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The parent company of Alaska Airlines has closed its deal to buy Virgin America, to emerge the fifth-largest US domestic carrier. the merged entity plans to take on rivals in a bid to emerge the dominant airline on the West Coast. Alaska Air Group closed the ... Domain Business, 2 months ago
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A trade group representing olive oil importers sued television personality Dr. Mehmet Oz on Tuesday under a largely untested Georgia food libel law, objecting to his claims that much of the imported extra virgin olive oil sold in U.S.Reuters, 2 months ago
By Stanley Carvalho and Praveen Menon ABU DHABI/KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Private talks in which Abu Dhabi state fund International Petroleum Investment Co (IPIC) is seeking $6.5 billion from Malaysia's troubled 1MDB fund have reached deadlock, sources ...Sify, 4 days ago
Air India Declared As 3rd Worst Performing Airlines In The World By FlightStats; Air India Says Ranking Is Fabricated!
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Dec 19 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 index is seen opening up 10points at 7,022 on Monday, according to financial bookmakers. * The UK blue chip index closed 0.2 percent higher on Friday at 7,011.64,building on a seven-week high hit the previous day and ...Sify, 2 months ago UPDATE 2-UK Stocks-Factors to watch on Dec. 19 Sify, 2 months ago UPDATE 1-UK Stocks-Factors to watch on Dec. 19 Sify, 2 months ago UPDATE 3-UK Stocks-Factors to watch on Dec 7 Sify, 2 months ago
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UK payments acquirer Unlimint powers on with “aggressive” LatAm expansion
Unlimint, a London-founded fintech which landed its electronic money institution (EMI) licence back in 2015, is ramping up its expansion across Latin America.
Last month, the fintech launched its local acquiring services in Mexico. Earlier in 2020, the fintech launched an office in Brazil.
“Our plan is quite aggressive here [in LatAm],” LatAm region lead Andrey Novikov tells FinTech Futures. “We want to serve both international and domestic e-commerce players.”
In November, the fintech rebranded from old name Cardpay as part of its expansion plans. Unlimint is now gearing up for launch in Peru.
“We want to have global coverage, including every country in LatAm,” says Novikov.
Rise of Unlimint
Founded in 2009, Unlimint has grown to 300 people across 14 international offices – from Singapore to Sao Paulo.
Novikov was previously Qiwi’s vice president. Qiwi is a publicly traded Russian payment service provider which is currently being accused of securities fraud by its investors.
Unlimint claims it covers 95% of local payment methods in Mexico. As well as card acquiring, the fintech also offers alternative payment methods. These include mobile payments, e-wallets, cryptocurrencies, and direct bank transfers.
“Merchants can get all of them [payment options] through one API [application programme interface] integration,” explains Novikov.
“Nobody in LatAm provides this kind of solution. Players focus on cards or bank transfers, but not everything.”
In a blog post, Unlimint explains how the birth of its offering came from banks “failing to satisfy fast and booming online markets”. Instead, according to the fintech, banks have long focused on big players from the US and Western Europe.
This is beginning to change. Santander, for example, is investing increasingly more in Latin America through Mouro Capital, its venture investment arm which doubled funds to $400 million last year.
The company, being private, has not disclosed its revenues – hence it’s unclear whether the firm is loss-making.
What he does say is that the fitnech services “thousands of merchants”, and that it has invested around a million dollars into research and development.
Landscape in LatAm
According to World Bank data, only 19% of Latin Americans own credit cards. Just 6% own cards which can perform international transactions.
This means offering local payment options is essential for any international player trying to gain a substantial slice of the market. Instalment payments are also popular.
Novikov explains that banks in LatAm have long used instalment payment methods in physical shops. This process is now being transferring to digital platforms. Which could see a flurry of buy now, pay later (BNPL) firms from Europe, the US, and Australia flood the region.
Currently white-label BNPL start-up Addi, founded in Colombia, is expanding to Brazil and Mexico.
In both Brazil and Mexico, cross-border online purchases are less expensive than domestic orders. This means the countries’ cross-border e-commerce markets are growing much faster than their domestic e-commerce markets.
Latin America is therefore second only to China when it comes to the world’s fastest-growing retail e-commerce markets.
Brazil and Mexico compete for the region’s retail e-commerce spotlight, accounting for 32.5% and 28.8% of the market respectively, according to Statista. But countries like Peru and Colombia are attracting attention from players like Unlimint now too.
“E-commerce is growing very fast,” says Novikov. “Payment companies not ready for the sharp increase in e-commerce.”
Unlimint intends to bring its experience from Asia, where Big Techs have become dominant players in the e-commerce space.

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In an effort to address Africa’s growing unemployment, Nigerian philanthropist Tony Elumelu is spending $100 million of his own money to kick-start hundreds of new small businesses – and to identify young entrepreneurs across Africa.
Elumelu is the chairman of Heirs Holdings and the Tony Elumelu Foundation. He says government and large companies alone cannot provide enough jobs needed by the millions of young Africans entering the job market every year. The funds will help identify and grow 10,000 start-ups and young businesses from across Africa over the next 10 years.
Demographers say the continent will need 10 million jobs a year to sustain its young population. The new funding aims to create one-tenth of those jobs and create $10 billion in annual revenues. The financial support will come through the Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Program.
The foundation’s director of entrepreneurships, Parminder Vir, said the first application form will appear online in January on the group’s portal. Over 10,000 applications from across Africa are anticipated.
A group of independent judges will select the best 1,000 business ideas. The selected entrepreneurs will then be taken through a series of training, mentorship and networking opportunities. There is no age limit for applicants, and the opportunity is open to new or existing businesses not older than three years.
“At the end of that, the entrepreneurs on our program will be provided seed capital investment of $5,000,” Vir said. “As they develop and grow their business plans, they will be able to then access their second round of funding which will be structured as a loan or as an equity investment.”
Giving young Africans the tools to succeed
“The program is truly pan-African, it is holistic, it is unique. You know we are bringing together under one umbrella all the critical tools that entrepreneurs need to succeed.”
Dr. Ayodeji Adewunmi, the chief executive officer and co-founder of Nigerian job search site, Jobberman.com, is a member of the selection committee. He says the program is ambitious and he encourages entrepreneurs in Africa to make the most of the opportunity.
“It is also going to be transformative,” says Adewunmi.
Adewunmi has about five years’ experience running his own business. He says things would have been easier for him if he had received access to such an opportunity when he was starting out.
Meanwhile, Vir says Africa is buzzing with entrepreneurs who need a platform to enable them to take their business or idea to the next level.
Adewunmi shares that optimism. He says in Africa there are opportunities not only to create wealth but also to add value to commodities with new products from cocoa, tea, food and other resources.
“I think in general it’s a perfect time to be an entrepreneur on the continent. A lot of the economies in Africa are changing very fast,” he said.
“The economy on the average is growing at about 5 percent of GDP growth rate across the continent. And of course, I think it is also an opportunity for entrepreneurs to be able to look beyond today into the future with respect to helping other people,” he said.
Vir says the future of global expansion depends more on these private sector actors than on governments alone. She says the Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Program is designed to provide mechanisms for entrepreneurs to begin new economic growth – and to develop commercially successful enterprises.


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As many as 1,200 people could have to quarantine after attendees at two more Brevard County high school graduations tested positive for COVID-19. Brevard Public Schools said late Thursday.”Late this afternoon, we were notified that attendees at graduation ceremonies held at Palm Bay Magnet High School and Brevard Virtual School this past weekend tested positive for coronavirus,” the school district said in a news release.”Upon confirming these cases with the Brevard County Department of Health. We began the process of notifying those families who attended each of the ceremonies.”Over 200 Palm Bay graduates and 14 Brevard Virtual School graduates and their guests. Along with 43 staff members are being asked by health officials to self-isolate for 14 days the release said. Retail Fashion and Apparel PLM Software Market report 2020-2025 offers a comprehensive valuation of the marketplace from the angles of economic impact to make lucid decisions by strategists, corporate executives, investors. The market report engulfs idiosyncratic market gauges to figure out market size, share, trade regulations, product footprint, CAGR, net edge, cost, revenue and key factors. The Retail Fashion and Apparel PLM Software Market report compromises statistical data in terms of value as well as. Capacity that provides insightful and pertinent information.Top Companies are covering This Report:- Adobe, Autometrix, Corel, Autodesk, CGS, Tukatech, Vetigraph, Modern HighTech, C-Design Fashion, F2iT, Wilcom, K3 Software Solutions,PatternMaker Software, Polygon Software, SnapFashun Group, Gerber Technology, Optitex, Lectra, CLO3D, BrowzwearWe understand that the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a sluggish growth of several major industries. This downturn has constricted smooth and efficient business operations across major areas of the world. We hope and believe that this pandemic as well as the economic dip will be redressed soon. However; considering appropriate measures and strategic decisions will make businesses flourish aptly and quickly.
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From retro mummy by Corrie
Oh surprise, surprise – I have a market on Saturday and I still have a mountain of jobs to do before then.
Some things will never change. But I love markets and do my best work at the last minute. And it got me thinking that it’s been almost 2 years that I’ve been doing markets and I’ve learnt a thing or two…………so here are my top market tips for those of you starting out or new to it. It’s not the definitive list and I’d love to know your top tips to share too:
Continue Reading. . . . . .
Mar 07, 2012 Comments Off on Startup Deals
Feb 02, 2019 0West Bridgford Wire By WBWire A retail and business group has been praised for being ‘High Street Heroes’ by creating initiatives to drive visitors and footfall to their village including the...
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Feb 05, 2019 0Coventry Telegraph By Claire Harrison But the long term future of the market, including ‘externalising’ plans, remain unclear. Nuneaton’s Christmas Eve market will be held this year – but the future of the market has still not been clarified. Calls were made for Nuneaton and...


