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Whole Foods Market, a natural foods supermarket chain with 94 stores nationwide, is coming to Manhattan. The chain, based in Austin, Tex., has leased about 40,000 square feet at Seventh Avenue and 24th Street in Chelsea, where it plans to open its first New York City store late next year or early in 2001.
The store, to be called Fresh Fields/Whole Foods Market, is to occupy the storefront space of a 700,000-square-foot turn-of-the-century building at 252 Seventh Avenue. Originally a garment factory and until late 1996 home to Federal offices and other operations, the building is being converted into 354 one- to four-bedroom condominium apartments by the Rockrose Development Corporation.
A. C. Gallo, regional president of Whole Foods Market, said his company had been seeking to open a Manhattan store for eight years. ''We were trying to find a site big enough so we could bring in a large natural foods supermarket,'' Mr. Gallo said. ''We didn't want to come in with a small specialty store.''
The company had signed a lease in 1995 to make its Manhattan debut at the planned Bridgemarket retail and restaurant complex under the Queensboro Bridge, he said, but pulled out in January 1998, concluding that the cost of development would have been prohibitive.Continue reading the main story
Jeffrey D. Roseman of New Spectrum Realty, who with his associate Stu Morden represented Whole Foods Market in the transaction, said the ''strong demographics of Chelsea, with all the development going on there, and the opportunity to find a large chunk of space in an area that is both densely populated and up and coming made them decide that the time and place were right.''
Until now, Mr. Roseman said, ''either the rents were too high or they couldn't find a large enough space on one level.''
Mr. Gallo said Chelsea was ''a great neighborhood to go into,'' adding that ''we really like what's going on there now.''
The parties to the deal declined to disclose the rent, but brokers familiar with the neighborhood said the average annual rent for the long-term lease was in the low $30's a square foot. Marc Katz of H & R Retail in Chevy Chase, Md., was a consultant to Whole Foods in the deal.
Patricia Dunphy, a vice president of Rockrose, said that she had offers from other supermarkets for the space but that her company had chosen Whole Foods Market in part because ''there's nothing like it now in Manhattan.''
''We don't have an organic foods store like this one,'' said Ms. Dunphy, who negotiated the lease. ''I've been to their stores in other major cities, especially the one in San Francisco, and I was very impressed with them. I think they will fill a need. It took a long time to make this deal. I worked on it for a whole year, the longest I've ever worked on a retail deal in my history at Rockrose, and it's exciting to bring something I think is unusual into retail space.''
Whole Foods Market describes itself as ''the largest purveyor of natural foods in the world,'' a combination of ''an old-fashioned neighborhood grocery store, an organic farmers' market, a European bakery, a New York deli and a modern supermarket.'' Founded in Austin in 1980, it has more than 13,000 employees, with stores in Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Washington and other major cities. The stores closest to New York City are in Manhasset on Long Island, Greenwich, Conn., and Millburn, Montclair and Marlton in New Jersey. Its stores operate under various names, among them Fresh Fields, Bread and Circus and Bread of Life.
Henry Elghanayan, chairman of Rockrose Development, won the Chelsea building at a sealed-bid auction in 1997 for $41.1 million, beating out eight other developers, among them Harry Macklowe, Elie Hirschfeld, the Rose real estate family, the Related Companies and Thurcon Properties. Mr. Macklowe came in second with a bid of $35 million, according to the General Services Administration, which owned the building and conducted the auction.
Built between 1906 and 1914 as four commercial buildings that were combined over time, 252 Seventh Avenue began as a manufacturing center for women's clothing in a period when the garment district occupied much of the West Side. The Federal Government bought the property in 1946, installing a succession of agencies. It was used until late 1996 mainly by the Department of Veterans Affairs as a clinic and light manufacturing center where shoes and prosthetic devices were made.
Rockrose declined to discuss the residential aspects of the building. But signs at the building call it the Chelsea Mercantile and say it will have one- , two- , three- and four-bedroom apartments ranging from 859 to 2,593 square feet, with 11- to 13-foot ceilings, 24-hour doorman service, ''luxury loft living with prewar features'' and views from the Statue of Liberty to the Empire State Building. The signs say occupancy is expected in spring 2000.
Mr. Roseman of New Spectrum said he was working with Whole Foods Market on finding other New York City sites. ''We're driving around looking at a bunch of other places,'' he said. ''There's Park Slope in Brooklyn, and a couple more in Manhattan -- SoHo, TriBeCa and, of course, the Upper East Side and the Upper West Side.''Continue reading the main story


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The Chinese language smartphone large began to let go of a few of its employees resulting from decrease gross sales amid the lockdowns in China.
Whereas many firms are step by step rebounding from the antagonistic results of the coronavirus pandemic, others like China Xiaomi are nonetheless battling with the COVID influence because it plans to put off 10% of its workforce. In line with the South China Morning Post, the smartphone maker has began firing workers throughout a number of departments, together with its smartphone and web providers models.
Talking on the minimize, a spokesperson stated Xiaomi is conducting a “routine personnel optimization and organizational streamlining” resulting from COVID with “lower than 10 % of the overall workforce” affected. The corporate revealed in its Q3 monetary outcomes that it had 35,314 workers, with over 32,000 in mainland China. Notably, Chinese language firms usually conduct layoffs within the title of “enterprise optimization.” That is achieved to keep away from scrutiny from labor authorities as a result of worker dismissals that have an effect on over 20 jobs have to be referred to the federal government underneath China’s labor legislation. Xiaomi said that victims of the layoff had been compensated in compliance with native regulators. A report stated the laid-off staff obtained redundancy packages from the corporate.
Xiaomi Cuts Workforce as Covid Lingers
The Chinese language smartphone large began to let go of a few of its employees resulting from decrease gross sales amid the lockdowns in China. Slower shopper spending additionally contributed to the roles minimize. Notably, the general public that might be impacted through the layoff had been simply recruited in December final yr. Main social media platforms in China, together with Weibo, Maimai, and Xiaohongshu, have been buzzing with posts concerning the dismissal. Discussions on the platforms present that many are starting to get involved about the way forward for the tech business in China. It’s because different high tech firms in China, reminiscent of Alibaba Group (NYSE: BABA) and Tencent Holdings, have additionally been shedding staff amid the extended Covid-19 battle within the nation.
Xiaomi made the transfer to scale back headcount shortly after its founder unveiled the brand new flagship 13-series smartphones. The corporate, which plans to unseat the iPhone from the worldwide high place by 2024, revealed that the Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset powers the brand new smartphones. This got here because the Chinese language economic system struggled within the shopper electronics market. As a matter of truth, world smartphone shipments dropped 9% YoY to 297.8 million models. Market analysis agency Canalys confirmed that smartphone shipments in China declined 11% to 70 million models. As for Xiaomi, the fifth largest smartphone vendor in China with a 13% market share as of final quarter, the corporate’s income shed 9.7% YoY to 70.47 billion yuan. Its web revenue additionally lowered by 59.1% to 2.21 billion yuan throughout the identical interval.
Ibukun is a crypto/finance author keen on passing related info, utilizing non-complex phrases to succeed in all types of viewers.
Other than writing, she likes to see motion pictures, cook dinner, and discover eating places within the metropolis of Lagos, the place she resides.

domain: news


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Precise Biometrics fingerprint technology integrated with Chinese smartphone
Precise Biometrics‘ fingerprint recognition product for mobile devices, Precise BioMatch Mobile, has been integrated in a new smartphone from China, through a partnership with Sweden’s Fingerprint Cards (FPC).
”We are happy that yet another leading Chinese smartphone manufacturer have chosen to integrate Precise BioMatch Mobile,” says Håkan Persson, CEO of Precise Biometrics. “The company is one of the leading Chinese manufacturers that also exports a significant part of their volume.”
The value of this deal will be based on the number of sensors FPC delivers to the mobile phone manufacturer and cannot yet be forecasted.
Last month, Precise Biometrics and Fingerprint Cards integrated this same solution into another Chinese smartphone.


