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Facebook at its virtual developer conference announced to open up its Messenger API for Instagram at a global scale. With the API, businesses will be able to integrate their Instagram messages into any third-party application – such as a CRM platform or social media management tool like Hootsuite – and handle them with ease from a streamlined place.
Facebook has long been allowing businesses to do so on its platform. In a blog post, the company mentioned that 90 percent of Instagram users follow at least one business. The Messenger API for Instagram means a wider reach to Facebook’s platforms.
The API is intended for Instagram Businesses who need to manage their IG DMs at scale when multiple live care agents are needed to reply and attend to customer enquiries.Facebook for Developers
Developers willing to start building on the platform can access the API from now onwards, while business accounts on Instagram will see a phased approach. Currently, Instagram accounts having 10,000 to 100,000 followers are able to connect to the API as part of the first phase. The second phase will include accounts with between 1,000 to 100,000 followers and will roll out in July, and the remaining accounts by the end of Q3.
It is important to note that you need to have a business account to access the API as it cannot be accessed with Instagram non-business accounts. Also, the API does not support group threads but can be used to respond to public comments with private messages. The requirements to access the Messenger API for Instagram are available here.
Several macOS Monterey features will not work on Intel Macs
Apple previews macOS Monterey
Apple announces watchOS 8
Apple announces iCloud Plus, but the Private Relay feature won’t be available in China and select other countries
New privacy features coming to Mail and Safari
Apple TV Plus shares trailer for Oprah and Prince Harry’s docuseries
Apple announces a range of features designed for people with disabilities
Twitter subscription service might be called ‘Twitter Blue’
Apple’s Craig Federighi says the Mac has a malware problem
Twitter begins asking iOS users to enable app tracking
Apple promotes kids shows in new Apple TV Plus ad
Former Apple exec Scott Forstall shares how he was hired by Steve Jobs
Watch the trailer for Apple TV Plus thriller Defending Jacob
Apple Park left deserted amid COVID-19 concerns
Apple’s latest iPhone ad is Bokeh’d
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SCHENECTADY, N.Y. — A man who killed his wife by dousing her with gasoline and setting her on fire during an argument has pleaded guilty to murder. The Schenectady County District Attorney’s office says 69-year-old Antonio Bargallo entered the plea Wednesday as part of a deal that will sentence him to 21 years to life...
NYS Entity Status
NYS Filing Date
AUGUST 22, 2014
NYS DOS ID#
NYS Entity Type
DOMESTIC BUSINESS CORPORATION
2014 - LUCKY STAR MART, INC.
Around the Web
- Man pleads guilty to killing wife by setting her on fire
By Associated Press - Thursday Jul 20, 2017
- Wal-Mart Sales Rise as Retailer Dodges Industry Malaise
Thursday Aug 17, 2017
Wal-Mart Stores Inc.’s sales rose in the latest quarter, boosted by an e-commerce surge and strong grocery sales, a sign that the world’s largest retailer continues to brush off the malaise afflicting some competitors.
- Wal-Mart, Amazon Rivalry Spreads to Forklifts
Friday Jul 21, 2017
Wal-Mart has agreed to invest in Plug Power Inc. and buy more of its fuel-cell-powered machines, a move that mirrors a deal struck by Amazon earlier this year.
- K-Mart faces copyright lawsuit for selling the wrong banana costume
By Timothy B. Lee - Friday Sep 29, 2017
Copyright law has gone bananas after a Supreme Court ruling earlier this year.
- Super Lucky’s Tale — hands-on with Microsoft’s new mascot
By Dean Takahashi - Wednesday Sep 20, 2017
PREVIEW: Microsoft hopes that it has a new mascot character with Lucky, the star of Super Lucky’s Tale. The game from Playful is a sequel to the virtual reality title Lucky’s Tale, and it debuts on November 7, on the same day that Microsoft launches the Xbox One X video game console. I played it hands-on […]

domain: news


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Shares of Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) lost over 4% in after-hours trading after the company reported earnings for its third quarter of Fiscal Year 2022. Earnings per share came in at $0.03, which missed analysts’ consensus estimate of $0.17 per share. Sales increased by 8.6% year-over-year, with revenue hitting $149.2 billion. This beat analysts’ expectations of $145.77 billion.
North American sales reached $94.3 billion, up 13% against this time last year. International sales, however, reached $34.5 billion, representing a loss of 8% due mainly to the strong dollar. Amazon Web Services sales reached $21.4 billion, a jump of 20% over last year.
Looking forward, management now expects revenue for Q1 2023 to be in the range of $121 billion to $126 billion. For reference, analysts were expecting $125.3 billion in revenue.
Overall, Wall Street has a consensus price target of $131.39 on Amazon stock, implying 16.93% upside potential, as indicated by the graphic above.


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Along with mouths and hair, eyes are one of the biggest reasons why artificial creations can’t climb their way out of the uncanny valley. One reason for this is because artificial eyes — in computer-generated models or on animatronic robots — are simply not expressive enough. Disney Research has taken a step toward correcting this issue by creating 3D-printed eyes that are not only extremely expressive, but dynamic.
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Latest Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication Stories
DUBAI, UAE, October 25, 2010 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- - en.MoRe Deployed Through BICS' Network of 250 Mobile Operators EastNets, a leading global provider of compliance and payments solutions and services, has announced that it has recently signed a partnership with BICS, a leading global provider of Voice, Messaging, Roaming, Connectivity and Mobile Financial Services, to connect its newly launched mobile remittance solution known as en.MoRe to BICS' HomeSend solution. The...
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Oct. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Obopay, the pioneer in mobile money solutions, today announced that Carol Realini will deliver the Mobile Keynote and participate in the Mobile Face-to-Face session at the Sibos 2010 Conference in Amsterdam.
LONDON, October 25, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Travelex Global Business Payments, a leading provider of international payments and foreign exchange solutions, today launched a new payment service, GEO for Financial Institutions. GEO has been developed specifically for Financial Institutions so they can capitalize on the growing customer demand for cross border payments.
LONDON, October 25, 2010 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- - SWIFTReady for Corporates - Trade Finance 2010 Certification Awarded to Misys Trade Portal Misys plc (LSE: MSY), the global application software and services company, today announces that Misys Trade Portal has passed SWIFT's stringent validation programme and been awarded the SWIFTReady for Corporates - Trade Finance label for 2010. This certification for Misys Trade Portal joins Misys' other SWIFTReady labels, underlining...
LONDON, October 25, 2010 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Misys plc (LSE: MSY), the global application software and services company, today announces the launch of its SWIFTNet Service Bureau to any financial institution requiring SWIFTNet access.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- FIX Protocol Ltd.
LONDON, October 1, 2010 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Misys plc (LSE: MSY), the global application software and services company, today announces it has broadened the functionality of its award-winning front-end trade finance solution, Misys Trade Portal (MTP) for Multi-Bank.
HONG KONG, Sept.
NEW YORK, July 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Volante today announced the opening of a City of London office for sales and customer support across Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Heading the office will be Fiona Hamilton with Christopher A.
LONDON, July 26, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- - One of the UK's Leading Private Client Asset Managers Goes Live With a new Interface to CREST, Supplied by Financial Messaging Experts Trace Financial Trace Financial today announced that Hargreaves Lansdown, a leading independent UK financial service provider and asset management specialist, has gone live with the CREST Bridge, a new and highly configurable CREST interfacing solution supplied by Trace. The CREST Bridge provides...
- The horn of a unicorn considered as a medical or pharmacological ingredient.
- A winged horse with a single horn on its head; a winged unicorn.


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The device will be powered by Snapdragon 430 SoC coupled with 4GB RAM.
ZTE seems to be in process of bringing a new smartphone with Android Nougat operating system soon. A new smartphone of ZTE named as ZTE BV0800 has been found on GFXBenchmarking website with the latest operating system.
As per the listing on GFXBench, ZTE BV0800 has a 5.2-inch display that has full HD (1920x1080 pixels) resolution and 5 finger gesture support. Besides as per the listing, it has Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 1.4 GHz octa-core processor, 3GB RAM, 32GB of internal storage out of which 23GB will be reserved for the users, Adreno 505 GPU and Android 7.0 Nougat operating system. In the listing there is no information about its battery or expandable memory.
Further, the ZTE phone is listed with 12-megapixel autofocus camera with autofocus, face detection, HDR photo, touch focus and LED flash in its rear panel. There is a 12-megapixel camera in its front for selfies. The GFX listing shows that the device has connectivity features like Bluetooth, GPS and WiFi. As per the listing, the device has accelerometer, gyroscope, light sensor and proximity sensor as well.
ZTE has recently launched at 2999 Yuan which is approximately Rs 29,323. The Axon 7 Max comes with a 6-inch full HD (1920x1080p) AMOLED 2.5D curved glass display and a 2.0 GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor with Adreno 506 GPU. It comes with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage, which can be further expandable up to 200GB via micro SD card. The phone also has a fingerprint sensor which is located on its back panel. The Axon 7 Max features a fingerprint sensor on the back of the device.
It runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system with ZTE's customised skin on top while a 4100 mAh battery powers this phone. The handset has Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 technology for faster charging. On the camera front, the Axon 7 Max has a dual 13-megapixel autofocus rear camera with a dual tone LED flashlight and an 8-megapixel front-facing camera for selfies and video chats. Besides, the smartphone offers hybrid Dual SIM, 4G/LTE, WiFi, GPS with GLONASS, USB Type-C and Bluetooth 4.1. The handset measures 147.5 x 71 x 7.8 mm and it weighs 153 grams.
Note - The top pic is for representational purpose only.
The Force Touch display technology is quite similar to Apple's 3D Touch on iPhones.
The smartphone will be made available through Cricket wireless carrier.
The Axon 7 Max comes with a 6-inch full HD (1920x1080p) AMOLED 2.5D curved glass display.
ZTE Tempo backed up by a 2200 mAh battery which claims to offer a talk time up to 14 hours.
There is also a fingerprint sensor located on the back of the device.
The new Black color edition of Z11 comes with 6GB RAM with 64GB of internal storage.
The ZTE Axon 7 Mini is the toned-down variant of the earlier launched ZTE Axon 7 smartphone.
Nubia Z11 phone has been announced outside China for the first time and shipping will start in September.
Earlier also, ZTE released a teaser revealing an audio-centric smartphone.
he phone reportedly comes in both GSM and CDMA versions.


