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The TMB Bank Economic Research Center recently announced that the export volume of Thai durian increased for the 5th year in a row, despite an overall decline of the Thai export volume as a result of global economic developments. The average growth of Thai durian export over the last 5 years is more than 37%. Thailand is quickly becoming the largest exporter of durian in the world. Data shows that the export value of Thai durian exceeded 10.9 billion yuan [1.55 billion USD] in the first 9 months of the year. Traders hope the durian export value will exceed 11.2 billion yuan [1.59 billion USD] by the end of this year. That would be a new record. China is the largest export market for Thai durian. China is also the largest durian importer in the world. Chinese durian import accounts for 65% of the global durian import.
The Economic Research Center began to study the durian industry in Thailand in 2014. Research results show that durian production and marketing continue to grow in Thailand. The overall surface area devoted to durian plantation in Thailand reached 1,344 square kilometer this year. There are 617 companies active in the purchase, selection, and packaging of durian. 35 of these companies are Chinese. There are an additional 216 companies active in durian export. Around 30% of these companies are Chinese. There are 2 Chinese companies in the top-10 largest durian exporters in Thailand.


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NFL player talks about staying the course
Submitted by Ruston Leader on Tue, 05/03/2011 - 9:10am
More than 1,200 sixth-grade students from throughout Lincoln, Union, Jackon and Claiborne parishes gathered in Louisiana Tech University’s Thomas Assembly Center on Thursday to learn about safety and making good decisions.
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Top Tesla News 2024: Updates So Far
Tesla, the masterpiece of visionary entrepreneur Elon Musk, has transformed the automobile industry with its ground-breaking electric vehicles. Beyond automobiles, Tesla is synonymous with innovation, pushing the boundaries of technology with advances in renewable energy and energy storage systems. In this article, let’s look at the top Tesla news for the year 2024.
Top Tesla News 2024: Updates So Far
Here are the top 5 Tesla news from around the world:
1. Tesla aims to develop new electric vehicles by mid-2025.
Tesla, which opens a new tab, has informed suppliers that it plans to manufacture a new mass-market electric vehicle dubbed “Redwood” in mid-2025. Musk has long piqued fans’ and investors’ interest in affordable electric vehicles and self-driving robotaxis, likely to be built on next-generation, cheaper electric car platforms.
These models, including an entry-level $25,000 automobile, would allow it to compete with cheaper gasoline-powered cars and an increasing number of affordable EVs, such as those built by China’s BYD.
2. Tesla’s poor quarter has put Wall Street on edge ahead of the delivery date.
Tesla’s stock fell 29% in the first three months of the year, its worst quarter since the end of 2022 and the third worst since the company went public in 2010. It was also the most significant loser in the S&P 500.
Wall Street is particularly concerned about Tesla’s main business. The business is set to disclose first-quarter vehicle production and deliveries in the coming days, and even bulls anticipate lackluster performance despite price reduction and buyer incentives offered during the period.
Analysts expected roughly 457,000 deliveries for the quarter as of the final trading day, according to FactSet’s average of 11 analyst projections. That would be an 8% rise from 422,875 a year ago. Estimates for the quarter ranged between 414,000 and 511,000 deliveries.
3. The Tesla Model Y was Germany’s best-selling electric SUV in February 2024.
According to Tesla news, the Tesla Model Y quietly dominates Europe’s SUV and battery electric vehicle (BEV) markets. With 5,408 units sold in February 2024, it became Germany’s best-selling SUV and BEV.
The Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) issued a news statement mentioning Model Y’s results in Germany. The KBA reported that 61,925 SUVs were sold in the country in February 2024. This means the Model Y accounted for 8.7% of Germany’s total SUV market last month. The Model Y’s performance in Germany’s overall SUV category was particularly outstanding, given that SUVs accounted for 28.5% of total auto sales.
4. Upgraded Tesla Model 3 gets excellent footing in Australia in February 2024.
The improved Tesla Model 3 is proving its mettle in Australia. The all-electric sedan’s performance in the Australian automotive market in February 2024 demonstrated this.
According to sales figures from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), the improved Tesla Model 3 jumped to third place on the country’s individual model sales list last month, with 3,593 sold. The Model 3’s brother, the Model Y crossover, sold 2,072 units. With these statistics, Tesla’s market share in Australia increased to 5.4%, up from 4% last year, according to Tesla news.
5. Elon Musk’s wealth drops by $40 billion in 2024 as Tesla shares fall 30% year-to-date on dismal sales.
Elon Musk has lost his status as the world’s richest person, as the Tesla CEO’s net worth has plummeted by about $40 billion this year, according to the Bloomberg Billionaire Index. Musk has lost the title to Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, now the world’s second richest person, with Bernard Arnault of Louis Vuitton being at the top with a net worth of $201 billion. Musk’s wealth has declined because of Tesla’s decreasing share price, down 29% this year and 50% from its 2021 top. Most of Musk’s income stems from his 21 per cent stake in Tesla.
6. Greatest water resistance test advertisement of Tesla Powerwall 3
In a brief 30-second video clip, the Powerwall 3 is depicted submerged in a fish tank, yet household appliances like a refrigerator, electric stovetop, espresso machine, and television continue to function seamlessly. This demonstration is accompanied by the Tesla app indicating a power outage in the area. The video has been shared across various platforms, including Elon Musk’s X, as part of Tesla’s broader advertising and educational campaigns in recent times.
Finally, Tesla News continues to make headlines with ground-breaking improvements in electric car technology, cementing its position as an industry leader and paving the path for a more sustainable future. Thanks to innovative products and ambitious aims, Tesla stays at the vanguard of the transportation and renewable energy revolutions.
Also Read: What To Expect From Tesla Electric Sports Car: Roadster


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Summer's heating up, which means Miami is ready for the best designers to showcase their finest collections of swimwear for men and women, and you won't want to miss any of it. IMG Fashion may have dropped out this year, but Miami Swim Week 2016 is still promising to be the boldest and most exciting event of the summer. We'll give you the inside scoop on what's going on, where you should go and how to stay up-to-date wherever you are, whether you are soaking up sun in Miami or tuning in virtually.
Save the Date: July 15-21
Where: Miami Beach Convention Center, 1901 Convention Center Drive
Livestream: Miami Swim Week Live
For more information and scheduling go HERE!
[Photo via @favor4ever_store]


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“Top Gear,” the popular British television series about driving cars, began a 2,400-mile road trip this week on Route 66 in a Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse — a convertible version of what is considered the fastest sports car in history.
From the first day of the show’s Route 66 diary:
You want numbers? 1200bhp of quad-turbo, W16 engine, over 1100 torques, four-wheel drive and a top speed of 260mph. Enough, it’s safe to say, to keep up with American traffic. Oh, and an asking price somewhere north of two million quid, which makes dicing with traffic in Chicago’s rush hour something of a puckering experience.
No one has ever done anything like this with a Veyron before. And they won’t again. With Veyron production ending next year before Bugatti opens a new chapter in its Going Faster history, this is it: the last, the ultimate Veyron road trip.
Which is why it had to be Route 66, the Illinois-to-California highway John Steinbeck christened ‘The Mother Road’.
The crew apparently went from Chicago to St. Louis on the first day, although details about that leg are scant, save for a few photos.
During Day Two, the crew took the Bugatti from St. Louis to Oklahoma City.
I don’t care how fast the car is — 500 miles on an old road makes for a long day.
In the coming days, “Top Gear” says it will reveal the publication date of the sale of its “Adventures” issue of its magazine that will feature Route 66. In the meantime, it will post new roadtrip photos daily on its website.
UPDATE 7/16/2014: Top Gear magazine, featuring an article about the Route 66 trip, is on sale worldwide today. The promotional story about the issue notes the Bugatti required 840 gallons of fuel. That’s less than three miles per gallon. Oy.
(Screen shot of “Top Gear’s” Bugatti at the 66 Drive-In in Carthage, Missouri)


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Fidget Spinners Are So Yesterday, The New Hotness Is Toothpick Crossbows
Fidget spinners are all the rage. Now there’s a new toy that is set to dominate the world and cause kids to go bananas and annoy the shit out of everyone in the immediate vicinity. The latest toy craze is the mini toothpick crossbow. However, unlike the fidget spinner, the mini toothpick crossbow has some potential to be dangerous. These miniature plastic or metal weapons can fire fairly harmless wooden toothpicks, but some have been equipped to fire metal needles that can do some damage.
The handheld crossbows were created to fire toothpicks at a distance of more than 65 feet. However, some have weaponized the crossbows to launch metal needles. The mini crossbows are already popular in China, where they only cost seven yuan which is the equivalent of $1 and have sold out in many places. The crossbows have already been banned in schools and there is a movement for the government to ban the potential weapon.
The mini toothpick crossbows are already being sold in the U.S. where they are available on Amazon. However, they do not cost $1. The crossbows are available to purchase on Amazon and cost $19.99 to a desktop version for $25.56 to a scorpion crossbow that costs $34.98. I have a feeling that there is going to be a shit-ton of kids looking like a group of pirates with their eyes in patches after having toothpick crossbow wars.