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Will Asheville have a bourbon crisis?
The bourbon boom shows no signs of letting up. The popularity of American-made whiskey is soaring, with sales of super-premium brands at an all-time high. Last week, the Tennessean reported that global whiskey sales are outpacing production by at least 2 to 1. While that's a boon for distillers, it could spell a shortage for local consumers.
Buffalo Trace, the 228-year-old distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky, warned bourbon drinkers a year ago that a shortage was looming, but many markets are just now starting to feel the effects.
"We're making more bourbon every day," Harlen Wheatley, master distiller for Buffalo Trace, said in a statement last month, adding that the company is distilling more than it has in four decades.
"Still, it's hard to keep up," he continued. "Although we have more bourbon than last year when we first announced the rolling blackouts, we're still short, and there is no way to predict when supply will catch up with demand."
Though Buffalo Trace is taking steps to mitigate the bourbon bleed, the company still expects periods of time when its Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare, and Blanton's will be unavailable.
Russel Knighten, bar manager at Seven Sows in downtown Asheville, has been bartending for about a year, and in that short time, he's seen demand for bourbon rise exponentially. "With the coming back of the craft cocktail scene, having a big bourbon selection is definitely a big draw for upscale drinkers," said Knighten, who added that Seven Sows stocks roughly 60 varieties of bourbon.
"There's certain things that are just tough to get your hands on, and when people come in and see that, they buy those things immediately," said Knighten. One of the most coveted bourbons, Pappy Van Winkle, rarely sits on the shelf at Seven Sows for long — when the restaurant can get it in stock. The 23-year version of the bourbon can fetch about $75 for a two-ounce pour. But that doesn't deter die-hard bourbon aficionados. "We'd probably only have it a day or two before the bottle was gone," Knighten said.
What you're paying for with Pappy is rarity, from low production and what's lost to evaporation during the distillation process, also known as the angel's share.
"You put 52 gallons of whiskey in a barrel, and you end up with five gallons by the end of the 23-year aging process," Knighten explained.
Knighten just returned from a visit to Buffalo Trace on Kentucky's Bourbon Trail, a trip where the whiskey still flowed in abundance. The thought of that bounty slowing to a trickle worried him, he said.
But he also said the sky's not falling — at least not yet. "We haven't really seen the effects of the so-called bourbon shortage yet," he said. "I think it will be soon to come, and we'll have to see the effects of that when it does. I'm definitely one of the ones hoarding bourbon at home and, worst-case scenario, the apocalypse comes and that's currency right there."
Bourbon drinkers are known hoarders. When Maker's Mark last year announced it might reduce the alcohol content of its bourbon due to dwindling supply, customers rushed to liquor stores to snatch up what they believed would be the last high-proof versions of the whiskey. That lead to the brand recording a 45-percent jump in first-quarter profit.
So what's behind the so-called shortage? Essentially, bourbon's new-found popularity could be its downfall. Ten years ago, there was little to indicate that bourbon would became the fetish object it is today, and most of the bourbon we're drinking now was put into the pipeline shortly thereafter.
According to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, high-end premium and super-premium bourbon sales rocketed up 31 percent and 104 percent, respectively, in the last five years.
That's great for distilleries, but it would have been even better had they foreseen the need for increased capacity to account for the confluence of hipster fetishism, the popularity of Southern and American-made spirits, and the fever pitch of the craft cocktail movement. But the U.S. isn't the only country drinking bourbon. Who else is in our stash?
See our chart:
In Asheville in particular, we might end up with the short end of the stick. According to Double Crown co-owner Steve Mann, North Carolina does not cover a distillery's shipping costs for special orders up front, which could be a determining factor when a company has to decide what state gets a piece of a hot commodity.
"In North Carolina, if the distillery doesn't pay for shipping, North Carolina will not pay for it if it's a special order, and they will not let us pay for it, either," said Mann. "And we can only get it through our local ABC store."
"God forbid that happens," said Chris Bower, co-owner of the Double Crown, of the possible shortage. His Haywood Street bar has become a local haunt, in no small part because it stocks 70 different bourbons on its shelves.
Even with that inventory, Bower still said North Carolina's liquor laws limit what kinds of products he can easily get, and things might get even tougher in the face of a shortage.
"The way state laws are set up, it's hard to get exclusive bourbons and even some regular bourbons," he said. "Many of the exclusive bourbons will go to Raleigh and Charlotte and the larger cities, and Asheville sometimes gets the shaft. It's just sort of how it works."
Bower, who recently announced plans to open a second bar in downtown Asheville with Mann, imagines any bourbon supply holes could be plugged by new distilleries. "There's a handful of people outside of Kentucky who have started distilling and come up with good results," he said. One of his favorites is Smooth Ambler, a bourbon made in West Virginia.
That people even care about a bourbon shortage is a testament to how far it's come, he added.
"For so long it was overlooked, and I think some people are just starting to find up what complexity bourbon can achieve and the variety it has — it's astonishing," said Bower. "At the Double Crown, Pappy (Van Winkle 23, $75) is our highest pour, but we also have a fantastic collection of $5 bourbons that are rare and people don't know about. A lot of it is education and people, instead of pounding bourbon, taking the time to stop and taste what they are drinking."
Not everyone is concerned. Kathleen Purvis, author of "Bourbon" and food editor for the Charlotte Observer, remains cynical that the bourbon crisis will come to fruition. "I'd bet if you look back 30 years, to the time when Stoli became all the rage, you'd find vodka shortage stories," she said in an email.
Purvis is always skeptical of such "sky is falling" shortage reports, which rarely turn out to be dire, she said. "I've come upon my cynicism by hard experience," said the food writer of 25 years. "Systems tend to right themselves. We are also a society with a short attention span. Bourbon is hot now, something else will be hot tomorrow."
"Of course," she added, "I generally bet wrong." so there will probably be massive shortages tomorrow.


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Optician Alledgedly Rips Off Employer for 16 Years
"A 45-year-old optician allegedly cost Pennridge Opticians more
than $95,000 after pocketing payments, giving unauthorized
discounts and taking company gifts for himself, according to court
records," according to a post on Philly Burbs. "And since Richard Elias Korn Jr. was fired in April, the money
coming into the company has doubled without an increase in
customers." Read more.


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Only a week has passed since the Microsoft platform exclusive pirate-themed adventure game, Sea of Thieves, made its debut on Xbox One and Windows 10, and the game has already gone past the two million player mark across the two platforms.
Although we do not know how players from this massive number are actual owners and how many are Xbox Game Pass subscribers, Rare studio head Craig Duncan revealed today on Xbox Wire that Sea of Thieves has become Microsoft's "fastest-selling first-party new IP of this generation," as well as the "best-selling Microsoft Studios first-party title on Windows 10." The game also took the top spot in the UK's retail game sales last week, beating A Way Out and Ni No Kuni II.
The game's first update landed yesterday, with Rare pushing a number of bug fixes related to delayed rewards and achievements, some Xbox One X performance improvements, and more.
In Neowin's joint-review of the game, which can be read here, we were impressed with Sea of Thieves' immersion and multiplayer aspects, but were disappointed with the asking price.
Sea of Thieves is available via the Microsoft Store for the Xbox One family of consoles and Windows 10 PCs as an Xbox Play Anywhere title with a $59.99 price tag. It is also a part of the Xbox Game Pass subscription program, which comes in at $9.99/mo.


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Four suspects have been identified in car and garage thefts in Kingsford.
Kingsford Public Safety and the Norway Police Department say three juvenile boys and one man have been identified.
The suspects are connected to several thefts from unlocked cars and open garages from over the weekend. Car stereos, stereo equipment, skateboards and clothing are some of the items that have been recovered.
Reports have been forwarded to the Dickinson County Prosecutor’s Office for review.
The police are reminding everyone to keep their garage doors closed, and to lock their cars. They say if anyone is missing stereo equipment to contact them.


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The Pebble, an iOS and Android-compatible smartwatch, will go on sale at Best Buy stores across the country this Sunday starting at $149.99. The device syncs with your smartphone to display text messages and incoming calls, lets you control your music, and offers a full SDK and API so developers can create their own apps. It also features a waterproof design and customizable UI.
The arrival of Pebble on Best Buy’s shelves represents not just the growth of wearable technology (a market already crowded by the Sony SmartWatch, Google Glass, the rumored iWatch and plenty more) but also the rise of crowd-funded products. Pebble got its start on Kickstarter, where it raised $10 million and became the site’s biggest success to date.
“We’ve learned that people want their Pebbles,” wrote CEO Eric Migicovsky in an official statement. “Thanks to Best Buy, we’re giving folks more ways to make that happen.”
Starting this month, the black-colored Pebble will be available through Best Buy, with a cherry red model coming in August. If you’d rather pick up the smartwatch in orange, grey or white head over to getapebble.com and buy one straight from the source.


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If you are a hardware startup, your life is very difficult. First, getting funding from traditional sources (Venture Capital, banks) is borderline impossible, as there’s always ‘an app for this and that’ that promises the world. Yet, we’ve seen sizable ‘wins’ with hardware startups which took the public route and seek out funding on crowdfunding websites such as Indiegogo or Kickstarter.
Perhaps the best known publicly funded startup is Oculus, who gathered $2.44 million on Kickstarter. As we all know by now, the company was acquired by Facebook in a $2 billion, all-cash transaction. But, Oculus is far from being the only one. Several years ago, we attended a modest launch of Omni Virtual Reality Platform in Venice Beach, CA. Omni is a hardware platform (we know that everybody calls their product a platform – but this really is a platform) that enables a human body to move in a virtual environment. Omni had a successful Kickstarter campaign, collecting $1.11 million in the process.
Encouraged by the customer feedback, the company then moved to do a limited IPO, and open itself for public funding – a move which is probably going to pick up as traditional VC’s are still reluctant to invest in a pure hardware play. The goal was to gauge potential interest in the public. Ever since Oculus and Ouya had successful multi-million dollar campaigns, the public expressed interest to invest in hardware companies, not just buy the product. Virtuix used SeedInvest to gauge the interest in a public Series A, targeting a $10 million round which would push the valuation of the company into mid-eight figures.
The response however, exceeded all expectations. Different public and private investors, venture capitalists etc. brought the number all the way to almost $33 million. $32.7 million to be exact. While the number is now hidden – as Virtuix wants $10 million rather than $32 million at current valuation, it is just astounding to see that the ‘Joe and Joanna Public’ want to invest in products they believe in.
If we take traditional way of thinking, Omni VR platform should have been a failure. It requires specialized shoes, different harnesses depending on your body type, and experienced numerous complications in getting the mass production out the door. But once those challenges were overcome, Virtuix passed the test of learning the curve from idea to manufacturing.
In several conversations with Jan Goetgeluk (Founder and CEO, Virtuix), he didn’t hide the roadblocks he and his team encountered in seeking funding for virtual reality. “In those early times, even before Oculus was a success, it was extremely difficult to find a reliable manufacturing partner, while the traditional investors said our product is too complicated.” Yet, we have seen time and time again that the market will step into an uncomfortable environment if that’s something they believe in. Otherwise, I do not believe anybody would go to a sports stadium to sit on a piece of plastic, and endure all the weather elements once the seasons change (or uncomfortably high temperatures in closed arenas). We won’t go into overpriced concession stands. Yet, people go and enjoy the event itself.
What Omni offers is complete ‘event experience’, immersion into a virtual reality world for first person shooters and other games where you need to move your body. The future might bring military, professional sport and fitness VR platforms from Virtuix, and after seeing the market interest reaching more than three times than the requested funding – its clear that Virtux is ‘going places’. The company will officially launch its Series A on March 23rd, 2016 on SeedInvest.


