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By Serena Lemieux
The Glebe is home to historic buildings, contemporary art, quaint eateries and long-standing local businesses that have stood the test of time. We’re proud of the decades many of our businesses have spent in our neighbourhood and want to celebrate with them. During the pandemic, a number of business owners celebrated exciting anniversaries in the community.
Glebe Meat Market
Founded in 1920, The Glebe Meat Market has been serving the Ottawa area the finest cuts of meat for more than a century. Its 100th anniversary was in 2020. Before finding its current home at 869 Bank, the Glebe Meat Market was a few blocks north at Bank and Third. Originally owned by the Faith brothers, it then went to Harry Amada who sold it to the Sauvé family in 1975. Stephane Sauvé has been working at The Glebe Meat Market since 1982 and went on to take over the business from his father, André Sauvé.
The Glebe Meat Market is known for niche items and cuts that you can’t find anywhere else. Sauvé has customers who send his product as far as Newfoundland for family and friends. “I love my customers, they come from all different walks of life, they all do different things, and it’s fun to hear how they will be cooking and preparing my items into new dishes,” said Sauvé. His team is made up of dedicated employees who are committed to excellence; some have been with the team for more than 15 years!
ORESTA celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2021, so we’re here to celebrate 21 years. On December 3, 2001, ORESTA was opened by its namesake, Oresta Korbutiak, in a converted corner store at 464 O’Connor. Inspired by her personal struggle with adult acne, which led her on a frustrating journey of overspending on harsh products and treatments, she created a healthy approach to beauty by opening a clean beauty shop and spa. ORESTA has become the Glebe’s go-to for organic, age-positive, natural beauty, clean living skincare. In 2004, it opened an e-commerce shop on Shopify to offer clean beauty products for those outside Ottawa. ORESTA became Shopify’s 39th of now more than one million online retailers.
When asked what the greatest challenge of the past two decades has been, Korbutiak’s answer was clear: “Most definitely the pandemic. We really missed the interaction with customers in the shop. Personally, being out of the treatment room – my happy place – for two-and-a-half years was also very challenging. However, the kindness, generosity and support of our community was incredibly uplifting.”
The Unrefined Olive
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, The Unrefined Olive has called 151 Second Avenue home since 2012. Owner Elizabeth Kilvert is one of only a handful of oleologists in Canada. She believes it is her responsibility to be able to speak to the character of each olive oil and go above and beyond for her customers. She recognizes that shopping is about more than the convenience of ordering online, it’s also about engagement and quality of service. When she is asked which is the best olive oil, her answer is simple: “There are over 700 kinds of olives to make olive oil. Come in and let your taste buds be the judge.”
Looking ahead to 2023, Kettlemans will be celebrating its 30th anniversary in the Glebe. Known for not having a lock on the front door, Kettlemans has been the 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week comfort spot to Ottawans for decades. Their flagship location at 912 Bank Street serves as all-in-one stop for breakfast and brunch, lunch and late-night cravings.
Company president Amer Wahab recognizes the relationship Ottawa has with Kettlemans and remains grateful to the loyal fanbase. “Looking back over the past 30 years, it’s been great to be a part of the community and part of an amazing city,” said Wahab. “The pandemic showed us that when we all come together, we can do anything. We thank our team members and community for the support not just during COVID, but for the past 30 years.”
The Glebe is proud to be home to so many local small businesses which are able to thrive year after year thanks to local customers and supportive neighbours. We thank these businesses for all their hard work and dedication. We look forward to celebrating their next anniversaries!
Serena Lemieux is communications and marketing coordinator for the Glebe BIA (Business Improvement Area).


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Haier America Trading has dropped its bid for Maytag in the wake of Whirlpool’s surprise $1.33 billion offer to acquire the ailing appliance giant.
Whirlpool’s unsolicited cash and stock proposal topped a $1.28 billion cash offer from the Chinese white- and brown-goods maker and its backers, Bain Capital Partners and Blackstone Management Associates. Whirlpool’s proposal has also sparked speculation that Electrolux may now throw its hat in the ring.
The Haier group’s withdrawal came days before it was expected to complete due diligence on Maytag, which received a letter from the suitors “stating that they have determined not to further pursue the transaction.”
Still on the table is Maytag’s initial $1.13 billion all-cash acquisition agreement with an investment group led by Ripplewood Holdings, which is backed by Maytag’s board. The consortium, operating as Triton Aquistion Holding, is pressuring Maytag to press ahead with their merger by threatening to kill the deal and collect a $40 million termination fee, as permitted under the agreement. Triton also has a “last look” right to review and match a rival offer.
Whirlpool’s chairman, president and CEO Jeff Fettig noted that his company’s proposal represents a 21 percent premium over the Ripplewood offer. “Equally important,” he said, “the combination fits Whirlpool’s strategy and capabilities, will create strong value for our shareholders and provide direct benefits to consumers and trade customers.”
Maytag said its board would consider the Whirlpool proposal “in accordance with its duties,” but still supports the Ripplewood deal, which goes to a vote before shareholders on Aug. 19.
In a letter to Maytag chairman/CEO Ralph Hake, Fettig said that the impending shareholder vote, and an Aug. 9 cutoff for Maytag to terminate its merger agreement with Ripplewood, “compels both of us to work to achieve a definitive agreement” before Aug. 19. Fettig requested immediate access to Maytag’s confidential due diligence documents to submit a formal bid by Aug. 9.
Meanwhile, industry observers expect that Electrolux may now enter the fray, given its good strategic fit with Maytag and its sizable war chest. In a conference call, president/CEO Häns Straberg would neither confirm nor deny the Swedish manufacturer’s intentions to counter Whirlpool’s offer.
“I don’t want to add to speculation,” he told analysts. “It’s an ongoing process which we follow with great interest. The process is far from over.”
Commenting on a possible Whirlpool-Maytag merger, Straberg noted that “Retailers want to preserve choices.” He also cautioned that “Whoever buys Maytag will have a tough journey — there’s a reason it’s on sale.”
Dealers and analysts believe that, despite denials, Whirlpool’s 11th-hour entry was a defensive maneuver designed to block Haier. With that deal off the table, it remains unclear whether Whirlpool would pursue a possible bidding war, although Fettig maintains that he’s “serious about completing the transaction.”
The only thing that’s certain, said Randy Johnson, majap merchandising VP for BrandsMart U.S.A., is that “We’re a long way from being done with this.”


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Positron Telecommunication Systems today introduced the G-124V, a full featured IP-PBX with integrated, easy to use desktop video conferencing at an MSRP (retail) price less than $2,300. It works with local or remote videophones, PCs, tablets and smart phones. A video conference of up to 12 participants can be set up as easily as a voice conference call.
SMB Nation Blog
This morning, 8x8, Inc. announced a new version of their Virtual Office Desktop softphone application. This app, now available for current 8X8 customers, is a part of the company’s Virtual Office package and features a new user interface.
Today, Blue Jeans Network, global video conferencing technology provider, announced the release of a new bi-directional HD desktop sharing solution. This solution is specifically geared for Microsoft Lync users.


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iRobot Roomba and Looj Updated to Clean Your Home Better Than You
We might not yet have our own Rosie, the robot maid from " The Jetsons," but that doesn't mean the home-cleaning robots we do have aren't getting better.
Like previous Roombas, the 600 Series uses sensors to find dirt on carpets, wood floors, tile, and laminate, but it's now been improved with AreoVac technology that doesn't require the dust bin to be emptied as often and new brushes that allow hair to be removed more easily. It's also gotten a new color design.
The biggest improvement, though, is in price. The models in the 600 Series (the 630, 650, 660) are now the most affordable Roombas; the 630 starts at $329.99 and will replace the entry-level 500 series. But that doesn't mean you give up other key functions; all models can automatically find their own home base docks to recharge their batteries, have special wall detection sensors, and have technology to clean the dirtiest sections of a floor multiple times. The 650 model its higher-end cousins can be scheduled to clean up to seven times per week at specific hours.
For those more concerned about outdoor home cleaning, iRobot is also releasing a new version of the Looj: a bot that does the tougher and dirtier job of cleaning the gutters. "We wanted to make it easier and safer for people to use," Jeff Karlson, Technical Project Manager for iRobot, told ABC News.
The Looj 330 has been totally redesigned with a faster auger that spins at 500 RPM, new interchangeable auger flaps (it comes with three), a larger 7.2 volt lithium-ion battery, and multiple speed choices for big gutter clogs.
The $299.99 Looj has a remote control that doubles as a handle. Slide the horizontal bot into a dirty gutter, slide out the handle, press start and the Looj will start spinning away and kick the leaves and debris out. The remote can control the robot from 50 feet away.
Both iRobot robots are available online today. No word on when Rosie will arrive.


