in the UK after opening 12 sites and closing or relocating eight shops in the year to September 30, said annual revenues will be in the region of £182.4m, a 2% increase.
It is on course for profits within the City's range of between £14.5m and £17.1m.
The fourth quarter improvement followed a tough summer for the Leicester-based company after like-for-like sales dropped 1.2% in the quarter to July 3.
David Jeary, a retail analyst at Investec Securities, said he now expected profits of around £16m this year, close to the level seen last year.
He added: 'This is a pleasing end to the year, after what has been a difficult period for Topps in recent years.'
Assuming that Topps can maintain the sales momentum, Mr Jeary said this year should represent the trough of a downward cycle that started in 2007.
Freddie George, a retail expert at Seymour Pierce, raised his profits target from £14.5m to £16m but said the current state of the housing market meant Topps was a long way from a return to the £40m in profits it achieved during the property boom in 2004/5.
The sheds, in particular B&Q, which has a 20% share of the tiles market, ramping up its effort.'
Mr George said he retained his sell recommendation.
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DETROIT — American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings Inc. said Friday that it took a hit as a result of the strike at General Motors. Third-quarter sales were down $140 million compared with the year-ago period, with $57 million of it attributable to the strike.
The driveline and drivetrain systems supplier said in a statement that its third-quarter financial results "were unfavorably impacted" by the work stoppage. American Axle is a major supplier to GM, which represented 41 percent of the parts maker's 2018 net sales.
The supplier said it has revised its 2019 financial targets "to reflect the expected impact of the GM work stoppage" on its full-year sales. The supplier said it expects a full-year loss in sales of about $250 million.
The quarterly results nonetheless pleased Wall Street. American Axle shares surged 26 percent to $10.56 in midday trading.
American Axle said its third-quarter net loss was $124.2 million, as compared with net income of $63.8 million in the same period last year.
Much of the net loss was a result of a one-time charge of $225 million for the sale of the supplier's U.S. iron casting business.
The company reported core earnings before restructuring and impairment charges, a figure known as EBITDA, of $265.8 million, down 3.3 percent from last year.
American Axle's net sales were $1.68 billion, down 7.7 percent from $1.82 billion in the same period last year.
The supplier said it saw sales declines in its driveline and metal-forming business units, primarily as a result of the GM strike.
American Axle CEO David Dauch said in a call with investors Friday that while the strike significantly impacted the third quarter, its effects will continue.
"Its impact will be exponentially greater in the fourth quarter of 2019," Dauch said.
The supplier forecasts total 2019 adjusted EBITDA of $950 million to $975 million and sales of around $6.6 billion.
In addition to the strike impact, these targets reflect the impact of lower metal market pass-throughs and assume a full year of financial results from the supplier's U.S. iron casting operations.
American Axle previously forecast a total adjusted EBITDA of $1.05 billion to $1.1 billion and sales of $6.9 billion to $7 billion.
CFO Chris May said lower than expected global production volumes and the impact of the strike have made it a challenging year for American Axle from a top-line perspective.
Despite these challenges, May said American Axle experienced greater operational performance and decreased project and launch costs.
"We have focused on controlling what we can control," May said.
American Axle & Manufacturing, of Detroit, ranks No. 40 on the Automotive News list of the top 100 global suppliers, with worldwide parts sales to automakers of $7.27 billion in 2018.


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By >Daimaou - G.G-B
Samsung Reveals High-performance 64GByte SATA II SSDs for High-end PC and Server Storage Markets
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the world leader in advanced memory technology, has become the first in the industry to sample 1.8-inch and 2.5-inch 64Gigabyte (GB) solid state drives (SSD) with a super-fast SATA (Serial ATA) II/native SATA interface. With a sequential write speed of 100Megabytes per second (MBps) and sequential read speed of 120MBps, the SATA II SSD is poised to expand the market for solid state drives from notebook PCs to corporate servers and other high-performance storage applications.
“The 64GB SATA II SSD is based on Samsung’s cutting-edge NAND technology with dramatically improved performance specs that are taking system performance to a whole new level of efficiency,” said Jim Elliott, director, NAND flash marketing, Samsung Semiconductor, Inc.
Samsung’s SATA II SSD combines a 50 nm-class, single-level-cell (SLC) 8Gb flash chip with a Samsung proprietary, high-speed SATA controller and supporting software.
The new SATA II SSD has a 3.0 gigabit-per-second (Gbps) interface speed which is twice as fast as its SATA I predecessor. Moreover, the SATA II SSD requires only half as much power as the 1.9 watts consumed by hard drives now used in notebook PCs and only one-tenth the power consumed by enterprise-class 15,000rpm hard drives in servers.