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An online payments system in Nepal.
A cybersecurity business in Kazakhstan.
A food-delivery operation in Angola.
Founders from emerging and frontier markets face unique challenges when starting and scaling their businesses.
These are their stories.
New episodes every other week.
Carlos Andrade - Healthy Ghost Kitchens in Peru and Abroad (Manzana Verde)
It was 2014.
Carlos Andrade had just gotten his degree in Mechanical Engineering and was ready to start a demanding, yet lucrative career as an engineer in Peru.
And after accepting his first job offer, a routine medical exam revealed something Carlos had never expected -- especially at the age of 23.
He had cancer.
So Carlos, for the time being, completely forgot about work. Instead, he turned to a healthy diet and underwent chemotherapy, thankfully going into remission 10 months later.
And at the age of 24, with an entirely new perspective on both life and health, he and his friend Larissa started ‘Manzana Verde’, meaning Green Apple in Spanish.
It started as a modest ‘healthy food delivery’ platform, where he and Larissa would buy groceries...by themselves, cook healthy meals...by themselves, and deliver them to customers...by themselves...all within the small city of Piura, Peru.
But four years, two fundraises, and five cities later, Manzana Verde has raised millions of dollars at an 8-figure valuation, is on pace to do 1,000,000 deliveries in 2021, and has a lofty, yet what seems to be a very realistic goal:
Become the biggest wellness e-commerce platform in all of Latin America.
Carlos’s story? It’s one of fight, of inspiration...and of victory.
Javad Rezabaksh - Bringing Afghan Emeralds to the World (Silk Road Heart Gem Lab)
In 1991, as an 8-year-old boy, Javad Rezabaksh and his family fled Afghanistan for Iran during the Afghan Civil War.
20 years later, in 2011, Javad returned to open his own small-scale gemstone cutting factory, where he trained countless Afghans - mostly women - to both identify and polish gemstones, especially emeralds.
Why gemstones you ask?
It’s said that there is $1 TRILLION worth of resources under Afghan soil.
Gold, copper, natural gas, oil -- you name it.
But for Javad, the most important resource in Afghanistan?
The mythical emeralds found only in Afghanistan’s Panjshir Valley.
And after 9 years of polishing Afgham gemstones in his small Kabul facility, Javad partnered with USAID to help build what would be one of the most modern, innovative gemstone polishing and certification labs not just in Afghanistan, but in the world.
Its name? The Silk Road Heart Gem Lab.
But one year later, as Kabul fell to the Taliban, both Javad's and the Silk Road Heart Lab's future in Afghanistan are tragically in question.
I spoke with Javad on 16th August, 2021 whilst he was in Kabul, hiding in a friend's basement. After two weeks in hiding, Javad -- in disguise and on foot -- was able to flee.
Now, you can hear Javad's story: a story of resilience, of hope, and of love for country.
Bara Wahbeh - Building Toilets for Refugee Camps and the 'Global South' (Akyas Sanitation)
Around 800 million people worldwide don't have access to a toilet.
That means over 800 million people - everyday - are defecating wherever they can: behind a bush, on the side of a road, in a hole, or walking what could be miles and miles just to find the nearest toilet.
The problem gets worse (much worse) in densely populated areas, such as refugee camps and settlements. With thousands of people living in extreme proximity to one another, it becomes incredibly challenging to properly contain human waste without toilets or proper sanitation infrastructure.
As such, people go to the bathroom in what are called pit latrines: effectively holes in the ground. But without an organized system to contain and remove the waste from densely populated camps, feces eventually rises to the surface, dangerously infecting the camp in a viciously devastating cycle.
After seeing the conditions at several Syrian refugee camps throughout Turkey with his own eyes, Bara Wahbeh, a Palestinian-Jordanian engineer and entrepreneur, founded Akays Sanitation in 2018 to create a revolutionary toilet that would allow those living in settlements and those impoverished in the Global South to go to the bathroom - finally - in a dignified and sanitary way.
Warning: this episode does include explicit language and describes - in detail - the harsh conditions in which many in refugee camps throughout Turkey, Jordan, and Yemen live.
Jude Celiscar - Engaging the Diaspora in Haiti (Goodoo)
Population of Haiti: ~11.5 million
Number of Haitians living abroad: between 2 and 3 million
Known as the 'Haitian Diaspora', around 20% of Haitians have migrated ... outside of Haiti, to the likes of the US, the Dominican Republic, Canada, and throughout South America. And unfortunately, it's quite understandable.
Plagued for centuries by foreign intervention, devestating natural disasters, and political corruption, Haiti has become ... the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.
But there's one Haitian entrepreneur, Jude Celiscar, fighting tirelessly to engage the Haitian Diaspora to reconnect with their homeland...to interact with and invest in the country they love: Haiti.
A pivot from a 'drop and ship' model sending goods from the US to Haiti now has Goodoo delivering groceries and farmed goods directly from Haitian farmers to Haitian consumers. And Goodoo's biggest client? The Haitian Diaspora...buying fresh Haitian produce from abroad for their families back home.
But with over a decade of trials, such as the 2010 Haitian Earthquake that killed over 200,000 Haitians and displaced over 5 million, to the recent assassination of the Haitian President, it's made entrepreneurship in Haiti all the more difficult and Jude's story all the more...unbelievable.
Giorgi Tsurtsumia - Enabling E-Commerce in the Post-Soviet States: (PAYZE)
E-commerce is already a USD$5 trillion market. The likes of PayPal, Stripe, and many others have helped the global e-commerce space grow exponentially, serving effectively as the payment bridge between consumers and online retailers.
Whilst e-commerce has boomed in the US, China, and throughout Europe and India, there's one area of the world that has been slower to adapt:
The region made up of the former Soviet states, including:
Eastern Europe: Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova
West / Central Asia: Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan
Eurasia: Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan
Baltics: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania
The total population of these 15 countries: 300+ million
But with different currencies and payment systems within each country, no payment gateway or processor has been able to integreate the region and start an e-commerce boom.
Meet PAYZE, born and bred in the Eurasian country of Georgia.
Since launching only last year, they've processed over 90,000 transactions and are growing 35% month on month. This type of growth is reason enough for PAYZE founder Giorgi Tsurtsumia's say:
"We're becoming the Stripe of the former Soviet states".
How? Tune in to find out.
Melina Cruz Villafaña - Creating a 'Clean' Marketplace in Mexico (Homely)
In 2015, the minimum wage in Mexico was $4.
No, not per hour.
So when Melina Cruz Villafaña met Fernanda, an office cleaner, she learned of the harsh schedules that millions of Mexican women have every day:
1. wake up at 5am
2. commute three hours to Mexico City, the capital
3. clean officespaces or homes for an entire day
4. commute three hours back home and wake up a few hours later and do it all over again
It was Fernanda's conversation with Melina that inspired her to start Homely - a marketplace that connects cleaners and users to book safe, conveninient, and most importantly: fair cleaning services throughout Mexico.
But what started as a literal call center in 2015, dispatching different cleaners to different apartments in Mexico City, has transformed into a marketplace coordinating over 15,000 hours of B2C and B2C cleaning services per month throughout all of Mexico, with stories of social impact you'll have to hear to believe.


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Entrepreneur to receive honorary doctorate
16 April 2014 One of New Zealand's most passionate political, philanthropic business entrepreneurs will receive a University of Canterbury honorary doctorate at graduation tomorrow. (read article)
Hear Althea talk about the Entre entrepreneurship scheme and how it provides UC students the opportunity to get practical experience in business while they study.
Every day, in every lecture, I got to learn something new...
Shonam Ram Bachelor of Commerce
Human Resources Administrator
Announcements and Events
Morning Tea with Antony Gough
Entrepreneur Antony Gough visited the College of Business and Law and met staff and students at a special morning tea (see photos). Mr Gough will receive an Honorary Doctor of Commerce at our UC graduation ceremony on Tuesday (read more).
What if...Health promotion campaigns actually worked?
Associate Professor by Ekant Veer presented the first What if Wednesdays lecture of the year, on Wednesday 12 March. The lecture took a consumer behaviourist perspective to first understand how people consume and engage in behaviours that may be deemed unhealthy; then use the same motivations to engage people to consume in a healthier manner. It drew heavily on research by Associate Professor Veer and other consumer researchers engaged in initiatives to promote public health in New Zealand and internationally (read more)
Project aims to improve the reach of social services
A three year research project has secured $1.4 million of Government funding to strengthen ways for social services to engage with families/whānau. Senior Lecturer, Dr Jörg Finsterwalder says this research project is not only relevant nationally but also globally because research related to improving wellbeing has been named one of the top ten research priorities (read the press release at Scoop Media online)
UC team wins a Dragon's Den competition
The UC commerce team of Ellie Barrett, Josh Gray, Chris Cox and Jason Mckenzie won the marketing competition over 175 other UC business students for producing the concept of Berocca On-The-Go, to be marketed in New Zealand by Bayer (read more)
UC Marketing and Tourism research ranks top in New Zealand
The 2013 Tertiary Education Commission Performance Based Research Fund (PBRF) assessment continues to recognise the work of our leading researchers (read more)
Interactive BCom major degree plans:
- Human Resource Management
- International Business
- Operations Management
- Strategy and Entrepreneurship.


