text:
CHICAGO (CN) - A famous Chicago sausage brand, Krueger Sausage, can advance claims that its rivals at Sysco Chicago sell falsely labeled "Krueger" bratwurst, a federal judge ruled.
Krueger trumpets its century-long "tradition in the manufacture of quality sausage products and luncheon meats."
"The Krueger Sausage Company's humble beginnings date back to 1915 in a North Side Chicago garage," according to the company's website. "Sons of immigrants from Germany, three brothers, George, John and Floyd Krueger arrived in the meat-packing district with their family recipes and traditional home cooking."
In 1997, company president Kurt Krueger sold his corporate interests to Abbyland Illinois, which authorized Real Sausage Inc. and L&P Provisions to use the Krueger sausage mark on their products. When Krueger bought back his interest and right to use the sausage marks in 2006, he sent a cease-and-desist letter to Real Sausage and L&P. Kreuger later transferred these assets to a company of which he is the sole member, S&A Futures.
But Krueger discovered in 2010 that two Chicago restaurants had purchased counterfeit "Krueger bratwurst" from Sysco Chicago Inc.
He and S&A filed a 15-claim suit against Sysco, Real Sausage and L&P in 2011.
U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly dismissed six claims entirely last week and dismissed another four claims against certain defendants.
Krueger lost his conspiracy claim because Kennelly found that the complaint "includes nothing about the alleged conspiracy among the defendants beyond the conclusory statements that defendants 'agreed' and 'acted in concert.'"
Furthermore, "although plaintiffs' unfair competition claims generally concern defendants' alleged sale of products using the Krueger name, plaintiffs do not allege ... that defendants misappropriated confidential information and used it for a business advantage," the judge said.
But the statute of limitations has not run out on Krueger's claims. "Absent a definite allegation in the complaint that were was misbehavior for Krueger to discover in May 2006 (or at any time before July 2010), the court is not persuaded that Krueger's claims are barred as a matter of law such that they are subject to dismissal," Kennelly wrote.
Krueger's claims of fraud and trademark infringement survived the motion to dismiss, and Kennelly said he can replead his Lanham Act claims.
Subscribe to Closing Arguments
Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.


text:
Foxconn has the capacity to move iPhone production out of China if needed
Jun 12, 2019 (China Knowledge) - Foxconn Technology Group, the world’s largest electronics contract manufacturer and Apple’s most important manufacturing partner has stated that it has the capacity to make all US-bound iPhones outside China if necessary.
The statement from Foxconn comes as the US threatens China with USD 300 billion worth of new tariffs which will virtually cover all Chinese exports to the US, escalating trade tensions and effectively placing a tax on Apple’s iPhones which are now manufactured in China.
While Apple has not asked Foxconn to move productions out of China, the later already has 25% of its production capacity located outside of China and is also making investments into India for the American company.
Foxconn is currently running quality tests for the iPhone XR series in India and has plans to commence mass production at a facility located in the suburbs or Chennai. Older iPhone models are already being assembled at a plant in Bangalore.
Finally, Foxconn has also agreed to build a facility in Wisconsin which will employ 13,000 workers in exchange for more than USD 4.5 billion in government incentives.
The company has also reaffirmed its employment goal, and construction schedule after receiving criticism for low-paying jobs and sudden dismissal.
Copyright © 2018 www.chinaknowledge.com
Send feedback or comments to: firstname.lastname@example.org
For more news, financial weekly reports, business guides to China and other premium information, subscribe to China Knowledge today: www.chinaknowledge.com
To access our page on Bloomberg, type CKFI

domain: news


text:
The Victoria and Albert Museum will open its first African fashion exhibition this week, more than 170 years after it was founded. Christine Checinska, the curator of African and African diaspora fashion at the V&A, said the exhibition was overdue. “So whether it’s Morocco to South Africa or Ghana in the west, [we want] to try to strategically break down those old colonial boundaries.”Located in the fashion galleries, Africa Fashion is divided into two parts. Other cases explore the work of fashion designers – some of whom are household names across Africa, but are little known outside the continent. Africa Fashion purposely does not address this hot-button issue.
Source: The Guardian June 28, 2022 12:11 UTC


text:
RETTEW is excited to announce Good Karma Garage is the recipient of a $7,000 grant from the RETTEW Charitable Foundation (RCF)!
Jeff Case, Transportation Team Lead at RETTEW, serves as President and Lead Technician at Good Karma Garage. Jeff and his team provide no-cost car repairs to those in need, particularly veterans, in the greater Harrisburg area and beyond. Good Karma Garage’s generous volunteer work is an excellent fit for a RCF grant as RETTEW is passionate about supporting our communities.
“RETTEW applauds Jeff’s efforts to provide these repairs so veterans have safe, reliable, and legal vehicles,” said Shawn Barron, Chair of RETTEW’s Philanthropy Team. “So many veterans are struggling financially, and they should not have to choose between car maintenance and other life needs such as food, housing, medicine, etc.”
Good Karma Garage will use the RCF grant to purchase parts such as tires, brakes, and a tire balancing machine. In addition, employees will support the grant through direct, hands-on involvement by volunteering to:
- Provide customers with vehicle gift baskets including items such as windshield washer fluid, glass cleaner, multi-purpose wipes, air fresheners, gas gift cards, tire gauges, and small flashlights
- Replace 75 feet of seals on three roll-up garage doors
- Attend a shop “field day” to rearrange the entire workspace to accommodate the new tire balancing machine.
“I’m so grateful to the RCF for this grant,” Jeff said. “Many of our customers at Good Karma Garage are very much in need. Most don’t have the money to make necessary repairs to their vehicles, so it’s very rewarding to help them.”
Founded in 2021, the Good Karma Garage technicians volunteer their time to make repairs and bring cars into compliance with PA vehicle safety standards. In their first six months of operation, they provided customers with more than $10,000 in parts and $14,000 in labor. Jeff’s work with Good Karma Garage also earned him a spot as a 2022 Jefferson Award national finalist – learn more about it by clicking here!
Jeff mentioned many of their customers also pay it forward by donating their time to other charities such as food banks, Meals on Wheels, and local churches.
“It’s pretty inspiring helping these folks who have so little but are still assisting others,” Jeff said. “The money the RCF is putting into Good Karma Garage will be multiplied through these individuals.”
Learn more about Good Karma Garage on their website: https://www.goodkarmagarage.com/who-we-are
Follow Good Karma Garage on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Good-Karma-Garage-105119322009152


text:
i am comparing it with the moto G5 and G5s but G5s Plus is much more better then this. The new Moto G5S comes with an evident redesign of the G5 exterior and it’s now an all-metal smartphone made out of a single block of aluminum. The battery has also received some love, and its capacity has been bumped to 3,000 mAh, as opposed to the 2,800 mAh power pack on the regular Moto G5. The rear-facing camera has been overhauled too, and it now boasts a 16 MP sensor instead of the previous 13 MP one. In terms of the selfie camera, Motorola has decided to include the same 5 MP sensor, but complemented it with its own flash. The other addition on the front is the bigger display, which now measures at 5.2 inches compared to the previous 5-inch screen. Uploaded pictures are taken from phone camera so that you can see the quality of camera.
The Moto G5S also includes a 1.4 GHz octa-core processor, though the amount of RAM it will house, and internal storage capacity, is yet to be disclosed. phones have received all the latest Moto Experiences — such as Night Display and Quick Reply — and they still include a fingerprint scanner as the previous devices did. Though it wasn’t spelled out, presumably they run on Android Nougat, too. In G5s Plus u can have 2.0GHz Snapdragon 625 octa-core processor.


text:
Happening in China - February 2016
European Chamber of Commerce in China: Overcapacity in China
Xinhua: China inaugurates national R&D plan: "The plan merges several prominent state sci-tech programs, including the program 863 and program 973, focused on key fields such as biotechnology, space, information, automation, energy, new materials, telecommunications and marine technology. Breakthroughs of the program 863 include supercomputer Tianhe-1, manned deep-sea research submersible Jiaolong, and super hybrid rice."
Stefania Palma: Asia’s surging household debt: how risky is it?
Countries where debt has grown gradually and where regulators implemented pre-emptive macro prudential policies are more likely to minimise blows to economic growth.
Those with reactive regulatory bodies and where household debt surged in just a few years are more at risk, according to analysts and economists. Malaysia and Thailand are at the top of this list.
Domestic credit growth and swelling household debt have kept many Asian economies humming, even in the face of weak external demand from the west after 2008. Asian banks are, to a large extent, capitalised enough to bear the brunt of high household debt. But if other economic sectors start faltering, these obligations could start eroding GDP growth."
FT: Chinese lending: undercover: Peer-to-peer is largely funded by individuals, prompting a clampdown
FT: China rule change clears path to equity index inclusion - Loosening of restrictions could let A shares into the MSCI index and drive capital inflows
Bloomberg: China Seen Risking Credit Market Crunch With Leverage Crackdown
WSJ quotes Lagarde: countries “should consider new regulations and tax policies that curb short-term debt flows”
CCTV: “Local governments across China have issued guidelines to encourage a 2.5-day weekend since last month after the State Council released a document in August encouraging flexible working schedules to let weekends begin Friday at noon, in a bid to boost domestic spending and tourism.”
China Daily New China-led bank 'will be inclusive'
Bloomberg: Beijing May Double Companies Included in Carbon-Trading Market
ceskenoviny.cz: Czech Prime Minister Sobotka wants CR to be transport node between China and Europe
Cui Tiankai: A Prosperous China Benefits the World
Gordon Orr: What might happen in China in 2016?
FT: China speaks out on EU steel tariffs
FT: “Activity in China’s factory and services sectors fell last month to its lowest level since the aftermath of the global financial crisis, the latest signal of a deepening economic slowdown that prompted the central bank to inject cash into the banking system on Monday.”
FT: “Many of Europe’s largest industrial groups now regard their home continent as a source of stable growth amid the economic woes in emerging markets — marking a reversal of strategy for some businesses that spent years on overseas expansion to offset stagnant domestic sales.”
Reuters: Obama: China knows it cannot sustain export-driven growth model
Obama told the governors he was "cautiously optimistic" that Congress ultimately will back the 12-nation TPP trade pact, which labor unions oppose because of what Obama called "emotions" about job losses from past trade deals.
"Our concern there was that China was the 800-pound gorilla. And if we allowed them to set trade rules out there, American businesses and American workers were going to be cut out," he said.
Obama said he would have to rely on votes from "a set of strong pro-trade Democrats" in Congress as well as Republicans.
CESifo: “Germany’s current account surplus continued to rise in 2015 to a record high of 252 billion euros, up from 212 billion euros in the previous year, according to calculations by the Ifo Institute. From a global perspective, however, Germany was overtaken by China in 2015 [emphasis added]. The economic downturn in China led to a drop in imported goods for the purposes of consumption and investment, and thus freed up more income to be exported as savings.”
South Korean exporters are among the top global casualties as Chinese economic growth ebbs to a 25-year low. For many companies in Korea and elsewhere in Asia, the damage is compounded by the speed at which Chinese rivals expanded their own production while demand was booming, leaving industries from petrochemicals to shipbuilding saddled with excess capacity. ...
... In Malaysia, where exports to China account for around 8% of the economy, concern over a drop in Chinese demand for the palm oil used in products like cosmetics and chocolate has pushed prices of the commodity to a six-year low. And Taiwan, with 14% of its gross domestic product tied to China-bound exports, recently halved its projection for economic growth this year to 1.56%, as Chinese orders for its mainstay electronics components slowed.
China is world's largest producer of:— The Int'l Spectator (@intlspectator) February 27, 2016
- Hi-tech exports