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BOISE, Idaho — Albertsons Cos. is phasing out subscriptions for Plated meal kits that shoppers can purchase online and cook at home.
The retailer said Plated is being transitioned into a “comprehensive in-house culinary brand” that will join its lineup of private label products.
“Our vision for Plated includes an expanded set of products that goes far beyond a dinner-based solution,” Geoff White, executive vice president and chief merchandising officer at Albertsons Cos., said in a statement earier this month. “With a broader scope of offerings, we see Plated solving customer demands around convenience, lifestyle and cooking experience, while adding yet another layer of interest to our in-store journey.”
Albertsons Cos. purchased Plated a little over two years ago, describing the acquisition as a sign of its determination to keep up with consumers’ changing lifestyles and food preferences.
The move was part of a wave of activity around meal kits. Kroger Co. paid $200 million last year to buy meal kit supplier Home Chef, and Walmart and Amazon were also heavily promoting meal kit solutions to food shoppers.
Blue Apron, one of the first meal kit suppliers, has posted declines in customers, orders and revenues in each of the past five quarters amid competition from mass retailers as well as upstarts such as GreenChef, Purple Carrot and Marley Spoon.
Plated’s subscription service will be halted at the end of this month.
The company also said it plans to expand the Plated brand with new product offerings in additional stores in 2020.
Albertsons Cos. late last year began introducing the meal kits in hundreds of stores in response to consumers’ desire to see meal kits on grocery store shelves as well as through subscriptions. The expanded retail offering debuted with a collection of six meal kits representing some of Plated’s customer favorites, including recipes crafted by a culinary team led by Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef Elana Karp.
Going forward, Plated will become the purview of the mar-
keting and product development team behind the company’s Own Brands. The team — which has helped turn O Organics, Lucerne, Signature Select and Signature Café into billion-dollar brands for Albertsons Cos. and launched 1,100 new items in 2018 — will manage Plated’s expansion into a “holistic meal solution,” the company said.
Albertsons Cos. said its Own Brands penetration grew from 23% in fiscal 2017 to 25.3% in the retailer’s most recently reported quarter.
The decision to formally bring Plated into the company’s lineup of Own Brands comes after extensive testing of the meal kits’ in-store performance in Safeway stores in Northern California. The company said shoppers who purchased Plated products in those stores are more likely to have families than the average shopper and had a larger basket than average.
“Plated’s brand appeals to our most loyal and highest-value customers, especially those that skew towards convenient, fresh and organic products,” said White.


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Cybersecurity remains a major concern for organizations in a digitally changing world. Being one of the most important assets, organizations are vastly improving their strategies to secure data. Since the pandemic has pushed organizations to work remotely, the significance of a robust security strategy has increased significantly. Employees working from home most probably share vulnerable network, posing a risk of a serious data breach
Keeping all such aspects in mind, Digital Terminal is set to host Virtual DT Conclave 2021 on April 16 at 11:00 am. This informative virtual event will be an important source for the ICT community to gain the much-needed facts and information related to cybersecurity. DT Conclave 2021 is themed at “Cyber Security Evolved: Moving Towards Zero Trust Access”. The event will be streamed live on the Airmeet virtual events platform and other social media platforms including Facebook. DT Conclave will empower Indian businesses by addressing the security challenges proving to be a hindrance in the digital transformation journey of organizations.
DT Conclave 2021 will deliberate cybersecurity, the challenges and the need for how organizations can resolve them. The speaker of the event Ravindra Baviskar, Director – Sales Engineering (India & SAARC), Sophos Technologies Pvt Ltd. will emphasize how organizations can work more actively to strengthen their security framework in the current challenge. Mr. Ravindra Baviskar has 17+ years of experience in IT Security and has been with Sophos for over 14 years.
The role of CIOs, CSOs, and CTOs has grown multifold over the years. They now need to pay extra attention to the security of organizations’ data infrastructure and make it more secure than before. In addition, increasing cyber threats forced security officials to bring greater efficiency to their approach and provide additional benefits to their organization. DT Conclave 2021 will play a key role in their brainstorming and will enable them to work in a more efficient manner.
Continuing the mission to acknowledge individuals’/industry leaders for their contribution towards building a safe digital journey, Digital Terminal will also honor the top-performing IT leaders for their praiseworthy initiatives towards cybersecurity. DT will host DT Cybersecurity Leadership Awards 2021 during the virtual event where DT will announce the winner of this prestigious award. Amidst the ever-increasing cyber incidents, the role of IT leaders has increased as they are core strength of any organizations that take initiatives to protect their organizations from any challenge including cyber threats. So your wait will come to an end to know the winners of this prestigious honor on 16th April.
To know more about the event, please visit https://digitalterminal.in/conclave/
ASUS Cancels All Upcoming Product Launches in India Amidst Rising COVID-19 Cases
ASUS has announced to postpone its upcoming ROG line-up – ROG Flow X13, Zephyrus 15 Duo SE, Zephyrus 15 and Zephyrus 14 in India owing to the rapid surge in the COVID-19 cases. This product lineup was scheduled to launch on 12th May 2021. The country is going through a very difficult time due to which ASUS has decided not to launch its products as of now. The upcoming products will be launched as soon as the situation comes under control.
It is noted that Indian market has been one of the key markets for ASUS due to the large customer base and popularity of its products. Recently, ASUS launched its widely popular ROG Phone 5 in India in March which gained huge success among gamers. ASUS was supposed to bring new innovation under ROG brand and Zephyrus line-up but unfortunately due to current pandemic ASUS had to cancel all its launches.
“India is going through a very challenging time and our heart goes out of all in times of the crisis. We know the media has been awaiting the new ROG Flow X13 and Zephyrus line-up, however keeping in view the current situation, ASUS India has decided to cancel all upcoming PC & ROG launches. We would like to thank everyone for their support and contribution. Request you to stay tuned for an update on the product availability” said Arnold Su, Business Head, Consumer and Gaming PC, System Business Group ASUS India in a statement.
Know Why M.2 Slot is Disabled on Some B560 Motherboards with 10th Gen Intel Core Processor?
More and more Z590/B560 motherboards are being launched to pair with the new 11th Gen Intel Core Processor. Compared to 10th Gen, 11th Gen Intel Core Processor supports PCIe 4.0 and offers additional 4x PCIe 4.0 lanes for storage like M.2 SSD.
If you plan to upgrade to PCIe 4.0 devices, the 11th Gen Intel Core Processor is the choice to pair with Z590/B560 motherboard. However, if you don’t care that much about PCIe 4.0, the 10th Gen Intel Core Processor is still a good option.
However, some users have recently found that one of the M.2 slots on some B560 motherboards is disabled with the 10th Gen Intel Core Processor installed. The M.2 slot is only available to use with 11th Gen Core Processor. This implies that on motherboards with two M.2 slots, only one slot is available to use.
Why is the M.2 slot disabled with 10th Gen Intel Core Processors? Let’s get into it.
Why M.2 slot is disabled with 10th Gen Intel Core Processor?
On Z590/B560 motherboards, the M.2 slot needs to be connected to the CPU to utilize the PCIe 4.0 x4 lanes from the 11th Gen Core Processor.
When the 10th Gen Intel Core Processor is installed, there are no PCIe 4.0 x4 lanes offered for M2. Slot. This is why the M.2 slot connected to the CPU is disabled with the 10th Gen Core Processor installed.
But why is the first M.2 slot still available with 10th Gen Intel Core Processor on MSI B560 models with two M.2 slots, such as the B560I GAMING EDGE WIFI, B560M MORTAR WIFI, B560M BAZOOKA, and B560M PRO-VDH?
Both M.2 slots are available on MSI B560I GAMING EDGE WIFI / B560M MORTAR / BAZOOKA / PRO-VDH
This is because MSI uses a switch for the first M.2 slot to switch the connection between CPU and chipset. When the 11th Gen processor is installed, the first M.2 slot is connected to the CPU to utilize the PCIe 4.0 x4 bandwidth. It’s switched to the chipset and utilizes the PCIe 3.0 x4 lanes when the 10th Gen processor is installed.
There are several M.2 offerings for the MSI B560 series. Some have three M.2 slots, some have two, and some have only one. For the models with more than two M.2 slots, at least two are available with 10th Gen Intel Core Processor.
Here is the list of M.2 slots and the max transfer mode for each slot. For more detail, please visit the MSI website or refer to the user’s manual.
The M.2 slot max supported transfer mode with 10th Gen Intel Core Processors.
The M2_1 slot supports up to PCIe 4.0 x4 with 11th Gen Intel Core Processors.
Kingston Announces New ‘‘Kingston Is With You’’ Campaign
Accelerating the vision of preserving memories with its memory and storage products,Kingston Technology announced its “Kingston Is With You” campaign. With the new brand positioning message, “Kingston Is With You,” Kingston aims to bring alive the invincible impact of memories in our lives and emphasizes that memories not only exist in the past, but can also be the driving force that motivates one to move forward in life.
A series of “Kingston Is With You” themed online and offline activities begin today, kicking off with the premiere of the micro-film, Memories Empower, which unveils a self-recovery journey through memories. In addition, Kingston specially designed a limited-edition gift box that connects memories with the five senses. The gift box comes with “7-Day Memory Challenge” cards, assigning 7 mini-tasks to recipients, helping them relive their most precious moments and provide a chance to win heartwarming gifts. Retail channels will also run promotional activities for customers to preserve their meaningful moments and experience the strength in memory with Kingston’s products.
Kevin Wu, Sales/Marketing and Business Development Vice President of APAC region, Kingston, said, “Kingston has always been a leader in enabling people to preserve their memories through our most reliable and high-performing memory and storage solutions products for business, creative and daily settings. We staunchly believe in the power of memories and its unlimited impact. During these times, we want to bring inspiration and strength to people with a promise that ‘Kingston Is With You.’ We strive to stand alongside all our customers, to celebrate cherished moments and be there with them during tough times. We would also like to express our deepest admiration and respect, and pay homage to those who show courage, resilience and strength during these testing times.”
Brand New Micro-film Brings Memories From the Past to Future
Kingston believes that video is one of the best ways to tell a story. The previously released A Memory to Remember Trilogy micro-film series centered around the significance of past memories and has touched the hearts of millions. This year, to show how “Kingston Is With You,” Kingston has brought back celebrated advertising director Lo Ging-zim to direct its latest micro-film. Mr. Lo also directed Kingston’s three previous micro-films.
While the A Memory to Remember Trilogy micro-film series focused on the memorable past, Memories Empower expands time and space to the present and future. The story depicts a young girl’s encounters after an abrupt change in life and exploring the theme that memories not only connect people to their past, but it also provides the courage to continue moving forward. Kingston invites viewers to embark on this journey of self-recovery through this micro-film.
Experience the Power of Memories with Kingston’s Limited-edition Giftbox
Extending its credo of Memories Empower further, Kingston has specially designed a limited-edition memory gift box that stimulates the five senses: sight, touch, taste, hearing and smell. Cards for each day of the 7 memory-related challenges, along with a Kingston x CSD face mask are included in the gift box, encouraging people to revisit small but treasured moments and rediscover the happiness of little things in life.
From May 14-18, Kingston will recruit its users to participate in the 7-Day Memory Challenge. Participants selected will be announced on Kingston’s Facebook Fan Page on May 20. Those who share their challenges online will have a chance to win an iPhone 12 and other exciting gifts.
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|Rome, 02 February 2023. The UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has developed two new public-private partnerships to enhance access to cheaper, faster and safer remittances, the hard-earned money sent home by migrant workers. New partnerships aim to increase access to digital and financial services and products across rural areas of Senegal.
“Remittances are a lifeline for rural people. Mobile channels offer a great opportunity for many underserved areas in Senegal to be fully able to access finance,” said Pedro de Vasconcelos, Manager of IFAD’s Financing Facility for Remittances.
Through the PRIME Africa initiative, co-financed by the European Union (EU), IFAD is partnering with In Touch, a Senegalese pioneering fintech, with presence in 14 countries and specialized in payment solutions, and Orange Money, a mobile money operator, to foster low-cost mobile to mobile remittance services in underserved rural areas, by extending a sustainable co-branded agent network. The partnership targets the France-Senegal corridor which channels one-third of remittances to the country. In Touch will be building upon the network of Orange Finances Mobiles Sénégal (OFMS) and mobile-enabled remittances initiated from Orange Money in France (OMF).
On the second partnership, IFAD is strengthening its existing collaboration with MFS Africa, to enable digital money transfer operator to send money directly into mobile wallets. Paysend and Afrimoney are the. MFS Africa partners based in Europe and The Gambia respectively. Orange Money will be the pay-out partner in Senegal.
The average price of sending money to Senegal from France and Italy is relatively low at 4 per cent (Q3 2022), close to the 3 per cent target set as part of the Sustainable Development Goal number 10 – reducing inequality within and among countries.
“There is still room to help senders save money on remittance costs through greater use of end-to-end digital channels and increasing the convenience of receiving remittances into mobile wallets,” said Pedro de Vasconcelos. “Indeed, in Senegal, while almost half of adults have mobile money accounts, less than 5 per cent of inbound remittances were received through a mobile money account,” he added.
Senegal has a historical reliance on the money sent from its citizens living abroad. Remittances averaged roughly 10 per cent of GDP over the last decade. Last year, international remittance flows reached US$2.9 billion, and increased by 7 per cent (year-on-year) despite the constraints linked to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There are 124 rural Senegalese communities with high migration rates, receiving significant volumes of telephone calls from France but with a large gap between Orange SIM card holders and Orange Money mobile account users. OFMS’ penetration rate in rural areas was 13 per cent in 2021. One of the project objectives is to double the use of mobile money accounts through international transfers in these rural localities,” said Cheikh Tidiane Sarr, Director General of OFMS, speaking about how digital remittances are cheaper, faster and safer, particularly for people in the last mile.
“For In Touch, enhancing capacity of agents in rural areas is integral to both our business development and our social mission to support digital and financial inclusion in Senegal,” said Omar Cissé, CEO In Touch.
The In Touch project will also pilot a new goods payment service through merchant agents in selected Senegalese localities receiving remittances mainly from France. Roughly 300 migrants in France will have the option to send money and pay directly for goods in Senegalese shops on behalf of their family members with zero fees. This digital payment service will foster digital financial inclusion and contribute to the whole digital payment ecosystem in rural areas.
By the end of 2024, 6,000 Senegalese migrant workers and diaspora members in France are expected to have switched to low-cost digital methods to send money home. In addition, 9000 mobile remittances recipients in rural Senegal will use a transactional e-money account to receive money and have an extensive network of 300 local cash in-cash out agents and 60 merchants accepting online payments from abroad.
IFAD-MFS Africa partnership aims to create synergies with the InTouch project through its pay-out partner Orange Money in Senegal. It will also take advantage of the rural network outreach development made by InTouch and OFMS which in turn will benefit agents and recipients in rural areas by channeling additional flows from Italy and Spain corridors to Senegal. Paysend is the initiating pay-in partner in Europe and Afrimoney in The Gambia. In total, 28,000 senders and recipients from those corridors with the Senegal will take advantage of digitalized and mobile enabled remittances thanks to MFS integration of those MTOs and MNOs. MFS Africa will also test an MTO-enabled insurance product benefiting Senegalese migrants in Italy and Germany.
Note to editors:
IFAD’s Financing Facility for Remittances (FFR): EUR 65 million multi-donor Financing Facility for Remittances aims to maximize the impact of remittances on development and promoting diaspora engagement in migrants’ countries of origin. FFR is co-financed by IFAD, the European Union, the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Spain and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).
IFAD’s PRIME programme is co-financed by the European Union, the Platform for Remittances, Investments and Migrants’ Entrepreneurship in Africa (PRIME Africa), addresses development opportunities through innovations, partnerships, and scalable products that promote cheaper, faster, and safer remittance transfers. By maximizing the impact of remittances for millions of families, PRIME Africa is fostering local economic opportunities in seven African countries (Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, The Gambia, and Uganda).
Media contact: Alberto Trillo Barca | firstname.lastname@example.org | +39 366 576 3706
IFAD is an international financial institution and a United Nations specialized agency. Based in Rome – the United Nations food and agriculture hub – IFAD invests in rural people, empowering them to reduce poverty, increase food security, improve nutrition and strengthen resilience. Since 1978, we have provided more than US$24 billion in grants and low-interest loans to fund projects in developing countries.
A wide range of photographs and broadcast-quality video content of IFAD’s work in rural communities are available for download from our Image Bank.


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Chinese consumers of luxury products are spending increasingly big money online, as growing use of smartphones makes Internet shopping ever easier, according to a new industry report.
The report, by auditor KPMG, Chinese e-retailer Mei.com and Twitter equivalent Sina Weibo, analyzed survey responses from more than 10,000 luxury consumers.
Forty-five percent said they purchased most of their luxury items online. The maximum amount most felt comfortable paying online for a single item was 4,200 yuan (661 U.S. dollars), more than double the figure in 2014, the first time this research was undertaken.
"China is the largest market in the world and will lead global e-commerce. The smartphone is the most commonly used device for retail; we expect mobile commerce expenditure to soon far exceed the PC internet platform, as Chinese consumers become more sophisticated," said Egidio Zarrella, clients and innovation partner at KPMG China.
The average expenditure was 28 percent higher than in 2014. Chinese consumers are now spending around 2,300 yuan in each luxury transaction.
The top driver for purchasing online remains pricing. However, close to one-third of the respondents had made luxury online purchases at the full, non-discounted price. The report's authors said this was an important development as factors including product origin and uniqueness are starting to have more of an impact on purchases.
"Price is becoming less of a driver. But value remains important as customers are well informed about global prices, since most of them travel physically or digitally," said Thibault Villet, CEO of Mei.com.
In addition to luxury items, the survey found an increase in online transactions for luxury services, including hotel and restaurant bookings and travel.
There are also large numbers of Chinese buying luxury items from abroad online. Forty-eight percent had done so in the previous 12 months.


text: Barring the relatively annoying Sarah Austin / Flixwagon “controversy” of the past few days, no mobile streaming video service gets as much coverage as Qik. It seems like the Qik client fell into all the right hands early in its release as celwebrities all over the blogosphere fell in love. Despite the fact that Qik was in private beta, it seems like everyone managed to get their hands on it. Qik didn’t have the most features and it didn’t have the prettiest UI, but it had buzz and buzz is everything. Fast forward to today and Qik has continued to maintain much of its early momentum as it shows off a restyled website, new handset compatibility and the announcement that Qik is now available to the world as a public beta. No, the iPhone version isn’t quite ready for the public yet, but a handful of Windows Mobile handsets are now supported along with a variety of newer S60 handsets including the E66, E71, N78 and N96. So if you’ve been wanting to check out Qik but couldn’t find a version compatible with your phone, or you’re one of 12 people around the world who couldn’t find their way into the closed beta, hit the read link and you’ll be streaming in no time.


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The economy may be looking sketchy, but the world's geeks are doing OK if
Amazon's strong results contrasted with the overall weak sales data more broadly. Stocks in traditional retailers, including
MasterCard Advisors, a consulting arm of MasterCard Inc., reported that retail spending in the U.S. between Thanksgiving and Christmas was up 3.6% from a year ago--a modest gain in contrast to the 6.6% rise in 2006 and 8% increase in 2005 for the same period.
Amazon's holiday was much jollier. Amazon said the number of items ordered on its busiest day, Dec. 10, rose about 35% to 5.4 million items from "roughly" 4 million items during its busiest holiday shopping day last year. With Amazon citing hot sales of items such as the Jakks EyeClops Bionic Eye and
The figures are hardly comprehensive. Amazon didn't state how much money it raked in that day, or during the holiday season. However the results hint that Amazon may report results on the high-end of its guidance.
In October, Amazon told investors it expects to report fourth-quarter sales of between $5.1 and $5.45 billion--which would mark a jump of more than 28% from last year's fourth-quarter results. Amazon also said it expects to clock fourth-quarter operating income of between $221 and $291 million, which is up between 12% and 48% from the year-ago period.
Amazon shares rose 2.74% to $93.50 from $91.01 in mid-day trading Wednesday.
Amazon's figures also point to a happy holiday season for Nintendo,
The Nintendo Wii and Garmin GPS systems were among the company's "Hot Holiday Best Sellers" from November through Dec. 19. In the personal computer category, Amazon said the Apple MacBook,
Among Amazon's selection of books Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, The Dangerous Book for Boys by Conn Iggulden and Hal Iggulden and I Am America (And So Can You) by Stephen Colbert were all cited.
While long on trivia, Amazon's statement was short on specifics, noting that all the GPS units it sold this season would make a trail from New York to Philadelphia, which would be a terrible way to use satellite navigation systems to find one's way around.
The statement, however, did provide an amusing core sample of nerdery. One gem: The final Amazon Prime shipment placed in time for Christmas delivery included DVDs of Futurama, Vol. 1, Lost in Translation and Pulp Fiction. Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead, in paperback. And a Charlie Brown Christmas CD.


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Coke, Pepsi plan to fight Montreal on a possible plastic water bottle ban
'The reality of plastic in our environment is a problem,' Mayor Denis Coderre says
Coke, Pepsi and Nestlé are among the corporations ready to take on a possible ban of plastic water bottles in Montreal.
Mayor Denis Coderre hinted last month that the city will target banning plastic bottles following its move to ban plastic bags by 2018.
- Montreal to ban plastic shopping bags as of 2018
- Montreal plastic ban doesn't go far enough: Quebec Green Party
The Canadian Beverage Association, which represents more than 60 brands including Pepsi, Coke and Nestlé, signed on to Quebec's registry of lobbyists in early March, Radio-Canada has learned.
Coderre responded today, telling reporters that Montrealers were having a healthy debate over the role of plastic products.
"We spoke about plastic bags and now we're onto plastic bottles," Coderre said. "The reality of plastic in our environment is a problem."
In a document submtted to the lobby registry on March 8, the association wrote that bottles are safe and convenient for consumers, and that banning them would restrict their right to choose.
"We want the City of Montreal to reject the proposal to ban water bottles on its territory," the association wrote, adding the bottles are 100 per cent recyclable across Quebec.
'It was a surprise for us'
Coderre has yet to announce a timeline or concrete measures for a plastic bottle ban, but said in February it is the next step.
The idea caught the association off guard, but it has asked for a meeting with the city.
"It was a surprise for us," association spokesperson Martin-Pierre Pelletier said. "We want to understand the details."
The Association des embouteilleurs d'eau du Québec (AEEQ), which represents water-bottler Eska, has also called on the city to consult corporations before making a final decision.
Coderre said he was taking an inclusive approach to the issue.
"I'm not dogmatic, I'm very pragmatic in the approach," Coderre said. "It's a cultural shift."
Based on a report by Radio-Canada's Thomas Gerbet


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VentureOhio’s Falon Donohue talked about Ohio’s incredibly strong entrepreneurial spirit in the PBS film, “As Ohio Goes…”
Don’t forget to nominate your favorite startup, founder or VC for a Crunchie award, presented by TechCrunch.
NPR featured Columbus and its diversified economy as part of its A Nation Engaged series.
Read why companies can start up, scale up and succeed in Ohio.
DOmedia is the fastest-growing company in Central Ohio according to Columbus Business First’s Fast 50 list.
The state of Ohio has received a top rating from the Center for Digital Government for how it uses technology to increase government efficiency.
Missed Rev1’s Demo Day? You can see the full replay here.
In a partnership with Nashville’s Aloompa, Cincinnati startup Lisnr will be using its technology to enhance live events like Coachella, X Games and Bonaroo.
Dayton Startup Week emphasized the importance of mentorship and community support for people trying to succeed in the startup world.
Komae, the Akron-based babysitting app, is progressing through pitch competitions.
Techstars has selected Cincinnati’s Losant was accepted into the first class for its top-ranked New York-based internet of things accelerator.
GeekWire discussed why startup hubs outside Silicon Valley are built to last.
Jumpstart Inc.’s Ray Leach discusses how venture capital is building a more inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Check out why Healthy Roster Inc.’s Nathan Heerdt jumped back into startups after working for someone else.
Cintrifuse CEO, Wendy Lea wrote why now Cincinnati’s moment in the startup spotlight.
Easy Peasy Ticketing LLC, a Columbus startup that was founded this year, aims to live up to its name – giving venues and event managers direct control over their online box offices.


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CargoSmart Introduces Mobile App for SOLAS VGM Compliance
CargoSmart Limited has introduced BoxSnap, a free app to collect and share container weight information through a smartphone. The app simplifies compliance with the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention’s Verified Gross Mass requirements (VGM).
The mobile app simplifies and expedites the process for shippers, truckers and cargo weighing parties to obtain VGM information and submit it to their ocean carriers to comply and minimize the risk of held cargo or penalties. Leveraging optical character recognition (OCR) technology, truckers and cargo weighing parties can take a photo of a container, check the captured container number and tare weight, and share it with the parties responsible for filing the VGM.
The International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) updated container weight rules went into effect on July 1, 2016. Shippers may face delays and fines if they do not submit the VGM according to carriers’ deadlines starting on October 1.
Nearly 500 people have downloaded BoxSnap since CargoSmart began testing the app in June. Naouri Group, a Jordan-based NVOCC with container weighing services in the Middle East and North Africa, adopted CargoSmart’s VGM solutions to comply with the new regulation. “We have tested the new mobile app and find it to be a useful extension to CargoSmart’s platform to facilitate the VGM submission process,” said Kareem Naouri, chief operations officer of Naouri.
BoxSnap allows shippers to receive container weight information as soon as it is available, either when a container is packed at a warehouse or is at a weighing station, to meet critical VGM submission deadlines. Shippers, truckers, and cargo weighing parties can save time from having to search through carriers’ websites for container tare weights, conveniently share scanned container information, and retain digital image records for future reference. Shippers who submit VGMs through CargoSmart’s online platform can designate third-parties to provide the container weight details through the app and receive alerts when they can submit the VGM to their carriers.
Rumors suggest DSV move for C.H. Robinson


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The coronavirus pandemic may provide another incentive for some countries to move to e-currencies
The coronavirus pandemic has prompted retailers to ask customers to wear masks, maintain physical distancing and avoid the use of cash when possible. Despite scientific evidence indicating that currency doesn’t transmit COVID-19, there continues to be an unprecedented wariness around the use of cash altogether.
At the peak of the global pandemic, banks in China and South Korea began disinfecting and quarantining bank notes to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. Other central banks have refused to adopt such measures, communicating that risks posed by handling cash are low compared to other objects that are frequently touched, such as PIN pads.
The Bank of Canada, for example, encouraged retailers to stop refusing cash because it could disproportionately affect those who are dependent on cash as a form of payment.
Despite such assurances, fear of transmitting the virus could accelerate the trend of digital payment apps and reduce the use of cash in society.
Although digital payment systems such as Apple Pay, Venmo and Google Pay have become much more widespread in recent years, these payment apps were not meant to replace existing currency. These apps also haven’t substantially reduced the amount of cash in circulation.
Cashless in a crisis
The Bank for International Settlements, which advises central banks around the world, released a bulletin in April that said the pandemic could speed up the shift toward digital payments around the world, including central bank digital currencies. That’s not a surprise. A global crisis can often act as a catalyst for structural change.
For instance, the 2009 Västberga heist led to a cashless society in Sweden. As a string of robberies occurred in shops, banks and even buses, Sweden moved to reduce cash circulation as a way to protect workers. Cash use in Sweden has since been on the decline, from 39 per cent in 2010 to 13 per cent in 2018. Currently about 20 per cent of retailers in the country no longer accept cash.
Sweden’s central bank, the Riksbank, announced in 2017 that it would initiate a pilot program exploring the viability of a national digital currency called the e-krona. The Riksbank recently launched a joint project with Accenture to determine the technical aspects of the e-krona. The only details released so far indicate the digital currency will use blockchain technology. However, previous reports from the pilot concluded the e-krona would be centrally managed, ensuring the central bank would have firm control over money supply.
China’s digital currency trials
China recently launched a pilot program of its digital yuan in four major cities, but details of the national digital currency are scarce.
The digital yuan…


