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Burglary nearly put Craig Apothecary out of business, owner says
A burglary at the Craig Apothecary in October threatened to close the medical marijuana dispensary, but the owner said he wanted to keep the store open so his longtime clients wouldn’t have to leave town to get their medical marijuana products.
The Craig Apothecary on Breeze Street was burglarized overnight on Oct. 29, resulting in the theft of about $32,000 in inventory.
Shaun Hadley, who has owned the Apothecary since it opened 13 years ago, came to the shop on Oct. 30, a Sunday, to find the dispensary had been burglarized the night before. Hadley found significant damages to the Apothecary, including broken exterior windows and interior display cases.
At least $32,000 worth of inventory was taken from the shop, including sealed bags of cannabis flower, boxes of edibles and other cannabis products. Also stolen were several 3D-printed, made-to-order collectibles from Hadley’s side business, HOPToys.
On Nov. 18, Preston Colvin was arrested on a warrant and charged with property damage and burglary in association with the incident. His bail was set at $10,000, and Colvin was released from the Moffat County Jail on Dec. 9 on a $5,000 bond.
“The Craig Police Department was really great; they took the case seriously,” Hadley said, adding that officers even took time to help him cover up the broken exterior windows.
Hadley said that for some reason, the alarms didn’t go off when the burglary occurred, and it’s been a learning curve for him in terms of what is needed for security at the shop. He added that insurance for cannabis businesses is costly and often not worth carrying for small businesses.
Hadley estimated that if he had paid for insurance over the year, the premiums would have outweighed the price of the stolen items.
Hadley later learned from the police report that the burglary at the Apothecary was among a series of alleged crimes that night, as Colvin has also been accused of stealing a side-by-side off-highway vehicle from a residential garage and trying to break into a pawn shop before burglarizing the medical marijuana dispensary.
In addition to the stolen merchandise, approximately $2,400 in cash was taken from Apothecary the night of the burglary.
Colvin’s next appearance in Moffat County District Court is scheduled for Jan. 12. Reached over email, officials with the Craig Police Department declined to comment on the case.
After being in business for 13 years and weathering numerous policy changes in the cannabis industry, Hadley said the burglary was almost the “nail in the coffin for the Apothecary.”
The way he described it, running the Apothecary is largely a labor of love for Hadley, who is also the owner of HoneyBear Apothecary, a recreational marijuana dispensary at 227 E. Victory Way in Craig.
Hadley said that his dad died from cancer and his dad’s death helped him understand the important role that medical cannabis products serve for clients with chronic or terminal illnesses.
“I believe in what we’re doing here,” Hadley said. “The recreational side is fun, but my heart is on the medical side.”
Hadley said the Apothecary has a small dedicated following of medical clients whom he wants to continue serving. He said he doesn’t want those clients to have to go outside of the county for the products they are used to getting locally.
Now that recreational cannabis sales are legal in Colorado, Hadley said he anticipates that most medical dispensaries will sunset sometime in the near future.
There are some notable differences between recreational and medical marijuana sales in Colorado. Recreational marijuana customers are allowed to purchase up to 1 ounce of flower per day, while the limit for medical clients is twice that.
Also, recreational products are subject to a 15% sales tax that was levied by Colorado voters in 2013, in addition to the excise tax that was imposed in 2012 with the passing of Amendment 64 to legalize possession and consumption of cannabis for recreational use.
In 2019, Moffat County became one of the last Colorado counties to legalize recreational cannabis sales, leaving Colorado Springs as the only remaining area in the state that allows medical marijuana stores but not recreational sales. With most of the state moving to recreational sales, the guidelines that govern medical use and sales have changed, and it has become more difficult for users to obtain a medical card.
According to Hadley, the biggest difference between medical and recreational guidelines likely concerns edibles. He said many local clients depend on the Apothecary for medical products in the range of 1,000 mg for around $65 to $75. Hadley said the same dosage on the recreational side would cost a patron upward of $300.
This is not the first time Hadley’s career in the cannabis industry has faced challenges. When he first opened the Apothecary, cannabis was not widely accepted in the community. But over time, Hadley has seen people become more open minded, and he thinks there is still room for growth in the local cannabis industry.
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Actient Pharmaceuticals, LLC ("Actient"), a portfolio company of GTCR, announced today the company successfully completed a transaction to license and acquire six pharmaceutical products from UCB, Inc., a subsidiary of UCB SA ("UCB"), an international biopharmaceutical company based in Brussels, Belgium.
“Going forward, we will continue to seek additional opportunities in specialty areas that allow us to extend our branded prescription product offering.”
The product set will form the basis of a commercial platform upon which Actient will continue to license and acquire strategic pharmaceutical assets. Products in the transaction included: Edex® (alprostadil for injection), Theo-24® (theophylline anhydrous), Semprex®-D Capsules (acrivastine and pseudoephedrine hydrochloride), Levatol® (penbutolol sulfate), Robaxin® (methocarbamol tablets, USP) and Dilatrate®-SR (isosorbide dinitrate). The company plans to expand the senior leadership team and hire a number of employees in support of the expanded product portfolio associated with the acquisition.
"We are very pleased to add these products to our company as they represent important therapies for patients across the U.S.," said Ed Fiorentino, Chief Executive Officer of Actient. "Going forward, we will continue to seek additional opportunities in specialty areas that allow us to extend our branded prescription product offering."
"The transaction to license and acquire these products is a key first step in achieving our objective of building a leading specialty pharmaceutical company," added GTCR Principal, Dean Mihas. "The Actient management team led by Ed Fiorentino has an impressive track record of establishing and growing businesses and we're excited to be a partner in this transaction and are committed to providing the resources to further Actient's growth."
Prior to partnering with GTCR, Ed Fiorentino was a corporate officer and 22-year veteran of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT). His senior-level management experience at Abbott included Corporate Vice President of Pharmaceutical Commercial Operations, where he was responsible for all U.S. sales, marketing and new product planning. He also served as Senior Vice President and President of Abbott Diabetes Care, leading Abbott's global device business in this area. Most recently, Ed was Executive Vice President of TAP Pharmaceutical, an Abbott joint venture with Takeda Pharmaceutical.
Legal counsel for the transaction included Kirkland & Ellis LLP and Hogan Lovells, advising Actient and GTCR. Torreya Partners LLC served as financial advisor to GTCR and Actient. GE Capital and LCB Credit Partners provided the initial debt financing commitment in support of the acquisition.

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Fruits and Vegetables will reduce Brain Stroke Risk by 25% Researchers from the University of London investigated 8 previous studies conducted in America, Europe and Japan involving more than 250,000 individuals.
They found that people eating at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day can reduce their risk of stroke by 25 percent compared to those eating only 3 servings daily.
Eating between 3 and 5 servings of fruits and vegetables was found to lessen the risk by 11 percent. The result of this study was published in the Lancet journal on January 27, 2006.
It has been known for some time that fruits and vegetable consumption helps prevent brain stroke and heart attack, however this latest research is the first large-scale study to quantify the benefits.
Fruits and vegetables are loaded with anti oxidants, fibre, folate and potassium which are low in fat and calories.
The benefits may be due to the potassium content in fruits and vegetables, as potassium will lower blood pressure.
By increasing fruit and vegetable consumption from 3 to 5 servings per day, we can increase our potassium intake by about 50 percent.


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In a surprise of sorts, the new Fiat Doblo, which is a seven seater MPV, has been spotted on the outskirts of Pune! The Doblo that has been spotted was wearing temporary plates and had not even a hint of camouflage. The Doblo was first launched in 2001 and has manged to sell more than a million units. Internationally, the Doblo is sold both as a panel van (called as the Doblo Cargo) and as five or seven seater passenger models, being marketed as “leisure activity vehicles.” (Trust these marketing guys to come up with anything!) It may be noted that so far, Fiat India has not talked about any plans of launching the Doblo in India. Rather, what’s headed our way is the Punto facelift, Punto Avventura and the Fiat 500 Abarth. The Fiat 500 Abarth is powered by a 1.4-liter, turbocharged, 4 pot petrol engine that is internationally available in two states of tune- 137 PS and 163 PS.
Coming back to the test mule here, its purpose of testing on Indian soil is not yet known. However, one thing we are quite sure of is that Fiat Doblo launch in India is not in the offing. In all probability, the Fiat Doblo test mule that you see here has been imported by Fiat India only to collect data by testing it on varied terrains that our country offers. It may be noted that Fiat has also been seen testing the Bravo in India. However, the Bravo never came to us and continues being used by high officials at Fiat Pune. We believe that the Doblo you see here has a similar fate.
What do you think? Should Fiat launch the Doblo in India? Do let us know by commenting below.
Image credits- MyFiatWorld


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By Alex Irish / August 30th, 2018
The complete Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove will launch at retail in April 2019, Yatch Club Games announced. At the same time the Treasure Trove re-launches in stores, a trove of new Shovel Knight content will be launching, including its final two expansions, the long-awaited King of Cards campaign and a new multiplayer mode Shovel Knight Showdown.
Most pertinently, Shovel Knight Showdown was revealed exclusively by IGN this week as yet another play mode. Showdown plays much like an 8-bit variation on the Smash Bros. concept, collecting Shovel Knight and every boss character from the main game to duke it out to the last knight. Each of the 16 playable characters has their own story mode pathway, including a brand-new final boss. Up to four players can compete together, fight one-on-one, or take on the AI.
Only the console releases of Shovel Knight will have access to Showdown, with both handheld versions on Vita and 3DS excluded from this mode.
The retail release of Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove, the trio of new amiibo, Showdown, and King of Cards launch in tandem on April 9th, 2019. North America and Europe will have the retail version of Treasure Trove across PS4 and Switch (no Xbox One, Vita, or 3DS versions). The physical package will retail for $39.99 USD and equivalents, while the digital version retains its $24.99 USD price. Ever as before, the new add-on modes will be free for digital owners of the Treasure Trove.
The trio of new Shovel Knight amiibo, including Plague Knight, Specter Knight, and King Knight, were announced way back in September 2017 and are still up for pre-order at Amazon and GameStop and run for $34.99 USD.
This final wave of add-on content wraps up a five year journey for Shovel Knight‘s inaugural game. The retro love child project of developer Yatch Club Games, Shovel Knight launched its successful Kickstarter campaign back in 2013, launching in 2014 on PC, Wii U, and 3DS before gradually expanding to other platforms. The studio has made great success out of their knightly mascot, who has made multiple cameos in other indie titles, merchandise, and more.
All in all, Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove will include the original titular character’s campaign, Plague of Shadows, Specter of Torment, King of Cards, and Shovel Knight Showdown. There’s no telling where the studio will take their flagship character next year following the final two pieces of add-on content.
nintendo switchPlayStation 4Shovel Knight Treasure Trove