text:
Isn’t it ironic that the nation with the world’s highest crypto adoption rate per capita is also the nation that has crypto formally banned?
In 2017 the Vietnamese Central Bank prohibited the issuance, supply, and use of crypto as a means of payment. Curiously enough, without giving any justification.
Since then, many Vietnamese understood the value of an independent and borderless money (as opposed to the national currency dong, which cannot be converted to a foreign currency), and have developed some very important crypto companies, like the Axie Infinity P2E game. Triple A estimates that almost 6M Vietnamese currently own some crypto, and Chainalysis ranks Vietnam as the country with the highest crypto adoption rate per capita.
It may be time for change now in Vietnam. Its Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai has recently instructed the Ministers of Finance, Justice, and Information & Communications to work with the Central Bank to build a legal framework for crypto.
It is not yet clear which direction such regulation could take, but it would be reasonable to assume that after years of useless ban the country would like to profit from all the jobs and taxes a regulated crypto industry could bring.


text:
Wine: Latest news and analysis articles
This month, Chris Losh turns his attention to the Australian wine industry, and finds a country struggling with scant opportunities and stru...
There is future growth aplenty on offer in the Travel Retail channel, but a new report suggests a reappraisal of the traditional relationshi...
Here, Spiros Malandrakis, alcoholic drinks analyst at Euromonitor International, shares his forecasts of the trends that will shape the alco...
After a difficult 2015, Diageo has roared into 2016 with a solid set of numbers, analysts have said....
With just seven weeks left until the start of ProWein, just-drinks sat down with lead organiser Michael Degan to ask what makes the wine and spirits show one of the biggest draws on the alcohol calendar. Along the way, Degan reveals why the show is unlikely to get much bigger, discusses the possibility of adding beer to the mix and why German rock bands know their Riesling from their Spatburgunder.
In part two of this week's just-drinks interview, Ben Hulme, Lidl's head of beer, wines & spirits in the UK, discusses how the company has worked to change its reputation with both its customers and its suppliers, the role that brands have played - and could continue to play - and Minimum Unit Pricing.
Here's a round-up of this week's top stories in the spirits & wine categories. We also have similar round-ups for beer & cider and soft drinks & water.
Diageo has confirmed the sale of the Acacia winery and vineyard in California, having already sold off the Acacia brand.
Rombauer has released its first Sauvignon Blanc.
South American wine producer Concha y Toro's UK unit has confirmed the renewal of its Sky Movies partnership, after a "record year of sales".
LVMH's wines & spirits unit, Moet Hennessy, has posted a healthy leap in full-year profits as sales in China rebounded in the second half of last year.
The Travel Retail channel is set to offer continued growth for wines and spirits over the coming five years, according to a new report, albeit slightly slower than the preceding five-year period.
This week, consumers in Ontario were able to go into a supermarket and buy beer.
just-drinks is in Cannes this week at the Tax Free World Association show. Here's the second part of Andy Morton's blog, which will keep you up-to-date at one of the most important dates in the Travel Retail calendar.
- What's so special about Islay anyway? - Comment
- Six key trends for alcoholic drinks in 2016
- Diageo gets 2016 off to a strong start - Analysis
- With MegaBrew sorted, is MegaBev next? - Research
- What do Bourbon and craft beer have in common?
- Bacardi ups ante in US Havana Club row
- The US is "the first place I look" - Diageo CEO
- Alcohol industry warning over Kroger plan
- SABMiller hits back in UK corporation tax row
- Suntory bids for Lucozade, Ribena Nigerian network
- What Next for Beer and Brewers Following the MegaBrew Deal?
- Global travel retail insights - market forecasts, product innovation and consumer trends
- Global Beer Trends 2015 : Global Beer Trends and Long-term Forecasts
- Global Whiskey Market 2016-2020
- Global sparkling wine insights - market forecasts, product innovation and consumer trends research


text:
The Federal economic development agency for northern Ontario should be doing a better job of supporting local businesses.
Kenora MP Eric Melillo found out that less that 15 percent of the goods and services purchased by FedNor over$1,000 came from the region.
“Isn’t about the grants, this is about FedNor spending on it’s own operations,” says Melillo.
“It’s the contracts that it buys. We see things like a vehicle they purchased…microphones and speakers and even a shredder that was purchased.”
Melillo says in three instances contracts were awarded to companies based in the United States.
“The vast majority of these contacts, the goods and services that FedNor is procuring for it’s own operations, are not coming from northern Ontario. A concern for me. Because a federal economic development agency, at the very least, could be supporting northern Ontario’s economy by purchased goods and services from the north.”
Melillo says its difficult to believe there were not businesses in northern Ontario that could have instead provided these goods and services,


text:
LOS ANGELES -- Shooting past all competition, MGM and Sony's "The Magnificent Seven" took over the weekend box office, surpassing the new animated "Storks," from Warner Bros.
The remake of John Sturges' classic 1960 western starring Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt and Ethan Hawke pulled in an estimated $35 million in ticket sales in the U.S. and...Read more
U.S. senators castigated Wells Fargo chief executive John Stumpf this past week for not seeking to take back some of the $100 million awarded to a retiring executive who oversaw the division at the heart of the company's fake-accounts scandal.
But whenever Stumpf, 63, leaves his post atop the San Francisco banking giant, he could walk away with...Read more
The Internal Revenue Service has been getting reports from across the country of a new scam in which individuals have been receiving fake tax forms by email that indicate they underreported their income as related to Affordable Care Act coverage in 2014.
The forms are coming as email attachments containing what are called CP2000 notices, which ...Read more
Lori Roper is planning her wedding and preparing to put all the arrangements into place: choosing the venue, ordering the cake, picking a dress, selecting music and opening a checking account at an African-American owned bank.
"This needed to be done," she said as she recently opened the account at Seaway Bank and Trust Co. with her fiance, ...Read more
PHILADELPHIA -- Shares of Endo International soared Friday after the drugmaker named Paul V. Campanelli as president and CEO, effective immediately. The company, with U.S. headquarters outside Philadelphia, also said Rajiv De Silva had stepped down as chief executive officer and a board member.
Endo shares rose $3.13, up 15.45 percent, to close...Read more
Noted investor Warren Buffett once warned that investing in airlines was "a death trap."
He may be rethinking that view now that the trade group for the world's carriers has predicted that the industry will pocket a record $39.4 billion this year.
Alexandre de Juniac, director-general of the International Air Transport Association, told a ...Read more
BEIJING -- The Chinese conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group announced a partnership with Sony Pictures on Friday, giving it some creative control over upcoming Sony films and underscoring China's rapidly rising influence in Hollywood.
Wanda, which is led by China's richest man, Wang Jianlin, will invest an undisclosed amount in Sony Pictures and "...Read more
LOS ANGELES -- Media mogul Rupert Murdoch might be getting out of the office more, but he continues to pull down handsome compensation.
The 85-year-old executive chairman of 21st Century Fox collected $34.6 million in executive compensation in fiscal 2016, which represents a 24 percent raise from the prior year, according to a regulatory filing...Read more
The Indigo Journals: Spiritual Healing For Indigo Adults & Other Feminine SoulsYol Swan
Are you sensitive, creative and empathetic, and feel out of place in a world that doesn't make sense to you? This book will take you on a spiritual healing journey of self-discovery and personal growth to understand the different soul types inhabiting the planet and help you unlock your ...
SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Mere hours after news that hundreds of millions of Yahoo user accounts had been hacked, users of the firm's services filed a class-action suit in U.S. District Court in San Diego accusing Yahoo of putting users' finances at risk and failing to notify them earlier about the breach.
"While investigating another potential data ...Read more
Early review of data and debris from SpaceX's launch pad explosion suggests that a "large breach" took place in the helium system of the rocket's second-stage liquid oxygen tank, the space company said Friday.
The Hawthorne, Calif., space company said it still has not determined the root of the incident and that all "plausible causes" are being...Read more
Shares of Twitter Inc. surged Friday morning after reports that the social media company could receive a formal bid soon.
Citing unnamed sources, CNBC reported Friday that Twitter has received "expressions of interest" from several tech companies and was "engaged in conversations with potential suitors."
Those companies are said to include ...Read more
ATLANTA -- UPS said it has begun testing commercial drone deliveries of urgent packages to remote locations.
The shipping giant, headquartered outside Atlanta, said it is working with drone maker CyPhy Works on testing, which started Thursday with a mock delivery of medicine from Beverly, Mass., to an island 3 miles off the Atlantic coast. UPS'...Read more
WASHINGTON -- Wells Fargo & Co. Chief Executive John Stumpf has resigned from a Federal Reserve advisory panel, the latest fallout from the banking giant's fake-accounts scandal.
Stumpf's move came after five senators called for him not to be reappointed to the Federal Advisory Council, a 12-member body that meets four times a year with the Fed...Read more
BANGALORE, India -- Two Indian students scored a partial victory over Facebook Inc. in a closely watched legal battle over privacy, though they failed to get the internet giant to reverse policies they say threaten the rights of millions of users.
Heather Bresch, chief executive of pharmaceutical heavyweight Mylan, testified before lawmakers last week that her company acted ethically and fairly when it jacked up the price of life-saving EpiPens by more than 500 percent.
While saying she was troubled "that the EpiPen product has become a source of controversy," Bresch told skeptical ...Read more
Two bank bosses will be on Capitol Hill in the week ahead. Both will be trying to save their jobs.
The first, Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen, is set to deliver an update on the American economy to the House Financial Services Committee. Her appearance will come just a week after the Fed's interest rate-setting group decided, again, to not ...Read more
What went wrong with the Dodge Dart? Born with fanfare and optimism in June 2012, the compact sedan will die this month in virtual anonymity, a failure that never came close to meeting Fiat Chrysler Automobile's expectations.
The Dart was supposed to signal a fresh start for Fiat Chrysler, the newly created automaker risen from the rubble of ...Read more
WASHINGTON -- A group of senators on Thursday requested a federal investigation into whether Wells Fargo & Co. violated labor laws after allegations the bank failed to pay overtime to tellers and other employees who worked late nights and weekends to meet aggressive sales quotas.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and seven colleagues wrote to ...Read more
Not sure that driverless cars are safer than cars driven by humans?
Consider this: Drivers over the age of 85 represent the fastest-growing segment of American automobile users. Their numbers doubled between 1998 and 2013, to 3.48 million drivers -- the highest number ever on record -- and the number is rising, according to the U.S. Department ...Read more
SAN FRANCISCO -- Yahoo Inc. suffered a data breach in 2014 that affected at least 500 million Yahoo user accounts, the company announced Thursday.
The Sunnyvale, Calif., internet firm said the hacker is believed to be a "state-sponsored actor" and may have gained access to user information such as names, email addresses, telephone numbers, ...Read more