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Coinbase Global Inc. saw revenue surge in a volatile quarter that it said highlighted the “still-early days” of the “cryptoeconomy.”
The company posted net revenue of $2.0 billion in the second quarter, up from $178 million a year earlier and $1.6 billion in the first quarter. Coinbase
had $1.9 billion in transaction revenue.
Analysts tracked by FactSet were expecting $1.8 billion in revenue.
Shares were up 1.6% in after-hours trading following the report, Coinbase’s first since its April direct listing.
Coinbase saw total retail trading volume of $145 billion in the June quarter, up 21% from the March quarter, which the company attributed to a higher count of monthly transacting users, strength in the crypto market and its support of more trading assets.
The company has 8.8 million monthly transacting users, up from 6.1 million in the March quarter.
Overall trading volume hit $462 million, up from $335 million in the March quarter. Of that total trading volume, 24% was concentrated in bitcoin
down from 39% in the first quarter, which Coinbase said reflected in part the “meaningful growth in Ethereum
trading volumes” that surpassed bitcoin trading volumes on the platform for the first time, “driven by growth in the DeFi [decentralized finance] and NFT [non-fungible-token] ecosystems.”
The company reported net income of $1.6 billion, or $6.42 a share. It posted net income of $32 million a year earlier and didn’t list a per-share earnings figure for the year-ago period on its financial statements in its shareholder letter. Coinbase noted a tax benefit of $737 million for the most recent quarter that was mainly the result of tax deductions related to stock-based compensation provided to employees around the company’s direct listing.
“We intend to prioritize reinvestment into the business to continue to grow the
crypto economy through both crypto bull and bear markets alike, and through both
organic and inorganic means,” Coinbase said in its shareholder letter. “Accordingly, we do not intend to issue a dividend or similar return of capital to shareholders at any point in the near future.”
The company disclosed retail monthly transacting users of 6.3 million and total trading volume of $57.0 billion for the month of July, “as crypto asset prices and crypto asset volatility declined significantly relative to Q2 levels.” So far in August, Coinbase’s retail monthly transacting users and trading volumes “have slightly improved compared to July levels but remain lower than earlier in the year,” leading the company to believe that the metrics will be lower in the third quarter than they were in the second.


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Well, it can be seen as a metric of success for the Google’s Android Go Platform. Google launched the Android Go Program last year with only important features of the mainstream Android Operating System. To make the whole system compatible with the devices, they also launched the Go version of all its major apps. Usually, Go versions of every apps consume less storage and CPU usage to perform major functions. Today, Google Go and Maps Go apps have hit 10 million installs on the Play Store.
The new stats for Android Go related apps, particularly, Maps Go indicate that it has joined the 10 million install club. Well, these are not the actual stats which will indicate how many devices are running on Android Go platform. Still, it indicates some figures which are suggesting that Google has succeeded in its ambitions to make Android available at lower prices maintaining speed and features of the OS.
As per Gartner, Google has shipped 626 million units of different devices running Android OS on the top. So, if we roughly calculate the present 10 million installs with the Android sales this year, then, Android Go retains only on 1.6% of devices. In actual, the real number will be little less than the estimated value shown above.
We expect a new version go the Android Go platform by the end of this year. It is a good idea in the works, but still, it is not mature enough to survive on its own. Google needs to put some more emphasis on the Android Go to make it hit among the device manufacturers.


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The LG Optimus 3D is another addition to the LG’s 3D approach to the market. At the Mobile World Congress 2011 LG came out with another of their 3D product, this time a 3D phone with a dual core 1 GHz TI OMAP 4 processor. It has many technologies which are ‘first’ in the market. Tri-dual configuration is one of the first things they are introducing besides 3D which means dual-core, dual-channel and dual-memory which is expected to offer smoother experience than the other smartphones that are using a 1GHz dual core processors.
Another cool addition are the two 5 megapixel cameras that can record 3D videos and play it directly to any 3DTV. Unlike the other dual core smartphones, the dual channel and dual memory will give a significant boost in the data transfer between memories and give it a unique performance display in multitasking, HD viewing or web browsing. The phone has a big 4.3-inch WVGA display that makes your 3D experience better without any glasses. You can view 1080p 2D videos and 720p 3D videos in this massive but mobile display. To display the 3D contents to your 3DTVs you can use both HDMI and DLNA technology and as another option you can upload directly to the 3D channel of YouTube.
The OS of this phone was announced at the very end of the press release. This phone will initially be released in the market with Android 2.2 Froyo, which will be upgradeable to Gingerbread, but the upgrade schedule is not announced or not even hinted. Rather than this they say that it will be ‘announced in local markets in due course’ which is not very convincing as it should be even released with the Gingerbread OS as when it will be released Gingerbread should be available for different phones.
With the huge specs everywhere, the battery is also very convincing as it’s a 1500mAh one. It’s out of question that the phone will support Flash contents with full Flash 10.1 and SNS integration which is also quite impressive though it’s not a very unique feature in the Android handsets. With the new 3D UI, the LG’s customization of Android is very good as its using the 3D capabilities of the phone perfectly. This phone supports a good number of codecs including H.263, H.264, 3GP, MKV, DivX, WMV-9, ASF, MP4 and AVI. Optimus 3D comes with an onboard memory of 8GB which is obviously upgradeable through a memory card.
The 4.3-inches WVGA 3D display is very sensitive as you will be out of the illusion by the slightest movement while watching. But the display seemed perfect when the phone was connected to a TV and viewed through 3D glasses. Till now there is no word or assumption about the price of this highly featured and powerful device. According to LG this phone is expected to be released in the second quarter of this year. LG will start shipping their phones in Europe at first and the rest of the world will have to wait a little bit more to get the world’s first 3D phone in their local stores.
LG OPTIMUS 3D USHERS IN A NEW ERA FOR SMARTPHONES
Breakthrough smartphone brings together high performance with full 3D experience
Barcelona, Feb. 14, 2011 LG Electronics (LG) today officially unveiled the eagerly-awaited LG Optimus 3D, the high-performance smartphone offering the world’s first full 3D experience, at Mobile World Congress 2011. The LG Optimus 3D introduces a number of innovative “first” technologies, including the world’s first dual-core, dual-channel and dual-memory architecture as well as the first 3D platform allowing for recording, viewing and sharing of 3D content.
Superb Performance with Unique “Tri-Dual” Configuration
The LG Optimus 3D is a showcase of superior speed and power made possible with LG’s unique “tri-dual” configuration — dual-core, dual-channel and dual-memory. This configuration enables users to enjoy significantly improved performance and run-time compared to smartphones offering 1GHz dual-core processors.
Unlike other single-channel, single-memory dual-core smartphones, the LG Optimus 3D offers significant performance benefits as a result of the simultaneous — and thus faster — transfer of data between the dual-core and dual-memory. Users can browse web pages, multitask between programs, play games at a higher frame rate and enjoy movies more smoothly and longer than ever before.
“Backed by a combination of superb performance and full 3D, we’re excited about the prospects of the LG Optimus 3D taking the smartphone experience to a much higher level,” said Dr. Jong-seok Park, President and CEO of LG Mobile Communications Company. “We’ve incorporated every feature for the power user and we think they’ll be pleased with what they see.”
World’s First Full 3D Experience: 3D Recording-Viewing-Sharing
The LG Optimus 3D’s dual 5MP lens camera allows users to capture and record their best moments as images and videos in 3D anytime, anywhere. The LG Optimus 3D’s 4.3-inch WVGA display faithfully recreates the 3D experience without the use of glasses. The display provides bright and flicker-free images allowing users to view 2D (up to 1080p) and 3D (up to 720p) multimedia content. And users can navigate through the device’s 3D interface with the click of LG’s unique 3D Hot Key which presents five 3D-dedicated UIs, including Gallery, Camera, Game&Apps, YouTube 3D and 3D Guide.
Captured 3D content is easily shared via an HDMI 1.4 connection to 3D TVs and monitors and also is compatible with DLNA Certified(TM) products. What’s more, users can easily upload and stream 3D content and share each other’s creations on YouTube’s dedicated 3D channel (youtube.com/3D).
The LG Optimus 3D will be rolled-out globally starting with Europe early in the second quarter. The phone will initially be released with Android 2.2 (Froyo) and will be upgradeable to Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). The upgrade schedule will be announced in local markets in due course.
1GHz Dual-Core Dual-Channel processor (Texas Instruments OMAP4) 4.3-inch 3D WVGA screen 8GB memory and 4Gb LP DDR2 1,500 mAh battery 5MP dual-lens camera 2D: 1080p MPEG-4/H.264 recording and playback 3D: 720p H.264 SEI recording and playback HSPA+, DLNA/HDMI 1.4 H.264, H.263, DivX, MKV, WMV-9, ASF, AVI, 3GP, MP4.


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President Trump’s trade war is hitting consumers’ wallets, according to the Association of Global Automakers CEO John Bozzella, who said that the new NAFTA deal with Mexico and Canada is already increasing the cost to produce cars in the U.S.
Bozella said vehicles will only get more expensive.
“Some people estimate that number to be as much as $400 per vehicle,” he told FOX Business’ Connell McShane on “Cavuto: Coast-to-Coast” on Monday. “On every vehicle.”
In March Trump imposed a tariff of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum. The new trilateral trade deal, named the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, implements stricter rules-of-origin requirements on raw materials, which Bozzella says will result in higher U.S. auto prices.
“It’s the price of U.S. milled steel that’s going up,” he said. “In other words, the U.S. companies have protection in the form of these tariffs against a foreign steel and they’re raising prices. This is affecting everybody.”
According to Bozzella, the U.S. exported 2 million cars and truck last year and in his opinion exports will drive the auto industry.
“We need more trade and more trade talks, not barriers to trade. Our future in the U.S. auto industry is in exports,” he said. “We are at 17 million units of annual sales — that’s probably a peak. We don’t really know what the other side of that peak looks like.”