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Ever since their split from Honda, Hero has been paying crores in royalty to their Japanese friend as even today, their products feature technology which was developed by Honda. Thus, Hero has been trying very hard to develop their own technology and motorcycles.
This is the reason they set-up a multi crore R&D center in Jaipur, called CIT – Center of Innovation and Technology. It is here that the future Hero products are being developed. Earlier this year saw the launch of Splendor i3S, while today we see the launch of yet another Hero, built and designed at CIT.
The new Hero Achiever replaces the old motorcycle with the same name, but gets more features, and a more refined engine. The new 150 cc engine on board the 2016 Achiever is more fuel efficient than before, thanks to the addition of Hero’s i3S start stop technology.
Hero MotoCorp has increased their focus on developing 150 cc motorcycles, especially the executive commuter segment. More and more customers are demanding a commuter motorcycle which has the ease or ride and handling of a 100 cc motorcycle, and the power and performance of a 150 cc. This has led to the birth of Executive Commuter segment in the Indian auto industry.
This segment has seen an exponential YoY growth. As compared to last fiscal, the demand has gone up0 by 33%. Hero aims to capitalize on this demand with the help of new Achiever 150 cc motorcycle.
Hero Achiever Price
Price of new Hero Achiever starts from INR 61,800 for the drum brake variant, and INR 62,800 for the disc brake variant. All prices are ex-showroom, New Delhi.
Powered by a Hero developed Air Cooled, 4 – stroke single cylinder OHC 149.2 cc engine, which delivers 13.6 ps at 8,000 rpm and 12.8 Nm at 5,800 rpm via a five speed gearbox. This new engine is BSIV compliant, has better drivability and improved smoothness – claims Hero MotoCorp. Some more features on offer include, India’s first 5 year engine warranty, first in class automatic headlamp, tubeless tyres, maintenance free battery, side-stand indicator, viscous air cleaner element. Available in a choice of three metallic colours, Panther Black Metallic, Cnady Blazing Red, and Ebony Grey Metallic.
Hero Achiever Special Edition
New Hero Achiever 150 is also the 70 millionth (7 croreth) Hero motorcycle to be rolled off production line. This has led to Hero launching a new special edition of Achiever in white metallic colour option. Coincidentally, this also being India’s 70th year of Independence, Hero will only be making 70 units of this special edition Achiever 150 – Dedicated to all the Heros at the border of the nation, stated Mr Pawan Munjal, MD, Hero MotoCorp.
Hero Achiever Special Edition Photos
New Hero Achiever Details


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The Philippine Blockchain Week opened on November 29 at the Grand Ballroom of the Marriott Hotel in Manila. The first of its kind to be held in the Southeast Asian nation, the Philippine Blockchain Week, which runs until December 4, educates attendees about blockchain, Web3, FinTech, the metaverse, and how all these emerging technologies can make the future brighter for businesses and industries in the Philippines.
One of the exhibitors of the blockchain conference that got fans excited is Tier One Entertainment, the biggest esports firm in Asia and home of the multi-gaming organization Blacklist International. Blacklist gained fame as they won back-to-back championships in the multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game Mobile Legends (ML) and claimed the M3 World Championship in 2021.
ML world champions OhMyV33NUS, Dex Star, Wise, OHEB, Master the Basics, and Hadji held a short meet and greet session during Day 1 of the blockchain conference. Delighted fans lined up to have their photos taken with the gaming stars and get their autographs.
What followed was a best-of-three show match between the Blacklist and the Teletigers Esports Club of the University of Santo Tomas. Playing for the Blacklist team are Owwwl, Eyon, Dominic., Steeeeveeee, and Rindo. The Teletigers team is composed of players Drew_, Emperorrr, Yecheil., Armenito, and Rome. Luna acted as the shout caster and provided exciting commentary for the show match. Blacklist International won 2-0 as fans cheered them on.
Tier One Entertainment Co-Founder and CEO Tryke Gutierrez also sat down to talk about Web3 gaming during a fireside chat with Gala Gaming Founder Jason Brink, moderated by Web3 and NFT marketer Caleb Roberts.
Roberts and Gutierrez emphasized how Play2Earn Web3 game developers are so focused on monetizing games that the user experience is being compromised. Games are created for people to enjoy them and to create another avenue for social interaction. These are the two objectives of gaming that Web3 developers should prioritize before monetization.
“In the advent of the bear market and what’s happening today, I think people are realizing that you don’t just question the technology around Web3 today. I think what you have to question is the motivation. Why are people building games? Because for a time, I think in 2021, people are just building games just to be able to monetize,” Gutierrez said.
“But I think at the core of every gamer is a person who wants to enjoy the experience… at the end of the day, gaming is for everyone, and the most important thing of gaming for me is the social aspect of interaction within the game,” Gutierrez added.
Although Web3 and the metaverse are certainly the up-and-coming technology in the world of gaming, Roberts shared that developers should work together to bring Web2 gaming into Web3. It is but natural for technology to evolve, and now is the time for Web2 to steadily transition to Web3.
“Web2 gaming is a thing. Web3 gaming is a thing. But what we need to do is we need to get to the point where there is just gaming. And there shouldn’t be a division—there should just game and then games where you own your stuff and you have your rights to everything,” Roberts explained.
Developers and gamers should not be afraid of NFTs and blockchain. While he admitted that most Web3 games available now are too focused on monetization that graphics and in-game experience have suffered, there are real and exciting games that could be developed on Web3.
“Gamers are terrified of the concept of NFTs, and that is our fault as an industry…. Because most Web3 games are freaking awful, they’re terrible,” Roberts shared.
“As an industry, we’ve done a terrible job because blockchain, for the longest time, has stood on an ivory tower of intellectual superiority…. Gamers, see all of this as a gigantic threat to their existence. The creators of both content and games see blockchain as a threat to their very existence when it shouldn’t be,” Roberts added.
And this fear of blockchain is at the heart of what Philippine Blockchain Week hopes to dispel by educating the people about blockchain and correcting misunderstandings. Roberts likened blockchain to the Internet protocol (TCP/IP). And while it has been a long time since dial-up Internet has moved on to high-speed Internet, TCP/IP is still playing a critical role in this new Internet.
Blockchain can become the foundation of many great things—Web3, the metaverse, Fintech, artificial intelligence (AI), and many others—if only governments, industries, businesses and people let it do what it can do. And with conferences, such as the Philippine Blockchain Week, leading the way for blockchain awareness and adoption, the Philippines being Asia’s blockchain capital can become reality shortly.


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Say it with LED screens
The German company Mr Wash has seen the future and it’s called LED. About 13 of their 35 locations have already shifted to LED screens and more will follow. The Dutch company ViaVisual is sure that more car wash companies will follow. “For us, this is a target group for which LED is extremely suitable”, says Maarten Hettinga of ViaVisual.
Together with their German partner Munsteiner, ViaVisual placed LED screens at the entrance of several Mr. Wash car washes last year. The locations -which often have two or three lanes for cars- are all equipped with LED screens. The screens hang both inside and outside. Bigger LED billboards are always custom built for the specific location, according to ViaVisual.
Mr. Wash mainly uses the screens to communicate their own information. This can be messages related to the corona virus and safety. But the screens can also give useful info about various washing programs, loyalty campaigns or even traffic info. “It can be really busy at the car washes, so sometimes they use the signs to communicate waiting times. All those images then alternate. It’s a carousel where one piece of information comes after another.”
The company from the center of Holland also has locations in Germany and China. It was founded in 2004. Although their focus was not initially on gas stations and car washes, Hettinga increasingly realized that the LED screens could have an impact precisely there. “That’s because there you often have the combination of an indoor and outdoor environment. Hanging a TV in the shop is often cheaper than an LED video screen, but outside you also have to deal with the sizes. Televisions are just too small for the distance you are standing. Both at the carwash and the gas station you have an ideal intersection of outdoor and advertising.”
Above that, LED screens can be interesting in the petrol station sector because they can generate an additional revenue stream, according to Hettinga. Pump owners can choose to display advertisements from a third-party and receive a fee for that. “If you have a petrol station with a shop, it’s worth displaying all the offers you have. But you can boost this with third-party ads.”
Don’t go cheap
The installation of a LED screen can be done in a day. ViaVisual also offers the construction and maintenance. Service is especially important to Hettinga. According to the owner it is what proves what you can do as a company. Some of the cheaper screens of the competitors start to fail only after a few years outside. “The image then looks like a chess board. As a professional, something like that bothers me tremendously.”
The rather expensive LED screens may not always be the best choice for an individual pump owner, admits Hettinga. “It might be overkill at a small shop. A good alternative would be to temporarily rent LED screens when there is a discount campaign. But for larger companies it makes perfect sense to invest in LED.”