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Last week, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave lawmakers a technical assessment of the GMO labeling bill, outlining a number of contradictions and loopholes contained in the bill. The FDA pointed out that the definition of “bioengineering” wasn’t broad enough and could allow some processed foods to evade a label because they wouldn’t contain genetic material even though they stared from genetically modified foods. For example, oil made from genetically engineered soy may not require a label, since the final product wouldn’t contain genetic material. This is a real concern. Depending on the amount of GMO content the USDA decides will qualify a food for a label, respected food research groups have estimated that 99% of all GMO food could be exempt from labeling.
Two recent studies would have us think GMOs and Glyphosate are safe! But who, exactly, is behind the research? Major studies just released claim that genetically modified (GM) foods—and the chemical used on them, glyphosate—are safe to eat. Following publication, there has been a steady drumbeat in the media essentially claiming that the case is now closed: GMOs are safe. We say, “Not so fast.” The National Research Council (NRC)—the research arm of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS)—“examined epidemiological data on incidence of cancers and other human health problems over time,” and says there is no reason to be wary of genetically modified foods. However, more than half of the authors of the NRC report are involved in GMO development or promotion or have other ties to the biotech industry. It is shameful that the National Academy of Sciences cannot police this. Indeed, it seems too intimidated even to try.
Antibiotic-resistant infections affect 2 million Americans annually, leading to the death of at least 23,000. Even more die from complications related to the infections, and the numbers are steadily growing. According to the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA), just one organism — methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus, better known as MRSA — kills more Americans each year than the combined total of emphysema, HIV/AIDS, Parkinson's disease, and homicide. A 2015 report commissioned by U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron estimates that by 2050, the annual global death toll from antibiotic-resistant disease will reach 10 million, and the global cost for treatment will be around $100 trillion. Experts have been warning about the implications of antibiotic resistance for years, but as their warnings have largely been ignored, the number of strains developing resistance to even our strongest antibiotics has been allowed to grow unabated. While overuse of antibiotics in medicine and widespread use of antibacterial household products (items containing triclosan) are part of the problem, the inappropriate use of antibiotics in farming bears the heaviest responsibility for creating the antibiotic-resistant superbug crisis of today. An estimated 80 percent of total antibiotic sales in the U.S. end up in livestock.
All across America citizens have rallied together to fight against the biotech industry for food freedom laws. People want the right to grow and choose their own food, and to protect themselves from the biotech industry seeking to control agriculture with their GMO and chemical-based approach to food production. Their products, such as genetically modified seeds, herbicides, and pesticides, contaminate even organically-grown foods. From the Food Sovereignty movement started in Maine back in 2011, to the citizens of Jackson County Oregon voting to ban GMO crops in their county, it has been a long battle for local communities to grow and market their own locally produced products against the tyranny of the federal government trying to force states and local communities to follow their own laws that strip away state rights and personal rights, in favor of protecting the biotech industry and mass food production and distribution. Recently, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack stated that Congress needed to pass mandatory nationwide GMO labeling legislation. Some U.S. companies have implemented their own GMO labeling procedures, along with some states and local communities, but Vilsack and the federal government believes they can do it better: “The problem with all of that is there is no consistency,” Vilsack said. “There is no predictability. There is no stability and the consumer can be easily confused because everybody might do it slightly differently if there is no standard.” Is the federal government suddenly concerned about consumer rights and GMO transparency in food labeling? Can we really trust the federal government with protecting the rights of consumers through GMO mandated labeling laws? Expecting the federal government to police the multi-national food companies that control most of the nation's food supply, when that same government is acting to protect them, is foolish. A nationwide federally-mandated GMO labeling law would actually benefit the bitotech industry, and not consumers.
In FDA’s words, the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) “directs FDA to build an integrated national food safety system in partnership with state and local authorities explicitly recognizing that all food safety agencies need to work in integrated ways to achieve public health goals.” To FDA “integrate” means dictating to the states what their food safety laws will be.
The Detox Project, using laboratories at the University of California San Francisco, has found the presence of glyphosate, the most used herbicide in the world, in the urine of 93% of the American public during a unique testing project that started in 2015. "Glyphosate was found in 93% of the 131 urine samples tested at an average level of 3.096 parts per billion (PPB). Children had the highest levels with an average of 3.586 PPB."
Healthy Traditions Offers First-ever GMO-tested and Glyphosate-tested Heirloom Corn Products from Mexico
Over the past few years we have tried to find corn in the United States that tested clean for the presence of genetically modified material and the herbicide glyphosate. We tested corn products that were USDA certified organic, and corn that also made claims to be GMO-free. We found that all of them were contaminated. We have been successful in some years growing clean corn with our farmers in Wisconsin, but often subsequent harvest years turned up positive results of GMOs in our testing, forcing us to find new sources of open pollinated heirloom corn. As a result, we did not have much corn to sell to our customers, and some years we had none. But now, we have located some rural farms in Mexico that seem to have clean corn from native varieties. Healthy Traditions is excited to bring you a new line of products made from corn grown in the region where corn is thought to have originated, Central Mexico! In order to find a consistent supply of corn that tested negative for both GMO and glyphosate contamination, we began searching in Mexico, where commercial GMO corn production is currently banned because of the rich genetic diversity and cultural significance that corn has there. This open-pollinated corn has been grown in a traditional fashion, much the same way it has been done for hundreds, if not thousands of years in this region. The family of the farmer that grew this corn has a connection to the land for over a century, and the seed he uses has been passed down from generation to generation. Healthy Traditions views the opportunity to help preserve this genetically diverse corn as a great honor and one in which we are proud to be a part of. We are also pleased to work with a grist mill that has agreed to dedicate one of their stone grinders just for grinding GMO-tested and Glyphosate-tested corn. This mill processes no other grains in this facility and our corn is ground in small batches to ensure freshness.
Lawsuits are now beginning in the United States against Monsanto's herbicide Roundup, the number one herbicide in the world used in modern agriculture. The active ingredient glyphosate, found in most of our foods, has been linked to cancer by the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). As reported by EcoWatch, four Nebraskan agricultural workers have now filed a lawsuit against Monsanto Co. alleging that Roundup gave them non-Hodgkin lymphoma after many years of exposure. The plaintiffs have also accused Monsanto of purposely misleading consumers about the safety of its agricultural product, which contains glyphosate as its main ingredient. The plaintiffs allege that Monsanto mislabeled the product in defiance of the “body of recognized scientific evidence linking the disease to exposure to Roundup.” Could this be the beginning of many more lawsuits? Glyphosate is used so heavily in the U.S. that it has been found in human breast milk, feeding tube liquids given to babies and children with cancer in hospitals, and 75% of the air and rain samples tested in the Mississippi delta region. In 2014, Tropical Traditions tested some of the USDA certified organic products they were selling, and found glyphosate residue in organic food as well. They have now begun testing all of their products for the presence of glyphosate.
Veteran Farm News Cartoonist Fired for Speaking the Truth About Big Ag – Exposes Mainstream Media Censorship
Rick Friday is a veteran political cartoonist for Farm News, an Iowa newspaper. That is, he was their political cartoonist up until earlier this month. After drawing more than 1,000 cartoons over his 21-year career, he was fired from the newspaper after one of its advertisers complained. It’s true that money talks, and this is a clear example of who’s really in control of the press. The career-ending cartoon pictured two farmers talking. One said, “I wish there was profit in farming.” The other responded, “There is, in year 2015 the CEOs of Monsanto, DuPont Pioneer and John Deere combined made more money than 2,129 Iowa farmers.” As for who complained, it was reportedly “a large company affiliated with one of the corporations mentioned in the cartoon,” according to a Facebook response written by Friday. The company canceled their advertisement with the paper after the cartoon was published, leading to Friday’s termination. Monsanto claimed it had no role in Friday’s firing, but a reported email sent by his supervisor said it was a “seed dealer” that canceled their advertising.1 Friday’s cartoon was accurate, by the way, but it doesn’t matter. When you receive advertising money from Monsanto, DuPont and other bigwigs, you have to censor what you say so they — and their products — are painted in only a positive light. In rebuttal, Friday wrote: “I did my research and only submitted the facts in my cartoon. That's okay, hopefully my children and my grandchildren will see that this last cartoon published by Farm News out of Fort Dodge, Iowa, will shine light on how fragile our rights to free speech and free press really are in the country.”
Hidden within a large federal spending bill is a proposal for $3 million to go toward consumer education and outreach to “promote understanding and acceptance of agricultural biotechnology”—a campaign to be carried out jointly by the FDA and the USDA. In plain English, this proposal would spend taxpayer dollars on an effort to convince Americans that GMOs are just fine—perhaps even that they shouldn’t be labeled.