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Lufthansa aircraft at Frankfurt Airport: Many people want to travel again
Photo: IMAGO/Arnulf Hettrich
The aviation association IATA has more than doubled its profit forecast for airlines in 2023. Specifically, airlines worldwide expect a profit of 9.8 billion dollars for the current year, up from 4.7 billion dollars a year ago.
"The pandemic years are behind us, and borders are open as normal," IATA Director General Willie Walsh said at the industry association's annual meeting. "Many people not only have to travel, but also want to. And they're going to do it all year long." The outlook for travel would be favored by low unemployment, despite the deteriorating economic outlook. "This gives consumers confidence that they can spend money."
However, flights are currently twice as expensive for some airlines as they were before the corona pandemic, and real cheap flights are currently rare. Nevertheless, the airlines are likely to remain far from their pre-pandemic profit level, also because of higher kerosene prices: In 2019, according to earlier figures, the industry had flown in a profit of 26.4 billion dollars on better utilized aircraft.
High demand despite high inflation
According to IATA estimates, the volume of traffic will grow to 4.35 billion passengers this year. "All in all, we believe this will be a good year for aviation," said IATA CEO Willie Walsh.
So far, even high inflation has not hindered demand. The airlines' most recent quarterly results had been good. The airlines are now preparing for a booming summer business. Revenue is also expected to increase this year, coming in at $803 billion, only slightly below the pre-pandemic level of $838 billion.
However, delivery problems at aircraft manufacturers are causing problems for companies. In addition, there are rising airport charges. This applies in particular to Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport and airports in South Africa. In addition, the profitability of airlines is still too low, Walsh emphasized. Currently, companies earn just $2.25 per passenger – "less than a cup of coffee or a subway ticket."


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The inaugural World Golf Expo 2020 (WGE 2020) is all set to roll with the first show to be staged on the exotic tropical Chinese island resort of Hainan. The venue will be at globally renowned Mission Hills Haikou, voted ‘World’s Best Golf Resort’ in the 2019 Asian Golf Awards. The show dates are October 14 -16, 2020.
Commenting on the global golf exposition, Tenniel Chu, group vice-chairman of the Mission Hills Group, China and chairman of the WGE 2020 organising committee said, “This is a truly historic event for the Asia Pacific region and we are going to organise it as one of the world’s best events.” He went on to add, “WGE 2020 will be home-based in Haikou making the capital city of Hainan the hub of the golf business world in the Asia Pacific.”
It will be an event that will serve as golf’s showcase to the Asia Pacific region. “WGE 2020 will be a multi-faceted event in that it will be both trade and consumer focused with shows running concurrently that will focus on the industry’s latest technologies, new equipment both for the trade and consumers and it will be the best platform for the sharing of knowledge as it relates to the golf business,” said Mike Sebastian, CEO of the Asia Pacific Golf Group and vice chairman of the WGE organising committee. “The aim is to start big and grow the event into the biggest one of its kind in the world,” Sebastian declared.
WGE 2020 is a collaboration between the Mission Hills Group and the Asia Pacific Golf Group.


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The program will help companies develop, and assess, mental health services for their employeesRead more...
Company has 215 million monthly active users, and revenue of $253.6 million
As promised, Twitter made its IPO filing public this week. So now we all know what was trying to keep quiet for so long, including its user numbers, how much it is going to trying to raise and who its underwriters are.
Here's a breakdown of what we now know:
- IPO price
First off, the big number: the company is looking to raise $1 billion by selling 472,613,753 shares of common stock.
The shares will be trading under the symbol "TWTR."
Goldman Sachs is the lead underwriter, along with Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan, BofA Merrill, and Deutsche Bank.
- User numbers
In the three months ending June 30th, Twitter averaged 218.3 million monthly active users (MAUs). That was a 44% increase from the 151.4 million average MAUs it was seeing in the same period a year before.
And a lot of that growth is on mobile. In that same period, 75% of those MAUs came from a mobile device, and over 65% of Twitter's ad revenue came from mobile as well.
"We expect that the proportion of active users on, and advertising revenue generated from, mobile devices, will continue to grow in the near term," the company wrote.
When broken down by country, 49.2 million of Twitter's MAUs came from the United States, and 169.1 million came from international users. Those numbers jumped significantly as well: 35% and 47%, respectively, from the year before.
Twitter also revealed numbers for timeline views: 150.9 billion in the last three months, and 287.2 billion timeline views in the last six months. That is an increase of 69% and 79% from the same time last year.
Users are creating 500 million tweets every day, and over 100 million are daily active users.
- Revenue and spending
The good news for Twitter: it saw rapid revenue growth from 2011 to 2012, jumping 198% to $316.9 million. And it's net loss decreased by 38% to $79.4 million.
The bad news: the company is still operating at a loss. While revenue in the first six months of 2013 also rose, going up 107% to $253.6 million, so did the company's net loss. That rose 41% to $69.3 million.
As expected, the vast majority of Twitter's revenue is coming from advertising; it accounted for $221.4 million. The other $32.2 million is from data and licensing.
The vast majority of Twitter's spending is on research and development, with $111.8 million. $91.8 million goes to cost of revenue, which is the money the company spends to run its data centers and servers, another $77.7 goes to sales and marketing, and the last $35 million is spent on "general and administrative" costs.
When Twitter announced that it had filed for an IPO, the company also revealed that it had done so confidentially, taking advantage of a new rule in last year's JOBS Act. That meant that there was no way to know any of its plans, its underwriters, its timeline or its pricing. In fact, nobody knows anything at all, which was basically the point.
The rule that Twitter took advantage of loosened regulations for "emerging growth companies," which only applies to companies with less than $1 billion in revenue.
According to that bill, companies are allowed to file for an IPO confidentially, meaning that they do not have to disclose anything about the company until 21 days before the start of its road show, where it will have to market itself to investors, if the company ever even decides to have one.
It has been widely speculated that Twitter wants to be trading on the New York Stock Exchange by Thanksgiving, and so finally making its information public is an important step in getting it ready in time.
(Image source: https://www.sec.gov)
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Read more from our "Trends and news" series
The company helps doctors comply with regulations that can stand in the way of treating patientsRead more...
The company recently went through the HHS PandemicX and the AARP Age-tech acceleratorsRead more...


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a clearer perspective on datingThe opportunity invested in lockdown keeps aided men and women pay attention to what they are trying to find in internet dating, and contains offered all of them an innovative new feeling of understanding and confidence to take control of her online dating life while meeting new people. of. A recently available analysis by Bumble found that men and women are online dating considerably willingly now than in pre-Covid-19 era – they are much more truthful about whether or not they require an informal or severe union. In reality, 74 percentage of unmarried Indians interviewed think internet dating has actually decreased adverse behaviors, such as for instance ghosting, breadcrumbing, catfishing, etc. With vaccinations getting extensive among youngsters in India, more than one in three daters (33 per cent) are sense optimistic of online dating in 2021.
men and women preferring on the web datingBumble seen that after annually of social distancing, there’s been a positive improvement in the mindset of people towards online dating. No surprise everyone is getting used to brand new methods of online dating to track down meaningful associates during COVID-19.
Someone insisting on vaccination for datingAfter another revolution of COVID-19 strike India lately, safety is still important. Men and women are prioritizing conversation on safety measures and updates of COVID vaccine before appointment physically the very first time:
Deitya Samaddar, manager of marketing and sales communications, Bumble Asia mentioned, “COVID-19 has had about a significant improvement in our very own online dating selections and actions, and singles become navigating this new field of Indian matchmaking. Folks spent the last season in lockdown, providing them with the chance to concentrate on what they want while online dating.
She included, “It put an innovative new sense of clearness and esteem to take control of this lady matchmaking lifestyle. Furthermore group seen the newest guidelines of dating digital plus person. All of our newer research shows, singles in India tend to be more deliberate regarding their relationship behavior than in the past and are also prioritizing protection and coordination as vaccinations boost in India.
Over the last year, Bumble made a number of changes to their program, like bringing in 150 new interest badges to online dating users and initiating its night-in element, which allows two different people be involved in an entertaining online game while movie speaking. can. The firm recently established Snap’s AR lens for Bumble video clip phone calls and introduced video clip notes, designed to use Snapchat’s development.


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Laura Henderson, associate director of media and communications at Mondelez International, believes “real-time marketers” in the social media space will look to move from static images overlaid with text serving as content to short-form video.
“Nobody has really crafted real-time video,” she said. “The notion of high-fidelity, high-quality video content in response to what happens to the news is an interesting proposition.”
Henderson was speaking on the opening keynote conversation at OMMA Social at Internet Week New York on
The topic of video in social media came up again later in the event. Michoel Ogince, director, platform and product strategy at Big Fuel Communications, said at that he believes video ads on Instagram are "forthcoming."
That may not be surprising news -- ads always follow consumer eyes, no? -- but Ogince’s “belief” may have more weight to it than
your average industry prediction. He was tentative to share that prediction because, according to him, it may have been “confidential."
Maybe that's just hearsay, but it was interesting to see video being a topic at OMMA Social in the context of real-time marketing. Quality video takes time to create, but the general impression is that marketers spend a good amount of prep time for "real-time marketing" anyway. Why not spend that time making video? We've seen some do it with Vine already.
But what about higher-quality video? That may be harder to accomplish, but I'll be keeping my eye out in the coming months to see if any marketers give it a shot. Perhaps during the World Cup?
"Interesting to see video as a topic at OMMA Social"
Meantime, in a parallel video & TV tech universe, real-time clipping to Twitter Amplify is the hottest of hot topics. At NAB Show in April, 400 packed into a room to see Mike Park of Twitter Amplify keynote the '2nd Screen Sunday' sessions - here's a slide from my panel discussion on the same topic
Interesting article, Tyler. Henderson certainly has interesting predictions about the role of video in real-time marketing. Prose Media uses a short video to introduce consumers to our business (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Z2A1odTBmE), and that has been really effective. There are a lot of speculations as to how videos will play into content marketing, but I wouldn't be surprised to see Henderson's predictions confirmed!
“Nobody has really crafted real-time video”...
I guess you must take a look at what we do at Wochit. Real time video for marketers is here.


