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Good news! Subsidized LPG cylinder price slashed by Rs. 5.91
For the second time in a month, the price of subsidized domestic cooking gas or LPG has been reduced on account of tax impact on the reduced market rate of the fuel. Subsidized LPG price was slashed by Rs. 5.91/cylinder. After the reduction, a 14.2-kg subsidized LPG cylinder will cost Rs. 494.99 in the national capital from midnight tonight; it currently costs Rs. 500.90.
Second straight reduction in subsidized LPG price in December
The LPG price reduction was announced by the country's largest fuel retailer, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), in a statement. This is the second straight reduction in LPG rate in Dec'18. Earlier, on 1 December, the subsidized LPG rate was decreased by Rs. 6.52 per cylinder after six consecutive rate hikes since June. The subsidized LPG price had increased by Rs. 14.13 during June-November.
Non-subsidized LPG rate reduced by Rs. 120.5 per cylinder
Meanwhile, the non-subsidized LPG rate has been reduced by Rs. 120.50/cylinder; at market price, a 14.2-kg LPG cylinder will cost Rs. 689 after the reduction in Delhi. The market-priced LPG price was cut by Rs. 133 per cylinder on 1 December. IOC said the prices were reduced "due to fall in price of LPG in international market and strengthening of US dollar-rupee exchange rate."
All consumers have to buy LPG cylinders at market price
While all consumers buy LPG cylinders at market price, the government annually subsidizes 12 cylinders per household, by directly depositing subsidy amount to consumer's linked bank account. This subsidy amount varies depending on changes in average international benchmark LPG rate and foreign-exchange rate. When global prices rise, the subsidy amount is hiked and vice versa. GST on LPG is, however, calculated at market rate.
Tax incidence on subsidized LPG has decreased
With the decrease in LPG market price, the tax incidence on subsidized LPG has also decreased, leading to the current price reduction. "Accordingly, the upfront cash payment by the consumer of domestic LPG will...reduce by Rs. 120.50 per cylinder. Domestic LPG consumer will now be required to make upfront cash payment of Rs. 689 a cylinder in place of Rs 809.50," IOC said.
How much subsidy will consumers get after LPG price reduction?
After the current price reduction, subsidized cooking gas consumers will receive a subsidy amount of Rs. 194.01 per cylinder in their bank accounts for January 2019. Earlier this month, the subsidy amount was reduced from Rs. 433.66 in November to Rs. 308.60 on 1 December.


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Azuki stated that 2,000 ‘Bobu: The Bean Farmer’ NFTs would be sent to a Ledger hardware wallet. The event, co-produced by NASA and Elon Musk’s SpaceX, intends to launch a team into space and the NFTs on April 23, 2022. The action establishes Bobu as the first NFT to be transported to space through a hardware wallet. It also underlines Azuki’s ambition to push limits in the NFT sector.
Azuki has a portfolio of 10,000 characters that provide you admission to The Garden as a member. It all starts with unique streetwear collaborations, NFT releases, live events, and more. Azuki’s community ownership enables the creation of a new type of media that the world has yet to discover.
Bobu is Azuki #40, a “core character in the Azuki world” who drinks sake (Alcohol) and resides on his farm cultivating beans, according to the firm. He’s an intriguing experiment as the firm seeks to take IP administration to the next level by giving holders more control. Those who own a Bobu Token can vote on character-building pathways and other things.
The Azuki group has also collaborated with STELLAR (Space Technology and Engineering for Launching Life Application Research), a Grand Canyon University student research group. STELLAR’s research will assess the energy production and electrical properties of a Microbial Fuel Cell (MFC) operating in microgravity. A gift ranging from 2 to 8 ETH will be selected by Bobu NFT owners in a vote scheduled to begin on April 14 at 4:00 p.m. ET.
As the expedition begins, holders of Bobu the Bean Farmer NFTs may anticipate unique gifts from the Azuki crew to be airdropped. To commemorate the historic launch of Bobu into space, the Azuki team is organizing a giveaway, one Bobu NFT and one Beanz Official NFT.
Our aim is to chase the future, innovations, and the latest trends of all things tech. We love to interact with industry experts, understand their diverse and unique perspectives, and spread their ideas.

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Today, Nov. 26, as part of our Sunday Thanksgiving weekend shopping plans, we can on purpose support brands that benefit people and the planet in “Shop for Good Sunday.” These businesses are redefining success in business and reducing many of our social problems with their everyday business practices, according to DoneGood, a social enterprise that created Shop for Good Sunday along with other mission-driven organizations.
The DoneGood organization was founded to support people building socially responsible businesses. DoneGood observed that we have Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Giving Tuesday and even Cyber Monday. However, we did not have any day dedicated to businesses that are attempting to make the world better by helping to solve social issues.
Many of these business leaders are on the frontline of change and are coming up against more prominent corporations to be a force for social justice. When we patronize these businesses, we are helping them to succeed and encouraging them to continue to make a difference not only in our lives but also in the lives of those challenged with diverse societal challenges.
A decade ago, a group of business leaders believed that businesses should work for everyone and composed the Declaration of Interdependence. These were not leaders of big companies or who had developed household name products. Instead, these were small business owners who cared about their employees, the communities in which they conducted their businesses, and the environment. They believed that companies should work for everyone.
An overview of the Declaration of Interdependence is that business leaders pledge to be purpose-driven and create benefits for all stakeholders — not just shareholders. They vow to be the change they seek in the world, aspire to do no harm with their products, business practices, and profits and act with the understanding that we are interdependent of each other and future generations.
In 2007, a nonprofit, B Lab, was founded to establish and manage the B Corporation certification system. For information about how to be a B Corporation, visit bcorporation.net. A B-Corp certification means that businesses are using the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. It is a legal designation that means a company is legally chartered to focus on a social mission first, profits second.
One business provides one million meals to public schools every week. A business decided to go green and helps employees move from welfare to a career with livable wages. Another business recycles used books and funds local libraries. An ice cream company was one of the first companies who always believed that all stakeholders connected to their business should prosper as they prosper, including those who produce the ingredients, employees who make the product and the communities in which the company operates, the website states.
These are just a few examples. More than 2,000 B Corporations across 130 industries and 50 countries, and another 20,000 are slated to come on board. These businesses believe in creating products that last, treating their customers, employees and the planet with respect and dignity. These social enterprises are mission-driven and motivated to build successful businesses and help contribute to the world being a more just place at the same time.
The B Corp label helps us as consumers to identify these change makers whose overall mission is to prove that businesses can be commercially successful and socially responsible. The goal of Shop for Good Sunday is that while we are shopping today or the rest of the Holiday Season — which is when many of us spend the most money — that we also patronize these businesses. Perhaps we may consider some of these products as year-round purchases. According to DoneGood, consumer spending is 70 percent of the economy.
For a list of many of the DoneGood businesses, go to donegood.co. These businesses bear three or more of the following designations: women/minority owned, empower workers, give back, support diversity, eco-friendly, recycled/upcycled, vegan, cruelty-free, organic/GMO-free, made in the USA or toxin-free.
DoneGood looks at different certifications, conducts research, talks to company founders and review expert opinions. It also relies on input from people in the DoneGood community. If any of us believes DoneGood is not profiling products we support, and we feel it should, DoneGood welcomes the information.
So, as we go about our holiday shopping, we can also know that our purchases are supporting businesses that do good for people, the community, and the planet.
The author is a social issues advocate, writer and a Vacaville resident. Email: email@example.com.


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DAVOS, Switzerland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On January 16, heads of state, industry experts and business leaders gathered for the annual World Economic Forum conference at Davos. At the same time, a smaller, though no less consequential, event took place just 10 minutes away at Sonas Irish Pub. Food startup Fork & Good conducted the city’s first blind tasting of hybrid cultivated meat to gather feedback from an eclectic group of 40 people.
Participants each received two small dishes distinguished by blue and yellow stickers. One contained 100% conventional pork and the other a blend of 30% cultivated and 70% conventional pork. (Willing vegetarians also had a chance to enjoy dumplings made with a blend of plant and cultivated pork)
“Mixing cultivated meat with conventional meat has many advantages,” said Fork & Good Chief Scientific Officer Gabor Forgacs. “It helps alleviate the rising supply chain and environmental challenges meat producers face. It also allows for the gradual introduction of cultured meat through products consumers are already used to.”
Perhaps most importantly, it tastes just like meat — because it is 100% meat. As Fork & Good co-founders expected, participants at the blind tasting found no major difference between the two samples. An informal poll after the tasting showed more than half of the group preferred the 30/70 blend over conventional meat on its own. The group was equally split when asked to guess which dish contained cultivated meat.
The tasting was led by Fork & Good CEO Niya Gupta, who said, “We are aiming to serve everyone everywhere with affordable meat so it’s exciting to get input in this open and democratic way. We had everyone, from an American professor to a Swedish nonprofit worker to a Chinese student — even a regular Swiss person walking in off the street looking for a beer. Their feedback has been critical to us as we continue our product development journey.”
One of the participants, global data science leader Dr. Richard Kerr, said, “I wasn’t able to tell the difference between the samples, to the point that I thought it was going to be revealed that all the samples were 100% cultured. I love the idea, and will continue to follow [Fork & Good’s] progress with interest.”
The lunchtime tasting was a part of UnDavos, an informal entrepreneurship-focused gathering that takes place the same week as the WEF conference. Mark Turrell, founder of UnDavos and CTO of Fresh Solutions AI, invited Fork & Good to present their product at a “meal for the future” event. “It was amazing to physically experience technology being integrated into our food — the food in our mouths," Turrell said.
In addition to the blind tasting, Fork & Good was invited to the main WEF conference as a Technology Pioneer, one of just 100 early-stage startups developing innovative technologies to address global challenges. Gupta participated in back-to-back meetings and roundtables, including a bilateral meeting with one of the world’s largest meat producers who couldn’t tell the difference between conventional meat and Fork & Good’s hybrid cultivated meat.
Founded in 2018, Fork & Good launched its pilot facility in Jersey City, New Jersey. The facility is already capable of producing six to ten times more meat per square foot than is currently possible by conventional means. Fork & Good’s cultivated meat is ready for market, pending regulatory approval by the FDA and USDA.
ABOUT FORK AND GOOD
From its facility in Jersey City, Fork & Good is on a mission to grow the best of meat for everyone, everywhere. The company takes a novel approach to cultivating meat by growing muscle cells directly in proprietary bioreactors for maximum flavor and nutritional value—while drastically reducing the amount of land and water used in conventional livestock production. The team has 150+ years of combined experience that spans food, agriculture, and science, and is committed to helping build the industry in a safe, transparent way. Learn more at: www.forkandgood.com.


