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Kickstart Accelerator, a swiss multi-corporate accelerator in Europe, has announced the opening of applications for its second programme, predominantly based out of ewz-Unterwerk Selnau, the old transformer station in centre of Zurich.
The accelerator, an initiative of digitalswitzerland, is inviting startups from around the world and will shortlist 30 companies, all of whom will participate in an eleven-week programme. The programme will start on 4 September, with an official opening ceremony due to take place on 7 September. The final demo day is set as 17 November, where each team will present their products to a group of potential investors. Kickstart will not be taking any equity from the participating startups. Instead, founders will have the chance to win up to 25`000 CHF, as well as receiving a monthly founder stipend and masterclass sessions with mentors from the corporate partners and the Swiss innovation ecosystem.
Kickstart Accelerator is looking for startups in the food, fintech, smart cities, and robotics and intelligent systems sectors, and is partnering with BaseLaunch to facilitate healthtech companies.
Applicants will need to have a business that has the potential to disrupt its given sector.
“Our inaugural year saw over 850 applications from across the globe and so we are looking forward to seeing the calibre of this year’s innovators,” said the programme manager at Kickstart Accelerator, Patricia Schlenter, in a press release to Ventureburn.
“The Swiss ecosystem offers startups the opportunity to work with like-minded entrepreneurs, experienced mentors and some of the biggest corporate players to deliver impactful innovations to key industries.”
Successful applicants will be international startups with promising business ideas that have the potential to disrupt the chosen verticals and benefit the wider society, the release said. The shortlisted startups will meet with over 15 corporate partners and mentors, including Switzerland’s largest ICT provider Swisscom, multinational insurance firms Swiss Life and AXA Winterthur, Swiss financial services companies Credit Suisse, UBS and Raiffeisen, global consultancy firms EY and PwC, as well as Switzerland`s largest food retailers Migros and Coop among others.
Two years after two historic global agreements were established, leaders and other change agents in
Im September haben die Schweizer Stimmbürger die „Altersreform 2020“ des Bundesrates abgelehnt.
The 2017 symposium, with the theme "Successfully crossing borders", will have a strong focus on the
Dieser Event ist ausschliesslich für Pensionskassenvertreter (Stiftungsräte, CEOs, Anlageverantwor
Nach Jahren des geldpolitischen Experimentierens sind die Finanzmärkte so verzerrt wie selten zuvor
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Suki is out here doing the good Lord’s work!
Sukihana is starting the holiday season in a giving mood. The hip-hop artist gifted two families from Jacksonville, FL, free groceries by participating in her four-minute challenge.
The challenge prompts the families to collect all the food they can within the grocery store in four minutes, with the bill taken care of by Suki. The rising rapper showcased footage of the charitable act on her Instagram page, which has over 2.2 million followers.
The Wilmington, DE native showed two participating families, consisting of mothers and their children, as they began the quest to acquire as much food as possible within the short timeframe.
“I picked two moms and their kids so that we can go on a shopping spree,” explained the 31-year-old. “You and y’all children are going to go in there and get all the food that you can get in four minutes, and everything that you get, I’m going to buy.”
Sukihana joined the challengers on their fast-paced grocery venture, running around at the Jacksonville Walmart to help secure goods such as Lunchables and cereal. A small crowd followed as they watched the families pile their carts with food that was free of charge, courtesy of the “Casamigos” rapper.
“I’m so thankful that I got to do this with you guys, and most importantly, we got to thank God,” Sukihana expressed as she celebrated the completion of the challenge with the families.
The media personality captioned the video with the trending #4minutechallenge, stating that they had “so much fun” being able to give back in a playful way. The positive news is a break from the typical headlines associated with the star, whose sexual explicitness often results in negative attention from the public and celebrities alike.
Source: Black Enterprise

domain: news


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Mortgage interest rates dropped once again last month, reaching their lowest levels since fall 2016. According to the U.S. Federal Reserve, rates dropped to 3.45%…
A new nonprofit lab at UCI Research Park will encourage breakthroughs in the biomedical industry.
Set up like a living room, Google Fiber Space lets you sit on a sofa and test-drive 4K video streaming or ask staff about its fiber-optic connection that will download a two-hour movie in 10 seconds.
Mathis Brothers Furniture store’s new showroom at The Market Place — about the size of three football fields — is Orange County’s largest retail lease in five years.
Rising 325 feet, the identical 200 and 400 Spectrum Towers are Orange County’s tallest buildings.
Irvine entrepreneur provided Shelby Legendary Cars for the Oscar-nominated film.
In 2012, Blaze Pizza founders Elise and Rick Wetzel pioneered a blazing-fast way to cook pizza — right here in Irvine.
It all began in 2009 when Irvine couple Urania and Charlie Chen visited a Hello Kitty Cafe while in Taiwan.
Sisters tap into the city’s innovation ecosystem to launch a company.
Irvine is positioned to be a global leader in innovation, says Neil Sahota, an IBM Master Inventor, author on artificial intelligence and UCI lecturer.


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|GM's U.S. retail sales (not counting fleet sales); % change, Sept. 2001 vs. Sept. 2000|
|Total month||1.3% to 314,295|
|Source: General Motors|
The result was that U.S. light-vehicle sales fell 12.5 percent overall from a strong year-ago month, to just under 1.3 million.
That was worse than the drop in 2001 sales year to date - down 5.7 percent to 12.8 million after nine months - but better than the outlook was at mid-month. According to J.D. Power and Associates, sales bottomed out Sept. 14, when they were off 42 percent compared with pre-attack levels.
Zero interest loans and the showroom traffic they generated turned that around. Not counting fleet sales, General Motors' retail sales in the last 10 days of September picked up 20 percent compared with the year-ago period, said Paul Ballew, GM's general director of global market and industry analysis.
"It was a very strange month, as one would expect," he said.
The end of September also marked the end of the traditional model year for 2001 models. For the model year, sales fell 5.7 percent to 16.6 million, matching the falloff for the 2001 calendar year to date.
Some September highlights:
Some of the late September sales momentum probably will carry into October.
Zero interest and low interest loans offered by the Big 3 are scheduled to continue through October.
Beyond that, the usual indicators point in contrary directions. Analysts said that interest rate cuts, incentives and stable gasoline prices could contribute to a recovery. But falling consumer confidence, corporate layoffs and the likelihood of a recession contradict that.


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Petix is pleased to announce its latest retail partnership with Mud Bay, the nation’s largest employee owned natural pet food and supplies store. Mud Bay has earned the reputation of being one of the best loved retailers in the Pacific Northwest and we are excited to have them join the WizSmart pack of retail stores offering dog owners a premium dog pee pad.
WizSmart was featured in the March 2018 Issue of Pet Lifestyles Magazine in an article written by Lori Simmons Zelenko.
WIZSMART, THE PERFECT PEE PAD: ECO-FRIENDLY AND SUPER-ABSORBENT
By Lori Simmons Zelenko
It doesn’t matter how long I walk Bikini, my Pekingese. It could be around the block or over to Central Park. When we come home, he makes a beeline for his pee pad on his favorite corner of the apartment. And then he soaks it. And then it soaks through. But that’s all changed now since I discovered WizSmart super-absorbent dog pads. What’s great about them? They dry quickly, so no messy tracking. They don’t leak, so forget spills and smells. They stay put with adhesive tabs, and thanks to their one-of-kind attractant formula, my dogs (actually two, Bikini’s companion is Annabelle, my ShihTzu who is a senior too, both are about ten years old) can always find their pad.
Press Release: March 14, 2017
Petix, manufacturer of WizSmart Dog Pads, announces their receipt of the Hamptons Pet Editor's Choice Award for “Smartest New Dog Care Product.” Petix was honored with this award at New York Pet Fashion Week 2018 given the company’s innovative dog pee pads that are designed to provide pets and their owners with a smarter, healthier disposable dog pad solution.
Press Release: March 12, 2018
Petix, manufacturer of WizSmart Dog Pads, announced today a retail partnership with Kriser’s Natural Pet, a multi-unit pet retailer specializing in natural pet food, supplies and grooming. As of March 1, 2018, WizSmart dog pads will be available for purchase at Kriser’s 45 retail locations spanning across Chicagoland, Southern California, Denver, Fort Collins, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Washington D.C. and Virginia.


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By Marcelo Rochabrun
SAO PAULO (Reuters) – More than 1,000 motorcycle food deliverers gathered on Wednesday in São Paulo to protest their working conditions, set by Uber (N:) and other applications, as their services are in high demand due to blockages caused by coronaviruses.
Drivers are looking for better pay and better health measures, as Brazil is now an epicentre of the coronavirus and truck drivers are exposed to the virus.
Motorists were walking on Paulista de Sao Paulo Avenue, the main artery of the city, blocking traffic in one direction. They complained that the demands were paying them less while making them work more, with possible suspension if they did not comply.
The government said this week that half of Brazilians of working age are unemployed due to the record level of the coronavirus crisis, which is pushing more and more citizens into precarious jobs.
This is not the first time that delivery people have taken to the streets to protest against Uber, Rappi from Colombia and iFood from Brazil. But the demonstration appears to be the largest to date.
“They make us work at weekends, every day, or we risk being blocked,” said Felipe Gomes, who delivers for iFood.
Their working conditions also attracted the attention of prosecutors, who launched investigations into all applications and prosecuted iFood.
According to them, the applications offer workers the freedom to set their own schedules and level of commitment. But workers and prosecutors disagree strongly.
“An algorithm determines everything for them: the value of the work, the working hours, even the route to take, and if you don’t agree, there are sanctions,” said Tatiana Simonetti, a Brazilian labour prosecutor. “From the moment they register, they become puppets of the system”.
The business model has been used by Uber all over the world, with much controversy and hindsight, and has been emulated by Rappi and iFood. The companies classify drivers as self-employed, insisting that they are intermediaries between restaurants and delivery people.
Uber declined to comment. iFood and Rappi stated that the workers’ demands had been taken into account and that they would not commit to raising wages in response to the pressure. Rappi said that most workers receive R$18 ($3.38) per hour, although drivers told Reuters that they often receive much less.
Protests were expected to continue into the night, with delivery people riding across town on motorcycles with containers of backpacks bearing company logos.
Rodrigo Gandolfo, vice-president of logistics for iFood, said delivery people are paid about R$20 ($3.77) an hour during rush hours, such as lunch and dinner.
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A website that published pictures of what's claimed to be the new slimline PlayStation 3's bodywork has been told to axe the shots. An unnamed Chinese company told Engadget to “immediately remove those pages” that contained images of the slimline case. The shots were originally published on a Chinese-language blog. …
it's been out for ages, it's wwwwaaaaayyyyy over due a facelift and respin of the chipset.
- Product round-up Six of the best gaming keyboard and mouse combos
- Opinion So, Apple won't sell cheap kit? Prepare the iOS garden wall WRECKING BALL
- LinuxCon 2014 GitHub.io killed the distro star: Why are people so bored with the top Linux makers?
- Opinion IT blokes: would you say that LEWD comment to a man? Then don't say it to a woman
- 6 Obvious Reasons Why Facebook Will Ban This Article (Thank God)


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Contact: Andy Fell
University of California - Davis
Caption: An area of the brain called the hippocampus stores memories based on their sequence in time, instead of by their content, UC Davis researchers have found. The discovery has implications for understanding how we remember similar events that occurred at different times.
Credit: Andy Fell, UC Davis
Usage Restrictions: May be used with credit.
Related news release: What happened when? How the brain stores memories by time


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Smiths City to post big loss after 'unsustainable' price cutting by rivals
Christchurch-based furniture and appliance chain Smith City's recent warnings have proved true and it will post a loss that may be as high as $8 million.
The bad news comes as chairman Craig Boyce steps down after 30 years with the company.
Chief executive Roy Campbell blamed tough trading conditions in several persistently underperforming stores.
"We have to look at a couple of locations that have been challenging us. It's not news anyone wants to hear but we don't want to surprise the market more than have.
* Smiths City is banking on holiday trading after profit sinks
* Retailer Smiths City to shore up falling share price with buy back
* Smiths City hit by softer trading, defers shareholder payout
"Although we saw some improvements in February and March, soft demand led to heavy discounting, often to unsustainable levels, and the expansion of interest-free credit terms to periods rarely seen in the industry.
"These trends were most pronounced in Christchurch, where we operate our largest outlets and generate a significant proportion of our total sales."
The loss is a major blow for Smiths which has been forced to shelve a planned special dividend to shareholders.
The annual report next month will reveal how affordable the policy is and whether Smiths will become a takeover target, especially for Sir Ron Brierley interests which own nearly 20 per cent of the company.
"Trading in November and January was very tough. It also reflects our rebranding of our Auckland stores which has taken us longer than we thought."
The final figures are yet to be revealed but sales were down to between $209m and $213m, compared with the $227.4m posted in 2017.
Trading losses will be between $1.25m and $1.75m, compared with $2m last year but the impairment (writing down in value) of leases of $4.8m will take the final loss to between $7m to $8m for the year ending April 2018.
Last year the company posted a final $2m profit.
The $4.8m lease write down was due to changing trading patterns, a shift in local conditions due to the opening of new retail hubs, and "onerous leases".
The result is still subject to April trading and the normal end-of-year review of the balance sheet.
"The disruptions to trading caused by the refurbishment and rebranding of the former Furniture City stores in Auckland and Whangarei and the closure of the Ngauranga Gorge store in Wellington in November have weighed heavily on the results.
"The rebranded Auckland stores, which reopened at the start of December, are not yet delivering to our expectations. Although we are making strong sales of appliances – a category previously not available in the former Furniture City stores – furniture sales are yet to recover to levels before the rebrand.
"This reflects a regional customer base that is still familiarising itself with the Smiths City brand as well as the broader market challenges.
"Three years ago, we started on a programme to transform Smiths City. This began with the closure of the Powerstore, Alectra and Furniture Concepts business units and the rationalisation of group distribution and administration centres."
Smiths had more recently rationalised stock made merchandising improvements, staff changes, and refurbished shops.
Campbell said the changes delivered positive results for many stores, but in a small number of locations they made little difference.
Meanwhile, Smiths has appointed independent director Alastair Kerr to replace retiring Craig Boyce at the end of May.
Independent director Gary Rohloff is also resigning at the end of April to spend more time on personal interests.
Boyce's tenure began as general manager in 1988 and became chief executive in 1990, overseeing the company's resurrection from receivership between 1990 and 1993. He held the post of chairman for 19 years.
In a statement, Boyce said Smiths City had been an important part of his life over three decades.
"Finding a successor was a key goal of the board refreshment programme we started last year.
"Alastair Kerr brings to the company a depth of international experience with industry giants such as Marks and Spencer, Mothercare, Virgin, The Body Shop, L'Oreal and Williams Sonoma.
"He also has strong experience as an independent director of Paper Plus Group, and veterinary group VetSouth."
Smiths was founded in Christchurch in 1918 and floated on the stock exchange in 1972. It operates 35 shops.


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Hilton Software, maker of WingX, said Sept. 22 that its iPad application will soon show traffic through a wireless connection with Zaon’s XRX PCAS system. The capability is expected to be available in October through WingX version 7.
According to WingX representatives, the traffic will be displayed on the moving map with new color-coded displays that will reduce interpretation time and make spotting targets easier.
Customers will not be required to purchase a new Zaon system. Both new and old XRX PCAS units will connect to WingX via a wireless device. The dongle retails for $100.
“The addition of in-flight traffic together with our new traffic symbology increases traffic awareness and therefore flight safety,” said Hilton Goldstein, CEO of Hilton Software LLC.


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Board of luxe West Village condo puts the squeeze on juice bar
Seek to evict retail tenant at One Jackson Square for allegedly making too much noise
UPDATED, 12:40 p.m., April 21: Who knew making juice could be so loud?
The owner and board of directors of a condominium tower in the West Village has filed suit to evict a high-end juice bar that’s making a racket, seeking $250,000 in damages, plus legal fees incurred.
The plaintiffs at One Jackson Square at 122 Greenwich Avenue claim that tenant Juice Press, an organic juice and smoothie chain that leases a retail unit on the first floor, is making too much noise manufacturing and distributing its product at the location, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday.
The suit claims Juice Press is in violation of the building’s certificate of occupancy, allegedly manufacturing juice in a space limited for use by “retail stores.” The board also claims the juice-maker uses the basement as office space, despite the sub-floor’s storage-only zoning designation.
Although Juice Press has at least 15 locations throughout the city and four more opening soon, this store produces all the juices for the others, according to a person close to the situation.
The suit asks the court to consider an injunction to halt the juice bar’s operations, if not an eviction. The owner and board hope to “settle it amicably” and declined to comment before an agreement can be reached, an attorney representing the condominium in the suit told The Real Deal.
Juice Press leased the commercial space for nearly $4.5 million in 2011, according to StreetEasy. The manager of the Juice Press store declined to comment. A spokesperson for the company was not immediately available for comment. Juice Press Opened A Store On 239 Columbus Avenue last summer.


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His Excellency Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, the Minister of Climate Change and Environment for the United Arab Emirates, visited Al Rawabi Dairy Company, the largest UAE-based dairy company by herd size and production, to learn about the company’s best practices that will contribute to creating a sustainable environment in accordance with the UAE Vision 2021.
He was welcomed by HE Abdulla Sultan Al Owais, Chairman; Mr. Abdulla Ali Al Qubaisi, Vice-Chairman, and Dr. Ahmed El Tigani, Chief Executive Officer, and the management.
During his visit, HE Dr. Al Zeyoudi was given a detailed presentation about the company’s history and its line of dairy, juices and functional products. He also toured Al Rawabi’s farm, the factory and the Environmental Unit where he learnt about the eco-friendly system and wastewater treatment implemented by its fleet of engineers and doctors to help achieve the country’s sustainable development.
Commenting on the visit, HE Dr Al Zeyoudi said: “Sustainability, which is a key target of the UAE Vision 2021, can only be achieved through an enhanced public-private partnership and engaging the business community in the government’s plans and initiatives. This will expedite the achievement of our sustainable targets and promote innovation as a main pillar in the process.”
“UAE livestock and dairy companies are actively cooperating with the Ministry to ensure sustainability and add more innovation to their operations.”
His Excellency Al Zeyoudi praised the company’s world-class operations which effectively employ modern technologies to make the production process more efficient and of high quality.
HE Abdulla Sultan Al Owais, Chairman, said: “We are honoured to welcome His Excellency Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi and show him how we are working relentlessly towards sustainable production to reduce any negative effects on our environment. We guarantee that Al Rawabi products are of 100% healthy and safe because we use the latest and the most advanced technology and production technique that has limited or less impact to the environment. We are committed to supporting the government’s mission of preserving the environment for our future generations.”
“Al Rawabi prides itself in receiving certification for our best practices in quality management, food safety, and environmental management. We also have our own standards for product quality to make sure we are producing healthy, fresh and good tasting products for all our customers. We are always updating our knowledge and the team is constantly learning to keep abreast of the latest technology that will produce healthy and safe products," added Dr. Ahmed El Tigani, Al Rawabi CEO.
Al Rawabi has been certificated with world-famous ISO standards ISO 9001: 1994 certification; ISO 9001:2008 for Quality Management, ISO 14001: 2004 for Environmental Management, ISO 22000: 2005 Certification for Food Safety.
The visit also saw the exchange of discussion on future collaboration with the Minister’s office to ensure plans, strategies, policies, and programs are in line with the vision of the UAE leadership.


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Looks like Verizon is on a mission to make people aware of AT&T's "inferior" 3G coverage.
Just days after Ma Bell filed a lawsuit against Verizon for its 'There's a map for that' ad campaign, the latter has launched a new series of ads attacking AT&T's 3G network one more time.
You might be aware of Verizon's earlier ad where the company had compared AT&T's 3G network against its own. AT&T had recently sued Verizon over this ad which it claimed misled the audience into thinking that the AT&T service was not operable outside the marked areas.
With the case in court, this new series of ads along with the controversy that the lawsuit brings with it could help Verizon spruce up its positioning as a superior 3G network all the more easily. Having said that, AT&T cannot really find fault with these new ads. Unlike the earlier campaign, the new series of ads clearly portray AT&T's smaller 3G coverage area as a disadvantage when it specifically comes to browsing the web.
You can checkout the video of the ads below:
What do you think of these ads? Will such aggressive campaigns help Verizon outrank AT&T and the iPhone in sales? Please tell us your opinion in the comments.
Thanks Egypt for the tip!


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A survey released by analysts of the banking group Goldman Sachs auto industry showed that shares of Tesla (TSLA) are overvalued, despite promising technology that the company offers in their electric vehicles.
The workshop Brabus customization famous by preparing cars from Mercedes-Benz, but at the Geneva Motor Show it will show a completely different car prepared with your brand Startech: a Range Rover Sport.
Toyota has filed a registration statement with the name Supra Patent and Trademark Office of the United States. The request was made on 10 February and covers the use of the name "automobiles and structural parts.
Ford is working on the development of a 3.0 V6 diesel engine for the recently launched new generation of F-150 pickup. The news was revealed by the website The Truth About Cars, citing internal sources of the automaker, who maintained anonymity.


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Speaking to the press during a media briefing to declare the listeriosis outbreak over, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi addressed growing concerns about ‘fake foods’ allegedly being sold in spaza shops.
In recent months, videos posted on social media of unidentified people manufacturing fake foods which are believed to have been sold in spaza shops caused widespread panic. The posts were accompanied by claims of bread that doesn’t expire, rice allegedly made of plastic and eggs made out of unidentified substances.
Tensions skyrocketed when a group of residents from White City in Soweto went around looting and attacking shops owned by foreign nationals and two residents died. The violence spread to other parts of the township and various shop owners then fled their neighbourhoods.
When asked about his department’s response to the saga, Mostoledi began by explaining the difference between expiry dates and sell-by dates to quell fears about stores selling expired food.
“The issue of unsafe food falls in another government department whereas the issue of counterfeiting is a different department under a different act altogether, so I think we need to explain this. There is certain confusion which has been there and it is quite intense. It’s the meaning of ‘expiry’, ‘sell by’ and all of that and I need to explain because it’s a little bit complex.”
He added that there was a global body, called Codex Alimentarius, that governs food laws and even they cannot agree on the issue of a sell-by date for food and as such have done away with the concept.
Speaking in a post-press conference interview with eNCA, the minister updated the public about the steps that his department has taken in the fight against ‘fake foods’ since they were first notified of the issue back in June of this year.
“On the 8th of December, the chief director of environmental care in the department of health wrote to all the 52 district municipalities and metros in South Africa asking the environmental care practitioners to go and inspect food stuffs all over the province in food-selling facilities and facilities that handle food,” said Mostoaledi.
He added that, as of Sunday, the environmental care practitioners had reported back on their findings, confirming that they had discovered expired foodstuffs, food with “the wrong sell-by dates”, and food that the shop owners were producing without having followed municipality by-laws governing food production. Motsoaledi confirmed that these premises had been closed down in accordance with the law.
“What we did not find, however, is something called a ‘fake food’ in the sense I have mentioned – rice made out of plastic, bread that does not melt in water…” he added.
Mostoaledi also went on to state that companies being affected by this alleged counterfeiting, working in conjunction with the consumer commission had also not found these ‘fake foods’.
The minister confirmed two cases of counterfeit goods in which criminals were arrested for producing products and pedaling them as though they were Valpre water and Robertsons Spices.
Because the products shown on social media were never found in the course of their investigations, the department has set up a national line for residents to report these ‘fake foods’. They had also pleaded with people who have these products in their possession to turn them over to the department for use in their investigations. Motsoaledi has confirmed that those who have proof of purchase will be reimbursed for the products they buy and thereafter turn in to the department.


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The Eastlake Village Community Association has joined forces with the Littlest Angel Guild of Yorba Linda/Anaheim Hills to sponsor Shop for CHOC on May 5 in conjunction with the association's community-wide garage sale.
This special event is scheduled from 7 a.m. until 1 p.m., at 20420 and 20425 Via Castellon (directly across from the Eastlake Village Community Clubhouse and lake). And the community is invited.
Those attending will have fun shopping and perusing the countless items all at bargain prices and all for the benefit of children throughout Orange County.
Children's Hospital of Orange County provides the highest level of medical care for the children regardless of their family's ability to pay for those services. Proceeds will support an oncology patient room in the new tower of the hospital, as well as needed equipment.
Members of the Littlest Angel Guild have given both time and talents to raising awareness of the needs of CHOC, which has helped the more than 230,000 children who are treated annually.
For additional information about the garage sale, visit littestangelguild.org. Follow the CHOCO Bear signs on the day of the event for location assistance.
Activities celebrate children
Students from Canyon Montessori have celebrated Week of the Young Child, which began this past Monday and has continued throughout the week with various activities.
Activities include special banners around the campus, a parade around the school perimeter, an Earth Day planting project and a recycle crafts activity today. Events culminate Friday as students wear school T-shirts and release balloons.
Women's Connection celebrates mothers
The Women's Connection organization is sponsoring a Mother's Day celebration beginning at 10:30 a.m. on May 8 at Alta Vista Country Club. And women, sons, daughters and grandchildren are invited.
This special day starts with an opportunity to shop, as various vendors will showcase items for purchase. One of the highlights will be the "What's Cooking" and a history of apron fashion show presented by Joni Trespia.
Singer and speaker Bree Noble, a songwriter and singer, will share how she overcame blindness through her story, "You Are My Vision".
This event also enables local businesses in the community to display fliers or business cards in order to promote business and/or services.
The cost to attend is $16 per person and includes a luncheon. Reservations are required, contact Barbi Zipperian at 714-280-9062.


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Before the end of last week, security researchers found that the program pre-introduced on Xiaomi’s cell phone was following a client’s reading history, web index inquiries, and that’s just the beginning. The behaviour was available in any event, when one uses the incognito mode in the program which conflicts with the entire motivation behind using the mode.
Because of the shock that followed, Xiaomi rushed to give an announcement on the issue asserting that it places incredible significance on client’s protection and security. It noticed that in incognito mode, it was just gathering amassed user insights from users and the information was being anonymized. Be that as it may, since the move despite everything nullifying the whole point of using it in incognito in the program, Xiaomi cell phone users and security analysts were disturbed.
Presently, because of the kickback and subsequent understanding the worries of its users, Xiaomi has revealed an update for its pre-stacked Mi Browser alongside the Mi Browser Pro and Mint Browser on Google Play that will permit users to turn on/off totaled information assortment in incognito mode. Consolidated, the last two programs have more than 15 million downloads on the Play Store.
The move comes after Xiaomi had asserted that it was “disappointed” reading the Forbes article since it distorted the realities and “misunderstood” the organization’s information security standards and arrangement. The collected following remains empowered as a matter of course and users should empower the ‘Enhanced Incognito mode’ to impair it.
if you own a Xiaomi cell phone or use the Mi Browser/Mint Browser, you ought to consider refreshing the application and afterward turn off the amassed information assortment alternative while in incognito mode. Do take note of that the program will even now keep on gathering accumulated use behaviour in normal mode.
Kelvin Hass: Technology Editor:
Kevin Hass is from Austria, Our team called him true tech editor, he loves to review gadgets and with his ideas, he reveals new experiments in the technology and expresses in his articles our tech lover users love to read his articles and in a month he reviews more than 20 gadgets also.


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Business News & Insight
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OT Acquires Xantium and Strengthens Its Leadership Position on African Continent
OT (Oberthur Technologies),a leading global provider of embedded security software products, services and solutions today announced that it has acquired
KoolSpan Partners And EMS Announce Partnership
KoolSpan,Inc. a leading provider of encrypted secure voice and messaging solutions for mobile phones, today announced a partnership with EMS.
TSYS Signs Leading African Banking Group
TSYS today announced that Ecobank , the leading pan-African banking group has deployed the latest version of the PRIMESM payments
MasterCard, Western Union Join bKash to Make Cross-Border Money Transfers into Mobile Phones a Reali
Today, MasterCard, Western Union, bKash, one of the world's leading mobile financial service (MFS) providers.
Ford Invests $170 million in South Africa to Build the All-New Everest SUV Creating 1,200 New Jobs
Ford Motor Company is investing R2.5-billion($170 million U.S. dollars) to expand operations in South Africa at its Silverton Assembly Plant
Harris Corporation Awarded $17 Million Order to Supply Tactical Radios to Middle East Nation
Harris Corporation has received a $17 million order to supply Falcon III' multiband networking radios to a nation in the
Signiant Media Shuttle Helps twofour54 Support Growing Film Industry in Middle East
Signiant, the market leader in intelligent file movement software.
Access Bank Adds New Multi-Function Cash Deposit and Dual Dispenser Equipped NCR SelfServ ATMs
NCR Corporation, the global leader in consumer transaction technologies.
Accenture Launches ‘Accenture Customer Credit Solutions’
Accenture has today launched a new business, Accenture Customer Credit Solutions, which will help businesses and retailers across Sub-Saharan Africa
QNB First Bank in Qatar to Launch NCR Interactive Video Teller Technology
QNB, the leading Financial Institution in the Middle East and North Africa becomes the first bank in Qatar to introduce
Nigeria’s Unity Bank Launches Online Banking with Corillian Online from Fiserv
Fiserv Inc, a leading global provider of financial services technology solutions,
Boubyan Bank Offers the First Contactless Payment Cards to Kuwait Thanks to OT
Oberthur Technologies, a leading global provider of embedded security software products, services and solutions today announced its selection by Boubyan


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As a market, digital services in Africa’s agriculture sector remains untapped say experts and could be worth over US$2.26-billion.
Microsoft, through its 4Afrika Initiative, has announced a new collaboration with the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) to co-create technology solutions in agriculture.
The collaboration was announced at the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) and will support AGRA’s digital transformation as it works to improve food security for 30 million farming households across 11 countries by 2021.
Microsoft and AGRA will explore uses of big data and artificial intelligence “in enabling data-driven, precision farming that increases farm productivity and profitability.”
The partnership will also support farmers in adopting new technologies through digital training content, develop digital skills in agriculture through an internship programme, and support policy advocacy and government engagement around the design of national agriculture digitisation strategies.
Amrote Abdella, Regional Director of Microsoft 4Afrika, said, “Agriculture is a priority sector of investment for us, not only because it sustains some 70 percent of livelihoods, but because we believe technology can significantly contribute to the transformation of the sector. Africa has a large number of farmers with varying farming practices. We believe technology can augment this knowledge to improve crop yields. Using Microsoft-enabled IOT technology, organisations like SunCulture have helped farmers increase crop yields by 300 percent, and increase income for farmers.”
According to AGRA, the biggest hurdle to increasing farmer productivity in Africa today is the continued use of outdated production technologies and practices. Farmers are only likely to adopt new technologies when they are useful, affordable and available locally.
As a result, the Digitilisation of African Agriculture Report found that 90% of the market for digital services that support African smallholders remains untapped, and could be worth more than US$2.26-billion.
“We’re excited to work with AGRA in building locally-relevant technology solutions that are mindful of challenges local farmers face, offering solutions to farmers and policy makers alike to deliver meaningful impact,” added Abdella.
Earlier this year, Microsoft announced that its Africa Development Centre would help to advance AI innovation in agriculture, including the expansion of FarmBeats. In addition, Microsoft has supported a number of African agritech start-ups and companies, including SunCulture, Virtual City, N-Frnds and Twiga Foods.
Data positions agriculture
The potential to increase Africa’s agricultural yields through the strategic use of data could place the continents’ farmers at the heart of tomorrow’s global economy, according to John Deere Financial.
“New technologies readily available to Africa’s farmers mean that the continent is finally at the moment where Africa’s vast, as-yet-unrealised, agricultural opportunity can be made relevant to capital, mechanisation and new global markets,” said Antois van der Westhuizen, Managing Director: Sub Saharan Africa, John Deere Financial.
For example, John Deere has worked with ACDI/Voca, ADVANCE and USAID as well as other input providers in Ghana, to mechanise and provide fertiliser and seeds to demonstration farms aimed at improving the yield of traditional famers in the country.
“The results have been astounding,” said van der Westhuizen. In some cases, “yields have increased seven-fold.”
What has changed is that today farmers in Kenya and Tanzania, for example, now transacting on M-Pesa can access the formal economy by selling and buying goods online. Since these previously economically excluded farmers now have a digital footprint, “we can start getting a picture of their inputs, suppliers and costs, as well as their yields, off-takers, incomes and payments histories,” added van der Westhuizen.
This data holds the key to revolutionising agriculture in Africa.
Without even having a bank account, “we now have a detailed view of the input, production and earning numbers of previously financially invisible farmers,” said van der Westhuizen. With GPS technology able to provide accurate hectarage, “we can now quickly work out how certain inputs, and their cost, might be affordable to specific farmers given the increase in yield that we know these inputs will drive in that location.”
In short, with just a handful of data points, the ability to provide credit to a much broader segment of Africa’s farmers increases dramatically. For the first time in history all of Africa’s famers are now potentially able to present the credit, expenditure, production and income records to make them bankable.
The next step will be to, “use the data from multiple farmers collectively, to develop new supply chains and markets,” said van der Westhuizen.
For example, if a grain mill in Kenya requires 2000 tons of a certain crop each month and John Deere has the data on 100 farmers in that district each with the potential to produce 20 tons a month, the data can be used to build a supply chain for the mill that also provides the farmers guaranteed off-take. This data-driven view of the broader supply chain also gives John Deere Financial and other financiers the confidence to extend credit, long-lease machinery or fertilizer to these farmers, secure in the knowledge that the farmers will receive an income from the mill and be able to pay.
Moreover, “if we know that the 100 farmers have secure off-take agreements with a local mill, we can provide tractors or harvesters to start-up agricultural service companies to plough these farmer’s fields and harvest their crops, only collecting payment once the farmers have been paid by the mill,” van der Westhuizen continued.
Using data in this way could justify further investment in irrigation systems, beneficiation plants, canneries or other industrial investment relevant to expanding the agricultural value chain.
Taken to scale across Africa, this kind of data has the potential to make most African countries food secure, freeing up the billions in hard currency that African governments currently spend importing food. This would, “ease Africa’s endemic hard currency crunches and reduce sovereign debt – releasing resources for development, infrastructure or education,” said van der Westhuizen.
Given agriculture’s much lower barriers to entry, farming also offers Africa far greater potential to broaden economic inclusion compared with, say, “hard currency-intensive mines which only employ a small percentage of the population, for a short time.”
Since agriculture, properly managed and scientifically conducted, is more sustainable, the sector has the potential to produce food indefinitely. This offers Africa’s mineral export-dependent economies the opportunity to diversify into much more sustainable exports, “with a far higher potential for beneficiation, industrialisation and economic inclusion,” van der Westhuizen added.
This is all taking place in a global context in which, over time, the value of agricultural goods, especially food, is likely to increase relative to industrial products.
“African policy makers struggling to replicate the industrially-driven growth successes of many post-World War II developing economies, would do well to re-consider the vast export and development potential presented by agriculture in a food-scare and largely already industrialised world,” says van der Westhuizen.
Fortunately, the technology is finally here, “for Africa’s policy makers to use the new data available on Africa’s farmers to place agriculture – and Africa – at the heart of tomorrow’s global economy.”


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BlackBerry has started pushing out a new update to its Keyone smartphone. The update – rolling out in multiple regions, including Canada and the United States – weighs in at 17MB and arrives as version ABA676.
As for changes included, nothing much is known, except for the fact that it’s a maintenance update that prepares the device for the Oreo update.
It’s worth mentioning that those who installed the update are reporting it first throws an error, but the installation process completes successfully after the device reboots. So do keep this in mind while installing the update.
from GSMArena.com – Latest articles https://ift.tt/2t7bPZQ


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This morning’s key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
- At least 21 killed in Nigerian shopping mall explosion
- Ukraine to sign trade deal with European Union on Friday
- Stocks rise after disastrous GDP report
At least 21 killed in Nigerian shopping mall explosion
It’s assumed that Boko Haram is responsible for the suicide carbombing on Wednesday that caused a massive explosion in a shoppingmall in Abuja, the capital city of Nigeria, killing at least 21people and scattering body parts around the plaza. It seems thatNigeria’s government and army can do nothing to stop the repeatedattacks, one or two every week, from Boko Haram, including abductions,gunfights, and suicide bombings. It was just just yesterday that we reported that Boko Haram hadabducted 90 more women in addition to the 200+ schoolgirls they’d already abducted. Daily Mail (London) and Nigerian Bulletin
Ukraine to sign trade deal with European Union on Friday
The event that triggered the violent crisis besetting Ukraine for thelast seven months was the last-minute flip-flop by then-presidentViktor Yanukovych, who had promised to sign a trade deal with theEuropean Union, only to ditch the EU deal and go with a trade deal withRussia.
Now the new president of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, is going toBrussels on Friday to to sign that same trade deal with the EU,apparently with the reluctant blessings of the Russians. According toRussia’s Economic Development Minister, Alexei Ulyukayev:
A three-party meeting of the EU, Ukraine and Russiais expected to take place at the ministerial level in July. EUTrade Commissioner Karel de Gucht, Ukrainian Economy MinisterPavel Sheremet and I will meet to discuss risks that will emergeover the implementation of this agreement and possible measures tooffset these risks.
Ulyukayev says that from Russia’s point of view, there aretwo groups of problems:
- Since imports into Ukraine form the EU are almost tariff-free, and imports into Russia from Ukraine are almost tariff-free, it’s feared that imports from the EU will go through Ukraine into Russia. However, imports into Russia from the EU are currently NOT tariff-free. Russia is concerned about uncontrolled imports due to the introduction of European technical regulations and the problem of imports from third countries, according to Ulyukayev.
- There are a large number of existing agreements between Ukraine and Russia on such things as technical regulation, veterinary control, and pharmacology; things “dealing with citizens’ safety and health.” These agreements will have to be renegotiated.
Stocks rise after disastrous GDP report
The stock market rose on Wednesday after the Commerce Departmentrevised its estimate of GDP growth from the first quarter, originallyreported to be an anemic +1.0%, to a disastrous fall of 2.9%. Thenearly 3% contraction in the economy during the first quarter is beingblamed variously on the weather and Obamacare. According to oneestimate, indirect taxes from Obamacare are the highest tax increasein decades.
Mainstream economists were shocked by this report. Every quarter,they predict that the economy’s growth will start to surge in the nextquarter, just as it did after recessions in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s.But as I’ve pointed out many, many times, mainstream economics didn’tpredict and can’t explain the tech bubble of the 1990s, didn’t predictand can’t explain the huge credit and real estable bubble of themid-2000s decade, and the real estate collapse and credit crisis after2007. They didn’t even know that there’d been a real estatebubble until around 2009, two years after it had started to burst.
Mainstream economists didn’t predict and can’t explain any of thoseevents. They don’t have a clue what the economy is going to do thisyear and even less of a clue about next year.
What they don’t understand is that a return to the 1970s-90s is100% impossible. That was a different generational era. Fromthe point of view of Generational Dynamics, the mood and behaviorof people today matches the 1930s, not the 1980s, which meansthat the velocity of money is going to continue to plummet,and that the economy is in a deflationary spiral.
However, stock market share prices rose on Wednesday. The reason thatinvestors were happy about the disastrous GDP data was that it meansthat the Fed will continue its program of “printing” tens of billionsof dollars in new money and pumping into the financial system,allowing it to flow into the stock market.
For investors, bad news is still good news. Investing.com
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Nigeria, Boko Haram, Abuja,Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych, Petro Poroshenko,Alexei Ulyukayev, European Union, Commerce Dept.


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Houston to move most permitting services online Monday
Starting Monday, the Houston Permitting Center is moving nearly all its services online and limiting in-person visits to those scheduled by appointment, according to a city news release.
The city will allow people to apply online for permits, certificates of occupancy and temporary certificates of occupancy. The exceptions are fire prevention permits, auto dealer licenses, identification, boiler operator’s permits, and stationary engineer’s licenses.
Customers are encouraged to pay electronically, for which they must create an “advance pay account.” The permitting center is accepting cash “by appointment.”
The move is intended to “maintain operations while protecting the community by reducing the number of customers in waiting areas,” according to the news release.
Mayor Sylvester Turner has adopted a number of temporary measures aimed at curbing the spread of the novel coronavirus, most notably ordering the closure of all bars and clubs and restricting restaurants to takeout orders.


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At the end of June 2012 the EU and Central American governments formally signed the Comprehensive Association Agreement, the text of which had already been agreed. While the consent of the European Parliament is still required, it is expected that the trade pillar of the agreement will enter into effect at the end of 2012. The agreement is expected to significantly increase trade flows.
Under the agreement the EU will ‘liberalise 91% of tariff lines for Central American exports immediately after the entry into force of the agreement’, while Central American governments will undertake similar action for 48% of tariff lines, with the remainder of the tariff elimination commitments being implemented over the following 10 years.
Central American ‘tariffs on key agricultural products will be largely eliminated whilst “sensitive areas” for local markets are being respected.’ The EU will ‘eliminate tariffs on most dairy products with some exceptions (milk-powder, condensed milk and natural yogurt will be excluded)’, while Central American countries will ‘eliminate tariffs on some dairy products, such as evaporated and condensed milk and will grant limited duty-free quotas on milk powder and cheese’. These quotas cover current exports and ‘will be increased on an annual basis’.
Independent impact assessments suggest that the agreement will ‘contribute to large sectoral gains in the fruits, vegetables and nuts sector, especially for Panama and Costa Rica’.
The SPS component of the agreement goes beyond WTO requirements ‘in key areas such as the regionalisation of animal diseases and pests, and the transparency of SPS import requirements and procedures’.
On 26 June 2012 the EU also signed the agreements concluded with Colombia and Peru. The text of the agreements, along with the tariff rate quotas set out in the annexes, has been posted on the EC website.
Banana tariff reductions schedules in the Association Agreements and the Geneva Agreement on Trade in Bananas (GATB) (tonnes)
|Costa Rica||Panama||Honduras||Guatemala||Nicaragua||El Salvador||Colombia||Peru|
EU–Central America Association Agreement appendix 3: http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2011/march/tradoc_147669.pdf
Colombia Association Agreement EU tariff reduction schedules: http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2011/march/tradoc_147706.pdf
Peru Association Agreement EU tariff reduction schedules: http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2011/march/tradoc_147707.pdf
Geneva Agreement on Banana Tariffs: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2010:141:0003...
Comparison of the tariffs to be charged under quotas within the trigger import volume tonnages for Central American, Colombian and Peruvian banana exporters and the tariffs agreed under the Geneva Agreement on Trade in Bananas shows an accelerated rate of tariff reductions for Central American countries, beginning at €5/tonne less that the GATB tariffs in 2011, increasing to €18 less by 2017 and reaching €39/tonne less by 2020.
Of particular concern to ACP governments under these agreements are the market consequences of the tariff rate quotas for bananas. Under the Central American Association Agreement, concerns also arise to a lesser extent over TRQs for sugar, bulk rum and beef exports.
Given the trigger import volumes established, the tariff reduction savings on bananas resulting from the association agreements, above and beyond those gained under the GATB, rise from €14,642,500 in 2012 to € 71,234,100 in 2017 and €133,250,000 by 2019
Questions arise over what market effects these additional tariff reductions will have, and over the consequences for individual ACP banana exporters.
In addition to the implications for ACP banana exporters, the regionalisation arrangements for SPS controls under the Central American Association Agreement could potentially be of relevance for Namibia. For many years now the Namibian authorities have been trying to secure similar region-specific SPS arrangements, which would allow the export of bone-in-lamb to the EU market. Currently bone-in-lamb exports to the EU are prevented as a result of foot-and-mouth disease concerns, linked to infected areas 800 km north of the main lamb-raising areas, despite the existence of a veterinary control fence which has prevented southward movement of foot and mouth disease from the affected zone for the past 50 years.


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Posts Tagged ‘engineering award’
All this good news coming from Kia Motors has us rolling over with glee. In the span of a single week, not only did the sporty Kia Stinger earn the first-ever “Engineering Award for the Highest Rated All-New Vehicle” from J.D. Power, but a special edition of the Stinger has been released, making its debut in New York with a racy look and dynamic all-wheel drive technology. Enthusiasts rejoice! Sports cars are here to stay with Kia Motors going GT.
Limited Edition Stinger GTS
The new Limited Edition Kia Stinger GTS is one of several special editions released by Kia for the Kia Stinger. In 2018, a year after its release, three special edition Kia Stinger models were introduced to the auto market. Now, nearly two years into its success and the Kia Stinger continues to be a crowd favorite as Kia’s highest performing sport sedan. Not only has the Stinger established itself as a true competitor in the sport sedan segment with strong sales figures, but it has also changed the face of Kia Motors. It turned the automaker into a sports car company, and the technology inside the Kia Stinger GTS shows.
The first-quarter of 2019 has just passed us and we’re already scratching our way through the rest of the year. One automaker, Kia Motors, shows no sign of slowing down as they continue to over-perform. With the automaker releasing the 2020 Kia Telluride in March 2019, their largest SUV ever, their sales were spearheaded by the Kia Telluride and landed Kia Motors their best first quarter performance for Kia Motors since 2016. It’s not the only vehicle consumers love. The Kia Stinger is still making rounds, winning a first-ever award from J.D. Power, and the Niro PHEV won a Best New Car Award.
Kia Stinger and J.D. Power
When someone says “first-ever”, one could imagine that this means the occasion was so great, it needed its own recognition and celebration. So when a company like J.D. Power holds their first-ever “Engineering Award for the Highest Rated All-New Vehicle”, there’s clearly something important brewing in the auto industry. The J.D. Power Engineering Award for Highest-Rated All-New Vehicle combines the results of two well-known J.D. Power studies that Kia Motors continues to rank highly on. Kia Motors was the leading auto brand for the 2018 Initial Quality Study (IQS), and their Kia Stinger won the Compact Premium Car segment for the 2018 J.D. Power APEAL Study.


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Advertisers have been using Snapchat as a way to advertise their products and services for years, and advertisers have used the service to target their message, according a new study by a New York ad industry group.
“Advertisers are using the platform to target advertising to people that they’re already targeting in their marketing campaigns,” said Andrew Bovey, executive director of the Advertising Bureau of the National Association of State Directors of Advertiser Relations, in an interview with Reuters.
“It’s a great platform for them to target people and their products.
It gives them an additional source of revenue that they can leverage.”
The report by the association, which represents companies in the advertising and marketing industries, found that Snapchat advertising accounted for a total of more than $17 billion in revenue last year.
It also said that advertisers spent about $17.6 billion on advertising during the third quarter of 2017, compared with $17 per user in the same period last year, according the study.
Bovey said that as of April 1, advertisers had spent $18 billion on Snapchat ads, up by about $8 billion from the same time last year but down from a record high of $20 billion in 2017.
The report said Snapchat’s growth is fueled by the fact that it allows advertisers to target consumers on more than just a “snaps” basis.
“Snapchat’s growth in terms of people that use the platform is primarily driven by the way that advertisers are able to target individuals based on their current and future demographics,” he said.
“And it also allows for more targeting opportunities in terms the fact Snapchat is more than an app, it is a service.”
The study also said advertisers are using Snapchat to target advertisements to people who are already targeting them, rather than to new users.
“The ad industry is seeing the opportunity for Snapchat ads to be more relevant to their audience and more relevant for the way they sell their product,” Boveys said.
“That is an interesting dynamic because for consumers, it may be relevant to them to have the advertising message to help them understand what they are buying, and that is a very important thing.”


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28 Mar Towne Park Promotes Jeff Johnson to Vice President of Operations
Johnson to be Responsible for Operations across the West Coast and Southwest
Today, Towne Park officially announced the promotion of Jeff Johnson to Vice President of Operations overseeing operations in the western U.S. stretching from Seattle to San Diego and including Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Las Vegas, and other major markets. He will be responsible for nearly 1,000 associates and over 100 clients including hotels, hospitals, luxury residences, garages, restaurants and event services. Johnson previously held a District Manager position on the East Coast and joined Towne Park in 2006 after seven years with Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts as a Rooms Executive.
“Jeff’s skills and talents have been cultivated in the ranks of Towne Park and he is one of many recent internal executive promotions. Jeff has strong intuition, fervent leadership skills, a passion to develop people, a laser focus on service and safety, and is customer centric. He’s a natural fit for the western U.S. and I’m excited that Jeff will be leading the way to bring more value to our customers and will set the stage to support our growth.” – Matt Cahill, Executive Vice President of Operations
For more details, read the full press release circulated today.


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This Lexus LC 500 will make you think twice about running from the cops in Japan
In an effort to expand police visibility in Marikina, the local gov't has provided police with new MG patrol cars
The UK police force can soon chase criminals wherever they go with the Ranger Raptor
Suzuki Jimny is the latest addition to the Italian police lineup
Motoring journalist takes an Audi R8 to 150 km/h...on two lane country roads.
Jeep is celebrating 8 decades of the Wrangler with a special edition and key upgrades
56th MMPC dealership is located in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
Bugatti remains the undisputed speed king as SSC Tuatara fails to deliver
From July 5 until August 31, customers that purchase any of Unioil's synthetic lubricants will get free fuel vouchers
Tariff Commission summary report supports staff report, recommends scrapping SG bond
Thailand's two largest manufacturers to pause production due to COVID-19
After making its world debut in the Middle East last year, updated Nissan Terra is set to arrive in SE Asia next month
Get to grips with tire rotation and why it plays a key role in tire care
Suzuki excited the subcompact crossover market in late 2017 with the Vitara. Can this AllGrip do that too?


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IDC has lowered its global IT market growth forecast for this year, due mainly to weakness in Europe and Japan.
IT spending in Europe is now expected to grow by 4.4 percent this year, compared to a previous estimate of 5.8 percent, said Juan Orozco, research manager for worldwide IT markets at IDC. Worsening economic conditions in Western Europe caused some large firms to hold back on major IT purchases in the first quarter, IDC noted.
Spending growth in Japan will likely reach just 1.2 percent this year, down from 3.2 percent, mostly thanks to low spending on hardware like PCs and servers. US spending growth was revised down slightly to 5.5 percent from 6 percent.
The first quarter was broadly stable and brought solid results for many IT vendors, IDC said. However the company noted some mixed signals in the US and that worsening economic conditions began to impact IT spending in Europe towards the end of the quarter.
Interest rates, oil prices, and currency fluctuations were all named as potential wild cards that could impact business confidence and investment in the second quarter and throughout the year.
Global spending on IT products in the first three months of the year was underpinned by increased technology budgets among businesses as they started new projects in security, regulatory compliance, infrastructure management and business intelligence.
However, the market research firm revised its forecast for compound annual global IT spending growth down to 6 percent annually between 2005 and 2009 from a previous estimate of 6.5 percent between 2005 and 2008.


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Shares of Puma Se (OTCMKTS:PMMAF) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the twelve brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company.
PMMAF has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Norddeutsche Landesbank reiterated a “sell” rating on shares of Puma in a research report on Wednesday, December 30th. DZ Bank restated a “sell” rating on shares of Puma in a research report on Friday.
Shares of Puma stock traded up $0.04 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $108.59. 200 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 517. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $103.21 and a 200 day simple moving average of $101.06. Puma has a fifty-two week low of $56.79 and a fifty-two week high of $116.99.
PUMA SE, together with its subsidiaries, designs, develops, sells, and markets footwear, apparel, and accessories in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Americas and, the Asia Pacific. The company offers performance and sport-inspired lifestyle products in categories, such as football, cricket, handball, rugby, volleyball, running, training and fitness, golf, and motorsports.
Further Reading: Trading Ex-Dividend Strategy


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Flags of China and the United States before the meeting of heads of diplomatic missions in Beijing, China
Grand trade war between the US and China, with many planned and unplanned losses canceled. At least three months, the parties took a pause to once again consider the consequences. Meeting Donald trump and President XI Jinping in Argentina at the G20 summit, it seems, has become, if not an epoch-making event, it is certainly a turning point. To his aggravation was growing consistently and severely, like an avalanche. However, cost leaders to speak “heart to heart” as caused by this trade war a threat to the global economy – what almost was horrified by many experts say – at least for a time lost its relevance.
Anyway, now supply the Chinese market American cars will not be subject to draconian taxes. And in General, next year the US and China will not impose any new similar measures in relation to each other. And we are, neither more nor less, was the goods in the hundreds of billions of dollars. Immediately went in an increase in the price of U.S. soybeans, Beijing imposed additional tariffs, but it is very loved by the Chinese. In short, if not peace, the truce definitely happened, and the US President and the Chinese President agreed to intensify the negotiations to restore relations between the two countries. First of all, in the economy.
For people with a militaristic mindset, which implies an inevitable and permanent worsening in any conflict as the only means for the participants to “not lose face”, this turn of events was completely unexpected. But, if you look closely, nothing extraordinary happened. The U.S. side once again demonstrated his rationalism, and the Chinese Eastern wisdom. Ties between the two countries is so vast that a trade war with its protective duties could escalate into a global U.S.-China economic collapse projecting to other regions of the world. Already investment of Chinese business in USA was reduced to almost zero. Him in America began to openly step. Moreover, Beijing has threatened in the fall to get rid of us government bonds for a very substantial sum.


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Destiny Beta Will Start this Summer; Can it Surpass GTA 5?
It is no doubt that GTA V is the best selling title in video games industry in 2013, with shipping stunning 32.5 million units as of now. What about the best one in 2014? We have no idea yet but Destiny, the highly anticipated first person shooter, which is developed by Halo creator Bungie and published by Activision Blizzard, might be the answer of this question.
Speaking to investors in an earnings call
on Thursday, Activision Publishing president and CEO Eric Hirshberg announced
Destiny beta test is scheduled to start beta this summer.
Previously, Hirshberg stated that they
believes Destiny "has the potential" to become its third
billion-dollar franchise. "We believe Destiny could be Activision
Publishing's third billion-dollar franchise, and we're working hard to make it
the biggest new IP launch in video game history," he said. And he believes
"Destiny will become the bestselling new video game [franchise] in
history" when it hits store shelves later this year.
Call of Duty (Activision Blizzard) and Halo series have become the significant milestones in video games
history, with over billion-dollor revenue both. The successful experience in
these two great FPS titles might have become the key factor to succeed in
Destiny is slated to launch on Xbox and
PlayStation consoles on September 9.


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Don’t be a shock to hear Jio, Airtel & Vodafone Increasing Data Pack Rates soon. I was knowing this will happen from the day Jio started its low rate services to the customers.
Why is this happening? Do you have any idea!
A few years back Gio gave Internet data for free then introduced cheapest plans in India for unlimited data and calls for a certain period of time. I say it was a revolution but now what?
Now Jio is becoming expensive day by day because any company to attract the customers they develop a marketing strategy likewise Jio also used the strategy and captured a large customer base.
Just think how the company can give you free, it can be a short term strategy but it cannot survive if it continues.
Any company will have its expenses it has to give rent for all branches, government taxes, employee’s salaries, to bring new technology, etc.
Vodafone has said in a statement that from 1st December 2019 they are increasing the rates, even Airtel and Jio are been expected the same, anytime while you reading only may come the statement.
The main reason for increasing the Rates is the companies are going into losses, to recover that and to earn profits this measure is taking place.
There are many countries that provide free Internet for their citizens, even in India I wish to happen the same but here it is difficult due to the political interventions.
I have seen in my childhood these types of strategies used by other companies, for example, if you remember there was Spice Telecom company just like Jio, Airtel which was providing the call rates very cheap later increased the rates.
Till now due to the competition customer benefited a lot from the telecom companies but no it’s the time for them to collect all back.


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A massive warehouse Amazon wants to build an hour-and-a-half south of Albany is going through a more lengthy state environmental review process than the one the company is planning in this Rensselaer County town.
The juxtaposition has some Schodack residents wishing that the town planning board had done the same as they contemplate what impact the one-million-square-foot distribution center, expected to create 800 jobs, will have on things like traffic and other quality of life issues.
"I'm not necessarily opposed to this project," said Joe Visalli, a Schodack resident and former member of the town's planning board. "I just don't believe the town is playing the game fairly."
Last July, the Schodack planning board gave the go-ahead to a real estate development firm called Scannell Properties to move forward with plans to acquire 116 acres on Route 9 where it plans to build a $100 million warehouse for Amazon.
In doing so, the planning board decided that a more in-depth Environmental Impact Statement, or EIS, wasn't required.
Although a local neighborhood group, the Birchwood Association, sued Scannell and the town over the decision, State Supreme Court Justice Patrick McGrath of Rensselaer County dismissed the case in January, arguing the planning board acted in good faith.
"A significant amount of time, energy, and resources was expended to ensure that the planning board's review of the project was both thorough and in full compliance with all legal requirements, and the court's decision validates those efforts," Schodack Supervisor David Harris said following McGrath's Jan. 28 decision in the case.
The Birchwood Association, which said it was "extremely disappointed and shocked with the decision," is considering a potential appeal but has not made a final decision on whether to move forward.
Meanwhile, Amazon's nearly identical proposal being considered by the town of Montgomery in Orange County is going through an EIS, which gives local environmental groups and others the opportunity to weigh in on the potential long-term impacts of an Amazon warehouse by submitting their own suggestions on the plan.
One of those groups in the case of the Montgomery project is the Wallkill River Watershed Alliance, which is concerned about the potential run-off of chemicals and waste water from the Amazon site.
Jason West, president of the Wallkill River Watershed Alliance, said he was "really surprised" that the town didn't think an EIS was needed for such a large warehouse, which in Schodack would see 1,043 cars and trucks entering and exiting the main entrance on Route 9 during the evening rush hour.
"You'd think they would (require an EIS) based on traffic concerns alone," West said. "Let alone environmental concerns."
Both the Schodack and Montgomery Amazon warehouses would handle large, heavy and bulky items like kayaks or household furniture, according to MWPVL International, a Montreal supply chain consulting firm that tracks Amazon's expansion plans.
Marc Wulfraat, the president of MWPVL, said that Amazon mostly serves New York City through what it calls "fulfillment centers" that it has built in New Jersey. He said that the greater Capital Region, with about 881,000 people, would be considered big enough to warrant a fulfillment center. Amazon typically targets metro areas with a population of around one million people, he said.
"It's no surprise to me that they're targeting the Albany region," Wulfraat said.
Wulfraat would also expect Amazon to want to build a smaller "sortation center" nearby the Schodack facility in the future. Such facilities, which would mean hundreds of additional jobs down the line, are used by Amazon to sort packaged and labeled items by zip code before they are brought to local post offices, speeding up delivery to customers. In some cases, the sortation centers are used as package pick-up locations for local contract delivery drivers.
Amazon spokeswoman Rachael Lighty would not say what the company's future plans are for either Schodack or Orange County.
"Amazon is not yet commenting on any specific plans in New York," Lighty said. "The company is constantly investigating new locations to support the growth and increase the flexibility of its North American network to continue to delight our customers."
Visalli, the former Schodack planning board member, says he believes the decades-long quest by the town to try and develop property along Route 9 into a bustling business corridor is the reason why its approach was so different than the path taken by the town of Montgomery, which is known as a transportation and warehouse hub already.
"They (Schodack) didn't want to go through an EIS because of the fact that it takes a lot of time," Visalli said. "The town typically jumps on opportunities as they see them."


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Firework displays 2012: Redbourn, Hertfordshire
PUBLISHED: 22:30 19 October 2012 | UPDATED: 16:19 20 October 2012
REDBOURN’S annual firework display will take place in the village two days before Bonfire Night.
Guy Fawkes Night festivities will take place on the Common from 6pm on Saturday, November 3.
The display will start at 7pm, but the funfair will be up and running an hour earlier.
There will also be stalls selling hot dogs and hot chocolate and there will be a raffle with the prizes including a bike.
If you value what this story gives you, please consider supporting the Welwyn Hatfield Times. Click the link in the orange box above for details.


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Leicester Citroen colleagues win at national awards
Two team members from Bristol Street Motors Citroen Leicester have been recognised with national awards for excellence.
Thomas Graham won the award for Excellence in Parts Sales, while Sophie Langton won an award for Excellence in Car Sales at the Vertu Motors Masters’ Club awards, an annual event held by the UK’s sixth largest motor retailer to recognise and reward colleague excellence.
This is the third year that Vertu Motors, which is the company behind the Bristol Street Motors, Macklin Motors, Farnell Land Rover, Vertu Volkswagen and Vertu Honda brands, has presented these awards, which highlight the dedication and quality of colleagues work throughout the business.
Selected from more than 3,500 colleagues for their exceptional work, winners enjoyed an overnight stay with their partners at the luxurious Slaley Hall, an elegant Edwardian manor house set in 1,000 acres of Northumberland moorland and forest.
Sophie said: “We had a fantastic night at the awards and it is a real honour to be recognised in this way. I really love my job and I am passionate about helping customers get the best experience possible. There really is no better feeling than seeing a happy customer drive away smiling – that’s what we always aim to do.”
Robert Forrester, Chief Executive of Vertu Motors, said: “I very much look forward each year to reviewing the nominations and to announcing the winners of this competition. It highlights the talent and dedication of many of our colleagues and never fails to remind me that behind the success of our Group lies in individuals delivering the highest level of performance and customer experience.
“This year saw the strongest line up of nominations to date and selecting the winners was challenging. Our business is built on the passion and integrity of all our colleagues and this is an opportunity to celebrate success and reward brilliance. Recognition is one of our core values and I believe it’s vital to reinforce and reward the positive behaviours of our colleagues that drive the success of our business.”


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You are here
Japan PM Abe: Will raise sales tax barring severe shock
[TOKYO] Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Tuesday he will proceed with a scheduled sales tax hike next year unless the economy is hit by a shock on the scale of the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008 or the massive earthquake that struck in 2011.
He also told parliament that he was "not thinking at all" about dissolving the lower house and calling a snap election.
A Reuters poll showed many analysts expect Mr Abe to delay raising the sales tax to 10 per cent from 8 per cent in April next year as weak consumption and exports threaten to derail a fragile economic recovery.


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Export Pharmaceuticals| Iran to Exports Medicines Internationally
Pharmaceutical industry practitioners believe that when production is more than domestic consumption, the pharmaceutical industry needs to export medicines to those who need it to fulfill their need. It is a win-win situation. Pharmaceutical Export Statistics suggests Iraq and Afghanistan are the two key markets for Iranian medicines exports, in recent years. The year 2018.


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With the release of iOS 7, Apple introduced its first attempt at internet streaming radio with the aptly titled iTunes Radio. Now comes word via Bloomberg that the feature will soon be heading to a number of English-speaking countries, beginning with the UK and Canada before making its way to Australia and New Zealand.
ITunes Radio is also set to start early next year in Australia and New Zealand, where Pandora already operates, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans aren't public. Nordic countries are also being targeted in the same time frame, the people said.
Apple is moving faster than Pandora because it forged agreements for international rights with Vivendi SA (VIV)'s Universal Music Group and other record companies, said one of the people. Pandora, which doesn't have such deals, relies on rights granted by government entities, limiting service to the US, Australia and New Zealand.
The report relays that Apple is hoping to expand iTunes Radio beyond the United States by early 2014.
While it makes sense for Apple to start small with English-speaking countries, Apple executive Eddy Cue recently said that Apple wants iTunes Radio to be a global entity.
"One of our top priorities is to bring iTunes Radio obviously here in the UK, but everywhere in the world," Cue explained in an interview last week. "We certainly want to be in more than 100 countries."
Cue noted that Apple is thus far "very pleased" with the rollout of iTunes Radio. Remember that Apple noted in a press release two weeks ago that over 11 million unique users had already given iTunes Radio a spin in the first few days the feature became available.
As a final note, keep in mind that Bloomberg's sources are anonymous and any rumors involving Apple should always be taken with a grain of salt, especially when they involve the often murky world of music licensing.
Execute the music programming of the iTunes Store in Canada, merchandising new releases and other feature content across multiple genres; Update featuring daily, identifying new and priority releases, as well as highlighting library content and showcase depth of catalogue; Work with management in Canada and Cupertino to determine local and global priorities relevant to iTunes. Manage the weekly scheduling and programming process. Collaborate with other editorial programmers on cross content initiatives and promotions. Communicate regularly with the Marketing and Sales team in Canada to coordinate new releases and priorities.


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Tensions between the two countries rise, sending markets in turmoil
Tired by decades of broken promises and record-high border crossings, President Trump announced a series of tariffs against Mexico until the country works to fix its problem with illegal immigration to the United States.
Under the policy, tariffs will go into effect starting on June 10th, with a starting rate of 5 percent. They will ratchet up to a maximum of 25 percent by October.
Besides impacting the overall stock market, the tariffs will likely hit some sectors harder than others. The biggest loser will be the automotive space, as most automobile parts created in North America are done so in Mexico. Estimates are about 35 percent of all auto exports come from south of the border.
Other areas impacted by tariffs with Mexico include oil. The nation has a sizeable energy industry, and the United States is one of its largest exports for its oil production.
Finally, food and drink, particularly spirits, are a major source of trade between the two countries.
The surprising move, coming off of the earlier China tariffs this week, show that President Trump has no qualms about fighting multiple trade war fronts at the same time.
Stocks were off about 1.2 percent on the day. Oil fell over 5 percent on fears of reduced global trade. Gold prices popped 1.3 percent to close over $1,300 per ounce.
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The 44th meeting of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council is over. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is giving information about the decisions taken in the meeting. The Finance Minister said that in the meeting it has been decided to cut tax on medicines of black fungus. Apart from this, the tax rates have also been cut on other equipment including medicines and ambulances related to Corona. In the meeting, it has been decided to continue with 5% GST on the vaccine of Covid. This reduction in GST rates will be applicable till September.
Now 12% GST on ambulance
In the meeting of the GST Council, the rates of tax on the vehicles used for the movement of patients i.e. ambulances have been drastically cut. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the council has decided to reduce the rate of GST on ambulances to 12%. So far, GST is being charged on ambulances at the rate of 28%. Tocilizumab and amphothracin-B are used in the treatment of black fungus. These attract 5% GST. The council has decided not to charge GST on these drugs.
Taxes were also reduced on these
- Reduced from 12% to 5% on the oximeter.
- Tax on hand sanitiser reduced from 18% to 5%.
- Reduced from 12% to 5% on ventilators.
- Did 12% to 5% on remdesivir.
- Reduced from 12% to 5% on medical grade oxygen.
- Tax on BiPaP machines reduced from 12% to 5%.
- Tax on pulse oximeter reduced from 12% to 5%.
- The reduced tax rate on oxygen concentrator from 12% to 5%.
- Reduced tax on electric furnaces from 12% to 5%.
- Tax on the temperature measuring instruments reduced from 12% to 5%.
- Reduced tax on high-flow nasal cannula devices from 12% to 5%.
- Tax on Heparin drug reduced from 12% to 5%.
- 5% tax on Covid testing kits instead of 12%.
Approval of the recommendations of the Group of Ministers
The GST Council, in its meeting held on May 28, had decided to constitute a group of eight ministers to consider tax rates on drugs and goods used in the treatment of covid and black fungus. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that after approving the recommendations of the Group of Ministers, it has been decided to cut rates.
No tax deduction on RT-PCR machine
In the meeting of the GST Council, no tax has been cut on many other items related to Covid. There has been no reduction in tax rates on RT-PCR machines, RNA machines and genome sequencing machines. These are taxed at the rate of 18%. In addition, the 12% tax on Genome Sequencing Kits has also been retained. There has also been no reduction in tax rates on the raw material used in making the Covid Testing Kit.


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Last week, Facebook announced on its earnings call that 80% of its revenue now comes from mobile users. In four years, the social network has created a $13 billion mobile business. At Yahoo, however, the picture is quite the opposite: Today, Yahoo announced its fourth-quarter earnings, pulling in $1.3 billon in revenue for the quarter. But only $291 million—about 23%—came from mobile.
Although CEO Marissa Mayer has previously said Yahoo is the world’s third-largest mobile advertising company, with roughly 575 million users visiting its mobile properties, it seems to be having trouble translating that base into revenue, at least compared with other mobile advertising businesses. In the last quarter of 2015, Facebook made roughly $4.5 billion in revenue from mobile advertising—roughly 15 times what Yahoo made in the same period. Facebook was founded in 2004—nine years after Yahoo. (Google, which as a search engine might be a better comparison for Yahoo, doesn’t break out mobile revenue.)
Mobile is one of the key areas that Mayer plans to grow as she tries to turn the company around, and on today’s earnings call, she suggested that the company will double down on its mobile search efforts, even as it trims down the company. Yahoo announced that it’s cutting 15% of its workforce, and on the call Mayer said the company is about 34% smaller than it was five years ago.
While its mobile business is growing—its mobile revenue, while small, was up 15% from the same quarter last year—it remains to be seen whether Yahoo will be able to rebound as the internet becomes increasingly mobile. Responding to an analyst’s question on how to compete with giants like Google on mobile search, Mayer said the answer on mobile might be to provide simpler, more personalized results than what you might find on a desktop search. Rather like a guide for the internet.
“A simplified Yahoo will yield better results,” Mayer said.


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Chipotle Just Hinted at 3 or More New Menu Items
It's no secret that Chipotle has had a rough couple of years. It's been plagued by a series of food-borne illness outbreaks, a massive data breach, and many less-than-glowing reviews of its much-hyped new queso. So, it shouldn't come as a huge surprise that the company is looking to find new ways to get customers in the door. One way to do just that is expanding the menu with handful of totally new items, something its CEO just hinted it's working on now.
Did someone say Chipotle quesadillas?
During a quarterly earnings call with investors on Tuesday, Chipotle CEO Steve Ells mentioned that the company is considering adding things like "salads and different kinds of grains" as well as nachos and quesadillas. However, while he said that customers are asking for them, he went on to explain that integrating new items and ingredients without totally disrupting the flow of the kitchen (and the brand's supply chain) is a "tricky proposition," but that their development teams are working on it.
In terms of when you might be able to opt for a quesadilla or order of nachos instead of your go-to burrito bowl, the release timeline isn't clear. It's also possible these potential new offerings won't even make it past the test kitchen phase (much like its first-ever dessert was put "on hold" last year after a disappointing trial run.)
We reached out to Chipotle, and they declined to provide any more details.
h/t Business Insider


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Carrier IQ May Face FTC Investigation
Carrier IQ, makers of the once-covert mobile device monitoring software, continues to receive scrutiny from the U.S government. On Wednesday, Senator Al Franken (D-MN) sent a letter to Larry Lenhart—Carrier IQ’s CEO and President—inquiring about how the software and data collected was being used. Now U.S. Representative Edward Markey (D-MA) has asked the FTC to invesigate whether Carrier IQ has violated the privacy rights of millions of mobile phone users. From Reuters:
“Consumers and families need to understand who is siphoning off and storing their personal information every time they use their smart phone,” Markey said in a statement.
In a letter to FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz, Markey asked the agency to investigate this under its mandate to protect consumers from unfair or deceptive acts or practices.


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The Sustainable Development Unit (SDU) at Athena RC and the African Shipowners Association (ASA) have recently signed an MOU to jointly promote efforts of both organisations towards the mutual implementation of sustainable development objectives, in particular as they relate to maritime and shipping.
African Shipowners Association (ASA) is a not-for-profit continental platform for all shipowners and operators on the African Continent. Recognised by the African Union Commission, as well as the Association of Maritime Administration Africa, the ASA is committed to the implementation of the African Union’s Agenda 2063, by promoting the development of Africa’s blue economy, the growth of an Africa-wide shipping industry, and supporting infrastructural development such as shipping lines to support Africa’s accelerated integration and growth, technological transformation, trade and development.
This new MOU, will see both organisations cooperate in the areas of sustainable blue growth, implementation of the SDGs, development of an Africa-wide sustainable shipping industry and fleet of vessels, climate change mitigation and adaptation, promotion of sustainable development solutions, training and capacity building, joint funding opportunities and information exchange forums such as seminars, conferences, webinars. The first such event is the Annual ASA Uganda Blue Economy Dialogue which will take place on Wednesday 29th June, 2022. The cooperation will also facilitate the inaugural Hellenic-African Maritime Conference to be held in Athens in September 2022.


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Los Angeles: Apple Inc. will make the most drastic changes to the iPhone home screen since the product’s release in 2007 as part of a software update expected later this year.
The new home screen allows users to place widgets that sit between the typical grid of apps, Apple said Monday at a virtual conference for developers. The widgets present information from an app, such as the weather or a calendar, that updates throughout the day and can be set to varying sizes. The new software will also allow users to hide apps and access a new screen for organizing and searching for software. A similar feature will also come to the iPad.
The new software, called iOS 14, will let users set a default email or web browser not made by Apple for the first time. Bloomberg reported in February that the company was planning such a setting after facing complaints from developers alleging anticompetitive behavior.
Apple added several travel-focused tools, though an executive acknowledged they may not get much use until the pandemic passes. A new Translate app for the iPhone will work offline. Updates to Apple Maps include travel guides and improved bicycle routes in some cities. Apple worked with BMW AG on a wireless car key that can unlock new vehicles using an iPhone, as well as on integration with electric cars from BMW and Ford Motor Co.
There will be several more features iPhone users can appreciate while stuck at home. The iPhone will support picture-in-picture mode for watching videos while browsing other apps, similar to one on the iPad. Siri, the company’s voice-activated digital assistant, will no longer cover up the screen when opened and will allow users to record audio messages and dictate text messages without transmitting their voice to Apple’s servers. A new version of the Messages app adds improvements to group threads and animated emojis. Apple didn’t say when the new software would be made available.
Another new tool called App Clips offers miniature software that works without a lengthy download. Apple said this will be useful for renting electric scooters in cities or paying at a parking meter. They can be accessed via websites, the Maps app, text messages or wireless tags.
The iPad will also see new designs for apps that make better use of larger screens. Several apps, including Calendar, Files, Music, Notes and Photos, will receive a Mac-like sidebar and tool bar. Apple also redesigned its search interface for the iPad.
The iPhone widgets were one of the most-requested features and one that Google has offered on Android phones for years. Craig Federighi, Apple’s head of software engineering, said the widgets were designed based on the information screens on the Apple Watch. Some Apple-made widgets let users quickly play podcasts, watch TV shows, read news and view daily fitness activity.-Bloomberg
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Flooding was reported at both the Westfield Southcenter Mall and the Bellevue Square Mall in the Seattle, Washington.
Heavy rains were too much for the rooftop drainage system at the Southcenter Mall...torrents of water fell into the mall's atrium and several of it's stores were flooded. The roof water has subsided and authorities say they don't believe there is structural damage.
The rain also caused flooding at the Bellevue Square Mall, where as many as ten stores were reportedly damaged.
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