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Durbin: Samsung Is Considering B-N For New Battery Plant
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin said Thursday that Normal is a finalist for a new Samsung battery manufacturing plant that could add thousands of jobs adjacent to Rivian’s facility and cement central Illinois as a Midwestern electric vehicle hub.
Rumors about a potential massive economic development project have swirled in Bloomington-Normal for the past week. Economic Development Council chief Patrick Hoban teased the project Aug. 5 during an event at Illinois Wesleyan, as WGLT first reported. He didn’t specify which industry or company was involved, but said a potential “billion-dollar deal” was possible, and that Bloomington-Normal was one of three finalists for the project.
Speaking Thursday to reporters, Durbin confirmed that project is the Samsung plant.
“We’re competing for a major Samsung battery facility,” Durbin said. “The delegation came from (South) Korea this week. I spoke to them, and others did as well. This Samsung facility, we hope, would be located next door to Rivian. That decision has not been made. Having that battery facility will also create thousands of jobs.”
State Rep. Dan Brady, a Bloomington Republican, told WGLT on Thursday that he’s heard the Samsung plant will employ up to 3,200 people.
Samsung SDI is Rivian's battery cell supplier. Samsung has reportedly been searching for a location for a battery cell plant in the U.S. Reuters reported that Samsung has been in talks with automakers, including Rivian, to supply batteries from that new factory.
Samsung is expected to make a site-selection decision in September, said Normal Mayor Chris Koos.
“We’re blessed in central Illinois to have this kind of expansion of opportunity, particularly with electric vehicles. The vehicles of the future,” Durbin said.
It’s unclear what mix of state and local incentives might be in play to land Samsung. The project has been discussed for at least six months, and is being referred to privately as “Project Maximus,” officials said. (Code names are common in economic development work.)
Koos said a local incentive package was being presented, including a property tax abatement. Other selling points, he said, were roadwork on West College Avenue and utility work that would extend sewer toward Normal’s west edge.
Koos declined to confirm or deny the company involved was Samsung.
The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) also is involved, suggesting state incentives may be in play. It was a combination of state and local incentives that landed Rivian back in 2016. Gov. JB Pritzker is reportedly meeting with Samsung on Friday.
“The Pritzker administration is bullish about building a clean energy future for Illinois – and part of that is making a concerted effort to boost electric vehicle and supplier manufacturing here in Illinois," DCEO spokesperson Lauren Huffman said Thursday. "We remain in regular conversation with a number of companies in this space but it is against our policy to comment on any specifics."
“Normal on its own has so many great things to offer. But coupled with what could be done statewide, I believe, is what the company is reviewing right now,” Brady said.
The Samsung plant would be built just west of the Rivian facility.
Rivian itself began vehicle production this year in Normal. It's making electric trucks, SUVs, and delivery vans (for Amazon). The automaker also is planning a second U.S. plant in a location that's yet to be decided.
Durbin said Thursday that Rivian's Normal workforce may reach as high as 5,000 people "when they reach their optimum capacity." That's higher than previous estimates provided by the company. A Rivian spokesperson told WGLT in July that the Normal plant could have as many as 4,000 workers by the end of 2022.
Durbin appears to have updated information: He met virtually with Rivian founder and CEO RJ Scaringe last week.
If Samsung builds here, the two companies would combined have an estimated 8,300 manufacturing sector jobs. There’s a question whether the region can supply that many workers.
Hoban, the local EDC chief, said that should not be a problem.
“Our labor shed in Bloomington-Normal is 50 miles. Within that 50-mile radius is 750,000 workers, and 10% of those, or 75,000, are manufacturing. I think we’re well-positioned to continue to support manufacturing going forward,” Hoban said.
Always a pleasure to speak with @Rivian Founder and CEO @RJScaringe about the future of electric vehicles in Illinois. He and his company have created a template for how to invest in a green economy at home and create jobs along the way. pic.twitter.com/WZPOVbttNz— Senator Dick Durbin (@SenatorDurbin) August 4, 2021
If Samsung does open a plant in Normal, it would be easy for its employees to travel between its U.S. headquarters in San Jose, Calif. or to South Korea, or to another Samsung battery plant in Auburn Hills, Mich., according to the Central Illinois Regional Airport director.
“We know this because, of course, earlier this year when Rivian announced a business partnership with Samsung, we were on that,” said Carl Olson. “We were talking to Delta Airlines and showing them how we could use the Delta service from Detroit to Bloomington-Normal to get these Samsung people back and forth.”
Olson said Rivian business travel has been strong enough that CIRA started new non-stop business service to Detroit during a pandemic. He said performance on that route was good enough to prompt Delta to add 50% more seats to Detroit this spring.


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In an EGLX Business Summit panel discussion, experts explained the key elements to successfully advertising to consumers in the gaming community.
Google released its own subscription service for Android games, Google Play Pass, this week as a direct competitor to Apple Arcade.
Newzoo released its 2019 Global Mobile Market Report, which forecasts total revenues from games to reach $68.5 billion, growing to $95.4 billion in ...
Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality are two of the most exciting, cutting edge technologies in business and entertainment today, both with different strengths ...
Electronic Arts is moving its cloud gaming platform, Project Atlas, to external technical trials. Microsoft and Google are primary competitors.
Cloud gaming, led by Google Stadia, PlayStation Now, and Microsoft's Project xCloud, is the next frontier for the multi-billion dollar game industry.
Liftoff and AppAnnie's annual mobile game report discovered a sharp decrease in Apple iOS engagement, which could make 2020 the year of Android ...
The policies would have restricted ad sales in kids apps along with banning the use of external analytics software to collect detailed information.
Gaming and tech stocks are some of the hardest hit, as China allowed the value of the yuan to slip past the US ...


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Lately he is all over the world and Microsoft big boss Steve Ballmer is a firm believer of the products he sell, which for now hovers only on one 'powerful' computing system - the freshly rolled out Windows 8.
The new platform will run on conventional PCs, tablet computers and smartphones, with the latter device having its own mobile version of the OS, the Windows Phone 8, that Microsoft has optimised for the communication tool that now permeates global consumers' everyday lives.
At the moment, the smartphone world stands on the ecosystem that by and large is defined by Apple's iOS and Google's Android but Mr Ballmer is convinced a window is opening up for WP8-powered smartphones.
Hitting Israel this week, which is but part of Microsoft's $US1.5 billion marketing blitz to let the world know that Windows 8 has arrived and like Apple products they would want it too, the company CEO presses his case, bordering slightly on the hard-sell.
"There is now an opportunity to create really a strong third participant in the smartphone market," Mr Ballmer told Reuters on Monday, hastening to add that Microsoft will not pass up on this chance.
Rival Apple had branded the new Microsoft creation as confusing, directly coming from Mr Ballmer's counterpart, Tim Cook, though the latter has admitted that he has yet to test any products directly related to Windows 8.
The Microsoft chief brushed aside the comments as he reported last week of stunning reception for the devices running the new OS, reiterating in Tel Aviv that "the initial reaction to these products has been really, really phenomenal."
"The truth of the matter is more people over time will get Windows 8 by buying a new computer than by upgrading old computers," he went on to say.
Mr Ballmer boldly predicted that consumers will snap up new smartphones in the manner they grab PCs every year, which according to Microsoft leads to annual sales of at least 400 million traditional computing units.
The same movement is seen in smartphone sales, though in much bigger way, with tech research firm IDC reporting that some 136 million units were shifted out in Q3 2012 and singling out (again) Android and Apple handsets for jointly capturing about 90 per cent of the market.
That leaves 10 per cent for Mr Ballmer to dream about and he is not complaining, conceding even that "we are still relatively small."
The boldness, however, he could not temper, declaring out of the blue: "I expect the volumes on Windows Phone to really ramp quickly."
How exactly this projection will come about, Mr Ballmer said, is anchored on Microsoft's partnership with Samsung, HTC and Nokia - the latter betting every fibre of its survival to the giant push for Windows 8.
But one key PC player appears not too enthusiastic as the Microsoft chief executive - Hewlett-Packard. Burned by the global decline of PC sales, HP is embracing the new system that Microsoft has unleashed but it treads cautiously.
The company's fresh thrust in hardware selling is best described as subdued, rolling out a few models of PCs and tablets and deciding to wait out for more encouraging signals prior to plunging anew in the smartphone business.
Explaining HP's stance, Dan Tindall, vice president for global channel development, told UK-based The Channel that while WP8 seems "a huge market ... and we recognise its size ... (its short-term opportunity) is smaller than explosive in the first few quarters."
But Mr Tindall allowed at the same time that "smartphone is part of a broad way that we interact with computing so in that sense its important HP be part of that."