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Geely Automobile Holdings, long the subject of speculation about its political ties, has moved to dispel a widely held belief its chairman's wife was related to Chinese President Xi Jinping.
AutoNews.com. Fri, 19 Oct 2018 00:01:00 EST. Subscription may be required.
Tesla's breakthrough deal to secure land for a Shanghai factory commits the electric-car maker to a multibillion-dollar investment just as the Chinese vehicle market falters.
AutoNews.com. Thu, 18 Oct 2018 06:07:23 EST. Subscription may be required.
Chinese carmaker Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd , long the subject of speculation about its political ties, has moved to dispel a widely held belief its chairman's wife was related to Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Reuters. Wed, 17 Oct 2018 22:10:07 -0400.
China's electric vehicle market has seen great growth in a short period of time and will continue to grow rapidly despite Beijing's shifting subsidies, according to one expert.
CNBC. Fri, 31 Aug 2018 05:40 GMT.
Hyundai Motor Co plans to ship China-made cars to Southeast Asia, its China joint venture and two people familiar with the matter told Reuters, as a plunge in Chinese sales has left much of its massive local manufacturing capacity idled.
Reuters. Wed, 29 Aug 2018 22:13:10 -0400.
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Facing a growing trade dispute between the world's largest economies that threatens Kentucky's growing auto industry, Republican Gov. ...
Adam Beam. Washington Times. Mon, 13 Aug 2018 19:54:18 -0400.
This chinese category page lists editorially-reviewed websites and web pages that pertain to this topic.
Chinese is a proper noun. Chinese is (1) any of the Sino-Tibetan languages spoken in China; regarded as dialects of a single language (even though they are mutually unintelligible) because they share an ideographic writing system, (2) a native or inhabitant of Communist China or of Nationalist China.


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The rate of progress in AI has been very irregular and unpredictable. The global artificial intelligence market size was projected at USD 39.9 billion in 2019 and is expected to reach USD 62.3 billion in 2020, is probably to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 42.2% from 2020 to 2027 to reach USD 733.6 billion by 2027. Organizations are implementing AI for varied business applications.
The technology provides real-time data gathering, forecasting, and analysis for delivering greater insight in industry verticals, like automotive, healthcare, retail, finance, and manufacturing.
The banking, financial services and insurance industry have undergone a dynamic transformation because the industry requires improvement in areas like fraud detection, wealth management and insurance processing.
By implementing AI BFSI firms can meet strategic objectives like improving customer experience, cost and efficiency optimization, delivering personalized services and improving speed-to-market for offerings.
The manufacturing industry deals with vast quantities of knowledge due to the utilization of sensors and networks,93% of companies believes AI is going to be an essential technology so as to drive growth and innovation within the sector.
87% of manufacturers have adopted AI or planned while 83% hold that AI will make a tangible impact on manufacturing and management within the following 5 years.
Software led the synthetic intelligence market and accounted for quite a 39.0% share of the worldwide revenue in 2019, due to prudent improvements in information storage capacity, high computing power, and multiprocessing capabilities to deliver high-end AI software in dynamic end-use verticals.
Machine learning and Deep learning has led the market and accounted for quite a 39.0% share of the worldwide revenue in 2019, due to its complicated data-driven applications, including text/content or speech recognition.
As an example, in March 2018, NVIDIA Corporation announced a strategic partnership with Arm Limited to bring deep learning inference to the web of Things (IoT) and consumer electronics devices within the global marketplace.
The advertising and media segment led the market and accounted for quite a 20.0% share of the worldwide revenue in 2019. The healthcare sector is gaining a number one share supported use-cases, like robot-assisted surgery, dosage error reduction, and automatic image diagnosis. The BFSI segment includes financial analysis, risk assessment, and investment/portfolio management solicitations.
North America dominated the AI market and accounted for over 42.0% share of worldwide revenue in 2019. This is often due to the presence of leading players within the region, a strong technical adoption base, and the availability of state funding. The Asia Pacific is estimated to witness significant growth in the market for artificial intelligence.
Key Companies & Market Share:
In September 2019, IBM Watson Health signed an agreement with Guerbet, for the event of an AI software solution for cancer diagnostics and monitoring. Moreover, in January 2019, Intel Corporation announced its partnership with Alibaba Group Holding Limited (China), to co-develop AI-powered tracking technology to be deployed at the Olympic Games 2020.
Some key players operating within the AI market include Atom wise, Inc.; Life graph; Sense.ly, Inc.; Zebra Medical Vision, Inc.; Baidu, Inc, Google LLC; Intel Corporation; and Microsoft Corporation etc.
The Strategic Acquisition of startups is the Key Strategy to expand globally for the Key Players:
Globally there is a trend of startups growing in the market. Hence key players are taking several strategic initiatives, such as mergers and acquisitions, partnerships, and collaborations with other major companies so as to offer customized artificial intelligence solutions to fulfil the rising needs of the industries and to expand globally in order to enhance their offerings these players are acquiring startups.
Investments that are rising in research and development by leading players also will play an important role in increasing the uptake of AI technologies.
For example, the Chinese tech giant Alibaba's research institute Damo Academy has developed a diagnostic algorithm that can detect new coronavirus cases with the chest computed tomography (CT) scan. The AI model utilized in the system has been trained with the sample data from over 5,000 positive coronavirus cases.
In December 2019, Intel Corporation has completed the acquisition of Habana Labs Ltd., an Israel-based deep learning company. This acquisition is estimated to strengthen Intel Corporation’s AI portfolio and encourage its efforts within the AI silicon market.
The retail industry is expected to grow significantly: the expectation is that 80% of executives will adopt AI-powered intelligent automation. It is because of customer changing habits. Artificial intelligence technology in retail offers various benefits such as predictive merchandising, programmatic advertising, market forecasting, in-store visual monitoring & surveillance, and location-based marketing.
Ease of Deployment:
This is likely to boost cloud adoption. On-premises has led to gain maximum shares. Owing to less implementation expense cloud deployment is gaining traction. Eg is amazon which offers easy image recognition, chatbots, etc. so cloud deployment would be in demand in few years.
Use of machine learning, NLP and computer vision: machine learning is gaining popularity because of precision in analysis. Which the increasing application for chatbots and virtual assistant is boosting demand for NLP technology. Ml technology is required mostly in healthcare sectors computer vision is another one.
The fusion of air and cloud computing can help to grow market segments. Companies with fewer funds can rely on cloud computing for the services. For eg.veritone has use cloud computing for building it AI operating system. Startups are using fusion to expand globally.
Increasing use of AI will increase chances in the service market: three components of the market are taken into account they are: hardware, services and AI software. Hardware will grow because of semiconductor companies.
Enterprises will be enabled to increase the use of AI of network optimization to optimize their inventory by making orders that supported the estimated demand, current inventory level, and time interval.
Al can help telecom providers to create self-optimizing networks (SONs), which may provide network operators with the power to automatically optimize their network quality counting on traffic information by zone and region. Poor availability of skilled workforce and high cost of implementing AI.
A major challenge for the expansion of Al within the telecommunication industry is that the shortage of technical expertise among the workforce.
Enterprises implementing Al are required to possess sound knowledge on working with Al software platforms and periodic servicing necessities to make sure smooth operations.


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KKR will increase investment in startups driving technological innovation, says co-founder Henry Kravis, highlighting a strategic expansion beyond its traditional targets of big corporations.
No longer does Silicon Valley have a monopoly on high growth startups. Successful startup ecosystems are popping up across the world, but some are more successful than others.
A top Chinese tech investor that's plowed $1 billion into healthcare companies since 2006, is training its focus on biotech startups it thinks have the best chance of taking on the world's top drugmakers.
When Japan Airlines Co. last month announced it was opening a $70 million venture capital fund, it was natural for skeptics to wonder: What does an airline know about investing in startups?
There are plenty of signs that we are approaching the peak of yet another startup/tech bubble. With everything from new financial measures to the explosion of unicorn valuations and a feeling among entrepreneurs of being invincible, it's 1999 all over again.
The EF hypothesis sounds simple: get enough smart and motivated people together in a cohort and give them the opportunity (time, access to funds, etc.) to start businesses together and some of them will succeed... bigly.
With more well-heeled tech startups keen to serve an untapped market, real estate investors, funds and property management groups have more tools at their disposal than ever.
AI startups experienced their best funding year ever, raising a record $9.33 billion, or nearly 10% of last year's total VC investments that reached $99.5 billion, an 18-year high since the dot-com era.
A fashion platform with a valuation approaching $1 billion began when Ankiti Bose, then an analyst at Sequoia India, chatted with a neighbor at a house party in the Indian tech capital Bengaluru.