text:
AT&T’s deal to buy T-Mobile USA from Deutsche Telekom could send ripple effects throughout the tech industry. Here’s a look at how different companies may be affected:
AT&T and T-Mobile create the nation’s largest wireless carrier, with the potential for improved service and more pricing power.
Verizon potentially gains pricing power with removal of low-cost operator T-Mobile. It also faces a strengthened but possibly distracted AT&T.
Sprint falls farther into third place among the national wireless carriers. Without T-Mobile, it loses an easy way to gain needed size and scale.
Clearwire had sought to sell some of its excess spectrum to T-Mobile to raise cash. That deal is likely off the table.


text:
PPG is pleased to confirm the appointment of its new member in Malaysia, namely MS Global Freight Solution Sdn. Bhd. http://www.msglobal.com.my
Almajdouie Logistics always looks forward to new challenges, especially ones that allow them to showcase their expertise. Almajdouie recently completed a massive heavy lift operation, transporting cargo measuring 20.85 x 5.43 x 10.00 metres (L x W x H) and weighing 81 tonnes from Dammam's 2nd Industrial City to Ras Tanura.
Tuushin LLC celebrates its 30 anniversary in June, 2020 after establishing as a first pioneer freight forwarding company in the Mongolia (Click Heading to View Video).
CTO do Brasil successfully completed a shipment of a Hyundai Excavator weighing 50 tons. The self-propelled units was transported from Contagem, MG city to Port of Santos, Brazil and shipped by Ro/Ro vessel to Port of Jebel Ali, UAE. CTO also completed a Flat rack shipment of a Drilling machine to CONEXPO-CON/AGG Exhibition in the US.
Almajdouie Logistics has won the Frost & Sullivan KSA Logistics Service Provider Company of the Year Award for the fourth year in a row.
PPG China Complete Recovery of Derailment Incident for MTR Corporation.
Project Professionals Group’s 12th annual conference in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam from 25 – 27 September, 2019 delivered informative sponsor presentations and productive member meetings while also providing attendees with the opportunity to experience this


text:
In his La Fleur’s Magazine interview about FY23 developments, Gary Grief, Executive Director of Texas Lottery, talked about the mobile claims, major scratch initiatives, and evolution of in-lane.
“FY23 will be a busy year. Early in the year, we will be launching mobile claims within our app, as well as the ability for claimants to receive prize payments on debit cards in our claim centers. We have a number of exciting scratch ticket initiatives, including Livin’ Lucky with Luke Combs, a Cash Blitz family with promotion by iHeart, a 7s family with a Vegas celebrity chef promotion, and, with our $100 scratch ticket continuing to be our number one selling game by almost a two-to-one margin compared to the next best-selling game, the possibility of another $100 scratch ticket launch looms large,” said Grief.
In terms of major retail developments, in-lane is a top priority. “We will continue our work in the in-lane space, with some promising projects to get traditional scratch tickets sold in-lane without a lottery terminal. Ticket by ticket activation and automated dispensers, among other technical changes, will be part of the package we hope to deploy next fiscal year to achieve scratch ticket sales in-lane,” said Grief.
Finally, the lottery rolls out a major promotion for an upcoming family of games (FOG) in FY23. “The Cash Blitz family will have a full package of marketing support, with radio, billboard and point of sale advertisements all included as part of the promotion from IGT Printing and iHeart Radio. Given our significant marketing budget cuts, this formula has to be a success for us! Next fiscal will also be the first full fiscal year when our creative advertising concepts will be generated entirely in-house,” ended Grief.


text:
Fast-growing financial institution Metro Bank staged a two-day celebration to mark the opening of its new Swindon branch.
The branch at 1-4 Regent Street is the firm's 55th UK outlet. Metro Bank offers innovative services including seven-day opening, on-the-spot card printing, meaning customers can walk in without an appointment and walk out with a fully-functioning account, and 2,000 safe deposit boxes.
The new branch employs 25 people, and caters to personal and business customers.
A grand opening party was be held on Friday 29 and Saturday 30 December, with stilt walkers, free face painting and manicures, dog shows and a DJ.
Metro Bank CEO Craig Donaldson said: “We’re really excited to be opening our 55th store in the heart of Swindon and to show the community what great customer service and convenience looks like.
"Whether you simply want the choice to pop into a store that’s open when you need it, or you’re looking for the personal touch when it comes to managing your own or your business’ finances, we’re proving just what the banking revolution is all about.
"Every week thousands are voting with their feet in favour of a bank that puts them first and we can’t wait to make a real difference to the Swindon community.”


text:
Salesforce.com boasts of a commanding lead in the customer relationship management (CRM) market. But one small player wants to reduce that lead fast. On Tuesday, ProsperWorks announced that it has raised $53 million to boost its growth rate.
ProsperWorks will use the new funding to get more talent to penetrate further into G Suite, develop a third-party application integration platform and help mid-sized companies effectively utilize the sales tools. The company also aims to expand globally.
The funding round was led by Norwest Venture Partners, and included investors like GV (formerly Google Ventures), Storm Ventures, Industry Ventures, True Ventures and Next World Capital. ProsperWorks, which touts itself as the “#1 funded CRM company in the last decade,” concluded a $24 million Series B funding round last year, notes TechCrunch. The company has now raised $87 million to date.
There's a gold rush coming as electric vehicle manufacturers fight for market share, proclaimed David Einhorn at this year's 2021 Sohn Investment Conference. Check out our coverage of the 2021 Sohn Investment Conference here. Q1 2021 hedge fund letters, conferences and more SORRY! This content is exclusively for paying members. SIGN UP HERE If you Read More
ProsperWorks, founded in 2013, provides a customer relationship manager (CRM) for G Suite. The San Francisco-based startup supports sales managers and helps them to better manage their teams and workflows by using apps like Gmail, Google Contacts, and Google Calendar. ProsperWorks Cofounder and CEO Jon Lee says his company’s main objective is to make CRM more usable.
“Customer Relationship Management is the most important enterprise software category, yet most CRM technology is complicated and difficult to use, making the tool incredibly inefficient,” Lee said in a press release.
According to Forrester, CRMs currently have a failure rate of 47%. Lee says there’s no surprise with this failure rate number, as companies are wasting billions of dollars on CRMs that their employees don’t like, don’t use, or don’t know how to use. This is where ProsperWorks comes in, giving “sales teams access to a modern CRM they love to use and that actually drives revenue growth,” Lee said.
“At ProsperWorks, 86 percent of our paying customers use it every day,” he added.
ProsperWorks’ most notable technology is its ability to automatically pull data from salespeople’s Gmail accounts. For each contact, the tech creates a profile with details like address and allocates new correspondences on file with features for automating interactions. The feature also alerts a user if they forget to contact a lead.
Lee, who is also not afraid of talking about his company’s bigger rival Salesforce, aims to develop ProsperWorks as the best alternative to Salesforce.
“Salesforce might have Einstein, but if you give Einstein garbage, it will give you garbage results,” he told VentureBeat.
ProsperWorks currently serves about 25,000 customers, of which 40% are international. The company founded by experienced entrepreneurs in 2013 now has about 140 employees and tripled its revenue in 2016. With an impressive adoption rate, the San Francisco-based startup is not only the fastest growing CRM but also the fastest growing SaaS company.
“ProsperWorks is disrupting the CRM industry by challenging technology that has not been able to keep up with the user demand or adapt to market forces,” said Promod Haque, senior managing partner at Norwest.
Even though the company provides solutions for G Suite, it runs its software on Amazon Web Services (AWS) and not Google Cloud Platform, notes VentureBeat.


