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On Jan. 29, plaintiff Jill Clark’s putative class action on behalf of New Jersey Galaxy S7 buyers against defendant Samsung Electronics America, Inc. (Samsung) was dismissed for want of subject matter jurisdiction. The court granted the defendant’s motion to dismiss finding that the plaintiff failed to meet each of the three elements necessary for Class Action Fairness Act (CAFA) jurisdiction. The court also upheld a stipulation the parties entered into prohibiting the plaintiff from making additional amendments, and, in turn, denied leave to amend.
According to the opinion, Samsung began selling its popular Galaxy S7 series of cell phones in 2016. It marketed them as resistant to water damage in up to 5 feet of water for up to 30 minutes. Its national advertising campaign reportedly featured users pouring champagne onto a Galaxy S7, dunking it in, or spraying it with water, and using it while engaged in water-based sports.
Upon seeing these advertisements, the plaintiff was reportedly enticed to purchase one, and did in December 2017. However, when the plaintiff exposed the phone to water, it would malfunction, sometimes causing her to have to restart the phone entirely. When the plaintiff contacted Samsung about these issues, the defendant allegedly did nothing.
The consumer contends that Samsung knew about the phones’ defective water-resistant design by advertised it to the contrary anyway. Her complaint brought state law fraud, breach of warranty, and unjust enrichment claims.
As the court noted, “[t]his case has a long and complicated procedural history” between federal courts in New Jersey and California. Samsung’s motion to dismiss, decided this week, requested dismissal of the plaintiffs’ second amended complaint on behalf of a putative class of New Jersey cell phone buyers severed from the California action.
The court first discussed CAFA’s jurisdictional mandates. The opinion explained that though the plaintiff had satisfied the numerosity rule, she failed to satisfy the minimal diversity and the amount in controversy requirements. As for the contested amount, the court concluded that the second amended complaint alone did not permit it to estimate the value of the claims of putative class members because the filing failed to supply the underlying data, like how much consumers paid for the phones.
The court further held that under the parties’ stipulation, the plaintiff was not entitled to try again. The court reasoned that “[a]llowing yet another amendment of the Complaint at this stage of the litigation would be essentially punishing Defendant for consenting to the filing of the [second amended complaint] in the first place.” It added that undermining an enforceable stipulation would be detrimental to the parties’ confidence in the judicial system and the efficient use of judicial resources.


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BOUX Avenue, the boutique lingerie brand owned by investor and entrepreneur Theo Paphitis, is further expanding into Yorkshire with the opening of a store in Leeds, its 18th in the UK.
The store, measuring 3,650 sq ft, is due to open in the White Rose Shopping Centre on April 23, creating nearly 25 new jobs. Mr Paphitis, formerly of television’s Dragons’ Den, told the Yorkshire Post that a second store in Leeds is also on the agenda, with the city centre in mind as a possible location. He said: “Leeds has always been in our top ten store openings except it’s number 18 because it’s about getting the right site and, even in what we call difficult retail times, the right retail sites are much sought after at the right rents, and that’s why it’s taken us so long to get to Leeds – better late than never.”
Boux Avenue was not able to find “the right site at the right rent” in Leeds’ newly opened Trinity Leeds shopping centre, said Mr Paphitis.
He described Leeds as “a fantastic city”, adding: “Apart from it being one of the major cities in the UK, it’s got some of the best demographics of the UK and that’s exactly where our brand sits.”
Boux Avenue, which already has stores in Hull and Sheffield, recorded an £8m loss in its first year of operation, the year ending March 2012, with sales of £6.9m. Mr Paphitis said the business is on track to turn over a profit in 2015.
Boux Avenue, which makes lingerie, swimwear, nightwear and accessories for women, also has stores internationally.
Mr Paphitis said that the UK’s retail sector is not going to improve in the short term and businesses must be “forward thinking”.
He said that retailers need to give under-pressure consumers a reason to shop with them, adding that running a retail business “with a rear view mirror of experience or reputation” no longer works.
The landscape of “the way we do business, the way that we interact” is changing incredibly fast.
Mr Paphitis said customers of Boux Avenue can buy its products in “fantastic, opulent surroundings”. “It’s about you. It’s about no longer having to buy your lingerie with the cooked chicken, the coleslaw, and put into a plastic bag.”
Harlan Pollitt, portfolio manager for Land Securities, which owns and manages White Rose, said: “Boux Avenue is a perfect fit for us and will complement our strong fashion offer, which has recently seen the arrival of SuperDry and Office and the quadrupling in size of New Look.”

domain: news


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LPG subsidy cut off to 7 lakh consumers
More than 7 lakh customers with above 10 lakh rupees annual income have so far been identified, and stopped from availing of cooking gas subsidy under the government programme, to end state support to high-income consumers.
Home delivery of LPG cylinders to start for most rural consumers soon
The order, however, will not impact regular dealers, who were not appoi...
Centre aims to raise LPG consumer base to 70% in Bihar: Dharmendra Pradhan
The scheme to provide LPG connections to BPL families has been pos...
2016 to be a year of LPG consumers: Dharmendra Pradhan
Oil marketing cos need more distributors to reach new customers and serve existing customers better in the country where LPG consumption has risen by 7% this fiscal year.
Private LPG bottlers may shine as govt plans to add 10 crore consumers
The state oil firms currently have 188 LPG bottling plants with a bottling capacity of around 15.2 million metric tonne per annum.
Ending support to high-income customers: LPG subsidy cut off to 7 lakh consumers
By directly transferring subsidy to cooking gas consumers’ account, the state oil companies have been able to weed out about 3.25 crore duplicate or inactive consumers.
Green Push: Rural consumers set to get LPG cylinders at doorstep
Rural households may get cooking gas cylinders delivered at their doorsteps soon as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s push to take cleaner fuels to more homes.
'PAHAL' facility for LPG consumers begin in Maharashtra
The ambitious plan, was launched by the previous UPA government in June 2013 but was abruptly stopped earlier last year following court orders.
No LPG subsidy for consumers with taxable income of more than Rs 10 lakh from January 1
At present, all households are entitled to get 12 cylinders of 14.2-kg each at subsidised rate of Rs 419.26, while the market price is Rs 608.
Reliance forays into LPG retailing
Currently, public sector retailers Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum control retail LPG market, selling cooking gas in 5-kg, 14.2-kg and 19-kg cylinders.
LPG gains, higher petchem capacity to power GAIL
The management expects that the use of petrochemical capacity will reach 80% and 90% in FY18 and FY19, respectively, from the current 72%.
Government targets 1 crore consumers to give up LPG subsidy
Modi in his address said that as many as 2.8 lakh people have surrendered LPG subsidy which has led to savings of Rs 100 crore.
Rs 5 discount on online payment of LPG cylinder
To provide cash-less transactions, the government had asked oil companies to pay consumers 0.75 per cent discount on cashless fuelling of petrol and diesel at petrol pumps.
30,000 to 40,000 LPG consumers surrender subsidy daily under 'Give It Up': Oil ministry
The number of households surrendering subsidy has already topped 20 lakh mentioned in PM Modi's Independence Day speech.
Over 1 crore LPG consumers yet to complete formality for subsidy
On joining the scheme, a consumer will have to pay for the LPG bottles at market prices, but will get the government subsidy -- Rs 568 per cylinder.


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The Ionity electric vehicle (EV) charge point infrastructure joint venture has welcomed Korean car brands Hyundai and Kia as its latest shareholders.
Shelbourne Motors has launched a recruitment drive for its new £5 million Kia and Renault multi-franchise car dealership facility at Newry with the aim of filling 60 vacancies.
Former UK boss of Ssangyong Motor UK boss Paul Williams has died suddenly following a short illness.
Automotive Management Live: Where franchised and independent dealers will find everything they need to know about operating a modern showroom and service and repair facility fit for the digital age.
When: November 12 2020
Where: Birmingham NEC
Find out what features are in this month's, and future, issues


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solar system owners placing their homes on sale are now having an edge over other listed properties.
Lithium-ion battery technology remains the leading energy storage battery technology for new projects initiated globally within the third quarter of 2016, with the exemption of pumped hydro storage.
Sonnen, a battery system made in Germany has grown in popularity across the nation’s home storage battery industry and is now considered the number one choice for most solar system owners.
The textured roofing tiles will be made of solar cells, thereby providing a more viable and an aesthetically pleasing solar power option to customers who might have been discouraged by the idea of placing big...
The minister said this funding was a crucial and timely investment in ensuring a “smart Australia”; promoting innovation and results that would benefit every Australian.
The City Council of Adelaide is powering ahead with plans to turn its CBD into a carbon neutral area by 2025; integrating a set of remarkable initiatives and incentives to encourage South Australians to invest...
New advanced Powerwall battery system to Australian homeowners with the impression that it could offer a possible cost saving of up to $1,500 per annum in electricity bills.


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On the topic of crashing waves, within the federal government is a group of IT people known as XML.gov, which may release a specification for exchanging objects between agencies, my spy says. Naturally, if this comes to pass, everybody who does business with the government would have to comply and the world would have a new XML standard, regardless of what organisations such as the WS-I think. My spy says that XML.gov's charter expires at the end of September. If they're going to do something it would be prior to that. Renewal of the charter isn't guaranteed but it is likely, according to my spy.
Rushing the upgrade
Microsoft is forcing many XP users to upgrade to FrontPage 2002, a spy reports. This spy's development shop had used FrontPage 2000 happily, until they bought new systems with Windows XP, that is. And they did so after checking that Microsoft Office 2000, which includes FrontPage 2000, was supported on XP.
But while trying to use FrontPage 2000 on XP, my spy ran into a nasty bug, which brought work on its website to a halt. Microsoft confirmed the bug but refused to issue a fix. Microsoft did take the opportunity, however, to turn the tech support call into a sales call. While they would not do a thing to help my spy, Microsoft recommended my spy buy the upgrade to FrontPage 2002. Go figure.
McAfee won't let go
A spy says McAfee.com won't stop spamming him. Over a year ago, my spy's company purchased McAfee software and although the account is no longer active and my spy wrote to McAfee repeatedly, McAfee apparently won't remove him from its mailing list.
OnDemand, which makes set-top boxes used in hotel rooms, next year plans to start deploying set-top boxes with built-in 802.11 connections.
I bet Amber wishes we had wireless connections here in our hotel. "I just thought you would be more fun on this trip," she said.
Send tips to email@example.com.


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Whastapp rolls out new feature to change font
WhatsApp, now, lets you chat in a different font on its Android app. It allows users to type in the new font by putting the text in between particular symbols.
While this may be something you are able to turn on and off with the flick of a switch in the settings, for now, it is a novel feature that you’ll use every now and then. The company has silently rolled out a new feature on the WhatsApp’s Android app which allows user to type in a new font. The font is similar to Fixedsys in Windows. However, so far there is only option.
Also, while the new font is a welcome move from WhatsApp, using it is difficult and can be even be tiresome. This is because users will have to put backquote symbol (`) three times before and after the text they want to change the font of.
The new font can be tried on WhatsApp v2.16.179 beta on Android, which is available only to those who have signed up for Google Play’s beta program. FoneArena claims that the beta is available on the Apple platform as well.
The company has been continiously rolling out updates to its chat platform. It recently rolled out some new features to beta like ‘mentions’ and ‘group invite links’ that are still to reach stable versions.


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Shaved snow is taking over frozen yogurt as the preferred method of cooling down this summer. Here's another spot that opened in Eagle Rock this week: Snow Station just near the corner of Eagle Rock Blvd and Colorado. Open from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. daily. [Yelp]
If you buy something from an Eater link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics policy.
The owner of Milkfarm opens a food-themed gift shop and stationery store on Eagle Rock Boulevard


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Beyond the Footsie: Weds close
Shares in smaller companies extended Tuesday's good advance, bucking the weaker blue chip trend thanks to a combination of another bounce back by tech stocks, and positive corporate news.
By the close, the FTSE Small Cap index finished 32.1 points firmer at 3,281.8. Small cap tech issues made much of the running on the leader board, excited by the Nasdaq composite's overnight surge.
Parthus Technologies was one of the biggest gainers, adding 36 1/2p at 212p buoyed by Goldman Sachs' re-initiation of its 'market outperformer' stance on the stock.
Fellow small cap chip stock ARC International also put in a good performance, taking on 42 1/2p at 310p.
Among other rallying small cap tech issues, ThreeW.n
Landround extended yesterday's post-results gains, taking on 27 1/2p at 246p with help from news of a contract deal with debit card group Diners Club for its Buy & Fly! rewards programme, which works on the same principle as Air Miles. World Travel was also in focus again, adding 5p at 46 1/2p after unveiling the acquisition of consumer travel internet site, uTravel from Xilerate, part of United News & Media.
Densitron gained 20p at 187 1/2p after unveiling the appointment of Carl Thompson, formerly a finance director within Fujitsu unit ICL, as its executive finance director.
Internet group Clipserver.com took a tumble, shedding 17 1/2p at 46 1/2p after a glum trading statement. It warned that it now expects to report a full-year pretax loss that will not exceed £150,000. Clipserver remains confident, highlighting its cash balances of £4.6m.
A cautious trading update sent Deep Sea Leisure down 3 1/2p at 26 1/2p. The firm blamed a fall in tourist numbers on the weakness of the euro. Deep Sea launched a 3.5 mln stg placing and a 1-for-1 open offer at 30p a share.
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Over the past few years, MasterControl has rolled out countless enhancements and new features, based largely on customer feedback. As part of their mission to help customers make life-changing products available to more people sooner, they continually re-evaluate how their software release policy can deliver more value to customers quicker.
In summer 2014, MasterControl version 11.0 was released with more enhancements than any previous MasterControl release. Announced at the same time was the frequent release train, which referred to the plan to release upgrades every three to four months. For customers, the shorter release cycles meant gaining new features and functionality quicker than in the traditional release cycle and managing fewer, smaller changes.
MasterControl now returned to more frequent releases and follow a new naming convention on their software releases. As of v2017.2, released in December 2017, they are releasing a cloud quarterly release for MasterControl Spark and MasterControl Cloud customers, as well as an annual release (with a standard support cycle) for customers who prefer a bit more time between releases. To deliver enhancements in quicker, smaller doses that will make upgrades faster and easier for customers, MasterControl is now implementing the following software release policy.
“We have standardized our release schedule to be one annual release each year with patches released on an as-needed basis. We have also introduced a quarterly release option for cloud customers who want to be automatically upgraded more frequently than once a year.”
Dave Hunter, product management director MasterControl
Two product Release Paths: Annual & Quarterly
In addition, product release numbering follows a new naming convention: a year designation and the version number that year. For instance, v2018.1 is the first release in 2018, and v2018.2 will be the second release this year, etc.
You can expect the annual release to align with that year’s fall Quarterly Release. So the annual release in 2018 is planned for the fall release, v2018.3, which will also be the third quarterly release of the year.
Annual Release Overview
The annual release approach – available to on-premise, hosted, and annual cloud customers – is intended for customers who are accustomed to substantial but infrequent upgrades:
- For on-premise and hosted customers includes mainstream patchable support for two years from the release date.
- For annual cloud customers includes continuous mainstream patchable support because they are automatically upgraded to each annual release.
- Patches, which contain only critical fixes, delivered as needed and don’t require further validation.
Quarterly Cloud Release Overview
The quarterly release approach – available to Spark and MasterControl cloud customers – is ideal for customers who want to receive the latest enhancements as soon as they become available:
- Includes an automatic upgrade up to four times a year, roughly every three months (i.e., with each quarterly release).
- Includes automatic, continuous mainstream patchable support, so Spark and MasterControl cloud customers are always up to date with the latest software.
Contact us for more information by sending an email to email@example.com


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- Average city commutes could be 11 minutes longer by 2030 due to congestion
- Drones and flying taxis can de-congest cities but airspace must be made safe by Digital Twin modelling
- ‘Skyways’ can enable high rise living and working to be made complete
Leading NASA scientists and engineers have heard how city airspace can counter ground level congestion and carbon emissions, now made worse by booming online orders and deliveries.
World Economic Forum statistics show conventional delivery vehicle numbers soaring 36% by 2030 in the world’s 100 largest cities, with all urban delivery traffic rising 32% and congestion up 21%, adding 11 minutes to an average daily commute.
The solution lies above, using drones and air taxis says Digital Twin pioneer Cityzenith, one of just 10 innovative US companies invited to present to a prestigious ‘Ignite the Night: Aeronautics’ NASA iTech virtual event yesterday (April 13, 2021).
Speaking with a video backdrop showing how his company’s SmartWorldOS™ can already 3D model the minutiae of mega cities like New York, London or Tokyo, Cityzenith CEO Michael Jansen told the judging panel:
“Digital twins are virtual replicas of real things connected to tons of data and powered by analytics, and they can show us how to better plan, build, and run our cities. Think of our SmartWorld as like SimCity, but for real cities, using real data from multitudes of sources to solve real-world problems.”
He added that he has discussed this advanced technology with NASA engineers for some time, “to simulate drone routes, optimize traffic patterns, and model weather conditions in airspace above cities, especially between high buildings where microbursts can threaten drones and air taxis.”
He also answered the judges’ questions, notably how an independent Digital Twin player like Cityzenith has been mentioned alongside multinationals such as Siemens, Autodesk, ESRI, Dassault, and Bentley. Jansen said afterwards:
“A great question. We designed our product to be a true platform technology, not a proprietary stand-alone product, capable of integrating a multitude of common existing CAD, GS, and BIM modelling products into a single shared 3D city environment powered by AI.
“Think of us like SimCity, but for real cities with real data solving real problems. We can model, adapt and help de-carbonise entire cities, infrastructures, energy projects and, as we have shown today, map the skies.
“It’s a dream dating back to the ground-breaking 1927 movie ‘Metropolis’ and many sci-fi classics since then, but now set to come true.
“Conventional air traffic control simply cannot drill down to the complexity needed for busy yet safe ‘skyways’ routing a myriad of delivery drones as proposed by Amazon and others, or low to zero carbon ‘air taxis’ now being designed to liberate city dwellers from ground level congestion.
“It will open a whole new dimension to city life; no longer will high-rise living and working mean people must literally come down to earth to go elsewhere.
“NASA introduced the air taxi concept in 2001 and the race is now on to create the first viable electric machines in a market tipped to grow 26.2% annually to $6.63 billion by 2030* – I know we can help make that happen.”


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The Saint Lucia Tourism Authority (SLTA) has launched its new website designed especially for the Caribbean market, www.caribcation.org
The new site was officially unveiled to local and regional media partners on Friday, May 10, 2019 at Harbor Club – Curio Collection by Hilton.
www.caribcation.org will ideally compliment the Caribcation brand, which was rolled out as a summer promotion in 2017 welcoming 76,349 visitors. By 2018, it quickly grew into a standalone brand with 77, 548 visitors.
Visitors to the site will be able to search for tourism operators, view upcoming events on the island via an interactive calendar, and benefit from special offers of hotels, restaurants and sites around the island.
“With Saint Lucia touting its position as the fastest growing regional destination, the Caribbean market has played its part in attaining such success. Our aim is to continue offering Caribbean consumers the option to choose Saint Lucia as their favored retreat spot throughout the year.” said SLTA’s Marketing Manager for Caribbean and Events, Christopher Gustave.
Follow Caribcation on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Caribcation/


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DJI Mavic Things To Know Before You Buy in Cunningham WA 99327
The implementation of SmoothTrack algorithms can make guaranteed that actions are shake-free as well as a repositioned battery improves the overall balance.
It’s solidly built also, with the majority of the quadcopter remaining made from tricky plastic ” helpful to grasp, given that anybody who purchases a drone is likely to have at least a few slight aerial mishaps for the duration of their possession.
Electronics Stores in Cunningham, Washington 99327
Business Results 1 - 10 of 9
Drones for Sale in Cunningham Washington
Cunningham WA - BingNews Search results
Joe Cunningham Ups The Ante With Nancy Pelosi Letter
U.S. congressman-elect Joe Cunningham of South Carolina is one of (at least ... want to see new change in Washington,” the letter reads. “We promised to change the status quo, and we intend to deliver ...
SC Democrat Joe Cunningham signs letter publicly opposing Pelosi as speaker
"Everyone has to do their own thing, but I’ve been very direct from the very beginning," Cunningham told The Post and Courier last week in Washington about his plans to vote against Pelosi. "I told pe...
Cunningham to introduce legislation rolling back Trump tariffs
Cunningham insists this provision was intended ... "We must protect Lowcountry jobs from the politics of Washington DC and I intend to make sure our port and local manufacturers like Volvo and ...
Cunningham to seek rollback of Trump tarriffs
"We must protect Lowcountry jobs from the politics of Washington DC and I intend to make sure our Port and local manufacturers like Volvo and Mercedes-Benz have the support they need and deserve in Co...
LBs Zach Cunningham, Duke Ejiofor out for Texans at Washington
The Houston Texans will be without starting inside linebacker Zach Cunningham and rookie outside linebacker Duke Ejiofor when they face Washington Sunday. Sunday will mark the second game that Cunning...


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Kanye West -- Dope Sweatshirt Sells Out After Pap Photo
Kanye WestDope Sweatshirt Sells Out After Pap Photo
11/1/2014 12:30 AM PT
Kanye West can move product ... and he proved that with a single push of a button Thursday ... and a marijuana-fueled clothing company is reaping the benefits.
The always fashion-conscious Yeezus became a Pied Piper of sorts with the pic he snapped of a pap wearing a sweet sweaty. The manufacturer -- D9 Reserve -- instantly sold out ... more than 300 sweatshirts at $135 a pop. That's a cool $40K.
D9 is big in the weed scene, promoting pot in its fashions.
As for the sweatshirt, the company does not plan to restock, which will make the 300 instant classics.


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Samsung has unveiled the follow-up to its uber popular (and original) Samsung Galaxy Tab tablet which has unsurprisingly been called the Galaxy Tab 7.7, at the IFA event in Germany.
It is easily one of the most portable devices on the market; it is only 7.9mm thick, less than any mainstream smartphone and weighs a mere 335g compared to the original Galaxy Tab which weighed 380g.
The Galaxy Tab 7.7 comes with a 1.4Ghz dual core application processor, possibly the next generation Exynos AP (or a Qualcomm Snapdragon one), 1GB RAM, either 16GB, 32GB or 64GB onboard storage (expandable to up to 96GB with a microSD card), a two megapixel front facing camera, a three megapixel rear one, a 7.7-inch 1280x800 pixel Super AMOLED plus display, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, A-GPS, a massive 5100mAh battery, Android Honeycomb 3.2v, support for EAS IT Policy, MDM (Sybase Afaria), VPN (Cisco/F5), ODE (On device encryption), Cisco WebEx and more.
Not surprisingly, the tablet can be used to make and receive voice and video calls without the need for a headset or Bluetooth kit. We're pleased that the Tab 7.7 has introduced Wi-Fi channel bonding, allowing two channels to be merged together to provide up to twice the running speed.


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Debenhams profit edges higher in 'difficult' trading
Debenhams has reported profits of £127.1m for the six months to 3 March, up 1.4% on the same period last year.
Like-for-like sales, which strip out new store openings, were up 1.4%.
The department store group described market conditions as "difficult" and said the economic weakness in the UK could hit its performance in the second half of the financial year.
Debenhams said it was in the process of building 14 new stores and was in talks to over 25 other possible sites.
Online sales surged 34% during the first half.
Debenhams chief executive Michael Sharp said: "It is clearly right to remain cautious about the strength of consumer confidence over the next 12 months given the uncertain economic outlook."
"Overall we are optimistic about our prospects and believe that we have a clear strategy for growth and to meet our aim of being a leading international, multi‐channel retailer."
The company is continuing to expand in emerging markets. During the first half of the year Debenhams opened two stores in the Philippines and one in Iran.
In the second half of the year it plans to open two stores in India and one in Pakistan.


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Entrepreneur Margaret Nyamumbo is now the first Black woman to have her coffee brand, Kahawa 1893, sold at Trader Joe’s
For all the coffee lovers out there, you can now help support a Black-owned biz when you drink your favorite morning beverage from popular grocery chain Trader Joe’s. Using her knowledge of all things coffee based off being a third-generation coffee farmer from Kenya, entrepreneur Margaret Nyamumbo has made history as the first Black woman to own a coffee brand that’s currently being sold at Trader Joe’s. The company, Kahawa 1893, is currently available in 200 of TJ’s stores in California “with a rollout planned for more locations across the country,” according to the press release.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD OUR APP AND TAKE US WITH YOU ANYWHERE!
She offers a variety of blends, including Kenyan, Peaberry, Serengeti, Ethiopian, Safari, 1893 Espresso, Decaf and single-server coffee. The release also stated that Nyamumbo is also a former Wall Street investment banker and Harvard graduate.
The inspiration behind her company, which she started in 2017, is to provide premium, traceable Kenyan coffee to consumers that will help empower female African coffee farmers with sustainable wages. “In Kenya, women provide 90% of the labor in coffee but go mostly uncompensated. I founded Kahawa 1893 to make sure the women were visible and get a fair share for their outsized contributions to coffee,”
Here’s what Margaret told Travel Noire:
“Being the first Black woman-owned coffee brand to be sold in Trader Joe’s is not only an exciting time for me but also signifies a commitment in showcasing the amazing diversity in the marketplace by Black-owned brands,”
“I am thrilled to share the rich and aromatic flavors of Kahawa 1893, a true Kenyan coffee with consumers while supporting the female African coffee farmers who are an integral part of this incredible journey.”
For more information about Kahawa 1893, please visit www.kahawa1893.com.
HEAD BACK TO THEMORNINGHUSTLE.COM HOME PAGE


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Samsung Pulls Plug on Galaxy Note 7, Sends South Korea ETF Falling
South Korea country-specific exchange traded funds plunged after electronics giant Samsung Corp. discontinued the troubled Galaxy Note 7 smartphone.
On Tuesday, the iShares MSCI South Korea Capped ETF (NYSEArca: EWY) fell 3.7% as Samsung Corporation shares declined 7.5%. Samsung is the largest component in many of the South Korea country-specific ETF, accounting for 22.0% of EWY’s underlying index.
On the other hand, the First Trust South Korea AlphaDEX Fund (NYSEArca: FKO), which takes a smart-beta indexing approach based on growth and value factors and only has a 3.1% stake in Samsung, decreased 1.8% Tuesday.
SEE MORE: AdvisorShares Rolls Out an Active South Korea Growth ETF
South Korean markets were dragged down by Samsung after the electronics manufacturer said it would discontinue its Galaxy Note 7 smartphone after a botched recall that continued to harm consumers and damaged the Samsung brand, the Wall Street Journal reports.
The electronics giant filed with regulators to permanently cease production and sales of the devices in response to reports that supposedly safe replacements overheated and in some cases caught fire.
“Taking our customer’s safety as our highest priority, we have decided to halt sales and production of the Galaxy Note 7,” the company said.
Daniel Kim, an analyst for investment bank Macquarie Group, estimated that the potential losses to the discontinued Galaxy Note 7 could rise to 3.1 trillion Korean won, or $2.8 billion, for the last three months of the year, or enough to wipe out the entire mobile division’s operating profits for the fourth quarter.
South Korea’s finance minister Yoo Il-ho also warned that the halt in sales would negatively impact the country’s export figures – Samsung’s mobile handsets made up about 2% of the Asian economy’s annual total exports.
For more information on the South Korean markets, visit our South Korea category.
iShares MSCI South Korea Capped ETF
This article was provided by our partners at ETFTrends.


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We've got roving bear markets all over the place. The bears maul health care. Then they hit the oils. Then they go after the international industrials. And then the restaurants.
The averages may be having a great month, but underneath there's plenty of pain.
So who has proven immune to the bears' prowess during this period? Where are some solid bull markets that you can expect to trample any bear that comes on the range?
I've got two big obvious ones: auto parts stores and defense stocks. First, get a load of O'Reilly Automotive (ORLY) today, long one of my favorite auto parts stores. Here's a company that just keeps beating and raising and beating and raising. It's the most consistent company in the industry. Incredibly, every time it happens, analysts are blown away. They were blown away again. Now what's truly amazing to me here is that every major publicly traded company in the industry -- O'Reilly, Autozone (AZO), Advance Auto Parts (AAP) and Pep Boys (PBY) -- is at its high.
That's very rare. Most retailers don't trade together like this. But there are not one but two secular tailwinds to the sales of these companies: the aging auto fleet -- now thought to be on average 12 years old -- and the high price and huge debt load you have to deal with if you buy a new car.
How positive are these tailwinds? Take a look at AutoZone. Here's a company that has been a serial buyer of its own stock -- it had 48 million shares five years ago and is down to 31 million shares outstanding -- because management recognizes those tailwinds and wants you to profit from them. Is there a better way to demonstrate that steadfastness than buying back stock endlessly? I think not.
You know how to gauge the all-encompassing velocity of a sector's tailwinds? You look at the worst company in the group in both sales and earnings. In this case, it's Pep Boys, a long-underperforming auto parts store based in my hometown of Philadelphia. What a canine this one's been. Until this week, when Japanese tire behemoth Bridgestone (TYO) paid a hefty 23% premium over the stock price to get this 800-store chain and add it to Bridgestone's 2,200 tire and automotive stores. Now that's a strong sector.
The other bull? Defense. Here's an incredible group, one that is continually overlooked in a powerfully positive secular trend: the demand of nations around the globe to bear arms against their neighbors now that the United States is no longer the world's policeman and the two biggest adventurers in the world are Russian and Iran. The rap against these companies, though, was the sequester: the end of big U.S. spending on defense.
That's over. Now all the candidates know more has to be spent on defense and the budget limitations are over. How bullish is this? Northrop Grumman (NOC) just won a gigantic contract to build a next-generation bomber, a hotly contested piece of business against Boeing (BA) and Lockheed Martin (LMT). All three had run up in anticipation. When Northrop Grumman won, it correctly vaulted a dozen points. But what's really amazing is that neither Boeing nor Lockheed Martin gave up much of their gains. Why? Because there are so many big contracts behind this one and these companies truly are lean, mean fighting machines. (Boeing is part of TheStreet's Trifecta Stocks portfolio. Lockheed Martin is part of the Action Alerts PLUS portfolio.)
So there you have it: auto parts stores and defense, two bull markets where bears need not apply, unless they want to be stampeded under foot by voracious buyers.


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U.S. store offers gun raffle tickets to voters
Add to ...
Want a chance to win a rifle or handgun? Go vote. That's the message from an Atlanta-area sporting goods store. Some voters say it's a good idea, but at least one state official says the promotion is illegal.


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With a new animated series on the way, and two feature films in tow, nDreams’ upcoming Ghostbusters VR also had an update yesterday. Not only is the game heading to Meta Quest 2, but also the PlayStation VR2!
Announced via the official Ghostbusters Twitter account, the four-player co-op adventure will head to Sony’s still-in-development platform. Though like the release date for the previously-announced Meta Quest 2, no release date has been announced for the PSVR2 version.
Ghostbusters VR is to be published by Sony Pictures Virtual Reality and developed by nDreams, the latter whom has worked on previous Ghostbusters titles, as well as Zombieland VR: Headshot Fever. In Ghostbusters VR, you’ll be running a new Ghostbusters HQ in a new city, San Francisco. Go at it alone, or as a team with up to three friends in co-op in an extensive and engrossing campaign.
If that’s not enough busting for you, per Gamespot, Sony is planning on a new location-based virtual reality game called Ghostbusters VR Academy. Developed by Hologate, the new VR game will let players take part in Ghostbuster training and pilot a flying version of the Ecto-1 in a high-speed race to see who’s the fastest. Of course, you’ll also be strapping on your proton pack in teams of four, and take on missions where you’re tasked with catching a ghosts. Ghostbusters VR Academy will be playable at 400 Hologate locations globally by the end of 2022.
The post ‘Ghostbusters VR’ Coming to PSVR2, ‘Ghostbusters VR Academy’ Announced appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.


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First Russian aramid fabric manufacturing facility put in production in Moscow region
A unique weaving factory, put in production on May, 19 2015 by the Group of Companies ENERGOCONTRACT is set to revive long lost traditions of aramid fabric manufacturing in Russia.
The construction of a new plant started in summer 2013 in a small village of Marusino, which in only 18 months turned into a 8500 sq m manufacturing site with a perfectly adjusted infrastructure. The total investment into the project is estimated at approximately 480 mln rubles.
To ensure and keep its competitive advantage in the long run ENERGOCONTRACT supplied the factory with the best equipment currently available on the market. Weaving looms by PICANOL will allow for manufacturing of 1.6 mln lin m of heat-resistant fabric a year.
By launching its own weaving facility ENERGOCONTRACT aims at raising the local share in production cost to 70%.
To the moment, ENERGOCONTRACT has invested over 1 bln rubles to the development of manufacturing in Russia, including over 80 mln rubles of investments to R&D (Research and Advanced Development) over the period of 2011-2014. Integration of innovative technologies to manufacturing has resulted, in its turn, in substantial upgrade in workplace safety levels at customer companies and fall in rates of industrial injuries.


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The stunning, 27-storey luxury hotel, which features butler service, and multiple restaurants, is emblematic of Marriott’s global expansion strategy, which focuses on the highest lodging tiers as well as fast-growing international markets such as Hong Kong.
The company’s first property, the Twin Bridges Marriott, opened in 1957 and was a four-storey motor hotel in Arlington, Virginia.
“It’s thrilling to open our 7,000th property, an incredible milestone for a company that began as a nine-stool root beer stand in 1927 and didn’t even open its first hotel until decades later,” said Marriott International President and CEO, Arne Sorenson.
“I can’t think of a more fitting property to hold the honor than The St. Regis Hong Kong, which underscores the benefits of our merger with Starwood, the importance of luxury and the tremendous opportunity in Asia.”
Today, Marriott’s pipeline is growing with an increasing number of legacy-Starwood branded hotels with brands such as St. Regis, Luxury Collection and W.
“Our newest luxury hotel – The St. Regis Hong Kong – is a testament to our well-defined global growth strategy,” said Tony Capuano, Marriott’s Executive Vice President and Global Chief Development Officer.
“By leveraging our industry-leading luxury brands, including those we gained from the Starwood merger, our robust relationships with multi-unit owners and our expertise in identifying strategic opportunities in global gateway markets such as Hong Kong, we are well positioned to expand our global footprint by 25 percent in the next three years.”


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For many folks, the gameplay, story, and just about everything revealed so far about Hideo Kojima's upcoming video game Death Stranding has been a bit... confusing. Kojima's games are known for being a bit strange and surreal, and Death Stranding appears to absolutely be in line with that expectation so far. Every attempt from Kojima to explain the game has only made matters more complex, and it sure feels like a new interview will complicate things further.
While in Tokyo for the most recent Tokyo Game Show, Game Informer visited Kojima Productions' studio there for an interview with Kojima. The full interview covers a vast array of material, but it wasn't until Game Informer asked about how Kojima makes mundane maintenance tasks fun that the creator really got into the weeds, ultimately addressing criticism of the game.
"In the past, even if games are 'open-world,' there are limitations where you can't go further," Kojima said. "Like, they created valleys where you can't go. But in this game, you can go anywhere. You set routes, and you want to know what goes on beyond. In this game, I think you will not understand if I just say this, but once you start playing the game, just walking in that world is really fun. What I realized is, when I monitor playtests – even the staff's – they don't get it at first. But when they really start playing, just walking is really fun in the space."
"And now everyone will say, 'Oh, it's a walking simulator!'" Kojima continued. "It's the same as when I first brought out a stealth game. If 100 people play it and 100 people say it's fun, it means the genre or the game already exists. But this is a new genre – same as stealth the first time, there will be people who don't get it. It will take time for the real evaluations to come in."
What do you think of Kojima's comments? Do you think this will be the start of an entirely new genre of video game? Let us know in the comments, or hit me up directly on Twitter @rollinbishop to talk all things gaming!
Here's how PlayStation's official product page for the video game describes it:
"In the near future, mysterious explosions have rocked the planet, setting off a series of supernatural events known as the Death Stranding. With spectral creatures plaguing the landscape, and the planet on the verge of a mass extinction, it's up to Sam Bridges to journey across the ravaged wasteland and save mankind from impending annihilation."
Death Stranding is scheduled to release on November 8th for PlayStation 4. You can check out all of our previous coverage of the upcoming video game title right here.


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BANK of Scotland has been fined a record s3.5 million by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) for mishandling customer complaints of its investment products.
The FSA said the fine reflects Bank of Scotland's "serious failure to treat vulnerable customers fairly".
Bank of Scotland, (BoS) now part of Lloyds Banking Group, is expected to pay up to s15 million to compensate customers on top of the s2.4 million it has already paid in compensation to date.
Between July 30, 2007 and Oct 31, 2009, BoS received 2,592 complaints about investment products named as the Collective Investment Plan, Personal Investment Plan, Guaranteed Growth Bond, ISA Investor and Guaranteed Investment Plan.
An FSA investigation found many of the complaints were from what it described as "vulnerable" bank customers with little or no experience of investment products.
Most of the complaints were subsequently rejected by the bank, though an internal review on a sample of rejected complaints last year found as many as 45 per cent should have been upheld.
An investigation by the FSA found BoS failed to investigate complaints properly and the bank's complaint handlers had failed to take account of all relevant customer information.
The FSA found BoS had failed to assess complaints competently and fairly and had made poor decisions in terms of the suitability of the investment products for those customers who subsequently complained.
It also found BoS had failed to analyse trends in its own complaints decisions and those made by the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) as well as failing to act to get to the bottom of why it had received so many complaints.
Tracey McDermott, the FSA's acting director of enforcement and financial crime, said: "This fine reflects Bank of Scotland's serious failure to treat vulnerable customers fairly.
"The firms failure to ensure it had a robust complaint handling process in place led to a significant number of complaints being rejected when they should have been upheld."
Lloyds Banking Group said it is now conducting a comprehensive review of 8,614 complaints dating back to 2004 covering the same five investment products to ensure those sales and complaints were managed properly.
That review is expected to be complete by the end of July 2011.
A spokesperson for Lloyds said: "Bank of Scotland accepts the findings of an FSA investigation into its historical complaints handling arrangements in respect of a number of complaints made by Halifax and Bank of Scotland customers between 30 July 2007 and 31 October 2009.
"The Bank recognises that it did not properly investigate these complaints, which relate to investment advice, when they were first made.
"In order to ensure that customers' complaints were treated consistently and correctly, the Bank has agreed to review 8614 rejected complaints relating to investment advice received between 1 February 2004 and 31 December 2009 tha twere not upheld or not subsequently referred to the Financial Ombudsman Service."
The FSA said the s3.5 million fine was levied in relation to complaints made about the banks investment products and was not based on overall sales of those products, which it did not have figures for.
As such, the FSA did not investigate how much the bank may have profited from overall sales of the five named investment products or from those flagged as mis-sold.
It said the total number of complaints across all five investment products accounted for less than 0.5 percent of overall sales.
The fine emerged from last years comprehensive review of complaints handling which found widespread failures across the industry.
Royal Bank of Scotland's NatWest arm was fined s2.8m for similar issues in January.


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You’ve probably heard that Apple dropped the charger from its iPhone 12 family earlier this year, and a variety of leaks and rumors suggest one of the biggest Android phone makers will be following suit when the Samsung Galaxy S21 lands next year.
A new listing this week from Brazil’s Anatel (a telecommunications agency in the country) suggested that Samsung won’t be including a charging plug in the box. It also claims there won’t be free headphones either, while it’s unclear if a charging cable will be included.
While this isn’t a certainty, this is the strongest evidence yet that Samsung’s next flagship phone will be following Apple’s lead and dropping its in-box charging technology.
If this does happen, Samsung has an advantage in the fact that one of its main competitors has already been through this process, and it can learn from what Apple did to try and tackle this emotive subject.
Some have been annoyed at the extra cost added onto the iPhone 12 series to ensure you have a compatible charger, but it’s clear that in-box chargers are a major contribution to e-waste around the world.
Apple’s VP of environment, policy and social initiatives, Lisa Jackson, said during the iPhone 12 launch, “There are over 2 billion Apple power adapters out there in the world and that’s not counting the billions of third-party adapters.
“We’re removing these items from the iPhone box, which reduces carbon emissions and avoids the mining and use of precious materials”.
That’s just Apple technology too, so imagine how much e-waste is produced by other manufacturers who are also including chargers in the box. That said, there are ways Samsung can use what Apple did to its advantage and hopefully provide a better experience to customers overall.
1. It needs to be explained well
A screenshot of Apple’s iPhone 12 launch (Image credit: Apple)
Explaining why it’s dropping charging tech from boxes to the average person who just wants a smartphone that works is undeniably tough for any company. But it’s a message that should be communicated clearly to customers to ensure they understand why there’s an added complication to using their new gadget.
If you watched the iPhone 12 launch, you would have heard directly from Jackson during the event and likely had a full understanding of why this is a positive step for the consumer electronics industry.
If you didn’t though, it’s unlikely you’ve fully understood why Apple dropped the technology. If you don’t know about these environmental reasons, you’re probably just annoyed about it.
If you don’t have enough interest in technology to be reading the sort of article you’re reading right now, it’s possible that you haven’t even fully understood Apple’s reasoning for dropping the tech – either the advertised reason, or the financial one.
Deutsche Bank analysts (via CNBC) said soon after the iPhone 12 launch, “While [Apple] claims that they are not shipping earphones and a charging cube with the iPhone to save the environment, the reality is that such a decision could drive a financial benefit for the company as well.”
It may be that Samsung could include a disclaimer on the box that shows why e-waste is a major issue for the environment. The iPhone 12 series’ packaging doesn’t contain any mention of why it has dropped the tech from the box, and if you want to learn why you have to go and seek out that information for yourself.
2. Make it easy for people to use existing chargers
The charging port on the iPhone 12 Pro Max (Image credit: TechRadar)
This is arguably Apple’s biggest failing in the iPhone 12 charger debacle, and it should be an issue that Samsung can avoid with ease.
If you bought a new iPhone 12 Pro Max and you were upgrading from your iPhone XS Max – a phone that is only two years old – you wouldn’t be able to use your existing charging block with the new cable included in the box.
The iPhone XS series came with a charging block that had a USB connector, while the new cable is USB-C to Lightning. That means the cable in the box would be useless to you, and you’d have to buy a new wall adapter to get the ultimate charging speeds from your new smartphone.
Samsung should be able to avoid this issue as it has been using similar charging technology for the last few years, and most Android manufacturers now use USB-C technology by default.
It may be a stumbling block if the company decides to change its charging technology for the S21, but that isn’t something we’ve heard will happen on the next-gen handset.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 (Image credit: TechRadar)
A fair argument is, why should you pay extra for a new charger? The cost of a charging block is built into the recommended retail price of all smartphones, and it seems Apple is benefiting when it charges you $19 / £19 or AU$29 for its 20W power adapter.
Samsung could learn from this and offer customers a charger for free, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be included in the box by default. It would take some extra planning, but why not include a voucher in the box that can be traded for a free charger at a participating retailer?
Samsung could then explain that it hasn’t included one by default so it can cut down on e-waste, but if you need one separately you’d be able to claim your free one from a nearby store.
This way, you wouldn’t be charged extra for one and it would avoid the main issue of a charger being included in the box by default. It’s unlikely to happen, but it would be an olive branch to those upgrading their phone who feel like they’re being overcharged.


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There isn’t much to write about when it comes to deal on the UK and European PlayStation Stores this week. Instead of getting hundreds of new deals and offers to tempt us into spending our cash, there’s just one notable price-drop.
The Deal of the Week on the UK and European PlayStation stores takes the form of the critically acclaimed Detroit: Become Human, which sees its price slashed by a whopping 43%. Instead of paying £52.99 for the digital deluxe edition of the game, you’ll only pay £29.99. Not a bad deal considering the game isn’t even that old. Still, must feel like a kick in the android gonads for those who paid top dollar on release day.
We sometimes link to online retail stores. If you buy something from our links, we may make a small commission which goes towards keeping the lights on and coffee in the pot.
Chris has been writing about gaming news for far too long, and now he’s doing it even more. A true PlayStation know-it-all, Chris has owned just about every Sony console that ever existed. Trophies are like crack to this fella. (Bronze trophies, that is – he only has one Platinum.)


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News & Events
October 23-26 2018 Eurocontrol Spa exhibited at Euronaval, the leading international trade Fair for Naval Defence.
Held every two years in Paris, showcasing emerging trends in the military maritime sector, matching companies, visitors and delegations from all over the world, the exhibition was the perfect setting to meet our customers and discuss ongoing projects and future...
For the first time Eurocontrol will sponsor Surface Warships. the main event for all elements of the surface fleet community, to present its own products and services to an audience of senior decision makers from industry worldwide.
Eurocontrol is proud to partecipate to the world meeting of naval technologies for the future: Euronaval 2018 from 23 to 26 October.
The 6th edition of SeaFuture ended on June 23 with a very positive balance for Eurocontrol, welcoming more than 20 delegations from all over the world at its booth and connecting Italian customers and suppliers to a unique 4-day Naval Defense event at the La Spezia...
19-23 June 2018, Eurocontrol spa will be exhibiting at SEAFUTURE 2018 in La Spezia, Italy. Come and see us!
SEAFUTURE 2018 is a unique opportunity to meet key players & makers, display business strengths and establish new contacts
DSEI is the world leading event that brings together the global defence and security sector to innovate and share knowledge.
Eurocontrol at MAST 2017 under the umbrella of the Italian Pavillion sponsored by ICE and AIAD
Eurocontrol will be at EURONAVAL, at the Parc des Expositions Paris le Bourget, together with the La Spezia Shipbuilding District companies’ booth
SMM is the leading international maritime trade fair with over 2100 exhibitors and 50000 visitors from all over the world.


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A new Facebook feature allows publishers to reach audiences who are specifically interested in such narrow subjects as “computer servers” and “digital data” with their posts without alienating the ones who might enjoy reading about broader topics like “technology” or “consumer electronics.”
Released last month, Audience Optimization replaces the company’s earlier Interest Targeting feature, which prevented people who didn’t match the interests assigned to a post from seeing it in their news feed.
The newly developed tool includes three key features, Facebook Inc.’s product manager Peter Roybal wrote in a Jan. 21 blog post: preferred audience, which allows publishers to add interest tags to their posts that users with matching interests will have the highest likelihood of seeing; audience restrictions, which allows publishers to specify the audiences that would not find a post relevant, based on such factors as location, language, age, or gender; and audience insights, which allows publishers to monitor how well their content performs, complete with reach and engagement measurements for each interest tag.
Most importantly, the Audience Optimization tool does not prevent posts from appearing anywhere else on Facebook, unless a publisher specifies otherwise. In an FAQ, the company recommends attaching between six and 10 interest tags to each post, with a maximum of 16 available. During tests, the company said that organic reach remained more or less the same once the tags were added, while audience engagement went up.
It’s worth noting that while Facebook provides publishers with literally hundreds of thousands of interest tags, which are drawn from the company’s extensive data sets including public posts, Facebook ad tags, shared pages, and interests, advertisers cannot create tags of their own.
How does it work?
For those interested in learning how the tags were compiled, a fascinating article at the Verge illuminates the process, a still-imperfect algorithm which has determined that, for example, “MS-DOS” has a larger audience than “PlayStation” (likely because the former is made up of two common letter combinations, the Verge notes), and that the “comitative case,” a grammar term for words like “with,” apparently has an audience of 58 million (likely because “with” is a popular word, the site says). For those concerned the interests assigned to them reflect an invasion of privacy, a Facebook spokesperson told the Verge that its Messenger service was excluded from any analytics.
By emulating a search that entered all possible letters and numbers until no other results were returned, the Verge also created a list of Audience Optimization’s 2001 most popular tags, ranking them according to the number of users associated with each.
Some of the more narrow tech-related interest tags include “cloud computing” (associated with more than 235 million accounts), “tablet computers” (associated with more than 200 million), “personal digital assistant” (over 85 million), “computer monitors” (over 52 million), “web search engine” and “BlackBerry” (both over 49 million), and “phablet” (over 46 million).
How to use it
As for how marketers can best take advantage of the new service, Facebook conducted case studies with several media companies, including MTV.com and the New York Times, and came back with a few words of wisdom.
To start, the company suggests avoiding the most general categories like “Entertainment” and “Sports,” since someone interested in movies might not watch reality TV, or someone interested in the NFL might not care about the NBA.
For stories about public figures such as Lady Gaga or Justin Trudeau, Facebook saw a direct correlation between an article’s subject and audience interest, making direct tags most effective when well-known names – or brands – were involved (Google Play and YouTube are both high on Verge’s list). Indirect tags, meanwhile, turned out to be most effective in connecting the news with people who were interested in the subject being covered, and would therefore consider an event’s larger significance.
For example, in a story about U.S. President Barack Obama’s final State of the Union address, the New York Times used “Barack Obama” as a tag to target fans of the incumbent president, “Democratic Party” to target his supporters, “Republican Party” to target his opponents, and “United States Congress” to reach people interested in the topic in general – resulting in an increased number of clicks and likes, Facebook said.
Presently, Audience Optimization can only be used to add interest tags from Facebook’s desktop website, and the company does not yet have any plans in place to support tags in languages other than English. You can find out more about the feature here.


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A consensus seems to have formed that creative change is needed for Italy’s biggest fashion brand.
On Wednesday, analysts and investors, who have raised concerns that recent strategic adjustments at Gucci will not be enough to accelerate growth in line with peers, rallied around a Women’s Wear Daily report citing unnamed sources as saying Alessandro Michele, Gucci’s creative director since 2015 , is set to leave the company.
“Gucci is suffering from brand fatigue,” Bernstein analyst Luca Solca wrote in a note to clients. “To re-accelerate, Gucci doesn’t need to go mainstream or become timeless. It must open a new creative chapter.”
“After seven years in charge of Gucci’s creative engine, it may well be time for a change,” RBC Capital Markets analyst Piral Dadhania wrote, adding that institutional investors believe “a new approach is needed to reignite the brand.”
Shares rose 2 percent in early trading Wednesday, before giving up gains.
After taking the creative reins at Gucci in 2015, Michele stirred excitement around the Milan-headquartered house, soon dominating the fashion zeitgeist with her decadent layering of brand signatures, streetwear-inspired merchandising and quirky, gender-fluid styling. An all-encompassing revamp of Gucci’s products, communications and store decor led by Michele alongside CEO Marco Bizzarri attracted a voracious following for the brand, helping usher in a new, younger generation of consumers to a luxury industry that had catered to the tastes of more mature buyers .
From 2015 to 2019, Gucci’s revenue roughly tripled and profits quadrupled during a period of rapid expansion never seen in the modern luxury sector – with quarterly growth rates at times approaching 50 percent. This year, Gucci is expected to end the year with an annual turnover of more than 10 billion euros ($10.3 billion), a major milestone for the company.
But Gucci was hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic – with revenue falling 22 percent in 2020 – and since then has grown far more slowly than mega-brand rivals such as Louis Vuitton, Dior and Hermès, whose sales exploded as consumers increasingly flocked to blue -chip luxury items considered unlikely to go out of fashion.
The slower momentum at Gucci is partly due to a higher exposure to struggling channels, including wholesale, discount and travel, whose share of the business the company has since worked to reduce.
But signs of consumer fatigue became harder to dismiss as the novelty factor of Michele’s twisted, maximalist aesthetic wore off. In a February meeting with reporters, Kering chairman François-Henri Pinault said he wanted the company’s brands to refocus their efforts on a more timeless approach to luxury.
In recent seasons, Michele’s designs for Gucci have included more understated, high-end fare: less streetwear and more tailoring or embroidered knitwear, and classic handbags that have used one or two key brand signatures like horse bits and red-green stripes rather than layering them . decorative elements such as painted flowers, moth-shaped charms or cartoon characters. Gucci hired a new merchandising director to revamp its commercial offering and announced a full return to its six-collection-a-year fashion calendar in a bid to boost innovation and novelty.
Yet the evolution of Gucci’s collections has struggled to capture consumers’ attention, perhaps drowned out by the designer’s ultra-consistent, funky top-line message, which is still reinforced by over-the-top styling on the runways (headscarves and eyeglass chains abound) and a campy, old-Hollywood vibe on the red carpet.
Sales missed estimates for the third quarter, rising 9 percent compared with a 22 percent jump at Vuitton owner LVMH and 24 percent growth at Hermès.
Some retailers also seem eager to see the brand explore new avenues, though few would go as far as lobbying for a designer overhaul.
“It’s evolving, but it could evolve more,” Tiffany Hsu, Mytheresa’s vice president of womenswear buying, said in a recent interview, even as she praised the opulence of eveningwear in Michele’s recent collections, and the versatility of the brand’s tailoring. “It’s sophisticated, opulent and contemporary,” she said.
“It’s very consistent, but for consumers, they need a little kick, something fresh,” said Yiling Hong, founder of Shanghai store Canal Street.
If Kering is ready to make a change, Michele has also hinted that he could use a break just as the brand tries to accelerate its creative rhythm. “Working is becoming more and more intense for me,” he told reporters after his show at Milan Fashion Week in September. “It’s more and more complicated now to do this job… It’s very intense. You don’t just work with shoes and bags and outfits,” he added. “This fatigue is something else. The backstage work [this season] was more tiring than usual.”
Additional reporting by Lauren Sherman.


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Oh Activision, how you continue to exploit children.
Skylanders: Trap Team is the fourth and newest iteration of Activision’s amazingly popular Skylanders franchise, which mixes toys with video games using some neat NFC trickery. Trap Force was originally announced a few weeks ago, but we haven’t had the chance to see much of the game in action. Taking advantage of the fact that it is E3 week, Activision just gave is a new trailer for the title, which seems to be teasing the spirit of ‘discovery.’
The Skylanders franchise is amazingly lucrative for Activision- it has generated over $1 billion in revenue for the publisher, and is one of last generation’s breakout success stories. The series is so successful that it has seen other leading entertainment brands, such as Disney and even Nintendo, try to imitate its success. Skylanders: Trap Force will be due out on Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, Wii U, and Nintendo 3DS later this year.


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Buried within this Kickstarter campaign is the product iPhone users really want: a MagSafe-style charging cable.
In honor of the snowy Hoth battle scene in "The Empire Strikes Back," a homemade Imperial Walker sled competed in the annual Cardboard Classic contest in Lansing, Mich.
Audi's A3 e-tron, its first plug-in model for the US, is poised to hit dealers this October.
The latest version of Google Maps for Android lets you name unnamed spots and edit the names of already named places.
Barnes & Noble and Samsung have partnered up to offer a fresh new tablet/e-reader hybrid. Join us as we live blog from the special event in New York City.
The ability to measure the distortion of space and time near the supermassive black holes lurking at the hearts of many, if not all, large galaxies may give astronomers a new tool for studying galactic evolution.
This week CNET Exclusives is celebrating Mother's Day and National Photography Month with two fantastic deals.
Satellite communications provider Iridium has introduced a new Wi-Fi hot spot that will allow iPhone, Android, and BlackBerry users to access the Net in the remotest parts of the world.
Are chief financial officers, the folks who control IT budgets, really going to be enthusiastic about spending on tech projects amid market volatility?
Automotive News interviews Kia's chief designer.


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The Honor 9X will be announced this week and this is the latest mid-range offering that sits below the current Honor 20 series. We know that it will be running on a new Kirin 810 processor and it features up to three cameras at the rear.
Ahead of the launch event, we get another peek of the devices thanks to its listing under China’s TENAA certification.
The Honor 9X as seen here comes in black and it comes with a dual-camera setup. The display is listed to be a 6.59″ TFT screen that pushes a Full HD+ resolution of 2340×1080. It is also mentioned that the device comes with a 3,900mAh battery.
In the camera department, the device is listed with a 48MP main and a 2MP secondary shooter. Meanwhile, the front comes with a 16MP selfie camera which is expected to be a pop-up camera.
For the Honor 9X Pro, it has the exact same dimensions as the standard model and it also comes with a 6.59″ Full HD+ display. Even the processor and battery are the same as the non-Pro model as well.
The only major difference is the rear camera as it is listed to come with a 48MP + 5MP + 2MP triple-camera array. From the looks of it, it is likely that the Honor 9X will come with a depth camera while the Pro model gets an additional ultra-wide-angle shooter.
Also noticeable here is its gradient back effect that comes with a unique X pattern. This is similar to what we’ve seen in their official teaser image. Another interesting feature that we noticed is a side-mounted fingerprint sensor. It looks similar to the one that’s featured on the current Honor 20 series.
The Honor 9X is scheduled to launch tomorrow in Xi’an in China. The Honor 8X was one of the most affordable mid-range smartphones to launch last year and it offered 128GB of storage for less than RM1,000. Since Malaysia is a key market for Honor, we expect the new 9X series to arrive in the months to come.
In the meantime, Honor Malaysia is preparing to launch the Honor 20 Pro which was delayed for a few months now. This is a higher spec model of the current Honor 20 that’s going for RM1,699.


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Dagenham shop faces losing licence after selling white wine with red hue
A wine merchant faces losing his licence after selling white wine that had turned red and cigarette paper without health warnings at his store.
Green Lane Food and Wine in Dagenham was also fined �80 after a cashier let two boys aged 15 and 16 buy a vodka alcopop while apparently half asleep at the counter.
But today off-licence boss Rashid Hussain defended his business, saying he had inherited the wine from a previous owner.
Mr Hussain, 45, said: “That wine came with the shop when I bought it last November.
“One of my staff made a mistake selling the alcohol to underage customers but he was not half asleep.
“We’re doing what we can to ensure this does not happen again. This was my first mistake.”
Trading standards found the bottles of New Age Vin De Table wine on sale in a basket with an offer of “four bottles for �10”.
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The labels did not show the country of origin, which is against wine labelling regulations, according to a Barking and Dagenham Council report.
A total of 17 bottles were seized from the Green Lane store on June 29, as part of a licensing crackdown called Operation Condor.
Mr Hussain told the officers he had bought the Blunt Wraps cigarette paper with no UK health warnings from a travelling salesman, according to the council report.
The same evening, cashier Shafiq Hashmi sold a four per cent alcopop called WKD Blue to two underage boys.
The report stated the sales assistant appeared to be “half asleep resting on the counter”.
Trading standards are recommending that the shop be stripped of its licence for up to six weeks.
Licensing officer Theo Lamptey wrote in the report: “I feel that this premises licence should be suspended for a period of six weeks whilst appropriate training is given to all staff and all stock is thoroughly checked.”
Councillors are to make a decision on the licence at Dagenham Civic Centre on Tuesday, October 23.


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4 min read
Why FedNow is A Green Light for More Competition in Real-Time Payments
While the Federal Reserve's real-time payments system won't debut for at least four years from now, the recently announced move offers a green light of sorts for continued competition and innovation in the space.
The Fed, which announced in August 2019 a plan to create a system dubbed 'FedNow,' due out in 2023 or 2024, means that essentially a competing network owned by large banks won't be the sole provider of real-time settlement. That itself was hard to even imagine, given the high level of skepticism by smaller financial institutions and the increasing use of the blockchain in international payments.
The future of FedNow
FedNow is a touchy subject in the industry. That's because The Clearing House, a consortium of 25 national and regional banks, already has a privately built network (dubbed 'RTP') that acts as an 'always on' clearing and interbank settlement platform. The system debuted in late 2017 and now reaches more than half the demand deposit accounts nationwide. TCH has claimed that its own system can serve as a solution for all banks.
Small financial institutions would beg to differ. That's in part because they argue if one provider were to dominate real-time payments, it could not only hike fees, it could also pick and choose which vendors to work with, just like any monopoly does.
With competing real-time payments options, opponents argue, there will be more opportunity for providers to come up with solutions to plug into whichever real-time payments approach a financial institution uses. So the Fed's announcement legitimizes the existing solutions of providers that help banks and credit unions make faster payments, notes Steve Mott, principal of BetterBuyDesign, a consultancy.
"It rationalizes the business models on the back end," Mott says. "They just have to find some financial institutions who will offer their services and their products on the front end."
More choice, in real time
The Fed's participation in the real-time payments realm means customers will have the choice of which platform they want to employ, just as they do with faster payments now, says Jay McShirley, founder and chief executive officer of linked2pay. "You'll have multiple options among the payment methods you use," he says. "What FedNow means is that the technology is going to be supported long term."
In essence, that's what's been going on with faster payments for a few years now. Fintech has worked to come up with partial solutions for faster payments, where money is pushed across networks and settled later via ACH or the card networks. It's a Balkanized system, but fintech has stepped in to help make sending payments a little faster than the traditional batch settlement, which can take two business days.
Fintech innovation has allowed for the emergence of person-to-person services such as PayPal and Zelle, and push payments with services such as Visa Direct and MasterCard Send. Same-Day ACH is another means. Blockchain providers are also providing real-time settlement across borders: Ripple's Ripplenet, for example, links network users worldwide for real-time settlement of international transactions, with PNC becoming the first U.S. bank to sign on for the service earlier this year.
Even without real-time settlement, in many instances, payments are instant in the eyes of the recipient, thanks to fintech stepping in to put up the money until settlement. For example, linked2pay sells software tools for independent sales organizations, including Same-Day ACH, real-time payments and merchant onboarding. linked2pay has worked with PayFi, another payments provider, to push payments to customers while taking on the risk. It underwrites credit-worthy merchants with monthly revenues of $70,000 to $120,000, such as dentists and restaurants. The fee for quick payment: 0.02% of the transaction amount.
Data: the Holy Grail
In a sense, for all the talk about real-time payments, the speed of the transaction probably won't be the most valuable part of the service, notes Sarah Grotta, director of debit and alternative products advisory service at Mercator Advisory Group. "What is really important in real-time payments is the data," she says.
For vendors, the race to real-time could be a bonanza, because all of the complexity will demand third-party assistance. For remittance, companies will need to reconstruct whole new accounting systems to be able to absorb all of the new data coming in with payments. "That's going to take a while," Grotta says. "It's no small undertaking."
Along the way, real-time settlement will call for innovation, and healthy competition will eventually make real-time payments a normal part of the financial system. But like any other innovation in payments, it just takes time.
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Speed, weight limits of 25kmh, 20kg proposed by Active Mobility Advisory Panel expected to become law soon
Electric scooters are growing in popularity here, with some stores selling hundreds a month even though certain models may be outlawed at the end of the year.
In March, the Active Mobility Advisory Panel recommended that criteria for permitted personal mobility devices (PMDs) should include a 25kmh top speed and maximum weight of 20kg .
Its recommendations are expected to become law soon.
However, the Speedway 3 and Dualtron models – both of which can reach speeds of 45kmh – are for sale online and in stores. The latter also weighs over 25kg.
On e-commerce websites such as Carousell, other models are advertised as having top speeds of 55kmh. People who continue to use such devices run the risk of being fined in the future.
While the Land Transport Authority’s Active Mobility Enforcement Team has stopped 700 cyclists and PMD users for unsafe riding since May, it has not yet been able to issue penalities.
In September, 53-year-old housewife Ang Liu Kiow needed brain surgery after being hit by an e-scooter in Pasir Ris.
The scooters can be ridden on pavements but are illegal on roads.
Chairman of enthusiast group Big Wheel Scooters Singapore Denis Koh said shops selling e-scooters that go faster than 25kmh may have to modify them to restrict their speeds.
“Those who currently own faster e-scooters might also have to bring them back to the retailers to have their speeds capped,” said Mr Koh, who sat on the Active Mobility Advisory Panel.
Some shops have started initiatives to educate users in safe riding.
Personal mobility device retailer Mobot held an e-scooter safe rider contest yesterday at the Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre, which required contestants to negotiate courses similar to those in car driving tests.
E-scooter shop Falcon PEV is considering having customers take a required test before buying its products, which would include questions on speed limits and what to do when approaching crowds or traffic lights.
Some users feel the recommended regulations are too stringent.
“Faster speeds help when going up hills,” said facilities officer Alvin Chng, 34, who added that he normally keeps to 20kmh when travelling on his Speedway 3.
Others said they can ride safely even on the faster models.
Mr Michael Soh, who also rides a Speedway 3, said he observes safe riding practices, such as dismounting when he approaches crowds or young children.
Said the 35-year-old technical officer: “We’re not here to be a nuisance to anyone.”
Source: Straits Times