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You’re going to want to make plans for an evening in Hillcrest tomorrow night. For the neighborhood’s First Thursday event, District Fare is holding an open house event, which will be the public’s first change to see the chic, redesigned restaurant space. Owner Tomas Bohm has promised plenty of samples to enjoy, even if you can’t do any shopping just yet. If all goes well, District Fare will be open sometime next week. And when you’re done there, head over to The Pantry Crest around 7:30 p.m., where Bohm will be cooking up his famous paella and giving it out to whomever is there first. Hillcrest businesses regularly stay open late for First Thursday for customers to shop and sip on beverages around the neighborhood.
It’s going to be hard going to South on Main and not seeing David Burnette behind the bar. If you missed the announcement late last week, Burnette is leaving the Main Street restaurant to take the general manager position at Ciao Baci, which was left open when David Shackelford left Arkansas to return home to Italy. Fortunately, one of the best bars in Arkansas is in capable hands, as bartender Sarah Harrington is returning to serve as South on Main’s bar manager. We featured Harrington in our Drink Insider column back in 2016.
We are adding a small spring food truck festival to the Rock City line up. This Sunday we are launching our first ever Food Truck Roll at noon in Bryant. The event will feature a community Easter egg hunt at Bryant First Methodist and a lineup of food trucks including Black hound BBQ, The Southern Gourmasian, Wunderbus, Katmandu MoMo, and Fat Head BBQ. Come out for a great time.
It’s been more than a year now that Stoby’s in Conway was destroyed in a fire. Owner David Stobaugh has been operating a “Stoby’s Express” location on Prince Street since September while construction progresses at the original site. This Sunday, Stoby’s is inviting its fans to come to the construction site and sign their names to the framing of the building. Stobaugh says this is all about continuing the story of Stoby’s and letting the community participate in the rebuilding. The event starts at 11:30 a.m. and will feature free hamburgers, hot dogs, and of course Stoby’s famous cheese dip.
Rebel Kettle Brewing Company is planning a special literary event later this month. The taproom will hold “Spirits Rebellious” on April 30 at 1 p.m. The event will feature several local writers, including Kwadjo Boaitey, Bryan Borland, Claudia Cerna and many others. Rebel Kettle is selling pints for $1 off for the event. Spirits Rebellious will also feature live music by Mark Currey.
Damgoode Pies is getting a little sweeter. They will begin adding Loblolly to all of their locations for both dine in and pints to go. In addition they will start serving beer floats using Damgoode brew paired with Loblolly ice cream. To celebrate the new partnership, Damgoode Pies and Loblolly Creamery are having a raffle for 4 pints of Loblolly Ice Cream, an 18” Signature Pie from Damgoode Pies, and a special edition Damgoode Loblolly t-shirt. All you have to do is buy some Loblolly at Damgoode April 7-10.
Don’t think of South on Main as just being a refined, Southern restaurant. As our Greg Henderson discovered this week, the restaurant has a bar menu with some simple pleasures that absolutely hit the late-night spot.
Few men have made as lasting an impact on Arkansas’ culinary scene as Loca Luna and Red Door owner Mark Abernathy. We sat down with Abernathy as he reflected on his career running some of Little Rock’s most popular restaurants.
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Yellow Rocket Concepts has released its specials for the month of March:
- Big Orange – Vietnamese Spring Burger and Arkansas Strawberry Cake Shake
- Local Lime – Gluten-Free, Vegetarian Tamales with Corn, Poblanos, Spinach and Artichokes
- Zaza – Spring Vegetable and Green Goddess Salad
Ristorante Capeo’s weekly special is a chicken- and sausage-stuffed canneloni. The risotto of the week is chicken and broccoli.
Thai restaurant kBird is offering its Khao Soi as a special for lunch and dinner. The Mango and Coconut Sticky Rice is back on the menu.


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Hononegah INCubator Program ends year with Pitch Night
This is year number six for Pitch Night at Hononegah Community High School. The annual event is the culmination of a unique entrepreneurial program – INCubator.
The tech/business program was initiated at Hononegah six years ago. Tech Education teacher Jason Brunke, with a group of Hononegah teachers and education supporters, traveled to Barrington High School in Barrington, Illinois to learn about the incubator programs developed there.
The education group was blown away by what they learned and incorporated it into the Hononegah’s tech curriculum, led by Brunke.
The INCubator program teaches students how to create business models in the classroom through real-world teaching and critical feedback with assistance from local business owners. The volunteers come into the classroom to coach and mentor students throughout the school year.
German American State Bank, Members Alliance Credit Union, SENB Bank, First National Bank and Trust and State Farm Insurance provided the funding this year. Students compete for financial assistance needed for their projects half way through the program.
At the end of the school year, students present their business plan to board members and usually ask for start-up financial assistance.
Pitch Night was held on May 19, this year. "It’s the culmination of all the work done over the year,” Brunke said. At Pitch Night, a selected group of students have the opportunity to present their business ideas, including marketing and financial plans.
Students pitched their ideas to a panel made up of INCubator board members: retired business leader Chuck Gilbert, Deb Griffith of First City Bank and Trust, and Matt Lynch of Members Alliance Credit Union.
After an introduction by Hononegah principal Chad Dougherty, Brunke introduced visitors to five groups of student entrepreneurs.
First up was senior Bailen Estrada, who introduced “Photo Launch,” a business to assist beginner photographers who need a starting base. Estrada said he started “Photo Launch” because he couldn’t find the information he needed on websites or at school.
Bailen, who has experience as a videographer and photographer, described his marketing plans and financial goals. He plans to charge $59.00 for the course and a $10.00 monthly fee.
Next up was Addie Hankins and Kendra Schreck who were launching “Earrings by Addie.”
Hankins said her goal is to make high quality earrings for less.
Addie, with the assistance of Kendra, has been successfully marketing the hand-made earrings through social media and email.
Sophia Neuenschwander introduced her start-up business – “815 Thrift.”
“I wanted to make money, so I started selling vintage clothing that I picked up at garage sales and thrift stores.”
Her business is doing well. Neuenschwander said future plans are to launch a mobile boutique, a “Store on Wheels.”
Sophia Neuenschwander presented her business plan (815Thrift) to a panel of INCubator Board members at Pitch Night, May 19. Students in the entrepreneurial class have spent the year working with coaches and mentors in the INCubator class at Hononegah.
Lorenzo Ferrell and Michael Van Offeren created “EZ” a business that assists teens and young adults putting together clothing outfits. The business provides personalized options matching clients style to their desired outfit. “Our target age is 15 to 25 years.” Ferrell said.
Lorenzo and Michael asked the panel for financial assistance for marketing, business membership and a professional website.
Rykin Montoya is already successfully marketing his sports predicting business. “Prodigy Picks” is a business for college sports fanatics who want game day experiences and to interact with teams and players. “My marketing plan is to target local businesses, restaurants, and investors."
Rykin Montoya demonstrated what he has learned and implemented through the INCubator Program at Hononegah. His business, Prodigy Picks is already doing well.
A reception followed the presentations.
Seven Hononegah students presented their business plans to an audience of family members, friends and panel of INCubator Board members during Pitch Night, May 19. Pitch Night is the culmination year-long business development plans by students in the INCubator class. Students learn marketing and financial skills under the guidance of local business members who mentor and coach the young entrepreneurs. (L-R) Addie Hankin, Kendra Schreck -(Earrings by Addie), Bailin Estrada (Photo Launch), Lorenzo Ferrell, Michael Van Offeren ( EZ), Sophia Neuenschwander (815Thrift), and Rykin Montoya ( Prodigy Picks), and INCubator Tech and business teacher Jason Brunke.


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Arbe is mentioned in an interesting new article with some subtle shade:
…typical radar systems may struggle to properly identify objects passing under a bridge or overhead signage…
This needs to be seen in context of the Florida crash that killed Tesla driver Jeremy Brown. Remember the big news in 2016 for the second Tesla fatality due to its “autopilot”?
The engineers have two main theories, the people said. Either the car’s cameras and radar failed to spot a crossing tractor-trailer. Or the cameras didn’t see the rig and the car’s computer thought the radar signal was false, possibly from an overpass or sign.
Tesla officials disclosed these theories to U.S. Senate Commerce Committee staff members during an hour-long meeting…
It turns out Tesla safety “trained” mainly on roads around California where overhead signs look just like trailers crossing the road, and then baked that into a very rudimentary system.
They repeatedly crash into the side of trailers because they think it’s a stationary object above the road, instead of properly seeing a danger directly in the way.
Even more to that point, when a trailer starts moving left to right (perpendicular to oncoming Tesla path) the Tesla tracks the trailer and also shifts to the right to drive underneath as if a straight road ahead instead was suddenly curving to the right.
And now Tesla has admitted publicly its engineers do not use continuous learning, or really any field-learning because it makes their jobs harder, which explains why it keeps making that same basic fatal error over and over without improvement.
…we haven’t done too much continuous learning. We train the system once, fine tune it a few times and that sort of goes into the car. We need something stable that we can evaluate extensively and then we think that that is good and that goes into cars. So we don’t do too much learning on the spot or continuous learning…
Here’s even more context on that point, Tesla’s bombastic and serial liar CEO has gone 180 degrees from claiming to be the best at learning safety to being unable to learn, as I explained in a recent presentation:
Tesla Deaths: 207
Tesla Autopilot Deaths: 10
Ford Pinto Deaths: 27