text:
Nokia brand has also taken step toward the ‘Notch’ family for its three smartphones. Nokia has launched its X-series smartphone in China includes Nokia X5, X6, and X7. The devices come with the newly designed look with the notch on the front. And they all are packed with the quality hardware under the hood. All these three smartphones are the mid-range smartphones and price is starting from the 1,299 Yuan in China for the base model.
Vote for Nokia X6!
Well, Nokia has not done the wider launch of these X-series device but there are Nokia fans outside China, are eagerly waiting for those X5, X6 and X7 devices to launch. Earlier, there was a rumor suggesting Nokia has plans to launch its Nokia X6 device widely in other markets outside China. However, we are still in the dark of the exact release date!
Well, now the new report surfaced on NokiaPowerUser suggests, Nokia X6 will not get the wider launch. The device will remain exclusive to China. There are other trusted sources are suggesting the same. Meanwhile, spokesperson at HMD Global said in the email, “We can confirm that the Nokia X6 is exclusive to the China region only and there are currently no further launch plans to announce for other markets.”
However, I personally believe HMD Global will bring the Nokia X6 device in the other markets too. Juho Sarvoka, HMD Global’s Chief Product Officer has recently asked on Twitter to his followers that should their company bring Nokia X6 in other markets. You can vote on his tweet. We can take this tweet as a hint that HMD Global company is still interested in the wider launch of this device. As a result of the poll, 92% of people have voted ‘Yes’.
You can vote on his tweet by simply going on the following tweet!
Getting a lot of traffic on this so let’s ask around. Should we bring Nokia X6 to other markets too?
— Juho Sarvikas (@sarvikas) May 17, 2018


text:
Latest research from IDC shows that IBM is one of the few major PC brands to have lost market share in the last year. The EMEA PC market grew by 15% during Q3 1997, with some manufacturers doing better...
Companies are challenging Amazon in retail and cloud
Cosmetics firm is undergoing a top-to-toe tech refresh with GDPR compliance thrown in
DFS resorts to cloud to help handle spikes in online demand
Economy and business performance not a problem, reckon small firms
Charity engages Braintree to move away from previous payment system which was in danger of failing and losing millions of pounds of donations, admits CTO


text:
The shoe remains shrouded in mystery.
Air Jordan 1 High OG colorways have been plentiful this year and with many more to drop before the end of the year, sneakerheads are gearing up to empty their wallets all in the name of looking fly. One of the Jordan 1 colorways fans were hoping for this year is the "Yellow Toe" model. The shoe was promised as a High OG model although it ended up being released as a Mid, instead. Fans weren't too happy about this development although rumors continued to circulate that a High OG model was still in the works and could be released as soon as the Holiday of 2019.
Instagram sneaker insider @hanzuying has now walked back their previous reports with a post stating how the shoe won't be released in 2019 after all. It's still unclear as to when they will be dropping and according to the posts below, there is still some hope that these are the real deal.
The colorway originally appeared as a PE for the band Shinedown but has since surfaced on the feet of some lucky sneaker enthusiasts. If these do, in fact, come out, it will surely become one of the biggest releases of that year.


text:
February 2016 saw the Glamour sell 60,883 units, 2,450 units more than the CB Shine, which sold 58,433 units.
Hero MotoCorp finally managed to loosen Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India’s (HMSI) grip in the 125cc segment as the Glamour overtook the CB Shine to gain the fourth spot in February’s most sold motorcycles.
The Glamour, which is Hero’s flagship product in the 125cc segment, has always been India’s second best-selling product in the segment behind the Honda CB Shine. However, February 2016 saw the Glamour sell 60,883 units, 2,450 units more than the CB Shine, which sold 58,433 units. Sales of the Glamour increased almost 50 percent year-on-year (YoY), while the CB Shine reported a 5.5 percent decline in sales.
Hero MotoCorp thus occupies the top four slots in the list of most sold bikes in February, despite the Jat agitation which disrupted life in the Haryana region, where the company’s plant is located.
It is no surprise that Hero’s Splendor brand continued to occupy the top spot with sales of 189,314 units. With the Splendor iSmart 110 also to be introduced soon, the brand’s volume is expected to increase further. The HF Deluxe and Passion brands of the company summed up the top three with the former selling 106,572 units. Meanwhile, the Passion brand saw a decline of almost 15 percent YoY as it sold 81,656 units in February 2016.
Continuing the trend seen in January, the sixth, seventh and eighth positions are all occupied by Bajaj Auto’s Pulsar, CT100 and Avenger brands respectively. The Pulsar brand, which comprises of eight products, sold 47,208 units, while the CT100 commuter bike sold 42,924 units. The Avenger cruiser bike brand managed to sell 30,162 units, mainly driven by the facelifted street and cruiser variants in 150cc and 220cc segments. And, with a bigger Avenger and a more premium Pulsar being readied by the company as a part of its aggressive product strategy, the company is betting big on both the brands.
Further, Royal Enfield continued to hold a place in the Top 10 thanks to its bestselling Classic 350, which sold 26,888 units, up 80 percent YoY.
Meanwhile, the Honda Livo, which entered the Top 10 for the first time in January 2016, managed to continue its impressive run with sales of 23,001 units. The 110cc commuter bike which replaced the CB Twister, was launched in July last year as a part of the 15 new products rolled out by HMSI in 2015.
- Top 10 Two-wheelers in February 2016
Maruti Suzuki’s Nexa records 2 million sales, Baleno commands 62% share
Premium retail channel strategy which targets young India with high-on-value products and a dynamic showroom experience ...
Maruti Suzuki sells more UVs than Tata Motors in February, leads the race in FY2023
With sales of 33,550 utility vehicles, Maruti Suzuki goes ahead of Tata Motors (28,389 units) in February; this performa...
Mahindra Tractors farms growth in February, sells record 370,000 units in ongoing fiscal
Sales of 24,619 tractors in February rise 30%; domestic market sales of 355,909 units in FY2023’ first 11 months a new h...


text:
Sony is developing at least five smartphone games based on PlayStation titles, which will be released in the next 18 months.
According to Japanese news site Nikkei, the games will be initially launched in the Asian market in the business year ending March 2018.
In March, the company announced a new division, ForwardWorks, formed specifically to produce new smartphone titles for both iOS and Android platforms, based on well-known PlayStation characters and intellectual property.
It is not the first time Sony has brought the PlayStation brand to mobile phones. In 2012, the company launched PlayStation Mobile, a software platform that allowed owners of “PlayStation certified” phones such as some models in the Sony Xperia range to download a selection of classic and independently produced PlayStation titles.
However, the concept failed to generate enough interest from phone owners, while the PlayStation Vita handheld console, which also supported PlayStation Mobile games, did not sell in great numbers. PlayStation Mobile was canned in the summer.
This year, Nintendo made its own foray into the smartphone sector. After the successful release of its Miitomo title in March, the company invested in the development of smash-hit augmented reality title Pokemon Go, which, has been downloaded more than 500m times since its launch in July.
More at The Guardian.


text:
By Narmina Mammadova
Azerbaijan and the United Arab Emirates are discussing the expansion of joint investments, as well as the ways of developing economic cooperation, the Arab media outlets reported on October 11.
This issue was discussed during the meeting between Ambassador of Azerbaijan to the United Arab Emirates Dashgin Shikarov and Director General of the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry Mohammad Helal Al Muhairi.
“Strong trade and economic ties between Azerbaijan and the United Arab Emirates can be expanded by updating investors in Abu Dhabi about investment opportunities in Azerbaijan, especially in the areas of industry, tourism, health care and education,” Al Muhairi added.
In turn, Shikarov also urged UAE businessmen to invest in Azerbaijan, especially in such fields as tourism, infrastructure and transport.
He stressed that in December, the trade delegation from Azerbaijan intends to visit Abu Dhabi.
There has been fruitful and trustful collaboration between Azerbaijan and the UAE for more than 25 years. The two countries are keen to deepen economic cooperation.
To date, more than 250 companies from the UAE work in Azerbaijan.
The UAE-Azerbaijan Joint Economic Committee previously said both countries were to focus on nine key areas for bilateral cooperation, including air transport, tourism, communications, environment, water, agriculture, renewable energy, modern technology and industry.
Azerbaijan mainly imports high-tech products, electronics, industrial goods and building materials from the UAE and exports to the UAE fruits, juices, nuts, metal semi-finished products and so on.
According to the Azerbaijani State Customs Committee, the trade turnover between Azerbaijan and the UAE amounted to $28.457 million in January-July 2018, which is 67 percent more than in the same period of 2017.
At the same time, exports from Azerbaijan to the UAE amounted to $12.317 million (an increase of 58.8 percent), while imports - $16.139 million (by 73.8 percent).
Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz


text:
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 To Be World’s Most Powerful Smartphone? [Rumor Roundup]
The world is not far from enjoying the most powerful smartphone experience ever, which, if all the rumors come true, will emerge from Samsung in the form of the Galaxy Note 3. The super-sized Galaxy Note 3 will redefine the smartphone experience once and for all with its flexible display, eight-core processor and eight-core GPU. Here is a compilation of all the Galaxy Note 3 speculations and rumors making the rounds in the tech world:
We're still waiting for information on the release date of the device and all that is available for now is that the device will be unveiled sometime later this year. The release date will largely depend on Samsung's long-term efforts at OLED displays, which the company hopes to bring onto its upcoming Galaxy Note 3. It's also possible that Samsung might choose to unveil the product at this year's IFA show in Berlin in September, given the fact that its predecessor Galaxy Note 2 was released at last year's show.
While most smartphone makers seek to bring a smaller and slimmer design aesthetic to their devices, Samsung is believed to be taking a different road. According to some rumors, Galaxy Note 3 will sport an even bigger 6.3-inch screen, which will take the device up to a near-tablet status. However, a recent report from SamMobile notes that the device will come with a 5.99 Full HD Super AMOLED display with diamond pixel structure, which is the same as is found on the recently released Galaxy S4.
Meanwhile, The Korea Times said the screen will apparently have a 1080p (1,920x1,080) resolution. It's also heavily rumored that device will feature a flexible OLED display. The flexible screen will help the device have beefier components, such as a larger battery. Galaxy Note 3 will sport a 13-megapixel camera with S Orb panorama feature.
Other major specs include:
- Processor: Exynos 5410 Octa 8-core processor. The Exynos 5 is an eight-core processor that is a combination of two quad-core CPUs clocked at 1.7 GHz and 1.2 GHz.
- GPU: Eight-core Mali 450 Graphics Processing Unit (GPU).
- RAM: 3GB
- Storage: 16GB or 32GB, with a microSD slot for memory cards up to 64GB
- OS: Android 4.2.2 - 4.3 Jelly Bean. Android 4.3 Jelly Bean is expected to arrive at Google I/O ahead of a delayed Key Lime Pie.
- Touch Wiz Nature UX 2.0
Samsung is rumored to be getting rid of its plastic chassis and plans to ship Note 3 with a metal chassis. With its enhanced features and larger display, Galaxy Note 3 will probably be more expensive than Galaxy Note 2. The device will most probably carry a hefty price tag, similar to Galaxy S4 and may cost around $800.