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Winter-spring rice is harvested in Tan An commune of Tan Hiep district, the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang
In the first two months of 2020, about 900,000 tonnes of rice worth 410 million USD were shipped abroad, up 27 percent in volume and 32 percent in value year on year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).
Export prices averaged 478 USD per tonne in January, rising 7 percent from the same period last year. The Philippines was the biggest importer, accounting for 31 percent of total rice shipments. Meanwhile, Mozambique and Angola were among the markets with biggest growth rates.
Phan Xuan Que, General Director of the Vietnam Northern Food Corporation (VINAFOOD 1), said after the Lunar New Year holiday in late January, the rice market has been very vibrant. Prices set for both export and domestic sale surged by 30 – 50 USD per tonne, depending on varieties and quality.
He noted rice prices are usually adjusted on the quarterly or yearly basis, but they have been changed week by week in the first months of this year, which is a very rare situation, especially when the Mekong Delta – the country’s largest agricultural production hub – is currently in the harvest period of the winter-spring crop.
These positive signs show Vietnam is likely to achieve the rice export target of 6.7 million tonnes worth over 3 billion USD this year, according to him.
Explaining the reason for good prices in all segments, Que said as countries opened their markets for rice imports early, businesses have inked big contracts and stepped up purchase of inputs. Besides, China, which previously dominated the African market with about 3 million tonnes of rice annually, has been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, creating a chance for Vietnamese rice in this market.
Strong demand from the Philippines and Malaysia has also helped raise prices of Vietnamese rice, thus helping the grain to narrow the price gap with the Thai counterpart and surpass the Myanmar and Indian rivals.
The MARD’s Agro Processing and Market Development Authority said demand for Thai rice stays flat as drought in this country has driven concerns about supply sources.
Export prices of Vietnamese rice are likely to rise further since they are still much lower than those of other producers’ rice, the authority noted, adding that global consumers are boosting purchase while China doesn’t increase its shipments in order to ensure food security to cope with the COVID-19 epidemic.
Que attributed the rosy export signs partly to the agricultural restructuring, which in turn has helped restructure export markets to reduce dependence on certain markets. Moreover, the competitiveness of Vietnamese rice, including that of components in the rice value chain from production, supply, processing and transportation, has been improved.
However, he said the agricultural sectors as well as businesses should continue to keep a close watch on changes in the market to concurrently attain food security and export targets.
According to the MARD, the COVID-19 outbreak has little impact on Vietnam’s rice sector, and there are likely more opportunities for export to East Africa. Besides, companies should also gear up to capitalise on advantages generated the FTA between the EU and Vietnam when this deal takes effect./. VNA
Vietnamese rice exports in 2020 are expected to be more prosperous thanks to a series of free trade agreements (FTAs) coming into force, after plummeting in both export volume and value in 2019.
TREA, the association of Thai rice exporters, on February 12 said Thailand may lose its position as the second largest rice exporter when setting up the goal of exporting 7.5 million tons this year, a 7-year low.


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Munich Personio, one of the highest-rated start-ups in Germany, is venturing into its second acquisition. The personnel software specialist takes over the Berlin software start-up Back Technologies. “Many of our customers use both products, and we can now integrate Back’s software even more deeply,” Personio founder Hanno Renner told Handelsblatt.
Back Technologies automates personnel processes and merges channels such as e-mail, WhatsApp and Slack. With the technology, for example, classic employee inquiries via Slack or teams on salary topics can be answered automatically using artificial intelligence or forwarded to the right place. Back has “an enormous amount of experience in the development of workflows that merge fragmented tasks,” says Renner.
Personio is one of the German unicorns with a billion-dollar valuation. In the last round of financing so far in the fall, the company raised another 270 million dollars. With a valuation of more than six billion dollars, Personio was at times the second highest rated German start-up.
With this, Personio has once again procured fresh capital at a favorable time – which was actually not needed at all. Meanwhile, the global upheavals have led investors to take a closer look at large financing rounds. Trade Republic, N26 and Gorillas are said to have had a hard time with fundrising. In start-up circles, the fear of “flat rounds” or even “down rounds” is already going around. This refers to financing rounds in which the company valuation does not increase or even decreases.
“We are pleased to be very well capitalized in the current environment,” said Renner. He sees the currently lower valuations at start-ups rather relaxed. Because Personio has a functioning, resilient business model. Such companies would always find investors. “Our business model also works in a global recession,” says Renner.
Grow, grow, grow
Last year, according to industry estimates, Personio’s sales more than doubled to a mid-double-digit million amount. “We believe that we can sustain the three-digit growth rates for a long time,” said Renner. Only 0.35 percent of the potential market in Europe has been tapped and the functionalities are being expanded.
The Berlin-based start-up Back has been working with Personio for several years. The IT tools could be connected to the Personio software. “We are therefore very pleased to continue to advance workflow Automation together with the market leader People,” said Back co-founder Christian Eggert.
The CEO used to be a manager at the Rocket Internet holdings Zalando and Westwing before he founded his first own company: Minodes, a provider of digital analysis tools for the retail industry. He later sold the company to the Spanish telecommunications group Telefónica.
Eggert then founded the food delivery service Bonativo. The company was never able to fully meet expectations and was acquired by French competitor Foodassembly in 2016. Back Technologies is now Eggert’s third self-founded company.
Personio has developed a standard software for the personnel management of small and medium-sized companies. The goal is to become a kind of SAP for HR managers in companies with up to 2000 employees. Personio sees 1.7 million companies in Europe as potential customers.
The chemistry must be right
For Personio, the acquisition is also a way to attract qualified personnel. “It was important to us that the team, including the founders, remained on board,” said Renner. He also announced the opening of a new office in Berlin. Initially, 20 employees who were previously in the home office will work here. There is also a new location in Barcelona. Personio hopes to gain access to other tech talents.
For Personio, it was the second acquisition after the purchase of the Spanish payroll specialist Rollbox three years ago. The purchase price for baking is in the low double-digit millions. Renner can imagine further acquisitions. “However, we are very selective when it comes to acquisitions,” he says. “It has to fit very well with what we are doing so far.” The chemistry must also be right culturally.


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SafeCharge grew its revenue by 24 per cent last year to US$138.5m (FY2017: $111.7m), driven by new customer wins and expanded relationships with existing customers.
The payments technology company, which opened up new offices in Shenzen and Mexico in 2018, saw growth of 11 per cent in adjusted EBITDA to $37.3m ($33.7m) and enjoyed cash conversion of 84 per cent (2017: 83 per cent), with a balance sheet showing a cash balance of $93.1m and no debt.
Dividends increased by eight per cent to 18.31c per share, compared to 16.89c in 2017.
Operational highlights for 2018 included the growth in value of transactions processed through SafeCharge Acquiring, with 29 per cent of the group's transaction volumes processed through its own acquiring platform during the year. There was also the launch of new customers on SafeCharge’s fully serviced payment solution, including ride sharing firm Gett, online retail platform The Level Group, Danish gaming operator Danske Spil and Italian gaming operator Snai.
David Avgi, CEO of SafeCharge, said: "The year 2018 was another period of strong financial performance and continued growth. We demonstrated excellent performance and successful entry into new markets and verticals. We have continued to innovate, develop and deliver our payment products and technologies, enabling us to deepen our relationships and win new business with large scale customers.
“During 2019, we will continue to invest in building our sales teams to accelerate our entry into new markets, as well as to invest further in innovative products to our customers. We are only at the beginning of our journey. Our highly scalable proprietary Payments Engine has been designed to deliver superior performance translating into a better user experience and increased revenues for our customers."