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Multimedia group MindWave Media has created a life-sized, animated shark display for Hull aquarium The Deep. The permanent exhibit, which launched last week, features a Grey Reef shark projected on to an invisible Holopro screen, creating the illusion that it is swimming in mid-air. Touch screen controls enable visitors to peel away layers to reveal the shark’s skin, muscles, intestines, skeleton and sensory system. ‘At any point, they can rotate the shark and look at it from different angles,’ says MindWave Media director Jef Maytom, adding that the display is made up of 6000 3D-modelled images. The group won the work, worth a £16 500 fee, after an unpaid, creative pitch in October.
As part of our coverage of 2022’s graduate season, we’re speaking with a selection of graduates from around the UK about their work, practice and future plans.
Myerscough hopes the piece will encourage shoppers and businesses to engage positively with the topic of sustainability.
The new branding by Baxter & Bailey features a flexible ampersand symbol in an effort to help the brand speak to different audiences.
Recycling symbols used on packaging in the UK are unclear and inconsistent argues Butterfly Cannon’s innovation and sustainability manager Jenny Greenwood, who is looking to Denmark for inspiration.


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Business inventories in the United States increased 0.6 percent month-over-month in December of 2018, after showing no growth in November and in line with market expectations. Stocks rebounded at retailers (0.9 percent from -0.4 percent in November) and rose faster at wholesalers (1.1 percent from 0.4 percent). Meanwhile stocks were unchanged at manufacturers (from -0.1 percent) and increased at the same pace for autos and parts (0.6 percent, the same as in November). Retail inventories excluding autos, which go into the calculation of GDP, went up 1 percent in December, after a 0.9 percent fall in the previous month. Business Inventories in the United States averaged 0.28 percent from 1992 until 2018, reaching an all time high of 1.30 percent in May of 1994 and a record low of -2 percent in December of 2008.
Business Inventories in the United States is expected to be 0.40 percent by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. Looking forward, we estimate Business Inventories in the United States to stand at 0.30 in 12 months time. In the long-term, the United States Business Inventories is projected to trend around 0.20 percent in 2020, according to our econometric models.


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We get it, it’s fun to choose the perfect emoji when sending or requesting money from friends on Venmo. It shouldn’t be so much fun, but somehow, it is. But everyone needs to find a new way to get three seconds of joy, because you’re putting yourself at risk if you don’t have your Venmo account set to “private.”
The newest scam targeting users: a flood of payment requests from strangers. According to a report from BuzzFeed News, users who have recently made public transactions are being hit with a flurry of requests, for money and to be friends on the app.
If this mess sounds familiar, it’s because it is! In 2018, we pointed out how easy it is for someone to view your Venmo transactions and make judgements about your activities—and in some cases, decide to hit you up for money.
There’s also the flip side of this, which is where someone you don’t know could actually send you money you aren’t expecting, either by mistake or under more nefarious motives.
It all comes down to one major issue: Your Venmo transactions are set to “public,” for all to see. If you think “That’s not me, I’m more careful than that,” go take a look at your account right now.
Venmo makes “public” the default for every account, leaving it up to you to change your transactions (either as a default, or case-by-case), to be viewed by friends on the app or by the involved parties only.
By sharing publicly that you just sent or received money from someone, you’re showing anyone who’s watching that you’re comfortable using the app and you probably have an active Venmo balance…Read more>>


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The American Chamber of Commerce, Ghana, is pleased to announce payments technology company, Flutterwave as our new #PlatinumMember.
Flutterwave was founded in 2016 with the mission to simplify transactions to accelerate international commerce and economic growth in Africa.
The company seeks to connect Africa to the world and empower a new generation of tech-savvy, educated Africans, thereby preparing the continent to take its rightful place in the new digital economy.
Flutterwave is at the leading edge of the future of U.S. – Africa trade and investment. Led by a world-class international team and backed by U.S. venture capital, Flutterwave has its headquarters in San Francisco and its main operating base in Lagos. They have operations in over 30 African countries, including the continent’s biggest e-commerce markets: Nigeria, South Africa, and Kenya.
Flutterwave Technology Solutions Limited (FTSL) was incorporated in August 2017 in Accra, Ghana, and has been operating as a payment service provider since then. They are integrated directly with major banks, fintech, and mobile network providers in the country and provide payment services through them.
In Ghana, they offer Flutterwave for Business and Barter. Services available on Flutterwave for Business include payment collection in all currencies, payouts in GHS, USD Virtual Card creation and funding, transfer services, and airtime purchases. Flutterwave for Barter offers local money transfers and inward remittances.
The company hopes to capitalize on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to see even more cross-border commerce and a continent-wide regulatory system that will give companies like Flutterwave more predictability.
Flutterwave was founded by Nigerian entrepreneurs Olugbenga Agboola, Adeleke Adekoya, and Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, alumni of Standard Bank, Andela, PayPal, Google Wallet, and other fintech firms.
These industry veterans identified the problem of fragmented cross-border payments in Africa and developed a digital payment API to facilitate business across the continent by allowing users to make international payments in their currencies. The firm also provides technology advisory services and capital initiatives.
The Flutterwave platform has processed over 200 million transactions and serves over one million businesses. Learn More…


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Seven supermarkets have agreed to reveal how much food they bin each year.
Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, the Co-op, Marks & Spencer and Waitrose also signed up to "ambitious" plans to cut food sent to landfill from 6 per cent to 1 per cent by 2020.
The British Retail Consortium said waste figures would be published next year.
It will also work with shoppers to cut the amount of food binned in homes.
It said: "Retailers have made significant progress in reducing their impact on the environment."
Vicki Hird of Friends of the Earth, said: "Supermarkets need to do more to educate consumers to accept ugly fruit and veg."
It is estimated Britain wastes 15 million tonnes of food each year.
The bid to dramatically reduce our waste mountain follows Tesco putting its hands up and admitting it binned 28,500 tonnes of grub in the first six months of last year alone.
It revealed two thirds of bagged salad was dumped by its stores or customers along with 40% of apples.
After the latest announcement green groups said supermarkets needed to reduce the number of fresh food promotions like multi-buys to prevent families from over buying produce they won’t use.
Food campaigner Vicki Hird from Friends of the Earth, said: “Food waste has been growing over the last few decades because of the way supermarkets have driven consumption.
“The supermarkets need to take a long, hard, challenging look at their marketing strategies and do more to educate consumers to accept ugly fruit and veg.
“It doesn’t have to look cosmetically perfect to taste good so while we welcome the plan, there is a lot more that can be done.”
BRC director general Helen Dickinson said the industry was working hard to clean up its act.
She said: “The strength of commitment is plain to see when you look at how much progress has been made in the last decade - for example, only 6% of waste was sent to landfill in 2013, down from 47% in 2005.”
Environment Secretary Owen Paterson said at the launch of the BRC’s Better Retailing Climate report: “This initiative has been very successful in showing how industry can reduce the environmental impact of the retail sector.
“It also highlights how it is possible to grow businesses in a sustainable way that is not only good for the environment but for the economy as well.”
Families also poured 5.9 million glasses of milk down the drain, wasting £60 a month on food that went from the fridge to the bin.
Yesterday WRAP welcomed the report and said it would make “a significant contribution to reducing the environmental footprint of grocery products.”


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After Travis Scott gave the world a brief glimpse at an unreleased Nike SB Dunk Low in the recent “JACKBOYS” music video, we now have our first detailed look at the design. Combining an earthy base with rich navy accents, the Dunks also utilize both paisley and plaid prints.
There’s even a small touch of the embroidered text found on Scott’s recent Air Force 1 spread around the collar. Rope laces take on a frizzy construction, and Scott’s Cactus Jack logo appears on the puffy tongue, putting to rest any debate on if the shoe was indeed a collaboration or just a yet-to-release in-line style.
According to Nike SB-centric Instagram account @nikesbornothing, the bandanna-style paisley overlays will tear away with wear — much like the recent Lance Mountain Air Jordan 1 Low — to reveal a cement print underneath.
Early reports have the shoes pegged for a February release both online and at skate shops, but nothing has been officially confirmed by Nike or Scott yet.
Take a better look from the music video
For more details and updates
Most people swear by STOCK X in the global reselling community, for the accessibility of any and every sort of sneaker, and it has pretty much become the place to judge any pairs’ value. Well, there’s a new megalodon in the ocean of reselling community…
Though it fell out of fashion briefly in the 2010s, the Nike Dunk has returned to form, offering a number of quality Retros and exclusive collaborations. In 1985, Peter Moore, designer of the world-famous Air Jordan 1, launched the Dunk, which borrowed elements from three…
In the wake of 2021’s end, we can’t help but recall every brand’s finest moments. And the Jumpman sang a bit louder than the rest, offering countless noteworthy collaborations and general releases. Thankfully, Retros will build on this momentum in 2022 and are likely to…


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Paxton Joins Secured by Design After Gaining Coveted Accreditation
Greenville, SC, USA – August 12, 2019
Paxton’s Entry system has received a coveted police accreditation in the UK, confirming it meets a high set of standards when it comes to security and design.
Secured by Design, a UK police crime initiative, has an established Police Preferred Specification accreditation, awarded to products that meet security requirements – signposting people to companies and products that meet its high standards to deter and reduce crime.
In gaining the accreditation, Paxton has now become an SBD Member.
SBD Development Officer Lyn Poole said, “I am delighted that Paxton has joined SBD. Paxton is very highly regarded in the industry, with over three decades of experience. They are the first SBD member company to have their products successfully tested and approved to the UL293 standard, and I am looking forward to working with them going forward”.
Paxton’s Senior Product Manager, Steve Rowlands said, “We’re incredibly proud that our Entry system has been recognized by Secured by Design. Our access control and video intercom systems have been keeping people safe for 30 years and this accreditation recognizes the high standards and principles we’ve always adhered too.”
SBD is part of Police Crime Prevention Initiatives (PCPI), a police-owned organization that works on behalf of the Police Service to deliver a wide range of crime prevention and demand reduction initiatives across the UK.
Accredited products must be subject to rigorous testing and additionally be fully certificated by an independent, third-party certification body accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) before being allowed to carry the SBD logo – this is the only way for companies to obtain police accreditation for security-related products in the UK.


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Another online fraud case has been registered with police recently. A Mumbai man working as a deputy manager with a mobile service provider became the latest victim of illegal online activity after he placed a home delivery order for a wine bottle on 12th October. He lost Rs 1.25 lakh from his Mobikwik-e-wallet soon after placing the order. He got the number from a search engine. “Three transactions were carried out in an hour and the money was siphoned off using my credit card details. I have got home delivery from the same wine shop in the past. Hence, I didn’t doubt the authenticity of the contact number.
The person at the other end was polite and took my order. He told me there was no cash on delivery and asked for my credit card details,” the victim was quoted by TOI.
He registered his complaint at Andheri East police station the next day and also informed the owner of Ujwal Wines. The owner of the wine shop had also complained about his shop name being misused to deceive customers who place an order for delivery. Although many negative reviews warned the customer to avoid purchasing from the Ujwal store, yet several victims fell prey t it. The complaint told the police that he did not doubt the owner as the person was polite. He had placed orders before also and orders were delivered successfully.
“We are tracking the contact numbers of the fraudsters that were posted under the name of Ujwal Wines. The shop owner says he has even complained to the search engine to remove the contact number listed for his wine shop,” the police said.
The victim claimed that he lost Rs 1.25 lakh between10.20 pm and 11.15 pm after he got convinced by culprits to reveal his credit card number and one-time password (OTP). A message of a transaction of Rs 31,777 was received by the complainant at first. When he informed, he was told that it was an error and transaction would be reversed immediately. And then there was a message of the second transaction of the same amount. At 11.15 a final transaction of 61,000 happened after which the complainant blocked the card.
“The fraudster took my card details again, but there was the second transaction of Rs 31,777. The final transaction was done at 11.15 pm for Rs 61,000. Realizing I had been duped, I blocked my card and lodged a complaint with the bank,” said the victim. An FIR has been registered against mobile numbers 7027043565 and 8723877079. Unfortunately, all the money had been taken out before the culprits’ e-wallet got blocked.
It is not the first case of online fraud. Many such incidents took place in India in the last few months. Economic Times reported a woman from Bengaluru lost all her amount from her bank account when she dialed a fake Zomato call center which she got from some search engine. Transacting online has its advantages as well as disadvantages.


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- India's pursuit of data localisation is a major stumbling block in free cross-border data flows between the UK and India.
- Increased market access for India in certain sectors could have a negative impact on some developing countries in South Asia, South-East Asia, and East Africa.
- Despite these challenges, both the UK and India are committed to finding mutually beneficial solutions and strengthening their economic ties through continued collaboration and negotiation.
The United Kingdom and India have been engaged in free trade agreement negotiations, with the hope of strengthening economic ties and boosting trade between the two nations. However, a recent parliamentary report by the House of Commons International Trade Committee has highlighted some potential stumbling blocks in these negotiations.
One of the main areas of concern is India's pursuit of data localisation. The UK industry has stressed the importance of free and trusted cross-border data flows, but India's legislation on data localisation could make this difficult. The report notes that this issue could be a major stumbling block in the negotiations.
The report also cautions that increased market access for India in certain sectors, such as textiles, clothing, footwear, and horticultural products, could have a negative impact on some developing countries in South Asia, South-East Asia, and East Africa. These countries currently benefit from preferential access to the UK market.
Despite these challenges, the report emphasizes the importance of continued collaboration and negotiation between the UK and India. The two sides are also discussing other issues related to digital trade, such as preventing the mandatory transfer of source codes, algorithms, and encryption keys, banning digital tariffs and discrimination against digital formats, and recognizing e-signatures and electronic contracts.
Overall, while there are some potential hurdles to overcome in the negotiations, both the UK and India are committed to strengthening their economic ties and finding mutually beneficial solutions. With continued dialogue and collaboration, the hope is that a successful free trade agreement can be reached that benefits both nations and promotes greater economic growth and prosperity.


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PORTLAND, Maine — Are they going to be the Mariners, Puffins, Lumberjacks, Watchmen or Wild Blueberries?
The owners of Portland’s East Coast Hockey League team that begins play next fall are choosing a name from among those five later this month.
Team officials say the nickname, the Mariners, is leading in online polling.
Brian Corcoran, founder and CEO of Shamrock Sports and Entertainment, a marketing group based in Portland, says it’s a “huge decision.”
Adam Goldberg, the team’s vice president/business operations, isn’t afraid of a quirky name. He used to work in Hartford, home of the Yard Goats. He says people didn’t like it at first, but now they love it and the merchandise is everywhere.


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As part of its Spotify for Podcasters initiative launched last year, Spotify has launched a new video series to share best practices and pro tips with podcasters.
For podcasts, Google is currently running a podcast ads pilot with AdSense partners to explore podcast monetization solutions.
This addition will allow podcasters to format and organize their show notes that will make them even cleaner and more intuitive for their audience.
The company’s goal is now to evolve its audio offerings and to chart a sustainable course for high-quality, immersive audio journalism.
As part of the partnership, Gaana’s 150 million monthly active users will have direct access to the 69,000+ podcasts hosted and distributed by Libsyn.
The Michelle Obama Podcast will premier exclusively on Spotify on July 29. The Obamas have a multi-series multi-year partnership with Spotify to develop a slate of podcasts.
Audioboom entered the Indian market with an office in Mumbai in 2015. The company is now exiting operations and will focus on expanding in Australia and Canada.
As of now, the US accounts for the largest share of podcast streams. However, China and India are emerging as the next biggest markets for podcasts.
SiriusXM is an American broadcasting company that provides satellite radio and online radio services and is looking to expand into the growing podcasting industry.
Feature phones powered by KaiOS serve the purpose of a digital detox from smartphones and for millions of people, these phones are their first gateway to the internet.


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Havana, July 22 (RHC) –- Cuba and China signed several bilateral collaboration accords Monday in Havana to further boost joint development and ratified that China is Cuba’s second major commercial partner.
During a business forum at Havana’s Hotel Nacional, representatives of China’s Development and Trade Bureau and of Cuba’s Chamber of Commerce penned an accord to boost entrepreneurial exchange.
Other documents signed during the forum aimed at increasing business and investment opportunities in the sectors of renewable energy and food production.
Cuban Chamber of Commerce President Orlando Hernandez said that negotiations took place at a crucial moment for Cuba's economy, particularly when local companies gain more autonomy and are requested to carry out a more effective management.
Bilateral commerce between Cuba and China surpassed 1.4 billion dollars in 2013 and with the signing of new accords this year, such exchange could increase more than 25 percent.
The Chinese entrepreneurs expressed interest in the opportunities offered by the new Cuban Investment Law and the Special Development Zone at the Mariel Harbor, west of Havana. They also considered several joint projects with their Cuban counterparts.
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Saudi e-tailer noon.com recently hosted a gala event celebrating the brightest and boldest sellers in the region. noon’s Seller Summit UAE offered sellers an exclusive look at upcoming launches, insights into noon’s biggest ever Yellow Friday Sale, and an address by noon’s founder Mohamed Alabbar, who drove a noon motorbike onstage to deliver a powerful keynote address.
Hundreds of sellers joined the event, which was held in line with social distancing measures in the beautiful setting of the Dubai Opera.
The annual Seller Awards were the highlight of the evening and saw 13 of the region’s brightest sellers handed trophies by noon’s CEO Faraz Khalid, and Alabbar. Among those were EMAX (Power Retailer), Shoexpress (Top Customer Rated Seller), L’Oreal Middle East (Most Innovative Partner), and Home Box (Best noon Seller).
The event also celebrated the rise of local-based entrepreneurship through noon’s Mahali program, created to give local sellers, Emirati and Saudi micro-entrepreneurs tailored support and guidance to help their business dreams and ambitions grow. Local Mahali seller SpeedyBee was awarded noon’s Top Customer Rated Mahali Seller Award of 2021.
Noon’s engineering team detailed the important progress that has been made in terms of tools available to sellers. Robert O’Kirwan, head of product, and Alex Nadalin, SVP technology, told the SME-packed audience that after listening to sellers — noon has worked overtime to alleviate friction. Improvements include an upgraded catalog system, a new reputation management dashboard, and brand stores to allow sellers to showcase their brand as they wish, using noon as their platform.
Details about noon’s largest sale of the year, Yellow Friday, featured prominently at the summit. The sale, which covers all of Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt, will begin on Nov. 22 and end on Nov. 28.
Ali Kafil-Hussain, chief of staff at noon, told the audience that noon has “come such a long way since our first Yellow Friday in 2018 where we started with 1,000 sellers and 5,000 brands. Now in our fourth Yellow Friday, we will have over 5,000 sellers and 50,000 brands participating.”
Neha Choudhary, VP onsite operations, said: “During the build-up to this year’s Yellow Friday Sale, we will have a huge 11/11 sale and reveal a ton of surprises, including exclusive offers and never-seen-before deals. This will set us up for 2021’s Yellow Friday Sale, which will be the largest one yet.”
Closing the event, Alabbar drove a noon food bike onto the stage, much to the delight of the audience, before removing his helmet and delivering a 15-minute keynote speech.
“This industry is the future of our lifetime, our children, and our society. It’s the future of our jobs. It is the state of mind of beyond tomorrow. The world is changing. Our businesses are changing,” Alabbar said.
Commenting on noon’s future strategy, he said: “The ecosystem we are building has a mission of bringing our cities online. All businesses, services and products will be accessible digitally through integrated platforms. This is our new business! We have built an incredible delivery system, we have built the technology, we are amazing people, and most of all — we are brave!“
Noon.com is a joint venture between Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and Alabbar.


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For those interested in streaming the 2023 Golden Globes, it is possible to watch the live event with or without paying for a live TV plan.
Peacock subtitles (closed captions) can be enabled or disabled in the app, but the accessibility option is not as accessible as it could be.
Peacock is available to stream on a variety of devices and that device support will soon extend to the cabin of JetBlue flights as well.
DirecTV Stream subscribers now have the option of adding Peacock Premium to their live TV package at a heavily discounted monthly price.
Just in time for Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2022, Peacock is offering a huge discount on the monthly cost of its Premium subscription.
All of the 2022 World Cup games will be available to stream on Peacock, and some are even free to watch. Here’s what else you need to know.
Peacock Premium Plus subscribers are gaining 24/7 streaming access to their local NBC affiliate, and at no additional cost each month.
Peacock is again offering the option to sign up for a Premium subscription at just $19.99 per year, a significant saving on the usual cost.
Peacock Premium subscribers will soon get access to live Hallmark channels and a library of on-demand content through a new Hallmark Hub.
Halloween Ends is available to stream right now. Here’s where to watch the latest installment in the popular franchise and how much it costs.
Peacock now has more than 15 million paid subscribers, up from the 13 million reported in July, and around 30 million active accounts.
While the Peacock app is available to download on a variety of different smart TVs, some homes may find they can’t get Peacock on their TV.
With a standard Premium subscription down to just $1.99 per month, this September might be a good time to sign up and give Peacock a try.
Paramount Plus and Peacock are both popular streaming services, and they are different enough to make choosing between them a little easier.
This weekend sees the return of the Premier League and a return to trying to figure out whether a game is on Peacock or a live TV channel.
Peacock closed the fourth quarter of 2020 with 33 million sign-ups, but how many are paying?
The Peacock app is available to download on Roku players and TVs running Roku OS, and there are two main ways to add the channel to a device.
Super Bowl 2022 is this Sunday and the big game can be watched live with or without a live TV subscription. Here are your streaming options.
Peacock and NBC have a lot in common, including access to many of the same shows, but there are some important differences between them.
There are multiple ways to watch the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, but one streaming service is the better and cheapest option overall.


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New Delhi: The spiralling onion prices and rising price levels of other vegetables, pulses and protein-rich items have resulted in a hike in retail prices. Retail inflation spiked to a more than three-year high of 5.54 per cent in November, according to the data released by the National Statistical Office.
The previous high in retail inflation was in July 2016, when the consumer price index-based inflation stood at 6.07 per cent.
India's GDP growth rate had dipped to 4.5 per cent in the last quarter hitting a six-year-low. In this context, it is likely that the country is heading for stagflation--the unusual co-existence of inflation and recessionary trends in an economy.
Conventional economic theory suggests that in any normal economy, growth is accompanied by inflation and alternatively, a fall in growth is accompanied by deflation. Stagflation is a deviation from this path as it is a double-edged sword which involves a drop in consumption levels and growth, and an increase in price levels.
Former prime minister and economist Manmohan Singh had cautioned that while India is not yet in stagflation territory, it would be prudent to watch out for increased risks of such an event occurring.
How retail inflation compares to previous figures?
Retail inflation was 4.62 per cent in October, and 2.33 per cent in November 2018.
Inflation in the food basket jumped to 10.01 per cent. This compares with 7.89 per cent October and (-) 2.61 per cent in the year ago-month.
During the month, inflation in vegetables shot up to 35.99 per cent, as against 26.10 per cent in October.
Likewise, the prices of cereals and eggs grew at a faster pace of 3.71 per cent. Prices of meat and fish rose by 9.38 per cent annually and of eggs by 6.2 per cent in November.
Prices of pulses and related products jumped 13.94 per cent during the month.
In the fuel and light category, prices dropped by 1.93 per cent.
The Reserve Bank of India has been mandated by the government to contain inflation in the range of 4 per cent, with a margin of 2 per cent on either side.
ICRA Principal Economist Aditi Nayar said that moderation in vegetable prices should douse food inflation to a large extent in early 2020, and healthy groundwater and reservoir levels bode well for rabi output and yields of various cereals.
However, the year-on-year decline in the area sown under rabi pulses and oilseeds poses a concern, given the high inflation being recorded by some of these items.
"ICRA expects the CPI inflation to spike further to 5.8-6 per cent in December 2019, close to the upper threshold of the MPC's medium-term target, driven by the recent revision in telecom tariffs. As a result, we expect the MPC (monetary policy committee of RBI) to remain on hold in its February 2020 policy review," she said.
India's November inflation has surged to 40-month high mainly due to an increase in food prices, said Rahul Gupta, Head of Research - Currency, Emkay Global Financial Services
"At this month's policy, RBI refrained from cutting rates due to uptick in CPI despite a slow growth. If inflation continues to rise further then RBI may continue to maintain a pause at the February policy," he said.
(With inputs from PTI.)


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Slurp up these free Slurpees before they’re gone.
Convenient store chain 7-Eleven is celebrating its 90th birthday on Tuesday, or 7/11, with a giveaway of its iconic icy beverage, the company announced Monday.
You can grab your small Slurpee at participating stores from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., while supplies last.
The freebie offering on June 11 is a yearly tradition that 7-Eleven launched on its 75th birthday in 2002.
This is, however, the first year the retailer is offering its new, limited-time cotton candy flavor, which tastes like a combo of cherry and (blue) raspberry, according to the 7-Eleven website.
Slurpee super-fans, take note: If you buy seven slushy frozen drinks between July 12 and 18, scanning your 7-Eleven mobile app each time, you’ll score 11 free ones. Make sure you claim those — one at a time or all at once, if you can handle the brain freeze — before August 31.


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FILE – In this April 27, 2010 file photo, a woman using a cell phone walks past T-Mobile and Sprint … [+]stores in New York. Published reports say a group of state attorneys general are planning a lawsuit to block a $26.5 billion merger of wireless carriers T-Mobile and Sprint. It’s an unusual step ahead of a decision by federal antitrust authorities. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)
You may need to start paying close attention to your wireless bill as T-Mobile announcedthe closing of its $26 billion Sprint acquisition. These combined companies could raise fees for pre-paid and other low-cost mobile phone plans, now that they have control of more than 127 million customers. With the U.S. wireless market dominated by three national players instead of four, will this leave Black and low income consumers behind in the wireless carrier race?
The Breakdown You Need To Know:Low cost mobile phone plans are the exact types of plans Sprint and T-Mobile had previously been driving down, according toCultureBanx. The median household income for African Americans was just over $39,000 in 2016, putting Black people directly in T-Mobile’s sweet spot among customers who make less than $75,000 per year. Sprint’s pre-paid brand Boost counts 83% of its users in that income range, according to data from Kagan, S&P Global Market Intelligence data. To obtain regulatory approval, T-Mobile and Sprint agreed to sell off certain assets, including Sprint’s prepaid wireless business, to the satellite TV service Dish.
Letitia James, the New York attorney general who was a key plaintiff in the case to stope this merger, had argued that the dealwould cost subscribers at least $4.5 billionannually, according to the New York Times.
Continue reading T-Mobile Closes $26 Billion Sprint Deal, Budget Conscious Consumers Beware on Forbes


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An primary Apple-1 prototype said to have when been owned by late Apple co-founder Steve Employment is up for auction. The unusual piece of Apple historical past was apparently hand-soldered by fellow co-founder Steve Wozniak, according to the listing by Boston-based mostly auction dwelling RR Auction.
It was stated to have been made use of by Jobs in a demonstration to Paul Terrell, proprietor of The Byte Shop in Mountain Perspective, California, in 1976. That demo resulted in Apple’s 1st huge purchase, after Terrell procured 50 Apple-1 pcs to be sold at $666.66 apiece, the listing states.
Pictures of the prototype display a long crack down the proper facet of the circuit board and indications of Wozniak’s ‘three-handed’ soldering method evidenced “in the limited ‘bubbles’ fashioned at the soldered connections,” in accordance to RR Auction.
The circuit board was reportedly matched to Polaroid photos taken by Terrell in 1976 and was reportedly examined and authenticated by Apple-1 qualified Corey Cohen in 2022. Cohen’s notarized 13-webpage report comes with the prototype, which RR Auction expects to fetch far more than $500,000.
“Handful of Apple artifacts could be viewed as as scarce, early, or historic as this Apple-1 prototype, which spent quite a few years on the ‘Apple Garage’ house — a web-site now entwined in the folklore of American business, in which two unlikely heroes established an empire,” RR Auction explained in its listing. “In addition, it is the perfect embodiment of the symbiosis amongst Steve Positions, Steve Wozniak, and Silicon Valley: the outstanding businessman, the electronics Einstein, and the infrastructure in which they thrived.”
Neither Apple nor RR Auction right away responded to CNET’s ask for for comment.


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Plans to rejuvenate a section of New Street and the length of Cloth Hall Street in Huddersfield Town Centre have been unveiled.
Plans will include a street garden to incorporate the council’s vision to create a thriving, modern-day town centre.
The green space at the heart of the town’s shopping area will encourage a café-street culture, offering more options for people to eat and socialise outdoors.
Following public feedback on the Huddersfield Blueprint, the authority has unveiled designs to support its £250m vision for the town.
Posts and bollards will be reduced on both streets to create wider footways and more open spaces that allow pedestrians to move more easily across the town. The larger, flexible spaces this creates on New Street could also be used for future pop-up markets and other outdoor events.
To complement the design, all road and pavement surfaces will be replaced with new quality materials to improve the curb appeal for existing businesses and encourage new businesses to the area.
Additional green spaces in the town centre are to support the councils declared Climate Emergency and once works are completed, the improvements are expected to boost economic recovery following the pandemic by encouraging people into the town.
Cllr Peter McBride, Deputy Leader of the Council said:
“This investment in New Street and Cloth Hall Street, at the heart of Huddersfield Town Centre, demonstrates our desire to revitalise the area for shoppers, visitors and businesses alike.
Shopping habits and social attitudes have changed, even before the recent pandemic restrictions were introduced. So, simply continuing as we were is not an option. Instead, we’re reimagining the town centre to become a place where people can come safely together in a cleaner, greener, family-friendly environment. One that we can all take pride in.
The introduction of an outdoor café-culture, pop-up markets, and space for events will bring energy to the town centre with vibrant colour and aromatic smells to entice people to shop, stop, stay and play. This increased footfall will boost both the daytime and evening economies on offer and will, in turn, generate local business growth and investment in the town.”
Councillor Naheed Mather, Cabinet Member for Environment commented:
“These plans support our wider ambition to tackle climate change, with incorporated planting and green spaces, and is just one part of the Huddersfield Blueprint; our 10 year vision to create a thriving modern-day town centre.”
Experts behind the plan have organised online events to give members of the public and local business an opportunity to learn more and ask questions.


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Maybach Music Group leader Rick Ross has joined the face tattooing craze as of late by showing off new ink beneath his left eye.
Based on a new photo, Ross now sports the name “Cazal” on his face.
Face tattoes = commitment. Placing ink on your face is a new and popular trend and Maybach Music Bawse Rick Ross just added more ink to his mug. Rozay took his obsession for shades to the next level and tattoed eyewear brand “Cazal” on the left side if his face. Ross reportedly has an insane vintage Cazal collection and now he’ll be wearing the brand even when he’s sans sunglasses. (VIBE)
In March, G-Unit leader 50 Cent discussed the negative side of artists tattooing their faces.
“That’s the craziest thing,” 50 explained in an interview. “Not necessarily Gucci, but to tattoo your face says that there’s not a possibility that you can actually walk into a legitimate establishment without makeup covering your face every day. That does not work. It creates a separation. It says, ‘I’m an artist.’ That’s it. That’s the statement you make when you go and tattoo your face…But know that the public will not have interest in you as an artist for life. You have to be phenomenal. Talk to the best that do it and they will tell you that it will take more than you being an artist. It takes marketing, maneuvering to generate for that long. When you got 40 year-old rappers in the game, those guys have maneuvered and survived.” (VIBE)
When asked if he would follow in rapper Gucci Mane‘s footsteps, rapper Waka Flocka Flame recently said face tats were not in his future.
“Like I just said, eh, we some wild dudes, [laughs]” Waka told radio host Bootleg Kev when asked about Gucci Mane’s ice cream face tattoo. “Ain’t no telling what [we] gonna do, man. [laughs] Nah, [no Fozzy Bear on my face]. Never. I ain’t touching my face.” (Bootleg Kev)
Around mid-January, Gucci Mane’s highly publicized ice cream face tattoo landed online.
SO ICEY! Gucci Mane hopped up out of rehab/mental facility a couple days ago. And he may need to demand a refund. Dude visited Tenth Street Tattoo in Atlanta today. And got this brand new little nugget of classiness–a big *ss ice cream cone complete with color, 3 scoops and the word “Brrr”–covering his whole right facial cheek. Wow. Tattoo artist and owner of the shop, Shane Willoughby, is the artist behind Gucci’s newest tattoo addition. And the master piercer in the shop–Jason Murray–tweeted the pics. (The YBF)
Check out some recent Rick Ross footage below:


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Metros account for only 41 per cent of Net users
Bangalore has 1.31 million Web usersIn smaller cities, almost 40 per cent of users are students
Bangalore: The four metros still account for large numbers of Internet users but other cities are fast catching up, and this includes Bangalore, which closely follows bigger Chennai (1.48 million users) with 1.31 million Web users.
The latest survey released by IAMAI (Internet and Mobile Association of India) points to the trend of even non-metro cities fast catching up in terms of Internet usage. The top metros now account for only 41 per cent of total users.
In terms of Internet access points, the cities show some variation.
In Bangalore, for instance, 23 per cent access the Internet from home, 15 per cent from office and 42 per cent from cyber cafes. Bangalore leads in the number of users in schools/colleges 17 per cent ahead of even bigger cities.
Traditional favourites email and chat continue to be dominant, but there is a gradual increase in users accessing the Net for other purposes such as e-commerce, matrimony and business and financial information.
In Bangalore, a good 46 per cent are into the Internet for email and nine per cent visit job sites. Information seekers account for 20 per cent and three per cent use the Net for e-commerce transactions.
The popularity of job sites and matrimonial sites may be increasing.
An earlier survey showed Bangalore closely followed Delhi and Mumbai in the number of those making purchases of items ranging from apparel to music albums through the Internet.
In the smaller cities, almost 40 per cent of Internet users are students, which shows how the medium has become useful to that section. The large proportion of school/college users in Bangalore is because most institutions now provide Internet access.
Even several government and municipal schools have been gifted computers by information technology companies.


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Sona Comstar ties up with IIT Delhi to fund start-ups1 min read . Updated: 17 Jun 2020, 06:47 PM IST
IIT Delhi wants to engage with the industry to strengthen startup programs in academia to bring new technologies to market
NEW DELHI : Sona Comstar, a leading automobile component manufacturer Wednesday tied up with Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT-Delhi) to support, fund and mentor innovative startups.
"IIT Delhi wants to engage with the industry to strengthen startup programs in academia as this is a good way to quickly bring new technologies to market," said IIT delhi director V Ramgopal Rao.
Kiran Deshmukh, Chief Technology Officer of Sona Comstar said he is hopeful that this partnership will enable creation of new IP and innovative "Make-in-India products".
The Sona Comstar, with revenue of Rs. 1,500 crore is an Indian origin, global automotive systems and components manufacturer with 10 plants spread across India, China, Mexico, and the US, according to the official website of the company. Sunjay Kapur is the chairman of Sona Comstar.
Startups working in the area of e-mobility can apply under this program and each of the selected startup can get up to Rs.80 lakh grant with the option to retain its IP.
IIT Delhi that has a robust start up culture in the campus, and is planning to expand its start-up ecosystem in a satellite campus in Haryana said “this is first of its kind industry support programme in the area of mobility".
Anil Wali managing director of the foundation for innovation and technology transfer, a department t that nurtures startups and industrial relation said the collaboration will help in the design and development of indigenous technologies.


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Nanny cams have become quite popular, and there is no shortage of parents that use them to either keep an eye on their kids when they’re not home or keep an eye on what the babysitter is really up to.
There definitely have been abusive nannies and babysitters exposed through the use of nanny cams, so they have their use.
But…what this mom from New Jersey did with her nanny cam has gotten her arrested.
33-year-old Heather Bamford gave her daughter a Minnie Mouse doll right before dropping her off to spend time with her dad; who is Heather’s ex-husband.
This was no ordinary stuffed toy though; Heather had installed a recording device into the toy in the hopes of being able to listen in to her ex without him knowing about it.
When Heather’s ex picked up the toy and pressed a button on it, expecting it to talk…it sure did, but it didn’t say what he thought it would!
The toy played back a recording of something he had said and something his daughter had said.
On Sunday, December 15th, around 8:15 in the evening, Heather’s ex called the police to report that the recording device had been put in his daughter’s toy.
Heather has been arrested and charged with harassment and wiretapping since New Jersey requires the person being recorded to consent to it and her ex had absolutely no idea what she was doing.
Bre is a female millennial go getter residing in New York. One part entrepreneur, one part geek, she obtained her degree in Textile/Surface Design from The Fashion Institute of Technology.
She has held some exciting roles in both fashion as a designer working for brands like Victoria’s Secret and Henri Bendel, as well as in ad tech working for publishers like Ziff Davis.
Today she operates Chip Chick Media which reaches millions of women each month.
Bre is passionate about teaching women how to build a business and be an entrepreneur, in addition to keeping her readers informed of the latest technology trends and exciting products to improve their lifestyles.
You can send Bre a message here.


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OutKast leads a line-up that includes Two Door Cinema Club, Lily Allen, Interpol, Foster The People, Angus & Julia Stone, City And Colour, London Grammar, Vance Joy, Darkside, Rüfüs, Kelis and Chvrches.
Colombian rocker Juanes has successfully adapted to the new, digital music industry with more than 9 million followers on Twitter, and a record breaking live streaming concert last month that had more than 1 million viewers.
Julie Lewis, the mother of Ryan Lewis -- the non-rapping half of the Grammy-winning duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis -- is celebrating 30 years of surviving the HIV virus with the launch of a new pro-healthcare campaign called the 30/30 Project.
Popular fashion retailer H&M has recruited French house veteran Bob Sinclar to promote their upcoming summer campaign. Sinclar and Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen, covered Blondie’s 1978 single, “Heart of Glass.”


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Franchising to Boost Job Creation Amid Economic Downturn
The recent National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) report shows that the unemployment rate in the country in FY 2018-19 was at 5.3% in rural India and 7.8% in urban India, resulting in overall unemployment rate of 6.1%. As per market estimates, current unemployment in India is at a 45-decade high. The situation is aggravated with the spurt in instances of job losses from automobile manufacturers to biscuit makers. For instance, the automobile sector which makes up for almost 7.5% of the country’s GDP and almost half the manufacturing GDP, has laid off 3.5 lakh employees.
This is because consumer demand has shrunk dramatically over the last 10 months of sectoral slowdown. Many other sectors, including real estate, banking and FMCG, are feeling the heat as well, but haven’t yet sizzled completely under pressure. While economic conditions are not permanent and are expected to recuperate in sometime, the lay-offs highlight the big employment gap to be covered in the market.
Major Boost for Franchising
Past recessions and economic downturns have clearly shown that people turn to franchising in times when the economy is strained or could likely become strained. Why? People want more control of their future with a business that comes with proven systems and support. It is globally proven that during a slowdown franchising is the established format to fix the economic stress by giving people opportunities to start a small business without much knowhow.
Approximately 1.5 million people are currently employed by franchised businesses in India. With the current economic conditions, low-cost franchises with investment below Rs 25 lakhs will be in high demand. In addition, industry’s big push on micro franchising and fulfilment services is expected to convert the 50 million people employed in the unorganised sector towards higher paying blue-collar jobs in the franchise businesses. An average franchise unit employs between 8-20 people with 70% in blue-collar and 30% in white-collar jobs. Further, a large young population indicates high entrepreneurial energy in the country.
This is where the franchise model helps through shared ownership. In fact, 53% of the brands offer franchise at a start-up cost of less than or equal to Rs 5 lakhs, thereby addressing the high entrepreneurial drive in the country at the bottom of the pyramid. Notably, 84% of the franchisees in India are post-graduates and graduates. Overall, franchise employment is projected to grow by 35% annually, continuing to outpace the rest of the economic sectors. By the end of 2019, the franchising industry is set to have 2.5 lakh outlets through over 5,000 brands.