text:
Displaying items by tag: Microsoft
After temporarily closing its Microsoft Stores in March because of the pandemic, the company has decided to make it permanent.
The company said that the move will “result in a pre-tax charge of approximately $450 million” which “includes primarily asset write-offs and impairments.”
Microsoft will move its retail operations online, keeping just four locations and transforming them into "experience centers."
"Microsoft will continue to invest in its digital storefronts on Microsoft.com, and stores in Xbox and Windows," the statement said.
The four locations that will become Microsoft Experience Centers are in London, New York, Sydney and at the company's Redmond, Washington headquarters.
Retail team members will "serve customers from Microsoft corporate facilities and remotely providing sales, training, and support," the company said.
"Our sales have grown online as our product portfolio has evolved to largely digital offerings, and our talented team has proven success serving customers beyond any physical location," said Microsoft corporate vice president David Porter.
Microsoft in recent years has been relying more on its services such as cloud computing, with the retail locations focusing on its Surface tablets and laptops as well as Xbox gaming gear. But the physical stores failed to gain momentum.
Independent technology analyst Neil Cybart said the closures were because "the Surface business increasingly looks to be losing momentum in the consumer space."
The impact of the pandemic has not yet been reflected in Microsoft's financial results. It posted a net profit of $10.8 billion from January to March, up 22 percent year-on-year, on a turnover of $35 billion.
Microsoft and Altran, the design and engineering firm recently acquired by Capgemini, have collaborated to develop an AI-based tool to predict the likelihood of bugs in source codes created by developers early in the software development process.
By applying machine learning (ML) to historical data, the tool – called “Code Defect AI” – identifies areas of the code that are potentially buggy and then suggests a set of tests to diagnose and fix the flaws, resulting in higher-quality software and faster development times.
Bugs are a fact of life in software development. The later a defect is found in the development lifecycle, the higher the cost of fixing a bug. This bug-deployment-analysis-fix process is time consuming and costly. Code Defect AI allows earlier discovery of defects, minimizing the cost of fixing them and speeding the development cycle.
“It’s well known that software developers are under constant pressure to release code fast without compromising on quality,” said Walid Negm, Group Chief Innovation Officer at Altran.
“The reality however is that the software release cycle needs more than automation of assembly and delivery activities. It needs algorithms that can help make strategic judgments ‒ especially as code gets more complex. Code Defect AI does exactly that.”
Code Defect AI relies on various ML techniques including random decision forests, support vector machines, multilayer perceptron (MLP) and logistic regression. Historical data is extracted, pre-processed and labelled to train the algorithm and curate a reliable decision model. Developers are given a confidence score that predicts whether the code is compliant or presents the risk of containing bugs.
Code Defect AI supports integration with third-party analysis tools and can itself help identify bugs in a given program code. Additionally, the Code Defect AI tool allows developers to assess which features in the code have higher weightage in terms of bug prediction, i.e., if there are two features in the software that play a role in the assessment of a probable bug, which feature will take precedence.
“Microsoft and Altran have been working together to improve the software development cycle, and Code Defect AI, powered by Microsoft Azure, is an innovative tool that can help software developers through the use of machine learning,” said David Carmona, General Manager of AI Marketing at Microsoft.
Code Defect AI is a scalable solution that can be hosted on premise as well as on cloud computing platforms such as Microsoft Azure. While the solution currently supports GitHub, which is owned by Microsoft, it can be integrated with other source-code management tools as needed.
Microsoft reported higher results for its fiscal third quarter to end March, powered by sharp demand for its Teams chat and online meeting app and cloud computing services as the world shifted to working and playing from home because of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Microsoft Teams now has 75 million daily active users. This comes as the coronavirus pandemic has forced businesses to operate remotely, and has boosted the demand for Microsoft's products that enable communication and collaboration.
The company said net impact was minimal and that cloud usage increased. There was a slowdown in transactional licensing, particularly among SMEs, and a reduction in advertising spends on LinkedIn.
In the More Personal Computing segment, Windows OEM and Surface benefited from increased demand for remote work and learning, but supply chain constraints in China offset that rise, though these improved late in the quarter.
Gaming benefited from people in lockdown, but Search was negatively impacted by less ad spend. Microsoft noted that the full effects of the pandemic may not be fully felt until later in the future.
Revenue for the quarter climbed 15 percent from the year before to USD 35.0 billion, the operating profit increased 25 percent to USD 13.0 billion and the net profit rose 22 percent to USD 10.8 billion or USD 1.40 per share. Commercial Cloud helped lift results, generating USD 13.3 billion worth of revenues, up 39 percent.
Total Intelligent Cloud revenues went up 27 percent to USD 12.3 billion, with server products and cloud services going 30 percent higher and Azure leaping 59 percent. Enterprise Services revenue increased 6 percent.
Productivity and Business Processes was the next largest division, with revenues rising 15 percent to USD 11.7 billion. These included Office Commercial products and cloud services revenue up 13 percent, driven by Office 365 commercial revenue growth of 25 percent. Office Consumer products and cloud services revenue strengthened 15 percent, also helped Office 365, with consumer subscriber numbers growing to 39.6 million. LinkedIn revenue went up 21 percent while Dynamic products and cloud services had revenues rising 17 percent, driven by Dynamics 365 revenue growth of 47 percent.
Microsoft said it returned USD 9.9 billion to shareholders in the quarter, in the form of share buybacks and dividends, an increase of 33 percent from the year earlier.
In a multi-year partnership, Etisalat has announced that it has teamed up with Microsoft to drive public cloud first strategy through a digital transformation program that enables Etisalat to build a digital platform infused with automation and AI providing a simplified network architecture and operations empowering Etisalat subscribers and improving customer experience.
“Today, Etisalat and Microsoft embark together on a bold new digital transformation journey that will allow us to leverage our industry expertise to deliver the next generation of networks,” said Saeed Al Zarouni, Senior Vice President, Mobile Networks, Etisalat.
“Keeping in line with our overall strategy and vision of ‘Driving the Digital Future to Empower Societies, we at Etisalat are committed to nothing less than the total transformation of the consumer and business customer experiences. Etisalat today has transitioned to a digital service provider – the provider of choice for digital services among enterprises and SMB customers, supporting them to monetize services to generate new revenue streams. Together with Microsoft, we are building the communications network of the future.”
Microsoft Azure will power the infusion of AI capabilities into Etisalat’s network by expanding Microsoft Azure solutions into the network, and for Etisalat’s new technologies like Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) and Network Edge Computing (NEC). These will significantly speed up computing at the edge, which combined with 5G, will enable new types of applications related to smart cities, autonomous systems, gaming, AR/VR, IoT, and vision computing solutions.
“Our partnership with Etisalat is further demonstration of the trust regional enterprises place in the intelligent Microsoft Cloud,” said Sayed Hashish, General Manager, Microsoft UAE.
“Our mission is to empower every individual and organization on the planet to achieve more. Etisalat’s digital transformation journey centers on a public-cloud-first strategy including network workloads. Its partnership with Microsoft is designed to merge its telecommunications capabilities with our intelligent cloud solutions, including artificial intelligence and self-healing networks.”
Microsoft President and Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith says the way the U.S. government is treating Huawei is un-American. As far as he knows, China’s leading maker of networking equipment and mobile phones should be allowed to buy U.S. technology, including software from his company.
US technology behemoth Microsoft is edging nearer a trillion-dollar valuation after its profits soared in the first-quarter of 2019. Microsoft enjoyed the increase in its revenues largely because of its cloud and business services continue to resonate with the market.
Profits’ in the opening quarter climbed by 19% to $8.8bn and that represents an increase of 14% from the same period a year earlier. Microsoft also saw its shares gain 3% on the New York Stock Exchange which pushes it closer to a $1 trillion valuation.
By the close of the bell on Wall Street, Microsoft was valued at $960m, which places them just behind Apple and slightly ahead of Amazon.
The financial results indicate that Microsoft is now becoming increasingly reliant on cloud computing and other business services which now drive its earnings, in contrast to its earlier days when it focused on consumer PC software.
“Leading organizations of every size in every industry trust the Microsoft cloud," chief executive Satya Nadella said in a statement.
Commercial cloud revenue rose 41 percent from a year ago to $9.6 billion, which now makes up nearly a third of sales, Microsoft said.
In addition to this, it was disclosed that some $10.2 billion in revenue came from the productivity and business services unit which includes its Office software suite for both consumers and enterprises, and the LinkedIn professional social network.
The more personal computing unit which includes its Windows software, Surface devices and gaming operations generated $10.6 billion in the quarter.
Hélène Auriol Potier has been appointed Executive Vice President, International at Orange Business Services. She joins Orange from Microsoft where she spent 10 years, most recently as General Manager, Artificial Intelligence, Western Europe.
“Hélène’s deep knowledge of B2B customer needs, as well as her expertise in digital technologies will help our customers shape their innovation and is a perfect match with our ambition to become a leader in a new global, data-driven ecosystem where people, objects and business processes are all connected both inside and outside the company. This is what we envision as the “Internet of Enterprises,” said Helmut Reisinger, CEO, Orange Business Services.
Bringing information technology industry expertise gained in the US, Europe, Africa and Asia, Auriol Potier will help drive forward the company’s growth in areas that are key to support multinational companies in their data journey, including IoT, SD-WAN, cloud, analytics, big data and cyberdefense.
This strategy has already delivered significant results for Orange Business Services, with over 100 new major international customers signed up in 2018.
In cloud services and cybersecurity for example, Orange Business Services has posted seven consecutive years of double-digit growth globally, putting it well on the way to meeting its ambition for 50 percent of cloud revenues to come from outside France by 2022. This has also been driven by key acquisitions in the industry, including Basefarm and the opening of new data centers in Amsterdam and Atlanta.
With 60 percent of the world’s data expected to come from enterprises in 2025 (vs 30 percent today), Orange Business Services continues to transform its core service portfolio, including network services with the development of its software defined network (SDN)-based offerings, including Flexible SD-WAN. That solution was recognized as Best Enterprise Service in the 2018 World Communications Awards and attracted many new customers, including Siemens, one of the biggest SD-WAN deals ever signed.
Thanks to the Orange international focus on innovation, the company has pioneered a co-innovation approach that facilitates collaboration among the customer, Orange experts and partners to deliver new ideas, test them and bring them to market.
Successes include a project where Orange and its partner Foxtrot Systems are developing a proof of concept to optimize logistics using Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning for one of its largest European manufacturing customers. With a collaborative open ecosystem of internal talent and partners, Orange Business Services is poised to continue developing innovative solutions to benefit its customers.
PCCW Global, the international operating division of HKT, Hong Kong’s premier telecommunications service provider, has launched the Online Cloud Connect service providing connectivity to Microsoft Azure.
This is an innovative Network-as-a-Service product that extends a customer’s MPLS network service to both Microsoft Azure and Microsoft Office 365, benefiting them by providing a service which is insulated from the public Internet with improved and predictable performance and vastly reduced latency.
The Online Cloud Connect service leverages the capabilities of PCCW Global's Software Defined Network (SDN) and is an evolution beyond traditional and existing cloud connect services in the market. Enterprises and institutions gain flexibility, scalability, reliable performance and control over their connectivity to the cloud to fit their requirements at any given time.
Mr. Jordick Wong, Senior Vice President, Product and Vendor Management, PCCW Global, said, “Through an intuitive, easy to manage online service portal, our MPLS customers can now establish their own private connection to Microsoft Azure very easily and conveniently.”
Wong added, “The service portal offers online ordering and automatic provisioning together with flexible subscription packages starting from as little as a one-hour timeslot. Customers can subscribe to the bandwidth they require from a range of 50 to 1000 Mbps at the point of demand, and pay as they go without any human interaction being required.”
The Online Cloud Connect service is in the process of further extending its online ordering and automatic provisioning capabilities to include other major public cloud service providers.
Amazon and Microsoft announced that Alexa, Amazon’s AI personal assistant, will soon be able to communicate with Cortana, the personal assistant for Windows 10, and vice versa. Users of Amazon’s Alexa-controlled Echo speaker will be able to turn on their device and say, “Alexa, open Cortana,” or turn to their Windows 10 device and say, “Cortana, open Alexa.”
The two US technology giants said Alexa and Cortana will begin talking to each other later this year. Under the agreement, Microsoft customers first will be able to access Alexa via Cortana on Windows PCs, and later on Android and iOS devices, said Andrew Shuman, corporate vice president, Cortana Engineering.
Alexa customers will be able to access Cortana's unique features like booking a meeting or accessing work calendars, reminding you to pick up flowers on your way home, or reading your work email – all using just your voice. Similarly, Cortana customers can ask Alexa to control their smart home devices, shop on Amazon.com, interact with many of the more than 20,000 skills built by third-party developers, and much more.
"Ensuring Cortana is available for our customers everywhere and across any device is a key priority for us," said Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft. "Bringing Cortana's knowledge, Office 365 integration, commitments, and reminders to Alexa is a great step toward that goal."
Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon, said, "The world is big and so multifaceted. There are going to be multiple successful intelligent agents, each with access to different sets of data and with different specialized skill areas. Together, their strengths will complement each other and provide customers with a richer and even more helpful experience.”
Tractica analyst Mark Beccue speculates that Amazon and Microsoft have mutual interest in developing the ability for their AI assistants to communicate, because neither company has enough presence in the mobile space to stand alone.
He told TechNewsWorld: “Neither Microsoft nor Amazon have the market penetration that Apple and Google do. Their virtual assistants are not very multimodal yet. Maybe they feel stronger together.”
Both Amazon and Microsoft have their own strengths that they can bring to the table; for example, Microsoft is stronger in productivity and search, whereas Amazon is known for e-commerce and has a vast ecosystem of skill applications, including many related to smart home technologies.
Some of the most prominent figures in the US technology sector have publicly expressed their dismay and anger following the racially charged violence in Charlottesville, Virginia last week. Microsoft, Apple and Facebook have all announced they will implement measures in a bid to fightback against the rise of white supremacists in the US.
Apple CEO, Tim Cook criticized President Trump’s response to the events last week - and in a letter to his employees said counter-protesters were standing up for human rights. Cook said, “I disagree with the president and others who believe that there is a moral equivalence between white supremacists and Nazis, and those who oppose them by standing up for human rights. Equating the two runs counter to our ideals as Americans.”
Cook revealed that Apple would contribute $1 million each to the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League, who are both human right groups. In addition to this, he said it was suspending its Apple Pay support on websites that sell white supremacy clothing and accessories. E-commerce platform PayPal has also implemented similar measures.
Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella also voiced her concern at the violence in Virginia, and said there was absolutely unequivocally no place for such racist rhetoric in the US. In a letter to employees, Nadella said, “There is no place in our society for the bias, bigotry and senseless violence we witnessed this weekend in Virginia provoked by white nationalists.”
Cloud security and performance firm Cloud-flare also publicly announced that it has now terminated its account with neo-Nazi outlet ‘The Daily Stormer. The publication drew widespread criticism following the publication of a hate-filled feature on the victims of the Charlottesville violence.
Social media colossus Facebook has also moved swiftly to take action and suspended the account of infamous white supremacist Christopher Cantwell’s accounts on both Facebook and Instagram. Twitter has also removed the online account of The Daily Stormer from its platform.
President Trump drew criticism from technology leaders following his appointment to The White House in November. His controversial policies on immigration were widely condemned in Silicon Valley, and while President Trump has taken steps to build relationships with technology firms in Silicon Valley since taking office – there scathing criticism of his response to Charlottesville will not be well received by either Trump or his republican administration in Washington DC.