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The ultimate display piece for your trophy room!
One of the coolest Easter eggs of all time was found in Predator 2: seen displayed on a wall in the Predator trophy room was a Xenomorph skull, teasing an epic mash-up film that didn’t actually arrive until 14 years later. If you caught it at the time, you surely had something resembling whatever a “nerdgasm” is, and now all these years later, you can finally own your own Xeno skull.
NECA just announced that in March of next year they will be releasing a highly-detailed foam replica Xenomorph skull, which measures a massive 36″ long and comes with a display stand for tabletop use or wall mounting. From the NECA website:
The Xenomorph Skull Foam Replica is made of durable foam rubber and latex that’s carefully hand-painted for extra eerie detail.
Holy shit this is cool. Check out the first images below!


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New Delhi: Google introduced that it has rolled out a `January software program replace` to all supported Pixel units working Android 13. Ranging from Tuesday, the rollout will “continue over the next few weeks in phases depending on carrier and device”, the tech large stated in a assist web page. Customers will get a notification as soon as the over-the-air (OTA) turns into obtainable for his or her units.
“We encourage you to check your Android version and update to receive the latest software,” the corporate stated. The brand new replace consists of assist for static spatial audio, which can provide encompass sound for any linked headset. Furthermore, “another update will roll out to Pixel Buds Pro in the coming weeks that will enable spatial audio with head tracking”, Google stated.
The January 2023 replace additionally consists of bug fixes and enhancements reminiscent of in `Show & Graphics` and `Biometrics`. Final month, Google rolled out new options to Pixel units, together with new safety and privateness settings. With these options, customers have been in a position to assessment their safety and privateness settings, threat ranges, and different data multi function place, making it straightforward to guard their telephones, accounts and passwords.


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Almost half of Sydney's computer repair shops surveyed by ComputerCHOICE magazine are overcharging and incompetent.
The magazine surveyed 46 PC repairers by sending an anonymous shopper to each repairer asking for a quote to fix a broken PC.
According to the publication, the fault was minor, a wire disconnected from the hard drive and "the repairer had to open the computer to fully diagnose the problem".
The survey found that 48 percent of the repairers overcharged and made the customer wait for three days or more for a quote.
Two repairers permanently damaged the computer, then told the shopper that the fault already existed and suggested expensive repairs.
ComputerCHOICE editor Georgina Swan, said the results were "alarming".
"There's about a 28 percent chance your computer will not be repaired properly, based on our survey results," she said.
The good news was that about 26 percent of repairers fixed the problem quickly and didn't charge for the services, ComputerCHOICE said.
"They're the good guys of the industry. They go beyond the call of customer service. Unfortunately, their job is made all the more difficult by those repairers who don't do the right thing," Swan said.
Computer repairers can set themselves up as experts without any form of regulation or validation of their competence so it's important to be prepared in case something goes wrong, the publication said.
A spokesperson at the NSW Office of Fair Trading, said it had 30 complaints in NSW in relation to computer repairs and maintenance between 1 July 2003 and now.
To put this in perspective, there were 3955 complaints in NSW in relation to computer hardware and software products over the same period.
A further 296 complaints were in relation to defective goods over the period, Fair Trading said.
Commenting on the results, George Law, owner of Sydney-based reseller Bootstrap Computer Solutions, said some one- and two-man computer shops don't have the required technical expertise to service the customer properly.
Some "don't fully understand the technical aspects of a PC," he claimed. "The industry is like that anyway," he said, referring to the results.
He questioned whether IT industry regulation would make any difference. "How can it be regulated? It needs to be, but how?"
He added that some resellers are more interested in "up-selling the customer" and coercing them to buy a new PC rather than fixing what could be a minor problem with their existing machine.
"It could be a simple problem -- but they try to up-sell. Basically they'll try to sell them [the customer] a new computer [when] it's just a virus problem," he said.


text: Alibaba Group and Softbank Corp (9984.HKG) are in advanced talks with Blackstone Group (BX.NYSE) and Bain Capital about making a takeover bid for Yahoo! Inc (YHOO.NASDAQ), Bloomberg reported, quoting three people with knowledge of the matter. A bid may value Yahoo at more than US$20 a share, two of the people said, though Alibaba hasn't decided on a final price or whether to proceed. Yahoo's board is meeting today to discuss previous offers for a minority stake from TPG Capital and a group led by Silver Lake. Silver Lake's bid for the stake valued Yahoo at about US$16.60 a share, while TPG Capital's offer was higher, said people familiar with the matter. "We would prefer the entire group get sold at a higher premium," said Di Zhou, an analyst at Thornburg Investment Management, which holds shares in Yahoo. "It definitely has to be much higher than US$16.60."


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Playground Games also confirms that London won’t be included due to its massive size.
Playground Games continues to showcase Forza Horizon 4’s Seasons, a new gameplay feature where the open world will have dynamic weather and will physically change over time. Each Season lasts one week and can have such effects as lakes being frozen over, thus allowing players to drive over them.
This time, the developer is highlighting Spring. A new hour-long video reveals how the developer faithfully captured the various colours that make up Spring, and also how the soundtrack was made. Edinburgh is also showcased in all its glory, though director Ralph Fulton confirmed that London wouldn’t be included in the game due to its massive size. If Playground does include London, it would be for an entire game, due to the sheer amount of time needed to create everything.
Finally, we get a look at the Team Adventure co-op aspect, and an interesting way for players to earn money. It’s essentially a rental business for supercars, but there will be other businesses to garner cash as well. Forza Horizon 4 is out on October 2nd for Xbox One and Windows 10 PCs.


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Check out the companies that made the headlines after the bell Wednesday:
Levi Strauss & Co – Shares of the denim maker rose nearly 3% after posting quarterly earnings and sales above analysts’ expectations, with the back-to-school season boosting consumer demand. As many clothing companies are hit hard by bottlenecks in the global supply chain, Levi Strauss said less than 4% of its global volume comes from Vietnam, where production facilities have suffered from shutdowns. periodicals during the pandemic.
Meredith Corp. – Meredith Earns More Than 6% After Hours On Announcement That IAC’s Dotdash To Acquire The Company’s Digital And Magazines Business For $ 42.18 A Share In All-Cash Transaction . The combined company will be called Dotdash Meredith and will be led by Dotdash CEO Neil Vogel.
Twitter – Shares of the social media company rose nearly 2% after announcing plans to sell its mobile advertising network MoPub to mobile game developer AppLovin for $ 1.05 billion in cash. Twitter bought MoPub for $ 350 million in September 2013.
Citrix Systems – The cloud computing company gained 1% after announcing that CEO and chairman David Henshall had stepped down and chairman of the board, Bob Calderoni, would replace him, effective immediately. The company also said it expects third quarter revenue to be in the mid to high range of its previous forecast range.
Rocket Lab USA – Shares of the space company soared more than 20% after it announced it won a contract with NASA to launch an advanced composite solar sail system, which will be launched as part of a carpool mission that take-off is scheduled for mid-2022.
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Global forests report 2023: the forest transition - from risk to resilience
CDP’s new analysis of corporate disclosure on forest-related risks has been published, revealing that more than 1,000 companies are now disclosing relevant data. More than 60% of companies have disclosed what types of risks deforestation poses to their business, ranging from shifts in consumer preference or increased severity of extreme weather. However, less than 10% have public commitments in place to end deforestation by 2025 and just 10 companies have deforestation targets that also focus on improving social conditions. In total, just 269 companies estimated that the potential financial impact on corporates as a result of inaction on deforestation was almost $80bn, while the cost of responding to all risks reached just $5.9bn.


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At the Buy Pittsburgh First Expo on Thursday Pittsburgh Pirates President Frank Coonelly started his keynote presentation with a highlight reel of the 2013 season, which is something new.
"In the past when I would speak at events at this time of the year, I didn't always have a video," he said.
This year, the Pirates are set for a playoff run after celebrating the first winning season in 21 years. Having a winning team has not only boosted Pirates pride, it has a positive impact on the local economy.
Coonelly said when the team is looking to make a purchase, they always look local first. While Major League Baseball dictates some of the purchases the team must make, such as uniforms and baseballs, Coonelly said they try to buy local for as many things as they can.
"When the opportunity presents itself, we always look to Pittsburgh first," Coonelly said. "The services or products we get may be unrelated to playing the game for the most part, but there is a lot more that goes into it than just what you see on the field."
The team buys from BWP Bats LLC, a Brookville wooden bat manufacturer. They also look to local companies to supply everything from staff uniforms to pest control.
Coonelly said they have also made a conscious effort to include a number of local vendors at PNC Park, including Primanti Brothers, Quaker Steak and Lube, Rivertown Brewing, and Iron City Brewing.
Coonelly said buying local goes hand-in-hand with the mission he worked to establish for the Pirates when he became president six years ago: To leverage the power of people's pride in their community.
Now that the Buccos are making a playoff run, it could translate into an even greater economic impact for the city. While Coonelly said he didn't have the exact figures on hand, each playoff game held at PNC Park translates into millions of dollars for the city's economy.
"It's a significant impact and it get ever deeper and gets more significant the further into the playoffs," he said. "It's good for businesses in the city. It may not be great for the fans that are hoping to get tickets to a game because more will be sold out of town, but overall it's great for Pittsburgh."
Coonelly said after 21 years, fans deserve to have a home playoff game here at PNC Park.