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BEIJING, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- Chinese scientists have developed a kind of flexible and washable power-generating fabric that can be used as smart clothing for wearable electronics.
The increasing popularity of wearable electronic devices has called for improvement in their energy supply systems, as traditional systems such as batteries are bulky and require frequent charging.
Scientists from Shanghai-based Donghua University have designed a power-generating fabric with scalable fabrication technologies. The man-made fabric can harvest biomechanical energy from human motions and effectively convert them into electricity to power wearable electronics.
The fabric is made of high-strength polyester for the substrate layer and conductive fabric as the electrode layer. The fabric surface was modified with nanofibers and nanoparticles to largely enhance its electrical output.
The fabric is washable and can be tailored into different shapes. Besides harvesting energy, it can be integrated with everyday clothes to sense human motions, serving as a highly sensitive sensor of human movements.
The research will benefit the development of smart textiles and next-generation wearable electronics. It was published in the journal Nano Energy.


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Furniture City In Allama Iqbal Industrial City Faisalabad Planned: Mian Kashif
LAHORE– Faisalabad Industrial Estate Development and Management Company (FIEDMC) Mian Kashif Ashfaq has said the government will fully exploit the export potential of Pakistani classical furniture besides patronizing this sector to capture a share in international furniture markets.
He expressed these views while talking to delegations of furniture producers and exporters here on Saturday. Kashif Ashfaq said a state of the art Furniture City will be constructed in Allama Iqbal Industrial City on 200 acre land in order to boost exports and investment in furniture sector.
He said the main purpose of this city is to help small and medium furniture producers so enable them to compete with other competitors at international level.
“FIEDMC will also set up state of the art Center for Excellence where artisans and students will be imparted training about furniture making through latest technology so that they can produce furniture at par with international standard,” he added.
Mian Kashif said FIEDMC will provide the facility of one window operation to interested furniture producers for installing their units through complete coordination of federal and provincial departments and besides this, FIEDMC will also give them a complete business infrastructure.
He said they would also support the furniture producers to get visible support to furniture business in terms of simple and easily obtainable grants for exhibiting and travelling to trade shows and promoting Pak export as a success globally.
He said that Pakistan’s investment profile had been upgraded by all leading rating agencies on account of successful economic reforms and improved security situation.
“All the fundamental economic indicators are now improving with exports witnessing an upward trend while the imports are decreasing and the current account deficit is also being overcome gradually,” he added.
Mian Kashif said that foreign companies have shown keen interest in Pakistani market. He urged the Pakistani businessmen to start joint ventures with their foreign counterparts.
The delegation lauded the untiring efforts of FIEDMC Chairman Mian Kashif Ashfaq for promoting furniture sector. They asked for the earlier completion of furniture city in Allama Iqbal Industrial City so that they should commence their business to meet the challenges.
The delegation also expressed hope to bag benefits of incentives being offered to companies by FIEDMC in regard of tax exemption and other perks.— PRESS RELEASE


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The fifth annual Managed Services and Hosting Summit was held on September 17 with a great deal of success. Among the various speakers and sessions, the overall takeaway was that the managed service provider industry is now a ‘mature’ sector that will continue to grow as it evolves and attracts new clients, according to a press release from RealWire.com. Still, there are improvements to be made.
“Changes in the industry are required though, especially in sales approach and the way it addresses and engages with customers if it is to achieve its full potential,” Angel Business Communications, one of the entities helping put on the summit, said in a statement.
One of the biggest issues the industry faces is customers not understanding their technology needs and becoming afraid of the rapid change of pace associated with the digital age.
Another big fear for many of those at the summit is the commoditization of managed service providers, especially considering about 90% of firms utilize some kind of contracted or freelance talent.
David Bellini is the president of ConnectWise and has been selling managed services for over 25 years. He put these fears to rest quickly.
“The commoditization scare comes round every few years, and we’ve seen them off each time,” he said. But it did depend on better internal management of the managed service provider. “Everything has a ticket, including people,” he explained.
The customer experience was another issue many people harped on. As the industry has grown and evolved customers have begun to expect more from the providers, and companies should be happy to oblige. One vice president of an industry company talked about the importance between customer experience and bottom-line price. He even went as far as to say that his company recognizes they are “absolutely not” the cheapest services in the market, but they “obsess” over customer experience.
Finally, while the running theme seemed to be the notion of a successful sector coming into its own, they did recognize the landscape is continually evolving and will continue to do so. Aside from perfecting services, the most important part for them is to keep finding new people and businesses to bring into the fold.


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The advent of the pandemic has been a consequential inflection point in the fundamental working of the social system. With the nation being under lockdown from time to time and over 55% of people working from home, a lot more time is now spent at home leading to the increased demand for greater comfort and security through smart devices and appliances. While the markets of several sectors got disrupted during the pandemic, the consumer electronics and the telecom market turned out to be resilient, even with the intermittent closure of physical providers across the nation.
But there is a wedge in the Indian market scenario – despite being one of the largest consumer markets, India’s share of global electronics manufacturing has been a mere 3.6%, even though domestic manufacturing grew at a CAGR of 23% over the last five years. This has been a consequence of snubbed opportunities in the last decade. When the trade wars began and companies were exiting China, many turned to ASEAN countries, including Vietnam, Taiwan, and Indonesia. However, India failed to attract such companies, again. The policies that were incorporated by these South Asian countries in the last decade are finally being introduced in India with an indigenous flavor.
Today, India has another opportunity and it is paramount to not miss it. Small calibrated steps would go a longer way than grand gestures. Digitisation in India at a mass level, with the lowest broadband rates in the world, could captivate MNCs and open up millions of manufacturing and services jobs. The PLI scheme launched by the government’s one such step in this direction.
For the electronics and telecom market, the PLI schemes are designed to trigger an impulse for scale both for Indian companies and foreign companies who wish to manufacture in India at competitive costs. They are designed to have a domino effect creating pools of ancillary firms and services, and a wealth of jobs.
Call for in-house production
In the electronics manufacturing sector, it is astounding to know that India has virtually no display and semiconductor manufacturing units. Displays and semiconductors are the most expensive parts of phones and televisions and account for anywhere between 25% and 50% of the input cost. Moreover, the global supply chain infrastructure of semiconductors has suffered a significant crack which is driving up the prices; in fact, many estimates suggest that the major microchip buyers (auto and consumer electronics industry) are on the way to lose USD61 billion this year.
In India, domestic requirements are being met only through imports, and mostly from China and Taiwan. This is due to the repercussions of the elemental policies since the 1990s in India. The Indian industry still operates at the lower end of manufacturing and encourages the world to outsource only its non-core activities to India. This is the root cause of a birth of a non-innovative economy and substantiates the fact that India is still an innovation laggard in the global setting, coming at the 48th position behind China (14th) and Vietnam (42nd).
The big need now is to focus on indigenising the manufacture of parts, rather than just hosting the cheapest high-quality assembly lines. Building domestic manufacturing capability will lower import bills and cost of production and thereby drive demand further. Making these components in-house will also massively improve the country’s net value added to the overall electronics manufacturing process, which India aims to increase to 35-40% by 2025.
Slice of 5G pie, and more
On the telecom front, the next revolution in the tech industry is near and the entire globe is eyeing to be the early adopters of the 5G technology. India stands at the center of the 5G hub and can be considered a unique market for 5G equipment if we play our cards well. One of the factors that will favor us in becoming a 5G manufacturing powerhouse is the backlash against Chinese telecom gear makers. Nearly all the developed and underdeveloped nations are running away from Chinese manufacturers and barring them in their 5G development.
If India wants to become the 5G equipment hub, a fair bit of careful innovation would be required to elevate the manufacturing of next-generation radio access networks, internet of things (IoT) devices, customer premises equipment, routers, and switches. Another interesting innovation where India could capitalise is e-waste. India is the world’s third-largest e-waste generator, producing over 3.23 million metric tonnes of e-waste per year. This e-waste can be reengineered to make 5G equipment in a cost-effective manner.
The big need now for India is to focus on indigenising the manufacture of parts, rather than just hosting the cheapest high-quality assembly lines.
Another pivot point can be to avoid the asked 26GHz band in the short term to prevent the pockets of telecom operators from getting burned. Instead, relying on existing airwaves and short Wi-Fi airwaves could be the game-changer for India.
There are immense challenges on account of numerous local hurdles, including inadequate infrastructure, the high cost of finance and logistics, and inverted custom duties. Even if India has the capability to manufacture printed circuit boards, other critical components such as diodes, chips, and transistors are not made in the country. This will require building an end-to-end manufacturing system with efficient local supply chains to cater to the soaring demands.
The current PLI scheme for telecom caps R&D investment at only 15%, which will only help companies that don’t plan on indigenous product development of telecom equipment, and will only lead to assembly. There is skewness towards contract manufacturers at the cost of companies who are investing top dollars in R&D to develop the products. A quick amendment is required to liberalize the local innovation infrastructure and unleash future sustainable growth. In addition, a push is needed on the annual gross expenditure on R&D from the current 0.65% of GDP to the global average of 1.5-3%.
Direct cash incentives through cheap credit and viability gap funding will be of foremost importance to set up new manufacturing units. Emulating China, India must also aspire to deliver an effective single-window clearance system for all approvals that should be provided in a time-bound manner. Ease of doing business cannot just exist on paper, but also in practice.
Rather than continuing to make products in fields where other countries already have the advantage of economies of scale, India must ride the future trends of increased consumer electronics and 5G components demand. Even though India does not have the first-mover advantage, the demand in India alone offers the opportunity for large-scale production, often a common problem in first-world countries. The time is now to hit the burning iron.
Rajesh Mehta is a leading consultant and columnist working on market entry, innovation, and public policy
Uddeshya Goel is a financial researcher with specific interests in international business and capital markets