text:
Auto Manufacturing Gears Up For Chinese Consumers
DAVID GREENE, HOST:
Let's stay in China now. With its growing population and economic rise, that country has become the world's largest car market. It's a distinction China has held for several years now. And it's an auto market that's becoming increasingly important to American companies. All that is on display at the Beijing Auto Show, which opened this past week. The big emphasis at the show this year is luxury cars with big chrome grilles and also very big price tags.
NPR's Frank Langfitt used to cover the auto industry in the United States in the city of Detroit. And he is now our Shanghai correspondent and he joins us from there.
Frank, how are American companies doing in this huge China auto market these days?
FRANK LANGFITT, BYLINE: Pretty well, especially GM. You know, they're the top foreign brand here and they're really well-regarded. You can't walk around Shanghai and not see a Buick - they're all over the place. And it's really interesting because, you know, the image in the States is not that great. But here, it's a very high status car.
Ford is well behind GM but they are making a big push there. They're opening a new factory. They're working on it in Hanzhou, just west of Shanghai. And overall, foreign brands here have about 70 percent of the market. So they've been doing very well.
GREENE: And, Frank, I guess one question I have, I mean, the United States and China don't always have the smoothest diplomatic relationship. I mean, has the welcome mat really been out for American car companies in China? Or do they face some real challenges getting a foothold there?
LANGFITT: I think in the beginning, when you go back to the '90s, they were very, very welcome here because they had all the technology. And they had, comparatively speaking, really good vehicles. There weren't many Chinese companies that made cars at all and the cars weren't very good. The Chinese consumers still really like foreign cars and the government really wants to build its domestic industry.
And so, what they've started doing is they've said, hey, no more investment incentives, no more special deals for car companies from the outside. And they've also said they're thinking about having the government not buy foreign cars anymore, and buy Chinese domestic cars, which is definitely a signal to the foreign carmakers that things are probably going to get more competitive and tougher in the future.
GREENE: Well, Frank, I mean we've said that this auto market is now the biggest in the world. It has been for the last few years. But how big are we talking, and what's really driving this growth?
LANGFITT: Well, last year, about 18.5 million vehicles were sold here. And there's heavy car ownership in Beijing and Shanghai, but the vast majority of Chinese don't own cars. So a lot of companies see this still as a great place for growth.
And I was talking to a guy named Michael Dunne. He's an auto analyst. He's covered China for years. And this is what he said.
MICHAEL DUNNE: No end to the demand for cars, Chinese people love cars. They're already the biggest market in the world. There is just that much crazed demand and pent-up demand for cars here.
LANGFITT: Now, where is that demand?
DUNNE: It's been concentrated along the coast where the affluence is. But increasingly growth is coming from the west, cities like Chengdu, Kunming, Chongqing where the new wealthy are arising.
LANGFITT: And, you know, what he's talking about is the market is in China's interior and these used to be pretty poor places. But some of the cities now are really booming. And you're seeing more foreign car companies opening factories out there. Shanghai-GM, that's a joint venture here. They're opening a new plant in Wuhan, that's in central China. And VW is opening up a plant in Urumqi; they're planning to - it's so far west, it's actually closer to New Delhi then Beijing.
GREENE: Frank, with car ownership growing at this pace, I guess I wonder about traffic. I mean is there actually room for all of these new cars on Chinese roads?
LANGFITT: Well, not anymore in a place like Beijing. I mean, even people who came to the auto show in Beijing this week, they were complaining about the traffic. There's a guy named Ai Zhong, he's in his 40s, and here's what he said.
AI ZHONG: (Foreign language spoken)
(SOUNDBITE OF LAUGHTER)
LANGFITT: What he's saying is the traffic is really, really bad. It's getting worse and worse. And in the old days, you could park anywhere we wanted. But now there's nowhere to park. And, you know, this guy, Mr. Ai, he's right.
In the '90s, Beijing was really a bicycle town. I used to drive there. People parked on the sidewalks around Tiananmen Square. Now, the roads are jammed with cars. It's like a parking lot and it's also really shrouded in pollution.
GREENE: So that's the capital, Beijing. You live, as I understand it, in Shanghai now. I need you get around in that city in a car? Do you have a car?
LANGFITT: I don't. And, you know, the reason is I can't afford it. They have a license requirement here and now they sell them through auctions. It's about 9,500 bucks and this was something that came in over time to actually control the traffic. And it's worked. And also, the pollution is a lot better here than it is in Beijing. But I'll give you an example.
When I take a cab to work now, it's only 15 minutes. It's not that bad at all. So it's a pretty easy city to get around in and it doesn't have the heavy traffic of Beijing. And, frankly, living here, I don't really need a car.
GREENE: Frank, thanks so much.
LANGFITT: You're very welcome, David.
GREENE: That's NPR's Shanghai correspondent, Frank Langfitt. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


text:
The track-focused Camaro ZL1 1LE was introduced for the 2018 model year with a six-speed manual serving as the sole transmission option. This made sense, seeing as the ZL1 1LE is an enthusiast package that appeals to those with a penchant for a third pedal, but the addition of the 10-speed should widen the trim’s appeal a bit.
“This transmission is optimized for speed,” Camaro Chief Engineer Mark Dickens said in a statement. “With unique Track Mode calibrations and 10 gears, you are always in the perfect gear when rolling on or off the throttle. You may not be a professional race car driver, but now you can shift like one.”
Additionally, GM has done some recalibrating with the Camaro ZL1 1LE’s electronic limited slip differential and performance traction management system for 2019. The automaker says the Multimatic spool valve dampers have been retuned as well, while the vehicle also gets a new transmission oil pan and an additional cooling duct for the steering gear.
The Camaro ZL1 1LE package otherwise remains unchanged from the 2018 model year, returning with the same aero kit and the same lightweight wheels shod in extra sticky Goodyear tires. The ZL1 1LE is also 50 lbs lighter than the standard car thanks to the lighter wheels, thinner window glass and a fixed back seat.
In 2017, Chevrolet lapped the 12.9-mile Nurburgring circuit in Germany in the Camaro ZL1 1LE in just 7 minutes and 16 seconds – the fastest ever lap of the track by any Camaro.
The 10-speed automatic transmission will add $1,595 to the MSRP of the Camaro ZL1 1LE. The 1LE package is also a $7,500 option for the $62,000 Camaro ZL1. Customers can order the 2019 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE with the 10-speed automatic transmission starting in late February.


text:
Evacuation from Kherson could cost up to 500 dollars per person – an Odesa volunteer
Oleh Mykhaylyk, a volunteer and chairman of the board of the “Shoulder to shoulder” (“Plych o plych”) charitable foundation, told about this during a briefing at the Media Center Ukraine — Odesa.
“For some dealers, it was a very profitable business. We even learned somebody pretend to sell seats in our evacuation buses for for 5-6-7 thousand hryvnias. Although, we took people out for free. And other carriers charged even $500 per seat,” Oleg Mykhaylyk said.
As Oleh Mykhaylyk added, since April, the “Shoulder to shoulder” (“Plych o plych”) charity fund has taken more than 4,000 people out of the occupied territories.
Read more: https://mediacenter.org.ua/news


text:
Do you have an essay due the day or week you get back from Turkey weekend? A midterm? Anything? If you don’t, you’re one of the lucky few…and probably don’t go to Berkeley. Everyone’s got something or another to do. And if you booked it out of the rain-spattered city before the half-week even started, you may have even more to make up getting lecture notes. Aren’t breaks fun?
Since the beginning of formal education, students have been arguing the counterproductive nature of assigning work over holidays. Aren’t we supposed to relax on our days off? Shouldn’t a school break mean a break from homework and studying as well? Apparently not, given that there’s often more work to take home for the holidays than during a normal class week.
read more »
Ever heard of Black Friday? Of course you have. It’s that day right after Thanksgiving where people in middle America get trampled at Wal-Mart trying to get the last Tickle Me Elmo and people un-pass themselves out of tryptophan-induced comatose states before dawn to stand in line for the opportunity to purchase video games. In other words, it’s Hell on Earth.
Fortunately, a few East Bay “indie” (or “independent” for the uninitiated) businesses have come up with a suitable, hipper alternative to that basic stand-by, black. They’ve initiated “Plaid Friday,” which participating merchants hope will raise awareness for local business and boost holiday sales.
As a result, flannel-donning hipsters can roll out of bed and feel like they’re sticking it to our culture’s rampant consumerism while still managing to pick up a hand-made something for the mom and/or dad they’ll never admit they have. Genius! Literally everybody wins. Except the people who don’t own any plaid clothing. But please, how many of those actually exist anymore?
Image Source: TheSundayBest under Creative Commons
Local Shops Hope ‘Plaid Friday’ Will Boost Sales [Daily Cal]
Reports say a Wal-Mart employee died just a few hours ago, trampled to death by raging Black Friday bargain-seekers in New York. Shoppers tore down the front doors of the Wal-Mart at Green Acres Mall in Valley Stream, N.Y., knocking down the unidentified 34-year-old worker. Three other shoppers and a pregnant woman were taken to the hospitable for minor injuries.
According to eyewitness testimonials, the waiting shoppers pulled the doors from their hinges in their rush to get into the store. The surge, the NYT solemnly reports, endangered children, who had to be grabbed by their parents so as to not get lost and/or trampled upon in the mad stampede. Jeez. People really are nuts for their tech gadgets and Guitar Hero game kits.
Image Source: r_b under Creative Commons
Wal-Mart Employee Trampled to Death by Customers [NY Times]


text:
The Microsoft and Machinima paying-YouTubers-for-Xbox-One-mentions kerfuffle has made headlines across the net, and now the companies are addressing the controversy.
"This partnership between Machinima and Microsoft was a typical marketing partnership to promote Xbox One in December," the firms said in a joint statement, sent to TechRadar by a Microsoft representative.
"The Xbox team does not review any specific content or provide feedback on content," the statement continued. "Any confidentiality provisions, terms or other guidelines are standard documents provided by Machinima. For clarity, confidentiality relates to the agreements themselves, not the existence of the promotion."
Machinima seems to be taking the fall for this one, though Microsoft's involvement is acknowledged.
The gaming site is cleverly covering its tail by pointing out it allowed YouTube partners to talk about the promotion, just not the nitty gritty of the arrangement. It's done this for good reason; forbidding participants from mentioning the promo may violate FTC rules, potentially landing Machinima and Microsoft in some hot regulatory water.
Xbox One in stealth mode
Word started to rise over the weekend that Microsoft and Machinima ran a stealth marketing campaign in which the latter's YouTube video partners could earn an additional sum for videos where they mentioned the Xbox One.
All a partner had to do to earn the extra cash was spend at least 30 seconds showing Xbox One game play, explicitly mention the console and tag the post "XB1M13."
The kickback - $3 CPM, or $3 [about £1.81, AU$3.41] per thousand video views - wasn't the first of its kind. A similar promotion offering $1 CPM [about £.61, AU$1.14] for videos "promoting the Xbox One and its release games" was conducted in November.
While some may not like such arrangements, it's not unheard of for companies to run these kinds of promotions.
However, Microsoft and Machinima's seemed to cross two major lines with this set-up, namely the provision that participants kept quiet (which today's statement aims to deny) and outlining what they couldn't say.
"You may not say anything negative or disparaging about Machinima, Xbox One or any of its Games in your Campaign Video," read a leaked copy of the XB1M13 agreement.
When asked for additional information about the arrangement, the Microsoft rep told us the company had nothing to share beyond the joint statement.
Update: The same Microsoft representative has provided TechRadar with a statement for the company:
"Microsoft was not aware of individual contracts Machinima had with their content providers as part of this promotion and we didn't provide feedback on any of the videos. We have asked Machinima to not post any additional Xbox One content as part of this media buy and we have asked them to add disclaimers to the videos that were part of this program indicating they were part of paid advertising."
According to more leaked materials, similar Machinima campaigns ran during PAX Prime, E3 and Comic Con last year.
Unlike the Xbox One promotion, video affiliates were told to include notes in their video descriptions that read: "As a perk of being a Machinima Affiliate, I received a monetary bonus for posting this video as part of a promotion for [PAX Prime 2013, E3 2013 or Comic Con 2013]."
Beyond potential legal implications, the newly revealed Xbox One arrangement raises concerns for consumers about who they can trust (both among companies and third-party reviewers), and where the line between paid advertising and seemingly organic content should be drawn.
While Microsoft and Machinima are addressing the campaign, there's no word from either company about whether these kind of marketing efforts will pop up again or how they may try to regain consumers' trust.
Aside from the occasional leak, consumers may be left in the dark when it comes to these kinds of marketing plots conducted right under their noses.
Sign up for Black Friday email alerts!
Get the hottest deals available in your inbox plus news, reviews, opinion, analysis and more from the TechRadar team.
Michelle was previously a news editor at TechRadar, leading consumer tech news and reviews. Michelle is now a Content Strategist at Facebook. A versatile, highly effective content writer and skilled editor with a keen eye for detail, Michelle is a collaborative problem solver and covered everything from smartwatches and microprocessors to VR and self-driving cars.