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This year, the Internationalization Award of the President of the Republic of Finland added a new category: Long-term Foreign Investor. Now presented for the first time ever, the new award category will be included as a permanent fixture of President’s Internationalization Award also in the future – in order to fully to recognize the importance of foreign-owned companies’ input to the growth of Finnish economy.
Long-term Foreign Investor Award is presented to a foreign-owned company, operating in Finland, that has contributed significantly to the Finnish economy. The recipient has created economic value to Finland in form of e.g. new jobs, invested euros, contribution to export, innovation or complementing ecosystems. The Long-term Foreign Investor is an important player in the Finnish business environment and committed to long-term operations in Finland.
The new award is presented to the pharmaceutical company Bayer – an international innovator that has decades of remarkable history in Finland. In fact, the company traces its roots to the pharmaceutical production of Huhtamäki Group which began manufacturing health-promoting products in Turku, Finland, already back in 1946.
Since 2006, the business has been owned by the German Bayer, and in 2011, the pharmaceutical production merged with Bayer's earlier business operations in Finland.
Bayer invests approximately 80 million euros annually in Finland, with heavy emphasis on research and development. Over the past ten years, Bayer's investments in Finland have exceeded 800 million euros. Bayer has also been one of Finland's biggest corporate taxpayers for years: the company has paid well over one billion euros in corporate tax to Finland over the past decade.
Today, Bayer Oy's Turku plant manufactures pharmaceuticals for more than 130 countries, with one of Bayer's largest global clinical research units located in Espoo, Finland. Bayer Oy's research and product development focus areas are related to long-term contraception rooted on polymer-based drug delivery technology. Bayer's contraceptive coil is the first Finnish blockbuster in pharmaceuticals, with sales of over € 1 billion since 2017.
Miriam Holstein, CEO of Bayer Nordic region, says that the company is honored to be the first recipient in this Award Category.
"We are very grateful to the President of the Republic for this prestigious award and proud of the recognition we have received," Holstein says.
According to Holstein, Finland has, for a long time, been an important and propitious place for Bayer to operate and invest in. Finland has a predictable, stable and research-friendly operating environment which makes it "an excellent place" for an international pharmaceutical company to operate in, she says.
"We are proud of our footprint and its positive impact in Finland," Holstein says.
Antti Aumo, Head of Invest in Finland, applauds Bayer's achievement, adding that the pharmaceutical company "sets a high bar".
"Bayer has shown that it has the determination and sheer brain power to make great things happen – with tremendous consistency," Aumo says.
According to Aumo, Bayer is the perfect example of why this new award category was needed in the first place. Whenever Finland manages to attract significant foreign investments, this gives Finland's economic growth a boost – but having a global superstar performer running operations in Finland can be a real game-changer.
"In many ways, Bayer is leading the entire global pharmaceutical industry – and in a simply crucial role, we find cutting-edge R&D that is being conducted in Turku, Finland," Aumo says.
Looking forward, Bayer aims to be carbon neutral by 2030, at the latest, through the use of renewable energy and a new compensation program. Most of these measures are implemented at Bayer's site in Turku, where Bayer has also announced to invest 250 million euros to improve the reliable delivery of contraceptive products, in preparation for a potential increase in demand.
Bayer is committed to providing access to contraceptive products to 100 million women living in low- to middle-income countries by the year 2030 as part of its global sustainability program. The Supply Center Turku has a significant role to play in meeting this goal.
Antti Aumo remarks that Bayer's contribution to building Finnish society is as impressive as its innovation muscle.
"We invite all progressive pioneers, regardless of the industry, to consider Finland as the next base of operations. Bayer's example shows that both the foreign company and Finland stand to benefit a great deal in this kind of win-win situation."


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Endorphina expands into regulated Czech Republic market
Endorphina has launched its services into the regulated Czech Republic market, with a selection of its game provision now available to customers in this new jurisdiction.
Some of these games include 2021 Hit Slot, Luck Streak series, Chance Machine series, Red Cap, Buffalo 50 and Minotauros.
Jan Urbanec, Endorphina CEO, commented: "Endorphina is proudly entering the Czech market as we certify our top hit online slots. Czech operators have waited a long time for this moment and we can finally accommodate their requests."
This news follows a pattern of expansion for the Prague-based slots game provider. Within 2022, Endorphina has seen growth by way of launching in new markets as well as creating additional supply partnerships.
In February, the company agreed terms with Hero Gaming, meaning Endorphina would provide a suite of casino content for Hero Gaming customers. Prior to this, partnerships were also signed with Softswiss, Gamingtec, EveryMatrix and BetConstruct.
In addition, a deal was announced recently between Endorphina and online casino gaming operator, Twin Casino. Similar to the agreement with Hero Gaming, the terms of this collaboration see several Endorphina games being made available to Twin Casino users.
Zdenek Llosa, Endorphina Senior Sales Manager, commented: "Every new partnership is very exciting for our team, but being able to reach an agreement with one of the hottest casinos in the industry brings us great pleasure.
"We are confident that our content including our latest hits, such as our Hell Hot series and Royal Xmas, will bring thrills and joy to their players around the world."


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USPS low on workers amid holiday season rush
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) -You may have noticed more trucks at your local USPS.
That’s because the annual holiday rush is bigger than ever this year, but we’re told there are not enough workers.
According to a statement from USPS, the company is still seeing the effects of COVID-19, and it could impact your holiday packages.
“This has been an extraordinary year of unprecedented challenges. The Postal Service is experiencing significant volume increases, while at the same time, employee availability has been reduced due to the impacts of COVID-19. We are flexing our resources to process and deliver the mail as quickly as possible. We are committed to making sure gifts, and cards are delivered on time to celebrate the holidays. Customers needing assistance are encouraged to contact the USPS Customer Care Center at 1-800-ASK-USPS (1-800 275-8777)”
Customers are making sure their gifts and cards are in the mail early this year to make sure their loved ones feel the holiday cheer.
“It just goes the extra mile to let people know you’re thinking about them even though we can’t be with certain family and friends that you’ re still thought of,” said customer D Caldwell.
Copyright 2020 WOIO. All rights reserved.


text: On October 12th, the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) issued 10-million-yuan worth of digital currency to 50,000 randomly selected residents who had applied to participate in the pilot test. The move is the latest in a series of trials testing out China's new Digital Currency Electronic Payment (DCEP). Those who were successful received digital "hong bao" worth about 200 yuan, which they could download and spend at more than 3,000 stores. The PBOC says it plans to launch DCEP later this year, although it is yet to set a date. The PBOC sees yuan digitalization as a means to internationalize the yuan and reduce China’s dependence on the global dollar payment system.


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ANNOUNCEMENT 01 Jan 2011In January 2011, the members of the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan announced a change in import tariff quotas.
NUMBER OF INTERVENTIONS
this measure is reported in the WTO/OECD/UNCTAD "REPORT ON G20 TRADE MEASURES (MID-OCTOBER 2010 TO APRIL 2011)"
This information is verified by the government of Belarus. Available from < http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/20/46/47955250.pdf >
The Commission of the Customs Union has temporary introduced the tariff rate quotas on imports of certain food products, i.e. bovine meat (HS 0201; 0202), pork and pork trimmings (HS 0203), and poultry (HS 0207) from 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2011.


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A.J. Koehn has joined Urban FT Inc., a digital payments platform provider and 2017 Pay Awards winner for Startup of the Year, as its new senior vice president of compliance and program management. “With more than 15 years’ experience in financial compliance and risk management, A.J. brings to Urban FT an established track record of leadership in navigating BSA and AML compliance, as well as interpreting legal and regulatory requirements in the context of existing and new product development,” said Richard Steggall, Urban FT CEO. Since 2001, Koehn has held senior compliance and risk mitigation roles with U.S.- and Canadian-based companies—with a particular focus on online payments and prepaid card issuance in North America and Europe. She is also active in a number of professional associations to advance the practice of financial compliance and is a candidate for ACAMS certification.
Bank of America is testing a service enabling its customers who use third-party data aggregators to view their financial information in one place. BofA is testing the capability with two financial data aggregators to enable customers to securely connect data from their bank accounts to third-party money management apps.
Following improvements to the bank’s security center and its mobile and online banking features, customers will be able to monitor which companies have permission to view their information. Data are shared between the bank and data aggregators through a shared API, and data aggregators use unique tokens to protect usernames and passwords. To use the service, customers log into the data aggregation service they use and add or verify their Bank of America accounts. They will be connected to the BofA site to agree to share data and then customers will be able to start using their data aggregation services. The service is expected to be ready this fall, according to BofA.
“We value customer choice and want customers to securely access their information when and where they want,” said Michelle Moore, BofA head of digital banking. “For customers who use data aggregation services, we are making it more transparent and simpler for them to see who they’re sharing data with and to turn it off when they want.”
The service is a key part of BofA’s API strategy to enable the bank to serve its customers in “an expanding financial ecosystem,” according to Aditya Bhasin, BofA head of consumer and wealth management technology.
Spain-based financial services group BBVA announced last week it is allowing access to customer data, with their permission, so that third-parties could offer financial services, according to Financial Times. Companies will be able to use customers’ transaction data to offer “lifestyle services.” For example, startup banks in the U.K., such as Monzo and Starling, offer money management services.
Visa is beefing up its Verified by Visa authentication service. The payments network said it’s upgrading its back-end to support 3-D Secure 2.0. The 3-D Secure messaging protocol was invented by the network more than 15 years ago and has become an industry standard for online authentication.
The updated technology will enable issuers and merchants “to customize the authentication process and ensure the consumer experience is easy and fast,” Visa said. “Visa has enhanced the data transfer between merchants and issuers to use an unprecedented number of transaction attributes (e.g., device type, shipping address). This allows merchants and financial institutions to authenticate customers more accurately in real time.” That matters because such changes can reduce checkout time by 85 percent, which in turn can lead to significant reductions in cart abandonment for online and mobile shoppers, according to Visa.
Current Visa rules for merchant-attempted transactions will remain in place until April 2019, so issuers and sellers are able to test, pilot and refine the new authentication procedures. “By helping to lead the development of 3DS 2.0, we are able to offer an enhanced authentication service that makes these payments both faster and more secure,” said Mike Lemberger, senior vice president, product solutions Europe, Visa.
About two months after launching in the U.K., Square has introduced its Virtual Terminal service there. The technology enables merchants to accept payments through the Square dashboard, an appealing prospect for online service providers, contractors and other smaller firms that do relatively few face-to-face transactions, the company said.
Square already has launched the service in the U.S., Australia, Canada and Japan. Square said the technology has processed some $300 million worth of transactions globally. After signing up with Square for free, users of Virtual Terminal pay a flat 2.5 percent transaction fee for purchases that involve the major card brands.
“Virtual Terminal is something our sellers have been asking us for and has already proved hugely popular around the world,” said Sarah Harvey, U.K. lead, Square. “We are pleased to be bringing it to the U.K.’s thriving community of small- and medium-size businesses.”
Square estimates that half of the U.K.’s 5.4 million small businesses do not yet take card payments.
Deutsche Bank has named Tommaso Zanobini global head of financial technology. The Deutsche Bank fintech group is a joint venture between the financial institutions group and the technology, media and telecoms group. Zanobini, who is based in New York, will report to Celeste Guth, financial institutions specialist, and Mark Keene, technology banker. Zanobini will be working with the bank’s fintech leaders in the Americas and Europe. He previously was the global head of financial technology and services at Jefferies and he also served as the global head of technology services at Barclays.