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Cable industry hopes downturn keeps people at home
By Nicola Leske
BERLIN (Reuters) - Cable and online TV companies are betting they can defy the global economic crisis and grow despite tough times, arguing consumers are choosing to sit out the downturn and spend on home entertainment.
"My personal view is that the economic situation will continue to deteriorate for a while," said Tom Rogers, chief executive of digital video recorder maker TiVo, at an industry event in Berlin on Wednesday.
"People are clearly looking for cheaper entertainment," he said, adding while consumers may be reluctant to make large purchases they seem to be prepared to pay for a high definition TV.
TiVo, which posted slower subscriber growth last year than in 2007, hopes to be the company chosen by viewers overwhelmed by a plethora of channels and content.
"We call it the easy couch potato approach," Rogers said.
TiVo was a pioneer in digital video recorders (DVRs) but suffered as cable and satellite operators began offering generic DVRs to their customers for far less than a TiVo box.
TiVo has tried to reposition itself to appeal to cost-conscious consumers. Its software is also used in DVRs offered by television service providers such as Comcast and DirectTV Group Inc, which Rogers hopes will boost subscriber growth by next year.
Smaller, unlisted online TV company Joost hopes to attract customers, in particular young audiences in their twenties, with a free service. Continued...


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Former CIA CTO Gus Hunt explained one of the primary reasons why the U.S. intelligence agency contracted Amazon in a $600 million deal to create its private cloud.
Moves, made by the Finnish startup ProtoGeo Oy, thrusts Facebook into the fitness-tracking market. The app has been downloaded more than 4 million times by Apple and Android users.
Writing's on the wall for single-factor, password-based authentication on the Internet, Verizon report says.
In the wake of the Heartbleed OpenSSL security disaster, The Linux Foundation has brought together both open-source supporters and companies better known for proprietary software to fund mission-critical open-source projects.
Microsoft may be poised to launch its long-rumored Surface Mini tablet in May.
As part of the US giant it may be tempting for Nokia to focus on chasing success in its new home market. But if it wants to be the 'devices plus services' giant of tomorrow, it needs to be looking elsewhere.
After its release on the iPad last year, Opera has brought its touch-friendly browser to Apple smartphones too.
An Australian National University researcher has accidentally uncovered a cheap way to turn a smartphone into a high-resolution microscope.
The company says the new tablet PCs, which start at $5,299, exceed the typical ruggedized standards and feature improved sunlight-readable displays.
The Russian parliament's latest play could see major Western technology firms banned from the country if they don't store data on its soil — a move that would allow Russian authorities to easily snoop on user data.
Verizon's enterprise business struggled, but the company says it's ramping up cloud efforts. Verizon had five weeks of the first quarter with full ownership of Verizon Wireless.
The industry is used to considering system, storage, and application lifecycles. Companies routinely cycle through new requirements, standing up something new to address the requirements, running for a time, and then retiring equipment or applications. Does it make sense to do the same with networks and networking equipment?
Salesforce plans a limited beta of Salesforce1 Service SOS, which takes Amazon's Mayday concept and makes it available to enterprises. Can companies get their operational act together to support it?
Apple briefly mentions "further improvements to Touch ID fingerprint recognition" in the iOS 7.1.1 release notes, and initial testing reveals significant improvements in the biometric technology.
World's third biggest smartphone maker is learning from Apple and Samsung but taking a different path.
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Huckletree, a UK and Ireland workspace innovation business is expanding its London presence with a new hub on Oxford Street themed around Web3 and the metaverse – the first of its kind in the UK. This milestone will mark Huckletree’s fifth opening in the capital and grow its footprint to 175,000 sq ft.
Jubilee House, comprising 22,000 sq ft, will be transformed into a new workspace concept, bringing together Web3, creatives and investors in one place. This announcement also comes at a record time for Huckletree as the company announces its intention to double its footprint across the UK whilst recording occupancy rates at an all-time high of 94 percent at group level.
Huckletree has a track record of building communities and will look to mimic the successes of its existing themed co-working spaces, such as its VC hub in Soho and Govtech hub in Westminster.
The expansive new office features spaces specifically designed and curated for businesses operating in the Web3 world, including an NFT Creator Gallery, VR/Gaming pods and decompression zones. The hub will also support new ways of flexible working with a range of spaces designed for different modes of work as well as breakout areas for collaboration, socialising and wellbeing, including a rooftop open terrace.
Huckletree, as part of its curated membership model, is targeting anchor tenants actively working in Web3 and the metaverse space. The remaining available workspace will be open to complementary sectors, with memberships set to open for enquiries in August.
As part of its commitment to the ecosystem, Huckletree has established an advisory council to oversee businesses moving into the space, with representatives across venture capital firms seeding European unicorns, Web3 entrepreneurs and the digital fashion space
The decision to locate the new hub on Oxford Street was influenced by the changing behaviours of office workers and subsequent demand for offices in central, convenient, and destination-like locations. According to CBRE, office take-up in the West End has reached 4.9m sq ft in the second quarter of this year, an increase of 149 per cent compared to the same period last year.
Reflecting these figures, Huckletree’s hub in Soho, which opened in 2019, has seen the strongest demand in the Huckletree group over the past 12 months with occupancy sitting steadily over 90 percent.
This demand is due to the area emerging as a key destination for businesses and investors thanks to its unrivalled lifestyle offering, including a buzzing alfresco dining and bar atmosphere as well as brilliant connectivity, thanks to the opening of the Elizabeth Line Crossrail.
Gabriela Hersham, Co-founder and CEO at Huckletree, said: “This latest opening for Huckletree not only marks a major milestone in our journey but also demonstrates our commitment to innovation and our ambition to back the most transformative emerging thinkers and players in the ecosystem. Web3 and the metaverse have the potential to transform every industry as we know it, and the community working behind the scenes, be they on the investment or business side, are in need of a space to call home that can also be a platform for funding, deal-flow, ideas, talent, and togetherness.
Oxford Street is an iconic address in London that has suffered financially and culturally. We want to help drive the re-imagination of the area, to create a vision where emerging hybrid communities meet heritage and tradition.”
Huckletree was advised by Situu.


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New reports from the American Libraries Association and Pew Internet and American Life Project reveal that despite the increasing number of e-books available to library patrons, libraries themselves face big challenges in weathering the transition.
Some findings from the reports:
More digital demand, less funding
Over 75 percent of libraries now offer e-books, up from 67.2 percent last year, the ALA reports. Thirty-nine percent also lend out e-readers. Libraries are also creating mobile versions of their websites (14 percent) and releasing smartphone apps (7 percent).
Pew reports that 12 percent of Americans ages 16 and older who read e-books have borrowed an e-book from a library in the past year.
At the same time, more than 40 percent of states have reported decreased public library funding for three years in a row.
Many patrons are still oblivious
Pew asked adults ages 16 and over whether they knew if they could borrow e-books from their library. Sixty-two percent weren’t sure. In addition, 48 percent of e-reader owners (Kindles and Nooks) didn’t know if their library lends e-books, and 47 percent of people who read an e-book in the past year didn’t know.
That could actually be a good thing since libraries are already struggling to keep up with the demand from patrons who do know about their e-books. “I am concerned that demand so far outstrips the availability in our community that I will create too many dissatisfied users with more publicity and no more funds or availability of titles,” one library director told Pew.
Librarians spend more time providing tech support
Pew says librarians are “anxious about the new set of demands on them to learn about the operations of new gadgets, to master every new web application, and to de-bug every glitch on a digital device.” A “notable portion” say they are “self-taught techies” in the absence of serious staff training.
One librarian told Pew, “We spend a significant part of our day explaining how to get library books onto e-book readers.” Another noted “Many of our older patrons received electronic devices as gifts over the past two years. This group of library users asks for lots of help with their devices, from plugging them in to turning them on to trying to make them interface with the e-book portion of the library website.”
Discoverability is a challenge here, too
Browsing libraries’ e-book offerings is difficult. Many libraries are now using digital distributor OverDrive as their e-book provider and it seems the platform’s browsing capabilities simply aren’t stacking up. “Many patrons” use a workaround like this one: “I will sometimes go to Amazon to find titles I might like, then search them in OverDrive, since Amazon’s interface is so much more reader friendly.”
One librarian called the process of checking out an e-book from a library and then downloading it onto a device “a cumbersome, nonsensical, multi-part process in which we lose too many people along the way.” Both patrons and librarians “longed for e-book titles to be integrated into the main library catalog in order to streamline the process.”
Publishers don’t make enough e-books available
Big-six publishers vary in their e-book library strategies, but most limit e-book borrowing in some way (more details here). One librarian noted, “Money is not the major obstacle for us; the major obstacle is the lack of publishers and titles in OverDrive. We are purchasing Nook devices and loading them with bestsellers to add to our OverDrive titles.”
Molly Raphael, president of the ALA, responded to the Pew report with the following statement: “Libraries cannot lend what they cannot obtain. ALA and others continue to call on publishers to make their e-books available to libraries at fair prices and terms.”
What can be done?
The Pew and ALA reports reflect excitement but also trepidation in the ways that the e-book revolution is playing out in libraries. Pew reports that 69 percent of Americans say the library is important to them and their family, but as libraries face major funding cuts, states, cities and patrons will face tough choices. If the majority of Americans think libraries are important, it seems to me that we’ll need to express our support not just through good wishes but through campaigning to public officials and fundraising for our local libraries. Right now the New York Public Library, already one of the largest and most well-funded in the country, faces $43 million in budget cuts. If those cuts aren’t reversed, the library’s fiscal year 2013 budget would be 44 percent lower than it was in 2008.
It also seems to me that there is a role for technology companies to play here. Companies like Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Apple should support local libraries not just because they’re good for communities but because they introduce patrons to new technologies and help them become paying customers. In fact, Pew finds that library card holders read more books in general, own more technology and are more likely to say they plan to purchase an e-reader or a tablet. In addition, most e-book readers prefer to buy their e-books rather than borrowing them (61 percent) and they use libraries as a place to discover new books. So as libraries face the challenge of providing tech support and helping patrons use their new e-readers, retailers could also play a bigger role by providing more instructions, information and tech support to library patrons. Perhaps they could even take the lead in running library workshops on how to use the new technologies.
Image courtesy of Flickr / melanzane1013