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A white paper on the Corporate Travel Management Market said some 84.5% of companies in China are expecting an increase in domestic travel business budgets for 2023. 74.5% expect an increase in international business travel budgets. Trip.com’s Trip.Biz unit released the report with the study noting that business travelers are increasingly eager for a comfortable, safe and efficient travel experience meaning there will be demand for fast track security lanes, flexible change & cancellation policies and quality hotel service. In 2022, over 30% of companies allocated more than 10% of their budgets to business travel, higher than in 2021. The study also showed nearly 60% of the companies have begun digitalizing their business travel processes.
Cambodia is making plans to finish developing large tourist areas along its coast on the Gulf of Thailand. Chinese investors began turning Sihanoukville into a large gambling center five years ago but that ended with a ban on online gambling and the pandemic. Officials are now making plans to complete work on more than 1,100 unfinished buildings in Sihanoukville and are thinking about ordering developers to either tear down buildings or finish the construction by 2026. A new tourist area called Bay of Lights is under development near the Ream Naval Base, about 30 kilometers east of Sihanoukville. The project is expected to be completed by 2028.
Dusit Hotels and Resorts is set to expand its global and domestic footprints by opening three hotels in the next 30 days, including two new properties in Bangkokand its first hotel in Japan. Its first dusitD2 branded hotel in Bangkok – dusitD2 Samyan Bangkok, will soft open on May 12. The new hotel comprises 179 guest rooms and includes a stylish lobby, fitness center, versatile meeting space, outdoor swimming pool and multi-level food and beverage concept featuring a grab-and-go gourmet outlet, all day dining restaurant with an open kitchen and a Miami-inspired rooftop bar called Mimi. On May 15 Dusit will mark the official expansion of its ASIA Hotels lifestyle brand by opening ASAI Bangkok Sathorn on Sathorn Soi 12 near Bangkok’s central business district. The new hotel will include 106 compact rooms that focus on the essentials, a spacious and welcoming communal space that features a cozy neighborhood bar, co-working area, and a unique dining experience from chefs Bo Songvisava and Dylan Jones. On June 1, Dusit will take the ASAI brand outside of Thailand with the opening of ASAI Kyoto Shijo, Dusit’s first hotel in Japan with 114 compact rooms, a large communal hub and will offer regular collaborations with local restaurateurs and artisans and sustainable sourcing of produce to further set the distinctive lifestyle hotel apart. Dusit said they have an additional nine hotels set to open globally before the end of the year including their first entry into Nepal, a second in Japan and a strategic return to India. Dusit is set to add 1,700 keys to its hotel portfolio, resulting in 62 hotels with 13,700 keys operating across 18 countries worldwide by year-end.
Absolute Hotel Services announced its strategic move into the lease model of hotel management and operation in India under a new entity for lease and freehold ownership model. AHS Hotel Assets Pvt Ltd, floated by AHS’ India partners the Dharkar family, has attained its first property on ownership with U Rivergate Karjat. It is a 6.5-acre and 42-room property nestled amidst 60 acres of lush green landscape along the banks of River Pej in Karjat. The resort includes a multi-cuisine restaurant, lounge and bar, gym, swimming pool, a U Spa opening soon and sporty activities for kids and entire family. AHS said it is the first time AHS India started in the ownership and management of the resorts and hotels in the country as part of its growth strategy. The vision is to own 25 properties in India within a period of 10 years in addition to at least 25 under the management contract model.
ITC Hotels of India said they signed three more properties under the Storii brand in Goa, Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. ITC said Storii is becoming a preferred brand in the experiential segment with every property under the brand telling its own unique Storii. Soon to open will be the Storii Moira Riviera, located in Moira, a village in North Goa. The 15 keys boutique property follows the Mediterranean style design and architecture with most rooms offering a plunge pool and recreational facilities including the K by Kayakalp spa. ITC also signed the 23 key Urvashi’s Retreat in Manali for the Storii brand. That will also offer the K by Kayakalp spa and food and beverage options including a bar, all day dining and a specialty restaurant. Then there is the Storii Prayagraj, just 10 km away from pilgrim spot – Triveni Sangam.
Thailand will soon open the doors of its first INNSiDE hotel including a sky-high transparent infinity pool, integrated co-working spaces and authentic, Spanish tapas bar. INNSiDE by Melia Bangkok Sukhumvit is set to debut in July, situated in the heart of the action in Bangkok’s lively On Nut neighborhood. The 208 room INNSiDE by Melia Bangkok Sukhumvit includes a co-working space on floor 32, meeting rooms such as Big Ideas Space and the two story infinity pool together with the rooftop pool bar on floor 34. The Spanish tapas bar is on floor 33 while the Open Living Lounge is integrated into floor 32’s co-working space. The hotel is also home to a 24-hour gym and a concierge service.
Melia Hotels International also announced they are extending their luxury portfolio with a ski and hot spring resort consisting entirely of villas in inner Mongolia. Located in the region of Arxan, it is the eleventh hotel in China from Melia.
The Australian Financial Review reported Rich Listers, Chris Morris and Brian Flannery, have put resorts in the Daintree Rainforest and Byron Bay up for sale. The Daintree Ecolodge, Red Mill House Bed & Breakfast and Daintree Village Hotel were put up for sale in Queensland by Chris Morris with an asking price of more than $8 million. They are being marketed for sale by CBRE Hotels who was also appointed by Brian Flannery and wife Peggy to sell the Bayshore Bungalowsresort in Byron Bay with an asking price of $13 million.
The World Travel & Tourism Council said the global travel and tourism sector won’t fully recover this year, but it will get close. According to the WTTC’s 2023 Economic Impact Research, the sector is forecast to reach $9.5 trillion in 2023, just 5% shy of its GDP contribution in 2019. WTTC expects 2024 to exceed 2019. By the end of 2022, tourism levels in 34 countries, out of 185 that were analyzed, rebounded to pre-pandemic levels in terms of GDP contribution. Countries leading the charge include the U.S. and Dominican Republic. WTTC’s research predicts that at least 50 more countries will meet, or be within 95% of reaching, this target by the end of this year. WTTC forecasts Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia-Pacific will recover in 2024 and the Caribbean is expected to recover by 2025. This year, jobs in the travel and tourism sector will recover to 95% of 2019 levels, according to the report. In 2019, 334 million people worked in the travel sector. By 2033, the WTTC forecasts the travel sector will employ some 430 million people around the world. Travel demand in many regions surged in 2021 and 2022, as a steady stream of border reopening kept travel momentum high. We can’t expect that momentum to continue into 2023, according to a forecast published by Riskline. According to Riskline’s report, higher airfares and hotel rates will severely limit travel in 2023. Travel disruptions, geopolitical turmoil and corporate sustainability practices will also take a toll. The report, published last week, shows that while willingness to travel varies around the global, overall intent is trending up, bolstered by demand in South Korea and Western Europe. Travelers still prefer cutting travel costs to canceling their plans. Bleisure travel is on the rise, particularly for trips that are primarily related to work. Domestic travel demand is cooling in the U.S. this year, but Americans are planning to travel internationally more often. Big city travel is rebound, as concerns about Covid-19 are not materially influencing travel behaviors in the U.S. as they are in parts of Asia.


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|Lynk Labs AC-LED packages|
As a result of three separate cooperative efforts – with Citizen Electronics, Unity Opto and Everlight Corporation – Lynk Labs introduced 9 new AC-LED and HV-LED packages last week at Strategies in Light in Santa Clara, CA. Lynk says that all the packages fall within the company’s continuously growing IP portfolio in the AC-LED and HV-LED space.
Citizen Electronics, the Japan-based LED packager which was one of Lynk’s earliest strategic packaging partners, will now be adding more AC-LED packaging capabilities for Lynk’s Tesla AC-LED product line in both 12Vac and HV-LED. Demonstrations at SIL included a 12V, 12W package and a 100V HV-LED package made for Lynk by Citizen.
Taiwan-based Unity Opto is now also a packager for Lynk Labs. Lynk introduced 2 new AC-LED packages as a result of this new relationship, including a newly patented Multi-Voltage 12/24Vac package designed to operate on either 12 or 24V AC voltages.
Lynk is also cooperating, and has developed 4 new packages, with Taiwan-based Everlight Corporation over the past several months. “One product is a 7W Star for MR16 lamps that will fully dim and eliminates ALL of the drive electronics that have been required by DC LED MR16 solutions,” said Bob Kottritsch, Vice President of Lynk Labs. “There is also a 2W package that will do the same for MR11 lamps.”
Lynk also demonstrated a patent-pending Multi-Voltage design packaged by Everlight for HV-LED that will operate on 100Vac or 200Vac for MR16 GU10 base and other applications.
Also at Strategies in Light, Lynk demonstrated a new 0.5W package comprising a 12Vac, 0.5W single-chip developed by Epistar Corporation and Lynk. These two companies entered into an investment and licensing agreement at the end of 2009.
“Although the lm/W efficiency of an AC-LED is not equal to DC LEDs today, the system efficiency can be quite close and even better sometimes.,” said Kottritsch. “Additionally, these AC-LED packages demonstrate many other advantages in operation and reliability by reducing or eliminating the interface electronics needed to get LEDs to work in the general lighting AC-voltage domain.”
Mike Miskin, Lynk Labs’ CEO, said “Our relationships with these leading LED packagers not only demonstrates that our AC-LED technology is growing in demand globally but also ensures that we will have the resources to support the market demand as our Tesla AC-LED packages are made available as discrete components and continue to penetrate more general lighting applications.”
Lynk Labs claims to have the largest and most diversified AC-LED and HV-LED LED package product portfolio in the industry. The AC-LED market has been built and driven by Lynk Labs and Seoul Semi for several years now, the HV-LED market is new with many players interested in joining.
“Lynk Labs, our strategic investor Epistar Corp. and Seoul Semi have built core IP in this space that dates back several years,” said Kottritsch. “Now that AC-LEDs are established and HV-LED LEDs are entering the market, we plan to grow our patented technology and product offering through our strategic partnerships with key packagers in the AC-LED space.”


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Look, we respect Megan Thee Stallion, but she picked the wrong year for her "Hot Girl Summer." The song and the video both slap but, come on—we all know that we're living in and still sweating through the last few weeks of a White Claw Summer. It's been such a White Claw Summer that police departments have taken it upon themselves to remind everyone that there are, in fact, laws when you're drinking Claws, and everyone's collective thing for hard seltzer has contributed to an ongoing nationwide Claw shortage.
Despite the fact that Black Cherry and Ruby Grapefruit have probably been written in at the bottom of the endangered species list by now, an as-yet-unnamed fraternity in Austin, Texas somehow still allegedly swooped $7,500 worth of White Claw for itself.
Aaliyah Trevino, who works at an H-E-B supermarket in Austin, posted a photo of the frat's Claw haul, and said that they left the store with three entire pallets worth. In a second tweet—which she tagged #whiteclawshortage—she showed their entire plastic wrapped order. "Gotta spend their dads money somehow," one salty (if potentially accurate) bro responded. "But are you REALLY shocked though?" another person asked.As Busted Coverage mentioned, Austin is especially thirsty for all things White Claw. On Sunday, Radio Coffee & Beer hosted what it called its 1st Annual White Claw Kiddie Pool Party which, sadly, did not involve emptying an entire variety pack into a kiddie pool. (Instead, its customers could sit in boring-ass water pools while they downed the bar's new Piña CLAW-da cocktail.)As of this writing, no frat has copped to scoring that $7,500 worth of White Claw, and why would they? The last thing they want is for desperate strangers to loiter near their door, nodding their heads toward the house's darkened kitchen, and whispering "Can you Claw me, bro? Please, bro, please."As far as everyone else's Claw supplies go, the company claims that it's doing what it can to put those cans back on store shelves as fast as it can (but Popeyes has said the same thing about The Sandwich and, yo, we're still waiting)."We are working around the clock to increase supply given the rapid growth in consumer demand," White Claw's Senior Vice President of Marketing Sanjiv Gajiwala said. "White Claw has accelerated faster than anyone could have predicted."So crush 'em if you've got 'em, we guess. But don't post that shit on your Insta-stories; the rest of us are struggling out here.


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Renesas to resume production at Naka plant step by step
On February 13, an earthquake struck the coast of the Japanese Fukushima Prefecture which led Renesas to suspend operations at its Naka factory as it investigated potential damages. The plant is now back up and running, at least parts of it.
Renesas says in an update that it restarted wafer supply on February 15, and will resume with front-end manufacturing processes within its clean room from today, February 16. The Group will resume production of the front-end manufacturing processes step by step and expects to reach full pre-earthquake production capacity at the Naka Factory (wafer input base) in around one week following the earthquake. The Japanese company says that as of February 15, it has not received any reports on the damage on its overall supply chain including suppliers and partner companies from this earthquake.


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News: Qualcomm Unleashes Its Own Snapdragon XR1 AR Smart Viewer Reference Design to Support AR Smartglasses Makers
The augmented reality smartglasses race is getting a major new entrant that could significantly change the entire landscape.
The enterprise applications powering the adoption of the HoloLens 2 are only just ramping up as developers continue to work with the still relatively new hardware.
Microsoft's augmented reality headset, the HoloLens, is getting a taste of the classroom with Lifeliqe's new mixed reality apps for kids.
Market Reality: Reggie Watts & Looking Glass NFT Auction, Sketchfab Courts Google Poly Users & Apple Smartglass Rumors
The augmented reality industry has grown steadily over the past four years, but now it is on a collision course with uber-popular non-fungible tokens technology, with Looking Glass and music artist Reggie Watts among the latest to strike while the iron is hot.
In a previous tutorial, we were able to measure vertical surfaces such as walls, books, and monitors using ARKit 1.5. With the advent of vertical plane anchors, we can now also attach objects onto these vertical walls.
Contrary to popular belief, augmented reality apps have been available for a while now. I remember using the Layar app (still available for iOS and Android) to explore nearby businesses and landmarks with varying success via an early-generation Android handset.
News: This Android App Lets You Search for Specific Words in Books & Documents via Augmented Reality
One of the neatest tricks available in Google Lens, an app that can identify and interpret real world information, is the ability to copy text from the app's camera view and paste it into a digital document.
Finding Pokémon in the wild isn't the only way to add to your collection in Pokémon GO—you're also able to hatch your own from eggs that you've gotten from PokéStops.
The march of Amazon to insert itself into nearly every retail arena continues with the e-commerce giant's latest move to launch its own brick-and-mortar beauty salons.
If you're a developer working on the bleeding edge of augmented reality, or even an enthusiastic smartglasses early adopter, being first in line for new wearable hardware is a priority.
Market Reality: Epic Games $1 Billion Raise, Apple AR Surprise, Deutsche Telekom Smartglasses & HoloLens Helps Intel
The Metaverse, or AR cloud, has been a sci-fi dream for decades, but only recently have companies begun to actually develop the technology to build it. With its latest funding round, Epic Games is suddenly a front-runner in this pursuit.
Snap introduced some fantastic new augmented reality abilities in version 3.4 of Lens Studio, the company's tool that allows anyone to create AR lenses for the Snapchat app. The newest features include improved hand tracking and full-body segmentation.
For better or for worse, Google started the race towards smartglasses for everyday use with Google Glass before scrapping the Explorer Edition and pivoting towards enterprise customers.
If you salivate at the idea of waking up to the Jarvis-powered smart window from the opening minutes of Marvel's Iron Man, then connected home appliance maker CareOS is here to make your playboy billionaire philanthropist dreams come true.
Less than two months since unveiling Project North Star, Leap Motion has released the reference design that will allow developers, makers, and even manufacturers to build their own augmented reality headsets based on Leap Motion's work.
News: Looking Glass Teams with Reggie Watts to Auction Holographic NFT Art, Paving Way for Popularizing AR Art You Can Hold
The moment many of the crypto savvy insiders in augmented reality and VR have been waiting for is here: we're finally getting our first big auction of NFT art that exists purely as a hologram.
In a previous tutorial, we were able to place the Mona Lisa on vertical surfaces such as walls, books, and monitors using ARKit 1.5. By combining the power of Scene Kit and Sprite Kit (Apple's 2D graphics engine), we can play a video on a flat surface in ARKit.
Starting April 10th, you'll will be able to book 15-minute appointments online to try on an Apple Watch in person at Apple Stores across the world. With the April 24th release date just around the corner, making an appointment is a great idea for those who are unsure about which color and size to purchase—or if they'll even want one.
News: Facebook Reality Labs Chief Teases AR Coming to Oculus Quest Gaming, Delves into Future Smartglasses Hardware
The development of virtual reality at Facebook has been evolving lightspeed in the last few years. But while a relatively small group of VR enthusiasts and gamers are enjoying the social media giant's dedication to immersive headsets, it is the augmented reality space and its potential scale that truly has the tech market enthralled.
Gamers, anime fans, and those with an interest in Japanese culture are in for an AR treat courtesy of Google.
In recent years, the fashion world has been dabbling in augmented reality tech in the realm of makeup and virtual try-ons.
Apple's augmented reality teases just keep on coming from the halls of its Cupertino labs. The latest comes in the form of an invitation to Apple's next public-facing event.
At its height, the COVID-19 pandemic forced many auto showrooms to close their doors. As the pandemic persists, many consumers are still hesitant to let their socially distanced guard down.
The pandemic has forced a number of public-facing businesses to either temporarily close or permanently cease operations, with one of the biggest victims of this trend being the movie theater business.
We've reached the point in the trajectory of augmented reality's growth where AR advertising experiences are becoming commonplace tactics rather than rare experiments.
Over the past three years, Epic Games has raised billions of dollars in funding on the success of Fortnite as well as Unreal Engine, one of the top 3D engines available for developing games and AR experiences.
When most people think of Los Angeles they think of Hollywood and the movie industry, but in the last 10 years the city has rapidly transformed into a thriving new hub for visual artists.
When Microsoft unveiled Mesh a couple of weeks ago, the move revealed a major part of Microsoft's next steps toward dominating the augmented reality space, particularly with regard to enterprise customers.
In our last ARKit tutorial, we learned how to measure the sizes of horizontal planes. It was a helpful entryway into the arena of determining spatial relationships with real world spaces versus virtual objects and experiences.
With NFTs taking the art world by storm, it's a bit refreshing to know that you can enjoy world famous masterpieces in the comfort of your own home via augmented reality without emptying your cryptocurrency wallet.
Snapchat parent company Snap may finally be taking the big step into the fully-functioning augmented reality wearables realm with the next iteration of its Spectacles devices.
A lot of digital ink has been spilled heaping scorn on Magic Leap. Much of that media schadenfreude was due to what some believed were unmet promises versus some of the early hype around the product. Others just seemed to be rubbed the wrong way by the startup's Apple-esque secrecy and penchant for attempting to coin new terms and frameworks for things that were, mostly, already in play.
Market Reality: Microsoft Intros HoloLens 2 Variant, Canon Sets High Price for AR Headset & Apple AR Rumors Re-Emerge
If there is one constant in currently available AR headsets, it's that, for a quality experience, they'll carry a high price tag. Price is one of the reasons these devices are mostly marketed towards enterprise customers for now.
Have you ever wondered where you'd come out if you drilled to the other side of the world? Now, if you have an Android device and Chrome web browser, you can find out.
The year 2020 was a pivotal span of time during which the word "virtual" took on a brand new meaning. Instead of referring to VR or augmented reality, the term was hijacked to describe meeting across long distances through a variety of software tools, most often through video.
The AR walking navigation feature in Google Maps, which is arguably one of the most useful mobile augmented reality to available to consumers, is about to get even more indispensable for travelers.
Don't let the lack of owning a HoloLens stop you from joining in on the fun of creating software in this exciting new space. The HoloLens Emulator offers a solution for everyone that wants to explore Windows Holographic development.
If Google hasn't already demonstrated that it is serious about augmented reality, then it made it abundantly clear at the Google I/O keynote on Tuesday.
News: This Atari 3D Sneaker NFT Auction Is Using Snapchat to Let You Try Before You Buy on the Blockchain
When you're talking about collectibles, in 2021 it's heresy not to include the world of sneakerheads. Nowadays, a single, limited batch of newly designed sneakers from Nike can quickly sell out and then go on to be resold for many thousands more than they were purchased for at launch.
Get ready to draw like Leonardo da Vinci, or, at least, trace like him. A new augmented reality app, SketchAR, is the first mobile app that uses AR to allow users trace an image on real paper. The Lithuania-based company describes their product as "an application through which the user sees a virtual image on the surface of which they are planning to trace a sketch."


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Among all with the Nintendo Direct's news, Nintendo revealed the discharge dates to get a trio of classic Final Fantasy games. Final Fantasy VII is launching for FFXIV Gil Switch on March 26, even though the FF spin-off Chocobo's Mystery Dungeon: Every Buddy is usually set release a next month, on March 20. However, fans won't must wait that long to experience Final Fantasy IX; that game has gone out now about the Switch Eshop for $21 (from the US).
Back in September, Square Enix announced it's going to bring a slate of modern-era Final Fantasy games to Nintendo Switch (along with Xbox One) in 2019, like the classic PS One entries Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy IX. The former was recently featured in FF14 Gil a brand new Switch commercial that teased it could hit the console "soon."
Beyond those titles, Square Enix can also be bringing Final Fantasy X, X-2, and XII: The Zodiac Age to both Switch and Xbox One this season.


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Leon & Lulu on Tuesday will feature a variety of local food vendors to sample and sell, for its third installation of Made to Eat in Michigan, to benefit a longtime vendor of the popular lifestyle store in Clawson.
After discovering that Tara Grey, founder of vendor Gus & Grey was suffering from an incapacitating fall, Leon & Lulu decided to dedicate the event to helping her.
“The first ever Made to Eat in Michigan was a huge success last summer and grew exponentially when we hosted the event again in February,” says Mary Liz Curtin, co-owner of Leon & Lulu. “We love discovering new talent and sharing it with our customers who are so eager to support local artisans.”
Recovering from a shattered right ankle and a sprained left ankle, Grey cannot stand up and is sold out. Leon & Lulu plans to help her by pre-selling a special edition of Gus and Grey’s blackberry and blueberry mixture, “Out of a Jam,” at the event on Tuesday. While Gus and Grey jams retail for approximately $8 a jar, “Out of a Jam” will be sold for $20, with all proceeds benefiting Grey’s recovery.
Leon & Lulu is also creating a campaign for Grey called “Someone We Love is in a Jam.” Donations will be accepted online.
For more information, visit leonandlulu.com/events/made-to-eat.


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Online auctioneer eBay Inc. (EBAY: Quote), Wednesday said its second-quarter profit surged, helped mainly by a strong performance at its payments service business PayPal and e-commerce sites.
Earnings for the quarter came in ahead of analysts' estimates by a penny, while revenues also trumped Street expectations.
Moving ahead, eBay detailed its guidance for the third quarter that is expected to miss current street expectations. Nevertheless, the company backed its financial guidance for the full-year 2012. Shares of eBay rose about five percent on the news, in after-hours trade.
Chief Executive John Donahoe said, "We delivered a great second quarter, driven by eBay Marketplaces' best performance in years, strong growth at PayPal and strong same-store-sales growth for GSI's large retail customers."
eBay benefited from growing demand for online merchandise. Second-quarter revenues from Marketplaces unit, the biggest division, advanced 9 percent to $1.81 billion, helped mainly by "strong growth" across all regions. Gross merchandise volume, excluding vehicles, in the quarter increased 10 percent year over year.
Donahoe said Marketplaces division delivered its strongest "organic growth" in merchandise volume since 2006. Marketplaces division includes eBay, Shopping.com, StubHub, eBay Classifieds and other e-commerce sites.
Revenues from the company's Payments division, which includes online payment service PayPal and short-term credit service Bill Me Later, advanced 26 percent to $1.36 billion. Revenue growth reflects increased penetration on eBay as well as continued merchant and consumer adoption and strong growth in Bill Me Later.
PayPal ended the quarter with 113.2 million active registered accounts, a 12 percent increase. PayPal's net total payment volume grew 20 percent to $34.5 billion.
The GSI segment contributed net revenues of $221 million in the quarter. eBay completed the acquisition of GSI Commerce for nearly $2.4 billion in June last year.
eBay's net revenues for the second quarter grew 23 percent to $3.40 billion from $2.76 billion last year. Thirty-one analysts on a consensus estimated revenues of $3.36 billion for the quarter.
San Jose, California-based eBay's second-quarter net income surged to $692 million or $0.53 per share from $283 million or $0.22 per share last year.
The quarter's bottom line reflect a gain of $118 million related to the divestiture of a business, while last-year earnings recorded a one-time loss of $256 million from the divestiture of certain GSI businesses and GSI transaction-related costs.
Excluding one-time items, net income for the quarter rose to $730 million or $0.56 per share from $631 million or $0.48 per share last year. On average, 32 analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected earnings of $0.55 per share for the quarter. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items.
Looking forward to the third quarter, the company expects earnings in a range of $0.42 to $0.44 per share, adjusted earnings of $0.53 to $0.55 per share, and net revenues of $3.30 billion to $3.40 billion. Analysts currently expect earnings of $0.55 per share on revenues of $3.42 billion.
Despite providing a weak guidance for the third quarter, eBay continued to back its full-year 2012 outlook. The company continues to expects earnings in a range of $1.91 to $1.96 per share adjusted earnings of $2.30 to $2.35 per share, and revenues of $13.80 billion to $14.10 billion. Analysts currently expect earnings of $2.35 per share on revenues of $13.98 billion.
EBAY closed Monday's trading at $40.46, up $3.56%, on a volume of 18.6 million shares. The stock further gained $2.29 or 5.66% in after-hours trade.
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Apple Issues Urgent Security Patches In Response To Active Attacks On Zero-Day Bugs
WebKit, the browser engine that drives Safari and other third-party web browsers on iOS, has a number of flaws that enable an adversary to execute arbitrary code on target computers. The three vulnerability flaws are summarised as follows:
- CVE-2021-30663: An integer overflow vulnerability that could be exploited to craft malicious web content, which may lead to code execution. The flaw was addressed with improved input validation.
- CVE-2021-30665: A memory corruption issue that could be exploited to craft malicious web content, which may lead to code execution. The flaw was addressed with improved state management.
- CVE-2021-30666: A buffer overflow vulnerability that could be exploited to craft malicious web content, which may lead to code execution. The flaw was addressed with improved memory handling.
The development comes a week after Apple rolled out iOS 14.5 and macOS Big Sur 11.3 with a fix for a potentially exploited WebKit Storage vulnerability. Tracked as CVE-2021-30661, the use-after-free issue was discovered and reported to the iPhone maker by a security researcher named yangkang (@dnpushme) of Qihoo 360 ATA.
yangkang, along with zero keeper and bianliang, has been credited with reporting the three new flaws.
It’s worth noting that CVE-2021-30666 only affects older Apple devices such as iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPad Air, iPad mini 2, iPad mini 3, and iPod touch (6th generation). The iOS 12.5.3 update, which remediates this flaw, also includes a fix for CVE-2021-30661.
The company said it’s aware of reports that the issues “may have been actively exploited” but, as is typically the case, failed to elaborate about the nature of attacks, the victims that may have been targeted, or the threat actors that may be abusing them.
Users of Apple devices are recommended to update to the latest versions to mitigate the risk associated with the flaws.
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