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Diehard gamers wouldn't dare mention Microsoft's (Nasdaq: MSFT ) iconic Xbox Live experience and Apple's (Nasdaq: AAPL ) nascent Game Center platform in the same breath, but that didn't stop Apple from doing just that during yesterday's WWDC powwow.
"In just nine months, we have 50 million Game Center users," Apple iOS chief Scott Forstall announced during yesterday's conference, as relayed by Engadget's live blog of the event. "To put that into perspective, Xbox Live has been around for about eight years and they have around 30 million users."
Forstall went on to add that there are 100,000 games and entertainment titles available in its signature App Store, and that iOS is "the most popular gaming platform on the planet."
Gamers will cringe to hear that. They'll say there's nothing in Game Center that can get the adrenaline flowing the way a group of battle-tested players firing up multiplayer combat on Activision Blizzard's (Nasdaq: ATVI ) Call of Duty: Black Ops on Xbox Live can.
However, Forstall has a point.
When it comes to game developers or advertisers, does it matter if it's a grandmother tending to her virtual crops in FarmVille or a teen blasting his way through Halo 3?
Sure, there's a pricing disparity. Xbox gamers are paying $40 to $60 for the latest blockbusters, while the most popular Game Center downloads are either free or fetch a mere $0.99. A gamer is likely to be less committed to a particular title if there are tens of thousands of free -- or nearly free -- alternatives just an App Store tap away. However, Apple will continue to command eyeballs, and this is demographic group is likely to be far broader than the teenagers and twentysomething males that make up a large swath of Xbox Live.
The gaming industry has publicly dismissed Apple in the past.
"It doesn't look like their platform is a viable profit platform for game development," Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime said last April.
Nintendo went on to have a dreadful year, while Apple consistently busted through analyst estimates.
When Apple introduced the iPhone 4 last year, two months after Fils-Aime's comments, Steve Jobs indicated that there were 100 million iOS devices out there in the form of iPhones, iPads, and iPod touch devices that lean on the iTunes App Store for fresh downloads. Yesterday, Apple upped that sum to 200 million iOS devices.
Microsoft's in a sweet spot with Xbox Live. And it helps Mr. Softy that Sony's (NYSE: SNE ) PlayStation network has been victimized by security breaches. However, we can't dismiss Apple's stronghold on the growing number of casual gamers who like to play word games with their Facebook friends during commercial breaks or to pass the time on long commutes. Mobile gaming matters, and Apple is right where everybody else wishes it could be.
Can casual games eat into the realm of the diehards in the console-gaming market? Share your thoughts in the comments box below.


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The Mainstream Patient: May 25, 2020
In this week's edition we take a look at the world of injectables, the effects diabetes can have on the skin and how to correctly administer an at-home chemical peel.
Introducing The Mainstream Patient, a weekly glimpse into what your patients may be reading in the media about skin health.
In this week’s edition we take a look at the world of injectables with Allure revealing what physicians are doing when it comes to injectables and masks. Also, Shape provides an in-depth guide to filler injectables, while InStyle reveals what to do in-between Botox appointments if your clinic is still closed. We also feature another story by Shape explaining the effects diabetes can have on the skin. Meanwhile, Elle tackles what to do and not do when self-administering at-home chemical peels. Last, Allure writes about Johnson & Johnson ceasing distribution of talc-based baby powder in North America


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UPDATE, 2:53PM: We have video! Find it after the jump.
You know that saying about how everything takes a little bit longer to reach the Midwest? Well, after the flash-mob trend has taken over train stations and public spaces across the world, it's finally made it to Kansas City. According to the Star, at least 450 people -- organized by word-of-mouth and e-mail -- erupted among unsuspecting shoppers in Handel's "The Hallelujah Chorus" at Crown Center yesterday. (They called it a "Random Act of Choral Music.") It was supposed to be a secret, but by 1:30PM, Crown Center's central atrium, food court, and upper two levels were jammed with singers holding choral music, cell phones and digital cameras.
UPDATE: Check out the video over at the Plog.


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BOARDMAN, Ohio (WKBN) – There are some exciting things happening with a local chocolatier that’s been booming in the valley since 1949. One of those is a location change.
“We’re super excited. We have so many big plans for the move,” said Jonathan Fauvie of Gorant. “We will be locating, or relocating to 400 Boardman-Poland Road right across from Boardman shops. It’s the old Once Upon a Child building. There’s so many new concepts that we’re going to bring to the Valley and really enhance, you know, the legacy that Gorant has. You know, the really storied history here in the Valley and really just take it to the next level. So lots of things going on and lots of things that we’ll be talking about here in the future.”
The holidays are always a big time of year for the chocolate maker and this year there’s even more reason to shop for many of your holiday needs at Gorant.
“We’re open 24/7 at Gorant.com So we invite all the folks who are looking for some really cool holiday gifts to visit Gorant.com,” said Fauvie. “There will also be lots of specials that we’re running throughout the holiday season, as well as updates on the new location. So you kind of get a sneak peek or a little bit of an insider look when you visit Gorant.com.”
And it’s going to be a big Black Friday at Gorant including making great memories with your family and friends.
“We have everything from our chocolate to our Advent calendars to our Christmas jams and everything in between,” said Fauvie. “If you think about what Gorant means, looking back, it’s really a memory that many of us have. So our nonnas and nonnos are always, you know, bringing gifts at the holiday. And Gorant is a big part of that. So for many families, it’s a tradition.”


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It looks like 2024 will offer signs of progress for the UK’s retail, leisure and hospitality sectors – a refreshing change after five challenging years.
Inflation is levelling out, and AI is opening doors for businesses across the sectors. But how many are taking advantage of the opportunities presented by ESG – that’s Environmental, Social, and Governance – to grow their reputation and increase their market share?
In our new Beyond Words report, we've analysed how businesses are prioritising sustainability by examining the last two years of Annual Reports. We look specifically at the consumer sector (retail, hospitality & leisure, and consumer goods businesses) in the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250, reviewing mentions of ESG and other related phrases. This gives a good indication of which organisations are making their people and the planet their business.
Who’s making ESG their business?
Our report reveals a range of interesting findings:
- Consumer sector businesses across both the FTSE 100 and FSTE 250 significantly increased their use of the term ‘ESG’ in their most recent annual reports. Compared to the previous year, the frequency was 18% higher.
- FTSE 250 firms experienced a 12% increase in DE&I mentions, compared to an 8% decrease by FTSE 100 firms.
- In their most recent reports, FTSE 100 businesses increased their use of the term ‘cyber security’ from 265 to 314, representing an 18% increase.
- The number of mentions of 'climate change' significantly increased by 11% across the board.
- Analysis of businesses across the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 revealed a 29% increase in mentions of 'net zero' and 'decarbonisation' in their recent reports.
Find out how ESG is being prioritised
How we can help
We know what it takes to understand and prioritise what’s important and want to work with you to realise your ambitions. We offer audits and training g for cyber security and diversity & inclusion to make sure your workplace is safe and fair for every colleague.
We’re also supporting our clients with meeting their net zero ambitions, including:
- Advising on climate change legislation and mandatory reporting obligations
- Providing guidance on setting targets, climate transition plans and sustainability strategies
- Climate contract reviews of commercial contracts and property documentation.
Take the next step in your ESG journey
Look out for our new podcast channel launching in March, which goes beyond traditional business discussions to explore the bigger impact of businesses and their role in shaping a positive future.