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CHICAGO, IL (BRAIN)—The Bicycle Product Suppliers Association will hold a special meeting on Monday to address industry concerns regarding the Nov. 12 deadline to comply with new consumer product safety regulations.
The discussion is meant to be a precursor to a pending meeting between a small group from the BPSA and senior compliance staff with the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which oversees the law.
Monday’s 10 a.m. meeting will be held at SRAM’s headquarters in Chicago, and is open to all BPSA members. The group will consider issues in the law specific to the bike industry and more general issues including paper versus electronic certificates, what constitutes a reasonable testing program and the lead paint testing deadline.
The law says that all products intended for children 12 and younger manufactured after Nov. 12 must be accompanied by a certificate of compliance upon entry into the country. Manufacturers also must have a reasonable testing program in place by this time, although third party testing isn’t required until Dec. 21.
Points of discussion will also revolve around specific bike-related questions raised by the industry in recent weeks such as when a bicycle product requires a certificate of compliance, whether an imported frame or partially assembled bike will require a certificate, and the lead content of Schraeder valves and spoke nipples.
Other questions pertain to the CPSC’s bicycle regulations for pedals, handlebars and headsets and whether certain products comply with the standards.
The concerns raised at Monday’s meeting will be passed along to the CPSC in a meeting the BPSA is attempting to arrange also in November with CPSC compliance staff. That meeting would be attended by a small industry group with representation from the IBD bike supplier, the mass market bike supplier, component company, parts and accessories distributor and a third party testing company.
For more information on attending Monday’s meeting, contact the BPSA’s Maureen Waddington at Maureen.firstname.lastname@example.org.


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The revolt is spreading to other states. And here is one reason we must fight: Wal-Mart's earnings rose sharply.
On Monday, thousands of steelworkers, autoworkers and other labor activists surrounded the Indiana state capitol to protest a bill before the legislature to dramatically weaken the clout of private-sector unions.
In Ohio, union officials are expecting 5,000 or more protesters Tuesday at the state house, where a legislative panel is considering a Republican-backed bill that would restrict collective-bargaining rights for about 400,000 public employees. Republican Gov. John Kasich supports the bill, a spokesman said.
Yesterday, I posted this dairy giving the dates and times for protests nationwide.
In New York, we will hold our second rally in support of Wisconsin workers at 5 p.m. in front of FOX News (48th and 6th Avenue). Details are here .
While the focus on the fight for the middle-class is taking place in the state capitols, here is the other piece of the puzzle:
Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s fiscal-fourth-quarter earnings rose 27% as the retailer capitalized on strength in its international business.
The Bentonville, Ark., company also projected current-year earnings of $4.35 to $4.50 a share and first-quarter earnings of 91 cents to 96 cents. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters have been expecting $4.43 and 96 cents, respectively.
For the period ended Jan. 31, Wal-Mart posted a profit of $6.06 billion, or $1.70 a share, up from $4.76 billion, or $1.25 a share, a year earlier. Adjusted for items such as a tax benefit, earnings were $1.34. Revenue increased 2.4% to $116.36 billion. Analysts were expecting $117.72 billion.
The juxtaposition cannot be clearer. On the one hand, we have the people who make this country work--the teachers, the firemen and all the public sector workers--and who represent an important part of a long struggle to create a decent standard of living in America.
And, on the other hand, we have the the shining example of corporate greed and of the destruction of the American Dream. Wal-Mart makes its billions on a strategy of exploiting poverty . It pays low wages and its low prices cater to the increasingly destitute class of millions of people who cannot afford to shop anywhere but Wal-Mart because Wal-Mart wages--or, more broadly, the strategy to lower wages as much as possible--is the economic strategy of corporate America, and of those elected leaders who want to destroy what public workers have fought for.
The people with their hands on the economic levers want us to believe that embracing Wal-Mart is a false choice between "The Soviet Union" and "the free market" .
So, that is why YOU must go to the streets. It's the choice between the American Dream and the Wal-Mart strategy.


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Donald Glover is gearing up for the launch of his Adidas collaboration with a little help from Mo’Nique.
The Silicon Valley campus, where thousands work, is now confronting its own in-house case of measles as the virus resurges across the United States.
There’s actually another supplement out there that could also help you get some sleep in fact, your body might even be deficient in it already: magnesium.
Conagra Brands, Inc. has issued a voluntary recall of a limited amount of Hunt’s Tomato Paste because of possible contamination.
Khloe Kardashian has unveiled her new line of Good American dresses. The reality star, rocked a curve-clinging black dress from her own line.
Alexa Is Listening To Your Conversations: Web Giant Admits Your Most Intimate Moments Clips Are Analyzed By Amazon Workers
The company has admitted to its customers that thousands of recordings are being analysed by staff and transcribed before feeding them back into the software.
Walgreens is to sell CBD products in nearly 1,500 of their stores across the country, the chain has confirmed. Products will include creams, patches and sprays.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, took a little vacation or “Babymoon” and visited Hook, Hampshire in England and stayed at a pricey five-star hotel.
Reebok Has Responded To The Claims That Beyoncé Didn’t Partner With Them Because They Lacked Diversity
Sports brand Reebok has denied claims that Beyoncé decided against a collaboration with them because of concerns that the brand lacked diversity.
No Diversity No Deal: Beyoncé Reportedly Walked Out Of A Reebok Business Meeting Due To Lack of Diversity
According to reports, Beyoncé also met with Under Armour, the Air Jordan people at Nike, and Reebok, but she didn’t like Reebok’s lack of diversity so she left the meeting.


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New York, NY — Aug. 2, 2017 — Today, Nielsen (NYSE: NLSN) and ALDI announced an expanded multi-year relationship for integrated analytics data around shopper panel, custom retail analytics and advertising effectiveness. Under this agreement, Nielsen will be ALDI’s preferred data and analytics provider, covering nearly 1,700 stores in 35 states across the U.S.
With this agreement, Nielsen will provide ALDI with a combination of industry leading analytics, including consumer-sourced panel data, custom retail analytics and advertising effectiveness. Nielsen’s combined consumer panel and advertising effectiveness analytics, the only integrated data set of this capacity available to the industry, brings forth a deeper view of shopper panel data and the role that advertising plays within it, a critical strategy in navigating today’s evolving grocery retail landscape.
“We are continually creating a better grocery store for our customers,” said Scott Patton, Vice President of Corporate Buying at ALDI. “We selected Nielsen for its differentiation of consumer and retail data in the marketplace, so we can continue to focus on doing what we do best – save people money on their grocery bills.”
“ALDI is one of the fastest growing retailers in the U.S and as such, needs access to increasing amounts of effective shopper and advertising data,” said Rob Hill, Executive Vice President, U.S. Retail Services at Nielsen. “We are humbled and proud that ALDI selected Nielsen as its strategic partner and look forward to supporting ALDI’s growth and expansion initiatives within the U.S. market.”
A leader in the grocery retailing industry, ALDI operates almost 1,700 U.S. stores in 35 states. More than 40 million customers each month save up to 50%* on their grocery bills, benefiting from the ALDI simple and streamlined approach to retailing. ALDI sells the most frequently purchased grocery and household items, primarily under its exclusive brands, which meet or exceed the national name brands on taste and quality. ALDI is so confident in the quality of its products, the company offers a Double Guarantee: If for any reason a customer is not 100 percent satisfied with any ALDI food product, ALDI will gladly replace the product and refund the purchase price. For the seventh year in a row, ALDI was recognized as a value leader among U.S. grocery stores by Market Force Information® survey of U.S. consumers. For more information about ALDI, visit aldi.us.
*Based on a price comparison of comparable products sold at leading national retail grocery.
Nielsen Holdings plc (NYSE: NLSN) is a global performance management company that provides a comprehensive understanding of what consumers watch and buy. Nielsen’s Watch segment provides media and advertising clients with Total Audience measurement services for all devices on which content — video, audio and text — is consumed. The Buy segment offers consumer packaged goods manufacturers and retailers the industry’s only global view of retail performance measurement. By integrating information from its Watch and Buy segments and other data sources, Nielsen also provides its clients with analytics that help improve performance. Nielsen, an S&P 500 company, has operations in over 100 countries, covering more than 90% of the world’s population. For more information, visit www.nielsen.com.