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National Cyber Security Centre
First rate cyber apprenticeships recognised by UK experts
NCSC drive aims to improve pathways that lead to rewarding cyber careers.
- High-quality cyber security degree apprenticeships in the UK recognised for the first time
- Three more universities have Bachelor’s courses certified by cyber security experts
CYBER-savvy students at two leading UK universities can now take on degree apprenticeship courses recognised by the country’s lead cyber experts for the first time.
Edinburgh Napier University and the University of the West of England working in partnership with Gloucestershire College are the first institutions in the UK to have their degree apprenticeships in cyber security recognised by the National Cyber Security Centre’s (NCSC) certified degree programme.
A number of universities already offer degrees recognised by the NCSC – which is a part of GCHQ – but this is the first time degree apprenticeship courses have been certified, opening up a new officially recognised pathway for students to pursue a career in cyber security.
The NCSC’s certification initiative aims to help students make informed decisions about the courses on offer and to set a high standard of cyber security teaching across UK institutions.
Three more universities were also successful in having Bachelor’s degrees recognised in the most recent round of certifications: the University of Greenwich, Leeds Beckett University and the University of South Wales, bringing the total number of recognised undergraduate and postgraduate degrees to nearly 50.
Chris Ensor, NCSC Deputy Director for Cyber Growth, recently said:
“For the UK to prosper in the digital age, it’s vital for the next generation of cyber security professionals to have the skills and experience needed to keep people safe online.
“That’s why I’m delighted to see more university courses certified for providing first-rate education in cyber security – including degree apprenticeships for the first time.
“Our certified degree initiative now recognises a range of pathways into cyber careers, helping students make informed choices about their futures and supporting the UK’s growing cyber sector.”
Digital Infrastructure Minister Matt Warman recently said:
"Britain has some of the world's best universities and it's great to see even more offering specialist degrees certified by our world-class cyber security experts.
"We are making sure our burgeoning cyber security sector has a strong pipeline of talent to keep people and businesses safe online and we can build back better and stronger from the pandemic."
UK Government Minister for Scotland Iain Stewart recently said:
“It’s great news that Edinburgh Napier University’s degree apprenticeship course has been recognised by NCSC. This will equip a new generation of cyber security experts with skills, knowledge and training of the highest quality.
“With more than a fifth of Glasgow and Edinburgh’s workforce in digital economy jobs, Scotland is a competitive choice for individuals looking to build a career in the sector.”
Offering an NCSC-certified course affords a number of advantages to students and also allows institutions to raise their profile among prospective students at home and abroad.
All of the newly recognised courses received ‘provisional’ certification, meaning the course may not have started this academic year. Full certification is applicable to courses that have seen at least one cohort already graduate; it does not indicate a higher level of recognition.
The new certified degree apprenticeship courses are:
- Edinburgh Napier University – Integrated Degree Apprenticeship in cyber security
- University of the West of England in partnership with Gloucestershire College – Integrated Degree Apprenticeship in Cyber Security
The newly recognised Bachelor’s courses are:
- University of Greenwich – Computer Security and Forensics
- Leeds Beckett University – Cyber Security
- University of South Wales – Computer Security
Since the programme’s inception in 2014, GCHQ and then later the NCSC have certified 49 courses offered by 34 institutions across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. This includes 9 Bachelor’s degrees and 2 degree apprenticeships, as well as 35 Master’s and 3 Integrated Master’s degrees.
A new call for institutions to apply to have postgraduate courses relating to cyber security certified by the NCSC will open next month. More information can be found on the NCSC website.
Latest News from
National Cyber Security Centre
Registration opens for the first CYBERUK conference in Northern Ireland09/12/2022 11:15:00
The NCSC is now accepting applications for delegates to take part in CYBERUK 2023 next April in Belfast.
NCSC and law enforcement encourage vigilance when shopping online this Christmas15/11/2022 13:33:00
Campaign launched to help keep online shoppers more secure in the run up to Christmas.
Festive shoppers urged to be Cyber Aware as figures reveal average online losses of £1,00015/11/2022 11:15:00
Cyber security and law enforcement partners join together to issue warning ahead of Black Friday and Christmas sales.
NCSC CEO delivers international speech on securing the Internet of Things and smart cities24/10/2022 11:15:00
Lindy Cameron outlined how the ‘secure by design’ approach is vital for managing IoT risks at Singapore International Cyber Week.
NCSC issues fresh guidance following recent rise in supply chain cyber attacks12/10/2022 13:43:00
Guidance to help organisations assess the cyber security of their suppliers.
Leading women in tech urge schoolgirls to take on the UK's flagship cyber security contest27/09/2022 11:15:00
Registration opens for the CyberFirst Girls competition 2023.
NCSC launches package of support to help retailers protect themselves and their customers online21/09/2022 15:15:00
New guidance for retailers on choosing the right authentication methods and removing malicious websites.
UK and allies expose Iranian state agency for exploiting cyber vulnerabilities for ransomware operations21/09/2022 09:15:00
Joint advisory highlights threat from cyber actors affiliated with Iran’s IRGC.


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Social media and real-time forms of communication like text messaging and chat give people plenty of ways to quickly connect with friends, family and colleagues, so what does that mean for humble old e-mail? Not much, according to Jeff Hardy and Derek Curtis, two vice-presidents at the software-management company SmarterTools, who explain on this week’s podcast why your e-mail address is still a highly valued piece of personal information—and why “free” e-mail isn’t exactly free.
Solid-state drives are turning up increasingly as a storage alternative in laptops and other devices, replacing the traditional motorized hard drives. Larry O’Connor, the founder and president of Other World Computing, a maker of brand of solid-state drives. He also addresses the concerns that some users may have about the reliability of flash-memory technology as a storage option.
This week’s technology headlines include a roundup of many new product upgrades and announcements, including Facebook’s recent addition of the Spotify music service and latest privacy issues; a new version of Adobe Photoshop Elements; the rollout of Mango update for Windows Phone handsets; Apple’s upcoming iPhone announcement; and Amazon’s entry into the tablet-computer market with the $200 Kindle Fire.
David Streitfeld, a Times technology reporter, comments on why Apple dominates the tablet market and what competitors like Amazon need to grab a slice of Apple’s pie.
The Tip of the Week offers browser shortcuts for working with Web addresses that need to be cut and pasted from text.
To find out more about the show and links to topics that were discussed, go to the Tech Talk page.
You can download the show by subscribing from the New York Times podcast page or directly from iTunes.
For help finding specific segments of the Bits: Tech Talk podcast, use these time codes:
News – 34:20
David Streitfeld – 24:29
Other World Computing – 18:22
SmarterTools – 9:55
Tip of the Week – 3:44


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We could’ve known about the GTA 6 trailer a long time ago, if only fans had looked a little closer at a GTA 5 Online in-game T-shirt.
If that wasn’t enough, new footage of the game was leaked by what’s alleged to be the art director’s son, seeming to confirm that the game’s set in Vice City.
One fan, however, thinks that Rockstar announced the date of the trailer months ago via a secret code imprinted on a T-shirt in GTA 5 Online, and that it may indicate the release date as well.
Back in October there was an event in GTA 5 Online where you got abducted by a UFO and given a T-shirt called the ‘??? Tee’ that has a numerical code going around the outside of its design.
Naturally, fans cracked the code, which said ‘ONEDAYWILLREVEALALL’, and it’s thought that this message hinted at the trailer launch for GTA 6. That, or it could just be a generic message designed to sound mysterious (you did get the T-shirt by being abducted by aliens after all).
Now, however, one Twitter user found a forum post that suggests a date was also included in the code on the T-shirt, which is 12523. That’s December 5 2023 but in the American format, and coincidentally – or not – the date of the GTA 6 teaser trailer.
The next numbers in the code are 09, which is the time when the trailer is released in Eastern Time in the US, as noted by YouTuber LegacyKillaHD on Twitter.
It’s clear that the code and the date match up, although it’s always possible that Rockstar retrofit the reveal time to match the code, rather than the other way round.
Where things start to become properly dubious though is that there’s another code – 040125 – which if you use the American date system works out as April 1.
You could now imagine that that’s the release date but knowing Rockstar it’s more likely just them trolling, since it’s April Fool’s Day.
It’s unclear whether the release date will be officially announced this week, but in theory April 1 could be the date, as recent rumours suggest that GTA 6 has been delayed until 2025 and April 1 is a Tuesday that year, when most games are released (although Red Dead Redemption 2 was a Friday).
So maybe they were already looking for a release date sometime around then and Rockstar thought that April Fool’s Day would be funny.
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Swiss luxury watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen celebrated the grand opening of its new concept Kuala Lumpur boutique at Pavilion in Malaysia with an exclusive cocktail event.
Over 150 specially invited guests and media representatives gathered at the Pavilion boutique, to mark the grand opening of IWC’s new concept boutique. The evening began with a welcome address by local Malaysian personality and emcee Mr. David Yee, followed by welcome speeches by Mr. Sharan Valiram, Executive Director of Valiram Group, and Mr. Matthieu Dupont, Managing Director of IWC South East Asia.
“We are pleased to meet the IWC enthusiasts in Kuala Lumpur’s luxury Pavilion mall tonight, for the unveiling of the new boutique concept. This boutique is the first in South East Asia to completely incorporate the new IWC concept, an embodiment of IWC’s core values of innovation and engineering excellence. With the support of the Valiram Group, we aim to provide a welcoming atmosphere for long-time watch connoisseurs and new admirers alike,” said Mr. Matthieu Dupont, Managing Director of IWC South East Asia.
“Pavilion Kuala Lumpur is not only popular among Kuala Lumpur’s society influencers, it is also an exceptional location for high-end shopping. With the new concept of this wonderful boutique, we believe that discerning Malaysians, watch aficionados and connoisseurs who truly savour and appreciate such mechanical masterpieces can enjoy IWC timepieces leisurely,” said Mr. Sharan Valiram, Executive Director of Valiram Group.
The speeches were followed by a ribbon cutting ceremony with Mr. Dupont, Mr. Valiram and Ms. Joyce Yap, CEO of Retail Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, officiating the grand opening of the new concept IWC boutique. Guests were then invited inside to experience the new boutique concept and into the fascinating worlds of the IWC watch families, including the key novelties from the new 2014 Aquatimer collection.
Located within the prestigious Pavilion, Malaysia’s premier luxury shopping mall and a key shopping destination for visitors to the capital, the newly renovated boutique extends over an area of 63-square-metres, and was IWC’s first stand-alone boutique in Kuala Lumpur since its inauguration in 2007. Operated by the Valiram Group, it symbolizes the continuation of the long-standing and successful partnership between IWC and the Valiram Group, one of Southeast Asia’s leading luxury goods and specialist retailers.
The boutique, designed by IWC’s in-house team of archi- tects and designers, provides an exceptional and sophisticated setting for the six watch families from Schaffhausen. Guests entering the boutique are welcomed by a comfortable lounge area with a fireplace and an intriguing library.
Using dark wood, chrome steel and leather, IWC’s in-house architects have created an elegant atmosphere reflecting the clean lines of IWC’s fine watchmaking. The unique architecture provides the ideal backdrop for the collection. Every attention is given to fine detailing and craftsmanship, which further emphasizes the technical pioneering spirit for which IWC is globally renowned. A unique attraction for visitors is the range of Boutique Editions, available exclusively in IWC boutiques worldwide.


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A Plymouth veggie has shared their anger after finding out Burger King's new halloumi burgers are NOT vegetarian.
As customers flocked to the fast-food chain over the summer to try the new addition to the menu, local vegetarians are furious that the 'meat-free' option is not actually vegetarian.
A local vegetarian told Plymouth Live: "[I] wanted the new halloumi burger as a vegetarian option, but we were informed that the halloumi is actually cooked with the beef burgers - this is misleading to any vegetarians."
She added: "[I was] disappointed as [I'm] vegetarian so we went to Burger King to try that burger, but when we ordered we were told that it's cooked in the same oil as the meat burgers.
She added: "I feel concern as cooking the cheese with beef is cross-contamination, it's dangerous if someone is allergic to cheese or beef."
The fried cheese burger is indeed cooked in the same oil as chicken and fish, so is not vegetarian - as Burger King makes clear in a disclosure.
But the halloumi burger has never actually been labelled 'vegetarian', instead, Burger King use the term 'meat-free'.
Lots of people have flooded social media to complain as they find the marketing of the burger, and labelling 'meat-free' is misleading.
One vegetarian said: "The halloumi burger from Burger King is fried in the same oil as chicken and I am fuming."
While another said: "Make it vegetarian!! I don't want it cooked in the same oil as meat!"
While another said: "What is the point in having a "vegetarian" burger when it's NOT vegetarian and the halloumi is fried in animal fat."
Another Twitter user said she was 'gutted,' writing "Okay guys I'm gutted, [I] Went all the way to Burger King for the new halloumi burger, double checked it was veggie and was told that it's fried in the same fryer as the meat products."
Burger King does offer a veggie burger, which is cooked separately from meat products as the patty isn't fried.
A spokesperson told Metro: "At this moment in time we're not operationally able to facilitate separate fryers and oil filtration systems in all of our restaurants.
"However this is a focus for us and our team are actively looking into solutions for how we can change this in the future."


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Until a few weeks ago, we were talking about Amazon’s potential to become the first company to reach $1 trillion in market cap.
It was Apple who managed to achieve that milestone first and Amazon, even though it briefly touched this during intraday trading in September, needs now to look at its back since it is on the way of being surpassed by Microsoft.
Amazon share price closed yesterday's session with a gain of 7% yesterday but this is all being wiped out in after-hours trading following Amazon’s earnings report after third quarter revenue and fourth-quarter guidance missed expectations.
Amazon did report healthy third-quarter profit of $2.9 billion, or $5.75 a share, and was expecting on average to report earnings of $3.08 a share, according to FactSet.
More concerning for investors though was Amazon’s forecast of sales in the fourth quarter — the all-important holiday-shopping quarter for retailers — of $66.5 billion to $72.5 billion. Analysts on average had been projecting fourth-quarter sales of $73.8 billion for Amazon.
Amazon’s forecast would mean sales growth of 10% to 20% from the 2017 holiday quarter, well lower than the 30% growth Amazon showed last year and had maintained this year.
While Apple and Amazon get a lot of publicity, Microsoft is considered more conservative however it has been slowly clocking cloud gains on path to potentially reach the $1 trillion milestone.
On Wednesday Microsoft managed to beat expectations on both earnings and revenue with the price jumping 4%. Key figures below:
• Earnings: $1.14 per share, excluding certain items, vs. $0.96 per share as expected by analysts, according to Refinitiv.
• Revenue: $29.08 billion, vs. $27.90 billion as expected by analysts, according to Refinitiv.
The company's biggest business segment, which includes Windows, devices, gaming and search ads fetched $10.7 billion in revenue, up 15 percent. The segment came in above the FactSet consensus estimate of $10.18 billion.
Another important sector is business focused cloud services with Microsft’s Azure challenging market leader Amazon Web Services. Commercial Cloud ultimately came in at $8.5 billion, up 47 percent year over year, while analysts were expecting it at $8.3 billion. (see table showing YOY % change in revenues).
As at today, Amazon is worth $869 bn and Microsoft is worth $831 bn, that is just a difference of 4%. If we now consider the after-hours trading too, Amazon would be worth $808 bn whilst Microsoft will be slightly higher at $818!


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Remember EarthNight? It's a gorgeous rogue-lite platformer that feels like it's been in the pipeline for an age. It was due to finally release earlier this month on PlayStation 4, but it seems developer Cleaversoft has run into some road blocks -- at least for the North American release. The game met its 3rd December release date in Europe, but things are different across the pond.
The good news is that the game is still coming to PS4 in the US, but you'll have to wait a few more weeks:
It appears the developer was simply waiting on Sony for approval. Fortunately, EarthNight is now clear for release in the region, and it'll be available from 23rd January 2020. Are you excited to check out EarthNight? If you're in Europe, have you already played it? Slay some dragons in the comments below.


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Predicting food trends with AI
Ube is predicted to be on the rise for 2019
Tastewise, an AI-powered food intelligence startup, has today published its first report on emerging food trends.
The platform provides up-to-the-minute industry insights, predictions, and emerging food trends based on analysis of billions of social media posts and photos, US restaurant menus, reviews, and recipes.
It enables restaurants to efficiently adapt, serve and market their offerings at a local and national level, and is already working to pinpoint market opportunities, consumer likes and dislikes, new ingredients and quickly meet trending needs.
In co-ordination with its launch, Tastewise has released a Consumer Food Trends Report, along with a map detailing where the biggest health food opportunities are in each state.
Highlights of key trends from the report:
- Zhoug is the new sriracha.
- There is a $9bn demand for healthy food in restaurants across the US.
- There’s a 246% gap in demand for vegan food in Boston, translating to $41.9m.
- San Antonio faces a 767% unmet demand for hand-crafted food, translating to $362m.
- Spam musubi, bone marrow, ube, and truffles are becoming mainstays in American menus.
- From 2017-2018, restaurant hopping grew by 160%.
Founded by Eyal Gaon and former Google executive Alon Chen, Tastewise enters the food scene just as the $5.75 trillion industry undergoes a seismic shift. Historically a slow-moving sector, the internet, social media, and e-commerce have played major roles in accelerating the industry. Whereas restaurant menus used to be changed every couple of years, new dishes now replace existing ones every couple of months.
“By collaborating with Tastewise, we’ve been able to transform our strategy and decision making with real-time industry data and predictive analytics,” said Guy Heksch, global vice president of Marriott International-owned Pure Grey Culinary Concepts Hospitality Group. “Diving far deeper than simply understanding consumer preferences, their insights help us select target audiences, catch micro-trends as they sweep from neighbourhood to state level and design menus to suit our guests’ tastes, even pinpointing exactly what it takes to concoct a sensational cocktail. Tastewise brings science to the art of creating innovative food experiences and propels us to act faster than ever before. Their technology is a complete game changer for us, and I suspect it will be for the hospitality industry as a whole.”
Leveraging machine learning, predictive analytics, computer vision and NLP processing, Tastewise’s AI-based approach now makes it possible for any food company to satisfy its customers by discovering the latest trends on both local and national levels before they go mainstream.
“Today, many of us are adventurous eaters, constantly searching for new food experiences, while prioritising our health,” said Chen. “In this new environment, all CPGs and restaurants – whatever their size – have to become as dynamic as food trucks and pop-ups. Tastewise provides the freshest analytics to help them stay at the forefront.”
“Big data is transforming big industries. As the food industry is undergoing immense changes, we are excited that Tastewise has the power to drive the transformation in decision making, providing critical business insights to enable hotels, restaurants and food brands to stay ahead of the curve,” said Tal Tochner from Pico Ventures, the lead investor at Tastewise.


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HONG KONG, Nov 8 (Reuters) - These are some of the leading stories in Hong Kong newspapers on Thursday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
-- Bank of China (Hong Kong), one of the largest retail banks in the city, would launch private banking services for customers with at least $2 million to invest, as demand for such services is increasing on the mainland and elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region. (link.reuters.com/saj83t)
-- City Telecom may try to seek a judicial review if the government refuses to make a decision on new free-to-air television licences, said chairman Ricky Wong. (link.reuters.com/taj83t)
-- Beijing Automotive Group, the country's fifth-largest carmaker in terms of sales, is planning initial public offering for three units to fund an ambitious business expansion over the next three years. (link.reuters.com/xaj83t)
-- Casablanca, a manufacturer of bed collections, and Shanghai-based developer CIFI Group will kick off their initial public offering in Hong Kong on Nov. 13, and expect to be listed on Nov. 23, according to market sources.
-- The government plans to put forward several potential reclamation sites in the first quarter of 2013 for possible public consultation, as to increase the territory’s land supply in the long term, said Secretary for Development Paul Chan.
-- Chinese developer Agile Property Holdings Ltd said contract sales for the first ten months totalled 23.9 billion yuan ($3.83 billion), 77 percent of its 2012 sales target.
-- The Wharf (Holdings) Ltd said it had acquired a residential site in Chengdu, Sichuan province, for about 385 million yuan.
For Chinese newspapers, see............... ($1 = 6.2437 Chinese yuan) (Reporting by Twinnie Siu; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier)


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The US-based Fashion Institute of Technology and UK rental and resale specialist ACS Clothing are among ten new members of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation Network, which is working to accelerate the transition to a circular economy.
The Fashion Institute of Technology, part of the State University of New York, brings together the disciplines of design, fashion, business, science, and technology. Its programmes foster global innovation and collaboration, and it hopes to work with Network education and industry leaders to develop circular economy research and scholarship.
ACS Clothing, meanwhile, provides a turnkey solution that enables fashion brands to enter rental and resale markets, as well as repair and refurbish items – thereby keeping textiles in use. The company aims to become fully circular by 2030 and is keen to work with Network organisations, particularly fashion brands, other emerging innovators, and policymakers, to accelerate its transition.
“These new members share an ambition to transform the way they do business,” the Foundation says. “We look forward to supporting them, and facilitating collaboration opportunities with other Network organisations, as they strive to become more circular.”
The other new members span a number of industries including automotive, paper, beauty and toys.


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BLOG: Best yard sale bets for June 10-11
Teresa L Hoover
The weather is going to be great for yard sales this weekend. Here’s our best bets:
Community Yard Sales:
- Emigsville community yard sale will be held Friday and Saturday starting at 8 a.m. Otterbein United Methodist Church in Emigsville will have a soup and yard sale on Saturday only.
- Tyler's Harvest Community yard sale in the southern end of York County will be held on Friday and Saturday starting at 8 a.m. I was already at this yard sale this morning and I purchased a lot of things.
- Stonegate Commons off the Susquehanna Trail (Exit 28, Strinestown, entrance across from the ES3 building) is Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Church Yard Sales:
- Large indoor air conditioned yard sale at the First Church of the Brethren at 2710 Kingston Road is on Saturday from 8 a.m. tio 3 p.m. It will be HOT tomorrow so check this yard sale out. They will have yard sale items, chicken corn soup, sandwiches and baked goods.
- Pine Grove United Methodist Church at 2523 Pine Grove Road will be on Saturday only from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Multi-Family Yard Sales:
- There is a multi-family yard sale at 65 Amber View Road in Dover this weekend. They will feature, name brand junior girls clothing, Hess/Texaco trucks, new telescope, collectibles and household items.
- Multi-family yard sale at 2020 Worth St. in West York. They will have plants, western boots, antiques, retro kitchen table and chairs, plus much more.
- A multi-family yard sale at 50 Vinton Drive in East York sounds like a good one for collectors of antiques and vintage items.
The York Dispatch classifieds list more yard sales for this weekend. Check them out here.


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After more than a decade, the electric bicycle phenomenon is taking off on the Sunshine Coast.
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Cr Jenny McKay lays out the problems affecting popular swimming hole.
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FROM running a mowing franchise, Jim Lowe started his own small business during an economic slump and has continued to grow...
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SPRING has finally set in. The mornings are brisk, but the warm days are perfect for enjoying one of the Gympie region's...
23rd Sept. 2016 6:09 AM
IF YOU'VE always wanted to see Australia, to do the great Australian getaway, now is the time to get inspired.
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MORE eatery options could be coming for Boyne Island residents in the form of a food van at an ocean-view garden.
25th May 2016 2:05 PM
Outdoor broadcast event with Hot 91.1 and Sunshine Coast Daily, Moffat Beach.
24th Feb. 2016 12:02 PM


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Last week I was researching when certain fruits and vegetables were in season and where they were grown. From there, I printed out articles showing the time during the year to buy those fruits and vegetables and when to avoid them despite the fact that they may be sold in the grocery stores.
Please keep in mind that when you see a label reading South African grapes or Argentinian blueberries, remember that they've traveled further than you do to work and back in a week. Through travel, just imagine the amount of toxins that get into our fruits and vegetables from pollution, smog, and chemicals to preserve it for the journey.
This is the reason many people are now buying local. Not only are you supporting your local farmers, you know what your getting and where it's growing.
Rich Pirog, the Associate Director of the Leopold Center at Iowa State University, says that when consumers learn about an issue such as the tomato scare during the salmonella outbreak, their first reaction isn't necessarily to think, Oh, I should eat local. He says, "The common response is, 'Wow, I need to pay more attention to where my food comes from and how it's grown.' Local provides answers to those questions people are asking.
"It's difficult to always buy local, and the fruits and vegetables you love most may not grow in your area or even state, but it will help you from buying fruits and veggies that come from too far and aren't even in season.
To find out what's in season in your area visit http://www.fieldtoplate.com/guide.php


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Coles makes it easy to choose sustainable seafood
By: Lisa Costa Bir
Good on Coles supermarkets! As much as i'm not a big fan of the supermarkets Coles really are gaining a competitive edge in my opinion. First they were the only Aussie supermarket to introduce hormone free beef, last week they swore to take out MSG from their products and this week they've announced that they will be the first Aussie supermarket to apply a sustainable seafood message to all fresh fish in stores so that anyone that shops there has the option of sustainability when shopping for seafood.
The media report released by Coles below:
The new message regarding sustainable seafood will be introduced to fresh fish counters later this month and follows a year-long review of all Coles fresh fish by leading marine experts from WWF-Australia.
Nearly 300 assessments were carried out covering every fishery supplying fresh wild caught fish to Coles. Those found to be from well managed fisheries, caught using fishing methods that reduce environmental damage and unintentional bycatch will now be highlighted to customers as a better choice for sustainable seafood.
The 300 assessments conducted found almost 90 per cent of wild caught fresh fish sold at Coles is a sustainable choice with just 11 per cent (33 assessments) considered unsustainable based on current fishing practices. WWF, Coles and our suppliers will be working with the relevant fisheries on an action plan to try and address these serious sustainability concerns. Work is already underway with some unsustainable fisheries and other fisheries identified as having less serious sustainability issues.
Coles has already stopped selling all threatened, endangered or protected species of seafood. Trials of the 'Sustainable Seafood' message proved popular with customers with sales of fresh fish increasing by 18 per cent following its introduction in two Melbourne stores.
Coles Business Category Manager, Jon Haggett, said: "Australians are eating more seafood than ever and as we move into Lent later this month when fresh fish sales traditionally increase by as much as 85% it's even more important that we can offer customers reassurance that the seafood they buy is sustainable and will be available for future generations to enjoy.
"With WWF having now reviewed all of our fresh caught fish we can confidently tell customers which of their favourite fish are not only great quality but also caught in a more sustainable way. No other supermarket can offer this level of reassurance on fresh fish.
"We are committed to working with fisheries supplying seafood to Coles that have had sustainability problems identified to find a solution that meets the concerns identified by WWF."
While the 'Sustainable Seafood' message will initially only apply to wild caught fresh fish Coles is working with WWF and our suppliers to review farmed and frozen fish and crustaceans. WWF has already started this work, completing a review of Tassal Atlantic farmed salmon - Coles' only supplier of fresh salmon - and rated them as a better choice for sustainable seafood. Coles is also helping conserve the marine life of the iconic Great Barrier Reef by offering support to key fisheries in the region to seek Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification and take action to meet MSC standards if necessary.
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CAAC expected to approve launch of Ningxia Cargo Airlines
Published: April 23, 2012
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) is expected to green light Ningxia Cargo Airlines, the first cargo carrier based in West China.
The new cargo entity, based in the Ningxia Autonomous Region, has a registered capital of CNY120 million ($ 18.98 million). Shanghai Chongda International Freight Co., which has a 40% holding, is the major stakeholder. Shan’xi Tongyang Investment Management has a 25% stake and Shan’xi Xiangyu Logistics Co., Xi’an Huijie Logistics Co., and Shan’xi International Air Freight hold the rest.
The new venture has a Boeing fleet of 737 and 747 freighters. It plans to use pilots and MRO professionals from Turkish Orex Orbit Express Airlines.
Industry analysts said it will be difficult for Ningxia Cargo to make a profit initially because of the downturn in the air cargo industry and weak competitive position of domestic cargo carriers. China’s air cargo market is dominated by FedEx, UPS and DHL, mainly in economically strong Eastern China.
The CAAC appears to be softening its tough stance on restricting approval of new entrants ( ATW Daily News, March 1, 2011 ). In 2007, the CAAC said it would not approve any new start-ups until 2010 except cargo carriers, West China-based carriers, or those that operate domestically produced regional aircraft because there were too many privately run domestic carriers after restrictions were loosened in 2004.