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Montreal-based corporate event platform startup Planned has raised $4.7 million CAD in venture financing led by Inovia Capital, with participation from Telegraph Hill Capital and N49P. This brings Planned’s total capital raised to $7 million.
Founded in 2017 as Entr, the startup rebranded in October of 2019 as Planned. The decision was made in advance of Planned’s expansion into New York City in November of that same year. The startup’s platform allows corporate event planners to connect with suppliers and book what they need for their events, while providing a curated portfolio of venues and vendors across North America.
“Even if COVID has highly affected the event industry, we truly believe that it will be a great opportunity for the one who can weather the storm”
According to co-founder and CEO Marc-Antoine Bonin, the COVID-19 pandemic had a deep impact on Planned’s revenue in 2020, setting up an operational shift in its product to a completely self-service tool. Bonin acknowledged his startup made layoffs to its account management team as a result of COVID-19, a total of 22 people were let go during the year, as Planned’s sales model prior to the pandemic was based solely on in-person events.
However, the startup found that suppliers were increasingly interested in long-term partnerships in 2020. Bonin noted that Planned has added seven staff members to its product and engineering team to correspond with an anticipated return to in-person events in 2021 with the expected release of a COVID-19 vaccine.
During 2020, Planned launched a virtual marketplace to help planners find suppliers. Additionally, a new version of the platform, expected to launch in 2021, will feature a marketplace for venues and vendors for in-person, hybrid, or virtual events that includes health and safety protocols.
“COVID gave us an opportunity to better understand our core customer segments,” said Bonin, who co-founded Planned with Emeric Noel (president).
“We launched our discovery program, and built a network of experienced event planners to provide feedback on our new feature development,” the CEO said. “Now, we’re confident that what we’re building solves real problems for people striving to build the best possible corporate experiences for their peers.”
“It was important for us to provide value to our customers and assist them in the transition to virtual events, so we built a virtual experience marketplace with thousands of services ranging from speakers to virtual sushi-making classes,” said Noel. “We are constantly improving our platform to meet the changing needs of enterprises and their event personnel. An example is our COVID map, which provides insight on event regulations across different states and provinces.”
With the influx of venture financing, Bonin said the startup is focused on attracting top tech talent and expanding its partnership base with venues and vendors across North America.
“Even if COVID has highly affected the event industry, we truly believe that it will be a great opportunity for the one who can weather the storm,” said Bonin. “We see a really bright future for Planned as we believe that we will be extremely well positioned to help enterprises get back to in-person events after the pandemic.”


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Pandemic habits push struggling waste sector to the brink
The surge in home-delivered food and online shopping during COVID-19 has put extra strain on Victoria’s already stretched waste disposal sector.
An Infrastructure Victoria report has found Victorians are producing five per cent more household waste per person than they were pre-pandemic.
Chief of Policy and Research from Infrastructure Australia, Peter Colacino, says the pandemic has led to the reversal a long-running decline in waste.
“That comes off the back of a year-on-year decline in personal waste for the last 12 years,” he told Stephen Quartermain and Tony Leonard.
There are concerns the new habits, which are driving up household waste volumes, may not stop with the end of the pandemic.
“It’s difficult to see how people’s appetite for online shopping and e-commerce will decline post-COVID, as people have got used to shopping online and people understand the convenience of it as an alternative,” Mr Colacino said.
“That could actually be part of a broader transition of people spending less time shopping face-to-face and spending more time shopping online.”
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Roseburg MOD Pizza construction begins, expected to open in August2:56 AM · Jun 30, 2022
Construction has started on the new MOD Pizza restaurant in Roseburg and the expected opening date is August 18. The restaurant chain applied received approval from the City of Roseburg Planning Department and applied for two permits from the Douglas County Building Department on Feb. 7 to open a location next door to Rodeo Steakhouse at 1200 NW Garden Valley Blvd. The build-your-own pizza chain started in Seattle, WA in 2008 and has expanded to more than 20 states and more than 500 locations. Roseburg Tracker reached out to Mod with no response.


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Retailers losing £419.9 billion a year in revenue through in-store failingsby
The research, Retailers and the Ghost Economy: The Haunting of Out-of-Stocks, says consumers are being left empty-handed in stores due to a series of service and operational issues. These include shelves simply being left empty (creating a £157.7 billion in lost revenue), customers being unable to find help from staff (£80 billion), a price/offer not matching the advertising (£49.1 billion) and the fact that staff couldn’t find stock in their warehouses (£45.1 billion).
The ongoing problems are stated to also be having a significant impact on a retailer’s bottom line, resulting in a revenue loss of 4.1% for an average retailer worldwide.
John Squire, president for OrderDynamics, who commissioned the research, believes technology failures play a large part in many of these missed opportunities:
“There is a great deal of industry discussion around customer-centricity. Retailers are spending time and analysis trying to determine how to attract and retain customers and yet have a long way to go to reduce out-of-stocks and the resulting customer disappointment.
“As retailers enter the most important part of the year, it’s important to recognise that they can still take steps to reduce out-of-stocks with technology and connected data.”
It’s not just physical stores where revenue is being lost from empty-handed customers, however. Online, shopping cart abandonment is said to be leading to 42% of international revenue being lost at payment pages of retail websites.
According to industry expert, Daan Pepijn, the only way established global retailers with equal operations on and offline can truly improve is by integrating their operational Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) data up with their CRM data:
“Integrated CRM-ERP provides a way of comprehensively addressing both front- and back-office activities of businesses. In most cases in the past, CRM and ERP tools were run separately or as standalone systems.
“Even with benefits, a lack of interconnection or interoperability limits the advantages. An integrated approach will mean functions and features complement each other in an end-to-end solution.”
However, the issue of in-store, personal customer service failings leading to revenue loss is one that arguably can’t be solved by technology changes.
Research commissioned by Dyn, in April, revealed that customers still value in-store service a unique selling point for retailers, yet two-thirds of retailers now believe their customers receive the best service online (either website, mobile or app), compared to 25% of retailers who say their best customer service comes from in-store, suggesting more needs to be done to improve service in-store.
Chris was an Editor at MyCustomer from 2014 to 2022. He is a practiced editor, having worked as a copywriter for creative agency, Stranger Collective from 2009 to 2011 and subsequently as a journalist covering technology, marketing and customer service from 2011-2014 as editor of Business Cloud News.


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Car parts maker Faurecia launches 705 million euros cap hike to fund Hella buy – Reuters.com
PARIS, June 3 (Reuters) – French auto parts supplier Faurecia (EPED.PA) launched a 705 million euro ($758 million) capital increase to fund its acquisition of German rival Hella (HLE.DE), it said on Friday.
Faurecia sealed the purchase in February, creating a combined group named Forvia, which is set to become the seventh-largest automotive supplier in the world.
($1 = 0.9299 euros)
Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com
Reporting by Silvia Aloisi;
Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.


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London’s menswear Fashion Week was originally scheduled to take place over the course of this weekend, as it does every June: the usual programme of runway shows, model presentations, events, and parties, and the endless opportunities for street style.
Then, of course, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic put a halt to all that, throwing the future of fashion shows – and fashion weeks – into doubt. In response, the British Fashion Council set up a series of virtual events on a new digital platform, offering designers a space to show new designs or other creative projects, and hosting everything from panel discussions to digital showrooms.
The so-called ‘Virtual Fashion Week’ was not without its challenges: most designers have been unable to produce new collections, as the majority of garment factories remain in a state of forced closure due to quarantine lockdowns. And the shortage of heavyweight British designers on the schedule meant that the weekend’s events lacked a wider impact: Burberry, Craig Green, A-COLD-WALL*, and Vivienne Westwood were among the brands that did not participate.
Alongside that, many designers expressed their discomfort at promoting new collections in the midst of the ongoing #BlackLivesMatter protests. Instead, designers including Charles Jeffrey used the event as an opportunity to raise funds for social justice charities, while Liam Hodges cancelled his scheduled plans entirely.
In spite of that, there were standouts from London’s current crop of designers, who used the opportunity afforded by the virtual schedule to articulate their brand identity and values, even without a runway show – or even any news clothes to display. Here are the highlights.
As one of London’s few designers with a significant international following, Martine Rose‘s presence on the schedule was the weekend’s most high-profile draw. Though she didn’t present a Spring/Summer 2021 collection – as she would have done under normal circumstances – Rose instead released a conscious capsule collection with the retailer LN-CC, using deadstock fabrics from her own studio.
To mark the occasion, Rose and LN-CC collaborated with the poet and activist Kai-Isaiah Jamal on a short film incorporating a recital of Jamal’s work.
Martine Rose’s conscious collection is available exclusively at LN-CC.
In lieu of presenting a new collection, Nicholas Daley chose to revisit his AW20 show with a short film, The Abstract Truth. The runway show, which was held in a former cinema in January, featured music by jazz musicians Kwake Bass, Wu-Lu and Rago Foot, who appear in the film. Revisiting his most recent show cemented Daley’s commitment to celebrating Black creativity, and drew attention back to his strongest collection yet, shortly before it’s due to land in stores.
Nicholas Daley’s current collection is available at SSENSE.
Instead of launching new clothes for her minimal, tailoring-focused line, menswear designer Bianca Saunders used the platform of virtual fashion week to release a zine with photographer Joshua Woods, and hosted a live panel with SHOWSTUDIO addressing the importance of creative collaboration. Since her debut, Saunders has used her design work to explore issues surrounding identity, masculinity, and her heritage; with these collaborations she found new ways to articulate them.
The footwear label ROKER has quietly built a name for its distinctive leather footwear that’s designed to be worn by both men and women, and for its collaborations with buzzy London labels including Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY and Art School. For his contribution to the virtual events, designer Alim Latif commissioned six short videos, asking friends of the brand to film themselves at home in a pair of the label’s signature boots – underscoring the brand’s vision of gender fluidity.
ROKER can be purchased through the brand’s web store.
Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY
Though he had originally planned to throw a virtual party, Charles Jeffrey changed his plans in light of the global protests for social justice. Instead, he used his platform at Fashion Week to host a “talent showcase”, highlighting a number of Black creatives and asking viewers to donate to Black Pride UK. Alongside that, Jeffrey revealed a new capsule collection that will go on sale in December 2020, with proceeds going to the Kaleidoscope Trust.
Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY’s current collection is available at SSENSE and Dover Street Market.
Designer Priya Ahluwalia, whose eponymous clothing line is known for its clever reworkings of deadstock textiles, opted to host a virtual exhibition in lieu of a show. The exhibition marks the launch of her new photography book, Jalebi, which celebrates the Punjabi community and reflects on what it means to be a mixed-heritage person living in Britain today.
The full line-up of designers and their presentations can still be viewed at the London Fashion Week website.


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Greentube, the NOVOMATIC Interactive division has signed a partnership with Romanian operator Game World, increasing its market footprint.
The renowned Romanian operator has gained access to the developer’s extensive games portfolio, following a successful integration with the ORYX iGaming platform. Titles such as Sizzling Hot deluxe, Book of Ra deluxe and Lucky Lady’s Charm deluxe have gone live with the Romanian operator, together with the recent hit-title Diamond Link: Mighty Elephant and Romeo & Juliet – Sealed with a Kiss.
The partnership is a part of Greentube’s agreement with Stanleybet, a company operating the Game World Group brands in Romania. Its latest partner has been at the helm of land-based casino activities in the Romanian market since 1999 and operates the largest gambling hall in the country, which is already familiar with NOVOMATIC’s land-based titles.
Teaming up With Another Established Brand
Representatives from Greentube, which recently partnered with Playtech, say that they are providing very popular titles to the Romanian market and that they are thrilled about going live with another well-established local brand. They are looking forward to a successful partnership.
Michael Bauer, CFO/CGO of Greentube, said: “The Romanian market is going from strength to strength for us, with our content proving very popular with a wide demographic of local players. We are thrilled to now go live with yet another well-established local brand and we look forward to working together to provide players with an exciting and thrilling gaming experience.”
Attila Török, Strategy Director at Game World, said: “Greentube’s fantastic games portfolio offers a combination of the strong land-based titles that our customers have a great affinity to, together with the latest online releases which offer innovative features and exciting game play. Its diverse range of content will be a valuable addition to our existing offering.”
More About the Supplier
Greentube is a leading full-service provider in the iGaming industry, especially in the online and mobile gaming sector. The company is proud to be able to offer safe and secure casino entertainment to players around the world. As a part of the NOVOMATIC Interactive division, Greentube provides solutions that continue to shape the future of this ever-changing sector.
It started its journey in 1997, launching a 3D sports game Ski Challenge. The company changed its name to Greentube Internet Entertainment Solutions AG in 2000 and continued its journey as a pioneer in the development and provision of state-of-the-art gaming solutions. In 2010, Greentube became a proud member of the NOVOMATIC Group.
“Greentube cements Romanian position with Game World launch”, greentube.com, June 15, 2020.


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In the wake of the massive iCloud hack that revealed scores of nude celebrity pictures, should you really trust Apple with your credit card information? Even if you think the answer is “no,” the good news is that you won’t have to trust the company when it comes to Apple Pay — instead you’ll be trusting your credit card company’s network.
Writing over at The Unofficial Apple Weblog, Yoni Heisler provides the most thorough and informative explanation for just how Apple Pay works and it should ease a lot of fears that anyone has about their credit card information ending up like Jennifer Lawrence’s selfies.
The way Apple Pay works is just fundamentally different from how iCloud works. As Heisler explains, when you enter in your credit card information to Apple Pay, it isn’t stored on the phone or even on Apple’s servers — instead, it’s whisked away to your credit card company’s secure network for safe keeping.
Your credit card company then sends back a 16-number token to your iPhone that acts as a “dummy” credit card number that gets stored on your phone’s secure element. Other than the last four digits of the token, which do correspond with the last four digits of your credit card number, the token’s number sequence is randomly generated and cannot be reverse engineered to decipher your credit card. In fact, the token’s only purpose is to act as an authenticator for authorizing payments with your actual credit card info.
And that’s just the start of it — Heisler also goes into great detail about the additional security measures Apple has taken including its Touch ID system and cryptograms. His entire report is very worth reading and can be found by clicking the source link below.


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Having introduced three new smartphone smartphones and a flip phone earlier this week, Samsung has now introduced two new powerbanks capable of delivering 25W performance and a new car charger capable of delivering 45W full power.
While these three new products were not unveiled at the 'Unpacked' event earlier this week, Samsung claims they should accompany the flagship Galaxy S20 and Galaxy Z Flip. Although we can't find them at Samsung India online store, just all these new accessories have been posted on the Korean giant's web.
As for power equipment, both new power equipment have a capacity of 10,000 mAh, although they are not the same. ASE to clarify.
The first power bank really equipment a Qi pad for wireless charging. You can take advantage of 7.5 W wireless charging speeds with this powerbank, while offering 25 W charging via Type-C ports – which are, of course, similar.
SEE ALSO: Samsung, LG report made Smartphone portable screens
This powerbank also includes five LED lights that indicate what the payment status of the internal battery is. A single corporal button is placed next to these markers. This price is $ 80 (approx. 5,700 INR).
The new Samsung 45W car charger The second power bank does not support wireless charging. It comes with a USB-A port instead of two USB-C ports. But you can benefit from 25W charging here.
The company's new car charger offers 45W charging and features a USB Type-C port and a USB-A port. Note that only the Type-C port can offer 45W charging, the USB-A port is limited to 15W charging.
It should be noted that only the Galaxy S20 Ultra and Galaxy Note10 + support 45W charging, while others top 25W.
SEE ALSO: 5 Reasons Why Flip Galaxy Z Can't Be Disaster Like Galaxy Fold


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India plans to enable trades among its otherwise localised farm markets to enhance transparency in the sale and purchase of agricultural output, leveraging the electronic-National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) platform that now hosts 585 large agri-mandis.
The inter-mandi trade will facilitate more competition among trader and more choices to farmers, say agriculture ministry officials.
In the past two years, more than 9.3 million farmers have sold 169.40 lakh tonne quantity farm produce worth Rs 43,050 crore through the e-NAM until April 19. Further, about 1lakh traders and 60,000 commission agents have been registered under e-NAM.
“We are trying to add 200 more mandis this year. Also, we want to improve the quality of transaction. By quality, we aim that we should start with inter-mandi trading and put logistics in place,” said Shobhana K Pattanayak, secretary, department of agriculture, cooperation & farmers' welfare.
The agriculture ministry’s says that with inter-state and inter- mandi trade, the trader will get the facility to bid in any of the mandis through online operations.
Also, once the mandis were fully integrated, this will help farmers sell their produce bypassing traders and commission agents.


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Acton University (AU) began in 2005 as a modest conference, hosting fewer than 100 participants in its inaugural year. Each year since, the Acton Institute has focused on growing the conference’s footprint and reaching new audiences around the world. By 2019, AU was established as a four-day, world-class conference that welcomed about 1,000 individuals from more than 80 countries.
In the months leading up to AU 2020, the global COVID-19 pandemic shut down travel and required Acton to cancel its in-person conference. In a matter of months, the Acton Institute pivoted to hosting Acton University fully online. The new digital conference retained its world-class speakers and panels but made these amazing resources available to participants from the comfort of their own homes.
The continued challenges due to the coronavirus pandemic forced Acton to host AU online again this year. Holding the conference digitally for a second consecutive year allowed Acton to improve the experience for participants and spread its message to several thousand more people than are able to attend AU in person.
Acton also hosted a small group of participants in its headquarters for a unique “hybrid” AU experience. These guests watched the panels and lectures digitally but were able to meet, discuss and socialize with their in-person peers. This experiment was a success and will provide a model for other hybrid Acton events in the future.
Both hybrid and fully digital AU participants provided positive and excellent feedback about this year’s event. Data showed that over 3,300 participants registered from 86 countries and over 95% rated the conference as “good” or “excellent.”
Like last year’s conference, AU Online 2021 increased the conference’s accessibility and allowed many guests to participate who would not have been able to attend the event in person. Participants from all over the world commented on the quality of the speakers and lectures, and expressed gratitude about their ability to attend AU this year.
In the words of one conference participant:
“This is my third year of AU participation, and I do not have enough words to express the impact of this experience on my life, the way I envision what a virtuous society should be and how well-equipped I feel to share these thoughts and visions with others in my community.”
Although the last year has taught that virtual events cannot fully replace in-person experiences, hosting Acton University Online for two years showed that a digital conference is a great tool for reaching new people and growing Acton’s influence with participants around the world.
The Acton Institute is happy to announce that next year’s Acton University will feature an in-person conference in conjunction with a digital experience for guests not able to travel to Grand Rapids.