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Quest, RIM, SanDisk: Tech Premarket
This story has been updated with RIM's response.
The software maker was also the most active premarket Nasdaq stocks on share volume of 842,532.
Research In Motion (RIMM) was another big gainer, rising 2.69% to $10.12 after U.K. newspaper The Sunday Times reported that the embattled handset maker is considering splitting itself in two. The plan would involve separating the company's handset manufacturing from its messaging network, according to media reports, which cite The Sunday Times article.RIM, which reports its first-quarter results after market close on Thursday, nixed the rumor of split. "RIM has hired advisers to help the Company examine ways to leverage the BlackBerry platform through partnerships, licensing opportunities and strategic business model alternatives," explained a spokesman, in an email to TheStreet. "As
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"Put a man on the moon 40 years ago, don't tell me that we can't make healthy, delicious, tasty, attractive food for teenagers in the province of Ontario in 2012," he said.
Some cafeterias aren't making enough money because they have to cut out food that doesn't adhere to the provincial guidelines. The Toronto District School Board said it's looking at closing some cafeterias that are making as little as $35 a week.
But McGuinty was unsympathetic, saying he has to ensure that students have access to healthier fare — even if that means that some cafeterias go out of business.
"I guess we'll have to get a bit more creative in terms of what it is we're selling there and making available to students there," he said.
But some students want their junk food back.
Two students in Brampton, Ont., are fighting to bring pizza, coffee, chips and chocolate bars back in their cafeteria, even making a YouTube video protest the junk food ban.
The video, made by Samuel Battista and Brian Baah of St. Thomas Aquinas High School, interviews students who say they're no longer going to the cafeteria and are buying their food elsewhere.
Battista takes a tour of the cafeteria to show the limited options available to students, such as diet soda, baked fries and whole grain cupcakes.
Schools are losing money, which means there's less money to support students, he says.
"How can the government expect students to make the right choices if the government themselves are taking away these choices?" Battista says in the video.
The Progressive Conservatives dismissed the healthy food guidelines as yet another example of a Liberal government that wants to dictate every aspect of people's lives.
Cafeterias should provide nutritional foods, but students should also have a choice in what they eat, said Tory critic Rob Milligan.
His alma mater, Campbellford District High School in Trent Hills, Ont., also saw revenue drop, which means less money for sports teams and other extracurricular activities, he said.
"It's not up to government to dictate as to what people's personal choices are," Milligan said.
"These students are well-educated and can make decisions for themselves."
There are concerns that the government isn't monitoring the new policy closely enough to see what kind of effect it's having on students and schools.
Education Minister Laurel Broten said last week that she hadn't heard any complaints about cafeterias losing money. But she changed her tune Tuesday, acknowledging that some of them may have to close.
"I will be looking into this issue to understand what is transpiring across the province, because I do not accept that it is an impossible task that we have asked boards to do," she said.
The government shouldn't back down on making sure there are healthy options in school cafeterias, but they should be keeping better tabs on the policies they implement, said NDP Leader Andrea Horwath.
"I do believe that the schools should redouble their efforts and make sure those cafeterias do everything they can to try to turn this around before abandoning it," she said.
"Because really, in the long run, it's the right thing to do."
The Healthy Food for Healthy Schools Act, which took effect last fall, requires all publicly funded schools to meet mandatory nutrition standards for food and drinks sold in schools, including vending machines.
It bans items like candy, energy drinks and fried foods from being sold in schools and requires that 80 per cent of school menus must include products with the highest levels of essential nutrients and the lowest amounts of fat, sugar and sodium, such as fruit, vegetables and whole grain breads.


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- A sophisticated, multi-layered trojan dubbed "Eurograbber" is estimated to be responsible for siphoning over €36 million -- or about $46.5 million -- from the bank accounts of unsuspecting Europeans. In a case study (pdf) performed by Versafe and Check Point Software Technologies, researchers reveal…
- Tired of using the same operating system for years? Microsoft certainly hopes so. The Redmond-based software maker is hoping "Windows Blue" will change how consumers perceive Windows by introducing frequent, periodic upgrades (e.g. annual releases), akin to Apple's aggressive Mac…
- Today MetroPCS announced the launch of Joyn, a bundle of communication protocols which include functionality similar to Blackberry Messenger, iMessage and Facetime. Joyn is based on the interworkable Rich Communication Services standard and promises to (eventually) deliver Metro PCS subscribers IP-based…
- According to Microsoft's published Windows 8 certification requirements, any app rated above PEGI 16 (European standard), ESRB Mature or otherwise contains content to warrant such a rating, will be prohibited from sale on the Windows Store. It's important to note this only affects…
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Agrochemicals: Fungicides Dow AgroSciences Sells European Fungicide Marketing Rights to Indofil
Dow's agrochemical branch decided to quit marketing its Dithan fungicide in Europe, selling all European Dithan business to Mumbai based Indofil. Dow AgroSciences announced to concentrate on the marketing of Dithan products in other core markets, nearer to the production facilities.
Indianapolis, Indiana/USA; Mumbai/India – “This divestment will allow us to focus our European investment on new novel chemistries in the future,” explained David Hindes, Global Fungicide Business Leader. Indofil, an subsidiary of India’s K.K. Modi Group, has purchased the rights and associated trademarks of Dithane for Europe, exclusive rights to use the patented NT technology and related trademarks in Europe, Dithane registrations and data to support these, and the customer contracts which can be assigned, Dow speakers announced. The agreement does, however, not include other parts of the Dow AgroSciences’ Dithane business, the company stated. “Dow AgroSciences remains committed to the Dithane business in other parts of the world where we have production assets and are better able to compete over time,” Hindes added.
Indofil Brings 40 Experience in Dithane Fungicide
“This is an exciting time for Indofil Industries in Europe, consolidating Indofil’s position in the European mancozeb market segment and making it a leading player,” says K.K. Modi, Group Chairman, K.K. Modi Group of which Indofil is part. The company looks back on a long experience in manufacturing and marketing Dithane in India under 40 years of Rohm and Haas ownership. “Indofil is excited to welcome the Dithane product back in its portfolio, and is committed to growing the market across Europe, through active collaboration with all partners,” says R.K. Malhotra, CEO, Indofil Industries. Both companies are now working together to ensure a seamless transition and minimal impact to customers, distributors, and dealers.


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Economists have asked authorities not to be carried away by the notable dominance of the wholesale and retail trade sector, saying this translates little to economic growth.
The sentiments come in wake of Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM) figures showing that wholesale and retail trade sectors have dominated the share of credit at 27.6 percent.
RBM first half economic and financial report published this week shows that wholesale surpassed agriculture, manufacturing and community services which constituted 26.6 percent, 17.3 percent and 10.7 percent of the credit stock, respectively.
Economic commentator Gilbert Kachamba in an interview on Tuesday said time has come for the country to support local industries to boost the country’s economic growth.
He said: “While it is not surprising that the wholesale and retail trade sector is dominating loans, this should not be satisfying as almost 90 percent traded merchandise in the retail and wholesale sector is imported.
“What we would like to see is government supporting industries such as manufacturing and transport sectors. These are the sectors that would translate in meaning growth of the economy,” he said.
Catholic University economics lecturer Hopkins Kabaghe said sorting out power supply challenges should be a priority so that domestic manufacturing thrives and becomes profitable.
“Our local manufacturing sector is failing to take off and people are shunning away from making meaningful investments due to the persistent power cuts.
“The manufacturing sector as well other sectors cannot borrow for investment purposes in this current state,” he said.
Economic statistician Alick Nyasulu said there is need to create a conducive environment for doing business.
“We also need to reduce imports and instead export more of finished products,” he said.


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TAMPA — Nearly four months ago, lenders served notice to the owners of Tampa Mitsubishi that they were in default on $6.5 million in loans.
The letter to Tony Mirabella and his out-of-town business partner, Stuart Roffman, gave the pair two months to pay up. Otherwise Kentucky-based Republic Bank said it would seize vehicles from the dealership's lots as partial payment for its losses.
Tampa Mitsubishi closed suddenly this week. Hillsborough County Sheriff's deputies descended on the property to begin towing away vehicles.
Some customers were stunned and panicked. But court records show the dealership was facing a series complaints that accused it of failing to pay bills and engaging in deceptive sales practices. At least five customers claimed the dealership failed to pay off loans on vehicles they used as trade-ins.
"We want to be clear that at no time have we misrepresented or been deceitful to current or former customers," said Lisa Brock, a spokeswoman for Mirabella, in a written statement Friday. "We are sincerely sorry for the inconvenience of closing our store. We do, however, have every intention of seeing that all of our obligations are met as we manage through this to ensure that our customers are fairly treated."
Tampa police confirmed they are investigating at least one complaint by a customer who reported not receiving a title for a vehicle purchased two months ago.
"Right now we don't know if there's anything criminal," said police spokesman Steve Hegarty. "It could be a consumer complaint."
Gina Hutchins told the Tampa Bay Times that her father, Vern Hutchins, bought a 2016 Mercedes E-class in March for nearly $40,000 in cash. The father and daughter are from Vermont but live in Florida during the winter. They called Tampa police on Friday after learning the dealership had shut down.
They're well versed in how auto dealerships work: The family business, up until six years ago, was selling John Deere tractors at a dealership of their own.
Hutchins said while she wasn't impressed with the service at Tampa Mitsubishi, nothing during the purchase set off red flags. But two months later, they still don't have a title. The temporary plates have expired, leaving the new ride illegal to drive.
"They won't send it," Gina Hutchins said. "They've been unreachable and when you do reach someone, it's a bad attitude."
The fallout from defaulting on the type of loans used to front the cost of cars inside auto dealerships never ends well, according to banking expert Don Coker.
"I handle all sorts of banking and finance cases," said Coker, who has been an expert witness in hundreds of trials. "This is one of the sloppiest areas in all of it. It's a messy field."
In order for car dealerships to have rows and rows of sparkly new and used cars, they often take out what's known as a floor plan loan, Coker said. This is a rolling loan that requires regular updates. Once a car is sold, the dealership usually has a week to send that money to its lender. Often the bank will hold on to the car title as collateral, only releasing it once it has its payment.
Coker, who lives in Atlanta, said a local dealership in his area defaulted recently, prompting law enforcement, acting for the bank, to lock up the entire facility. Customers' cars were still inside getting serviced. It took months for people to get their vehicles back, he said.
In its early May court filings, Republic Bank attorneys said it did not receive payment for 71 cars that were sold. Later court filings indicate that the dealership voluntarily returned 119 cars this month, but at least 12 were still unaccounted as of May 14.
Brock said Mirabella was unaware the bank had sought court permission to begin seizing vehicles. In the statement issued through his spokeswoman, he said the bank told him the original Jan. 31 letter warning the dealership was in danger of defaulting on its loans was a formality. Mirabella was told that "everything would be okay and he continued to work with them in good faith," Brock said.
The attorney handling the case for Republic Bank declined comment while the ligation is ongoing.
Before the bank came to collect, the dealership was already facing at least six open lawsuits in Hillsborough County Civil Court.
One, from iHeart Radio, says the dealership owes roughly $30,000 for unpaid on-air commercials. A company out of Texas is suing for at least $15,000 for missed payments on rotating car display. Customer lawsuits accuse salesmen of being deceptive or falsifying documents.
In one lawsuit filed last month, Lake County couple Alaina and Sean Samuel's lawyer described the 2015 GMC Yukon they purchased as a "damaged, unsafe money pit."
The couple said in their lawsuit they were sold the car under the false pretense it had been in no accidents and had only one previous owner. They say they later found out it had three previous owners and had been used as a taxi. The lawsuit also alleges Alaina Samuel was coerced into signing a document a month after the car was purchased that said the vehicle's history was properly disclosed.
Attempts to reach the couple were unsuccessful. Brock said they were given accurate information about the vehicle's history, as well as a good price on the Yukon.
Another lawsuit accuses a salesman of forging a customer's signature for an extended warranty she didn't want. The lawsuit says that employee was fired for stealing. Brock said Mirabella declined to comment on what he described as a personnel issue, but said the woman was refunded her money.
"One can file a lawsuit without merit but it does not mean it is true," Brock said.
Brock said the Better Business Bureau complaints regarding trade-in loans have been resolved and that the dealership's current records show "no outstanding issues." But because the bank seized its records Mirabella is unsure what cars do or do not have titles.
On Friday, another dealership owned by Mirabella — Mirabella Motors on W Spruce Street — was closed for business. Deputies with the Sheriff's Office continued seizing vehicles at the Mitsubishi dealership at 4636 N Dale Mabry. A slick black BMW was hitched on to a tow truck and deputies filed in and out of the vacant white building.
The day before, deputies cleared out the desks, computers, fixtures — anything the bank deemed had value. Not all of the cars taken were ones Republic Bank had financed.
Based on its calculations, the bank reported Roffman, who could not be reached for comment, and Mirabella owed roughly $5.9 million as of May 6.
Times researcher Caryn Baird and staff writer Martha Asensio Rhine contributed to this report. Contact Sara DiNatale at email@example.com. Follow @sara_dinatale.


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The pandemic hit fashion’s biggest luxury players hard. But it hit Chanel worst of all, according to figures released by the French luxury giant this week.
The company’s sales sagged 18 percent last year, slightly under-performing LVMH and Kering and significantly lagging accessories powerhouse Hermès. It’s the first time the privately held Chanel has failed to record double-digit growth since it started publishing financial results four years ago. Operating profit plummeted 41 percent.
Like its luxury rivals, the company suffered as stores closed in key markets and normally high-spending international tourists were grounded. Chanel was particularly vulnerable because a comparatively large proportion of its business is driven by sales of cosmetics and perfume that were hard hit by the decline in travel retail.
But the company faced another handicap: unlike brands such as Dior, Louis Vuitton and Gucci, Chanel doesn’t sell its core fashion and accessories products online, so when


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DrückGlück, the biggest converting online casino brand in Germany, has struck a deal to become the official team sponsor of German football club Holstein Kiel.
The signing will see DrückGlück receive seven and a half minutes of LED board advertising during each match, with its logo appearing on player jerseys and the team bus.
In addition, DrückGlück branding will be present on interview and press conference boards, public and VIP tickets, plus in the VIP area.
The partnership provides DrückGlück with additional marketing opportunities, including team meet and greets as well as picture and video rights for all players.
DrückGlück, powered by the award-winning SkillOnNet platform, is the largest online casino in Germany offering 1,250+ slots from major suppliers such as Merkur, Play’n GO and Microgaming.
The sponsorship agreement forms part of a big advertising push for the Schleswig Holstein-licensed online casino operator, which is a major TV advertiser in Germany.
In addition, for the rest of 2018 the casino operator will continue with its heavy TV spending strategy using its €35 million offline budget to focus on 10’’ adverts featuring the top-performing slot games in its portfolio
Maxim Batov at DrückGlück, said: “This partnership with Holstein Kiel will strengthen our position as the largest and most popular online casino brand in Germany.
“It provides DrückGlück with a number of unique marketing opportunities that will help us better engage players new and old, and offer them even more value.
“Holstein Kiel is one of the most established and passionate football clubs in Germany and beyond, and we are thrilled to be associated with them.”
Tim Jost, Head of Sponsoring at Holstein Kiel, said: “We are happy to cooperate with one of the leading online casino providers.
“The intensive discussions with colleagues at DrückGlück.de have shown that both brands pursue the same goals and harmonize well with each other.”
Holstein Kiel will play its first home game on 12th August against FC Heidenheim.


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According to RP Data Sydney housing market update for October, Sydney house prices are rising the most in all Australia:
Capital gains across Sydney's housing market have accelerated over September with values moving 2.5 percent higher over the month and 5.2 percent higher over the quarter. since the market reached a low point in May last year, Sydney values have risen by 12.2 percent. The typical Sydney home is selling in just 34 days. Vendors discounting the prices by an average of just 4.9 percent and clearance rates have consistently been around the 80 percent mark over past month. Clearly this is a seller's market. Buyers have less stock to choose from, competition with other buyers is much more intense and there's less time to make a purchase decision and negotiating a lower price is becoming more challenging.
Sydney Key Statistics
Change in dvelling valuesThree months: 5.2%
Twelve months: 8.0%
From peak: (at peak)
Median prices (based on sales over past three months)Median dwelling price $588,000
Median house price $665,000
Median unit price $517,500
Rental rates and yieldsWeekly rent, houses $577
Gross rental yield, houses 4.0%
Weekly rent, units $505
Gross retal yield, units 4.8%
Selling time and discountingTime on market, September 2013: 34 days
Time on market, September 2012: 54 days
Vendor discount, September 2013: -4.9%
Vendor discount September 2012 -6.5%
Stamp duty and other costs
And you have to remember other costs involved in buying property, such as stamp duty. According to this NSW stamp duty calculator I will need to pay around $32,000 just in taxes for the government. And then extra expenses, such a conveyancing, pest and building inspection, home insurance, etc.
Hmmm, am I really ready to buy a property?


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Huawei, Airtel launch Ascend P1 LTE smartphone in India
Huawei today launched the Ascend P1 LTE smartphone in India in partnership with Airtel.
The Ascend P1 LTE sports a 4.3-inch capacitive touch Super AMOLED qHD display with Corning Gorilla glass atop and comes with Android 4.0 on-board. It features an 8-megapixel rear camera with autofocus and dual LED flash. There’s a 1.3-megapixel front camera as well.
On the inside, the smartphone packs in a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor with 1GB RAM. There’s 4GB internal storage with external expansion options of upto 32GB.
The device uses Circuit Switched Voice Fall Back technology for voice call on the underlying 3G network and claims to deliver high speed data on the LTE network.
Airtel is the first operator to launch an LTE network in the country. As of now 4G services from Airtel are available only in Kolkata and Bengaluru . But Pune is next on the list to receive 4G services soon. Hence, as far as 4G usage is concerned, the Huawei Ascend P1 LTE smartphone can be used only by Kolkata & Bengaluru users on 4G networks right now.
Speaking at the launch, Sanjay Kapoor, CEO – India & South Asia, Bharti Airtel said, “Over the last 15 years, Airtel has been at the forefront of India’s telecom revolution and played an instrumental role in aligning the country’s technology trends with the latest standards from across the globe. We are excited to announce the launch of India’s first 4G LTE TDD multimode mobile device along with Qualcomm and Huawei.”
- Android 4.0
- 4.3-inch capacitive touch Super AMOLED qHD display
- 8MP rear camera with autofocus and dual LED flash
- 1.3MP front camera
- 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor with 1GB RAM
- 4GB internal storage


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Online software provider, Wazdan, has announced the release of not one, but two new online slot games. Double Tigers and 9 Lions are the latest creations of the provider, recently displayed during the G2E Asia show back in May.
Yesterday saw American casino giant MGM Resorts International ink a partnership deal with the National Basketball Association (NBA) only a day after finalizing a related joint venture agreement with British online sportsbetting firm GVC Holdings.
Daily fantasy sports operator DraftKings made the following statement on 30 March regarding a possible partnership with a New Jersey casino: “DraftKings, with the world’s most popular daily fantasy sports platform and nearly 10 million sports-mad customers, is perfectly positioned to succeed in a legal sports betting market.
After announcing in September that he will be stepping down from next summer as Chief Executive Officer for Australian gaming machine developer Ainsworth Game Technology Limited, Danny Gladstone has now reportedly declared that his firm is ‘well placed to increase our market share’ and has ‘a positive outlook’ for the coming financial year.
LAS VEGAS (Associated Press) – Casino mogul Steve Wynn is under investigation after sexual misconduct allegations were leveled against him, Nevada gambling regulators announced Tuesday.
Malta-headquartered B2B supplier within online gambling, Relax Gaming, has signed a distribution deal that will see it add titles from new game design studio, Dice Lab, to its Silver Bullet open casino platform.
Contents 1 The GAME Act goes beyond sports betting 2 GAME Act includes federal consumer protections 3 There is support for federal intervention The Gaming Accountability and Modernization Enhancement Act, or GAME Act, introduced by Congressman Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ), proposes a federal role in authorizing state regulated sports betting.
In eastern Washington, the Kalispel Tribe Of Indians is reportedly using bottled water at its Northern Quest Resort And Casino after the local groundwater supply was found to have been contaminated by a pair of perfluorinated chemicals.


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On Aug. 7, big-box retailer Target announced that it would no longer be using gendered signage in their toy and bedding sections, citing customers who “raised important questions about a handful of signs in our stores that offer product suggestions based on gender.” The move, which came after a Tweet by Ohio mom Abi Bechdel criticized the store for distinguishing between “Building Sets” and “Girls’ Building Sets,” has angered some parents who think the decision is simply political correctness run amok.
But by and large, it has been praised. Much of the coverage focuses on the benefits that will accrue to girls. After all, signs such as the one Bechdel noticed are, in her words, “a good example of the way our culture tends to view boys and men as the default, normal option and girls and women as the specialized exception.” The same criticisms were leveled at LEGO, the world’s biggest toy maker and the undisputed king of building sets such as the ones the Target sign highlights, when it debuted its LEGO Friends sets marketed specifically to girls. Critics say that these pink and purple sets are a huge step backwards from the kind of gender-neutral marketing LEGO deployed in the early 1980s that encouraged both girls and boys, in the case of one ad, to build “things they’ve never seen before,” rather than steering girls toward playing within the confines of a gender-coded fantasy of what they are supposed to want.
However, I argue that boys are the ones who will benefit the most from gender-neutral signage in toy stores. Girls, despite facing a barrage of marketing directing them toward princesses and cooking sets, already have some incentive to cross the gender divide. In some cases, for instance, there are social rewards for girls who reject the pink and sparkly and go for more masculine-coded toys. According to Psychology Today, tomboys who “want to differentiate themselves — to not be a ‘typical girl’ or get otherwise pigeonholed into one category” — reject the markers of “typical” femininity such as make-up and fashion. Because activities that are traditionally labeled as feminine are often undervalued in our culture, girls who reject girly toys are in fact rejecting the frivolousness and shallowness that we attribute to the typical girl.
Boys currently have little incentive to cross the toy aisle.
On the other hand, boys currently have little incentive to cross the aisle. Those who show an interest in products that are marketed to girls face intense social pressure to take up more masculine pursuits. The developmental psychologist Deborah Tolman has said that boys are more likely to be bullied for playing with dolls than girls are for playing with cars. Bates College sociology professor Emily Kane agrees. In a series of interviews with non-gender-conforming children, Kane found that most parents “felt accountable to an ideal of masculinity that was defined by limited emotionality, activity rather than passivity and rejection of material markers of femininity.” In other words, they feared that boys who did not express disdain towards girly things would wind up failing in their expression of straight masculinity when they grew up. And neuroscientist Cordelia Fine warns that gendered marketing is encouraging boys to shun activities such as “reading or art or nurturing,” which have come to be labeled as girly and thus become “stigmatized for boys.” This stigmatization can have tragic consequences, as in the case of 11-year-old Michael Morones, who attempted suicide after being relentlessly bullied for wearing a “My Little Pony” backpack to school, or 12-year-old Ronin Shimizu, who killed himself after bullies taunted him for being the only boy on the school cheerleading team.
Target isn’t the first big retailer to eliminate the division between boys’ and girls’ toys. In 2012, Harrods, Britain’s biggest department store, announced it would organize children’s toys by themes — or example, the circus, or space — rather than by gender. While these stores’ decisions to change their signage will not immediately reverse the attitudes of an entire culture, it’s an encouraging first step. Target’s move is making it safer for little boys who wouldn’t be caught dead in the pink-goods aisle to pursue a wider range of interests.
Megan Condis got her Ph.D. in English from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In the fall she will be joining the faculty of Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas. She writes about masculinity and sexuality in gaming culture. A video game version of her dissertation is available to play for free at her website.
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera America's editorial policy.


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You're scrubbing down after a long, lousy year for PC stocks. But you just can't hide that smell.
Shorting Against the Boxxies
PC investors came to consciousness in 2000.
computers disabused them of Edenic growth expectations and led them into a sobering postlapsarian world. The long-awaited secular slowdown of the personal computer market is finally at hand. Organic growth waning, the battle for market share can only get more brutal, and the inventories left by a lackluster holiday shopping season bode ill for profit margins. PCs, it turns out, are a lot like automobiles. And that's not good in a slowing economy.
"A lot of it is a macroeconomic call," says
analyst Andy Neff. "Watch the euro. Watch oil. Watch interest rates. Of course, if things slow, they don't start again quickly. But if the indicators change, it could be positive for the sector."
Sitting and Waiting
Nothing to do about that but sit and wait. In the meantime, absent any catalyst that can reverse the recent trend of
multiple contraction across the market, PC stocks can only hope to tread water for the first half of 2001. The first and second quarters are typically the most sluggish in any year, much less a year in which growth is decelerating. Thus it's hard to imagine that, in that period, companies will be able to come forward with evidence that demand is coming back, much less get anyone to believe that evidence.
"I wouldn't be rushing to buy any of them," says
analyst Rob Cihra. "It will be at least another quarter or two before we get a glimpse of when this will be turning around. Lack of visibility is not good for stocks, and we're not going to get much visibility into demand or production until late first quarter of next year."
That's not to say you should dump what's left of your PC holdings. With the
Philadelphia Computer Boxmaker Index
down about 40% this year and 54% off its 52-week high, it's probably a little late for damage control. But the overwhelming sentiment on Wall Street, based on nothing less than what the companies themselves have disclosed, is that the personal computer business -- consumer, foremost, but corporate as well -- is a rotten one to be in right now. And though nearly every boxmaker has taken great pains to point out its decreasing reliance on the increasingly torpid desktop business, all remain exposed.
. On a price-to-earnings basis, it's still the most richly valued of the PC stocks -- even though it's off 72% from its 52-week high. Three years ago, back when droves of Dellionares were still terrorizing the Austin real estate market, Dell's desktop PC sales grew 47% year-over-year, according to Cihra. (Cihra's firm hasn't underwritten for Dell.) That pace fell to 37% two years ago. Last year it slowed again to 24%, and this year it's likely to come in around 10%.
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Click here to see Monday's, Tuesday's and Wednesday's features
In the new fiscal year, most analysts expect Dell's desktop PC revenue will grow 1 or 2 percentage points shy of 10%. And with the desktop PC segment making up more than half of the company's total sales, Dell could have to
scrape to meet its newly lowered target of 20% annual revenue growth.
"With the majority of your revenue decelerating at that kind of rate," says Cihra, "you need the enterprise business to grow very rapidly. I mean, if half your business is growing at less than 10% next year, which is what one would have to expect, the other half would have to grow a heck of a lot faster. So that 20%
target is a stretch."
The long-term key to Dell's success as a growth stock lies in low-end servers and storage devices, markets growing much faster than that for PCs, but commodity businesses where price-cutting could get brutal. Competitors like
face similar conditions in the higher-end markets for servers and storage, crowded spaces where they'll bump heads against one another and more focused infrastructure firms like
. All this as corporate spending on information technology slows.
Look on the bright side. "When everyone's making money, they all get punch drunk," says Bear Stearns' Neff. "They think they're smart, not at the top end of a cyclical business. If they start losing money, they get disciplined. That can be healthy."