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WE thought we'd seen the back of see-through trousers, but Topshop isn't ready to give up on its bonkers trend just yet.
The high street retailer is selling yet another pair of transparent pants, this time with a pale pink "millennial" hue.
- MOTO Pink Transparent Cropped Jeans, £55 - buy now from Topshop
And they're not cheap.
The MOTO pink transparent cropped jeans are on sale for £55 - the same price as a similar see-through pair they sold last year.
Despite their "jeans" label, the high rise, wide leg trousers are 100 per cent polyurethane.
The cropped pants, which are hemmed just above the ankle, look almost like tailored pink cling-film.
MOST READ IN FABULOUS
Despite shoppers being left baffled by the transparent pair last year, Topshop still managed to sell out after saying they were “guaranteed to get people talking”.
So far customers have kept quiet on social media - perhaps because they're relatively new in stock, or quite possibly because since last year, we've seen it all.
It does seem as if see-through clothes with mesh panels and chiffon layering are taking over this spring.
So would you be brave enough to rock the look?


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While controversial, the buy now, pay later (BNPL) sector is booming. Currently, a handful of companies dominate the BNPL space. However, new and notable companies are entering the sector, especially in financial technology (fintech), attracted by the prospect of big profits. That has Investors looking into which BNPL fintech stock picks will net them the largest returns.
Some consumer groups and lawmakers criticize the BNPL industry’s business model of providing high-interest loans to consumers that they must repay in equal installments over a set period of time. The critics claim that BNPL traps consumers in a cycle of debt that can be difficult to break. Some buy now, pay later firms have been accused of predatory lending practices and politicians in Washington, D.C. continue to threaten regulatory action against the industry. Despite those issues, BNPL continues to be a popular payment option, particularly among consumers under age 35.
Here are the three most promising BNPL fintech growth stocks to watch in May 2023.
U.S. technology giant Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) has launched a new buy now, pay later service that allows consumers to split purchases into four equal payments spread over a six-week period. Called Apple Pay Later, the new service enables people to track and repay their loans using their digital Apple Wallet. Users can apply for loans from Apple for anywhere from $50 to $1,000 and use those loans for in-app and online purchases. Apple is touting that payments made through its new BNPL service have no interest and no fees.
Apple is also promoting that consumers can apply for a loan within the Apple Wallet app without it impacting their credit score. Additionally, merchants that accept Apple Pay do not need to make any changes to implement the new BNPL service. The move into buy now, pay later comes as Apple moves deeper into banking and online finance. Shortly after its BNPL service was announced, Apple came out with a new high-interest savings account that offers 4.15% interest on deposits. AAPL stock has increased 7% in the last 12 months.
Fintech giant PayPal (NASDAQ:PYPL) is all-in on BNPL, what they call Pay In 4. The company announced last summer that it is pushing further into buy now, pay later by offering installment loans on bigger purchases. Consumers can now make monthly installment payments on purchases of $199 to $10,000 for up to two years. However, as with most BNPL services, the interest charged by PayPal on these larger loans is not cheap and could be as high as 29.99%. Consumers also need credit approval to secure a bigger loan.
PayPal has been in the BNPL fintech space for going on three years now. It originally followed the path of other companies, offering consumers small loans that they could repay in four equal payments spread over six weeks. But now, the company is branching out with larger loans and repayment periods spread across longer time frames. While some analysts call the strategy risky, PayPal has benefited from BNPL, processing more than 100 million transactions worth more than $15 billion since 2020. PYPL stock is down 20% over the last 12 months.
Affirm Holdings (AFRM)
It’s had a rough ride, but there may now be signs that the stock of BNPL company Affirm Holdings (NASDAQ:AFRM) has bottomed. Year-to-date, AFRM stock is flat with its share price hovering just below $10 since the start of the year. Any movement higher at this point would be welcomed by shareholders following a 70% plunge in the share price over the past 12 months.
Holding AFRM stock back is the fact that the BNPL company behind it remains unprofitable. However, Affirm continues to grow at a fast rate, announcing in February that the number of consumers using its buy now, pay later service rose an incredible 150% year-over-year to 11.2 million people. Revenues generated in its most recent quarter were up 77% from a year ago at $361 million. While Affirm is still operating in the red and remains in start-up mode, its BNPL business shows signs of continued strength.
On the date of publication, Joel Baglole held a long position in AAPL. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines.


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Orsted commits to recycling solar panels
- Designer has partnered with a United States specialist to procedure and recycle its end-of-life modules
Orsted has actually promised to reuse or recycle all solar modules from its international portfolio of solar farms with prompt effect.
To assist this commitment Orsted has actually formed a partnership with Solarcycle, a technology-based PV recycling business, to process as well as recycle Orsted's end-of-life solar panels from its projects across the US, which is just one of the major solar markets for the designer.
Solar energy is a key innovation for the green power transition as well as for limiting worldwide warming.
Nevertheless, the implementation of this technology requires vast amounts of virgin products.
The mining of these has ecological and social influences, as well as competition to safeguard access to these products is on the rise.
To reduced dependence on virgin materials, a key option is to reuse or recycle end-of-life solar panels as well as bring the products back right into production.
Today, reusing and recycling photovoltaic panels is limited, and landfilling is still common practice.
This suggests that materials with a high value to the green power shift are simply let go to waste.
Ingrid Reumert, Senior Vice President, and also Head of Global Stakeholder Relations at Orsted, claimed: "With this international solar commitment, Orsted is leveraging its placement as a leader in sustainability and also renewable energy to incentivise the creation of a market for-- the recycling of solar panels-- as well as with the Solarcycle partnership, we're taking the initial concrete steps to ensure that essential products needed for green power will certainly be reused or recycled."
Solarcycle's recycling center in Texas removes the valuable products from panels, including metals like silver, copper, and also aluminium, as well as materials such as glass and silicon.
The company can take these materials and refine them to make the next generation of newer, higher-efficiency solar panels.
Orsted has actually been expanding its onshore portfolio in the past few years with the passion of getting to 17.5 GW of wind as well as solar PV capacity for its international onshore portfolio by 2030.