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Subway, the struggling fast-casual sandwich chain that’s always going to smell like that, shocked the restaurant world this week by announcing a wind-down of their most successful promotion ever: the $5 footlong. After complaints from cash-strapped franchisees upon the deal’s revival last winter, the company has decided to let each one decide whether their location will continue offering 12 inches for five Washingtons. For the most part, though, the bargain will disappear — with only a jingle to remember it by.
A deeply annoying jingle.
The $5 footlong — cheap, large and theoretically not unhealthy — became “the sandwich of the recession” and triggered an aggressive Subway expansion that left the country oversaturated with green-and-yellow storefronts. Except… when did you ever get a $5 footlong? As everyone was quick to point out when this news dropped, the entire premise was kind of suspect from the beginning. It felt more like a trap than an enticement. Because when you actually showed up at Subway, you always paid more.
Now, I’m not really sure how they pulled this one over on us. Maybe whenever we got into a Subway, we were too rushed and hungry to think about the scam, preoccupied with remembering which ingredients we wanted on our Italian BMTs, or wondering if anyone actually likes the honey oat bread. Maybe they counted on people forgetting they’d been swindled as soon as they got a hit of that sweet onion teriyaki sauce.
At any rate, people did notice — the deal was all but extinct years ago. “WTF happened to the $5 footlongs @Subway?” a redditor fumed back in 2015. A franchisee piped up in the thread to explain that a healthier economy, more competition and an excess of shops meant that “as far as corporate is concerned, $5 footlongs are gone forever.” The brand had blown up so fast on the strength of this marketing masterstroke, they said, that the company cut corners to keep it viable — by using lower-quality meats, for example. Success was Subway’s ruin.
And so, like the promise of equal opportunity and freedom for all Americans, the $5 footlong turned out to be a beautiful myth, something that gave people a sense of hope only to dash it against a sneeze guard.
Also, the sandwiches weren’t really a foot long.
Does this mean you’ll stop going to Subway? Don’t make me laugh. You’re not better than Subway, bitch — and you never will be. Still, the official death of an advertising play that never quite squared with lunchtime reality means that one of the greatest lies ever sold can haunt our consciousness no more. No longer will we feel like idiots for somehow spending twice as much on cold cuts and banana peppers as we were told they would cost. Let a new era of transparency begin today. Just tell us that the footlong Big Philly Cheesesteak is $8.95 before tax. We can handle it. We’re used to getting screwed over these days. It’s not as catchy, sure, but it’s the honest, ugly truth.
And could you please stock any chips besides baked Lay’s?


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Yuji Horii Says Dragon Quest XI Will be Offline, on Home Console
I applaud this decision.
07.06.15 - 1:11 AM
While we're still waiting for official word on some of the more recent Dragon Quest releases (there may yet be hope!), series creator Yuji Horii talked a little bit about the future, saying that Dragon Quest XI would not follow in the MMO footsteps of its predecessor, and be an offline game on home consoles.
"We can’t say anything right now, but yes, we’re working on it. One thing is certain: Dragon Quest XI will be an offline game. But we’ll have more information on that front soon,” said Horii in an interview with French fansite FFRing. He also said that "Dragon Quest XI will be a return to the traditional mechanics of Dragon Quest. If we do another action RPG, it will be in the Dragon Quest Heroes series."
Hopefully we here more about the future of the Dragon Quest franchise soon. In the meantime, keep a close eye on RPGFan as we bring you further updates.


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A woman who sold thousands of pieces of fake Pandora jewelry from her Chester home has been jailed.
Suzanne Piercy netted around £300,000 selling the counterfeit charms around the country via a series of online auction sites.
The 48-year-old former teacher's scam was finally ended when she was raided by trading standards officers, the Chester Chronicle has reported.
The defendant imported counterfeit charms from contacts in Germany and Hong Kong and sold them online using a significant number of listings, under the name of Zacsfactor.
Piercy, 48, of Sutherland Way, Vicars Cross, Chester, was found guilty at Chester Crown Court of one count of fraudulent trading between March 2014 and June 2016, together with two trade mark offences.
Earlier the court had heard how Cheshire West and Chester Trading standard officers and police officers executed a search warrant at her house on June 9, 2016.
A total of 1,285 fake Pandora products were seized along with £3,205 cash.
Between March 2015 and June 2016 she had sold 15,494 Pandora products earning more than £300,000.
The potential loss to Pandora based on the retail value of the genuine products was said to be £755,000 if all the fakes had been sold.
Summing up, Judge Roger Dutton, Recorder of Chester, stated Piercy was "operating a well-run, efficient, successful, professional business making substantial profits".
She was being used ‘as an outlet for a supplier from overseas’ and ‘it soon became clear it was not legitimate and exploited the scheme for her own and her family’s benefit’.
Maria Byrne, the council’s director of place operations, said: “Our trading standards officers protect residents across Cheshire West by investigating the sale of counterfeit products.
“I would ask Cheshire West residents to seriously think twice about supporting this kind of activity. Buying counterfeit goods on-line may appear to be an attractive and cheap alternative but they are, by their very nature, inferior products and are often unsafe.
“This is the end result of a very complex investigation. This case has been listed for a proceeds of crime hearing in June to recover the proceeds from what was a substantial counterfeiting operation.
“We will take action against anyone found selling counterfeit products in Cheshire West and Chester. Counterfeiting is an illegal activity which affects the livelihoods of legitimate, hardworking businesses.”


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Universal Postal Union cheers on growing new-issue stamp market
By Linn’s Staff
The Universal Postal Union reports that the international new-issue stamp market has grown over the past 15 years.
In an article published on the UPU website and in the summer issue of the quarterly periodical Union Postale, the international agency stated that “designated operators’ philatelic revenues reached 1.8 billion SDR (2.5 billion USD) in 2016 compared to just under 1 billion SDR (1.4 billion USD) in 2004.”
SDR refers to the special drawing right valuation basket, an accounting unit developed and used by the International Monetary Fund.
News of the increase in new stamp sales might bring cheer to collectors who worry that postage stamps are becoming a thing of the past.
Olfa Mokaddem, manager of the UPU philately program, explained that commerce opportunities on the internet have contributed to increased interest in philatelic products, according to the article.
As an example, an individual who has an interest in a specific subject can now find information online about stamps related to that subject and can augment a general collection with philatelic products.
Such collectors represent a new and different market than traditional philatelists interested in “the heritage and cultural value of stamps,” according to Mokaddem.
The UPU broadly estimates that the secondary market worldwide, including dealers, collectors “and others buying second-hand philatelic products,” is worth between $4.2 billion and $13.8 billion in U.S. dollars.
The UPU recently surveyed national postal operators and found that 65 percent of the 95 who responded said that they operate an online shop.
“Posts have also ramped up their online marketing and communication efforts to reach new consumers, with 69 percent of respondents answering that they now use social networks to promote their products,” according to the article.
The UPU is a United Nations specialized agency that facilitates the exchange of mail between countries worldwide.
As part of its outreach efforts, the UPU sponsors events that include an international letter-writing competition and World Post Day.
Connect with Linn’s Stamp News:
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A women in the U.S. intends to fight a traffic ticket issued for wearing her Google Glass headset at the wheel.
The California resident, Cecilia Abadie, is one of the the original "explorers" given a headset to test out before the product becomes mainstream. On Tuesday, she pleaded not guilty to two charges: going 80mph in a 65mph zone, and on a citation usually given to those driving while a video or television screen is on in the front of a vehicle.
Google Glass is a headset that features a small screen, and acts as a computer complete with connection to the Internet and both voice and gesture command activation. The size of the display is roughly a thumbnail, but the explorer says that the device was not active at the time of the charges.
Attorney William Concidine told The Associated Press that she will testify in January, and maintains that the headset was not on while Abadie was driving, but was activated when she spoke to the officer. In addition, the lawyer says that mobile technology should not be included within the citation.
This case, believed to be the first in the U.S., has raised questions over whether Glass can be included in legislation designed for distracted driving caused by large television screens.
While California's law may be lagging behind technology, a number of other states have already introduced proposals that would ban the use of Glass while driving -- even though the product is not yet available to the general public.
We might like showing off our headsets even when they are switched off, but as Nick Starr found while dining this month at a Seattle restaurant, not everyone shares this type of enthusiasm. After refusing to take off his headset at the Lost Lake cafe, he was told to leave. The company said the decision was taken with other customers in mind.
Via: Huffington Post
This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com


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Kerakoll received the prestigious B Corp rating
Kerakoll, a prominent player in the global construction industry, has just been awarded B Corp certification.
On July 26, 2023, in Sassuolo, Kerakoll received this honor as a pioneering construction company, consolidating its status as a leading sustainable building benefits company in the sector and a major global industry player.
Obtaining AB Corp certification marks a significant chapter in Kerakoll's commitment to environmental, social and governance (ESG) excellence. This milestone reflects the company's transition from its historic commitment to green building to adopting a business model that actively generates economic, social and environmental benefits.
Under the guidance of NATIVA, Kerakoll started on this transformative path and became a Benefit Company in September 2021. The certification process comprehensively assessed Kerakoll's impact across its operations in 11 countries, focusing on five key areas: governance, employee well-being, community support, environmental responsibility and customer engagement. The evaluation highlights Kerakoll's ethical management, employee well-being and development opportunities, support of non-profit organizations, sustainable supply chain practices, commitment to the circular economy, and efforts in product and logistics sustainability.
The B Corp certification awarded by the international B Lab recognizes companies that meet the highest standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency. This underlines Kerakoll's ongoing commitment to positively impacting its employees, communities and the environment, as well as continuously improving its practices.
Kerakoll is among the 240 Italian companies with this certification, contributing to a global network of more than 7,000 B Corp.
Fabio Sghedoni, Vice President of Kerakoll, expressed his pride that they have joined the ranks of large companies with B Corp certification and are leading the construction industry in the direction of sustainable practices. He emphasized that the certification is proof of Kerakoll's commitment to ESG values and its role as a driver of change in the industry, which strives for a future where development is in harmony with environmental and social well-being.
Eric Ezechieli, co-founder of NATIVA, praised Kerakoll's strategic focus on sustainability, especially in the challenging construction industry. He praised the company's global team for its commitment to sustainability, strategic innovation and tangible results.
Kerakoll is an internationally recognized B Corp and Benefit Company specializing in sustainable building solutions that harmonize with the environment and enhance human well-being. Since its founding in Sassuolo, Italy in 1968, Kerakoll has been at the forefront of the green construction industry with its innovative technologies. The company, which generated more than €600 million in revenue in 2021, employs around 2,000 people worldwide, operates in 12 countries and maintains 17 manufacturing plants in different countries, continuing its growth trajectory and leadership in sustainable construction.
Would you like to know more about Kerakoll? Read this .


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News - VFACTS - Sales 2011
September VFACTS: Toyota back in control
Corolla leads Toyota charge as quake-hit market leader resumes normal transmission
6 Oct 2011
MARKET leader Toyota turned on the sales afterburners in September as it made up ground lost in the wake of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, regaining market leadership in no fewer than 11 vehicle segments as fresh stocks flowed from the factories.
Its Corolla small car was the top-selling vehicle for the month, its 3766 sales tipping the Holden Commodore (3712), Toyota HiLux (3191) and Mazda3 (2703) off the best-seller perch, according to official VFACTS sales figures from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI).
The resumption of normal business at Toyota helped the market to a second successive month of growth, although the industry’s September tally of 86,819 vehicles was up only 2.1 per cent compared with 85,054 sale of the same month last year.
Year to date, the market is still trailing by 3.7 per cent – 752,128 to 780,720 – but with a major breakout of special offers among major players already this month, a million-unit market is again a real possibility.
FCAI chief executive Ian Chalmers said he expected sales to top one million this year, although it would be more challenging to achieve compared with the three previous years when the industry achieved this landmark.
“Reduced sales in the second quarter of 2011 have set a challenging target for the final three months of the year, but industry resolve is high,” he said.
“Sales stimulus by means of competition in the marketplace saw the third quarter end strongly, and we are now looking toward continued growth through to the end of the year.”
From top: Toyota HiLux, Holden Commodore, Mazda3, Holden Cruze, Ford Territory.
Toyota’s 17,378 sales in September represent a 7.4 per cent gain on the same month last year, restoring it to 20 per cent market share for the month.
However, Toyota’s nine-month total of 131,371 vehicles is still down 16.6 per cent on the 157,538 units sold by the company in the first three quarters of 2010.
Toyota’s good September helped to lift its year-to-date market share another notch, to 17.5 per cent – but still short of the 20.2 per cent it held at the same time last year.
Holden last month also clawed a 2.7 per cent sales gain, to 11,008 units and second place on the rankings, putting it well ahead of third-placed Ford, which slipped a gear, down 1.5 per cent to 8161 units.
September marked the first month since January that the Toyota Corolla has out-pointed the Commodore and taken the monthly crown, although the big Holden nevertheless regained its year-to-date sales lead from Mazda3 that jumped into first place last month.
With three quarters of the year gone, Holden has sold 31,977 Commodores – down 7.6 per cent on the first nine months of 2010 – compared with Mazda’s 31,439 Mazda3s (down 4.6 per cent).
A big push by the Mazda sales network in August cleared much of the Mazda3 run-out stock ahead of the introduction this month of a facelifted model, leaving the leading Japanese importer with not so many bullets to fire in September.
But with a facelifted Mazda3 now coming on stream, the race for the 2011 sales crown is far from over.
Ultimately, the main threat to the Mazda3 might come from another Holden, the Cruze, which last month recorded its fourth consecutive month above 3000 sales.
Holden is set to add the Australian-designed Cruze hatch next month, completing its small-car range just in time for a big push to the end of the year.
The success of the Adelaide-built Cruze and a 55 per cent rise in sales of the newly refreshed Ford Territory also helped to reverse the long-term sales decline of locally-made vehicles, which rose 21 per cent in September.
This was despite another disappointing month for Ford’s Falcon, which fell 24.6 per cent to 1708 sales for the month, and leaving it down 37.7 per cent for the year.
The Falcon has failed to achieve 2000 units in any month this year, although it remains the Blue Oval’s biggest seller in Australia.
Apart from the new Territory, Ford’s ship was help upright by improved sales of imports such as the Fiesta (up 59 per cent in September), the Mondeo (up 47.4 per cent) and Ranger 4x4 (up 5.9 per cent).
The Mazda sales shortage in September – down 31.8 per cent on September 2010 – allowed import-lead rival Hyundai to push into fourth place for the month, although Mazda still holds slender 826-unit lead year to date.
Hyundai achieved September’s big result without its long-time best-seller, the Getz, which recorded just one sale in September as it finally ran out.
The Korean company made up the difference with gains almost across the range to achieve a 22.7 per cent year-on-year sales rise for September, to 7508 vehicles.
Nissan was one of the big winners in September, with sales of 5892 vehicles – up 25.7 per cent on the back of strong performance by its X-Trail compact SUV (up 54 per cent), Micra light car (up 54.5 per cent) and Navara 4x4 (up 22.5 per cent).
Among the biggest losers was Honda, whose sales plummet of 28.5 per cent in September – to just 1845 units – left it in 12th place, even trailing luxury car import brand Mercedes-Benz.
Subaru also slipped, down 19.4 per cent for the month to 2503 units as Impreza sales faltered ahead of the anticipated launch of an all-new model, pushing the company’s sales decline so far this year to 12.5 per cent.
Kia made it into the top 10, with 2222 sales (up 10.3 per cent), while Volkswagen continued on its merry way, with a sales rise of 12.9 per cent – in line with its overall gain this year.
Small cars again were flavour of the month, with sales up 9.1 per cent, while the smaller light category slipped 12.8 per cent.
Medium cars, led by the locally made Camry, outsold the once dominant large cars – 7356 to 7212 – mainly as a consequence of Falcon’s dive.
In the SUV segment, the compact variety remains the most popular, even though sales slipped 2.9 per cent.
Activity in medium SUV arena – including the boost provided by the Territory – helped lift sales of these vehicles by 11.6 per cent.
In a positive sign for business in Australia, light commercial vehicles eked out a 1.5 per cent sales gain, entirely due to improved sales of the popular 4x4 utes.
The Road to Recovery podcast series
5th of September 2011
August VFACTS: Buyers return to showrooms
Toyota returns to form as Holden slips behind and Mazda overtakes Ford for third
3rd of August 2011
VFACTS: Toyota wrestles back top spot
Stock drought set to turn to flood as quake-hit Toyota turns on the production tap
Click to share
Motor industry news


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On March 15-16, the international conference “Euro-Asia Agricultural Products” was held in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, with the participation of delegations from more than 40 countries. Panel sessions related to the production of agricultural products, export routes and transportation routes were organized at the conference.
“Azerbaijan Railways” CJSC presented the “Grain express train” project, which ensures the delivery of grain cargoes to destination countries in shorter and safer conditions. According to the project, the economic advantages of transporting Kazakhstan’s grain products to Europe on the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route are more attractive than other alternative routes.
The “Grain Express Train” project envisages the delivery of grain products to Europe through the ports of Turkey and Georgia, passing through Azerbaijan. Director of “ADY Container” LLC, Natig Jafarov, who took part in the conference, gave extensive information to the participants about the potential of the institution on the proposed route.


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BMSVision, the Charlotte, N.C.-based U.S., affiliate of Belgian Monitoring Systems, is a leading supplier of manufacturing execution system for the U.S. textile industry. But over the last five years, MES systems for the plastics industry have grown, and now account for half of the company's sales.
BMSVision officials said major U.S. plastics companies use the BMS PlantMaster system for day-to-day management of operations, including Roechling automotive, Stihl Inc., Sterilite Corp. and Tupperware Brands Corp.
PlantMaster is easily integrated with the customer's enterprise reporting software program, through a standard interface, according to BMSVision.
Now BMS has launched version 8.00 of its PlantMaster MES. The new DU11 offers a new operator interface featuring a seven-inch touch screen and an intuitive, web-based user interface. Besides traditional MES functions such as operator log-on, stop declaration and scrap entry, the DU11 visualizes setup documents, quality and maintenance instructions.
Configurable “dashboards” visualize important key performance indicators, such as scrap rates, overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) and machine efficiencies. A new feature allows a PlantMaster user to create formulas and reports without the need for any database or programming knowledge.
Once the MES helps schedule the jobs, a set of reports is generated for planning, production and setup crew.
One new feature for PlantMaster: a touch-screen data collection terminal, called TSDU.
BMSVision also offers an EnergyMaster module for PlantMaster that integrates energy consumption data—electricity, gas, compressed air, water, steam, effluent and carbon dioxide emissions—together with other MES applications such as scheduling, machine and process monitoring.
The user can prepare customized reports showing, for example, energy consumption over time, and under different conditions. Exceptional energy consumption can trigger automatic alerts via email or text message, allowing for technicians to quickly solve the problem.
Tel. 704-392-9371, email [email protected].


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Indonesia buys Brazilian sugar after two year hiatusFeb, 12, 2020 Posted by Sylvia Schandert
Indonesia, the world’s largest importer of raw sugar, is once again buying Brazilian sugar. That’s because the worst drought in decades has reduced Thailand’s crop, prompting Indonesia to look for a new supplier.
According to Alvean, a joint venture between Cargill and Copersucar, and the largest sugar trading company in the world, the company should load a ship in Brazil, this week, with at least 60 thousand tons of raw sugar to Indonesia.
The sale takes place almost two years after the last export of raw sugar from Brazil to Indonesia and comes on the back of forecasts that the Thailand harvest will drop at least 30%. In addition, supplies from the second largest exporter in the world are so expensive today that Indonesia prefers to buy from Brazil despite the higher import tariff.
According to DataLiner, Datamar’s foreign trade data solution, Brazil exported around 16 million tons of sugar in 2019. The following table, based on data from DataLiner, shows the top five destinations for Brazilian sugar in 2019 :
Top five Brazilian sugar exporters in 2019 (values in tons)
Chart source: DataLiner / Datamar
Source of report: Bloomberg
- Ports and Terminals Jul, 17, 2019 0
- Grains Feb, 02, 2020 0
- Ports and Terminals Sep, 27, 2019 0
- Fish Mar, 06, 2019 0


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CA Technologies news stories - Page 2
IDC names CA Technologies a Leader for Agile PPM
CA’s combination of Agile and PPM solutions gives organisations clear visibility into the status of their investments.
CA Technologies appoints Janice Cox as new A/NZ vice president and MD
Janice joins CA Technologies from Telstra, where she was a director in its managed customer segment.
Exclusive Interview: CA Technologies on their new partner program
Kevin Van Gils, CA Technologies local head of partners, discusses how the program has been changed and what the benefits are for partners.
Exclusive: CA Technologies discusses the Automic acquisition, automation and SAP
We get the lowdown on why CA Technologies acquired automation provider Automic, what customers and partners can expect.
Study reveals how companies can develop and deliver better software faster
New data from almost a thousand global respondents has found there are substantial benefits to be had from cloud-based tools for DevOps.
Spectrum, Unite and API Talent take top CA honours
Spectrum has had double glory at CA's ANZ Partner awards, taking out both local and global awards, with Unite and API Talent also claiming ANZ awards.
Exclusive: CA Technologies and eBlueprint team up for Aussie API management push
CA Technologies has partnered with technology solutions provider eBlueprint to push its API management offering in Australia.
Nextgen Distribution takes on CA Technologies
Nextgen Distribution has become sole NZ distie for CA Technologies full portfolio of offerings, with two specific product sets a key focus initially.
CA Technologies officially buys Automic
Founded in 1985, Automic has offices in Vienna, Paris, Asia Pacific Japan (APJ), and Bellevue.
DevOps: The top three hottest trends for 2017
Interestingly, they’re not specifically about development or operations, but more focused around the need to balance speed with quality and security.
CA Technologies to acquire Automic with unanimous board vote
“Enterprise customers are engaging with vendors to support their digital transformation initiatives."
CA Technologies adds new face to APJ executive line up
“We see massive potential in the Agile Central business in APJ as organisations look to deploy agile at scale to deliver upon their DX goals."
CA Technologies' new India channel chief keen to drive business success
CA Technologies has appointed industry veteran Saivijay Khanagav as the new senior director of its Partners and Alliances Business for India & SAARC.
CA's new ANZ chief on DX, what's happening in AU and his plans for the NZ market
"I’m actually quite excited about how much opportunity there is and how fast this digital transformation is taking hold in ANZ.”
Meet CA Technologies new APJ president
“I am confident that Martin will lead this team to new growth & continue to help our customers and partners leverage IT to transform their business."
'Built to Last' businesses a thing of the past, time for change is now
“Our industry is about to hit the next big wave. The face of digital transformation and new business models are being unleashed.”
IN PICS: CA World 2016 Day One
Check out our photos from Day One of CA World 16, live from Las Vegas.
CA World 2016: Getting the edge in the application economy
"It’s up to us, as a community of technologists working in partnership, to bridge the gap between big ideas and world-changing outcomes."
The era of digital transformation: Australian organisations assimilate
"The application economy has increased consumer expectations and forced organisations to respond by upping their digital game."
Spectrum NZ signs new reseller agreement with CA Technologies
The deal sees Spectrum become the first organisation in New Zealand to offer CA Test Data Manager to its customers in a SaaS format.
Former Oracle exec takes centre stage in APJ with CA Technologies
“I am excited about working with the team in APJ, and further building CA’s business in this fast growing market."
Businesses need to incorporate technology and 'embrace digital transformation'
CA Technologies’ global study takes a look into the impact that digital transformation is having on enterprises in Asia Pacific and Japan.
Study finds the key drivers behind growing app economy in APJ
CA Technologies recently announced the Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ) results of a global Economist Intelligence Unit survey.
New top dog for CA Technologies ANZ
"Aus and NZ are mature markets and my focus as I take on this new role will be to help guide our customers on their digital transformation journeys."


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Wow this year just flew by! It seems like yesterday I was ringing in the new year in a very foggy showing of World of Color, now it’s the holidays yet again! California Adventure is celebrating its first holiday season since its grand re-opening this past summer, so I wanted to take a look at […]
There has been so much to write about, I wasn’t sure where to begin! Continuing with our Cars Land coverage, let’s have a look at Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree.
Disney held another after-hours Annual Passholder event this past weekend. This time they featured DCA’s “World of Color“. Days before the event, the stores at California Adventure started selling Mickey Ear hats that had lights in them for $25, which is about $10 more than plain ears. I wasn’t sure how these would catch on […]
It has been such an exciting time to be a Disney fan these past couple of weeks! I cannot believe how lucky I am to have the opportunity to share my experiences with you all! There is a whole lot to cover, as you may all know so I’ll spread the wealth over the next […]
Confession time: I was pretty sad when ElecTRONica shut down and was not completely sold on the Mad T Party concept. However, after attending the soft opening of Disney California Adventure’s new night time dance party, I was instantly hooked!
Just in case you didn’t know, Cars Land will be opening to the general public on June 15. In the mean time, Annual Passholders who can’t wait until then to start spending money on Cars Land Merchandise (this guy) had a chance to do so during the Merchandise Preview event ;).
Its been years in the making, but the date for the official opening of Cars Land has been set for June 15, 2012! Ride testing is already taking place to make sure everything is ready for the big day. Over at the Blue Sky Cellar Preview Center, they have changed their displays to focus on […]