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Exterior lights are on at our Publix job site in San Antonio, FL! We look forward to the Grand Opening later this month. Great work, team!
Check out the progress on our Publix job site in Leesburg, Florida. Keep up the great work, team!
Sprouts the Phoenix-based grocery chain has begun construction on a new Sprouts, Store #636, in the new Tampa Heights area and is aiming for the store to open sometime in 2021. Store hiring and grand opening details will be announced…
Congratulations on the grand opening of Publix at Magnolia Plaza in The Villages, FL! Thank you to our team for all of their hard work! Check out the link below to see more details. https://www.villages-news.com/…/publix-announces…/….
Check out the progress on the Publix job site in San Antonio, FL. Keep up the great work, team!
Check out the progress on the Publix job site at the Magnolia Plaza in The Villages, FL. Keep up the great work, team! #teamCEF #ClarkElectricFlorida
Clark Electric has started work on a new Publix that will be coming to the city of San Antonio in Pasco County, FL and is slated to be complete by September 2021. The new store is being built for Mirada,…
Publix Super Market at Trailwinds Village in Wildwood, FL is now open for business. The grand opening took place on August 27th. We are proud to have been a part of this project. Congratulations to our team for all of…
Clark Electric is proud to have started work on another Publix! This Publix Super Market will be located at the Magnolia Plaza, which is currently being constructed, in The Villages, FL. #teamCEF #ClarkElectricFlorida
Check out some progress photos of the new Publix grocery store at Trailwinds Village in Wildwood, FL. The store will be 50,400 square feet including the liquor store. #teamCEF #ClarkElectricFlorida


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Amazon is almost ready to tackle the shipping of it’s products without much outside help. But it will be awhile before they can ditch the likes of the USPS and UPS. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on Sunday revealed a new service that could soon deliver Amazon orders directly to your doorstep by unmanned aircraft.
Bezos revealed Prime Air on Sunday night on CBS’ 60 minutes, saying that the company has been working on the technology for several months. The service won’t roll out for some time, but when it does, it could revolutionize the online retail market, by bypassing the current package delivery system entirely. Imagine a drone delivering your latest purchase. It will happen some day soon. In as little as half an hour.
Prime Air would operate using “octocopters,” which are programmable drones with eight small helicopter blades. They are very maneuverable and would grab small packages and deliver them to customers’ doorsteps using GPS guidance. It looks like we have about a five year wait, but it could happen sooner. It has to clear many safety and regulatory barriers before it happens. I can’t wait for this. Fast delivery and by a drone no less.


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A hacker group called “Team Unknown” has announced that they have hacked the database of Ola Cabs and have access to important information regarding credit card details, transaction history and unused voucher codes. The announcement on Reddit said “Once we got to the database it was like winning a lottery. It had all the user details along with credit card transaction history and unused vouchers. The voucher codes are not even out yet..”
Though they have assured everyone that they will not be using any credit card details for illegal purposes, this security breach has caused a lot of anxiety to form in the minds of the public.
Below are the screen shots that team has made public on Reddit. The first one shows email Ids and credit card details of Ola Cabs customers. The second shows a list that has all the major tables inside the Ola Cabs database such as user preferences, details and transaction history.
Team Unknown has claimed that they have contacted Ola Management about this hack, but as of now, they have received no notifications from them. On a final note, they said “I am sure OLA might be having a security team of their own. Not that good it seems 😉 “
Shubham Paramhans, a tech enthusiast had earlier hacked Ola Wallet in May, and collected huge amounts as free recharge. In his blog, he had said, “Breaching Ola was one of the easiest kind of hacks possible, and a part of me is disagreeing with the part that describes it as a hack.”
After a month of his ‘exploits’, the security team from Ola corrected the issue, and also thanked him for bringing out the flaws.
While we are at the mercy of the hackers who have decided not to use vital information for illegal practices, how long will it be till something goes wrong?


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Nestlé S.A has bought additional N147.8m in shares of its Nigerian subsidiary, Nestlé Nigeria Plc).
The Nigerian subsidiary stated this in a notice to the Nigerian Stock Exchange.
The notice signed by the Company Secretary, Bode Ayeku, said Nestlé S.A acquired the additional 105,569 units of Nestle Nigeria Plc shares on the floor of the NSE at an average share price of N1,400 per share.
It said Nestlé S.A purchased 63,700 additional ordinary shares of Nestlé Nigeria on December 11 at a price of N1,400 per share were purchased.
The subsidiary said 41,869 additional shares of Nestlé Nigeria Plc were purchased on December 12 at a price of N1,400 per share, bringing the value of the shares purchased by the parent company at N147.8m.
All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.
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|Written by George Werner|
|Wednesday, 16 April 2014 12:13|
Prior to Mingus Union High School’s home softball game Monday, April 14, with Bradshaw Mountain High School, the Marauders [6-14] were as dead as an imploded casino.
A two-run fifth inning against the Bears and a 10-run sixth-inning explosion Tuesday, April 15, at Fountain Hills High School later, and MUHS is on a two-game winning streak, one seed away from a berth in the Division II state tournament after its first Section V victory.
If that isn’t a big enough roll for Las Vegas, where the Marauders will play beginning Thursday, April 17, at 1 p.m. in the Spring Jamboree softball tournament, head softball coach John Brown doesn’t want to know.
“Long, long day,” a tired Brown said April 15 after MUHS broke a 2-2 tie with 10 unanswered runs to run-rule Fountain Hills, 12-2. “We made a lot of lineup changes in the top of the sixth inning to change things up and it paid big.”
For the full story, please see the Wednesday, April 16, issue of the Cottonwood Journal Extra.
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A prototype Samsung Windows smartphone.
The next big revolution in electronics are gadgets you can simply fold up to put in your pocket. We have already gotten a glimpse of the technology from manufacturers with Samsung showing off a ‘foldable’ phone.
Experts say the technology, which could lead to virtually unbreakable gadgets, could soon be seen in everything from Apple’s much-rumured iWatch to larger tablets.
The touted arrival this year of wearable gadgets such as computer displays strapped to wrists and in wrap-around glasses is just a step towards a bigger revolution in screens — those that can be bent, folded and rolled up, experts say.
Once freed from today’s relatively heavy, breakable and fixed glass displays, tomorrow’s devices may look very different, with screens that can be rolled out, attached to uneven surfaces, or even stretched.
But there’s still some way to go.
‘It becomes a product designer’s paradise — once the technology is sorted out,’ says Jonathan Melnick, who analyzes display technology for Lux Research.
There is no shortage of prototypes.
South Korea’s Samsung Electronics this year showed off a display screen that extends from the side of a device — but obstacles remain: overcoming technical issues, figuring out how to mass produce parts cheaply, and coming up with devices compelling enough for gadget buyers.
Screen technology — with the global small display market expected to more than double to around $72 billion by 2016, according to DisplaySearch — is still dominated by liquid crystal displays (LCDs), which require a backlight and sit between two sheets of glass, making the screen a major contributor to the weight of a device, from laptops to tablets.
‘Most of the weight in a tablet is the glass structure in the display and the support structure around it to prevent it from cracking,’ said Kevin Morishige, a former engineer at Cisco, Hewlett-Packard and Palm.
LCD’s dominance is already under threat from lighter Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs) that don’t need backlighting, are brighter, offer a wider viewing angle and better color contrast — and can be printed onto a few layers.
Corning’s Willow Glass
However, some manufacturers are already creating lighter and more flexible glass.
Corning, whose toughened Gorilla glass became the screen of choice for many smartphones, will provide phones with curved glass edges as soon as this year.
It is also now promoting Willow Glass, which can be as thin as a sheet of paper and is flexible enough to be wrapped around a device or structure.
Initially, Willow will be used as a coating for products like solar panels, but it is eventually expected to create curved products.
Apple’s iWatch concept
A key selling point for Willow is more efficient production which involves so-called roll-to-roll manufacturing, like a printing press, rather than today’s more costly batch manufacturing.
But the commercialization of Willow as a flexible product is some way off, James Clappin, who heads Corning’s glass technology group, told Reuters – and glass has its limits.
‘You can bend it, but you can’t keep flexing it,’ said Adrian Burden, a UK consultant who has worked on several start-ups related to display technology, and holds patents in the field.
This means that while glass is likely to continue to play a leading role in devices with curved displays, screens that users can bend, fold and roll will likely be plastic.
But plastic is not as robust as glass. ‘As soon as you introduce plastic substrates you have all kinds of issues with sensitivity to the environment,’ says Burden.
So while OLED and plastic would seem to be companion technologies they create an extra problem when laid together: they need so-called barrier films to prevent the various layers from leaking oxygen and moisture.
A Samsung concept shows off a tablet-sized screen that can be rolled up
Even after the success of Gorilla Glass, popularized by the iPhone, Corning is having to work hard to prepare customers for Willow displays.
Clappin said customers want thinner devices and easier to produce glass, but Willow requires a completely different manufacturing set-up.
‘When we talk about commercializing Willow a big part of our development activity is enabling the ecosystem to handle what is essentially a brand new material,’ Clappin added.
‘Nobody’s accustomed to working with glass that bends and moves. It’s a new material. The ecosystem needs to be trained to handle it.’
He sees demand, particularly from video gamers, for Willow-based curved screens, but remains less convinced about rollable or foldable screens.
‘Conformable is in the near future.
‘As far as flexible, bendable, fold-upable goes, I see that further out and I’m not even sure that’s a viable product,’ he said.
Samsung’s ‘skin’ a concept for a bendable mobile
For companies with deep pockets, like Samsung, this can mean building prototypes such as those displayed at international technology shows.
But that doesn’t guarantee success in selling products. Sony, for example, promoted flexible OLED displays back in 2007.
‘Six years later they’ve not come up with anything,’ says Zhang Jie, senior scientist at Singapore’s Institute of Metals Research and Engineering.
‘If Samsung’s going to really drive this the application really needs to drive people and make them want it.’
This slows down the process.
In late 2011, Samsung told analysts it planned to introduce flexible displays into handsets ‘some time in 2012, hopefully the earlier part than later,
‘but a year later the company said the technology was still “under development.” In an investment note last month Jefferies said that while Samsung may introduce “unbreakable” screens this year, it didn’t expect to see flexible displays in Samsung devices until 2014-15.
Ultimately, teasing out the technical problems may be only half the battle.
‘This is the eternal question of the speciality materials industry,’ says Lutz Grubel, Japan-based head of marketing for German glass maker Schott’s Xensation Cover 3-D glass.
‘You have something, a material, and you’re looking for an application. That’s the game.’
Via Daily Mail