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Today at Games Developer Conference (GDC) 2019, Google announced its new Stadia game-streaming service. Stadia is Google’s new cloud game-streaming service. Google CEO Sundar Pichai admitted he’s not a big gamer, but he’s got big plans for gamers around the world.
Now you can play console-level games online into your Chrome browser. Stadia lets you access game-streaming from devices like smartphones, laptops, tablets, and TVs that wouldn’t be able to handle the GPU-load initially. You can access and play any games anywhere in 4K resolution and up to 60fps.
You can play any AAA Game title on your smartphone, Linux/Windows PC, Television without worrying about its specs. Developers had been testing the streaming service in the private inside of Google for a number of years. They tested publicly with Assassin’s Creed Odyssey in the back, the end of 2018.
A video of Introducing Stadia from Google:
Google Stadia vice president Phil Harrison didn’t mention details of latency while playing games. But looks like latency will depend on geographic proximity to the data center. Google also confirmed that not all rural users in supported countries will be able to signup for the Stadia service at launch because of the latency difference.
The Google data center network covers 19 regions, 58 zones, and more than 200 countries, bringing the 4K, 60-fps games to 2 billion people via any device using the Chrome browser. You can enjoy game streaming on desktops, laptops, mobiles, tablets, and televisions anytime.
The tech blades powering the Stadia experience in these data centers are formidable. While the PS4 runs at 4.2 GPU teraflops and the Xbox One X at 6.0 GPU teraflops, Stadia runs at 10.7 GPU teraflops. It also supports Unreal Engine 4 and Unity.
Google introduced the custom controller for Stadia in the event. You can use it to play games. It has built-in Wi-Fi and a microphone. The controller also features 2 new buttons. One is the Capture button to share your 4K 60fps gameplay. Another button is the Google Assistant button. It enables Google Assistant and allows players to access the controller’s built-in microphone to get help when they are stuck. It offers immediate advice for players.
The game streaming service also works with USB controllers, a mouse, and a keyboard.
Stadia is the Future of YouTube Gaming?
Stadia is connected to the YouTube platform so you can stream and play directly on YouTube. There is also a Crowd Play feature that allows gamers to stream directly through Stadia and even drop viewers right into their multiplayer session or queue them up for the next match. Developers and streamers can use the State Share feature to share game statistics.
Which games are available on Stadia?
Every Game!!! Yes, thousands of publishers and studios are currently migrating games to Google’s game-streaming service. The first game that was announced for Stadia was Doom Eternal, which will be available on the cloud. The project is powered by Open Source Software. EA, Ubisoft, Bethesda, Q-Games, Take-Two, and Tequila Works were also present in the presentation. In the future, Google will add more games from every platform.
The service will be launched in late 2019. First, it will be available in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and some parts of Europe. Google will launch the service on Pixel devices first. You’ll need to purchase all Stadia Games Titles to play.
You’ll be able to access games from YouTube streams, but there will be also an online hub for all your content and you can access games via links. Stadia will have subscription plans like Netflix as it is a streaming service.


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Join NFC World and SimplyTapp on September 10 for a unique opportunity to put your questions on HCE, tokenization, Apple Pay, Android Pay and more to host card emulation pioneer Doug Yeager. You can submit your questions in advance of this webinar by email to [email protected]. You’ll also be able to put questions to Doug during the live event, which will be moderated by NFC World’s editor, Sarah Clark. Find out more and register for this event here.
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September 5, 2018
Aviation has become a normal part of life for most, with air travel being as accessible as ever. In the past decades commercial aviation has gotten cheaper and easier through the advancement of technology and engineering. Training, entertainment and navigation have all benefited from the advancement of technology, with the advent of VR and AR technology, this is no different. Augmented and virtual reality could drastically change the aviation sector and has already made a big impact.
If you remember, we’ve previously collaborated with the NATS to produce a prototype VR game focusing on visualising air traffic management. This acted as a proof of concept for educating and training new employees working in air traffic control. Aviation along with other sectors are increasingly looking at augmented and virtual reality hardware to training their workers.
Pratt and Whitney who have previously worked with IBM are developing virtual reality engine maintenance training for airline mechanics. This will allow an engineer to virtually walk inside an engine to examine parts and view a running engine in motion. Bohemia Interactive, creators of military simulator ARMA, have used virtual reality hardware and planetary rendering technology to create immersive VR flight simulators. The simulator uses Leap Motion to tracks a person’s fingers and hands to create a more realistic experience for trainees.
Aviation companies and governments are increasingly investing in virtual reality applications to train. This is due to the fact training in VR is cheaper and safer in comparison to more traditional training methods.
Piloting an aircraft is obviously a very challenging task with no room for error, technology has in the past played a part in helping pilots with navigation. Augmented reality is no different with AR hardware being used to help with the piloting of aircrafts. Aero Glass are smart glasses that provide information to a pilot via overlaying data and other visuals. These include taxi guidance, departure information, obstacle avoidance, flight plans as well as cockpit information among many other points of information. Aero Glass is like the heads up display of a typical military pilot’s helmet but allows for a greater freedom of movement.Navigation is another element of aviation that has the potential to be disrupted with the advent of augmented and virtual reality hardware and software.
One of the more surprising avenues of VR and AR technology and aviation is in-flight entertainment. Air France has begun testing what they call an “immersive entertainment system” which in layman’s terms is the use of virtual reality headsets that passengers can wear to watch 3D, 2D films and tv series. Qantas, the Australian airline are doing something similar by trialling the use of Samsung Gear VR headsets on long distance flights.
Companies are using VR applications for entertainment due to the increasing need for passengers to be engaged in new content through new platforms
Aviation has always in the past used the latest cutting-edge technology to train, to navigate and to engineer. Augmented and virtual reality technology have already proven to be a key component of the future of air travel.
If you have an idea you want created get in touch with us and we can bring it to life. Whether it’s a quick prototype, a full product or even just to brainstorm, our team will be here to help. From the beginnings of your prototype to the final product we can support you with professional advice and delivery.


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Regulating Off-Label Promotion — A Critical Test: New NEJM Perspective Article
Petrie-Flom Academic Alumnus Christopher T. Robertson and Faculty Affiliate Aaron S. Kesselheim have coauthored a new Perspective article in NEJM on recent judicial decisions regarding off-label promotion of pharmaceuticals. From the article:
In recent years, the U.S. Supreme Court has expanded the conception of what counts as “speech” in the eyes of the law and has generally increased its legal protections. For example, in a 2011 case, the Court held that protected speech included sales data used by pharmaceutical manufacturers to more efficiently target marketing to physicians.
Still, the Caronia decision subverted decades of presumptions about how the government could oversee the behavior of the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. For over 50 years, the FDCA has required that drugs (and later, high-risk devices) be labeled for all uses intended by their manufacturers and that their safety and efficacy for those uses be first demonstrated in clinical trials. The FDA created “safe harbors” allowing companies to distribute peerreviewed literature or answer physician questions. However, until the Second Circuit’s Caronia decision, if a company promoted intended uses that had not been FDA-approved, that promotion would be clear evidence that the product was misbranded and that its sale for those uses was illegal. The fact that the work of pharmaceutical sales representatives involved speech did not matter before Caronia.
Check out the full article!criminal law fda health care finance health law policy judicial opinions pharmaceuticals public health regulation


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Online shopping is so easy to do nowadays, and it’s boomed like never before during the pandemic. But if there’s a weak spot in the system, it’s the ubiquitous return. What do you do when you order something and it isn’t what you want?
Like DoorDash or Instacart in reverse, Pittsburgh-based startup PorchShip takes online shopping returns from your porch back to wherever it came from so customers can avoid that annoying trip to the post office or FedEx.
It’s $1.50 for a one-time pickup or 10 packages returned per month for a $9 subscription service. As a comparison, FedEx charges $4 per package for their return service.
While it solves the problem of taking unwanted packages off consumers’ hands, it also addresses another problem — opening up opportunities for delivery drivers to make more money.
“I went to deliver for goPuff and Instacart just to learn the insides of the process, and how much drivers make,” says PorchShip founder, Evgeny Kostromskoy, of Swissvale.
It wasn’t much. He thought there had to be a way to make more money.
“Why can’t these drivers take my returns?” he wondered, and earn additional income without doing extra work.
“I thought, okay, here’s a great way to increase the income for drivers, plus make my life easier and reduce the time waste for people shopping a lot online and returning a lot of stuff.”
There are a very large number of packages out there, seeking a return, at any given time.
According to Kostromskoy, 25 to 30% of items purchased online get returned. “Last year, that translated to 2.5 billion items returned,” he says. “With the growth of e-commerce, those numbers are going up.”
His wife is a prolific online shopper, and the returns just kept piling up at his house.
“Last time, she bought five pairs of shoes for my son, tried them all, kept one and four go back to Amazon,” says Kostromskoy. “We think that’s our target market. Women buy more and return more clothes for the kids.”
The process is fairly simple, he says. Go to their website, click Schedule a Pickup and type in your address. Then set your return or shipping item at your front door and PorchShip will pick it up within an hour and send you updates.
Not only can delivery drivers keep doing their DoorDash or Uber pickups but combining trips is actively encouraged. They can drop a package off and pick one up from the same house if needed.
The driver makes about $1 per package. If there is more than one package, they make more.
“According to our calculations, a driver can increase their income by 40% by doing the pickups, and by picking up multiple packages,” says Kostromskoy.
PorchShip has a growing base of users in Pittsburgh, and one driver in the San Francisco Bay Area. Currently, Kostromskoy is working on a partnership with the reverse logistics company Happy Returns and expanding to New York.
“They have most of their volume in New York, so right now I’m actively recruiting drivers in New York” says Kostromskoy, who has a few drivers there already.
Kostromskoy is from Russia originally, where he studied materials science. He got his MBA from the University of Pittsburgh and has lived here for 11 years. He previously worked in pharmaceutical logistics and founded a real estate startup that helped people sell their houses without real estate agents. It ran out of money around the time Covid started.
PorchShip was part of Startup Boost Pittsburgh a pre-accelerator program for entrepreneurs.
“It was a very short program, but I met a lot of founders there, and a lot of mentors that helped me,” explains Kostromskoy.
In the long run, he hopes to partner with retailers like Amazon.
“It’s like every day when I drop off the packages at either Amazon or UPS or the Postal Service, I always see people there. I think ‘oh my God, they’re wasting so much time.’ I think there’s a big opportunity for first-mile logistics service for the consumers.”
Still a two-person company, Kostromskoy does a lot of the pickups himself.
“I have a customer who basically requests pickups every week, sometimes a few times a week,” says Kostromskoy. “I thought people would do it monthly. But she does it consistently. It’s kind of what pushes me to keep going. There’s a demand. There are people who need this, so I need to keep going.”