text:
The food-tech space in India is getting spicier and spicier.
A week after Zomato had raised Rs. 1,300 crore from Alibaba, rival Swiggy has raised Rs. 650 crore from fellow Chinese e-commerce company Meituan-Dianping and South Africa-based media conglomerate Naspers as a part of its Series F funding. Two months ago, Foodpanda had been acquired by Ola, who’d committed to investing Rs. 1,300 crore into the company.
This makes the three biggest players in India’s food tech space all well-capitalized as they start off 2018. Swiggy said it would use the funding to introduce new products and service and work on its supply chain business, which included its cloud kitchen offering called Swiggy Access. “We want to continue to bring convenience, choice and reliability to our users as we fulfil our mission of ‘Changing the Way India Eats’,” said Sriharsha Majety, Swiggy’s chief executive, in a statement. “With this funding, we will further invest in building differentiated offerings, plugging the white spaces in the ecosystem, and developing our technology while keeping superlative customer experience at the core.”
India’s food tech space has seen a smart revival after a torrid 2015 and 2016, when several newly funded businesses had shut down. Even big players, such as Zomato and Foodpanda, had been affected, and had been forced to layoff employees, and employees had held TinyOwl’s founder hostage when they’d been unable to pay salaries.
But the shakeout seems to have ultimately helped the bigger companies — while the smaller companies fell by the wayside, Zomato, Foodpanda and Swiggy managed to survive the carnage, and are now looking to capitalize in a significantly narrowed field. The three companies have all managed to improve business performance last year — Swiggy and Foodpanda grew revenues faster than they grew their losses, and Zomato declared it was a profitable company.
This sets up a fascinating contest between the three biggest players in the space. Of the three, Zomato has raised the most money, $443 million, while Swiggy after this fund-raise has raised $255 million. In terms of revenues, Zomato leads with Rs. 332 crore, while Swiggy and Foodpanda follow with Rs. 133 crore and Rs. 62 crore respectively. Swiggy, though, makes the most losses — the company loses Rs. 1.54 for every rupee it earns, while Foodpanda is the most efficient — it loses only Rs. 0.72 paise per rupee it earns. Zomato loses Rs. 1.17 per rupee in revenue.
And while the three players will look to battle it out for supremacy in India’s food tech space, there’s also a dark horse — Uber Eats has been launched in India, and is quickly looking to enter markets. Uber Eats could potentially be better funded than any of these companies, and will look to grab a slice of India’s rapidly expanding food-tech market. If there were indications that the food tech sector was heating up towards the end of 2017, it’s now patently clear — food tech is piping hot, and ready for business.


text:
Phu Quoc, Vietnam’s largest island, received an Earth Day gift with the official launch of MyPQ, a suite of mobile apps aimed at enhancing the visitor experience on Asia’s up-and-coming vacation destination without leaving an environmental footprint in the process.
“We were very excited to launch the MyPQ product suite on Earth Day last Saturday,” says Huyen Pham, Director of Marketing at Phuquocislandguide.com. “These apps represent a culmination of more than 4 months of work on improving the quality of Phu Quoc’s tourism products while also accounting for the environmental challenges facing the 28 island archipelago.” The official release of the MyPQ product suite comes days after Vietnam’s largest mobile operator Viettel officially launched 4G services across the country claiming 95 per cent population coverage.
The first two apps released are "Phu Quoc Hotel Deal Finder" and "Phu Quoc Travel Guide", both of which are free and touches every stage of a visitor’s experience — from booking to staying to island discovery. These 64-bit apps deliver Phuquocislandguide.com’s expertly-written content and media in a format that is contextual and intuitive on mobile devices and which utilizes the many great innovations of those platforms to deliver the best possible user experience.
As a rapidly developing tourist destination, Phu Quoc has had many challenges. One of the biggest issues today is that the island does not have a recycling center. The use of these digital apps will help lessen the burden caused by the thousands of unregulated print maps and print guidebooks currently littering Phu Quoc. By making rich digital content accessible across all platforms, Phuquocislandguide.com aims to provide visitors with a memorable and immersive experience without leaving behind a carbon footprint.
“Digital transformation is crucial to the growth and long term sustainability of Phu Quoc,” says Mikael Thakur, Director of Product at Phuquocislandguide.com. “As leaders in digital hospitality and AI-driven services for travel, we are transforming our tools by making the user experience on mobile devices the center of our marketing strategy. By delivering a unified travel experience and leveraging new technologies, Phu Quoc has the potential to be the top vacation destination in all of Asia, overtaking both Phuket and Bali in the process.”
Version 1.0 of the apps are live on the Google Playstore, with the iTunes release to follow. Future releases will incorporate augmented reality, recommendation bots, and machine learning all of which will improve the enjoyment of the island by visitors, encourage repeat visitors, and differentiate Phu Quoc from competing destinations.
Ms. Huyen Pham
1 Tran Hung Dao
Kien Giang, Phu Quoc, Vietnam


text:
Lockdown and lean consumer incomes drive earnings fall at Spur
Group revenue also hit by concessions given to franchisees
Restaurant group Spur reported a cut in earnings of more than two-thirds for the interim period to December, driven by social distancing guidelines and lower consumer incomes.
Restaurants, as with other consumer-facing businesses, have seen lower sales during the Covid-19 crisis. Even as food outlets worked to offer meals through online food delivery, the effects of reduced foot traffic at physical restaurants have been felt...


text:
Global Mobile, a WiMAX licensee in Taiwan, presented a HTC WiMAX smartphone during Computex Taipei 2009.
The HTC MAX 4G, claimed to be the world's first integrated GSM/WiMAX handset, features a 3.8-inch 800x480 WVGA touchscreen display and runs Windows Mobile 6.1, according to the company.
The device comes with 8GB of onboard memory and supports GPS, WiFi b/g and Bluetooth.
The HTC MAX 4G has hit shelves in the Russia market.
Photo: Meiling Chen, Jun 19, 2009


text:
Move over Coca-Cola, rival Pepsi is now the drink of choice at the University of Arkansas.
The school announced Thursday it has signed Pepsi to a 10-year exclusive contract to be the non-alcoholic beverage provider of choice beginning July 1.
The deal ends the university's exclusive association with Atlanta-based Coke, which dates back more than 50 years, industry leaders said.
The move is the latest score for Pepsi in what has been a tit-for-tat between the two companies in winning each other's business.
Pepsi announced it was ousting Coca-Cola at IHOP and at Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar restaurants late last month.
In early April, Dunkin' Brands Group chose Coke over Pepsi as the exclusive beverage of its brands, Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins.
Papa John's Pizza announced in November that it was ending its exclusive 25-year relationship with Coca-Cola and would start serving Pepsi beverages in U.S. stores this past January.
In mid-April, Family Dollar announced it was making room for Pepsi on its shelves. The company had had an exclusive contract with Coke, which the chain will continue to sell.
In the deal with the University of Arkansas, Pepsi agreed to monetary benefits to the school and in-kind support for student-related programming and services. How much the company paid was not released.
Pepsi also renewed recently its contract with Penn State University in a 10-year deal.
About the Author
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC


text:
Bloomberry’s Jeju Island Casino Suspends Operations for per month
Philippine gambling operator Bloomberry Resorts Corporation announced earlier today that its only overseas casino Jeju Sun, located on the South Korean Jeju Island, is usually to be suspended for a one-month duration. The suspension comes as a penalty imposed by the regional gambling regulator CRD after a concluded investigation associated with the acts of the location’s former handling group.
Bloomberry said in A wednesday filing towards the philippine inventory exchange that the research had been focused on the so-called ‘lvegas casino’ video gaming tax repayment methods, introduced by jeju sun’s previous owners and management.
The suspension system is going to be effective at the time of Monday, November 16 and is slated to end on Tuesday, December 15. Bloomberry pointed out that the venue decide to be relaunched on December 16, right in time for the upcoming vacations tourist top. Jeju Sun is currently being upgraded and will debut new and expanded existing facilities whenever it reopens doors for site visitors.
Bloomberry bought the casino through its South Korean subsidiary Solaire Korea Co. Ltd. The venue had been then rebranded Jeju Sun Hotel & Casino.
The gambling operator said in its filing that hotel operations would not be impacted through the one-month casino suspension that is upcoming. Bloomberry additionally noted so it uses the one-month period to complete the upgrade and renovation of the casino flooring and related facilities, as well as the expansion associated with ball room.
The December 16 reopening will represent stage Two of a renovation that is multi-stage, which Bloomberry commenced in might 2014. The gambling operator has added new food and beverage and activity options, along with premium gambling facilities. The main lobby area has casinobonusca mobile casinos additionally been refurbished.
As soon as completed, Jeju Sun Hotel & Casino will offer guests regarding the complex as many as 208 luxury resort rooms and suites, a lot more than 2,000-square-meter casino flooring, numerous dining options, a number of which providing old-fashioned cuisine and others featuring international meals choices. The hotel that is multi-purpose casino resort may also provide a number of drink options, resort facilities, and top quality entertainment amenities, targeted at drawing clients from the Asia-Pacific area and the rest of the globe.
An event space, ideal for celebrating all sorts of unique occasions, may also be being among the most crucial facilities during the Jeju Island-located integrated resort.
Greentube and Circus Group Ink Content Agreement
Developer of online casino product offering Greentube announced earlier today that it had penned an agreement with Belgian online gambling business Circus Group. Under its terms, the gaming supplier will provide the operator by having a choice of its top video gaming games.
Greentube can be an subsidiary that is interactive of gaming developer NOVOMATIC Group. Under its content contract because of the online casino provider, Circus Group will put in a quantity of NOVOMATIC’s most popular casino games, including Lucky Lady’s Charm luxurious, Book of Ra deluxe, and Sizzling Hot luxurious, as well as other associated online gaming pc software. When integration is finished, the games goes go on the Circus.be on-line casino.
By announcing the content contract, Circus Group has transformed into the very first gambling operator to choose the GAMING1 platform provider also to go live with NOVOMATIC’s titles via unique solution.
Commenting regarding the latest statement, Greentube Head of advertising and Sales Gernot Baumgartner said it available to the Belgian operator’s gambling customers that they are extremely excited to launch their gaming content with Circus Group and make. The executive further noted that the collaboration with one of Belgium’s major on-line casino companies could make it possible for Greentube to deliver its ‘gaming experience’ to a wider range of players.
Sylvain Boniver, CEO of platform provider video Gaming 1, commented they are excessively happy to include the written Book of Ra game, which will be regarded as among the most often played games at European brick-and-mortar casinos, and also other gaming titles produced by NOVOMATIC. The professional also remarked that the games provided by the Austrian developer differ from every thing provided on the market within their ‘brilliant mathematics models and authentic sound effects.’
Earlier in the day this thirty days, Greentube announced the addition of still another well-known NOVOMATIC gaming name to its catalog of on-line casino product providing. Gryphon’s Gold luxurious is amongst the many slots that are popular by the video gaming designer and features mythical creatures, treasures awaiting become discovered, and a number of exciting options.
The addition of this title that is latest came as part of Greentube’s technique to diversify its on-line casino offering utilizing the most performed casino games generated by NOVOMATIC also to offer gambling customers with exciting online gaming options.