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At least one Model S owner has received a surprise FSD hardware retrofit for his car. Earlier this year, we learned all about the super-powerful and designed-in-house Tesla Full Self-Driving computer.
Yusaku Maezawa, a key investor in SpaceX's next-generation rocket system, called Starship, plans to sell a 30% stake in his online fashion retail company, Zozo, to Yahoo Japan. As part of the $3.7 billion
Not for any other reason than the fact that the latest iPhone 11 model is a bit underwhelming, and the iPad is only slightly larger this go around. There wasn't any of the usual magic, and these massive
Tesla is launching a new commercial solar online portal to order large solar arrays with transparent pricing and a subscription model. Over the last few months, Tesla has been trying to revamp its solar
VW is planning to make a hot-hatch ‘R’ version of the ID.3 with the higher performance delivered by an all-wheel-drive electric powertrain, but it will likely take a while. Jurgen Stackmann, VW’s head
The last car part you'd ever think would change is being revolutionized by Tesla, which has filed a patent for a new windshield-wiper design. The basic windshield wiper hasn't changed in a long time. just
We are starting to see more Tesla Model S prototypes at the Nürburgring and now we get a look at one with a fascia equipped with new and bigger air intakes, a strange-looking rear spoiler, and more. As


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MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Century Pacific Food, Inc., a leading food producer based in the Philippines, is moving into the pet food space with its latest brand, Goodest. The new brand’s first few products include a range of cat food designed with price point and essential nutrition in mind.
“Pet food is one of the fastest growing consumer goods categories in the Philippines and around the world,” said Christopher Po, executive chairman at Century Pacific. “With long-term trends such as rising incomes as well as demographic trends of people staying single longer or having children later, as well as people spending more time at home due to the pandemic, we see pet ownership on the rise. More Filipino households are now caring for pets and treating them as family. Moreover, the penetration of pet food is still very low in the Philippines versus our more affluent ASEAN [southeast Asian] neighbors. We expect this category to continue growing going forward.”
Goodest cat foods meet nutritional standards set by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), the company stated. The brand will be sold across the Philippines in leading supermarket chains and e-commerce platforms.
“Pet care holds a lot of promise as a category,” noted Alexander Lim, head of innovations and general manager of pet food at Century Pacific. “Pet owners have now evolved into ‘fur parents.’ These are newly married couples who are delaying having children, singles living alone in their condos especially during this pandemic, or young families cultivating in their kids the values of care and responsibility. For them, pets are family and should be given the best care and nutrition possible within their reach.”
Century Pacific is largely a manufacturer of export tuna products and has built its brand as a market-leading provider of shelf-stable marine and meat products. The company has been recently investing in dairy and coconut categories, as well as the market for plant-based meat alternatives. Adding a pet food business is another step toward diversification.
“We are always on the lookout for opportunities to expand our portfolio, whether organically or inorganically, but it needs to be purposeful,” Po added. “In the case of pet food, we think we have found an attractive opportunity where we believe we can offer compelling value to the market. We see this as a strongly synergistic and accretive business unit that can leverage our manufacturing and brand-building know-how. We look forward to building our pet food business and are excited for the vast opportunities that are available for the company in this high-growth category.”
Goodest currently offers three wet cat food formulas in pouches: Chicken Chomp Chunks in Gravy, Tender Tuna Pate, and Mackerel Pate with Chunks.
Read more global pet food and treat news from outside North America.


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Google Is Reinforcing Its Cloud Business With New Cybersecurity Capabilities
With the acquisition of Mandiant, Google strengthens its cloud business, which is steadily expanding but still lags behind its main competitors Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure.
- Google Cloud's revenue increased by roughly 45% to $ 5.54 billion in last year’s fourth quarter, accounting for around 7% of total quarterly revenue
- Mandiant will help Google sell a more holistic set of security programs that seek to prevent cyber intrusions
- Google is working to diversify from digital advertising, which comprises the bulk of its revenue and profit
- If regulators approve the deal, it will be Google's second-largest acquisition after its $ 12.5 billion Motorola Mobility acquisition in 2012
A Cybersecurity Leader
Founded in 2004, Mandiant has around 600 security consultants and 300 intelligence analysts on staff. Mandiant made headlines in 2013 when it published a report accusing China of cyber espionage. In 2020, the company discovered the SolarWinds hack, a major operation believed to be sponsored by the Russian government that infected systems throughout the US federal government.
- Corporations frequently contact Mandiant after discovering that they have been hacked
- As criminal ransomware gangs and state hackers are increasingly relying on the cloud for their operations, Mandiant will receive broad visibility through Google Cloud
Consolidation Wave Ahead
In a note to investors on Tuesday, Wedbush analyst Dan Ives stated, “With cyber attacks increasing by the day and cyber warfare underway from Russia/state sponsored cyber terrorism organizations, Google is doubling down on its cyber security footprint at the right time with Mandiant and looking to differentiate itself from the likes of behemoths Microsoft and Amazon in the cloud arms race.”
“We believe cyber names such as Varonis, Tenable, CyberArk, Qualys, Rapid7, SailPoint, and Ping standout as potential M&A candidates in cyber security (among a handful of private players) given these vendors laser focus on protecting next generation cloud workloads from cyber attacks.”
Following Cisco's $ 20 billion takeover offer for Splunk, Sapana Maheria, GlobalData's practice head of thematic research wrote last month: "Cybersecurity will continue to be a key driver of mergers and acquisitions in 2022". She went on to say that the market for security software is "ripe for deals".
Cybersecurity Stocks Take The Front Stage
Cybersecurity stocks have surged since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine as investor's attention toward the risk of online attacks has grown.
Daniel Ives and John Katsingris from Wedbush Securities wrote in a note following the invasion: “With many high profile cyber security attacks coming from Russia over the past few years it's a matter of when not if this increased cyber warfare activity kicks into the next gear”.
- As of Thursday, the cybersecurity focused ETFMG Prime Cyber Security ETF and First Trust Nasdaq Cybersecurity ETF have gained close to 7% since Feb. 24
- Meanwhile, the S&P500 has been flat hovering at around 4,200 points
Please note that this article does not constitute investment advice in any form. This article is not a research report and is not intended to serve as the basis for any investment decision. All investments involve risk and the past performance of a security or financial product does not guarantee future returns. Investors have to conduct their own research before conducting any transaction. There is always the risk of losing parts or all of your money when you invest in securities or other financial products.


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It’s been more than five years since GTA 5 was released and fans are becoming more and more curious about how the next title of the popular series will be like. There hasn’t been any announcement or official confirmation about GTA 6 so far, but we know for sure that Rockstar is working on it. GTA 5 was a huge success, so there’s no reason why the company wouldn’t return to the series. Let’s take a look at what we know so far about the upcoming title.
Possible locations for GTA 6
We’ve seen plenty of rumors about the possible location for GTA 6 circulating on the internet, so this is quite a big mystery for now.
One of the most common theories so far is that GTA 6 will return to Vice City, but we cannot know for sure whether this is going to happen or not.
There have also been rumors suggesting that the setting of the upcoming title will be Liberty City or a completely new location.
What do we know about the protagonist in the upcoming game?
In GTA 5 we had the option to choose between three different protagonists. Rockstar might stick with this system or could return to the single-protagonist system. We don’t know yet. One of the most common rumors about this subject that we’ve seen online is that the game will feature a female protagonist for the first time ever.
Some rumors also suggest that the multiple-protagonist system will come back to the game, but with two characters instead of three.
Expected release date for GTA 6
One thing we know for sure at the moment – that GTA 6 will not arrive this year or in this console generation. This means that we will have to wait for the next Xbox or the PS5 in order to play the much-awaited game.
The next console generation is expected to arrive sometime in 2020 or 2021, so that’s when we might see GTA 6 being released.
Juana loves to cover the tech and gaming industry, she always stays on the first row of CES conference and reports live from there.


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Crystal clear! EOS, the beauty brand known for those super cute, colorful round lip balms, just gave their signature product a major upgrade.
EOS’ waxy lip balms just launched in a new, completely see-through version. The gorgeous new product also comes in a slightly updated pod, which is less round than the original.
“Clear as Crystal. Smooth as eos. Say hello to every girl’s NEW best friend ? #eosCrystal #newproduct#lipbalm #waxfree #vegan#veganbeauty #vanillaorchid#thefutureiscrystalclear,” the brand wrote in a Saturday, August 5, Instagram post alongside a photo of the newly updated product.
EOS (that stands for “evolution of smooth”, FYI!) noted that their new product is completely wax-free, making it a vegan addition to their popular line.
EOS Crystals will be available in two brand new flavors — Hibiscus Peach and Vanilla Orchid — for the first drop, which is launching in stores in August. Each pod will retail for $4.99.
Another exciting new feature: There are five essential oils packed into each little balm pod.
“Lips on sleek ??NEW eos Crystal is packed with 5 essential oils for a smooth glide that leaves your lips soft and chic,” EOS wrote in a Monday, August 7, Instagram post.
The new EOS Crystals, as well as the brand’s classic balms, are available for purchase at evolutionofsmooth.com.
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Apple isn’t exactly known for letting consumers and developers tinker with its products. While the Apple II had expansion slots and a relatively open design, later hardware shipped by the company would become harder to modify. What they sold was what consumers got, with very little room for customization.
Today, developers are having a field day jailbreaking each subsequent version of iOS and even hacking Siri to put its voice control technology to use in unique and interesting ways. Officially, Apple discourages jailbreaking, even though the practice has been a source of good ideas, some of which the company has borrowed.
How does Apple feel about Siri-hacking? They haven’t made any public statements about it one way or the other, but one generally assumes they’re not thrilled. Early attempts to port the feature to devices other than the iPhone 4S for which it was intended have proven complex and technically illegal. However, an update made to iOS 5 today paves the way for legally permissible porting of Siri to other devices.
Whether deliberately or not, Apple has unencrypted system files within iOS 5 that were previously locked down. As self-described iPhone hacker @MuscleNerd pointed out on Twitter, them doing so enables developers to port Siri to other devices without infringing on the company’s intellectual property.
It may well have been an oversight, which may be patched up when iOS 5.1 drops, but for the time being developers are free to tinker with Siri and make it work on iPads, iPods and older iPhone models.
It remains to be seen if Apple embraces Siri-hacking in the longrun. Such a move would be rather unlike them, but if it can perceive a branding or other business advantage to letting the hacking continue, Apple could follow the precedent set by Microsoft earlier this year. Instead of frowning on developers who hacked their Kinect motion control technology, the company actively encouraged them and even offered cash prizes for the best hacks.


