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After years of growth and new concept launches, the restaurant industry in the United Arab Emirates is likely to shrink as much as 20% by next year, said Gates Hospitality CEO Naim Maadad. However, other developers and some restaurateurs say they're still seeing strong growth in the market, where dining out remains popular.
Half of mall visitors in the United Arab Emirates are there to dine, according to a CBRE study, and restaurants and food sellers will account for a fifth of all UAE mall space over the next decade, according to JLL Mena. "The trend is changing from shopping to entertainment and lifestyle," said JLL Mena retail head Andrew Williamson.
Diamond Lifestyle, the food and beverage arm of Dubai-based Al Masah Capital, has acquired UAE-based Johnny Rockets franchisee Al Faris Restaurant. The US burger concept entered the market in 1996 and today the franchisee operates 14 restaurants in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah.
Franchisees with DineEquity, the parent company of Applebee's and IHOP, operate 10 restaurants in the United Arab Emirates and will open 16 more over the next five years. The focus will be on creating a smaller footprint as competition for space continues to grow.
UAE-based retail company Lulu will open its first project in India next month, a 17-acre mall in Kerala that's touted as one of the largest in the country. The project will include a Marriott hotel, an ice rink and a bowling alley as well as restaurants and stores including a Lulu hypermarket.


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Arguments at the U.S. Supreme Court over whether a band called The Slants is entitled to trademark protection quickly descended into a fight over the limits of the government's ability to control offensive speech at all, with some justices raising doubts the First Amendment goes that far.
Attorney John Connell, arguing for The Slants in Lee v. Tam, said the Asian band had an absolute right to trademark its name despite the racial overtones, because trademark is a government program and the government can't burden the "non-commercial aspects" of a name. That led the justices to present a variety of hypotheticals, from trademarks disparaging a competitor's products to the phrase in the famous First Amendment case Cohen v. California (F--- the Draft).
All protected for trademark use? Yes, Connell said.
What if somebody tried to trademark "Trump is a thief," Justice Sonia Sotomayor asked. Protected, Connell said.
“That makes no sense,” Sotomayor said.
The government fared only modestly better, however, as Deputy Solicitor General Malcolm Stewart struggled to explain how federal law banning "disparaging" trademarks can be applied consistently. The Slants turned up a number of disparaging trademarks that were approved, including “Party With Sluts," "Redneck Army" apparel and "Dumb Blonde" hair products. Stewart said that with 300,000 applications a year, some insulting trademarks will slip through. But the rejected ones would all strike reasonable people as disparaging, he said.
The justices also questioned Stewart's argument that trademarks had to avoid disparaging names because that would be "distracting" to consumers and detract from the primary job of identifying the authentic source of products and services. It seemed the government was only interested in banning distractions that were negative toward certain groups, Justice Stephen Breyer said.
“What business does Congress have picking out this one, but letting all the other distractions exist?” he asked.

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It's another celebrity's kid, all grown up! Stephen Baldwin, the youngest brother of actor Alec Baldwin, has made several surprising headlines in the last decade, but this time, it's his daughter, Hailey Baldwin, who's getting the spotlight for her modeling skills. The 18-year-old model was just announced as the new face of Topshop Denim.
British fashion giant Topshop is known for its clothes, shoes, accessories and beauty aids that are big on style. The label has previously featured British fashion darling Cara Delevigne in its ads. The selection of Baldwin as their face looks like smart move on behalf of Topshop. She boasts over 1 million Instagram followers and even walked in the brand's Spring 2015 show a few months back.
The ads feature Hailey in head-to-toe denim (a tricky look to pull off) but she rocks the look perfectly. We're ready to try this look for ourselves, but if you're not ready to go full-denim, pick one piece and keep the rest neutral. The denim trend of the moment features skinny blues with a frayed hem at the bottom, which is subtle and effortlessly cool.
If these ads are any indication of the awesome new collection, we can't wait to stock up on more denim staples (you can really never have too much, right?), as well as some awesome new on-trend pieces we're sure to love too.


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Suzuki and Toyota, who have been working closely together since 2019, are working together on a new global model. According to Indian Autocar, it will be a mid-size crossover with an electric propulsion system, surpassing the Hyundai Creta in size. Each brand will release its own version, but they will only differ in nameplates and styling. The car will be manufactured in India and is planned to be exported after the debut, scheduled for 2025.
The crossover, so far codenamed YY8, will get a futuristic appearance that is different from other Toyota and Suzuki models. Particular attention in Autocar was paid to unusual dimensions for India: YY8 will be longer than four meters and therefore will not be subject to local tax benefits. The car will be 4275 mm long, 1880 mm wide and 1640 mm high. Wheelbase YY8 will be quite large – 2700 mm. The new SUV will weigh 1728 kg in all-wheel drive.
The novelty will be based on the 27PL skateboard platform, a version of Toyota’s 40PL global architecture designed for compact electric vehicles. The base YY8 will be mono-drive with a single 138-horsepower electric motor, while an all-wheel-drive version with a twin-motor setup producing up to 170 horsepower will serve as an alternative.
In the first case, the equipment will include a 48 kilowatt-hour battery, which will provide up to 400 kilometers of travel without recharging, and in the second case, the capacity will be 59 kilowatt-hours, and the power reserve will increase to 500 kilometers. It is expected that the batteries for the crossover will be produced in India, which will significantly save on production.
The term for the appearance of the “commodity” YY8 is 2025. The crossover was originally conceived as a global model, but potential markets have not yet been named. But the estimated cost is known – 13-15 lakhs or 17,400-20,100 dollars.


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The Direct to Mobile TV app gives viewers access to a range of news, entertainment, sports and movie channels across 70 select live TV channels, and about 3000 movies and videos available in the library. The channels offered include Sony TV, Sony MAX, Sony Music, Sab TV, AajTak and other regional language channels. This service also features a program guide, show reminders and social media integration, besides the What’s Hot section.
Saurabh Dhoot, executive chairman, Videocon d2h, said, “We are happy to be on the leading edge of India’s OTT revolution with the launch of our Direct to Mobile TV app. This is an important move for Videocon d2h, as we strengthen our commitment to introducing new technologies to our subscribers, allowing them to have a robust and enhanced experience while viewing our contents. We are confident that an increasing number of consumers will enjoy this offering in the days to come.”
The app targets an increasing number of working professionals, shoppers and students spending time outside their homes wanting round-the-clock access to TV, films and other programs regardless of location. Existing Videocon d2h subscribers can view these channels on the app for Rs. 60 per month.


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The huge tent has 125 stalls selling clothing, garments, dress material and blankets
Varieties and designs which Vizagites have not seen so far are on display at the National Handloom Expo 2010-11 which is on at the Andhra University Golden Jubilee ground here since December 21.
This is after 1994 that the Union Ministry of Textiles is organising the National Expo in the city and weavers' cooperative societies from more than a dozen States are participating. The huge tent has 125 stalls selling clothing, garments, dress material, blankets, bed sheets, carpets, shawls, towels, dhotis, hand kerchiefs and there is also a stall selling a variety of books.
Some visitors say the exhibition is an excellent opportunity for the locals to buy the latest varieties and quality products that are coming straight from the weaver's loom.
Corporator Peela Suhasini, who is making her fourth visit to the expo told The Hindu on Thursday that it is a good collection of garments. She is particularly impressed with the Uppada sarees. “Their genuineness and quality are assured. They are selling sarees with designs which are just one week old. Many colours and shades are there and they are available only here,” she said. There is also a lot of difference in price compared to the market outside.
A housewife B. Ramadevi said she was seeing a lot of variety for the first time in the city. Prices were reasonable and one would not feel like haggling over prices of cotton clothes and dresses since the weavers were explaining to the customers the spiralling cost of production, Ms. Ramadevi added. Her daughter Ujwala, who lives in the US and on a visit to the city picked up many tops, bottoms and chudidars. These clothes were really good said a senior journalist Sharmila as her daughter who is on a visit to India is busy selecting the varieties with her younger sister.
It is also interesting to see the expensive Uppada zari sarees at the stall put up by Sri Durga Handloom Industrial Cooperative Society from East Godavari. The saree costs around Rs. 30,000 an it takes three weavers nearly 40 days to weave one saree. The labour charges comes around Rs. 12,000 and pure silk and silver zaree are used. There are sarees worth Rs. 1 lakh but they are made on order.
Mehmood Khan came from Srinagar in Kashmir with a big collection of pure wool products. A ladies' stroll at Rs. 350 is the cheapest. He is selling shawls of different varities.
The small size Aari shawl costs Rs. 4,500, it is woven with a needle called Aari. Another shawl for which an ordinary needle is used costs Rs. 2,500 and the Kaini shawl, in preparation of which is sued a wooden stick like needle, is priced Rs. 4,500.
The government department and the weavers expected a good sale at the Expo and are hoping the business to pickup as the Sankranti is nearing. Sale at the stalls selling products from North India is good, probably because the locals have seen the varieties from AP. However, APCO stall is having a different experience. Thanks to the varieties of clothes and readymades brought from different parts of the State, the sale is good in the stall. President of Vijaya H.W.C.S.Society from Tamballapalli N. lakshmaiah said the response was good and customers were comparing the prices here with that in the shops outside.


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For most consumers, the scam started with a disturbing phone call. We’re from Microsoft (or Dell or Norton or McAfee), the “tech support” person on the line said, and we’ve detected a serious problem with your computer. To underscore the need for immediate action, the caller directed people to a particular location on their computers and claimed that the presence of certain files — often accompanied by red Xs, yellow triangles, and other ominous features — was proof that their computers were riddled with malware and in imminent danger of crashing. "Tech support" promised to correct the issue if people gave them permission to access their computers remotely and paid for the service. After some virtual smoke and mirrors — and hundreds of dollars later — the caller claimed to have fixed the “problem.”
But according to law enforcement actions filed by the FTC, the only problem consumers had was picking up the phone when they were cold-called by international scammers (mostly India-based) who targeted people in the United States, Canada, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, and the U.K. What about those dangerous files “tech support” claimed to spot on people’s computers? It was the Event Viewer, innocuous notifications that are part of the day-to-day administration of most computer operating systems. And those “fixes”? Pretty much useless, according to the complaints.
In lawsuits targeting 14 corporate defendants and 17 individuals, the FTC charged that companies used telemarketing boiler rooms to call consumers, many of whom had phone numbers on the National Do Not Call Registry. The FTC also says another defendant lured consumers by placing ads with Google that appeared when consumers searched for their computer company’s real tech support number. The FTC alleges that the scammers used a web of subterfuge to avoid detection, including 80 different domain names, 130 different phone numbers, virtual “offices” and mail forwarding facilities.
Underscoring the international nature of the operations, FTC Chairman Leibowitz announced the cases today along with law enforcement partners from Australia and Canada. A federal judge in New York has ordered a halt to the alleged scam pending further hearings and has frozen the defendants assets.
So what can businesses take from the announcement? First, be clear with your customers about how and when you’ll contact them if there’s a problem. There’s no one-size-fits-all defense to phishing scams, but it helps if customers know how to contact you directly to verify if a call or email is legit. Second, tech support scams like this can harm your business financially. Consumers who are once bitten are twice shy about opening their wallets. Educating them about the latest forms of fraud can help empower them to spot scammers. One resource you can share: OnGuardOnline.gov, the federal government’s website to help people stay safe and secure online.


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A Hamster in a Cage Trading Crypto Outperforms S&P 500 and Bitcoin
Since June this year, a hamster in Germany has been assigned the task of trading cryptocurrencies. Dealing with real money, the hamster has done quite well and has outperformed the likes of Nasdaq, Bitcoin, and even Warren Buffet's investment firm, Berkshire Hathaway, Business Insider reported.
While humans debate the trade-offs of cryptocurrencies as a mode of exchange and even as in investment, a hamster and his unidentified human are showing the best way to deal with the volatile currency. The hamster named Mr. Goxx goes about his daily business of running on his wheel and spending time in his box while making decisions on the fly about which cryptocurrencies to buy, and which to sell.
Supporting him in his endeavor is the high-tech 'office' that his human has built around him. The wheel helps Mr. Goxx pick one of the 30 crypto coins he trades in, while the decision to buy or sell is determined by which 'decision' tunnel, Mr. Goxx runs through immediately next. While the purchase decision happens for a transaction worth €20 ($23) at a time, the 'sell' trigger liquidates all the assets held for the selected coin. Just in case, you are still thinking that this is some parody post, here's the proof. Mr. Goxx has his own Twitch channel too and you can watch him trade live over there.
Back in June, Mr.Goxx started off with a fund of $390. Mid-September his portfolio hit an all-time high of $580, reported Protos, a crypto-focused media outlet. Mr. Goxx's return that time was a whopping 50 percent, much more than Bitcoin that had risen only 41 percent. Nasdaq, S&P 500, and Berkshire, on the other hand, offered far lower returns.
After the recent dip in the crypto market, the value of his portfolio has shrunk a bit, but is still better than the others, as can be seen in the graph below.
Although the profits made so far are not even enough to cover the expenses done for the crypto-compatible office, Mr. Goxx's performance at the day trading is quite exceptional. Protos reports that Mr. Goxx bought $23.79 worth of Dogecoin in July and sold it recently for $34.80 and made similar profits on Pantos and Chiliz cryptocurrencies.
While impressive, Mr.Goxx's Twitter channel sends out disclaimers with every tweet that the information provided must not be treated as financial advice and used purely for entertainment. Seriously, who takes financial advice from a running hamster?
The team had to work out how to enhance both HTC and CHF by adding a series of microscale cavities (dents) to a surface.


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- Lil’ Blabberz: Oolie is a funny, crazy character in the shape of a soft, fuzzy ball for kids ages 3 and up.
- Activity Garden: The garden incorporates a variety of baby toys and activities to develop motor skills and cognitive ability. This activity gym can be configured in different ways to keep play exciting from kids ages 6 months to 3 years.
- GiddyUp ‘N Go Pony: A toy pony named Thunder that allows kids ages 3 to 5 to develop coordination and balance.
- I’m an Artist Station: This product allows toddlers ages 3 and up to be creative in art. The paper spins, kids add paint, and make creations.
- Wiggimals: This toy sheep can assist babies in learning to crawl with its movement. Wiggimals is suitable for babies ages 6 months and up.
Toys “R” Us Inc. will enhance product categories that have experienced sales growth over the past few years, such as education, tablets, and construction, as part of their 2013 holiday strategy.
This season, a dedicated Imaginarium shop will set in-store, and each store will have a whole aisle dedicated to new educational products, such as microscopes and telescopes from Edu Science and language-learning programs from Little Pim. Meanwhile, capitalizing on the growing construction category, the company will install a “Shop within a Store” in approximately 300 locations, showcasing construction brands such as Lego and Mega Bloks. The company will also feature approximately 70 Lego exclusives this holiday season, including Legends of Chima The Croc Swap Hideout and Star Wars Jedi Defender Class Cruiser.
After experiencing increases in sales of tablets and tablet accessories, Toys “R” Us will add easy-to-navigate 32-foot shops that will showcase 25 tablets that can be tested and engaged with by kids and parents. These shops are expected to set in the majority of Toys “R” Us locations by October. The company also has exclusive tablet products, such as the Kurio 10s by Techno Source and its recently announced tabeo e2, and will be launching a dedicated online tablet guide.
Finally, online shoppers can now place a “Buy Online, Pickup In Store,” order on toysrus.com and it will be ready for pickup in under an hour, and “Ship to Store” orders will now be available for pickup in five to 10 days. Later this fall, stores will be equipped with a secondary in-store pickup location, and “Ready for Pickup” emails that are sent to customers once their order is available will include a map of where the pickup location is positioned within the store.
Everloop.com, the leading safe social networking site for children 13 and under, has the inside scoop on this year’s hottest kids holiday trends. Featuring the most up-to-date data sourced from kids themselves, Everloop showcases the top gift wish-list picks, favorite holiday treats, and biggest holiday topics this season.
When it comes to this year’s top gift picks, 22 percent of Everloop members are hoping for some type of electronic device, such as a Kindle Fire, an iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch. Twelve percent would like clothes; 10 percent asked Santa for toys like Lego Friends, Furby, and Monster High Dolls; and 100 percent want “something cool.”
To learn more, visit www.everloop.com.
Courtesy of St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital
The holiday season is upon us, which makes it prime time for toy buying. In fact, more than half of the three billion toys and games sold in the U.S. each year are purchased at Christmas time. While the majority of toys are safe, thanks in part to stronger federal rules and higher standards from toy makers, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that last year alone more than 193,200 U.S. children were treated in hospital emergency departments for toy-related injuries.
“Toys have changed over the years and the assortment can be astounding, particularly to those who haven’t shopped for kids in a while,” says Bevin Maynard, a child advocate at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital. “Child safety, however, never goes out of style. It is something parents and family members should always keep in mind when selecting gifts for youngsters.” [Read more...]
Gameloft’s Playmobil Pirates is now available from the App Store. This free-to-play title, which will be released subsequently on Android devices, takes place in a fun-filled environment based on the Playmobil line of pirate-themed toys.
Playmobil Pirates is currently available for the iPhone, iPad, and iPad Touch, and the Android version will hit the Google Play store soon.
The Holiday Toy Drive benefits children spending their holidays in the hospital. On Christmas morning, patients will wake up to a surprise toy package from “Santa Claus” containing a variety of donations. Other children visiting one of Miami Children’s Hospital’s nine outpatient centers will receive similar gifts. This is the first year Safari Ltd., has participated in this toy drive, and the company plans to make this an annual tradition.
Yesterday, The Toy Book attended a special holiday event at Disney Store Times Square at which the retailer announced its top 10 toys for this holiday season.
Special guests included Disney animator Mark Henn, host and reality TV star La La Vasquez (La La’s Full Court Life), New York socialite and reality TV star Alex McCord (The Real Housewives of New York City), actress Daya Vaidya (Unforgettable), actress Kelly Rutherford (Gossip Girl), and, of course, Mickey and Minnie Mouse.
This holiday season, most retailers expect strong demand and growth for their online businesses. According to Shop.org’s eHoliday survey, conducted by Bigresearch, nearly seven in 10 (68 percent) retailers expect their company’s online sales to grow at least 15 percent or more, compared to last holiday season. Last year, 63.8 percent of retailers had the same expectations.
When asked why they plan to spend more online this holiday season, four in 10 shoppers (43.2 percent) cited 24-hour convenience as their main reason. Other reasons included not having to fight crowds in stores (37. 2 percent), ease of comparing prices (29.6 percent), and free shipping offers (36.3 percent).
Anticipating customers to seek free shipping offers, nine in 10 online retailers (92.5 percent) said they plan to offer the service at some point, up from 84.8 percent last year. Additionally, 56.3 percent of retailers said their specific budgets for free shipping promotions are somewhat or significantly higher than last year.
To prepare for the holiday season, many online retailers have invested in new technologies and site and service features. More than half (51 percent) said they have significantly invested in mobile-optimized websites, and 19.6 percent have invested in tablet device applications. Additionally, 35.3 percent said they have significantly invested in QR codes in offline advertising. Of those who regularly use social media platforms, nearly three-quarters say they have already invested in their Facebook (72.5 percent) and Twitter (41.2 percent) accounts in advance of the holidays.
The National Retail Federation (NRF) has released its 2011 Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, conducted by BIGresearch, and the report predicts a slight decrease in the average amount each shopper will spend this holiday season. According to the survey, shoppers say they plan to shell out an average of $704.18 on holiday gifts and seasonal merchandise, down slightly from last year’s $718.98. NRF still forecasts overall holiday retail sales to grow 2.8 percent during November and December to $465.6 billion.
Holiday shoppers also plan to take advantage of sales and discounts to purchase goods for themselves. Nearly six in 10 holiday shoppers (59.9 percent) say they plan to purchase additional non-gifts for themselves and their families during the holiday season. The largest portion of a consumer’s holiday budget will go to family members, with the average person spending $403.26 on kids, parents, and other family members. Additionally, an average of $68.23 will be spent on friends, followed by $21.06 on co-workers, and $23.39 on other gifts. Consumers will also spend on decorations ($46.73), greeting cards ($26.52), candy and food ($96.75), and flowers ($18.23.) Gift cards will be popular with consumers again this year, with 57.7 percent of shoppers saying they’d like to receive a gift card this holiday season.
This holiday season there will be nearly 7,000 toys featured in Target stores and on Target.com. Stephanie Lucy, vice president of merchandising at Target, shares what she thinks will be the five key toy trends this season and the hot toys that match them.
“One of the key items we selected is Fijit Friends. You look at Fijit and the ability to put it in dance mode, and the voice-recognition and built-in responses. Also, Let’s Rock Elmo is interactive for a much younger child, but we believe interactivity is important.”