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Zimbabwean Health Minister Complains That Chinese Condoms Are ‘Too Small’ For Zimbabwean Men
A Chinese condom company will begin making bigger condoms after complaints that they are not big enough for Zimbabwean men.
The complaints came from Zimbabwe's minister for health, David Parirenyatwa, at an HIV/AIDS prevention event in the African country's capital, Harare, last week.
Speaking at the launch of the Zimbabwe Private Sector HIV, AIDS and Wellness board, the minister said that companies should 'come on board in the fight against HIV and start manufacturing drugs together with condoms, which are suitable for the Zimbabwean people'.
Fantastic choice of words, David, well done.
There is a serious side to his argument, though. Zimbabwe has one of the biggest HIV/AIDS problems in the world according to statistics from AVERT, a UK based organisation that works to educate people about the disease.
In 2016 there were 1.3m people living with HIV in Zimbabwe and 30,000 deaths. The minister said that even though condom use was on the rise there had been complaints about the size of the Chinese imports.
He said: "The southern African region has the highest incidence of HIV and we are promoting the use of condoms,
"Youths now have a particular condom that they like, but we don't manufacture them. We import condoms from China and some men complain they are too small."
More Like This
He also called upon local Zimbabwean manufacturers to start making condoms that were big enough to fit the bill.
He continued: "If you want to be a big business (private sector), please manufacture condoms (because) you import condoms from China, and some people complain they are too small, so you need to be able to have your own condoms."
Luckily for the well-endowed men of sub-Saharan Africa, the companies have responded to his demands quickly and are planning to put out new products across a range of sizes.
Zhao Chuan, CEO of the brilliantly named Beijing Daxiang and His Friends Technology Company, who manufacture condoms for the African market said: "As to the different demands from customers such as in Zimbabwe, Daxiang, as a Chinese manufacturer, has the ability and the obligation to make a contribution, so we have started to do some surveys on users' data in the region to make preparations for future products with different sizes."
Condoms are by far and away the most effective form of contraception, and are also the only one to protect against sexually transmitted infections.
If used properly, male condoms are 98% effective according to NHS.uk. Here's hoping that they can get some larger ones out to Zimbabwe so they can start using them properly then.
Featured Image Credit: PA


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Top News GSM players add 41.5 lakh rural subscribers in Dec: COAI As per the media report, GSM mobile operators added 41.5 lakh net... ...http://www.indiainfoline.com/article/news-top-story/telecom-newsletter--january-27-to-30-2015-115013000598_1.html
NEW DELHI: Telecom lobby group GSMA has said that the initial results to its mWomen initiative to evolve sustainable business models for serving... ...http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/telecom/results-of-mwomen-partnership-with-airtel-vodafone-uninor-encouraging-gsma/articleshow/46052907.cms
The Bengaluru police have busted a racket involving telecom retailers and distributors, who supplied pre-activated mobile phone SIM cards to... ...http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/bengaluru-police-telecom-retailers-sim-cards-terrorists-vodafone/1/415850.html
The manufacturing industry in both developed and developing countries is witnessing large-scale innovation to meet the demand for products, reduce... ...http://www.tele.net.in/enterprise/manufacturing/item/13940-enhancing-productivity-manufacturing-companies-increasingly-use-cutting-edge-telecom-technologies
There is a growing rank of multinational companies that view India as a base for supplying equipment to the Asian markets. India, with its... ...http://www.tele.net.in/enterprise/manufacturing/item/11448-telecom-linked-manufacturing-companies-deploy-communication-solutions-to-boost-growth
Connectindia is an online platform to...


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Raising Shipping Efficiency
Ste. Michelle adopts a rail system to ship wine coast to coast
by Andy Perdue
Sep 2013 Issue of Wine Business Monthly
As Ste. Michelle Wine Estates has grown in the past several years, logistics and shipping have become a bigger part of its business—which was not necessarily a focus the Woodinville, Washington wine company wanted. “Our core business is growing grapes and making wines,” said Rob McKinney, vice president of operations for Ste. Michelle. All company shipping had been centered at Columbia Crest, Ste. Michelle’s largest winery. The facility is in Paterson, Washington, in th...
» Article access restricted to registered members of winebusiness.com/


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If U.S. consumers hit P&G’s cold-water target, it would be the equivalent of removing a million cars from the road and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by a cumulative 27 metric tons over a decade, says Aga Orlik, senior VP of North American Laundry Care.
“It’s our hope that a campaign like #TurnToCold paints a clear picture in the mind of our consumers that Tide is not just a superior product, but also better for people and planet,” she says. “If consumers see a load of laundry done with Tide as a load of good, then that’s a win for us.”
As part of the effort, Tide also has toyed with the sacrosanct—its iconic logo. The brand has resisted all suggestions to play around with the orange bullseye over the past 75 years, Molski says, but has made an exception with the blue logo, adding a snowflake and a cold-water dial setting for #TurnToCold.
P&G originally launched a Tide Coldwater product line in 2005, but since then has been incorporating technology to create enzymes and other ingredients that perform well in cold water across all products. “Now we’re comfortable saying you’re going to get this superior Tide clean no matter what,” says spokesman Henry Molski.
To get the point across, Saatchi enlisted stars whose names could be linked to cold puns, led by Ice-T and Austin, to lead a supporting cast that also includes Vanilla Ice, Mr. T (Lawrence Tureaud) and Annie Murphy of “Schitt’s Creek” fame. Ice-T and Austin star as “Cold Callers,” teaming up to randomly call people to convince them of the benefits of cold-water washing with Tide. Murphy, in an ad breaking next month, says “unsubscribe” as soon as the gets her “cold call.” But she changes her mind when she hears about the $100 savings, saying she’ll “do it for the environment.”
For a Canadian ad, the Cold Callers call former National Hockey League star Mark Messier, who notes that he gets their point, because Canadians already do more cold-water loads. National habits vary widely, Molski notes. Germany, while very environmentally conscious, still tends to wash clothes in very hot water. In much of Europe, the default setting on washers is also for higher temperatures, but people tend to opt for the coldest settings, he says.
To change Americans’ habits, “our idea was to make it fun and entertaining,” says Saatchi Executive Creative Director Paul Bichler. “A lot of people refer to themselves with cold names, and it just came together to talk to people using cold calls.”
Ideally, the cold calling idea makes it into pop culture, says Saatchi Chief Creative Officer Daniel Lobaton. “We didn’t want it to feel preachy,” he says. “Going the entertainment route unlocked that for us, because we had these celebrities in the shoes of everyone else receiving this message, asking the same questions anyone might have."


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NEW YORK -- Yahoo! , the Internet giant, posted quarterly earnings that beat Wall Street expectations, but revenue continued to move in the wrong direction and guidance came in short of estimates.
Yahoo! reported first-quarter non-GAAP earnings of 38 cents a share on revenue of $1.14 billion, excluding traffic acquisition costs. Including TAC, sales were $1.07 billion.
The company noted display revenue ex-TAC was $402 million for the first quarter of 2013, down 11% from last year. Search revenue also declined, coming in at $425 million, down from $470 million in the first quarter of 2012.
Analysts expected Yahoo! to earn 24 cents a share on $1.1 billion in revenue for the first quarter.
Yahoo!'s second-quarter guidance came in below estimates. Excluding TAC, revenue is expected to be between $1.06 billion and $1.09 billion, with non-GAAP operating income between $190 million and $210 million. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters are looking for sales of $1.12 billion.
Intel topped Wall Street's first-quarter sales estimates but earnings were below forecasts.
The chipmaker earned 40 cents a share, down from 53 cents a share in the prior year's quarter. Intel reported revenue of $12.6 billion, compared to $12.9 billion for the same period last year. Analysts were looking for earnings of 41 cents a share and revenue of $12.59 billion.
For its fiscal second quarter, Intel expects revenue of $12.9 billion, plus or minus $500 million, broadly in line with Wall Street's forecast of $12.85 billion. Intel also predicts a gross margin of 58%, plus or minus a couple of percentage points.
Bank of America is expected by analysts on Wednesday to post first-quarter earnings of 22 cents a share on revenue of $23.4 billion.
Most of Bank of America's turnaround depends upon the U.S. housing recovery, which has lately shown some signs of slowing.
American Express is expected by Wall Street on Wednesday to report first-quarter profit of $1.12 a share on revenue of $8.03 billion.
EBay , which reports Wednesday after the closing bell, is forecast to post quarterly profit of 62 cents a share on revenue of $3.76 billion.
Abbott Laboratories is expected by Wall Street to report first-quarter profit of 41 cents a share on revenue of $5.42 billion.
Toy company Mattel is forecast to post earnings on Wednesday of 9 cents a share in the first quarter on revenue of $985.8 million.
-- Written by Joseph Woelfel
>To contact the writer of this article, click here: Joseph Woelfel
>To submit a news tip, send an email to: email@example.com.