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Lost in all of the news that the AT&T merger with BellSouth is facing big obstacles is the announcement that the big phone company will launch a high-definition TV service with 27 channels That is more than most cable companies have.
The new service, offered in several cities, is AT&T’s first significant attempt to play catch-up to its rival Verizon, which already is well along with its fiber-to-the-home initiative, and the cable companies. AT&T says it can make the service available to 19 million homes by the end of 2008
There is some real question about whether consumers will switch to high-definition programming quickly, altought many of them are buying high-def TVs. This could compound the problem of AT&T using high-definition as a sucessful marketing tool.
Leaving other considerations aside, the lead that Verizon and the cable companies have, and new services like the global video download product being launched by the founders of Skype are going to make AT&T’s effort fruitless.
Douglas A. McIntyre can be reached at [email protected]. He does not own securities in companies that he writes about.
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Abe as fruitful, Kono said Japan is expecting a state visit by Xi next spring and is will
ing to work with China “in various fields and face
global challenges shoulder to shoulder”.上海千花网品茶微信 Zhou Yongsheng, a professor and deputy director of the Japanese Studies Center at Ch
ina Foreign Affairs University, said, “As Sino-Jap
anese relations have shown signs o 上海千花网f warming in recent years, both countries should cherish the momentum and build new relations featuring a shift fro
m competition to collaboration under the guidanc
e of the strategic dialogue mechanism. Promo ting Sino-Japanese ties will benefit the peace and prosperity of Asia and improve global governance.”上海千花网
Noriyoshi Ehara, chief economist of Japan’s Institute for Inte
Trade and Investment, said one perspective aris 上海千花网品茶微信es because there is “little understanding of China among Japanese people”.
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nese people. A majority of them know little about China,” Ehara said. “This will limit上海千花网
further development of bilateral ties. So it is crucial to boost people-to-people exchanges.”
IMF report shows a pattern of stability that undercuts US charge against China China’s stance that it did not manipulate its currency is based on solid ground, and the country’s f上海千花网品茶微信
irm resolve to refrain from competitive devaluation and to promote the coordination of int
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The latest report by the International Monetary Fund said that in 2018 the exchange rate of the Ch上海千花网
inese yuan had been broadly in line with sound economic fundamentals for the medium term and th
at Chinese monetary authorities had barely intervened in the foreign exchange market.上海千花网品茶微信
The report, released on Friday in Washington, was seen as supporting Ch
ina’s objection to being labeled “a currency manipulator” by the United State
s Treasury Department on Aug 5, according to officials and experts from home and abroad.
From market structure reforms to the introduction of t
his new listing venue — the progress demons
trates the growing ambition of the em上海千花网 erging technology companies and exciting opportunities for the investment community,” he wrote.
ue, independent investment banking analyst, said tha t the STAR Market will become a testing field for the registration-based initial
ring system, which will help to improve the basi上海千花网品茶微信c structure of China’s capital market. The regulatory commission said that the STAR Market should be a magnet for compani
es specializing in cutting-edge inf 上海千花网ormation technology, high-end equipment, new materials, new energy, energy saving and environmental p
rotection, and biomedicine, based on the industries of the first listed companies.
Huang Hongyuan, chairman of the Shanghai exchange, said the new board will bridg上海千花网品茶微信
e technology and capital, strongly advancing the country’s innovation-driven development.
上海千花网A new show by French photographer Bruno Barbey plots four decades of developme
nt in China, uniquely etched in time thanks to the deep hues of Kodachrome film, Lin Qi reports.
How surprising would it be to discover that a snapshot of a precious childhood memo上海千花网
ry had been preserved for nearly four decades by a stranger on the other side of the world?
上海千花网品茶微信A year ago, Li Zhao, a woman from Shanghai who is based in New Y
ork and Miami in the United States, spotted herself in a photo taken by French ph
otographer Bruno Barbey in 1980. The photo shows a class of young students diligently practicing the accordion at the Sha上海千花网
nghai Children’s Center, and Li instantly recognized the girl in the upper left corner as herself.
上海千花网品茶微信Barbey recalls how Li sent him the photo in an email, asking if she could have a print of it.
“I replied yes, on the condition that she would send me a recent photo of herself.”
So Li did just that, and emailed back a photo of herself attending a party in Palm Beach in 2016.
their cars have a 155-kilometer range deficit compared to the lower-tier 2020 versions at a price that’
s 30,000 yuan higher. Other buyers worry a
bout the depreciation risks in these rapid updates.上海千花网 However, He Xiaopeng, chairman of Xpeng, said in a microblog cite
上海千花网品茶微信d by Inte
rnational Financial News these demands are unfair to the company. When consumers compare the bare prices of the two types, He claimed, 2019 model buyers got lots of subsidies.上海千花网
der from Xpeng Motors told the newspaper the company started to promote a favorable poli 上海千花网cy by the end of May giving a total of 20,000 yuan to each consumer, and earlier buyers of 2019 G3 mode
ed by the government’s subsidy-cutting scheme have also been covered by the policy. 上海千花网品茶微信Therefore, the actual price paid by 2019 G3 buyers is comparatively lower than the 2020 G3 prices, the source added.
Xpeng Motors is not an exceptional case amid fast growth in the electric ve
hicle industry. In March, Tesla’s decision to adjust prices down also roused early bu上海千花网
yers’ anger, asking the company to subsidize the price difference or cooperate with them to return their cars.
But a lawyer interviewed by International Financial News said no legal ground exists to support these buyers’ requests.
上海千花网品茶微信Sun Shaojun, a motoring analyst, said Xpeng’s case represents a new
normal for the sector, as the electric vehicle industry sees exponentially faster development.
What makes Pablo Picasso such a quintessential 20th-century artist? It’s partly down to the visual ground he broke w上海千花网品茶微信
ith his Cubist painting, but some also has to do with the fact his interests extended far beyond painting.
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er written works are often overlooked in discussions of his long and varied career.
The artist did not begin to write until the age of 53. His literary endeavors上海千花网
resulted in hundreds of poems with a unique fusion of words and visual imagery.
Large crowds gathered in Trafalgar Square in central London on Tuesday to protest against US Presiden
t Donald T
rump’s state visit to the United Kingdom.上海千花网 Trump and his entourage arrived in the UK on Monday and spent the d
上海千花网品茶微信ay on ceremonial duties, before the political
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famous Trump Baby Blimp, created for his visit to the UK last year, was once again flying.
As China launches garbage sorting work among cities at the prefecture l
evel and above this year, some wonder whether an opportunity to invest is presenting itself.
A listed job to inspect garbage sorting could have a salary of 400 yuan ($58.24) per day, and t上海千花网
here were 53 new registered garbage sorting companies by the last week of June according to news website 21jingji.com.
上海千花网品茶微信The sanitation market will be 200 billion yuan in the future, the website said, citing an industry insider.
As more cities carry out garbage sorting, demand for waste sorting store, collecti
on, transportation equipment and services will increase. Moreover, positions like waste sor
ter, inspector, project manager and sanitation engineer are currently common on recruitment websites.上海千花网
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ion of the sanitation industry is less than 30 percent, the website asserted, citing Zhang Xiaowen,上海千花网品茶微信
deputy managing director of investment management department under Everbright Financial Holding Asset Management.
The market value of the US’ three listed garbage sorting companies — Waste Management,
Republic Service, and Waste Connections — surpasses $92 billion. Among these Waste Management is top, with a market value of $48.7 billion.
Chinese and Western elements and values can find common ground. A good example being the part in the trailer where the matchmaker describes the qu
alities that make for a good wife, namely a woma
n being “quiet, composed, graceful, disciplined”. This is said with M上海千花网品茶微信 ulan appearing in two images. One has her dressing as a woman, the other with her practicing sword. Obviously Disney de
上海千花网scribed Mulan as a warrior, an independ
ent female who can save herself instead of waiting for someone to save her. That’s a good point where Chinese and Western values are similar because gender equality and female independence are上海千花网
d in both cultures. It will strike a chord with both Chinese and Western audiences. 上海千花网品茶微信But whatever styles her clothes and makeup follow, Mulan is a Chinese legendary heroine and she embodies the virtues of Chinese wo
ney’s Mulan should also prompt the Chinese movie industry to make better use of Chinese stories. Chinese scriptwriters an d directors can well tell stories about Chinese ancient heroes to the world, instead of waiting for Disney or H上海千花网
ollywood to tell them. Good stories move audiences of the whole world because their hearts are interconnected.
上海千花网品茶微信The top 500 Chinese companies saw their revenue reach 45.5 trillion yuan, an increase of 14.8 perce
nt year-on-year, accounting for more than a half of China’s GDP that broke through 90 tr
illion yuan last year, according to Fortune magazine’s Chinese edition on Wednesday.
The net profits of the 500 companies reached 3.635 trillion yuan, up 4.21 percent from a year earlier, and the threshold to list in China’s Fortune 500 r上海千花网品茶微信
anking rose to 16.23 billion yuan revenue, up by 17 percent year-on-year, said the magazine.
The top three companies are China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec), Petrochina Company Limited and China上海千花网
State Construction Engineering Corporation Limited, with 2.89 trillion yuan, 2.35 trillion yuan and 1.3 tr
illion yuan in revenue, respectively, and 63.09 billion yuan, 52.59 billion yuan and 38.24 billion yuan in profits, respectively.
上海千花网品茶微信The top 10 most profitable companies are China’s “Big Four” banks – Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, China Construction Bank, Agricultural Bank of Ch
ina and the Bank of China – and China Mobile Limited, Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China Ltd, China Me
rchants Bank Co Ltd, Tencent Holdings Ltd, Bank of Communications Co, Ltd and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, a上海千花网品茶微信
nd their total profits reached 1.46 trillion yuan, accounting for 40.3 percent of the 500 companies’ profits.
e prototype of how business should be run. Car company executives were seen as the most capable manage
上海千花网品茶微信rs. In 1953, president Eisenhower chose Charles Wilson, known as “engine Charlie,
” to be his Secretary of Defense. Then, in 1961, president Kennedy chose Ford president Robert McNamara for the same position. (Of course, McNamara’s incredible mismanagement of the war in Vietnam reduced any confidence that car company executives were especially competent.)
By the late 1960s, the “big three “car companies in the US – General Motors, Ford, an
d Chrysler – formed a virtual oligopoly and turned lazy. 上海千花网 I remember American cars my father bought in these years often overheating and breaking down by the side of the road. Dad would have to stay by the car with my m
other and sisters while I walked a long way to find a service station and arrange a tow. (This was long before mobile phones.) 上海千花网品茶微信
erican consumers were ready for more competitive Japanese-made cars, which had consistently high er quality, to enter the market. My father switched to Japanese cars in the 1970s, and never bought another American-made car. 上海千花网
American car companies saw their profits fa
ll and were not able to pay their workers t he very high wages made possible by a closed, non-competitive market. The US government responded by
上海千花网品茶微信imposing quotas on the import of Japanese cars and by pushing Japan to rapidly raise the value of the yen.
Obviously, there was a conflict. American consumers benefitted from the cheaper, better cars while workers at the big three saw their jobs become less secure and the
ir wages fall. Fortunately, the protection was only partial and temporary, so the competition eventually forced US carmakers to improve.
Competition is at the heart of the current disputes over globalization and technology. On net, the spread of econo 上海千花网品茶微信
mic opportunities around the world has been a great boon. Many products are more widely and cheaply available than ever before.
Many countries, including China and India, have greatly reduced poverty and given opportunities to their people that would have been undreamed of by earlier ge 上海千花网
nerations. American and Western European companies and consumers have greatly benefitted.
But nobody really likes competition against themselves. Most people like some degree of stability and protection. A worker w
ho has put in 20 or 30 years in an industry will definitely feel that it is unfair to have to move to a much lower-pa
ying service job. A company facing new competitors will try to convince its home government to stop the competition.
Americans saw many benefits from the second globalization period. As Japanese and, later Chinese, manufacturers began to export t
o the US, many consumer goods became a lot cheaper in US stores. Many American companies made good profits by exporting t
o the newly open markets or by outsourcing manufacturing to cheaper and/or better factories outside the US.


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As the nation inches toward the economic "fiscal cliff," anxiety is growing in farm country about a separate looming deadline, one that reaches into the dairy industry and, indirectly, into the household budgets of consumers who buy milk and cheese.
DES MOINES, Iowa -- The new year could bring new worries for American consumers: Milk prices could double or triple.
Without a new Farm Bill by Tuesday, milk prices by law would revert to rules set in 1949, which could send milk prices soaring. Those pricing laws, complete with inflation adjusters, have the potential to send prices as high as $8 a gallon from the present $3.50 a gallon national average by as soon as February.
But milk producers and processors believe action will be taken to avert the price spike. ...


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Take on New York this week in The Division, thanks to several expansions for the biggest new IP to launch this generation going on sale this week, among other great deals on Xbox One and Xbox 360.
Huawei is likely aiming to penetrate the low-end segment of the smartphone market with a new device rumored to be in the works, featuring Android 8.1 (Oreo) and the MediaTek MT6739 SoC.
AMD's new Radeon 18.3.3 driver is aimed at adding support for two new games, Rare's Sea of Thieves and Hazelight Studios' A Way Out. Support for the new Vulkan 1.1 specification is also here.
Apple is two years ahead with its 3D face sensing technology, Face ID, according to suppliers of the required hardware. According to the suppliers, Android devices won't catch up until 2019.
Google has announced that users of the Las Vegas Monorail can now save their mobile tickets to Google Pay in order to board the vehicle more quickly. Once saved, just scan your phone on the reader.
A 49-year-old woman was killed on Sunday night after being hit by an Uber self-driving car in Tempe, Arizona. The company has since halted its self-driving car operations in a number of cities.
A report today states that Apple is developing a microLED display technology at its secret facility in California. The tech, if and when successful, is expected to first be used on an Apple Watch.
Mozilla's Firefox web browser is now available for Linux users as a snap package. It gets updates when they're ready, and it also allows users to switch between development channels more easily.
Get a complete grounding in the exciting visual world of Canvas and HTML5 using this recipe-packed cookbook. It can be yours for free for a limited time, claim it before the offer expires.
Microsoft released a new cumulative update for Windows phones that are still on the Windows 10 Mobile Creators Update, or version 1703. It fixes an issue that broke PDF rendering in Edge.
Over the weekend, Microsoft released a series of firmware updates for its newest Surface Pro devices. The updates contain additional mitigations for the Spectre and Meltdown vulnerabilities.
In a Windows Insider blog post today, Microsoft noted that beginning with the next feature update to Windows 10, the offline time for installing an update will be down to 30 minutes.
Pay what you want for part of, or the average price for the entire bundle and master the essential ethical hacking tools and tricks (68+ hours!) to launch your Ethical Hacking career this year.
Announced at CES this year, the Vive Pro will begin shipping in April. The original Vive's price has dropped a hundred bucks to $499 and will remain available to purchase for the foreseeable future.
Today, Microsoft announced new accessibility features that will be coming to Windows 10 over the course of the next year, some of which are already available in Insider Preview builds.
With today's highlighted deal, save a bundle off a lifetime subscription to VPN Unlimited. Safety first--protect your online activity on five devices and browse without restriction for life.
The EU will be investigating allegations against Cambridge Analytica regarding its misuse of Facebook users' private data. The analytics firm is known for having assisted the Trump campaign.
Reverse engineering and analysis service, TechInsights, broke down the estimated cost of building Samsung's newest Galaxy S9+ flagship and discovered it is the most expensive yet, to build.
According to a new report, Ubisoft initiated the development of another Assassin's Creed game in early 2017, aiming to take the series to ancient Greece. The release may be set for late 2019.
Wladimir Palant, the developer behind AdBlock Plus, has taken Mozilla to task over the way Firefox hashes master passwords to generate the encryption key used to protect stored passwords.
SoundByte is a great-looking app for streaming audio from services like SoundCloud and YouTube among others. Here's a quick review of it, along with an interview with its developer, Dominic Maas.
Oculus Rift users haven't had the best start to the year, first off Nvidia released a driver that caused a 'blackscreen' bug and then it got soft-bricked due to an expired certificate in the software.
Yet another week's gone by, and as usual, Microsoft's been busy. From golden gaming bananas, to previews, updates, and everything else, be sure to catch up with our handy guide below.
A job application form filled in by the former Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, back in 1973 has managed to receive $174,757 at an auction. The very basic document was won by a British Internet entrepreneur.
The spring update is the first big Windows 10 update for the OS in 2018. In this update, Microsoft's focus is on Timeline, its Edge browser, and the Fluent Design system, among other things.
The latest iteration of Microsoft's Surface Book includes an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 GPU, a USB Type-C port, eighth-gen processors, and more. Here's our review of the 13.5-inch Surface Book 2.
HP's 34-inch EliteOne 1000 all-in-one has a 1440p widescreen curved display, lots of business features like PhoneWise and Sure Start, and more. Here's our review of the Windows 10 PC.
This weekend's PC game deals doesn't include any new bundles, but it does have a massive spring sale from Fanatical as well as a St. Patrick's Day Sale from the DRM-free GOG store.
Facebook has announced that it has suspended Cambridge Analytica and its parent company, SCL, while it investigates policy violations. The subsidiary helped Donald Trump clinch the US presidency.
Evidence has surfaced that Amazon understands that Alexa may talk too much, which can be inefficient and annoying for some. The online retail giant now appears to be addressing this verbosity.
An unnamed employee who worked for Facebook has shed light on the anti-leaks culture at the company. The firm managed to compile comprehensive and quite creepy evidence against the employee.
When you are ready to move on from Twitter, whether it's deleting your account or simpling abandoning it, you might want to archive that information. This is a small tutorial to help you with that.
In a new Skip Ahead build that was released earlier today, Microsoft noted that it will begin testing a feature that will force Windows 10 Mail users to open links in the company's Edge browser.
Microsoft announced today that a free digital copy of Rare's Sea of Thieves will arrive with Xbox One X purchases during the game's launch week, starting March 18 through March 24.
After Slow ring builds were scarce for months, Microsoft has released the second one in a week. The only known issues in Windows 10 Insider Preview build 17120 have to do with Windows Mixed Reality.
Along with quite a few new features, the third Windows 10 Redstone 5 build in the Skip Ahead subset of the Fast ring, build 17623, contains a long list of fixes, improvements, and known issues.
Microsoft today released Windows 10 for PCs Insider Preview build 17623 to Skip Ahead Insiders. It's the third build from the Redstone 5 branch, the next feature update for Windows 10.
Microsoft included a new feature in Windows 10 for PCs Insider Preview build 17123. But with the RTM build imminent, the company is focusing on fixes and improvements, and there's a known issue.
Microsoft today released another Windows 10 for PCs Insider Preview build to the Fast ring. There isn't much in the way of new features, but it does include support for HEIF photos.
As we head into the weekend, here is a list of deals to be had with massive savings. There's hundreds off a RoboVac if you are feeling up to a bit of Spring cleaning, and savings on other tech items.


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News & Analysis
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German sportswear manufacturer Puma SE has obtained the withdrawal from the market and destruction of sports shoes sold in a major Uruguayan footwear retail chain.
09 November 2021
adidas has obtained the removal of a website used to carry out a phishing attack involving the ADIDAS trademark. Users were misled into believing that they would receive a free branded mask once that they had completed a survey.
13 May 2021
For our next instalment presenting recent Legal Updates that you may have missed we turn our attention to the Americas.
30 April 2021
This complex case, which was resolved under Uruguay’s new Code of Criminal Procedure, highlights the new types of trademark infringement that have emerged in recent years.
12 February 2021
This case shows that, in the absence of trademark registration, alternative measures can be taken against counterfeits: here, copyright law was applied to protect the IP rights of MGA Entertainment in Uruguay.
23 October 2020
Sporloisirs SA, the owner of the LACOSTE marks and crocodile logo, has successfully appealed against a first-instance decision dismissing its opposition against the registration of a mark containing a crocodile design in Class 25.
17 July 2020
In 2018 the National Customs Office seized an in-transit container of counterfeit rolling bearings in Uruguay. This case, which is still ongoing, is significant due to the type of product involved.
26 March 2020
Although Asia is often seen as the centre of global counterfeiting activity, sales of fake goods are rising across Latin America. We present 20 markets in the region that are particularly problematic for brand owners.
02 January 2020
The successor of an Argentinean company that manufactured glassware under the marks DURAX and DURAX TODA LA VIDA has obtained the cancellation of the Uruguayan mark DURAX for identical goods.
22 October 2019
The European Union and the Mercosur bloc of countries have agreed a comprehensive trade agreement that includes significant IP provisions that rights holders should be aware of.
18 July 2019
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Gracie Hunt brought vibrant style to Earth Day this yar.
While on vacation to commemorate the sustainable holiday, Hunt wore a blue bikini — as seen on swimwear brand Venus’ Instagram. While posing near trees by the beach, the daughter of Kansas City Chief’s co-owner Clark Hunt wore bright blue swimwear. Her attire featured Venus’ $29 triangle bikini top and $29 tie-side bottoms, each cinched with thin string side ties.
However, this wasn’t Hunt’s only Earth Day swimwear moment. In a post the model shared to her own Instagram page, she swam in the ocean while surrounded by sharks. On this occasion, Hunt wore a white bikini top and briefs, each covered in a swirling dark and light blue striped print.
“This Earth Day, remember that the greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it. Let’s all do our part,” Hunt captioned her post.
Earth Day — a national environmentalist movement that began in 1970 — is celebrated on April 22, marking the achievements and the importance of sustainability. Since then, the day itself has grown to encompass all of April as Earth Month. The occasion is often marked by a range of brands’ and companies’ sustainability products, projects and new environmentally-friendly products, introduced this season from labels including Ugg, Koio, Balmain, Keen and more.
Hunt’s shoe style is often trendy and bold — with no shortage of sky-high heels. The former Miss Kansas often wears platform-soled sandals and pointed-toe pumps in a range of heights, colors and finishes on the red carpet, hailing from brands including Tom Ford and Valentino. Off-duty, she also wears colorful Moon Boots boots and Ugg slippers.
PHOTOS: Discover how high heels have transformed over time in the gallery.