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Xerox has released content-management software for SMBs to manage business critical documents.
The company said DocuShare is an electronic filing system that provides storage, retrieval, and sharing of information for paper and digital content including scanned documents, spreadsheets, word documents, e-mails, blogs, and wikis.
The software allows employees to review materials online and includes an imaging and scanning feature that enables documents to be uploaded to specific DocuShare folders using special scan cover sheets.
David Smith, vice president of DocuShare, said: "Smaller businesses can find it tough to avoid the black hole of information overload. DocuShare Express puts SMBs on equal ground with large enterprises when it comes to managing information and gaining efficiencies."
DocuShare Express will be available in September priced at $1800 for 10 users and 10 read-only seats.


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ISLAMABAD: The top central bank official in Pakistan has praised the country’s financial sector for making technological upgrades after a private commercial bank inaugurated its first “digital lifestyle branch” in the southern Karachi port city to improve the overall customer experience and reduce the brick-and-mortar footprint earlier this week.
Launched by Bank Alfalah, a Pakistani subsidiary of a company based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the initiative seeks to provide a unique digital experience and meet the lifestyle and financial needs of customers.
According to the bank, the state-of-the-art branch will offer a 24/7 digital self-service banking area comprising a virtual self-service machine (VSM), biometrically secured digital lockers, cash-deposit machines (CDMs), auto-teller machines (ATMs), and tech-gadget machines along with round-the-clock Wi-Fi access, among other facilities.
The branch was launched in Karachi by Pakistan’s top central bank official on June 1.
“Governor State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Mr. Jameel Ahmad has said that Pakistan’s banking industry was investing in technological upgrades to facilitate its customers and improve their overall banking experience,” said a statement circulated by the bank.
“He was optimistic that exciting projects like Bank Alfalah’s first digital lifestyle branch will unlock new opportunities, making banking easier to access and leading to a more financially inclusive and digitally empowered nation.”
According to the statement, Ahmad said that digitalization would entail a reduction in the brick-and-mortar footprint of the banking industry globally, adding that Pakistan was no exception.
“The governor of SBP was confident that the successful implementation of this model will show the way forward to the new entrants of the banking industry in Pakistan. In his concluding remarks, he stressed the need for a proactive approach by the banking industry in tailoring customers’ products and services based on their specific preferences and changing behavior,” it added.
The top SBP official further maintained that customers’ fair treatment and protection should be a top priority of banks.
The virtual self-service machine will allow customers to instantly open accounts, receive debit cards swiftly, and get statements printed by a video teller immediately after a transaction, the bank said.
The facility will also provide “easy-to-use and biometrically secured digital lockers” which will be accessible to customers at any time of the day or night without any staff interaction.
Bank Alfalah witnessed an exponential growth of over 95 percent in digital banking transactions with an annualized volume of over Rs3.5 trillion. The bank’s record further reveals that 77 percent of new-to-bank (NTB) account holders prefer digital transactions over conventional methods.
Over 75 percent of the bank’s transactions are now online, and 70 percent of bank accounts are opened via digital channels.
Image: Arab News (Courtesy: Facebook/ Bank Alfalah)


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Opel says Zafira B owners can get vehicles inspected for free
Car manufacturer taking reports of vehicle fires ‘very seriously’
Opel Zafiras built between 2005 and 2012 are being investigated for a potential risk of fire in the air conditioning and heating system.
Opel Ireland has said owners of certain Zafira B model cars are entitled to a free inspection of the vehicle amid fire safety concerns.
The company is carrying out and investigation following reports of fires in the heating and ventilation systems in the vehicles.
In a statement, Opel said “Zafira B model customers with manual air conditioning or no air conditioning from 2005-2014 can go to their Opel dealership for a free inspection. If any of the parts in the heating and ventilation system need replacing, Opel will do so at no cost to the customer.
Opel said the number of incidents of fires was extremely low but that it was taking the issue very seriously “and will take further action”.
There are 8,000 Opel Zafiras, registered from 2005-2012, on the road in Ireland, according to the company which confirmed eight have been affected by the fault to date.
A spokeswoman said the company could not anticipate how many vehicles will be affected by the problem.
“The safety of our customers is the number one priority. Our investigations to date have found that a number of incidents have occurred due to previous repairs being performed improperly or using certain non-genuine parts,” an Opel spokeswoman said.
For further information customers should call Opel Customer Assistance on (01) 533 9818.


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Supermarkets face huge penalties if they are found guilty of failing to open up their grocery wholesale arms to competitors under proposed new regulations.
The NZ Herald reports the penalties range from $500,000 for an individual to $10 million for a company in the case of a “failure to comply with non-discriminatory supply obligations”.
Papers released by the Government show different types of non-compliance – either in relation to the quasi or the full regime – would solicit different types of penalties.
Penalties could be capped at a fixed amount or calculated in relation to how much the supermarket made by doing the thing it shouldn’t have done, or in relation to its turnover.
A company could also be fined up to three times the value of the commercial gain made by the breach, or it could be made to pay the equivalent of up to 10% of its annual turnover in New Zealand for every year the contravention occurred. The method that solicits the greatest penalty could be used.
Cabinet agreed to a set of additional daily penalties that could be applied if a supermarket failed to follow instructions. These range from $30,000 to $100,000 a day.
Additional penalties of between $30,000 and $100,000 a day could be applied to supermarkets that failed to follow instructions.
The moves follow an announcement by the Government in May that the big supermarkets would have to make goods available to competitors at wholesale for a fair price. Competitors are disadvantaged because they can’t enjoy the savings of buying bulk to the extent Foodstuffs and Woolworths can.
A bill is expected to be introduced to Parliament before the end of the year. It will likely be enacted in 2023.
Cabinet agreed to establish a “quasi-regulatory regime” under which major grocery retailers would negotiate wholesale offerings on commercial terms.
It also agreed to create a “regulatory backstop” which would enable it to crack down harder on grocery retailers if they don’t play ball, or if their offerings “are not consistent with what would be expected in a workably competitive wholesale market”.
Read more in the NZ Herald here (paywalled)


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Fuerte Group Hotels launches a campaign to reduce plastic consumption at its hotels
The chain has also stepped up its efforts to protect our seas and oceans by participating on a sustainability project promoted by Aula del Mar de Málaga
19 September 2019. Fuerte Group Hotels is widely recognised as one of the most sustainable Spanish chains and the majority of its establishments are located at the seaside. That is why the company is acutely aware of the need to reduce its consumption of plastic and, in particular, to promote oceans as plastic-free zones as these materials harm both the ecosystem and the flora and fauna that inhabit them. With this in mind, the company has begun to replace many of the plastic products used on a daily basis at its hotels with others which are produced using more ecological and recyclable or compostable materials.
On this basis, gel, shampoo and moisturising cream dispensers and bottles have started to be produced using oxo biodegradable plastics (polymer of fossil origin to which a catalyst is added to facilitate oxidation); single-use glasses are made from paper; traditional straws have been replaced by bio straws; hygiene and laundry bags are made from potato starch; instead of presenting fabric slippers in plastic bags, they are wrapped in a cardboard fastening and various complementary items such as dental, shaving, lady’s, shoe-shining or sponge kits, are presented inside a tissue paper casing instead of a plastic one.
Moreover, looking ahead to next season, further alternatives will be considered such as the use of potato starch for bin bags in rooms, the use of cardboard pencils and pens instead of plastic ones, and the production of fabric VIP-service or All-Inclusive ID wristbands, to name but a few.
Support for the project of Aula del Mar de Málaga
In recent years, Fuerte Group Hotels has helped to promote a specific sustainability project every season. In 2017, it selected a proposal for CO2 offsetting in Brazil; in 2018, the reforestation and recovery of Spanish Fir in a wood located in Sierra de las Nieves (Malaga); and for 2019, it has chosen a campaign geared towards reducing the presence of plastics in seas, which will be carried out by Aula del Mar de Málaga, a scientific research entity which has blazed a trail in this area based on its commitment to education and involvement in the preservation of natural resources and improvement of natural ecosystems.