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Microsoft announced that Surface RT and Surface Pro tables will now be available at new authorized resellers in the U.S. The company will also be authorizing new resellers in other countries over the next few months.
Got an iPhone?Download Drippler 2.0
Notify me when Drippler 3.0 comes to iOS.
To Facebook Messenger


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Digital payments beyond cities; Ola’s scooter sale a hit
India is one of the world’s biggest digital payments markets even though access to them remains restricted to urban areas. Now, the government will sift through the best ideas it has received from startups for taking digital payments to rural areas, where 65% of Indians live.
Resignation at Zomato; India, Singapore tie-up on payments
In March, Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal announced the launch of the company’s nutriti...
CBIC instructs field units to free up shipping containers amid global shortage, industry demands
“Dispose expeditiously the unclaimed/unclear...
Income Tax department 'surveys' Newsclick, Newslaundry in tax case
Newsclick and its founders were also raided by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in February under provisions of the anti-money laundering law.
Many retro tax rules continue to haunt companies
“There are several retrospective regulations, albeit introduced from the beginning of the year, causing several problems for companies,” said Dinesh Kanabar, CEO, Dhruva Advisors, a tax advisory firm. “Many companies are already litigating these and that is only impacting the time value of money and India’s score on the ease-of- doing-business quotient.”
Hopeful that concerns of SEZs on RoDTEP will soon be addressed: Union minister Anupriya Patel
At present, SEZs are allowed to sell their products in the domestic market, but after payment of customs duty. Export Promotion Council for SEZ and EOUs (EPCES) Chairman Bhuvnesh Seth has urged the government to extend the benefits of RoDTEP to the sector.
Cairn expects $1.06 billion in refund from India, plans to return $700 million to shareholders
Cairn Energy expects a “near-term” resolution on retrospective tax issue with India and a refund of ₹7,900 crore ($1.06 billion), the company said in its earnings presentation on Tuesday.
Odisha launches new e-receipt model for tax, dues payment
Launching the new platform, Chief Secretary S C Mohapatra said it will provide facilities such as payment through card, UPI ID, QR code and wallet.
CBDT extends deadlines for Vivaad Se Vishwas, equalisation levy and other compliance filings
"Considering the difficulties being faced in issuing and amending Form no 3, which is a prerequisite for making payment by the declarant under Vivad se Vishwas Act, it has been decided to extend the last date of payment of the amount (without any additional amount) to 30th September, 2021," it said.
Pensioners' body urges govt to exempt pension from income tax; seeks PM intervention
In a letter shot off to the prime minister on August 25 this year, the body argued that if the pensions of the Members of Parliament and Members of Legislative Assemblies are not taxable, then why does the government levy income tax on the pension of retired employees.
Govt will refund Rs 8000 crore to four companies once new taxation laws come into effect: CBDT Chairperson
The Bill will do away with the retrospective tax provision and end all retrospective taxes imposed on indirect transfer of Indian assets made before May 28, 2012.
MNCs, Indian tech companies spar over copyright tax
“Indian companies that use imported software still want to continue withholding the tax at 10% but the latter claims that following the SC ruling on copyright, no withholding should apply. Many Indian companies don’t want litigation and are asking the multinationals to get a nil certificate from tax authorities if they want to avail the benefit of SC ruling,” said Rohit Jain, partner with law firm ELP.
Government to amend tax laws to provide Covid-related relief
The Taxation Law (amendment) bill, which received cabinet nod on Wednesday, will not only provide for the income tax relief extended on financial assistance for covid 19 medical treatment announced earlier, compliances but also offer some fresh concessions.
Multinationals and Indian companies spar over tax on copyright following Supreme Court ruling
The question is whether Indian companies that use, sell, or market software — directly or installed in cell phones, computers etc— should deduct tax on royalty or copyright money they pay to multinationals.
Need to revisit direct taxes, says N K Singh
"Our dialogue today is on how to deepen economic reforms and cover areas that we had not, such as farm sector, labour and completing the elusive agenda on power sector reforms. The mantra is no more on enhanced public outlays but enhanced public outlays to be concentrated on credible infrastructure and more robust social sector spending," said N K Singh.
Foreign card payment companies may have to shell out more taxes once data servers are set up
A large part of the income generated by these companies in India is outside the domestic tax net as they did not have a PE here. PE is a concept in the tax regulations that determines which country has the right to tax a company - and to what extent.
Execs, HNIs stuck in India may face tax, regulatory troubles
Many executives on global assignments had moved back to India during the second wave of the pandemic but are now unable to return.
Govt announces income tax concessions for payments for Covid 19 treatment, death
Thakur said that ex-gratia payment by the employer to an employee's family or by any person to any other person's family on the death of employee or any other person on account of COVID-19 for 2019-20 or subsequent year will be tax exempted.
New income tax e-filing portal to be launched from June 7, payment services from June 18
The new tax payment system will be launched on June 18, 2021 after the advance tax instalment date to avoid any inconvenience.