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California-based sneaker manufacturer, Psudo, is redefining sustainable footwear production by balancing environmental goals with a domestic manufacturing model. Founded in 2020 by Michael Rich and his wife Kortney, Psudo focuses on minimizing waste while maintaining its Made in America status.
Following a successful $3 million seed funding round, the company has established a 5,000-sq.-ft factory in Vernon, California, employing 15 people and producing nearly 10,000 pairs of sneakers monthly.
Psudo’s shoes are made from yarn derived from recycled water bottles, with each pair consisting of 75% recycled materials and 7.2 plastic bottles. The innovative 3D printed upper design reduces waste, as it eliminates the need to connect multiple fabrics.
Psudo sneakers are made from just three parts: a breathable, moisture-absorbing REPREVE upper, an anti-microbial insole, and a shock-absorbent outsole, as you can see in the image below. The laces are a singular part of the upper.
Producing in the US offers both sustainability and logistical advantages. By avoiding overseas shipping, Psudo can reduce packaging waste and carbon emissions. Shorter lead times and direct factory access enable better control over production and quicker response to market demand. Although domestic manufacturing comes with higher costs, the benefits of waste reduction and efficient production offset the expenses, according to the company.
Psudo initially launched as a direct-to-consumer brand but is now transitioning to wholesale, partnering with retailers like DSW, Nordstrom, and REI. The company is experiencing triple-digit growth this year, attributed to the opening of its California factory.
The company is currently collaborating with startup Blumaka, to develop a new sneaker composed of nearly 90% recycled content, set to launch in July.
To learn more about the company, or take a look at their wares, head on over to their website.
Come and let us know your thoughts on our Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn pages, and don’t forget to sign up for our weekly additive manufacturing newsletter to get all the latest stories delivered right to your inbox.


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It's a short reprieve, but this is good news for travelers. For the next couple of months, they can buy the cheapest tickets on American and United and still get all the perks that the airlines offer to customers who buy pricier tickets.
By now, all three major U.S. airlines were supposed to be selling new discount fares that allowed them to more forcefully compete with domestic airlines known for bare-bones service — Frontier Airlines, Allegiant Air, and Spirit Airlines.
But major airlines are complex entities, and sometimes they cannot implement new strategies as quickly as they wish. So while Delta Air Lines has been aggressive in rolling out its new super cheap fares, even selling them in some international markets, United Airlines and American Airlines have fallen slightly behind. Both carriers have said in the past week that they do not expect to meet their goal of implementation by year-end.
American said Thursday on its third quarter earnings call that it should have the new no-frills fares in place early next year. United, which had once planned to implement the fares in October, has not said when it will introduce them.
This is good news for travelers. The new fares will be cheap, but they will not include many amenities most passengers expect. If American’s and United’s new fares are anything like Delta’s, passengers probably will not be able to choose seats in advance, nor change their flights, even for a fee. Elite frequent flyers likely will not be able to upgrade for free into extra legroom seats or first class.
With the new fares, legacy airlines want to match discounters on price, without giving travelers who buy deeply-discounted fares too many perks. Spirit, Allegiant and Frontier, all charge for just about everything. But their base fares can be outrageously low: Frontier this week was selling $1 one-way fares (about $20 with taxes) from Los Angeles to Chicago.
Delta’s new fares are so restrictive that airline executives said on Oct. 13 that many corporations prohibit employees from buying them. Delta also has a pop-up message on its website warning customers considering Basic Economy fares about all the perks they will not receive.
Delta has said the new bare-bones fares have been successful at helping it segment its product, and American CEO Doug Parker said Thursday his carrier is hoping for similar success, though American on Thursday declined to estimate how much revenue the new fares would produce.
American Delays Plans Slightly
American had long planned to introduce the new fares in the “second half” of 2016, but executives said this week they’ve decided to delay implementation slightly.
New American President Robert Isom said the fares are ready, but the carrier did not want to implement them during the busy holiday period.
“We are on track,” he said. “We are prepared to launch at the end of this year, but right now our game plan is going to be to hold off on that and start the roll out in January. We want to avoid the holidays and disruption to our folks.”
The architect of American’s strategy to thwart ultra low cost carriers, former President Scott Kirby, left in August for United. But American executives said Thursday their strategy remains the same — American does not want to permit Spirit, Frontier or Allegiant to undercut it, especially in its hubs.
“We have to compete aggressively on price against carriers like that,” Parker said Thursday.
United Unsure of Rollout
By now, United had told employees, the new no-frills fares were to be available. United had even given them a name — “Budget Economy” — and started training employees on what they would include.
But in the past two months, Kirby and Chief Commericial Officer Julia Haywood have both joined United’s senior leadership team, and they said on United’s Oct. 18 earnings call that they wanted to further analyze United’s plans before putting the fares into the market. They said they would offer more information on Nov. 15 at United’s investor day.
“With Scott and I coming in, we wanted to take another look at everything that we’re offering within that product segment and make sure that is exactly the way we wanted to be and that we also roll it out really well to the front line,” Haywood said.
While at American, Kirby said the no-frills fares were vital because 87 percent of American’s customers flew the airline only once per year. That group accounted for 50 percent of all of American’s revenues, and Kirby said he did not want to lose the business to discounters.
At United, Kirby said, 85 percent of customers fly the airline once per year and account for “close to half” of all revenues.
Kirby said the new fares are just as vital for United as American.
“It will allow us to offer low fares to people that care only about getting the lowest price and then allow us to offer a better product to customers who care about other aspects of the product,” Kirby said on Oct. 18.
Photo credit: For now, everyone who buys an American Airlines coach seat has access to the same perks. American is changing that, but it is not implementing its new bare-bones fares as quickly as expected. 177490


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Business centre celebrates birthday
7:00am Saturday 23rd February 2013 in Local news
A BUSINESS centre is celebrating its tenth anniversary of helping providing companies with office space in Brentwood.
The Regus Centre opened in Warley Hill Business Park to help provide businesses with office area to operate from along with giving administration support.
Since then the building has seen hundreds of firms use the facilities, with bosses from the company saying they are as busy as ever while at the time having to change the way they work.
Steve Purdy, the UK managing director, said: “New business enquiry rates are at an all-time high.”
Comments are closed on this article.


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Big Lots Inc. said Friday that its profit more than doubled in the fiscal third quarter, helped by the sale of a store, lower expenses and reduced inventory.
The discount retailer also boosted its full-year earnings forecast, citing its quarterly performance and raised expectations for the fourth quarter.
Big Lots earned $30.3 million, or 37 cents per share, compared with $12.2 million, or 15 cents per share, a year earlier.
Taking out 10 cents per share related to the sale of a California store, third-quarter profit was 27 cents per share.
Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters predicted 18 cents per share, on average. Analysts' estimates typically exclude one-time items.
Sales for the three months ended Oct. 31 rose 2 percent to $1.04 billion from $1.02 billion, surpassing Wall Street's sales estimate of $1.02 billion.
Sales at stores open at least two years dipped 0.2 percent in the quarter.
This figure is a key indicator of retailer performance since it measures growth at existing stores rather than newly opened ones.
Big Lots has tried to combat the pullback in consumer spending during the recession through cost control efforts and tight inventory management. The company trimmed inventory to $918 million from $958 million in the quarter and lowered its selling and administrative expenses to $365.2 million from $366.5 million.
Big Lots raised its full-year earnings from continuing operations guidance to a range of $2.15 to $2.20 per share from a previous range of $1.92 to $2.02 per share. It also lifted its fourth-quarter outlook to a range of $1.09 to $1.14 per share. The company's prior forecast was for a quarterly profit of 99 cents to $1.04 per share.
Analysts expect full-year earnings of $2.01 per share and a fourth-quarter profit of $1.04 per share.
Big Lots runs 1,368 stores in 47 states.


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The National Retail Federation's ninth annual Organized Retail Crime Survey states that while shoplifting has dropped slightly in the U.S. over the past year, it's still a big problem.
Find out which items are targeted most by shoplifters. Some may surprise you.
Disney Parks Blog is hosting "Disney Side Dog's Day" at Magic Kingdom Park on Aug. 30, which will allow select guests to dress up their four-legged family member and bring them to the park.