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SINGAPORE — Oil prices dropped on Tuesday for a second straight session as the cons of a slowing global demand outlook outweighed the pros of OPEC’s agreement with associated producers at the end of last week to deepen crude output cuts in early 2020.
Brent futures were down 11 cents, or 0.2%, at $64.14 per barrel by 0204 GMT while West Texas Intermediate oil futures were down 7 cents, or 0.1% to $58.95 a barrel. The benchmarks fell 0.2% and 0.3% respectively on Monday.
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“The euphoria (on output cuts) was short lived, with an unexpected fall in exports from China highlighting the impact of the trade conflict,” said ANZ Bank in a note on Tuesday.
Data released on Sunday showed exports from China in November fell 1.1% from a year earlier, confounding expectations for a 1% rise in a Reuters poll.
That weakness came amid with fresh fronts in the trade war between Washington and Beijing that has stymied global economic growth coming up fast: Washington’s next round of tariffs against some $156 billion Chinese goods are scheduled to take effect on Dec. 15.


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It’s that time of the year again, when Google plans to launch an update to its Android platform. While Lollipop 5.0.1 is being rolled out to a few devices already, and Android Wear will be receiving it’s Lollipop update soon, many Google applications are also receiving updates.
Featured in the list of Google applications that have received updates is the Google Fit application – the dedicated fitness app from Google. In this article, we take a look at all the changes in the new version.
1. MORE ACTIVITIES
The most prominent upgrade in the latest version of the app is the support for a plethora of activities. You have the conventional running, walking and biking, and you also have more unconventional ones, such as handcycling, biathlon and wakeboarding. All in all, fitness fanatics of all sorts will find activities to suit their lifestyle!
2. EXPERIMENTAL STEP DETECTION
This was a feature that was requested quite often by users. Basically what this feature does is that it allows the application to track the activity even when the smartwatch is unpaired from the phone. It’s very convenient, as it does not require the user to carry the phone everytime!
3. Google Fit For Android Wear
The application can now seamlessly connect to your Android Wear devices, so if you’re one of the lucky few to own a wearable, you can easily pair it and track your activity on the Android Wear application too!
Besides these few stand out changes, Google has now fixed some minor bugs and issues which were present in the previous versions.
To sum things up, the update to Google Fit brings seamless and efficient linkage between wearables and your phones, which ensures that you don’t really have to lug around your phone when you go for your morning jogs!
The new update can be available on the Play Store. If you haven’t installed the application already, you can do so by clicking on the link down below!


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Western Digital have just announced their new Caviar Special Edition (SE) Serial ATA (SATA) hard drive range, which is not only the world’s largest 7,200RPM drive at 250GB with an 8MB buffer, but also includes a number of new technologies. The first is its “SecureConnect SATA cable technology, which is designed to solve a weakness of first-generation SATA hard drives and cables by strengthening the drive-cable connection by more than 500%, while ensuring the hard drive maintains backward compatibility with legacy SATA cables and backplanes. This strengthening of the drive-cable connection is intended to eliminate SATA connector breakage as well as reduce the number of related product returns to hard drive makers and systems manufacturers.”
Another new technology featured on Caviar Special Editiion drives is Flex Power technology, which “accepts a power connection from either the traditional EIDE power connectors-found in virtually all of today’s desktop systems-or other currently shipping SATA power supplies.” This is demonstrated in the above image.
Western Digital will be shipping SATA-equipped WD Caviar SE hard drives featuring SecureConnect and FlexPower through its distribution network in June. The Company’s major OEM customers are currently qualifying the products SecureConnect cables with FlexPower will be available through Western Digital’s distribution network beginning in July.
Read the entire press release.


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Exporters under the aegis of Association of Metal Exporters of Nigeria, AMEN have called on the Federal Government to intervene in the solid minerals sector and tap the abundant benefits as the sector has opportunity of generating N5 trillion annually. The President of AMEN, Mr. Seun Olatunji said that Nigeria can generate at least N5 trillion annually from mining and exporting of its vast solid mineral deposits, with several multiplier effects on job creation , state development and social infrastructure that could make the solid minerals sector as the main catalyst for the national development.
At a press briefing at the weekend in Lagos, the metal exporters called on the Federal Government to provide the enabling environment for the development of the Nigerian solid minerals sector. “Metallic solid minerals are the most exported solid minerals from Nigeria” he added.
The Association, which comprises of various companies in the business of metal export, commended the focus of the Minister of Solid Minerals, Mr. Kayode Fayemi, and expressed its readiness to partner with the government in the development of the Nigerian solid minerals sector. According to Olatunji, “There is need for synergy between government agencies and private operators to unlock the values in solid minerals sector. With not less than 38 viable solid mineral deposits in sustainable export quantity in Nigeria, the solid minerals sector has the potential to generate not less than N5 trillion annually once the government put in place necessary frameworks. He stated that the solid minerals industry could serve the much-needed solution to unemployment as the development of the value chain from mining to export can create more than five million jobs.
Diversification of the economy “We are glad that the current government is serious about solid minerals and diversification of the economy. Government should come up with policies that will enable Nigerians to benefit optimally from the country‘s natural resources,” Olatunji said. According to him, there is need for government regulatory agencies such as Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) to work with established private sector companies under the auspices of Association of Metal Exporters of Nigeria to develop globally acceptable regulatory standards for Nigerian metallic exports.
Vice president, Association of Metal Exporters of Nigeria, Mr. Bamidele Ayemibo, underscored the need for government to consider viable public private partnership (PPP) option to develop basic infrastructure such as crushing plant and standardized weighing bay among others. According to him, with a crushing plant, government should put in place a general policy that ensures that all metal exports are crushed and SON and other regulatory agencies should see to the enforcement of standards in the solid minerals exports in order to ensure that Nigerian exports are competitive in the global market. General Secretary, Association of Metal Exporters of Nigeria, Mrs Kemi Ayo-Ogunkeye, added that standard-setting will bring values to Nigerian businesses and Nigeria as this will not only enhance the volume of transactions but also the reliability of the business. In his remarks, financial secretary, Association of Metal Exporters of Nigeria, Mr. Adegbola Ilori, said the association would also interface with the National Assembly to seek review of existing laws and to promote new laws that could help the development of the solid minerals industry.


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Dublin, April 17, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The “Impact of COVID-19 on Italy Economy” report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com’s offering.
Italy is among the most affected countries with coronavirus outbreak across the globe, as the incidences rising at a significant pace than any other country. In Italy, the death toll from COVID-19 surpassed 5,000, witnessing a sharp increase from the last few days.
COVID-19 pandemic has a devastating impact on the Italian economy, as industrial output fell significantly. Italy had a considerable position in the value of industrial production in the EU member states. For instance, as per the Eurostat, more than 75% of the value of sold industrial production in EU 28 was generated by six member states, including Germany, Italy, France, UK, Spain, and Poland with 28%, 16%, 12%, 9%, 8%, and 5%, of total EU respectively (Eurostat). The country accounted for nearly 2.4% ($2.1 trillion) of the world’s GDP in 2018.
As per the International Trade Administration (ITA), Italy’s third-largest destinations for exports is the US, which totaled $50.1 billion value of the country’s exports to the US in 2018. Italy’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs) sector has a considerable proportion of firms that contribute approximately one-third of value to the economy and half of total employment in the country. As Italy’s economic structure is heavily dependent on SMEs, the spread of coronavirus is significantly affecting the economy of Italy. SMEs relies on loans and finances to meet their business requirements. Due to the vulnerabilities facing by the Italian financial sector amid COVID-19, SMEs operations are negatively affected, which in turn, is leading to a significant decline of the Italian economy.


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On July 24, 2009 new car dealers in the United States began accepting trade-ins of older vehicles not worth much for new cars. Based on their fuel economy and the fuel economy of the new vehicle purchased, customers received a voucher for $3,500 or $4,500 to apply to the purchase of a new car or light truck.
The 2009 Motorist Choice Award winners have been announced. Congratulations to all! Nine manufacturers earned segment wins, led by Toyota with nine awards (including three for Lexus), followed by General Motors with six (Chevrolet 4, Cadillac 2), Honda with three, and Chrysler with two (Dodge 1, Jeep 1). Audi, Ford, Hyundai, Nissan and Volkswagen took top honors in one segment each.
Newly released research shows fifteen percent of new car buyers in the United States say they would consider purchasing their next vehicle from China, and eleven percent would consider buying a car from India, without knowing specific brands or vehicles.
The Detroit Big Three soon will consist of the New General Motors, New Chrysler and Old Ford, or better... the New Old Ford. Ford has benefited from a major restructuring begun with the arrival of Alan Mulally in 2006.
GM may also be a winner, because if Chrysler can prove that filing bankruptcy doesn't automatically mean a collapse of any remaining sales prospects, the General may determine a similar BK filing could further reduce its debt load, while enabling it to develop a new array of products.
The real opportunity, however, is for short-term leases. Getting a car or truck that is still in warranty for zero down and $200 to $500 per month can be a useful solution for many people unwilling to commit to a longer term purchase or lease.
A just-completed AutoPacific online survey showed that buyers are disappointed by automakers taking bailout funds and that Ford tops their choice options in U.S. vehicles, in part due to its ability to avoid an Uncle Sam handout.
AutoPacific Research Indicates Balance of Year May Continue to be Difficult for Car Companies TUSTIN, Calif. (April 3, 2009) — A national Internet survey conducted between March 31 and April 1 reveals that the American public is extremely aware of the current challenges facing the American automobile industry and the Obama administration’s actions to confront them. Only three percent in the survey said they were not aware of the billions of dollars in government loan guarantees made to General Motors and Chrysler, 94 percent knew that both companies had been required to submit viability plans in hopes of receiving additional government aid, and 89 percent were aware that the White House had declared neither plan represented “a credible path to viability.” The survey findings were the result of over 700 responses.
President Barack Obama delivered an address to the nation this morning at 11AM where he summarized the results of review of General Motors and Chrysler by The Presidential Task Force on the Auto Industry. The conclusion of the report was that neither of the plans presented to the Task Force by GM and Chrysler are viable.