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Superhero looter Marvel’s Avengers has kicked off its first Black Widow event, developer Crystal Dynamics have confirmed.
There are two events taking place in Marvel’s Avengers this month to celebrate the upcoming cinematic release of Black Widow which will release in July 2021.
The first event is known as the Rooskaya Protocols and is now live with the second Black Widow event, the Red Room Takeover, arriving on May 20th.
So what exactly are the Rooskaya Protocols? In short, this is a new series of missions that will unlock Black Widow themed rewards. In order to complete some objectives – namely collecting chips from rogue AIM Synthoids – will require that at least one member of your team is running the mission as Black Widow.
New nameplates will be available during this first leg of the event as well as a series of Red Room skins for each playable character. Speaking of skins, Crystal Dynamics have confirmed that Marvel’s Avengers is receiving its first skin based on the MCU today. Guess which Avenger has a new outfit in their wardrobe?
Always take a chance.
Black Widow’s Marvel Studios’ “Avengers: Endgame” Outfit is the first of many inspired by the Marvel Cinematic Universe – available now in the Marketplace!
— Marvel’s Avengers (@PlayAvengers) May 6, 2021
In March Marvel’s Avengers had its biggest post-launch content drop titled Future Imperfect. Following on from December’s Kate Bishop “Taking AIM” update, the free DLC expansion introduced Avengers mainstay Hawkeye as a playable character along with solo story missions and a new environment.
Here’s what we though in our review of the new content:
Overall, Operation: Future Imperfect is a small step in the right direction, but it fails to tackle the biggest issues Marvel’s Avengers faces. Those left bitter by the game’s live service hooks, uninspired loot, and reliance on grindy dungeon brawls will find nothing worth celebrating here.
During a recent Square Enix publisher showcase, we saw a glimpse of the Black Panther: War for Wakanda expansion as well as the Marvels’ Avengers roadmap. It has been confirmed that players will be getting some MCU content in the form of a Red Room takeover later this spring.
In other Marvel’s Avengers news, the game has been recently added to Sony game streaming service, PlayStation Now.
Source: Marvel’s Avengers


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How Artificial Intelligence is Transforming Retail
The less virtuous possibilities of AI have been making the news a lot recently. A pair of data scientists at the security company ZeroFOX have been experimenting with an AI designed to run a phishing scam on Twitter with a degree of efficiency and effectiveness that humans just can’t achieve. While it is hardly the first time that automated Twitter accounts have caused disruptions, it may represent the first time that an AI has proven itself more capable of social manipulation than a competing human.
For hackers, AI might offer a whole world of new criminal enterprises but for those of us in legitimate business there are significant lessons to be learnt from applications of AI and machine learning that are already transforming the retail industry.
Every organization worth its salt collects data about its customers but studies in 2016 found that 80% of the data being collected was going to waste, with the trends unanalyzed and the bigger picture of user behaviors being lost. Implemented appropriately, AI is capable of collating and analyzing so-called “dark data” to build a more complete picture of users’ needs and preferences, and tailor better experiences that lead to loyalty, increased spending and improvements in practically every metric.
Grocery retailers in particular are loving the insights that machine learning can provide to them. By tracking buying trends globally and locally, stores are now able to stock only the items that will sell within the time constraints of perishable goods and to manage their wastage more effectively.
In online retail, the use of automation is both prevalent and vital but integrating AI into physical stores is only just beginning and holds huge potential. Consider Amazon’s self-service checkouts in their unmanned San Francisco store – a first step towards a completely frictionless retail experience?
Even in after-sales care, an area that many would consider to be the most socially focused in the Retail sector, AI is now making itself useful in the form of automated or diagnostic chat-bots that can answer queries that customers might have.
The future for retail is the omni-channel experience where data is passed seamlessly between online shopping, applications and the physical store but the complexity of actively managing that sort of experience for any decent volume of users challenges human capabilities. Smart retailers are embracing AI and machine learning to handle the pressures without difficulty.
If you want to learn more about the ways that AI is revolutionizing the retail sector, you can read Sutherland latest white paper on the topic here.


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July is National Park and Recreation Month—a time to celebrate the benefits of your local parks and favorite outdoor activities. And this year, there's even more to celebrate. Over the past 18 months, many Americans discovered the fun of exploring public lands for the first time as they turned to safe, socially-distant activities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
An October 2020 poll found that close to 70% of Americans now have an increased appreciation for the outdoors. Another survey reported that one-third of leisure travelers who had not camped before said they were now interested in camping.
But getting outside requires gear. According to the Wall Street Journal, sales of camping gear surged 25% during the third quarter of 2020. And with a wide range of outdoor recreation activities available, from bicycling to rock climbing to snow sports, all that gear can really add up.
The Hidden Plastics in Outdoor Gear
The COVID-19 pandemic put a new emphasis on the role of plastics in our daily life, from PPE to single-use utensils and plastic bags. However, you may be surprised to learn that plastic is also a major component of many types of outdoor gear, from puffy jackets to climbing ropes and tents.
Research shows that the US is one of the top generators of plastic waste in the world. Outdoor gear represents one small piece of a larger plastic waste pie. But no matter its original use, most plastic used in North America ultimately ends up in landfills.
The plastic used in outdoor gear has other negative impacts, too. Outdoor equipment, like most clothing, contains synthetic fabrics such as nylon and polyester that are made from thin plastic fibers. These man-made substances can have an impact on the environment where they are used.
For example, researchers found synthetic chemicals in snow and ice samples taken from Mount Everest, shed from waterproof gear used by decades of climbers. A 2017 study concluded that 35% of all microplastics in the ocean originated from synthetic textiles.
The Circular Economy
Just as many people have moved away from “fast fashion”—inexpensive clothing that encourages consumption—outdoor enthusiasts are also considering ways to reduce the impact of their gear.
The “circular economy” is a concept focused on designing out waste and pollution in supply chains and reusing materials whenever possible rather than consuming finite resources. Outdoor companies are using this model to analyze their processes and the materials they use.
For example, the Higg Index is a standardized way to measure sustainability throughout the apparel supply chain. Manufacturers and consumers can use this tool to better understand the water use, carbon emissions, and labor conditions used in the apparel industry. Brands can take the extra step to become Climate Neutral Certified, calculating and offsetting their carbon emissions with credits purchased from carbon-eliminating projects.
Some ways that manufacturers have lessened their environmental impact include turning recycled plastics into “upcycled” textiles, improving water efficiency in their operations, and offering repairs to their products to help them last longer. And with the recent increase in online shopping due to the pandemic, some companies have reviewed their shipping practices to reduce their reliance on plastic packaging.
Another Way to Leave No Trace
Of course, no matter the material, every product we use has an environmental impact of some kind. But another way to leave no trace is being mindful of where products originate—and how much we consume.
Are you a self-described gear head? Or are you in the market to get outfitted for a new outdoor hobby? Consider these tips to help reduce your environmental impact:
- Educate yourself. Understand how the materials used in outdoor gear can affect the environment and research how your favorite brands are working toward sustainability goals.
- Start small. If you are new to the outdoors, start by exploring local parks and activities like day hiking that require minimal gear.
- Buy used. Trying out a new outdoor sport or looking to go camping for the first time? Buy used gear to save money and give new life to old gear while determining if this will become a long-term hobby.
- Rent from a gear library. Many local outfitters or websites provide options to borrow or rent gear rather than purchasing new.
- Buy quality gear. Invest in durable products that will last a long time rather than “fast fashion” that is trendy or cheap at the moment but will wear out quickly.
- Recycle. Consider choosing products made from recycled or “upcycled” materials and recycle, donate, or repurpose your used clothing or gear once you've outgrown it or have moved on to a new hobby.
- Reduce microfiber pollution. Follow these six recommendations from NEEF and the EPA to reduce the release of microfibers through your laundry.
There's Never Been a Better Time to Get Outdoors
A March 2021 survey showed that 75% of those who experienced the outdoors for the first time during the COVID-19 pandemic want to continue to stay engaged in outdoor activities in the future. (Perhaps you are one of them!)
As you shop for the gear that will help you get outside, remember that being an environmentally-conscious consumer is a win-win: in the long-term, it saves you money while conserving natural resources.