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Lamborghini, Lincoln Grab Spotlight at 2013 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance
- The 2013 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance will feature Lincoln, Lamborghini, Aston Martin and the Porsche 911, organizers said on Monday.
- Also set to take center stage at the event are French motorcycles, the BMW 507 and Simplex, one of the rarest of early 20th century marques.
- The Concours selection committee meets at the end of March to determine which cars will get an invitation to the August 18 competition.
Also set to take center stage at the event are French motorcycles, the BMW 507 and Simplex, one of the rarest of early 20th century marques.
The Concours selection committee meets at the end of March to determine which cars will get an invitation to the August 18 competition.
Organizers said the 2013 show field will focus on one-off, custom-bodied Lincolns, along with a display of "significant" one-off Lamborghinis. The Concours is also hooking up with the Porsche Museum to exhibit "some of the cars that have made this model iconic." It is the 50th anniversary of Porsche.
The Concours will also celebrate the 100th anniversary of Aston Martin with a display of Aston Martins that have raced at Le Mans.
The BMW 507 will be one of the standouts at the event.
"The BMW 507 debuted to great acclaim in 1955, but the economics of producing this sporting roadster led to its all-too-early demise," show organizers said in a statement.
"Just over 200 of these cars survive and each is treasured. The only custom-bodied BMW 507s, along with other superlative examples of this model will be showcased.
The field of French motorcycles on display at Pebble Beach will include such manufacturers at Motobecane, Koehler-Escoffier and Peugeot.
Edmunds says: Excitement revs up for one of the key auto events of the year.


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New Chatbot “Apple GPT” in the Works
Apple is actively working on artificial intelligence (AI) tools to challenge the likes of OpenAI and Google. The tech giant has reportedly created a chatbot internally called “Apple GPT” and is planning to make a significant AI-related announcement next year.
Apple’s Framework “Ajax” Creates Large Language Models
Apple has developed its own framework called “Ajax” to build large language models, similar to OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard. Ajax runs on Google Cloud and utilizes Google JAX, the machine learning framework. It serves as the foundation for Apple’s internal ChatGPT-style tool.
Chatbot Accessible to More Apple Employees
Initially paused due to security concerns, Apple’s chatbot is now available to more employees for product prototyping purposes. However, access requires special approval and any output from the chatbot cannot be used for customer-facing features.
Apple Seeking Generative AI Talent
Apple has been actively hiring talent with expertise in large language models and generative AI, as highlighted in recent job postings. The company is ramping up its efforts to meet consumer demand for AI tools in tasks like drafting essays and images.
Addressing Privacy Concerns
Apple is reportedly focused on addressing potential privacy concerns associated with AI. CEO Tim Cook has expressed the company’s commitment to adding AI to its offerings on a “thoughtful basis.”
Stay tuned for more updates on Apple’s AI developments in the coming months.


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Liquid Intelligent Technologies, a business of Cassava Technologies, has deployed its gaming bundles in Zambia to encourage the gaming and e-sports industry in the country
The launch of these bundles aims to attract a growing and loyal gaming and e-sports market, harness developers and gaming talent in addition to providing users localised data capped access to gaming services such as Steam and the PlayStation Network.
The new gaming bundle is a niche product that targets the gaming community in the country. The 30-day bundle costs US$22.88 (K400) and can start on a day that suits the user. It comes with free downloads and online play from Nintendo, Steam, EA App, PlayStation and more gaming platforms between 22:00hrs and 06:00hrs daily, and six GB of data for browsing.
Mike Siachitema, head of products and solutions at Liquid Intelligent Technologies Zambia said, “Gaming is not only an entertainment activity for young people, it ignites their passion for programming, coding, and software development. We aim to be the provider of choice for gamers by presenting cost-effective solutions in meeting the gaming demand. Through this, we intend to stimulate the growth of ICTs in Zambia and unlock the potential for the youth in Zambia.”
“If you consider games like Pokémon Go, for example, they involve algebraic-like equations and young people play these games without actively realising that they are learning. Gaming makes subjects like math that are traditionally considered to be difficult or boring, cool and easy to learn, fostering a generation of potential young mathematicians and scientists,” added Dennis Banda, an active member of the gaming community in Zambia.
The bundle can be purchased via https://zm.retail.liquid.tech/myliquid/


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LAST UPDATED : Aug 20, 2019, 02:37 PM IST
- Government working on stimulus package to check economic slowdown
The slowdown-hit economy may soon get a booster dose from the government with finance ministry working on a stimulus package for the industry may include a slew of financial measures ranging from tax cuts, subsidies and other incentives.
- Growth slowdown due to local, global factors; government taking steps to revive economy: CEA
"The slowdown in growth is due to endogenous and exogenous factors," chief economic adviser KV Subramanian said while commenting on the latest GDP data released on Friday. Attributing the slowdown in GDP growth to domestic and global factors, he said the government is taking various steps to boost economic expansion.
- Windfall from RBI to give government ammunition to fight slowdown, boost capex
A record windfall from the Reserve Bank of India under governor Shaktikanta Das to the tune of Rs 1.76 lakh crore -- higher than the aggregate dividend paid out by the central bank in previous three years -- will give the Modi government ammunition to fight an ever-widening slowdown in the economy by spurring investment and giving sectoral stimulus.
- US hiring slow but steady amid trade war and global weakness
The unemployment rate remained 3.7% for a third straight month, the Labor Department said Friday , near the lowest level in five decades. And more Americans entered the workforce in August, a positive development that increased the proportion of adults who are either working or seeking work to its highest level since February.
- US economy slowed to 2.1% growth rate in second quarter
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy slowed sharply in the April-June quarter even as consumers stepped up their spending. The gross domestic product, the economy's total output of goods and services, grew at a 2.1% annual rate last quarter, down from a 3.
- What oil at $100 a barrel would mean for the world economy
Rising oil prices will hurt household income and spending and it could accelerate inflation. As the world’s biggest importer of oil, China is vulnerable, and many countries in Europe also rely on imported energy. Seasonal effects will also impact. For a sustained hit to growth, economists say oil would need to hold above $100. It also depends on dollar strength or weakness, given crude is priced in greenbacks.
- M&As halve to $34 billion so far this year on slowing economy
A slowing economy, protectionist policies and legal battles have taken the sheen off merger and acquisitions. Dealmaking in India, the third-largest M&A market in Asia-Pacific, nearly halved to $34 billion in the first six months of 2019. The number of deals declined to 183 from 234 in the same period.
- Government mulling another booster dose to reinvigorate economy
The finance ministry is working on one more booster dose to give a leg-up to the economy that has hit over six-year low of 5 per cent, a senior finance ministry official said. The blue print for the stimulus is ready and would be announced by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the next few days, the official said without giving further details.
- Ficci demands stimulus package to pump-prime slowing economy
New Delhi, May 27 () Apex industry chamber Ficci Monday made a strong case for fiscal stimulus to pump-prime the slowing economy amid global headwinds and weakening domestic demand in the next budget as the Narendra Modi government is all set to begin its second innings.


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Instagram is expanding its test of hiding likes globally, despite first reports showing the negative impact for Creators.
Instagram began hiding likes on posts in April as part of an experiment to measure the impact on engagement. After Canada, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Brazil, Australia, and New Zealand, the platform expanded its test to the US last week. Today, it seems the test has gone global.
During the test, users can still see who liked their own posts but there is no more Like count. Viewers, however, can only see a few names of accounts they also follow.
Instagram wants its app to be a place where people feel comfortable sharing and expressing themselves, without the pressure of getting likes. While Instagram claims that the experiment has been received positively so far, research by HypeAuditor, shows that it could actually hurt influencers and Creators.
The research found that Creators have experienced a loss of between 3 and 15% of their Likes in countries where the test has been conducted.
Now that could be an issue for the platform.
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On Wednesday, Rosa Foods, the maker of Silicon Valley’s favorite “open source” meal replacement Soylent, announced that the product will be available in 450 Walmart locations across the US. Soylent’s website allows shoppers to search for where they can find a nearby store that sells Soylent.
You can now buy Silicon Valley’s favorite meal replacement at Walmart
Soylent was a tech company that sold food. Now it wants to go mainstream
Soylent Re-Enters Bar Market With Soylent Squared
Soylent now sells solid snack bars
Soylent is leaving liquids behind as it journeys deeper into the packaged food business with a selection of snack-sized bars.
The 100-calorie bar has 5 grams of plant protein, 36 nutrients and probiotics for digestive health. Snack bars come in three flavors — chocolate brownie, citrus berry and salted caramel.


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News by Topic
- Search Marketing
- Email Marketing
- Loyalty Marketing
- Mobile Marketing
- Social Marketing
- Viral Marketing
- Trends & Ideas
- Internet Marketing 101
Study: Coupons get moms all the time
Coupons - both print and digital - may be more of an influence with women than some brands thought. According to new data nearly all moms are or have been influenced to buy/try new food items because of a coupon.
Do coupons influence buying behavior? Yes, according to new data out from WomensForum. In a recent survey their researchers found that 89% of moms are 'regularly influenced' by coupons; many to buy new food items.
"The power of the coupon hasn't faded in the digital era, but has taken on new life, as women search for savings across a range of channels," said Mark Kaufman, Founder and CEO, Womensforum.com. "The important role of the coupon in moms' lives is a cornerstone of Womensforum.com's own business, as the one of the largest distributors of digital print coupons in the U.S. We generated more than 50 million coupon downloads in 2013 alone, underscoring the numbers in this new study."
The full report can be downloaded here. Some other interesting findings from the report include:
• 73% of 'new purchases' were from the snacks aisle
• 72% bought new foods from the frozen section
• 62% tried a new cereal
• More than half tried new beverages or dairy products
As for where women are finding these coupons, the researchers say brands should include both print and digital options because 46% said they found coupons both online and offline. Other interesting ways they're finding deals: supermarket circulars (65%) and word of mouth (51%) and about one-third said they learned about new products through social media.
Image via Shutterstock
- Study highlights consumer behavior in tablet purchase journey
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- Study finds the moments ads will most likely garner attention
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- Top 3 tips to create a multi-channel strategy that works
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One big change will be the iconic blue-green carpet.
Another big change will be that most of the retail shops will be moved to the other sides of the security gates.
Oregon tourism contributes $9.6 billion to the states economy along with 94,000 jobs. Of those jobs, 10,000 are at the PDX.
Read more at KGW


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Frank Ocean's album "Blonde" is now available on Spotify, nearly three weeks after it was released as an Apple Music exclusive on August 20.
Spotify confirmed to Business Insider that the album went live on the streaming service Friday.
The critically acclaimed album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart after selling 276,000 equivalent album units from iTunes purchases and Apple Music streams. It's the first time Ocean has charted in the No. 1 position.
Though it is available by search, "Blonde" notably does not appear on Spotify's New Releases section for this week. Spotify previously announced that it suppresses albums by artists who have signed exclusive deals with other streaming services.
"Blonde" is still not on Tidal, Soundcloud Go, or Amazon Prime.
You can now stream the album below, via Spotify:


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After a little wave of leak on Apple Event, the company schedule a Apple Event for 20 April. This will be an online event, because of the pandemic which is begin faced by the whole world.
What to expect form this Apple Event?
The Apple names the event “Spring Loaded”, which indicates that we will see a lot of new products from Apple. So, Apple can come up with the iPad Pro 2021, the new AirPods Pro, a new iPad mini, and the most waited AirTags. But, among all these products, we more expect for the new iPad mini Pro and iPad Pro 2021.
As per leaks, the new iPad Pro 2021, will come with more advance and all new A14X chip which is as powerful as the M1 chip. It will feature 12.9-inches and 11-inches of Mini-LED display models.
Also, Apple has plans to launch an “iPad mini Pro” which will feature a 8.7 inches of full-screen (no home button). This can be a low-cost iPad.


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Unless you have been hiding under a rock, you will have heard the murmurs (and more increasingly the shouts) about the Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA.
Today thousands of sites are taking part in a #SOPABlackout by taking their sites down, censoring them or generally showing their opposition to the Act which, they say, would have a huge and damaging effect on online business .
Wading through the press coverage, the bill itself and the mass of opinions and conjecture, here is a summary of how an American law could change online business in the UK, what the Act is all about and how it could affect us?
What is it?
SOPA is a proposed piece of American legislation drafted to combat online piracy and prevent American companies having thier intellectual property stolen. The actual Act is complicated; Chris Heald from Mashable described it as spaghetti and that “if a programmer on my team wrote code as convoluted as the Act I would fire them instantly.”
Basically, the bill proposes a system to punish sites allegedly “dedicated to the theft of US property.” Sites, or single pages, that are:
1. directed toward the US, and either
2. allegedly “engage in, enable or facilitate” infringement or
3. allegedly be taking or have taken steps to “avoid confirming a high probability” of infringement.
Here’s how Mashable explains that this could play out:
So before having a judge rule you guilty of an infringement, the copyright-holder could cut-off your ad and payment services and demand the infringing content be removed. If this does not happen, a law suit can then be filed.
How will it affect the UK?
The key lies in the Act’s definition of sites “dedicated to the theft of US property.”
Any site across the world found to meet this definition could be subject to punishment under the law. Mashable describes this as giving “the government the right to unilaterally censor foreign websites. So any website in the UK that infringes the conditions mentioned above will be affected by the bill.”
As The Huffington Post explains: “Search engines will have to comply with the bill by removing links to sites displaying contentious copyright material,” whether that is in America, the UK or anywhere else.
If your UK-based site is found to breach copyright, Paypal and credit payment services like Visa and Mastercard can be cut off.
As Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia, points out to the BBC, the Act could have detrimental effects on start-up companies, online entrepreneurialism and innovation overall. He said:“Start-ups that focus on user-generated content may find it hard to gain funding, and will have to devote significant resources to checking all material for copyright.”
From a consumer point of view, YouTube, Facebook and other social media sites all fall foul of the bill as users regularly post and share copyrighted material in the form of music videos, film clips, songs and images. SOPA makes it a felony offense to post a copyrighted song or video.
Where Does That Leave Us?
Having already announced that he would remove the DNS blocking and rerouting provisions of the bill (considered the most onerous by many in the tech community), architect of the bill, Republican Lamar Smith has released a statement announcing a mark-up session next month where the bill could be added to and amended.
The statement read by Chairman Smith read: “To enact legislation that protects consumers, businesses and jobs from foreign thieves who steal America’s intellectual property, we will continue to bring together industry representatives and Members to find ways to combat online piracy.
“Due to the Republican and Democratic retreats taking place over the next two weeks, markup of the Stop Online Piracy Act is expected to resume in February.
“I am committed to continuing to work with my colleagues in the House and Senate to send a bipartisan bill to the White House that saves American jobs and protects intellectual property.”
This suggests that despite the opposition from the #SOPAblackout and President Obama’s criticism of the Act in its current form, SOPA isn’t dead yet, which means that protests and the opposition will continue until an acceptable edit or replacement can be found.
What do you think: can SOPA be edited enough to make it fairer or should it be completely scrapped?


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Several mobile medical applications are being developed by various manufacturers. These applications are useful to manage patients better. So far, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not issued any guidelines for the manufacturers of these products. In the present article, the FDA has requested interested individuals to send comments regarding the policies that can be included in framing these guidelines.
A “mobile medical app” is a mobile software that meets the definition of “device” as given by the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act). To meet this requirement, the medical app should be either used as an accessory to another regulated medical device, or should “transform a mobile platform into a regulated medical device.” As they are very often used in the management of critically ill patients, their quality needs to be monitored, especially by organizations such as the FDA. However, the FDA has not yet issued any guidance for manufacturers or distributors who develop these mobile applications. The FDA is now in the process of drafting these guidelines. Before issuing these guidelines, the FDA wishes to gather suggestions from the public as well as manufacturers, so that appropriate and meaningful guidelines can be included in the draft. After a thorough evaluation of mobile medical apps, the FDA intends to enforce its authority to maintain the quality of mobile medical applications.
The FDA has requested suggestions and recommendations regarding the ways of examining mobile medical applications to check their effectiveness and safety. Moreover, it wants comments regarding their classification. For example, at present, an infusion pump stand is a Class I medical device while an infusion pump is a Class II medical device. Hence, a mobile medical application, which only serves as an accessory to a medical device could be classified as a Class I device. The FDA also intends to monitor the software used in mobile medical applications and has requested comments on this aspect as well. Comments need to reach the FDA by October 19.
* The draft containing the guidelines for manufacturing mobile medical applications is being prepared according to FDA’s Good Guidance Practices regulation.
* This draft represents the FDA’s present opinion about good quality medical mobile applications.
* The final guidelines issued by the FDA must be implemented by all manufacturers, so that the quality of mobile medical applications can be maintained. These will be made available online on FDA’s Web site.
In the present article, the FDA has requested recommendations from the general public as well as manufacturers for framing guidelines for the manufacturers of mobile medical applications. Mobile applications have broad applicability and their use is rapidly increasing. Suggestions and comments received by the FDA will help it in clarifying the types of applications on which it can apply its authority. Comments may be sent by e-mail or fax. The draft that is prepared will be made available on FDA’s website. However, it should be noted that this draft by itself is not final and it will not be put into force immediately.
For More Information:
Draft Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug Administration Staff: Mobile Medical Applications and Availability
Publication Journal: Federal Register, July 18, 2011
By Nancy K. Stade; Center for Devices and Radiological Health, Silver Spring, Maryland


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Listen to the latest podcast on the Beirut blast here
Sarah Beydoun has worked with village women and former prisoners across Lebanon for more than 20 years to create vibrant and popular handbags.
“I’m not just making handbags, I’m a social enterprise," she says.
But her perseverance took a hit after the August 4 blast. “I was completely disorientated,” she recalls. “Everything I did didn’t make sense any more, like creating things or making a nice handbag.”
Traumatised, she postponed the rebuilding of her luxury handbag brand Sarah's Bag. “It took me a few months to rebuild; I was really in shock and didn’t want to look at the damage,” she says. “I thank God that we were spared the injuries.”
The women she had worked with for so long helped pick her back up.
“They contacted me from their villages to help reorganise the workshop and put everything back in place,” she says. The non-profit March Lebanon, with support from philanthropic organisation Alfanar, sent artisans from Tripoli to help rebuild the shopfront's historic vitrines.
With a pandemic and an economic crisis raging, the brand, which has its headquarters in a 1930s townhouse in Beirut’s Tabaris district, reopened with a new focus: its online shop.
“Shifting our sales online has been extremely challenging,” says Beydoun. “But every day we’re seeing clients from new countries. They know the brand and they like what we do."
The day Beydoun speaks to The National, she is celebrating an online breakthrough: her latest summer collection sold out within days.
“We’re now producing more bags for the collection,” she says. Beydoun attributes this success to a change in consumer habits as a result of the pandemic. “Consumers are more socially conscious. They don’t want to buy something just because it’s beautiful, they want to feel like they’re supporting a cause."
Many creative business owners in Lebanon are moving their operations online in order to mitigate the risks of Lebanon’s economic crisis. Beydoun's affordable yet carefully crafted and durable handbags, priced at about $150, are now out of reach for middle-class Lebanese families with no overseas income, and reach the equivalent of $2,000 at the current exchange rate for the Lebanese pound.
What makes Beydoun stay, however, is the artisans she works with.
“I have an amazing workforce here,” she says. “Today I am working with 150 women across Lebanon who are all skilled in their own way. They each work a different craft, many of which are unique and only known to our region. I loved exploring these crafts and applying them to modern accessories.
“Some women had their lives transformed. They went from being former prisoners to the owners of a workshop in their village. Many of them are teaching other women different skills that we taught them. One woman can train up to 10 women.
“When I see this impact, it makes it hard for me to leave Lebanon. I feel I’m needed now more than ever."
The city's spirit is intrinsic to the brand's ethos, too. Early collections were replete with nostalgic references to Beirut’s urban fabric, featuring old street signs, painted truck fronts and old postcards. Its 2008 clutch bag, featuring the graffiti inscription "Beirut never dies” ("Beirut Ma bit mout"), quickly became a bestseller.
“Beirut was always an inspiration for me from the start. We really dug into our collective consciousness and created products that reflected Beirut before anyone else did."
Today, the brand continues to draw on references to contemporary culture. But making products referencing Beirut’s port explosion is out of the question.
“I did nothing related to the blast,” says Beydoun, “I would always like to be inspired by beautiful things, not painful ones.”


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MerchBook™ features allow users to easily share and embed professional virtual PDFs with their clients and prospects. The new software boasts editing tools that immediately converts any PDF into an interactive online experience, with the ability to brand and link products or sections within the document, providing a unique and bespoke experience for every client.
The MerchBook™ launch announcement comes just months after the leading promotional product software provider, previously reported growth and advancements across the entire business including technology, supply chain connectivity and the launch of further industry exclusive tools back in December 2022.
AIM Smarter UK General Manager, Rosi Spence said, “We’re delighted to be able to offer this industry first and game changing technology. This is yet another sales tool offered by AIM which will aid the streamlining and selling power of businesses within our industry and beyond. The future of promotional product catalogues and online experiences is changing, and we’re dedicated to ensuring our customers continue to have the most upcoming tools at their service to drive engagement and growth through AIM Smarter.”
Visit merchbook.co.uk for more information.


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Well, the dress has been found ... to be a fake!
The thief who took the gown says he took the dress from Lupita's room at The London after finding the door ajar.
[Image via WENN.]
Ever supermodels aren’t immune to the deliciousness of Nutella!
The model tweeted a picture (above) of her holding two pieces of bread at the local restaurant L'Isoletta, slathered in Nutella or as she calls it a "nutella pizza".
No doubt she’ll pay for her indulgence at the gym, but it’s always good to see models chowing down on carbs too!
[Image via Twitter.]


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When Roku Inc. (NASDAQ: ROKU) released its first-quarter financial results after the markets closed on Wednesday, the company said that it had a net loss of $0.09 per share and $206.7 million in revenue. That compared with consensus estimates calling for a net loss of $0.24 per share and $191.97 million in revenue, as well as the −$0.07 per share and $136.58 million posted in the same period of last year.
During the latest quarter, active accounts increased 2.0 million sequentially to 29.1 million, while streaming hours increased sequentially by 1.6 billion to 8.9 billion. Average revenue per user came to $19.06 on a trailing 12-month basis, up $1.11 from the fourth quarter and up 27% year over year.
Platform revenues increased 78.7% year over year to $134.15 million, and Player revenues increased about 18% to $72.51 million.
Looking ahead to the second quarter, the company expects to see $223 million in revenue with a gross profit of roughly $101 million. Consensus estimates call for a net loss of $0.22 per share and $220.18 million in revenue.
Anthony Wood, founder and CEO, commented:
Roku had an outstanding first quarter, delivering better-than-expected financial results with strong business momentum. As a result, we are increasing our financial outlook for 2019. The strength of our brand, the scale of our active account base, the advantages of our purpose-built streaming OS, and the engagement of our users make Roku an increasingly important partner for content publishers, advertisers and TV manufacturers. The shift to streaming and away from linear TV and legacy distribution platforms has enormous momentum. We estimate that in Q1 2019 more than one-in-three smart TVs sold in the U.S. were Roku TVs, making the Roku OS the #1 selling smart TV OS in the U.S.
Shares of Roku traded early Thursday at $75.90, up almost 17% and in a 52-week range of $26.30 to $77.57. The consensus price target is $68.23.


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Bendigo and Adelaide Bank
News stories featuring Bendigo and Adelaide Bank:
October 17th, 2016
Apple’s claim that allowing access to the NFC technology within its iPhones would diminish the security of Apple Pay has been branded “completely baseless” by a group of four Australian banks, who are seeking greater…
September 13th, 2016
A group of South Korean financial services providers are following in the footsteps of four Australian banks by preparing to take action against Apple in a bid to pressurise the technology giant into opening up…
August 31st, 2016
Apple has made clear that allowing access to the NFC technology within its iPhone is “not open to negotiation with any bank”.
August 22nd, 2016
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has decided not to grant a group of Australian banks interim authorization to “collectively negotiate” with third party mobile wallet providers.
August 10th, 2016
Apple is urging the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to reject a request from a group of the country’s banks to “collectively negotiate” with third party mobile wallet providers over the introduction of mobile payment services.
July 27th, 2016
A group of Australian banks have submitted an application to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), urging for the right to ensure they are able to “collectively negotiate” with third party mobile wallet providers.
• Find a list of all the companies and other organisations that have been featured in NFC World in our directory.


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The hotel group and subsidiary of Singapore-listed GuocoLeisure Group, announced the launch of Every Hotels as a direct response to the pressure that four-star hoteliers are experiencing globally.
Based on market research that showed a gap between bedroom and event space occupancy, the new brand aims to offer four-star bedroom facilities with limited non-bedroom facilities to maximise yield for owners.
The brand will be launched by the opening of Every Piccadilly in London in November this year.
This will be followed by openings in Hyde Park, Leicester Square and Bloomsbury with the ambition to add 50 further hotels by the end of the decade.
Mike DeNoma, the chain’s chief executive, said: “The four-star full-feature hotel product is a dinosaur for many cities around the world. We estimate that half of all 4 star hotels outside gateway cities have too many restaurants and barely-used meeting facilities.
“The four star sector continues to bury its long neck in the sand, in the face of changing customer needs. Every is our direct response to owners and developers burdened with legacy buildings who are keen for a new four star option that responds to the changing market.”
Ian Gamse, director at OTUS & CO, specialist hospitality finance and strategy advisors, said: “It should be obvious that supply needs to match demand. But the big old four-star hotels were designed to meet demand that scarcely exists outside gateway cities.
“However much customers say that they like hotels with lots of restaurants, ballrooms meeting spaces, spas, swimming pools and whatever – they hardly use those facilities. It’s so much wasted space. Property owners know this and are exasperated.”


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Taipei, A package of seeds sent to an unwitting recipient in Canada was transshipped through Taiwan from a third origin, Taiwan’s postal service said Wednesday, after Canadian police issued a warning about seed packages from abroad.
On Tuesday, police in the Canadian province of Ontario posted a photo on Twitter, showing an open package of seeds in a Chunghwa Post Co. envelope labeled as transshipped in the “Taiwan Free Zone.”
“If you receive an unsolicited shipment of foreign seeds in the mail from China or Taiwan DO NOT plant or dispose of them. Call the Canadian Food Inspection Agency,” the police said, warning that the seeds could be those of an invasive plant that would threaten the environment.
On Wednesday, Chunghwa Post confirmed that it had shipped the package to Canada on behalf of a private logistics company, which had brought it into Taiwan from a client in a third origin.
Chunghwa Post said it planned to levy a fine of NT$100,000 (US$3,413) against the logistics company, which it did not identify, for sending prohibited items through the mail.
According to Chunghwa Post, the logistics company has promised to dissolve its service contract with the client, but was unwilling to identify the sender or confirm whether the package had come from China.
The Canada incident came one day after Taiwan’s Council of Agriculture confirmed that it was testing a suspicious package listed as a soil sample that had been sent, unsolicited, to a Taipei resident from Shanghai in China.
It also follows warnings by United States agricultural authorities about citizens receiving packages of seeds from unknown senders in China.
The seeds may be linked to an online scam called “brushing,” in which a vendor sends items to unwitting recipients, then poses as the verified buyer to write positive reviews and boost their product ratings, U.S. media reports said, citing police.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel


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Digital TV News: James Shears
TVSquared and Extreme Reach partner on attribution on video platforms
Oct 7, 2019 – TVSquared has partnered with Extreme Reach (ER) to enable advertisers to measure the performance of all impressions served across every ad-supported OTT streaming service. The integration tags every single ad, delivering massive simplification for advertisers.
News categories: TVSquared, Extreme Reach, Jo Kinsella, James Shears, Mary Rykaczewski, Advertising, Big Data, Digital TV, OTT, USA, Worldwide
More than 50% of video ad impressions served by Extreme Reach now on CTV
Oct 2, 2019 – Connected TV (CTV) has established itself as a brand building essential that is clearly here to stay. It now accounts for a full 50% of all video ad impressions – twice that of mobile – according to the latest Video Benchmarks report from Extreme Reach (ER).
News categories: Extreme Reach, James Shears, Mary Vestewig, Advertising, Digital TV, Market Research, OTT, USA
dataxu debuts TotalTV for Advertisers, spanning linear, connected and addressable TV
Sep 20, 2018 – dataxu has announced TotalTV for Advertisers. TotalTV includes a unified planner for TV that creates buying plans to reach de-duplicated audiences among more than 120 million households, whether viewers are watching linear TV or streaming through any OTT device.
News categories: dataxu, Sorenson Media, Sandro Catanzaro, James Shears, Sarah Wilson, Advertising, Digital TV, USA, Worldwide
- FourthWall Media adds Neilsen Smart TV ACR data to analytics platform
- TDS Telecom rolls-out IP video and Cloud DVR with Velocix
- A1now selects Vionlabs for AI-powered recommendations
- Global AVOD expenditure to double
- Gem Shopping Network to use Comscore TV measurement
- United Group makes strategic investment in Forthnet
- Disney+ and Apple TV+ both see success during first six months in the market
- Comcast, Charter and ViacomCBS announce Blockgraph partnership
- Britbox app now available on BT TV set-top boxes
- Conviva partners with Akamai on QoE intelligence
- ATRESMEDIA and smartclip deepen HbbTV advertising partnership
- Bouygues Telecom replaces set-top box with Smart TV app
- Comscore, Kantar extend measurement partnership with Auditel Italy
- Pay TV revenues to plunge to $150 billion
- Cable-Tec Expo unable to go ahead
- Sisvel announces first VP9 and AV1 patent licensees
- Comcast to bring HBO Max to Xfinity customers
- HBO Max launched in the U.S.
- Nordic households spending €149pm on media and access services
- SES unveils results of Philippines TV market reception survey


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Uzbekistan has announced a plan that will force Facebook, Google, and the Russian search engine Yandex to store the personal data of Uzbek users within the territory of Uzbekistan.
The plan mirrors a similar controversial law imposed in 2014 by Russia's state-controlled telecommunications company, which requires Internet companies to store the personal data of Russian users within Russia's borders.
Uzbek Deputy Minister for the Development of Information Technologies and Communications Olimjon Umarov said on February 20 that "the localization of the server equipment and numerous services" of Internet firms would be implemented "in cooperation with the world's largest companies."
Umarov claimed that locating the servers within Uzbekistan would help to increase the speed of access to the Internet in Uzbekistan "by 10 times."
But critics say such laws are aimed at imposing more control on Internet users and the content they post on social media.
Google in 2015 moved some of its servers to Russian data centers in order to comply with Russia's version of the law.
But other global Internet firms have balked at the data rules.
On February 13, a court in Moscow fined Twitter and Facebook more than $60,000 each for refusing to move data on Russian users onto servers located within Russia.
Tashkent Forcing Internet Firms To Locate Uzbek User Data Within Uzbekistan
Top Trending Central Asia


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The world may be divided politically, but when it comes to the future direction and goals of the lighting industry, all minds are thinking alike.
[dropcap style=”letter” size=”52″ bg_color=”#ffffff” txt_color=”#0ebbef”]L[/dropcap]ast month’s Hong Kong International Lighting Fair brought together manufacturers of nearly every category of lighting and controls, as well as buyers from numerous continents. With increased tariffs looming for North American distributors, the Fair’s timing was especially fortuitous for seeking out sources that would not be affected by the legislation.
In addition to the big chain distributors and behemoths like Amazon and Walmart, there were noticeably more individual American buyers who operate small showrooms searching for opportunities to partner with lesser-known vendors for unique products that would help differentiate them from their competition.
The staff of Beacon International, headquartered in Australia and having a presence in many countries including the USA, observed an increase in the number of American distributors stopping by the booth. As of press time, ceiling fans are still omitted from the list of imported items facing tariffs, and the manufacturer’s line of fandeliers – most notably Beacon’s new models from the Lucci Air line with retractable blades – got a lot of attention.
Some of the people I spoke with at the Fair expressed interest in the fandelier product category, wondering if ceiling fans with decorative integral light kits could offer effective ambient light, thereby escaping the tariff. Many manufacturers whose operations are not affected by the tariffs posted signs stating such at their booths as an incentive to American buyers at the show.
Besides the tariffs, the second most-talked-about topic at the Fair was Smart Lighting — both for cities and residences. For the first time, the category was given prominent exhibit space with a specially designed pavilion dedicated to top Smart Home vendors such as Philips, Tuya, Opple Lighting, YeeLight, and Tmall Genie (developed by Amazon competitor Alibaba Group). The prime location provided attendees with the opportunity to try out the technology via “experience centers.”
Furthermore, the full roster of educational sessions revolved around showcasing the latest developments on a global level concerning smart cities and smart lighting as well as forecasting where the technology is going. The consensus among European, Asian, U.K., and American industry experts is there is cause for concern the giant tech companies might supersede the lighting industry’s advances and capture the lion’s share of the consumer market bolstered by brand recognition/loyalty with the electronic devices they already have.
Another category at the Fair that has increased over past editions is horticulture lighting and its potential impact on helping to solve food scarcity in climate-challenged areas on a broad spectrum, and how it can be utilized on a smaller scale by grocery distributors and consumers to grow fresh, pesticide-free vegetables, thus reducing the incidents of wasted food due to spoilage in transit or from recalls due to contamination. The Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s exhibit demonstrated the group’s research and success with horticulture lighting and the various lighting “recipes” used to spur plant growth and engender specific characteristics. On a global level, the lighting industry will be seeing more products and educational sessions on horticulture applications in the future.
As much as the industry is focused on innovations in LED, it bears noting that there currently is still a large market for decorative fixtures in traditional forms. For example, the Iris Bohemian Crystal booth was bustling with attendees seeking large-scale glass fixtures for hospitality and residential installations, and other European-based manufacturers of transitional and traditional styles were similarly busy. While some models are being outfitted with LED, many traditional fixtures remain steadfastly incandescent in keeping with statistics that show complete LED adoption in the residential sector is still some years away.
Another sign that the world is getting smaller – from a lighting design perspective – is the consistency in global trends. Perhaps it is the barrage of images on social media making consumers in every portion of the world become like-minded regarding décor, but there is definitely an aesthetic accord. From old-fashioned Edison bulb shapes (with deliberately prominent filament) to the proliferation of home furnishings with Danish Hygge sensibilities, the design and consumer worlds are thinking with one mind.
With lighting and controls development advancing rapidly, attending educational trade shows regularly is part of an effective strategy for keeping pace with the latest technology in order to stand out from the competition.


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[Stay on top of transportation news: Get TTNews in your inbox.]
Bulkmatic, one of the largest dry bulk transporters in the United States, is teaming up with Seattle-based Bulk FR8 to form a new nationwide joint venture.
The companies are launching Dry Bulk FR8, which will offer dry bulk brokerage and logistics services across the country, providing “nationwide truckload capacity solutions for dry bulk shippers.”
“We’ve provided dry bulk trucking and rail transload services for more than 50 years,” Bulkmatic President Chris Kravas said. “We are happy to announce that we can now offer brokerage services by working with one of the best liquid bulk brokerages in the business and become a one-stop transportation solution for our customers.”
The new company is headquartered at the privately owned Bulkmatic’s recently renovated corporate office in Griffith, Ind., where Bulk FR8 employees have relocated from Seattle.
“This is an exciting alliance because we share a similar customer service philosophy and company culture,” Bulk FR8 Founder and President Wayne Levinson said. “By combining our strong management team, advanced brokerage technology, and safety-focused processes with Bulkmatic’s expertise and capacity in dry bulk trucking, we will offer the dry bulk transportation market unparalleled service and rates.”
The family-owned Bulkmatic was founded in 1965 and has grown into one of the largest dry bulk transportation companies in the country. It employs 800 people nationwide and operates more than 1,400 pneumatic dry bulk trailers that truck bulk commodities for food companies, plastic manufacturers and shipping firms around the country. Bulk FR8 operates more than 500 tank truck carriers.
Want more news? Listen to today's daily briefing:


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Pakej Swasta Haji
Pakej Swasta Haji on Technology News and Updates AdmaTechnology.com at Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Smartphone Sony Yuga is estimated by some analysts will be the mainstay.
A number of people have stated that Sony was preparing his most recent flagship smartphone, which is rumored to be a major competitor iPhone 5 and the Galaxy S III.
According to [...]
Did you know that we can upload photos to Instagram and specific Page on Facebook as well? If you do not know, the following easy steps:
1. To be able to share photos in a Page on Facebook, run the first app Instagram and go to Options.
2. After that, [...]
Everyone wants to prepare for Cisco certification exams the right way because the right way is what is going to earn a passing score. But what is this elusive right way? Hold on to your exam registration. You’re about to find out exactly what you [...]
From Windows 8, until Outlook.com and Windows Phone 8, Sinofsky gave the main color on the recent changes in Microsoft.
Less than a month after the launch of Windows 8 operating system, President of the Windows Division at Microsoft, Steven Sinofsky, [...]
Easy to find because it is positioned right next to the “Like”
Facebook are testing the “Reply” button at the comments posted on the Timeline each user, say a Facebook spokesperson told Mashable last weekend.
The number of users increased four-fold compared to last year.
Website provider of free and paid storage service, Dropbox, today released an announcement stating that they have recorded a remarkable achievement by achieving 100 million users worldwide.
Update Facebook app for iOS brings free phone features such as who has owned his messenger application.
Through this feature, users can make phone calls at no cost via Wi-Fi or 3G. Want to know how? Consider the following steps.
1. Go to the Facebook [...]
Apple is reportedly preparing a new MacBook Pro is equipped with Intel’s Haswell and will be introduced at the WWDC 2013, 10-14 June 2013 in the U.S..
Never heard about Intel Haswell? This is the latest generation of Intel processors, which will [...]
Computers are often problematic certainly very disturbing your busy day with work or just play using the computer.
Problems that occur on a computer is often assumed to be a problem we can not solve yourself, so you often bring the problematic computer [...]
Microsoft said it will display the Xbox 720 or Durango on 21 May. Durango is the next generation of the Xbox 360.
As written on the website Xbox Live Arcade, Xbox Campus in Redmond, Washington, United States (U.S.), will be the location of the emergence [...]
Requires heavenly guidance in work or romance.
A temple in southern Taiwan will launch a smartphone app that can help religious Taoist to seek enlightenment from the Almighty when being activity.
In a report released CNA news agency on Saturday (10/22), [...]


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Ouster Reports 40% Year over Year Revenue Growth Driven by Automation in Industrial and Robotics Sectors
$10.3 million in revenue with 27% gross margins in Q2 2022
Revises FY 2022 revenue guidance to $40 to 55 million
Ouster, Inc. (“Ouster” or the “Company”), a leading provider of high-resolution digital lidar sensors for the automotive, industrial, robotics, and smart infrastructure industries, announced financial results for the three months ended June 30, 2022.
“By revising our revenue guidance for this year and taking prudent financial measures to ensure access to capital in the current environment, we are better positioned to navigate headwinds, while simultaneously scaling the business to achieve industry-leading growth.”
Second Quarter 2022 Financial Highlights
- $10.3 million in revenue, up 40% year over year.
- 27% gross margins, compared to 26% in the second quarter of 2021.
- Shipped 2,020 sensors in the second quarter, up 38% year over year.
- Increased the number of Strategic Customer Agreements to 80, up from 72 in the prior quarter, collectively representing approximately $575 million in contracted revenue opportunity through 2026.1
- Net loss decreased to $28 million, compared to $32 million in the second quarter of 2021.
- Adjusted EBITDA loss2 increased to $23 million, compared to $14 million in the second quarter of 2021.
Ouster achieved its second highest revenue quarter, driven primarily by growth in the industrial and robotics verticals, predominantly from customers utilizing digital lidar for warehouse and port automation, off-highway mining and agriculture vehicles, construction robots, and drones for mapping and volumetric measurement. Sizeable orders in the automotive vertical, specifically for autonomous trucks, buses, and shuttles also meaningfully contributed to revenue in the second quarter followed by revenues from smart infrastructure deployments around the world. The Company delivered gross margins of 27%, down slightly from the first quarter of 2022 due to continued supply chain headwinds and efforts to avoid production and shipping delays.
Continued Customer Traction: In the second quarter, Ouster sold sensors to approximately 90 new customers3, and converted another 8 customers to multi-year SCAs with binding commitments, further expanding its contracted revenue opportunity to approximately $575 million through 2026.
Progressed Automotive Traction: Ouster Automotive continued to expand its traction with OEMs, Tier 1s, and AV companies, driven by strong demand for its solid-state Digital Flash (DF) A-sample sensors, which started shipping in the first month of the second quarter.
Strengthened Financial Position: Ouster continued to bolster its financial position through balance sheet initiatives, including a previously announced term loan facility of up to $50 million. In the second quarter, the Company drew $20 million on the term loan facility and raised approximately $15 million from sales of common stock through an at-the-market offering. Combined with initiatives to optimize spend and accelerate growth, the Company believes these actions will strengthen the business and provide the flexibility and liquidity to execute on its business plan.
“Ouster continues to capture share in a rapidly evolving market, increasing revenue by 40% over the second quarter of 2021,” said Ouster CEO Angus Pacala. “Our ability to deliver performant and cost-efficient products to customers on-time is a key differentiator. Our diversified strategy ensures that we are well-positioned to leverage automation trends across the industrialized economy, as more companies take steps to increase productivity, improve safety, and address ongoing labor shortages across their supply chains. The positive momentum we’re seeing from automakers following the release of our DF A-sample, coupled with upcoming product releases planned for later this year, position us to capture additional market share and continue to outpace the competition.”
Ouster revised its FY 2022 revenue guidance to $40 million to $55 million and reaffirmed its gross margin target of 25% to 30%.
While the fundamentals of Ouster’s business remain unchanged, ongoing macroeconomic pressures are impacting customer ramp timelines, resulting in a significant number of large deals being delayed or staggered over a longer period of time than previously anticipated.
“Ouster’s differentiated technology, backed by a leading cost structure and our multi-market approach, positions us to continue to win head-to-head commercial opportunities and gain market share across our four market verticals,” said Ouster CFO Anna Brunelle. “By revising our revenue guidance for this year and taking prudent financial measures to ensure access to capital in the current environment, we are better positioned to navigate headwinds, while simultaneously scaling the business to achieve industry-leading growth.”


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They don’t look like regular quarters. The small discs actually look fake.
“These are the new Obama quarters,” explained the clerk at a Yonkers UPS store as she handed over change.
Huh? Doesn’t it take an act of Congress to put a person on coin or currency and doesn’t that person have to be deceased?
The Obama quarters are gold plated and bear a picture — baby pictures, in some cases — of the 44th president on one side. Regular quarters are engraved with the face of George Washington and made of copper and nickel.
In the case of the Obama quarter, a decal of Barack covers the engraving of George. Nonetheless, the store clerk insisted the Obamized 25-cent pieces were authentic because she got them from the Webster Bank a few blocks away.
Branch manager David Delgado said customers deposited the coins and the bank recirculated them to other customers.
“I have a store and give [them] to my customers as change,” said Joe Sagman, who owns a lingerie store at the Cross County Mall.
“These are real coins turned into novelty items,” said Ed Steadham, a Webster Bank spokesman.
But is an altered coin still currency? As long as you’re not trying to cheat anybody with one and it’s accepted by the other party, it is, according to Michael White of the U.S. Mint.
Dubious, we tested it out. But when we bought a soda from a Manhattan street vendor using one of the coins, we were surprised by his lack of curiosity.
“This is the second time I’ve seen one,” said Alberto Delacruz.
The coins are legal tender, but that doesn’t make them a rare collector’s item.
“They will never be worth more than a quarter, ” said David Heller, the owner of F.H. Coins and Collectibles in Manhattan.
Heller explained that once a coin is altered it loses it’s value from a coin collector’s viewpoint and becomes merely a souvenir.
Even though they look like collectibles, the Obama quarters are showing up in circulation because those who have them have realized they’re only worth a quarter so the coins may as well be put to use.
“Private companies just made so many of them after the election,” said Heller. “They’re leftovers or people who bought them have finally figured out they’re only worth face value and so they might as well use them as money.”
Altering a coin is considered defacing it and there is a federal law against it when fraudulent intent is involved. That’s the clearest explanation we could glean from the Treasury, U.S. Mint, and Secret Service. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan would only say it doesn’t comment on cases it is not actively investigating.
The denomination does make a difference, however. While an embellished quarter may get you a wink and a pass, fudging Ben Franklin off a $100 bill may net you some unwanted scrutiny.


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India’s Jio tests 5G and aims to rid country of 2G networks
Indian digital services company Jio, a subsidiary of the Reliance industries Conglomerate, has begun tests for 5G in the country.
The tests saw throughputs of 1 Gbps achieved via 5G radio and smartphones integrated in Jio’s 5G core network.
In a press release, Shri Mukesh D. Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director, Reliance Industries Limited said: “India is today among the leaders driving the Digital Revolution in the world. In order to maintain this lead, Jio will continue to accelerate the rollout of its digital platforms and indigenously developed next generation 5G stack and make it affordable and available everywhere. Jio's 5G service will be a testimony to the vision of AtmaNirbhar Bharat [An economic development policy instituted by the country’s Prime Minister last year].
Jio operates with a focus on bringing digital services to the Indian Market, and has around 400 million subscribers in the country. The company’s digital ecosystem spans broadband connectivity, smart devices, cloud and edge computing, big data analytics artificial intelligence, the internet of things and more.
The end of 2G
“Jio is determined to make India 2G-mukt [free of 2G, the oldest mobile technology], thereby empowering every Indian to have an affordable smartphone and be a part of digital and data revolution,” continued Ambani. “We invite and encourage all stakeholders to work together to make world-class digital services available to every Indian consumer at the most affordable prices.”
The news came alongside the release of quarterly results, which saw a 15.5% increase in net profit, quarter on quarter. Meanwhile, EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) grew 6.4% quarter on quarter. That comes on the back of India’s number of internet users growing significantly in recent years.
Last year, the company received significant backing from US chipmaker Intel’s capital investment arm, to the tune of $250mn - in exchange for a 0.39% stake.
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SOUTH LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- In a health-conscious city like L.A., it isn't difficult to find really good nutritious food that tastes good, but you'll usually pay a pretty penny for it, which is why two former finance guys came up with the idea of Everytable.
"Everytable is a social enterprise that makes healthy food affordable for everyone," said Sam Polk, co-founder of Everytable.
Polk says the idea sprouted from Groceryship, another program he created three years ago that helps educate those who don't have access to healthy fare, learn how to shop smarter and cook better. It is something desperately needed in areas like South L.A.
"In South Los Angeles, per capita income is $13,000 a year, and life expectancy is 10 years lower than in Pacific Palisades. We wanted to start a business that made healthy meals a human right for everyone," said Polk.
And now they have with their first location at Union and 23rd street in South L.A.
"Everyday when you walk in, the meals are going to be there ready for you -- kid tested, mother approved. All the meals, actually, that are on the menu, have been tested throughout the community for months," said David Foster, co-founder of EveryTable.
Puebla chicken tinga and pork posole are a few of their good hearty options. Foster says the goal of the meals is to be filling and economical too.
"The prices are going to be $2.95 for kids meals, going up to $3.95 to $4.50 for adult meals," said Foster.
The next store is scheduled for downtown in November, where prices will average $8. Their plan is to open at least 20 stores.
While $4.50 is a bargain, but free is even better. This Saturday at 11 a.m., they're opening their first store in South L.A., where you can try their meals promotionally.
Along with test driving the menu, there will also be a band, bounce house and face painting until 3 p.m.
Everytable opens in South LA to help lower income areas get tasty, nutritious meals
More TOP STORIES News


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Plus-size retailer N Brown to close up to five branches of Simply Be and Jacamo despite growth in sales
- The retailer is closing stores due to lower high street footfall
- Q1 sales rose 5.6%, driven by strong performance in ladies-wear
British fashion retailer N Brown is to close up to five loss-making stores as it grapples with business rates hikes and lower high street footfall.
The company, which focuses on plus-sized customers said the decision to shut up to five Simply Be and Jacamo outlets takes into account 'weak high street footfall, both current and predicted, together with significant future business rate increases for some stores'.
N Brown made the announcement alongside a trading update, which showed first quarter sales rose 5.6 per cent, driven by a strong ladies wear performance. Shares were up 11.9 per cent at 318.63p on Tuesday morning following the results.
Weak footfall is one of the reasons why N Brown is closing five branches of stores Simply Be and Jacamo
The stores accounted for the group's entire £2million operating loss from its store estate in 2017. N Brown generates over 70 per cent of its revenue from online sales, a rise of 4 percentage points over the last year. Overall traffic to its websites was up 34 per cent in the period.
Chief executive Angela Spindler said: 'As a result of ongoing weak footfall in some locations, and with a clear focus on driving financial returns across all areas of our business, we will be closing up to five loss-making stores.'
'Although the outlook for consumer confidence remains uncertain, our offering is resonating with customers.'
The company last week announced that Andrew Higginson is to step down as chairman after almost five years in order to 'pursue opportunities in private equity'.
N Brown said Mr Higginson will remain as chairman during the search for his replacement and through what it called 'an orderly handover period'.
It said the closure process will be completed by the end of August at a cost of around £10million to £14million.
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Crystal River — The Citrus County Sheriff’s Office continues to investigate Elite Roofing and Gutters in Crystal River after customers reported that they had been scammed out of thousands of dollars.
The company is accused of scamming customers in multiple counties, therefore, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement has also started a statewide investigation.
Despite the fact the owner of Elite Roofing, Jason Lee Beville, has scammed residents out of thousands of dollars in deposits, he is still licensed with the state of Florida.
Court records show that Beville was arrested in April and charged with Grand Theft after a customer filed a complaint with the CCSO.
The Better Business Bureau revoked the company’s accreditation shortly after Beville’s arrest, however, the company still claims they have an “A” rating with the BBB.
According to court records, Beville and his company are being sued for business loans exceeding hundreds of thousands of dollars with lawsuits dating back 11 years.
The company used to be called Top Knotch Roofing, but Since 2006, in an attempt to continue his scams, Beville has changed the company name multiple times.
The FDLE and CCSO urge consumers to avoid doing business with the company.
Beville has a court appearance on July 30.
If you feel you have been a victim, contact the CCSO at 352-726-4488.
The criminal investigation is ongoing.


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Didi CEO wants Uber China to continue to run independently and expects Didi and Uber China to become one team with the same goal.
Tag: Cheng Wei
They outlined the importance of a local strategy for the ride-sharing market and how collaboration between ride-share providers will redefine mobility.
Did you know that the CEO of China’s ride-hailing giant, Cheng Wei is the youngest among Chinese unicorn startup founders? Here are 10 things you may not know about Uber China’s top rival.
The CEO of China’s largest ride-hailing company Didi Kuaidi reveals the company’s key strategy in taking on U.S. rival Uber in a recent interview.
AllChinaTech compiles a list of the six most prominent entrepreneurs who are shaking the landscape of Chinese tech scenes in the year of 2015.
Yahoo Co-Founder Jerry Yang begins his new position by dropping by Didi’s Beijing headquarters immediately getting to work helping globalize the Chinese ride-hailing leader.
Didi Chuxing founder and CEO Cheng Wei and chairman Liu Qing topped Fortune China’s 40 under 40 Business Leaders chart for the first time.
Our daily highlights: Duiba app receives USD 4.7 million investment; Suning opens first O2O center in Beijing; Smart POS Yunnex fundraises USD 15.8 million.
Don’t miss our daily highlights: Xiaomi moves into Africa and India; Huawei Mate 8 to launch Nov. 26; Tencent pours USD 1 billion into Meituan-Dianping.
The China Rich List is out with Wanda Group Chairman, Wang Jianlin, taking the top spot, and the IT industry realizing strongest growth with heavy representation on the list.


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02 Nov GE joins blockchain for energy study; Ambit expands its reach in Alberta
GE participates in German agency’s study of blockchain for electricity. GE Power Digital is participating in a study to evaluate the use of blockchain technology for energy industry applications, the company announced in a press release. The study by the German energy agency, Deutsche Energie-Agentur, aims to determine if blockchain can be economical and reliable in energy industry applications. Dena’s study, Blockchain in the Integrated Energy Transition, will explore the added value of blockchain compared to alternative systems and determine its technical and economic limits. “The world’s most powerful utility in 2025 may not exist today. At the very least, it does not operate today as it will in the future,” said GE Chief Digital Officer Steven Martin. “Blockchain is rapidly evolving and has the potential to be an enabling technology for the future grid, and as an industry we should continue to explore its applications. By participating in dena’s study, we will experiment to identify the exact qualitative and quantitative value add of blockchain in enabling a decentralized, efficient and intelligent grid.”
Ambit expands its reach in Alberta. Ambit Energy announced that enrollment is now available to approximately 1.43 million additional residential and small commercial electric customers across Alberta, Canada, through Ambit Energy Canada. “Our growth in Canada continues to exceed our expectations,” said Ambit’s CEO, Jere Thompson. Ambit Energy Canada began offering residential and small commercial electric and natural gas services to Alberta customers in November of 2017.
Today’s Daily Energy News is brought to you by Electric Industry News, your comprehensive daily summary of developments affecting the retail electric industry.


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The Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT) trade has been a hub of innovation and development over the previous 12 months, however because it approaches the halfway level of 2023, the market is displaying indicators of maturation and alter. In response to a current report by DappRadar, NFT gross sales may fall beneath $1 billion for the primary time this 12 months.
NFT Market Dealing with Headwinds
In response to the report, the NFT market exhibits indicators of a possible shift in Might 2023, with the buying and selling quantity reaching $333 million from $2.three million in gross sales, a pattern that will end result within the first month of this 12 months with a buying and selling quantity underneath $1 billion.
Regardless of this decline in gross sales, the NFT trade continues to be displaying robust exercise and engagement, with day by day distinctive lively wallets (dUAW) linked to NFT actions reaching 173,000, marking a 27% enhance from the earlier month.
Nevertheless, the NFT market is going through important challenges, with many merchants promoting their giant NFT holdings at a loss to take part within the Memecoin frenzy, in response to DappRadar. This has led to an uptick in on-chain exercise, driving Ethereum’s fuel charges above $100 and negatively impacting the quantity of low-value NFT trades on the blockchain.
Regardless of this, the NFT market continues to be experiencing important developments and occasions. Elon Musk’s tweet on Might 10, 2023, referencing the Milady Maker assortment, fueled a buying and selling quantity spike, reaching $13.95 million and doubling the variety of trades in the identical week.
Moreover, the Pudgy Penguins mission secured $9 million in seed funding, debuting the Pudgy Toys assortment, which amassed a complete buying and selling quantity of $7.89 million the next week.
Moreover, the highest ten NFT gross sales reveal stalwarts just like the Bored Ape Yacht Membership and CryptoPunks dominating the NFT panorama. Nevertheless, a brand new entrant has emerged within the sixth place – an ADA deal with, a private crypto area on the ADA blockchain, offered for $182,089, equal to 500,000 ADA.
Bitcoin Ordinals vs. NFTs
Bitcoin Ordinals, a brand new type of digital asset, has develop into a scorching subject within the decentralized app (dapp) group since its launch by software program engineer Casey Rodarmor on January 21. This protocol has garnered a big following, with over 7.four million Ordinals minted on the time of writing.
Ordinals differ from NFTs as they home all their information straight on-chain, incomes the label “digital artifacts”. This characteristic makes Ordinals a possible technical improve to NFTs and a shift in Bitcoin’s cultural panorama.
Nevertheless, the rise of Ordinals and the BRC-20 token commonplace, which allows the deployment of meme cash on the Bitcoin blockchain, has provoked concern amongst Bitcoin maxis. These improvements have strained the Bitcoin community, resulting in a backlog of unconfirmed transactions and elevated charges. The spike in transaction demand precipitated charges to soar to $31 on Might 8, 2023, in response to DappRadar’s report.
Regardless of the challenges, the elevated exercise has boosted miner charges, enhancing the general safety of the Bitcoin blockchain. The surge in charges signifies a rising variety of folks utilizing Bitcoin for non-financial functions, reminiscent of creating and buying and selling Ordinals and hypothesis on tokens.
The Ordinals Protocol has given rise to intriguing collections and spectacular gross sales, with Ordinal Punks and TwelveFold as notable examples. These collections have seen buying and selling volumes, up to now 30 days, of 11.85 BTC and 14.9 BTC, respectively, indicating important curiosity and engagement within the new digital asset.
The introduction of Bitcoin Ordinals represents an thrilling improvement within the NFT area, opening up new potentialities for digital asset creation and buying and selling. Nevertheless, it additionally highlights the necessity for continued innovation and upgrades to handle the challenges posed by elevated exercise and demand on the Bitcoin community.
Featured picture from iStock, chart from TradingView.com