text: Coke Studio’s first live concert The Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai will host the first-ever Coca-Cola live performance on Friday, October 14. It included performances from the well-known Quick Style dance team. Ali Sethi and Shae Gill also took the stage with the Quick Style dancers in a live Coke Studio performance in Dubai, UAE. Hasan Raheem and Justin Bibis, Faisal Kapadia and Young Stunners, the Karakoram and Young Stunners, Hasan Raheem and Justin Bibis will also perform on the stage. Don't miss your chance to be at Coke Studio Live happening for the first time in the UAE at the Coca-Cola Arena. Only 2 days left! Grab your tickets now from: https://t.co/bVxIIgeJLX#CokeStudioLive #SoundOfTheNation #RealMagichttps://t.co/l3zDlrzpw5 — Coke Studio (@cokestudio) October 12, 2022 The quick style is famous Norwegian hip-hop and urban dance group that got famous after their performance on Kana Yari song of coke studio season 14 as well as kala chashma. The crew has now reached 20 million followers on youtube and 2.4 million followers on Instagram. This time the dance group is going to perform on “Peechy Hut”. Sharing the video on social media platform Instagram, “Rasta choriye ab ham agae”,captioned the post. Quick Style was formed in 2006 by the Pakistani-Norwegian twin brothers Suleman Malik and Bilal Malik, and their Thai-Norwegian childhood friend Nasir Sirikhan. In July 2022, a video of the group performing at Suleman’s wedding went viral on social media. The full version of the video posted in their Youtube channel has gained over 77 million views as of October 2022. Coke Studio live will also feature a line-up of brilliant instrumentalists including Annan Noukhez, Zain Peerzada, Bilawal Lahooti, Omair Farooq, Veeru Shan, Saad ul Hasan, Haider Ali, Haider Ali Tafu, Yusuf Ramay, Melvin Arthur, Awais Kazmi, Action Zain and Aziz Kazi. The tickets are officially on sale on Coca-Cola Arena website. Coca-Cola Middle East is also giving a chance to win tickets to Coke Studio Live on the purchase of a Coca-Cola special edition 330ml can.


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JORDAN, N.Y. -- Hundreds of volunteers were in the Village of Jordan this weekend to celebrate the start of the fall season. The 66th annual Fall Festival began Friday on Beaver Street and was held to benefit the Jordan Community Council.
The council makes funds available for non-profit organizations such as the Jordan Pool and the local food pantry.
The event featured various entertainment, amusement rides, a used book sale and many more activities. This year’s festival offered both free parking and admission.


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DAVIS, Calif.—The U.S. and Mexico are increasingly competing for a dwindling supply of farm labor, according to a new analysis, a development that likely will have long-term implications for the U.S. agricultural sector.
The majority of hired farmworkers in the U.S., estimated at around 1 million, are Mexican, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. In California, Mexican migrants account for 90% of hired workers, according to independent estimates. But the pool of Mexican agricultural workers is steadily declining, with no indication that it will be reversed, according to J. Edward Taylor, professor of agricultural and resource economics at the University of California, Davis.
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Seanie Germaine, a Marketing, Innovation & Technology student from DCU, has released a facial temperature scanner deigned to monitor a person’s health before they enter a business.
The mounted tablet, named ‘TempCheck’ uses thermal imaging technology to check a person’s temperature, which allows it to identify a fever, the most common symptom of Covid 19.
During the early stages of lockdown, Germaine researched the spread of the virus and the commonly used virus-detection methods adopted by Chinese and South Korean businesses.
After discovering temperature scanners, Germaine tried to buy one for his family’s restaurant in Baltinglass, County Wicklow.
“I started to look for solutions but there wasn’t anything suitable on the market in Ireland. I discussed the devices with other business owners to try gauge the possible demand, before finally taking the plunge and starting my own business to help other venues like ours reopen with confidence,” Germaine told The College View, eventually reaching out to suppliers directly.
Once his orders from overseas had been arranged, the units arrived just as Phase Two of lockdown restrictions had begun.
The third year student had been closely following all updates on the Covid-19 pandemic since early February, meaning his TempChecks were able to hit the market just when they were at their highest demand from businesses.
The devices have already been installed in a variety of office spaces, restaurants and health care facilities, as well as aiding in the reopening of Templeogue College swimming pool and of Kelly’s Resort & Spa in Rosslare.
Germaine also envisions a further increase in the use of TempChecks when pubs can reopen on the 10th of August.
TempChecks installed on DCU’s campuses “could definitely add to the COVID response plans”, should heavy footfall return to colleges later in the year, he added.
Germaine had high praise for his Marketing, Innovation & Technology course which aided him greatly in “realising TempCheck’s potential.”
The devices could become increasingly common over the coming weeks as Covid-19 cases start to rise once again.
The government has recently delayed the beginning of Phase 4 of lockdown until the 10th of August and is set to publish a green list of countries that are believed to be safe to travel to.
Public transport users refusing to wear a face mask can be subject to a fine or a prison sentence of six months, with face masks also mandatory in retail settings and shopping centres, but not yet enforced by law.


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The WannaCry ransomware attack may have been exploiting a vulnerability in Windows, but the lesson it provides – the importance of keeping both computers and mobile devices updated – is one applicable to all of us, Apple users included.
WannaCry itself targeted a vulnerability that had existed in Windows all the way through from XP to the latest Windows 10. Microsoft issued a patch to fix the issue for Windows Vista onwards back in March, but many organizations failed to update.
The scale of the attack – which caused widespread disruption around the world – should be a wake-up call to consumers, businesses and governments alike …
For consumers and businesses, it needs to be a reminder of the importance of keeping operating systems updated – and all data backed-up more than once. Windows may be the primary target, but Mac malware is growing – which includes ransomware.
McAfee said recently that Mac malware grew 744% last year. Most of it was adware, which is an irritation rather than a threat to data, but not all of it.
In January, we saw an attack which hijacks Safari and the Apple Mail app to cause Macs to crash and a separate attack that captures screenshots from them. In February, a Word macro specifically aimed at Macs allowed arbitrary code execution capable of anything from keylogging to webcam captures. In April, a fake macOS update allowed an attacker to spy on all Internet usage, including secure websites. In May, malware disguised as a Flash updater made its way from Windows to Mac, and a Handbrake mirror got hacked to allow a malicious version to be installed.
In case you thought I’d forgotten to include something from March, that was a doozy. That was when we learned from Wikileaks that the CIA has a hacking unit devoted to iOS malware and has lost control of most of it. Indeed, governments are probably the biggest customer for zero-day exploits, and have the biggest teams working on discovering new ones. The WannaCry attack itself uses an exploit developed by the NSA.
And this is the lesson that needs to be learned by governments. If you develop, buy and stockpile zero-day exploits, it’s only a matter of time before they leak. Tools intended to be used by governments – whether or not that’s an activity you support – will sooner or later be used by criminals.
And that is why – as I’ve argued on several different occasions – Apple was absolutely right to resist the FBI’s request for it to develop a weaker form of iOS designed to allow law enforcement agencies to access iPhones. And why Apple should continue to resist any future attempts to pressure it into doing so.
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Indian smartphone vendor Lava is prepping to launch a new smartphone named the Iris X5 4G. The device has showed up on GFXBench database with a 4.6-inch screen, even though this particular device has previously been strongly rumored to feature a 5-inch display. Rumor has it that this would be the next Android One offering from Lava. The company was one of the three original partners for Google, when the California-based company launched its Android One program last year in India, with Micromax and Karbonn being the other two. While the GFXBench listing gives us a fair idea about a few of the hardware specs of the upcoming device, we'll have to wait for Lava to make the smartphone official to get more details about it.
According to the listing, the Lava Iris X5 4G features a 4.6-inch 720p display. The device will be powered by MediaTek's MT6735 SoC, which comes with an integrated quad-core CPU clocked at 1.3 GHz and a Mali-T720 GPU. The handset will come with 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of built-in storage, which can be further extended via a microSD card. As is expected with Android One devices, it would come with the latest flavor of Android, which is 5.1 Lollipop. The device will come with a 13 megapixel primary camera on the rear and either an 8 or a 5 megapixel secondary camera on the front. As for connectivity options, the name of the smartphone makes it abundantly clear that it would launch with 4G LTE connectivity. The device will also support 3G HSPA+, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0.
Seeing as this will be an Android One device, it would probably be a safe bet to expect a truckload of sensors including GPS, Compass, Proximity, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Ambient Light etc. The device will also come with native dual-SIM support, seeing as it will come pre-loaded with Android 5.1 Lollipop. Even though dual-SIM devices have been the order of the day in markets like India and China, Google only made the feature natively available in AOSP with the introduction of Android 5.1 Lollipop earlier this year. While we still don't have any idea about the device's battery capacity, it looks like we won't have to wait too long to find out, as Lava is said to be looking at a launch sooner than later. The device is said to be priced at around the Rs. 12,000 ($190) mark, which would probably be slightly on the higher side considering the hardware on offer, but the inherent Android One promise of timely firmware updates is priceless.


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DigiFinex Co-founder Kiana Shek Is Speaking At Blockchain Life In Moscow
The biggest event on blockchain, cryptocurrencies and mining in Russia and Europe: Oct 16–17
About: Blockchain Life 2019
✦The biggest event in Russia and Europe
Last year, Blockchain Life gathered 4,500 participants in spite of the crypto bear market. In 2019, it’s estimated that over 6,000 participants from 70 countries will attend this event in Moscow.
✦Platform for professionals and beginners
The forum brings together global industry leaders and those who are just beginning to be interested in blockchain and cryptocurrency. Blockchain Life is a professional event for both personal and business development.
✦Impact on global industry development
Since the first event 3 years ago, Blockchain Life has become an international platform for the development of hundreds of companies within the industry, a meeting place for market leaders with representatives of government agencies, a place of thousands of contracts that influenced the global development of technology.
Kiana was invited to speak at Blockchain Life on Apr 23 in Singapore, where she made a few exciting announcements of DigiFinex development. You can find out more about this event on our Medium blog too.
When in Moscow, one of the most popular Russian YouTube channel, Pro Blockchain will conduct an interview with Kiana, too! She will discuss topics that our Russian community is most interested in. So stay tuned!


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The Audi A3 adapts tech from the new A4.
The second generation Innova has finally arrived.
It is the fastest Bentley ever produced.
Tesla launches its smallest car.
This is the 2016 Corolla in Europe. Let's see when it arrives in GCC.
A new hard-top variant of the popular MX-5
Kia had a surprise for everyone at the New York Auto Show.
Chevrolet has unleashed their big powerhouse at the New York Auto Show.
Interesting piece of new from the Mercedes-Benz camp.
Nissan took the wraps off its latest 2017 GT-R at the New York International Auto Show.
KIA Sportage starts at AED 63,000
This is the first ever SUV by Maserati, so it is a complete game-changer, particularly for the UAE.


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State might further scrutinize compounding pharmacies after meningitis outbreak
If you’re a compounding pharmacy in Central Florida, be warned: The state may take a harder look at regulating the industry after a fungal meningitis outbreak killed three people in Florida.
The problem is this: In Florida, there is no separate permit for a pharmacy or a compounding pharmacy. So the state has no way to track or regulate the industry and, potentially, make sure outbreaks don’t happen.
A pharmacy sells bulk drugs (think Walgreens). A compounding pharmacy is designed to mix a special compound not commercially available.
Central Florida has a huge cluster of specialty pharmacy companies. According to the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission, 70 percent of the country’s specialty pharmaceuticals are distributed through Central Florida.
According to Health News Florida, the Pharmacy Board sent out a survey in October to all of the state’s pharmacies, asking who compounds their own drugs. They got a paltry return rate of 20 percent.
So the board passed an emergency rule threatening to punish pharmacies that don’t return the survey, which is due Dec. 10.
According to the same article, Assistant Attorney General David Flynn told the Board of Pharmacy at an all-day hearing in Orlando that the state has no power to regulate companies selling drugs in Florida that aren’t located here.
“In short,” Flynn said, “we’re in a box. We need to get authority so we can get out of the box.”
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Building 19 chain files for bankruptcy
The company and its affiliates are seeking permission to conduct "going out of business" sales to liquidate assets, according to court documents filed Friday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Boston.
"Since much of Building 19's inventory consists of surplus, salvage goods, overstocks, closeouts and irregulars that become available erratically, Building 19's business model relies, in part, on having sufficient working capital on hand to make erratic inventory purchases. Building 19's lack of working capital impaired its ability to capitalize on erratic opportunities to purchase inventory."
A manager at the Manchester store on Saturday referred questions to the company's Hingham, Mass., central office, but she said rumors that the store was closing were "not true."
And a store manager in Weymouth, Mass., who gave his name only as "Raj," said he hadn't heard anything about the store going out of business. "It's news to me," he said.
In its bankruptcy filing, the company is seeking the court's permission to pay its employees any outstanding wages and benefits through Nov. 3 and to honor unused vacation and sick time that accrued through Friday.
Court records show that Building 19 and its affiliates have signed a contract with Gordon Brothers Retail Partners LLC to conduct "going out of business" sales at the company's stores. Building 19 has asked the bankruptcy court to approve that agreement and allow the sales to proceed.
It also owes sales taxes to Massachusetts and Rhode Island in the amounts of $136,000 and $30,000, respectively. The company's affiliates owe an additional $32,000 in sales taxes.
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Those car buyers fortunate enough to put a deposit down on the first batch of Tesla electric roadsters should be able to get behind the wheel by November at the latest. The cars, which cost upwards of $100,000, are being assembled by Lotus Engineering in England and will be sold solely in the US initially. The news comes from Tesla CEO and co-founder Martin Eberhard, who also told Reuters
that the original release date was set for this summer.
The cause of the delay was a late change of the supplier for the transmission. Still, the long wait hasn’t stopped more than 570 customers placing deposits for a car they haven’t tested. Production isn’t fully accounted for yet, however. Tesla will be opening two showrooms in LA and Northern California and plans to open more around the US soon to attract even more customers.
Following the launch of the Roadster, Tesla will then look towards building its new ‘White Star’ sedan model. When ready, the new sedan is expected to cost roughly half what the Roadster currently costs and will be manufactured at a plant in New Mexico.


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Vitasoy has released a new product based on soy and coffee beans.
2 Beans fuses the two beans to create a flavour that's designed to blend well with coffee.
To make the product, the company started with certified organic whole soy beans which it grinded to extract goodness and taste before turning them into milk. This process gives the milk a creamy taste and texture, as well as a rich, full froth.
World Latte Art Champion 2015 Caleb Cha says the product is “specifically made to complement coffee and is really barista-friendly”.
2 Beans is currently available in Victoria and NSW in a 1L carton.


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Luxury brand Joseph and designer swimwear Orlebar Brown have bolstered the brand mix at Duke of York Square in Chelsea as owner Cadogan Estates plans to develop the area as a “leading fashion destination” in London.
Joseph has operated a a womenswear store for eight years on the square but has now acquired the 900 sq ft premises at 73 Duke of York Square where it will open a menswear only store. Orelbar Brown has leased a 881 sq ft store at 74 Duke of York Square.
The two brands join retailers including premium chain Massimo Dutti, premium denim indie Trilogy and footwear chain LK Bennett which also have stores on the square.
Ana Farrington, retail premises consultant at property company Cadogan Estates, said: “We are excited to welcome both Joseph, a bastion of premium fashion since the 70s, and Orlebar Brown, a hot swimwear brand that is making a name for itself in the capital - both of these brands represent all that is great about British fashion and will be strong additions to Duke of York Square.”
She added: “These brands join a wide range of international and homegrown retailers and we look forward to working with our retail agents in the coming months to bring further big names to the square.”


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The Galaxy S22 series is about to be released by Samsung. Samsung will reveal the S22, S22 Plus, and S22 Ultra at its Unpacked event. Samsung will unveil its new flagship models on February 9. Before the launch, a lot of information about the devices, especially the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, has leaked online.
The latest leak comes from Evan Blass (@EvLeaks on Twitter), who has made the marketing materials for the S22 Ultra public. The images, which were shared via Blass’ substack, confirm the key features of Samsung’s upcoming flagship smartphone.
Images and specifications for the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra have been leaked
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra will be the series’ top-of-the-line model. Over the S21 Ultra, the device is expected to receive a significant upgrade. The phone’s design will be similar to Samsung’s Note series, according to the leaked images.
The phone’s screen is curved on the front. It has a 6.8-inch 2X Dynamic AMOLED display and a hole-punch cutout in the top center. The display will have a QHD+ resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. A bright display with a brightness of 1750 nits and HDR10+ certification will be included in Samsung’s top-end S22 series phone. In the images, the device’s colour is revealed to be Phantom Green. The length will be 163.377.908.9mm.
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A 4nm Exynos 2200 SoC will power the S22 Ultra. In some regions, a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC-powered variant will be available. Up to 12GB of RAM and 512GB of internal storage are expected on the device. The phone also comes with Samsung’s S Pen.
The device is said to come with a 5000 mAh battery. According to the marketing images, the phone will support 45W fast charging. Because the device does not come with a fast charger, the charging adapter must be purchased separately.
On the back of the phone, there are four cameras. It has a 108MP SuperClear Lens with an f/1.8 aperture. There’s also a 12MP f/2.2 ultrawide camera. The camera setup is completed by two 10MP telephoto camera sensors with 3x and 10x optical zoom. The 3x zoom lens has an f/2.4 aperture, while the 10x zoom lens has an f/4.9 aperture. The phone has a 40MP front camera with an f/2.2 aperture for selfies.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra is expected to be released in India at the same time as the rest of the world. In the coming days, more information will be released. What are your thoughts on Samsung’s new Galaxy S22 smartphone series? Please let us know what you think in the comments section below.
Moto Edge 30 Pro Leaked Renders Revealed Complete Design: Triple Camera, Punch-Hole
OnePlus 10 Pro Global Variant Will Feature OxygenOS 12, Oppo and OnePlus’ Unified OS Launch Delayed
Redmi K50 Series phone with Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 will be launched before the launch of the Dimensity 9000 variants
Realme 9 Pro Plus will have a heart rate sensor
Oppo Watch Free is set to debut in India on February 4th, alongside the Reno 7 Series
Tecno Spark 8C with a 90Hz display and a 5,000mAh battery has been launched
Moto Edge 30 Pro will launch in India and Global in February


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If you want a red Tesla Model S and didn't get in there with the Signature models, you're in luck.
The photo above was revealed in a Tweet by Elon Musk on Tuesday, showing new red Model S cars heading down the line, prior to completion.
"New Tesla red going down assembly line for the first time. We spent a lot of time on this color!" tweeted Musk.
Red was initially available on the first run of Signature edition cars, but it's taken some time for Tesla to introduce the color into regular Model S production.
The shade, called Multi Red, is different from that of Signature red cars, slightly lighter in hue and with a deep, non-metallic finish.
There's been a little confusion as to whether it's the same shade as cars doing the rounds at various shows over the last few months known as Sunset Red.
Both shades are apparently the same, as confirmed by Tesla's George Blankenship in an email with one Tesla Motors Club forum member .
It's been available to order for several months now on Tesla's configurator, but with the first red models now rolling down the line it shouldn't be long until owners get their hands on the new cars.
And of course, other shades are still available...


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Vietnam attempts to become one of the leading member states in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in terms of the business environment.
|Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc speaks at APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) on July 27. Photo: VNA|
Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc shared the view at the 3rd meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Business Advisory Council (ABAC) held in Ha Long City, Vietnam’s Northern Province of Quang Ninh on July 26-29.
Vietnam is striving to move towards Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) standards. “It would be an opportunity for us to welcome and encourage ABAC businesses to come to Vietnam for mutual benefit and development,” Phuc said at the event on July 27.
Vietnam appears to be an attractive destination for leading investors and is home to nearly 35,000 foreign direct investment (FDI) projects with a total capital of US$430 billion, according to information shared at the event which gathered 150 representatives from 17 APEC economies.
According to the United Nations, Vietnam was listed among the 20 leading countries for FDI inflows in 2021.
Vietnam has joined 15 free trade agreements (FTAs), including new-generation FTAs, which include matters that are considered “non-commercial” such as labor, environment, commitment to sustainable development, and good governance, for example, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), and the Vietnam-Korea Free Trade Agreement (VKFTA).
Phuc said Vietnam is a friendly and safe country with an attractive investment environment, adding that the presence of ABAC delegates and entrepreneurs conveys an encouraging message to Vietnam.
Despite the Covid-19 impact, Vietnam has maintained macroeconomic stability and continued economic recovery programs with strong GDP growth that is forecast to exceed 6% in 2022 and 7.2% in 2023.
In the second quarter of 2022, Vietnam’s trade turnover increased by 23% to nearly $670 billion, placing the country in the group of top 20 countries with large trade values.
In early June 2022, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecast that by 2025, Vietnam will climb to third place in Southeast Asia in terms of economic scale with a $570-billion GDP.
|Overview of the meeting held in Ha Long City, Quang Ninh, Vietnam on July 26-29. Photo: Diendandoanhnghiep|
Role of ABAC
ABAC was held ahead of the week-long APEC Summit to take place in Thailand in November 2022. At the meeting in Ha Long City, ABAC will issue a number of recommendations for APEC leaders to make critical decisions to facilitate businesses and promote investment and trade liberalization.
This session is an important event for the ABAC to develop a business recommendation report, which will be submitted to Finance and Trade ministers and Bank Governors in the preparation for the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting at the APEC 2022 Summit.
ABAC was established by APEC Leaders in 1995 for the reason that commerce is the lifeblood of the region and business is the engine of economic growth. Therefore, ABAC highlights the integral role of business and the value of representative business advice on key issues.
Addressing the ABAC, Phuc said he expected ABAC participants to have new initiatives to boost trade and investment within the APEC member states with an aim to reconnect the broken supply chain, boost cooperation in manpower, and support green energy and renewable energy-based economy.
“I look forward to ABAC coming up with many new, effective and practical suggestions, initiatives and solutions to increase trade and investment in APEC,” Phuc said, noting that Vietnam and other APEC economies always appreciate and support the initiatives.
Rebecca Fatima Sta Maria, Executive Director of APEC Secretariat, said Vietnam’s hosting of the 3rd session of ABAC is highly appreciated by the international community as the topics selected for discussions are those of special interest, towards economic recovery and growth in the region and the world.
Vietnam held APEC Leaders’ Summit in 2017. With this ABAC, the Southeast Asian country expects to gain support for the hosting of the forum in 2027.
Hanoi remains among the most attractive localities for FDI in Vietnam. It envisages becoming an international trade hub in the national efforts to attract foreign investment and promote trade with international partners.
To make the goals possible, it will carry out a number of industry and trade development measures, including outlining support measures and programs to encourage investment in modern distribution and sales systems such as wholesale centers, shopping malls, and supermarkets.
The city said it would use information technology firms in boosting the implementation of the goals. In addition, its IT parks will support a lot in the common drive.


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Christmas parties, work potlucks and family get-togethers mean a lot of baking in the coming weeks.
If you’re tempted to lick the bowl after mixing cake batter or dig into that raw cookie dough, however, you need to resist.
Consuming unbaked food that is supposed to be cooked can make you sick, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Kids also can get sick from handling raw dough used for crafts, the CDC says.
Most people know that eating raw eggs can contain salmonella, which can cause illness if the eggs aren’t cooked properly.
The CDC estimates salmonella causes about 1.2 million illnesses, 23,000 hospitalizations and 450 deaths in the United States every year. Food is the source for about 1 million of these illnesses.
Bacteria aren’t lurking only in eggs, though. Flour, which is usually a raw product, usually isn’t treated for germs like E. coli. The CDC reported an outbreak of E. coli infections linked to raw flour made 63 people sick in 2016. Some E. coli can cause diarrhea, urinary tract infections, respiratory illness, bloodstream infections and other illnesses.
“Raw flour is a raw product, and it doesn’t go through any heat treatment before you get it,” Benjamin Chapman, an assistant professor and food safety extension specialist at North Carolina State University, told SELF Magazine in 2017. “You should treat that flour like you’re handling raw meat.”
It doesn’t mean you can never eat raw cookie dough. Dough that is commercially produced to be edible is safe.
The CDC suggests the following safe practices to avoid getting ill:
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As part of its 2012 State of Inbound Marketing report, HubSpot found that different new media marketing channels have helped businesses across industries and sectors boost web leads and conversions. According to the report, social media and content marketing are among the most commonly cited beneficial channels.
Within the retail sector, 92 percent of companies studied have pegged Facebook marketing as the source of increased sales. Moreover, respondents say Twitter and blog content marketing have helped their organizations appeal to new customers effectively.
For B2C companies, the success of retail stores on the web should help inform campaigns moving forward.
In other sectors, the percentages weren’t as high, but success is still common. Technology companies, for example, were especially successful with timely, relevant content marketing, with 61 percent reportedly making sales as a result.
Social media marketing with LinkedIn was the greatest contributor to customer acquisition for consulting firms, as 68 percent boosted their client base with various targeted campaigns on the professional network.
Brafton recently reported that content marketing and social are especially important as consumers and B2B buyers have become increasingly reliant on friend and colleagues for shopping advice. Brand advocacy is among the most common activities on social networks and providing content can help businesses appeal to those users likely to share information.


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In early 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down many everyday services, people discovered new ways of doing things—like grooming their pets or styling their own hair. Doing these things involved mainly online purchases. The way they made their regular purchases changed too—for example, getting their groceries delivered to their door or picking them up curbside. They didn’t want to think about the payment method for those purchases; they just wanted to be able to make their purchases at the point of inspiration. Exactly what they needed, when they needed it, without extra effort or complication. That’s what inspires people.
Big tech has been really thoughtful about that end-to-end commerce experience, which is why it has generally thrived during the pandemic. On many platforms, payment is baked in seamlessly behind the scenes. People are now used to paying with a click, a tap, a subscription or a digital wallet.
Payments are becoming invisible, and it’s an approach that can be transformative for banks that embrace new digital possibilities
Accenture’s Flashpoints in Digital Payments report highlights how the disruption in payments accelerated during the pandemic. Online shopping and contactless purchases skyrocketed. According to our research, these new behaviors that were adopted out of necessity over a year ago are here to stay: “New customer habits typically take hold in as little as 70 – 90 days, so we think a lot of the behavioral change in payments will stick.”
It’s too late for banks to “put the genie back in the bottle” and convince customers to rely on cash, credit cards and debit cards for their purchases. The report indicates that credit cards are the most vulnerable to disruption of all payment systems, and debit cards are also facing increased volatility in the near future. Customers now find it too inconvenient to enter a 16-digit credit card number when they make a purchase. You may as well ask them to dial on a rotary phone.
Convergence is creating seamless experiences
Big tech leaders like Amazon and Uber and retail giants like Starbucks are leading the charge to make payments invisible. With Uber’s embedded payment system, passengers no longer need to worry about having enough cash to take a taxi, or whether they have a credit card with them. Amazon’s one-click ordering makes purchasing items—at the exact time of need—so simple that customers don’t even think about it. It’s a far cry from counting out cash and handing it over. These companies allow customers to “set it and forget it” and get on with the business of the day.
Even the types of credit available are changing. Point-of-sale credit solutions like “buy now, pay later” are threatening the dominance of the traditional credit card. Instead of having an aggregate debt to pay off for all of their purchases, consumers can access credit for a specific purchase with its own repayment terms. These offers often include several months without interest, and sometimes without payments.
While this trend was initially led by retail players, from car dealerships to furniture stores, banks too are beginning to wade into this space. Incumbents in the credit card industry, like American Express (Pay It Plan It) and Citi (Citi Flex Pay), are getting in on this trend by offering their own credit products for single large purchases.
Big tech doesn’t “own” innovation
Creative ways of using technology are also changing the customer experience across industries. For example, QR codes are being used in new ways, such as restaurants having patrons use them to access the menu and retirement homes having visitors scan them to check in on arrival.
Recognizing that payment transactions now span many different technologies, Mastercard has introduced a “sonic brand” so that it has a distinct brand presence even in a non-visual transaction. A signature melody plays when a payment has been accepted.
Voice activation, e-wallets, facial recognition and other technological advances are opening the door to new payment methods. Banks that embrace technology and adopt an innovation mindset will be able to create seamless customer experiences. Those that change slowly, or not at all, run the risk of customers bypassing their payment systems in favor of more integrated solutions.
Technology creates opportunities to incorporate a variety of new features into payments. Think about these questions in terms of your payments offerings:
- How can they be adapted respond to voice commands through virtual assistants like Siri or Alexa?
- Are there other ways to integrate mobile device sound or gesture technologies into the payment experience?
- How can payments be built into the background of apps that are already running so that customers don’t need to access a separate payment app?
- How can security features be enhanced using smartphone capabilities for authentication?
These are just a few of the many ways that banks can start to rethink the payment experience. The takeaway here is that no customer says “I’d like to pay for something today”—payment is the part of their purchase they’d like to think about as little as possible. When payments disappear into the background, everyone is happier.
You can watch my full interview in the Global Association of Women in Payments’ series, Pause for Payments with Kristy Duncan, here:
To learn more about the changing landscape in payments, register here to download the full report, “Back to the future of payments.”
Register to view full report


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As the cost of living continues to bite, chicken is the most affordable meat in Australia.
But growers say they are going backwards because of what they describe as “unscrupulous” behaviour by powerful processors in one of the nation’s most highly concentrated markets.
Every Australian, on average, eats about 50kg of chicken a year — a figure that has doubled over the past three decades.
The Australian Chicken Growers Council (ACGC) argues chicken’s popularity has come at a great cost to farmers.
“180 million chickens go into consumers’ mouths a year … but of that $14/kg that you’re paying for your breast meat or thigh meat, the grower gets around $1,” ACGC chief executive Joanne Sillince said.
While the two big supermarkets control 65 per cent of the grocery market, Australia’s chicken meat industry is dominated by two major processors, Ingham’s and Baiada Poultry, which control 70 per cent.
“You’re trapped by a contract that is unconscionable, inequitable, and puts all the risks onto yourself,” Dr Sillince said.
“It’s getting harder and harder to be a chicken farmer nowadays.”
Gary Ekert was a chicken grower in the New South Wales Hunter Valley for two decades before being forced out of the industry.
“What the growers are on now is probably considerably less than what we were on when we got out 14 years ago,” he said.
“The [processors have] got the power to do what they want, dictate price, and screw the growers down.”
Mr Ekert was one of several growers who took legal action against their processor over a contract dispute.
The farmers won but Mr Ekert said those heavily involved in the case, including himself, paid the ultimate price.
“At the end of that 10-year contract, those three growers who were involved were also told their farms were surplus to the processor’s needs,” he said.
Farmers cry fowl
Some chicken farmers are too afraid to speak out publicly for fear of reprisals.
Those who spoke to the ABC on the condition of anonymity recounted experiences of unfair contract negotiations, unreasonable penalties, and low returns.
“The power of the big two is a constant threat over our head” one grower said.
“Growers need processors but we need to be remunerated … to make the growing side of things more viable,” said another.
One farmer, in the process of exiting the industry, likened it to living in a “dictatorship”.
“Apart from the financial burden, it’s emotionally and psychologically unhealthy … you are at their mercy,” they said.
Unlike Australia’s other meat industries, poultry farmers do not own their chickens.
The processor owns the birds and their genetics, hatcheries, plants, and distribution networks while the growers own the physical assets such as land, shedding, and equipment.
In 2022, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said the companies held too much power and the contracts could cause “significant financial harm to growers”.
The processors were asked to make some of their contracts with farmers fairer but growers say little has changed.
Calls for industry code of conduct
The National Farmers Federation (NFF) maintained a mandatory code of conduct was the only way forward for the industry.
The NFF has been investigating the issue over the past 18 months and its final report was released on Wednesday.
“This report’s research and stakeholder engagement identified a widespread lack of market transparency, misuse of market power, and economic harm,” the report said.
A proposed code was also included in the report, which the NFF said would provide “a regulatory framework to ensure confidence and fair-trading for all participants of the poultry meat supply chain”.
In a statement, Federal Agriculture Minister Murray Watt would not commit to a mandatory code but said the final report would be “carefully considered by the government”.
Mr Watt said he was aware of price and market transparency concerns and said: “Farmers deserve a fair price for their hard work.”
In a statement, the Australian Poultry Meat Association (APMA) said the long-term viability of the industry was “of national significance”.
“All stakeholders continue to work together to ensure it continues to grow.”
There are at least 25 poultry farms on the market across Australia and Joanne Sillince said she feared for the industry’s future unless there was action.
Ingham’s and Baiada were contacted by the ABC for comment but did not respond.
Key stories of the day for Australian primary producers, delivered each weekday afternoon.


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Industry representatives from all over the Asia Pacific region are meeting in Perth in order to strengthen relations at a time of growing protectionism.
Australia has unveiled the country's most expensive coin for collectors. It comes with pink diamonds and is considered legal tender, with the coin now waiting to be sold to the highest bidder.
Perth will host a German-Australian business conference at the weekend, with more than a thousand participants looking to explore the fifth continent as a location to do business with a booming region.
Vietnam is hosting this year's Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, which gives it an opportunity to tout the benefits of global free trade. But convincing protectionists like Trump remains an uphill task.
Trade ministers from Pacific Rim countries have said they want to revive the TPP trade pact, as the US reiterated that it will aim for bilateral deals. The plan is seen as a counterweight to Chinese power in the region.
© 2018 Deutsche Welle |
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We delivered a news release the other day, and announced the title Anti-Protection Mask.
While many high-performance masks are on the market, when announcing a new product, I would like to offer something that can make life easier for people like me, the developer, who have a disease and have difficulty wearing a regular mask. I thought I could do it and came to the announcement.
The transparent three-dimensional etiquette mask GH05T (Ghost) released last year was born from the same idea, but we tried to make it a product that fits more various lifestyles.
We focused on resin products because they are reusable and impervious to air, providing a sense of security, stability, and fashion.
Most masks are disposable, weak against sweat and moisture, and difficult to reuse when they get wet in hot summer sweat or rain. A normal mask has a role to prevent droplets and a certain amount of virus intrusion by filtering.
From such a matter, we started to develop a resin mask and announced it.
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Please purchase it.
Flat Bit Studio Co., Ltd. Representative Director Yasumasa Obata


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Chopin releases world’s oldest aged vodka to celebrate 30th birthday – but it costs $3000
Largely credited for revolutionising the world’s luxury vodka market, the Chopin brand has released a limited 30-year-old vintage to mark its 30th birthday.
Priced at a whopping USD 3,000 per bottle, only 1,000 of these will be released on the market.
Named Chopin Vintage Vault, the potato-based vodka has been brought out from a vault deep inside the brand’s distillery in Krzesk.
Locked away in 1993 when Chopin first made their debut, the vintage is being billed as “the oldest premium vodka in the world”.
Featuring a bright, citrusy nose, Chopin Vintage Vault opens with sweet notes that warm the palate before developing to evoke subtle notes of fresh green apple, vanilla, grapefruit as well as hints of coriander and white pepper.
“A vodka this rare is best enjoyed neat, on the rocks or in a dry martini,” advise Chopin.
Enclosed within a custom-made, hand-cut crystal decanter and an Alder wood, leather-lined chest sealed with Chopin’s insignia, everything about this vodka, say Chopin, has been designed to initiate conversation.
Winning more awards than any other brand of vodka, the brand was created in the 1990s when Tadeusz Dorda bought a vodka distillery that had functioned since 1896.
Sourcing most ingredients from within a catchment area of 18 kilometres, it was Chopin that transformed and rehabilitated vodka’s reputation.
Hitherto largely seen as a product to mix with other drinks – or to simply get drunk on – it was Chopin that helped redefine wider attitudes.
It was also Chopin that pioneered the use of frosted glass bottles, a move that has since been widely copied by other vodka producers.
Marketed as a drink to be sipped and savoured, Chopin vodka has since earned a reputation for its clean taste and smooth, silky texture, something owing to its four-time distillation process.
Using artesian well water and taking advantage of their Podlasie location – and with it, its fertile, mineral rich soil – the brand is often seen as “best in class” thanks to its ingredient-forward approach.


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The video-hosting business may soon get a little more crowded.
Twitter is mulling creating its own technology that allows users to upload video directly via its mobile apps, instead of through hosting services like yFrog, TwitVid and Vodpod, according to a report from All Things Digital.
The site says "the switch would be a way of further refining Twitter's consistency and user experience, better shaping how users encounter Twitter content." AllThingD said the change isn't yet certain, and Twitter still expects most users to post video clips using sites like YouTube, Hulu, and Vimeo.
The switch would be latest move by Twitter to bring more of its services in house. The company has been making a push in recent months to limit users' third-party options, both by acquiring popular apps like TweetDeck and by locking out services like TwitPic. Twitter's new "mobile first" strategy, unveiled last month, quietly moved photo hosting in house, rather than offering it through third parties.
The company has justified its actions by saying it's focusing on a "consistent experience." It also has noted it wants to gain more control over the advertising dollars generated by the service.


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Hundreds of Chinese online game companies have vowed to self-regulate and combat user addiction, the country’s state-backed gaming industry association said, falling in line with a government effort to restrict negative influences from entertainment on China’s youth.
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IRNA – Russia is trying to increase trade with Iran by 30 percent in a three-year period, said the head of the State Duma Committee on Transport and Construction.
To expand cooperation, we started with making railways, said Yevgeny Moskvichev, according to Interfax.
He said that Moscow has made an agreement with Baku to do trade with Iran via Azerbaijan, which is going to increase by 30 percent from 2019 to 2021.
‘Azerbaijan, Russia and Iran created a joint working group on solution of the issues of further development of transportations between the countries and also a relevant system of monitoring,’ Azertac wrote on Monday.
‘The issue was focused on within the Transport Week-2018 which took place in Moscow and discussed issues of transportation of goods between Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran, the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation said.’
The three countries also discussed goods transportation from India to Iran and Russia.