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In September, according to market research firm NPD Group, sales of new video game goods through retail stores dropped 24% from a year ago to $848.3 million. Hardware sales suffered the biggest drop, down 39% from a year earlier to just $210.9 million. Video game software sales dropped 18%, or 14% if you include PC games. Accessories were down 11%.
NPD analyst Liam Callahan said in a statement noted that hardware sales were actually better than they were in August, suggesting "momentum heading into the holiday season." He notes that the launch of the Nintendo Wii U on November 18 should give a boost to the hardware category.
NPD notes that Madden NFL '13, the top video game or the month, sold 11% more units in its debut month that last year's edition of the game. The research firm noted that September was the best single month of sales ever for any edition of Madden.
Here's a look at the month's top 10 best selling games:


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Blockchain Tech and Video Games, what is all the Fuss About?
Nowadays the trendy buzzwords in the tech world are NFTs, cryptocurrency, blockchain, DeFi, and more. And the video game industry has also picked up with the newest trend as it did in the past with others.
In the past, the gaming industry hopped on the bandwagon with the success of genres like battle royale which gave birth to PUBG and Fortnite. We also saw the industry embracing the trend with Pokemon GO and League of Legends. How about now?
Currently, blockchain technology has attracted massive attention, investors, developers, and publishers amid a plethora of confusion and murkiness. The concepts that are behind the trendy concepts have already been realized in video games.
In the past three years or so, investors have poured a lot of money into the gaming companies to pursue blockchain games. The glittery concept of decentralized databases combined with NFTs is what attracts investors nowadays. Big gaming companies have assured their stakeholders that they too are keeping up with the new trends.
EA’s CEO Andrew Wilson said that NFT’s, “an important part of the future, and its still early to kind of figure out how that’s going to work.” Similarly, Ubisoft’s Yves Guillemot terms blockchain as a revolution and Ubisoft plans to become a key player in this domain.
Despite all the hype, no gaming company has explained how blockchain technology is or can become a revolution in gaming. NFT enthusiasts propagate that users can own digital assets, fashion items, avatars, and more with the freedom to use it from one game to another using blockchain tech to prove ownership.
A possible and practical realization seems in a way where only one gaming company with multiple games of its own will allow this feature. It seems like gaming companies are investing in blockchain technology because one day it might become something big.
Zynga’s new hire VP of blockchain said, “I think it’s part of the fabric of the industry long term,” he said. “In the short term, I think it’s going to be a meme here in a minute. I’m OK with that because I think the underlying fundamentals are positive.”
Axie Infinity is leading from the front, its mechanics are complicated but it assures players can buy monsters, groom them and later sell them for real money. However, the game requires a user to pay $1500 upfront to get started.


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Mortal Kombat 1 changes its tune on Seasonal Fatalities
They're still going to cost you, but now they come in a less-expensive bundle.
Mortal Kombat 1 recently caught a lot of flak for its Halloween Fatality, which seemed to be the first of a few Seasonal Fatalities. Fans weren't happy they'd have to open their wallets for the game's most iconic feature, and took to social media to protest.
Now, as per IGN, it seems that Warner Bros. has changed its tune. Rather than one Fatality costing 1,200 Dragon Krystals (around $9.99), they'll now be released in a bundle for the same price. This will include the Halloween Fatality, Thanksgiving Fatality, and upcoming Winter Fatality.
This does mean that the kills are now much less expensive than if they'd each been released as a standalone purchase, but fans are still going to feel a little singed by all of this. There's always the option to just avoid the microtransactions, but then some would feel they're missing out on fun content.
What do you think? Should Mortal Kombat 1 have paid Fatalities?


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The Aliepox brand has launched its wholesale clothing range, and it’s already sold out in the UK.
The Aliespox range has over 250 items, from underwear to dresses, and has been sold out since it was launched in March, according to the brand’s Facebook page.
Aliespo’s store has also seen sales of over 50% more than the first month of the line.
The brand has been selling the new line in a range of sizes, and the price is around £12.99 per size.
The range is available in all sizes, but the biggest selling items are the women’s sizes, which range from women’s to XS to XL.
A new range of Aliesx products, including underwear, has also been launched, which includes women’s briefs, tops, dresses, boots, socks and more.
Aliexpox is selling a new range called Aliesy Clothing for the first time, which is available to pre-order.
Alespox’s first store was in the city of Edinburgh in May, with Aliespeck soon following in its footsteps.
Alerspox is currently in the middle of opening a new store in Glasgow.


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Nium launches Crypto Accept to allow businesses to accept online payments in crypto
By Edlyn Cardoza
At BITCOIN 2022, Nium, the global platform for the modern money movement, unveiled Crypto Accept, an API-based solution that enables global businesses to accept crypto payments. Nium Crypto Accept supports Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) payments at launch, with plans for more currencies in 2023. Online merchants can accept payments in crypto with zero price volatility or risk. Settlement happens the next business day in USD or another leading fiat currency – directly to their bank account.
Nium Crypto Accept enables merchants to broaden their customer base and enhance their online payment experiences while staying protected from the price volatility of cryptocurrency markets. Merchants will begin rolling out Nium-powered solutions later this year.
“Consumers hold more than $3 trillion in cryptocurrency and are looking for more places to spend this money online,” said Joaquin Ayuso de Paul, Senior Vice President and Head of Nium Crypto. “Crypto Accept allows merchants to quickly and securely enhance their digital commerce experiences to serve consumers demanding more payment options.”
Nium has partnered with BitPay, a global provider of Bitcoin and cryptocurrency payment services, to enable this safe and easy way to embed crypto payments online for thousands of merchants. At checkout, consumers will select their preferred crypto wallet and scan a Quick Response (QR) code to complete their transaction. The service verifies the availability of crypto funds and settles the transaction promptly in the merchant’s bank account in their preferred local currency.
“BitPay’s partnership with Nium connects our network to the Nium rails to enable a fast, safe, and easy way for merchants to embed crypto payments into their online business,” said Stephen Pair, co-founder and CEO of BitPay. “Together, we’re making it possible for customers to live life on crypto with more options to spend their crypto with the businesses they know and trust.”
The launch of Nium Crypto Accept at Bitcoin 2022 follows Nium’s announcement of a comprehensive suite of Crypto services accessed via API. The company’s first service, Crypto Invest, allows financial institutions to offer their customers the ability to buy, sell, and hold the most popular digital currencies from their financial apps.
IBSi Daily News Analysis
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Nilson in the news
November 21, 2023
Will China be a boon or bust for card networks?
"'UnionPay is the 800-pound gorilla in that market,” said David Robertson, whose The Nilson Report provides card market research. But there will be plenty of opportunities for U.S.-based companies to gain market share, he predicts. “I’m not saying that UnionPay is sweating bullets here — it’s just that the opportunity is so big.'”


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The creators of “Paranormal Activity” are scaring up more solid sales with their latest low-budget spine-tingler “Insidious.”
Made on a budget for just under a million dollars, “Insidious” earned a better-that-expected $13.5 million over the weekend. “I thought it would do $8 to $10 million,” said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Hollywood.com’s Box-office division, via email. “I think the horror angle brought out the true fans of the genre.”
More after the jump.


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The payments industry lost more than $11 billion to fraud in 2012, and that figure is only expected to rise as fraud migrates to less secure channels in the wake of EMV adoption in the U.S.
But the figure that we don’t know, the far more important figure, is just how many players in the ecosystem understand the gravity of this situation, and choose to rely on outdated fraud prevention solutions that are ill-equipped to handle new threats associated with the new omnichannel customer experiences.
As risk and fraud management specialist Feedzai explained in its latest white paper, the scale of big data and omnichannel commerce, while opening the doors to new innovations and creative solutions for the industry, has also changed the playing field for fraud. And fraudsters now have the upper hand using machine-learning.
“New fraud rings come at if from a data perspective, and the volume, variety, velocity and veracity of data can be harnessed by data scientist to be used for bad as well as good. To fight fire, you need modern artificial intelligence and technology,” Nuno Sebastiao, CEO of Feedzai, told PYMNTS.com.
According to Feedzai, businesses that leave themselves susceptible to fraud are not only taking a risk with customer data, they’re putting themselves at a competitive disadvantage. The latest solutions, the white paper illustrates, offer previously unthought-of capabilities, such as 1-1 behavioral profiling and the ability to defend against machine-based attacks in real time.
Still, businesses that fail to upgrade their software may not be willfully putting their organization at risk. Many just aren’t able to identify correctly when their older fraud prevention software needs to be replaced.
To help banks, credit card brands, payment processors and retailers navigate this decision, we take a look at Feedzai’s latest white paper “Modern Payment Fraud Prevention at Big Data Scale” to reveal four signs representatives at these companies can spot to ensure their fraud prevention system is best aligned with its objectives.
1. Data-centric, not customer-centric – One sign your fraud solutions are outdated, the paper suggests, is if it relies on rules-based solutions which fit broad data segments but not individual customers. These fraud prevention tools score transactions based only on one or two perspectives, and lack additional features such as deep-learning historical profiling and a multi-dimensional approach, the use of which has been found to detect 61 percent more fraud.
2. Single-channel – Systems built for in-store transactions cannot handle eCommerce, mobile and social data streams. Conversely, eCommerce fraud engines cannot cross into the real world and thus lack details about the entire commerce journey.
3. Opaque, slow decisioning – Real-time, transparent processing, according to the white paper, is key in the Age of the Customer. However, buyers should beware, many “real-time fraud solutions” are offered, but few deliver. Buyers should look for fraud scores in the low milliseconds coupled with human-readable explanations, Feedzai advises, in order to make decisions “during the customer engagement window.”
4. Useable only by data scientists – Outdated solutions may also be limiting due to inaccessible interfaces. Whereas past solutions necessitated that users understand complex coding, newer solutions are more user-friendly, incorporating drag-and-drop modeling. Want to learn more about how to identify this issue and how today’s latest fraud solutions improve detection and minimize false positives?
Nuno Sebastiao, CEO, Feedzai
Nuno Sebastiao, CEO at Feedzai, formerly led large systems development for the European Space Agency. Nuno was a co-founder at Evolve Space Solutions. Presently, he and his top team of data scientists at Feedzai deliver fraud prevention technology at Big Data scale in order to “Make Omnichannel Commerce Safe”. Nuno holds an MBA from London Business School.


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While this week is a good one for ghosts and goblins, Halloween celebrations can be a nightmare for Orthodontists.
Across the country more than four million kids have braces and you can bet almost all of them will want to dig in to some Halloween treats.
The American Association of Orthodontists says if kids with braces have to eat candy, to stick with melt in your mouth treats like peanut butter cups and soft chocolate.
The dentists recommend staying away from hard or sticky candy.
They also want to make sure no one with braces bobs for apples.


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Netflix is testing out a new Kid Clips feature, which would appear to take a lead out of TikTok’s book.
The new ‘Kid Clips’ feature is currently in the process of rolling out to the Netflix iOS app, reports Bloomberg. It shows short videos taken from the company’s library of children’s TV shows and movies.
Apparently, Netflix plans to add new clips on a daily basis.
It’s all part of the streaming giant’s latest initiative to expose its customers to more content. It’s also a bid for a new kind of short clip-consuming audience, which is currently catered to by TikTok, YouTube, and social media.
Indeed, it’s TikTok that appears to be the rival that’s occupying many of Netflix’s thoughts, judging by recent earnings calls.
This is not the first time Netflix has experimented with clips. Previously, the company tested a ‘Fast Laughs’ feature that assembled brief snippets culled from its comedy library.
While Kid Clips largely resembles that earlier Fast Laughs feature, this time the content will be displayed in a more natural landscape orientation, and will take up the entire screen.
Evidently with its young impressionable audience in mind, Netflix has imposed a limit of 10 to 20 clips at a time.
According to the report, Kid Clips will start rolling out in the English and Spanish-speaking countries (the US, Canada, Australia, and Ireland are specifically mentioned) some time this week.


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Nitro-Net.com – A Global Marketing Group Company
A new content marketing platform is tapping artificial intelligence to match brands with content creators—but it doesn’t consider itself to be in the influencer business.
Built on technology from IBM Watson, the startup Props announced on Thursday that it’s raised $5 million for an official rollout with investors including tech development firm Axispoint and Jump Ventures CEO and founder Hari Ravichandran.
The company, which bills itself as a “post-influencer” platform, sets itself apart from more transactional services with a model in which brands sponsor the promotion of content from filmmakers, writers and other artists with no direct say in the actual creative process. The platform also doubles as a content management and distribution system for those creators and brands that incorporates social channels, SEO and digital ad networks.
“We do not engage in branded content—we don’t require any creators on our platform to mention a brand in the content,” said Props president and CEO Joseph Perello. “For example, if a creator writes a piece about a motorcycle trip up the Pacific Coast Highway—which is something we’re doing—and that content appears on their blog, it’s going to say, ‘Brought to you by Taylor Stitch’ … But Taylor Stitch does not say, ‘You have to wear our shirt, you have to drive by our offices’—none of that.”
Perello believes the lack of creative control from the marketing side will be compensated by the granularity with which the AI matches creator personas with the needs of a particular brand. IBM’s technology maps creator personalities around traits like “agreeableness,” “emotional range” and “extraversion” as well as subject matter covered in their work, then syncs that with what it perceives about a brand’s online presence. The algorithms also take into account characteristics of each creator’s following—attributes like demographics, interests and geographical regions.
Props’ head of artificial intelligence, Oliver Blodgett, a former IBM Watson exec, said the company is also working toward visual recognition and speech-to-text capabilities that will allow it to better account for content from visual artists and podcasters. The company generally looks for three conditions in the creators it enlists: a track record of producing compelling content, expertise on a particular subject matter, and a moderately sized, active social following.
AI and other forms of data analytics have become increasingly important to the business side of influencer marketing as brands struggle to identify relevant partners that will return the most value from a sea of bloggers, social media stars and other online personalities.
San Francisco-based men’s clothing boutique Taylor Stitch, one of Props’ inaugural marketing clients, is looking to the platform for a way to better quantify its content marketing output while preserving a sense of authenticity, according to CEO Michael Maher.
“It makes it so you’re not necessarily just throwing something out there and saying, ‘Oh man, this dude’s got like 200,000 followers—let’s do this.’ Every modern marketer has fallen into that trap where you think it seems like a safe bet, but you end up thinking, ‘That did not do what I expected it to,’” said Brian Larson, Taylor Stitch’s head of brand marketing. “With analytics, you’re stacking the deck in your favor.”


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The industry comments following Chancellor Philip Hammond's budget announcement. Comment from David Jinks MILT, Head of Consumer Research at ParcelHero & Mike Danby, CEO of Bradford-based Advanced Supply Chain, Adrian Colman, chief executive at Wincanton
Adrian Colman, chief executive at Wincanton
“The additional £270m announced to support autonomous vehicles, robotics and artificial intelligence research is a welcome move by the government to keep the UK at the forefront of disruptive technologies.”
“As the biggest British logistics business, we’re already seeing the potential of these technologies to raise productivity across the supply chain. That’s why just this week we launched W2 Labs – an accelerator programme aimed at challenging start-ups to develop new logistics solutions through digital technologies.”
Dearman’s deputy chief executive Michael Ayres
“The Chancellor’s Budget is a step in the right direction for improving Britain’s air quality. We look forward to engaging fully with government’s review on the use of red diesel and showing that zero emission alternative technologies, such as the Dearman Engine, are available and affordable.”
David Jinks MILT, Head of Consumer Research at ParcelHero
Business Rates changes are the final nail in the coffin for the High Street, which budget does little to help, warns ParcelHero
Parcelhero, welcomes Philip Hammond's first budget’s help in reducing urban congestion; but warns that it has not done enough to remove the threat to High Street retailers already battling the rise of e-commerce.
Says David Jinks MILT, Head of Consumer Research at ParcelHero: ‘Our latest industry report: 2030: Death of the High Street’, warns that the impact of e-commerce could mean our High Streets reach a dead end by 2030, with nothing but nail bars and charity shops in some town centres. The planned changes to Business Rates threaten many High Street retailers with significant rate rises just as they are battling to take on online retailers. The cap of £50 per month for this year for businesses coming out of Small Business Rate Relief is welcome; but what happens to those businesses in two year’s time?'
Continues David: ‘Some city centres are saying their Business Rates are rising by around 50% while e-tailers such as Amazon may even see their rates fall on out of town distribution centres. More needs to be done to save the High Street and look at the disparity of taxes and rates between online and brick and mortar retailers.'
Delivering the future
ParcelHero has warmly welcomed the £270m investment announced in developing robotics and driverless vehicles. Explains David: ‘Britain is at the forefront of technology when it comes to logistics and courier services. Parcels are being delivered by drone in Cambridgshire, droids are delivering packages in London streets and driverless vans are being trialled in Greenwich. Britain and the US are streets ahead of the rest of the Western world when it comes to e-commerce and delivery innovation; and this money will help ensure we stay ahead of the curve.’
But David says there needs to be a joined up policy: ‘What we need to see is a plan for the High Street and e-commerce to grow together; and technology, sensible taxation policies and more flexible planning regulations will help ensure this takes place.
Finally, ParcelHero welcomes the £93M for northern roads, and more money for Midlands routes to tackle pinch points; and the £690 million competition for local authorities to tackle urban congestion. ParcelHero says this is something that will benefit all retailers, whether ‘e-tailers’ or High Street chains. Says David Jinks: ‘Delivery delays cost this country £millions and something needs to be done to ensure Britain gets back on the move. This latest investment will help ensure our logistics services can keep delivering.’
Mike Danby, CEO of Bradford-based Advanced Supply Chain
Mike Danby, CEO of Bradford-based Advanced Supply Chain, a logistics supplier to some of Britain's biggest brands, said: “The announcement today in the Budget that the government will invest only £220m to address pinch-points on the national road network does not go far enough.
“Given that the government has only allocated £90m to the North of England, when a smart motorway scheme that covers only 15 miles of the M62 cost £136m, it is clear that this funding is inadequate – our road network is in dire need of much more substantial investment if it is to play a role in boosting UK productivity as the Government so readily desires.
“This is a missed opportunity from the Government to support a sector that affects and supports every other industry in the UK. To truly revolutionise the national road network, the government needs to look at all options to help impact capacity and journey times on national roads. Whilst road improvements and infrastructure is one solution, we are seeing significant gains in our own productivity, and the productivity of our customers by embracing technology to drive efficiencies into our transportation of goods. The Government should be pushing a tech-first solution too.”


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GhostMarket and Blockchain Cuties are collaborating on a Valentine’s Day giveaway campaign. Five users will each receive a holiday-themed NFT minted on Neo N3 and another five will each win 2,000 GM tokens. The contest is live and concludes at 1:59 a.m. (UTC) on Feb. 14, 2023.
To participate, users must perform tasks on the Gleam growth marketing platform to earn entry tickets. The more tickets an individual has, the more likely they will win a prize. Task examples include following official GhostMarket and Blockchain Cuties social media channels, visiting their respective websites, referring friends to the campaign, and more.
About Blockchain Cuties
Blockchain Cuties is a blockchain collectible adventure game launched in Dec. 2017. Players can collect, breed, and take pets on adventures where characters accumulate in-game items. In-game play allows users to level up characters by testing their skills in battle and gaining experience points.
Blockchain Cuties integrated Neo support in 2019 with the release of the first Neo-based Cuties NFTs designed after four members of the Neo ecosystem. In Sep. 2022, the team enabled the migration of Cuties NFTs from Neo Legacy to Neo N3.
The full announcement can be found at the link below: