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Increased competition, delayed tariff hikes could effectively lead to a Jio-Airtel duopoly
- The Indian
telecomsector runs the risk of turning into a duopoly of Reliance Jioand Airtel.
- The lack of tariff hikes and 5G monetisation being pushed back would hurt
Vodafone Idea’s survival the most, according to analysts.
- At the same time,
Jioand Airtel are aggressively pursuing the hunt for premium subscribers, extending the gap between themselves and Vodafone Idea even more.
AdvertisementThe Indian telecom sector could turn into a two-player game with both Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel stepping up the gas to attract premium subscribers with new postpaid offerings and unlimited 5G data, while the struggling Vodafone Idea is yet to kick off its 5G services despite bagging spectrum last year.
Analysts have underlined multiple times that tariff hikes by Indian telecom companies are imminent, however, that has yet to come to fruition. This is despite Bharti Airtel stating that there is a “need for tariff correction” and Vodafone Idea stressing that a tariff hike is necessary before the end of 2022.
Earlier, global brokerage Jefferies noted that it expects Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio to hike tariffs by 10% each in Q4 of FY23, FY24 and FY25.
To be clear, Airtel has increased the price of its base plan from ₹99 to ₹155 across all the telecom circles in India – but that is the extent of price hikes so far.
“A delayed tariff hike while negative for the sector, would hurt Vi’s survival hopes the most, and could effectively lead to a duopoly, likely resulting in accelerated market share gains for Bharti and Reliance Jio,” said a report by Kotak Institutional Equities.
Vodafone Idea: Caught between a rock and a hard place
Jio is on the offensive on multiple fronts to attract premium subscribers – including 5G, postpaid segment, and now pay TV via its ₹198 broadband plan. Airtel, too, has aggressively expanded its 5G presence and is now matching Jio in terms of data allowance.
With tariff hikes and 5G monetization on the back burner, Vodafone Idea is caught between a rock and a hard place. With a subscriber loss of over 5.3 million between October and December 2022, 5G launch still not being on the horizon, and the lack of a fundraise so far, would hurt Vodafone Idea’s survival the most.
“Vodafone Idea (Vi) stares at a cash shortfall of ₹5,500 crore over the next 12 months and a delay in tariff hike/fund-raise; this could lead to Vi shutting shop and accelerated market share gains for Reliance Jio and Bharti,” said the Kotak report.
If Vodafone Idea unilaterally increases tariffs, it risks accelerating subscriber loss. If it doesn’t, its ARPUs remain suppressed even as it continues to lose a large number of subscribers every month.
The hunt for premium subscribers
Jio and Airtel are both on the hunt for premium subscribers – absent any tariff hikes, luring premium subscribers is the only other way to increase the average revenue per user (ARPU), a critical metric in measuring a telecom company’s performance.
These premium subscribers can be of two types – those with a postpaid account, and those who consume a lot of data.
Jio’s postpaid push
In the first case, Jio’s latest postpaid offerings give users 75-100GB of high speed 4G data, with plans starting at ₹399 per month, with ₹99 additional charge per user.
Advertisement“The new family postpaid plans effectively cap the customer outgo at ₹205-235 per month and provide an arbitrage for higher-end prepaid subscribers to move to family postpaid [plans] to reduce their outgo per connection,” said a report by Kotak Institutional Equities. For context, Jio’s ARPU as of the December 2022 quarter is ₹178.2.
Airtel matches Jio with unlimited 5G data
The other option is attracting users who consume a lot of data. After limiting its 5G users to existing allowances as per 4G plans, Airtel is now offering unlimited 5G data just like Jio. While both Airtel and Jio are not charging anything extra for 5G services yet, unlimited data is a ploy to get users hooked onto 5G speeds which have touched as much as 1.5Gbps in some cases.
“We believe there is greater uncertainty on tariff hikes in the near term given that large capacity creation with 5G will shift focus on boosting utilization,” said a Jefferies report.
Both Airtel and Jio are in a race to expand their 5G coverage – after trailing Jio for several weeks, Airtel now has 5G in over 500 cities, while
AdvertisementIn sharp contrast, Vodafone Idea is yet to launch its 5G services, and since Airtel and Jio went live with 5G services in October, the telco has lost over 5.3 million subscribers.
According to the analysts at Kotak, multiple state elections and the 2024 general elections could force telcos to push back tariff hikes, and also give them enough time to build out their 5G coverage across the country. However, this makes matters worse for Vodafone Idea which has the lowest ARPU of the three telcos at just ₹135.
Jio’s broadband backup plan ‘disruptive’
Apart from its new postpaid plans and unlimited 5G data, Jio has also announced an affordable new fibre broadband plan priced at ₹198 per month, branding it as a “broadband backup plan”.
However, the analysts at ICICI Securities think it could actually disrupt cable TV providers, as well as Airtel’s direct-to-home (DTH) business.
Advertisement“We believe the new plan is targeted at cable user who has seen significant rise in cable bills and drop in the number of channels. The new plan by Reliance Jio will offer more content (OTT + live TV) and fixed broadband data at largely pay TV prices,” said a report by ICICI Securities, adding that IPL 2023, which will be streamed for free via the JioCinema app will help boost the adoption of Jio’s ₹198 broadband plan.
According to the analysts at JP Morgan, this new plan will help the company expand the total addressable market of fixed broadband market, which currently stands at just 30 million. For comparison, the cable/DTH market has 110-130 million customers, according to the ICICI Securities report.
“Jio is playing offence as it pivots to a focus on premium subscribers. We expect this disruptive innovation at the bottom of the market to put pressure on Bharti,” the JP Morgan report said.
For now, Vodafone Idea will have to figure out a way to stem its subscriber loss and prevent further erosion of its market share. Launch of 5G services and aggressively expanding its coverage in key circles should help the telco. It remains to be seen if it comes to fruition or not, though.
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New 3D NAND technology enables gum stick-sized SSDs with more than 3.5TB of storage and standard 2.5-inch SSDs with greater than 10TB.
Intel and Micron Technology announced their 3D NAND technology, the world’s highest-density flash memory. This new 3D NAND technology, which was jointly developed by Intel and Micron, stacks layers of data storage cells vertically to create storage devices with three times higher capacity than other NAND technologies.
Current planar NAND flash memory is nearing its practical scaling limits, posing significant challenges for the memory industry. The new 3D NAND technology is set to make a dramatic impact by keeping flash storage solutions aligned with Moore’s Law, the trajectory for continued performance gains and cost savings, driving more widespread use of flash storage.
“Micron and Intel’s collaboration has created an industry-leading solid-state storage technology that offers high density, performance and efficiency and is unmatched by any flash today,” said Brian Shirley, vice president of Memory Technology and Solutions at Micron Technology. “This 3D NAND technology has the potential to create fundamental market shifts.The depth of the impact that flash has had to date—from smartphones to flash-optimized supercomputing—is really just scratching the surface of what’s possible.”
“Intel’s development efforts with Micron reflect our continued commitment to offer leading and innovative non-volatile memory technologies to the marketplace,” said Rob Crooke, senior vice president and general manager, Non-Volatile Memory Solutions Group, Intel Corporation. “The significant improvements in density and cost enabled by our new 3D NAND technology innovation will accelerate solid-state storage in computing platforms.”
Intel and Micron chose to use a floating gate cell, a universally utilized design refined through years of high-volume planar flash manufacturing. This is the first use of a floating gate cell in 3D NAND, which was a key design choice to enable greater performance and increase quality and reliability.
The new 3D NAND technology stacks flash cells vertically in 32 layers to achieve 256Gb multilevel cell (MLC) and 384Gb triple-level cell (TLC) die that fit within a standard package.
These capacities can enable gum stick-sized SSDs with more than 3.5TB of storage and standard 2.5-inch SSDs with more than 10TB. Because capacity is achieved by stacking cells vertically, the individual cell dimensions can be considerably larger. This is expected to increase both performance and endurance and make even the TLC designs well-suited for data center storage.
The 256Gb MLC version of 3D NAND is already available in sample volumes to select manufacturers. The 384Gb TLC design will be sampling later this spring. The fab production line has already begun initial runs, and both devices will be in full production by the fourth quarter of this year. This means the first laptops and mobile devices with 3D NAND will be available during the 2015 Holiday shopping season.
Intel and Micron are also developing individual lines of SSD solutions based on 3D NAND technology and expect those products to be available within the next year.
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Drivers traversing Osceola Parkway on their way to Walt Disney World, may notice something a little different.
As part of the aesthetic changes happening around the resort, brand-new blue signs, which match the deep blue that has been associated with the resort’s 50th-anniversary celebration, have been installed on the roadway, replacing the former purple and red signs that were erected in the 1990s.
In addition to having an updated color scheme, these blue signs also feature directions to the upcoming Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser hotel experience (which is opening in just a few weeks on March 1), and the newly recapitalized EPCOT stylization.
Because there are more than 1,000 signs across the resort’s property, changing all of the iconic purple-and-red signage will likely take some time, but expect to see more blue signs pop up in the near future as Disney continues to modernize and re-imagine the look of Walt Disney World during its 50th-anniversary celebration.
Want to reach out? Email me at firstname.lastname@example.org. For more fun things, follow @fun.things.orlando on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.


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Anger as British Gas profits soar 500%
Homeowners reacted with fury today after British Gas revealed a five-fold increase in profits. The £571m windfall - up from £95m last year - comes weeks after it stung 13m customers with a 15% increase in bills.
The average household now pays £1,000 a year. Group-wide earnings for Centrica, which owns British Gas, rose to a record £1.95bn, guaranteeing huge bonuses for bosses.
The profits came after a year which saw the wholesale price of gas fall between January and March - but no cut in household bills as a result. Consumer groups today accused the utility firm of ripping off the public.
Fuel campaigner Lesley Davies said: 'It's quite sickening when companies make these huge profits while, at the same time, we are expecting 25,000 excess winter deaths as a result of people not being able to keep warm.'
The soaring Centrica profits, up 40%, also sparked calls for an investigation into the retail energy market. Joe Malinowski, who runs energyshop.com, said: 'The first half-year profit was absolutely extraordinary. The money was just flowing through the door.'
The fall in the wholesale price of gas, due to a mild winter and new supplies from Norway, stopped last summer and since then it has nearly doubled, ending the bonanza.
British Gas said it had been a 'year of two halves' as a result. It added: 'Sharp falls in the price of gas in winter 2006 led to unexpected profits in British Gas early in 2007, but rising costs later in the year also mean that analysts expect margins in the second half to be very thin.'
Adam Scorer, consumer lobby group energywatch's director of campaigns, said: 'No one is going to argue that energy companies don't need to make a profit. However, British Gas customers will want to tear their hair out when they hear the scale of these profits and compare them with their own rising bills.'
Centrica said it needed big profits to pay for investment in new gas generating plants and wind farms to meet government clean energy targets.
Allan Asher of energywatch said: 'The time has now come for the Government to find out what is going on in the retail energy market, to ask why competition is not working for customers. The companies are making a fortune out of their customers and the Government is doing nothing about it.'
Ann Robinson, director of consumer policy at uSwitch.com, said: 'Today's announcement boils down to profits and price hikes and reveals the depth of the divide in how British Gas treats customers and shareholders. This company has given up all pretence of keeping a healthy balance between the two. Consumers have a right to feel like Britain's biggest energy company is taking them for a ride.'
Paul Schofield, head of utilities at price comparison site moneysupermarket.com, said: 'Five out of the six energy giants have announced a combination of price increases and new products over the past six weeks so now is an excellent time for users to make sure that they have the best provider and product for their area and consumption.
'Online monthly direct debit accounts, are the cheapest products available, merely requiring customers to have an email address and apply online. There is no need for customers to manage the account online as payments are by direct debit.'
Weekly alerts on rip-offs and the best deals...
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Facebook Inc. insiders have made more than $775 million selling shares of the company since its IPO.
According to the Wall Street Journal, that includes 37.5 million shares, or about 2 percent of the company. Insiders sold 241 million shares in the IPO, according to the report.
The biggest seller is investor Peter Thiel who has made more than $1 billion selling Facebook stock and "cut his pre-IPO stake in Facebook by three-fourths," according to the report.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg has followed his pledge not to sell any of his shares of the company, according to the report.


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Procurement - digital supplier interactions
More than a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, corporate buyers and procurement professionals, in general agree that digital and remote interactions are here to stay according to research and analysis conducted by McKinsey & Company.
With most companies forced to adopt remote working practices through 2020 – some have since decided not to return to the office at all, allocating their employees to work from home – and with this, interactions that were once in-person are now mostly carried out remotely and digitally.
According to the McKinsey & Company research, buyers are choosing omnichannel interactions even if they work for an organisation that has returned to an office environment. These remote practices seem destined to stay and have transcended the original requirement during the pandemic. This change of behaviour will undoubtedly shape how people do business globally now and in the future.
The key points of the research were:
- More than two-thirds of the procurement professionals that took part in the research answered that they prefer to make orders and finish their negotiations through digital services, with and without human interactions. So remote human interaction and self-service tools are the main preference. And less than one-third said that they still opt to order through traditional human interactions only.
- 20% said that they have the intention to spend more than half a million dollars through remote interactions and digital platforms this year, and over 11% will spend more than a million.
Can digital and remote interactions be more productive than traditional methods?
A sentiment that grew for many people during the past year, and not just in procurement, is that the digital solutions adopted during the period were actually more effective than more traditional methods with 83% of the corporate buyers that took part in the research agreeing with this.
Also, eight out of ten corporate buyers believe that digital tools, e-commerce platforms and technology for buying and selling are more successful when it comes to prospecting and maintaining new suppliers when compared to face-to-face only interactions with the latter being more expensive and time-consuming.
Companies also learned that they can now develop deeper connections with suppliers when interacting digitally. Suppliers find it easier to update and access their data on company portals and digital communication makes conversing and collaborating more effective.
There's no denying that technology can help improve the daily routine of procurement professionals, especially when it comes to the gain in data, risk management, pricing transparency and communication, and the legacy of the digital and remote transformation changes made during 2020 are looking like they will be here for some time yet.
Find out how Maistro's technology platform is digitally transforming procurement for the better.


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How Argonne's battery research center could mean cheaper electric cars
Recycling AAAs is one thing. But what happens when your trusty Prius' battery goes kaput?
Perhaps in the future you can lug it to Argonne National Laboratory where scientists are charged up over a game-changing lithium-ion battery recycling center that would reduce U.S. dependence on other countries and cut green car costs.
Dubbed the ReCell Center, the facility aims to invent smarter ways to recycle and reuse the valuable materials in lithium-ion batteries that power everything from laptops to hybrid and electric vehicles.
"There's a smattering of research in this area but it's sporadic and all over the board geographically. The ReCell Center offers a location where people can come to use our expertise and equipment," ReCell Center Director Jeff Spangenberger said.
Battery innards such as lithium mostly originate outside the U.S. and recycling is typically outsourced. Government officials hope the DIY project will spark a domestic industry and provide the U.S. with a reliable stream of recycled components as demand for hybrid and electric cars grows.
"These efforts will reduce our dependence on foreign sources of critical materials," said Daniel R. Simmons, a U.S. Department of Energy assistant secretary.
Another fringe benefit: "Ultimately it will help people get cheaper electric vehicles," Spangenberger noted.
Lithium-ion batteries emerged about two decades ago. Now that the cars and batteries are starting to reach the end of their lifelines, the timing is perfect to create a homegrown industry, officials said.
"This is an area of research that isn't being done by companies currently because it's high-risk, but there's also a high reward potential," Spangenberger said. Instead of companies investing in costly R & D, "we take that risk out."
The Department of Energy has dedicated $15 million over three years to the ReCell Center at the Darien-based lab. There's gold to be found in spent batteries -- expensive ingredients such as lithium, graphite and cobalt mostly mined and processed in locations like South America, Australia and Africa, while a large amount of recycling occurs in China. Problematic political situations and trading partnerships with some countries underscore the need for a domestic industry, the Department of Energy said.
Researchers will use existing equipment and pioneer techniques to find shortcuts to restore the raw material and plug it into new batteries.
The project will include scientists and engineers from other national labs and the private sector. At the end of three years, the lab intends to offer a recycling model to spark U.S. battery production, officials said.
"No one person will solve this problem, we will rely on everybody's work," Spangenberger said.
You should know
BNSF Line commuters have a chance to advise Metra on their likes and dislikes as the railroad considers tweaking the schedule. Riders can complete an online survey at metrarail.com/bnsf2019 now through March 17. Metra adjusted the schedule in June 2018 as it shifted to a new automatic braking system, but the rollout was rough. Now that the kinks are worked out of the braking system, the agency will recalibrate the train schedule.
Last week's column about travel scams and the need to double-check before booking a hotel caught the attention of Wheaton's Bob Warzin. "I usually book directly with the airline and hotel," Warzin wrote. "If you do your homework, you can get good deals. I've read too many horror stories like you described regarding refunds, cancellations etc. I have used brick and mortar travel agents for cruises and Apple vacations. Never had a problem with that."
Got a comment about any transportation concerns? Drop an email to mpyke@dai yherald.com.
If you're driving on the Kennedy Expressway this week be aware of overnight lane closures near the Monroe Street bridge. IDOT workers are replacing a beam, which means lane closures on the southbound Kennedy and the Jackson and Adams exit ramps starting at 10 p.m. Monday and Tuesday. On the weekend, lane closures in both directions of the Kennedy near Monroe and ramp closures at Randolph, Madison, Adams and Jackson begin at 10 p.m. Lanes and ramps reopen by 10 a.m. Sunday and 5 a.m. weekdays.


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Paris-based unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) developer Parrot has launched the new Anafi USA quadrotor UAV aimed at military, homeland security, and civil defence applications, the company announced via a teleconference on 30 June.
The Anafi USA draws on the company’s experience in developing the Short-Range Reconnaissance (SRR) UAV for the US Army and brings several improvements over its original Anafi design including a new camera payload, enterprise-class data security, and IP53 environmental resistance.
Parrot’s new Anafi USA quadrotor UAV incorporates the experience gained from participating in the US Army’s SRR UAV programme. (Parrot)
“[The Anafi USA] is not just a clone of the [original model] – it’s a relation of it but there’s a huge difference between the two with its larger size, camera payload, and ruggedisation,” Chris Roberts, vice president and chief sales and marketing officer, briefed
on 26 June. “It’s the next generation.”
According to company specifications, the Anafi USA has a weight of 500
and measures 252×104×82 mm when folded, expanding to 282×373×84 mm in use.
The air vehicle can travel at a stated maximum horizontal and vertical speed of 52.9 km/h and 21.6 km/h, respectively, and attain a service ceiling of 6,000 m above mean sea level (MSL). A 3400 mAh lithium polymer (LiPo) battery pack provides a stated flight endurance of 32 minutes.
Parrot claims that the Anafi USA can be prepared for flight in less than 55 seconds and can be operated in wind conditions of up to 14.7 m/s. The company highlighted that the air vehicle can also be flown indoors without GPS and generates a noise signature of just 79 dB when operating 50 cm off the ground.


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2021 Star Woman in Convenience winner: Rebecca Winter
Director of sales and customer service, Payment Source
Rebecca Winter likes to say she grew up at Now Prepay/Payment Source, where she delighted in watching the company grow into an industry leader. Over the past 15 years, she’s been a driving force of the company’s overall customer experience strategy.
“I’m very proud knowing my involvement leading the customer service and sales departments was a key part of that growth,” says Winter, who manages four national sales representatives and a customer service team of 15 people, who work in offices across the country.
She recently implemented an omnichannel telephony system that will improve the customer experience by managing all interactions.
“We’re always looking for ways to improve, and we must be doing something right, because more than 50% of our monthly new terminal growth comes from retailer referrals.”
Winter’s positive outlook makes every interaction with retailers supportive and successful in an industry that prides itself as a community hub.
“I enjoy providing solutions that help retailers grow their overall business,” she explains. “It’s the interpersonal relationships that let me understand their needs and develop a program tailored to them. Being able to share in their successes brings me a real sense of pride and motivation.”
Join us on September 29, 2021, as the industry comes together to honour the winners at the 2021 Star Women in Convenience Awards Event.


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As the news of layoffs at China’s major Internet companies had become a trending topic at the end of 2021, Chinese workers were suffering unprecedented anxiety. However, in a sense, the large-scale layoffs happening at those leading companies indicates that the era of disorderly expansion, where the scale was traded for growth, is over.
The wave of layoffs
Under the pressure of changes in strategic planning and cost reduction, many Chinese companies take layoffs as one of the strategies to improve management efficiency.
In early December 2021, the massive layoffs at iQIYI brought this issue to the public eyes. According to Sina, iQiyi laid off about 30 percent of its employees across all business lines, including 50 percent in departments like marketing and channel cooperation.
Iqiyi is not the only one of the major Internet companies to publicly lay off employees in 2021.
According to the relevant information obtained from public reports, from October 2021, ByteDance abolished business personnel related to education and training, online games, and local life sectors. Following the announcement of China’s “double reduction” policy (ordering schools to cut down on the time students spent each night on homework and implementing tough new measures to rein in private tutoring institutions), ByteDance’s education division had laid off nearly 3,000 employees.
Kuaishou’s commercial teams in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen had completed the transformation before the end of 2021, some business lines had been cancelled, and the remaining business lines had moved to Hangzhou by the end of December 2021.
In addition, Tencent, Baidu, Didi… It seems that none of these Internet companies could avoid this round of layoffs.
According to Baidu Index statistics, the search peak for the keyword “layoff” in December 2021 was nearly 5 times the average search index for 2021.
The truth behind the layoffs
On October 23, 2021, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) promulgated the Anti-Monopoly Law (Draft Amendment) and passed the first deliberation of the NPC on October 19, 2021.
Immediately afterwards, the stock prices of many Internet companies in China fell by almost half from their peaks. The Ant Group was forced to delay its listing due to financial regulatory issues; Alibaba and Meituan were fined 18.2 billion yuan and 3.4 billion yuan respectively; Didi was removed from major app stores due to safety concerns after its listing.
For a long time, Chinese Internet companies need to burn money to get resources and become more competitive, especially at the early stage.
As a new starting point, anti-monopoly has broken the status quo of the disorderly development of Internet giants.
Opportunity and Challenge
Currently, Internet giants are starting to develop their technological innovations. Compared with the virtual economy, hard technologies are more worthy of investment. Especially, the “Key and Core Tech” field requires enterprises to make breakthroughs.
Take the following three Internet giants (Alibaba, Meituan and Tencent) as an example, according to the third-quarter financial statements issued, these companies’ net profits have declined to varying degrees as a result of the uncertain external environment. However, long-term value is what investors really value, rather than short-term profit.
On December 6, 2021, Alibaba’s CEO Zhang Yong sent an internal letter announcing that the company had upgraded its “diversity management” structure and set up two new sections, “China Digital Commerce” and “Overseas Digital Commerce”.
According to Zhang Yong, the upgraded diverse management structure would produce long-term value in each business sector by providing a clearer strategic blueprint for the future. Additionally, Alibaba’s three primary initiatives are domestic demand, internationalization, and cloud computing.
Zhang stated, Alibaba sees significant opportunities for digitalization in a variety of industries in the future, including new energy vehicles, finance, medical care, and so on, all of which are high-potential industries with high demand for computing power and intelligence. By leveraging Alibaba Cloud’s self-developed technological offerings, Alibaba will create corresponding solutions for these businesses.
At the end of 2021, Alibaba declared that all incremental profits in fiscal 2022 will be used to support merchants and invest in new enterprises and strategic areas.
On October 8, 2021, the State Administration for Market Supervision (SAMR) issued a penalty decision, with Meituan receiving a 3.442 billion yuan fine. At the same time, the company was required to improve in several areas, to achieve sustainable development.
Some research institutions have shown that anti-monopoly and riders’ rights protection are the two major focuses of the market. In this case, Meituan is actively responding to the policy to offer riders perfect labour rights protection.
In September 2021, Meituan disclosed the algorithm rules of “estimated delivery time” to the public, changing the estimated delivery time to time segment, and providing flexible compensations and subsidies for riders in severe weather or other unexpected conditions to help riders deliver better.
Moreover, research investment is one of the focuses of Meituan. The company’s R&D investment reached 4.7 billion yuan in Q3 2021, with a 60% year-on-year increase.
At the 3rd East China UAV Base Industry Innovation and Development Summit Forum, the Shanghai Jinshan District Government and Meituan announced that the country’s first urban low-altitude logistics operation demonstration center was established in Shanghai. Shanghai residents are expected to experience the convenience of UAV delivery in the first half of 2022. It is worth noting that Meituan developed over 90% of the fundamental components of its low-altitude logistics network on its own.
In terms of cold chain logistics, this is an area that requires patience and significant investment over a long period of time. Meituan has established cold chain logistics across the country to assure product quality and fresh product delivery.
According to the Q3 financial report, Tencent’s R&D expenditure reached 13.73 billion yuan, hitting a record high in a single quarter in 2021. In the first three quarters of 2021, Tencent’s cumulative R&D investment reached 37.859 billion yuan, a 36% increase year on year.
Tencent’s multiple business sectors and cutting-edge laboratories are actively engaged in scientific and technological innovation, constantly producing the latest achievements in “hard science and technology”. These accomplishments have a positive impact on the business, allowing the company to better serve its industrial partners and encourage industrial transformation and upgrading.
Furthermore, Tencent is constantly expanding its services and integrating into the real industry, acting as a good “digital assistant” in many walks of life, and combining digital technology with the real industries, which is becoming a new strategy for Tencent’s development.
While leveraging technology to empower the real economy, Tencent is also paying more attention to generating social value.
In the Q3 financial report, from September 2020 to September 2021, Tencent’s total juvenile game recharge decreased from 4.8% to 1.1%; The number of hours spent on games fell to 0.7% from 6.4%. This data reveals that Tencent’s investment in the minor protection system has achieved remarkable results.
In April 2021, Tencent has incorporated “sustainable social value innovation” into its core strategy and invested 100 billion yuan in a series of forward-looking explorations, such as basic science and education innovation.
Hou Jiyong, the founding partner of Fengyun Capital, believes that the disorderly expansion of Chinese Internet companies over the past 10 or even 20 years has resulted in huge resource consumption, and orderly expansion is actually “drawing boundaries” for the industry. For Internet giants, they need to focus on their core businesses to create long-term value in the future.
“We have seen the damage caused by this chaotic expansion, but more importantly, we have seen the new opportunities that orderly capital expansion brings to entrepreneurs and the world.” Hou Jiyong said.


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Apple's iCloud exposes iPhone thief
iPhone user Katy McCaffrey was on board a Disney cruise last month when her smartphone was stolen. But Apple's iCloud service helped her get it back.
She did not recover the phone but apparently after the theft, new photos from the thief kept appearing in her iCloud account.
The thief was actually taking photos with her iPhone.
The iCloud service automatically uploads photos taken on the iPhone onto the cloud, which can then be viewed on other Apple devices.
McCaffrey then decided to upload the photos to her Facebook account.
The album was named "Stolen iPhone Adventures".
According to reports, the Facebook album has gone viral and has attracted news coverage.
For now, McCaffrey will get her iPhone back when the ship returns to shore.
Published May 29 2012


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CruiseOne® celebrates achievements and new support tools
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (January 14, 2014) – World Travel Holdings, the world's leading cruise agency and award-winning leisure travel company, announces that its home-based division, comprised of CruiseOne®, achieved many notable accomplishments in 2013. From CruiseOne reaching the 800th franchise milestone to expanding its marketing programs; launching innovative technological developments; enhancing training programs; and winning prestigious awards such as the Small Business Influencer Awards, South Florida Business Journal CIO Awards, Women in Ecommerce Golden Mouse Awards and G.I. Jobs Military Friendly Franchise to name a few, the home-based travel company experienced unprecedented growth.
“CruiseOne is essential to the overall success of World Travel Holdings – and was a substantial driver in being named by both Royal Caribbean and Norwegian as their respective ‘Partners of the Year.’ I am pleased that we were able to prevail and have an impressive year, despite the challenges to the industry,” said Brad Tolkin, Co-Chairman / CEO for World Travel Holdings. “To win the highest recognition from two of the three largest cruise lines serving the North American market is a validation of the incredible team our organization has and the success of our partnership with our valued cruise line partners. We are thankful for all of the hard work and dedication displayed by our wonderful network of CruiseOne owners and look forward to even greater success in 2014.”
CruiseOne experienced double-digit sales growth year over year in 2013 as a result of more resources than ever available to vacation specialists, ensuring their ongoing success. These resources included new technology platforms and programs; increased local, national and web-based marketing efforts; and more training opportunities than ever before — both in-person and online.
The award-winning information technology team has its eye on the future and in 2013 developed mobile websites for CruiseOne, enabling consumers to connect and engage with an agent regardless of time and location. CruiseOne agents will experience even greater technological gains in 2014 as a result of a recently announced half million dollar incremental investment in new resources by parent company World Travel Holdings. “We pride ourselves on being the ‘best in travel’ and this new investment will be 100 percent focused on delivering the tools needed to drive our continued success for our CruiseOne brand,” shared Tolkin.
The innovative marketing team at CruiseOne provides its vacation specialists with access to large-scale initiatives. In 2013 an investment was made in a new in-house digital marketing team to manage paid search and lead generation through web advertising for CruiseOne franchise owners. Additionally, we launched a video asset sharing program that provided franchisees access to professional videos which they could personalize and use on television, at special events and on the web. Finally, an email marketing tool was launched that enables work-from-home travel agents to send professional news updates to their existing databases; and a new custom niche website program enables travel franchise owners to create websites to support their focus to a specific niche.
As the only travel franchise system to offer a field marketing team dedicated to providing local marketing support to individual franchise owners, in 2013 CruiseOne expanded the program to the Northeast and now covers more than 60 percent of the U.S.
The network development team at CruiseOne is pleased to report a gain in size by nearly 10 percent year over year, with CruiseOne reaching the 800th franchise milestone and experiencing a 93.3 percent retention rate among current owners. CruiseOne also implemented a successful program targeting military veterans. For the second year in a row, CruiseOne received more than 300 entries from 40 different states for its “Operation Vetrepreneur: Become Your Own General Contest,” which awards five military veterans with travel franchises.
CruiseOne offers year-round continuing education courses through online and in-person training sessions, arming vacation specialists with unparalleled knowledge of cruise lines and resort vacations, destinations, niche specialties and more. A new enhancement to the training program in 2013 was the addition of The Learning Center, an online learning management system providing new and seasoned vacation specialists easy access to more than 10 certification programs and in excess of 400 training modules for product, sales skills and marketing, as well as introductory-level refresher classes for all work-from home travel agents with CruiseOne.
2013 also saw record-breaking attendance at five regional trainings throughout the U.S. where CruiseOne franchise owners learned tips on how to continue expanding their business by attending educational presentations on marketing, sales and technology from the corporate headquarters team and networking with each other and industry executives. With last year’s regional training attendees experiencing a 23 percent increase in sales, 2014 is poised to be the most well-attended yet, with trainings scheduled in New Orleans (Jan. 31-Feb. 1), Fort Lauderdale (March 28-29) , Boston (May 16-17), Indianapolis (July 25-26) and San Diego (Sept. 19-20). In November, more than 800 work-from-home agents will convene onboard the Regal Princess® for the 2014 CruiseOne National Conference, which is the only annual conference in the industry to be held for a full week at sea.
“With so much industry information flooding the marketplace, it's important for agents to have a reliable resource that will process, narrow and present the key knowledge that will drive business,” said Vicki Freed, senior vice president of sales and trade support & service of Royal Caribbean International. “Today's consumer looks to the travel agent not simply as someone who places a reservation, but as a trusted guide. These trainings are the invaluable resource CruiseOne agents need to stay at the forefront of news, promotions and innovations in our industry, and deliver at the level their clients expect.”
For the third year in a row, Make-A-Wish® was selected as the charity of choice for CruiseOne. Through fundraisers at the corporate offices, regional trainings and National Conference, which included the first-ever Marathon at Sea to benefit Make-A-Wish, the companies donated more than $110,000, providing funds to grant more than 11 wishes for children with life-threatening medical conditions. What’s more, the corporate headquarters team helped grant a wish by hosting a bon voyage party for local wish kid Santiago, a nine-year-old boy who wished to go on a cruise.
“We achieved many milestones and successes in 2013 and as we move into 2014, we have the wind at our back and are looking forward to continuing to deliver remarkable experiences for our customers, as well as for kids with life-threatening medical conditions through our partnership with Make-A-Wish,” noted Tolkin.
For more information on joining this award-winning team, please visit www.CruiseOneBiz.com or call 888-249-8235 to learn more about owning a CruiseOne travel franchise.
About World Travel Holdings
World Travel Holdings is the world's leading cruise agency and award-winning leisure travel company with a portfolio of more than 35 diverse brands. In addition to owning some of the largest brands distributing cruises, villas, hotels, resort vacations and luxury travel services, World Travel Holdings has a vast portfolio of licensed private label partnerships comprised of top leisure travel providers, almost every U.S. airline, leading hotel brands and prominent corporations. The company also operates a top-rated travel agency franchise and the country's original host agency. Its global presence includes operating multiple owned and private label cruise and vacation brands in the United Kingdom. World Travel Holdings has offices in Long Island, NY, Wilmington, Mass., Ft. Lauderdale and Orlando, Fla., Virginia Beach, Va., and Chorley, United Kingdom. For more information, visit WorldTravelHoldings.com.
Celebrating 22 years in business with more than 825 home-based travel franchise owners, CruiseOne® is ranked in the top one percent of all franchises worldwide and is a member of the International Franchise Association. As part of World Travel Holdings, the world’s largest cruise retailer, CruiseOne franchisees are able to offer their customers the lowest possible pricing on vacations with its 100 percent “Best Price and Satisfaction Guarantee.” CruiseOne has received partner of the year, a top-ranking status, by all the major cruise lines including Norwegian Cruise Line®, Royal Caribbean International®, Celebrity Cruises® and Carnival® Cruise Line. For more information on CruiseOne, visit www.CruiseOneBiz.com. Like CruiseOne on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CruiseOneFranchise, and follow us on Twitter at @CruiseOneBiz.


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Here's what went on at Vogue Codes Live 2018.
For the second annual Vogue Codes Live, the Vogue team took over Carriageworks on June 23, 2018, inviting Allbirds’s Tim Brown, Oracle Fox’s Amanda Shadforth, Eleanor Pendleton of Gritty Pretty and Melanie Perkins of Canva to educate and inspire the attendees.
Kicking off the day, Vogue Australia’s editor-in-chief Edwina McCann welcomed the audience by reminding the attendees how and why Vogue Codes got its start.
“Given we are in the presence of some of the most intelligent, influential, inspirational and exciting minds today I promise not to keep you long, but I wanted to reiterate why we are here and thank those who have made today possible and why,” McCann began, adding, “The tech industry continues to struggle to deal with perceptions it has a cultural problem with women, as well as dealing with the consequences of less and less girls and women studying STEM [science, technology, engineering and maths] subjects. Each year in Australia over 18,000 students graduate from engineering and related technology subjects. Only 18 per cent of these are female.”
McCann continued, “Vogue Codes was born from the idea that if we use the power of Vogue and partner with innovative companies like Westpac, Audi and HP, we have the ability to demystify technology, making a career in tech not only a natural choice for women, but a fashionable one. That it is not just possible for a female to work in and around tech, it is very possible that they will rise to the very top."
Following McCann’s address, Meena Harris, Head of Strategy and Leadership at Uber and entrepreneur and the founder of the Phenomenal Woman Action Campaign, took to the stage to discuss making a difference and how anyone can drive change.
“It’s not obvious what we can do to drive progress,” Harris began, encouraging the audience to make a change, noting it’s not about a grand gesture but rather it’s better to start small and “and focus on the difference you can make today you never know where that action will take you.”
“Spark a movement,” Harris continued. “None of us can to do everything but some of us can do something,” the mother of two said, telling her story of creating Phenomenal Woman Action Campaign in March 2017, and how a handful of T-shirts led to something Harris never imagined.
“Every single minute becomes a chance to change the world,” Harris encouraged the audience, acknowledging it can be overwhelming at first but “if you focus on just one issue and you apply genuine effort and attention to it” and “engage deeply as possible learn it [the issue] inside-out, become an expert in fake news,” there’s no telling what change you can effect.
After the inspiring start, Tim Brown from Allbirds continued the momentum, sharing the story of the sustainable shoe and his tips for building a multi-million dollar business.
“I firmly believe brands are made up of two competing ideas; you should be able to explain your brand in an elevator ride, and equally I believe you should be able to sit next to someone on a plane ride from San Francisco to Sydney and entertain them, with all the depths of the story,” said Brown.
“We have the customer at the centre of our business — we sell a product and we get feedback from it immediately. That ability is the competitive advantage,” Brown summarised before the next panel hit the stage.
Talking beauty entrepreneurship, Eleanor Pendleton of Gritty Pretty, Kate Morris, founder of Adore Beauty, Carla Oates of The Beauty Chef and Saasha Burns of Bear, discussed starting their respective beauty businesses and the highs and lows associated with launching something in this space.
“I could see that the way we were trying to sell beauty products to women was broken,” Morris began, noting her journey started from her garage and now the business has over 120 employees.
The women discussed naysayers, confirming more discouragement came from a lack of understanding in what they were trying to achieve with their respective goals. But each had one piece of wisdom to share with the audience, an encouragement of sorts from the women to those in the audience (and maybe reading this) who yearn to start something of their own.
“Go and studying accounting!” Morris exclaimed, adding, “I know it sounds really boring and it’s the not glamorous side of business. You’ve got to know the numbers.”
Echoing her thoughts, Oates agreed it’s important to “learn to love maths, it’s really empowering”, telling the audience she needs these skill every single day in her business though it may not be your strength these skills are integral to your business.
Pendleton’s advice was simple: “Just do it! No one is going to do it but you!” telling the audience she has people from all over tell her of their brilliant ideas and her advice is always the same, just start!
Similarly, Burns told the audience it’s important to “be in it 120 per cent” and “you need to believe in it whole heartedly and love what you do!”
Afterwards, Melanie Perkins CEO and co-founder of Canva, shared her story of building a billion dollar business, what Perkins calls the “Ten year story behind Canva's ‘Overnight Success’ and the two most important lessons learnt along the way.”
Perkins shared her 10 steps to success, detailing her tips and tricks including learning mastering your handshake, seeking excellence and learn to love challenges.
“Why take on epic challenges if it's going to be so damn hard? You’re going to be outside your comfort zone,” Perkins said, encouraging the audience to take risks push their limits. “Taking that first step is always going to be a challenge, but it’s the most important.”
Moving into the afternoon, Tracy Chou took to the stage to address the audience with her keynote speech, titled ‘Now what's next? Tracy Chou on diversity and inclusion in tech’.
Chou instilled the in audience the need for diversity in tech but across the board.
“It’s the right and the smart thing to do to invest in women in tech. Research shows having diversity on teams actually makes them stronger,” said Chou.
“Remember why you’re in it. Being in tech is about designing the future. Going forward, every sector will be touched by software. Being in tech is a good way to stay relevant,” Chou finished, asking the audience to keep pushing and not to be discouraged by the current state of the industry.
Next, Holly Garber founder of Golightly PR, Amanda Shadforth of Oracle Fox, Alyce Tran co-founder and creative director of The Daily Edited and Giselle Farhat founder of My Chameleon took to the stage to discuss technology's impact on the fashion industry.
“What can you bring to the table that no one else is bringing to the table? Sculpt out visually what your story is going to be,” Shadforth advised the audience of deffereniating your brand from others out there.
Echoing Shadforth's words, Farhat commented on the prevelance of social media on the fashion landscape and how that effects her e-commerce business.
“Social media is really important to show who we are as a brand and create that community so that people can buy into it,” said Farhat.
Garber, whose Sydney-based public relations company represents the likes of The Daily Edited and Dion Lee, touched on one of the most valuable things that a business owner in any industry can do for themselves.
“In PR you’re ultimately selling time and knowledge,” said Garber. “Seek out other people’s opinions. You can learn so much from other people, it’s about surrounding yourself with good people.”
Leila Janah of Samasource, Samaschool and LXMI hit the stage next, discussing the benefit of giving work back to some of the poorest communities in Africa and the US.
Janah explained that "when we look beyond charity and give work" we can empower people as producers and those from some of the poorest and disadvantaged communities to find a future in work.
The last to hit the stage was Vogue Australia's fashion features and content strategy director Zara Wong and Cyan Ta’eed, founder of Hey Tiger and Envato.
“I do think entrepreneurship is like a muscle, you’ve just got to flex it and learn,” said Ta'eed. “I am certainly not the smartest person in this room… there’s nothing about me thats sensational in any way except that I decided to do something that everyone said was stupid."
“I generally think it’s a really good idea not to think about things too much before you do them—I’ve always had imposter syndrome, quite a bit of it,” she joked, before reminding the audience it's important to just start, take your idea and run with it.


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The Logistical Challenge of Food Insecurity
Though coronavirus cases and unemployment numbers take center stage in pandemic impact discussions, since the onset of COVID-19 in our communities, “Hunger has become an even more critical issue,” said Lauren Fernandez, principal of The Fernandez Company and advisory board member at the Atlanta Community Food Bank.
In fact, the national numbers are staggering. “In 2020, more than 54 million people may face hunger because of coronavirus,” according to the website of Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger relief organization. “From the beginning of March through the end of June, food banks nationwide distributed more than 1.9 billion meals to people facing hunger in the United States. In March alone, food banks gave out 20 percent more food than an average month.” The organization predicts that 6 billion meals will be distributed in 2020.
On March 16, 2020, Governor Brian Kemp announced school closures in Georgia to prevent disease spread, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention formally recommended limiting gathering size. Restaurants and shops began to close, some permanently. Cameron Turner, director of institutional giving for the Atlanta Community Food Bank said, “Our lives have not been the same since. Emergency COVID-19 food distributions began to be challenged by the national food supply chain and logistics on every level.”
“The retail part of the supply chain serving consumers has had excess demand, whereas the business supply chain serving restaurants and cafeterias has had excess supply,” said Nikolay Osadchiy, associate professor of information systems & operations management at Goizueta. “These two supply chains operated largely independently, and re-routing supplies across them is not easy because of packaging requirements, labeling, contractual obligations, etc. As a result, consumers have not been able to find some products in stores.”
Enabling families to be food secure
“To be ‘food insecure’ means to lack consistent, dependable access to enough food for all household members to live active, healthy lives. It is not a binary category, however. It’s not that one is or is not food insecure, but rather, a household’s food security can shift over time, and even members within a household may experience different levels and kinds of food insecurity at the same time,” said Jonathan K. Crane, professor of medicine at Emory’s School of Medicine and professor of religion at Emory’s College of Arts and Sciences. As the Raymond F. Schinazi Scholar in Bioethics and Jewish Thought at the Emory Center for Ethics, Crane teaches classes on food ethics and eating, drawing on religion, medicine, philosophy, cognitive science, art, ethics and more. He presented this definition at the Georgia Food Paths: Partnering for Sustainable Food Systems Conference. “This is why surveying the economic and social conditions of households is so important. Hunger, by contrast, being a more personal and subjective condition, is harder to measure.”
On the local level, prior to COVID-19 reaching our communities, as the sixth largest food bank in the United States, the Atlanta Community Food Bank partnered with more than 700 nonprofit organizations to distribute over 60 million meals through community pantries, night shelters, homeless shelters, senior centers and after-school programs to approximately 750,000 families in 29 counties. “Unlike the 2008 recession, after which the bell curve of need was slow and drawn out, the impact of COVID was immediate,” Turner said. “Within a matter of weeks, nearly 1.1 million people were food insecure in our region.”
Fernandez noted that the Food Bank is still providing food to those 700+ partner agencies; however, “The Food Bank expanded services into more direct-to-individual distribution as they tried to meet the need. At least 40 COVID-19 emergency mobile pantries were established as the food insecure population grew.”
From its new 345,000 square foot facility in Atlanta, the Food Bank manages the influx and outflow of hundreds of thousands of pounds of food every week. Fernandez observed, “The Food Bank’s leadership consistently demonstrates a high level of logistical sophistication and coordination of resources with local food suppliers and partners.”
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By Michael Smithson
প্রকাশিত তারিখ : October 1, 2019 | আপডেট সময়: 10:58 AM
Traders have hiked onion prices exponentially within a day, capitalizing on India’s export ban on the essential spice.
Retailers sold each kg of onions for up to Tk 120 at kitchen markets in the capital’s Palashi and Mohammadur areas. It was about Tk 80 the previous day.
“They are selling from their old stock, but they raised prices overnight,” said an elderly shopper at Mohammadpur Town Hall kitchen market after buying 500gm of the locally grown onion at Tk 55.
The traders hiked the prices even though their stockpiles were bought at much cheaper rates.
Bangladesh does not produce enough onion to meet domestic demand.
About 11 lakh tonnes of onion are imported every year to meet the demand of about 24 lakh tonnes.
“The market is unlikely to remain stable without supply from India,” said Mohamad Jamal, a wholesaler at Karwan Bazar.
Traders said the prices are rising amid speculations that there is not enough locally grown onion in stock.
The picture in kitchen markets of Chattogram were similar yesterday.
In Dinajpur and its adjacent districts, prices of the bulbs soared by about Tk 40. Each kg was sold for about Tk 95 yesterday, reports our correspondent in Dinajpur.
Some grocery shoppers in the capital said they would buy fewer onions.
A retailer at Mohamamadpur Town Hall admitted that he was selling onions he had bought much earlier than the recent export ban in India.
Stern action if anyone stockpiles onion illegally
ACTION AGAINST HOARDERS
Talking to reporters yesterday, Commerce Secretary Jafar Uddin said the country has of 3 lakh tonnes of onion and it will last 50-55 days.
He told The Daily Star later that hoarders would face stern action.
Besides, two ships of onion arrived in the country from Myanmar and more are in the pipeline.
Around 350 tonnes of onion imported from Egypt, China and Singapore arrived in Chattogram port yesterday, reports our staff correspondent.
Thirty-five truck will be deployed to sell onions in Dhaka, he added.
5 Hours Ago


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Notes on Musk’s latest Twitter about-face, then Meta open-sources an AI library that is a big threat to Nvidia. Plus, another example of a failed paid product from an ad-supported company.
Instagram policy with regards to TikTok content shows Meta hasn’t internalized the real risk from the Chinese company; then, revisiting U.S. TikTok policy
Apple’s ATT policy is another example of a tech giant playing a quasi-government role. Then, while there may be explanations for Google’s approach, they don’t stand up to scrutiny, while Facebook gets it right with their Oversight Board.
An interview with Eric Seufert about Apple’s big overhaul of SKAdNetwork, speculating about a possible Apple Ad Network, and why we’re both optimistic about Meta’s outlook. In addition, we discuss Snap’s disastrous year, and the Unity-ironSource-AppLovin acquisition drama.
Follow-up on Instagram, TikTok, and the Three Trends, including questioning the “cool” thesis of social networks, and why China’s Internet vision is winning.
Trends in medium, AI, and user interaction underpin Instagram’s response to TikTok, and will determine Meta’s long-term moat.
The Wall Street Journal fills in important details about the run-up to ATT, including negotiations between Apple and Facebook. Then, ATT denials don’t hold water.
Snap’s earnings were bad on the surface, and worse in the details; there may, though, be some good news for Meta, both in terms of advertising and also the evolution of Instagram.
Explaining exactly why Apple’s approach to ATT is anti-competitive


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Women in Marketing (WIM) CIC are please to announce the Women in Marketing Africa network, WiM Africa, partnership with the International Advertising Association (IAA) on Africa Rising 4 – an IAA Regional Leadership Conference on the 28th – 29th September 2021. WiM Africa joins Brand Finance and CNN as strategic partners with the IAA on the 4th Africa Rising virtual event - the region’s most anticipated MarCom conference that brings together the very best in the industry over a 2-day period to deliberate on topics propelling the industry and find new ways to uplift the industry on the continent.
WiM Advisory Panel member, Advertising Assocation of Ghana (AAG) past President and CEO of Mullen Lowe Accra is a recipient of the 2018 International Advertising Association’s (IAA) Inspire Champion Award, presented during the IAA Global Conference, Creativity4Better in Bucharest, Romania on Tuesday. Announcing the Award, IAA Vice President and Chairman of the Inspire Award, Heather Leembruggen said the IAA Inspire Champion Award honors notable leaders for their lifetime achievements, vision, committed services to IAA, as well as their contributions to advancing the IAA and communications in the global marketing communications industry. Norkor Duah who is the IAA’s Vice President for Africa Development is among five others from across the world honoured with the IAA Inspire Champion Award during the conference.


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DHL says it is approaching a point in time where it decides that “robots are going to become essential in the world of logistics”.
In a new trend report, Robotics in Logistics, Deutsche Post DHL Group says it is “revealing how collaborative robots will affect supply chains”. Robotics technology may soon be picking, packing and moving goods in the logistics environment.
Matthias Heutger, senior vice president strategy, marketing and innovation, DHL customer solutions and innovation, says: “Robots work in many industries but haven’t made an impact on logistics yet because of the complexity of the work – handling a wide array of different things in an infinite number of combinations, close to people and in confined spaces.
“Current research shows that 80 percent of logistics facilities today are still manual. Recently, however, technology is just starting to catch up to meet demands for flexible and low-cost robots that could collaboratively work in logistics.” [Read more…] about DHL to roboticise the whole of its supply chain


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TPI is pleased to announce the new The Lawn Institute website has launched! www.TheLawnInstitute.org has a new look and the same quality resources for consumers.
The Lawn Institute Donations Put to Good Use
The contributions that our members so kindly make to TLI through the annual campaign, auctions, raffles, and vendor donations go towards our foundation, and the TPI Board of Trustees voted in 2018 to devote some of those funds to consumer and professional messaging research to better understand the value that consumers see in our product.
Two of the key messages that came out of this research were the superior safety and health benefits of natural grass for athletic fields, and the environmental benefits of lawns, parks, and other green spaces worldwide.
As you browse the new TLI website, you will see those messages weaved throughout the entire site. The Lawn Care Basics sections are designed to help homeowners with better managing their lawns, getting tips for grass selection, weed control, mowing heights, etc.
The Lawn Institute Truly International
We will continue to update the new TLI website with more environmental facts, and we have plans to develop it further by creating a natural grass locator tool, advertising, and more in an effort to expand the reach of The Lawn Institute and maintain its reputation as a trusted resource for consumers worldwide. I’d like to mention that we also want this website to be truly global. For our international members, we have added downloadable graphics for oxygen production in Canada, Europe, and Australia, and we have had discussions with a few of our international partners about adding Canadian, European, and Australian sections targeting just those audiences
Visit The Lawn Institute Website
Take a moment to check out the new site. Download our graphics for your marketing efforts and to provide your consumers. Be sure to follow us on social media- Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for the latest news on TLI. And as always, you can make a donation to TLI in your TPI member portal.


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Milk prices are mooooving up up up, and small shops are getting hit the hardest. The Daily News reports the average price of a half-gallons beefed up from $1.47 in 2000 to $2.06 last year. That’s an 11 percent hike in New York City, while prices in the rest of the country actually cowered down 2.1 percent. But to find out the real situation with the dairy depression, The Local is crowd-sourcing prices at supermarkets, bodegas and speciality stores around the Fort Greene and Clinton Hill area. Hoof it over to there and contribute a price from your neighborhood half-gallon of sweet lactose. The Local will gather and give them a good shake to determine which inter-species bottled breast milk is best for your wallet.
Point of fact: Halloween is the best holiday in New York City. Why? First of all, it’s the only holiday whose sole adult purpose is partying. Second, it’s the most creative holiday. And since New York is a hotbed of creative energy, we get some wild instances of that. (Not to mention, New Yorkers are especially good at bringing getting their pets into the […]
Sex is weird. In conversation, it’s kind of out in the open. But in practice, it’s something we prefer to do with the lights off. We do it without communicating, and we sneak out quietly after it’s done, and we certainly don’t disclose the physical details without purposeful prompting from close friends. But one comedian has set out to bring sex definitely out of the bedroom — […]
1. Learn some important borough history at the book launch for A History of Brooklyn Bridge Park, which recounts the “grassroots, multivoiced, and contentious effort” to transform the park since the 1980s; the event will include a panel discussion and book signing. (Monday, powerHouse Books, FREE) 2. Or go back even further in Brooklyn history at […]


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You have searched for: Yahoo results
- Yahoo: Tracing demise of an internet icon
When senior Yahoo executives gathered at a San Jose hotel for a management retreat in the spring of 2006, there was no outward sign of a company in crisis.
- Yahoo losses deepen in Q2
Yahoo Inc's quarterly earnings fell short of Wall Street expectations on Monday in what may be the company's last financial report before it sells its core business.
- Yahoo’s Tumblr planning to launch Facebook Live rival
The images posted by Tumblr on the website include messages such as “We will broadcast live from the surface of Mars” or “You will learn the metaphysical truth about your Tumblr” and more.
- Twitter, Yahoo discussed merger: Report
Twitter and Yahoo reportedly met to discuss merger. According to a report in New York Post, Twitter officials met with Yahoo’s management, led by chief executive Marissa Mayer, to discuss a possible merger of the companies.
- 9 little-known facts about Yahoo
As Yahoo, one of the original pioneers of the internet age, gets ready for its second innings as part of Verizon, we bring you some interesting facts from its heydays.
- Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer's letter to employees
Announcing the big news, CEO Marissa Mayer sent a mail to Yahoo employees (Yahoos as they are also called) across the globe.
- Yahoo appears near deal to sell core assets
San Francisco, July 24, 2016 (AFP) -Yahoo is near a deal to sell its core online assets, ending a 20-year run as an independent company for one of the most storied names on the internet.
- Yahoo focused on selling core assets to Verizon: Sources
Yahoo views Verizon as the buyer that can deliver the most value but negotiations between the two companies are continuing.
- Can Warren Buffett help revive Yahoo’s fortunes?
Yahoo, once the world's largest consumer email service, has struggled in recent years to compete with Alphabet Inc's Google and Facebook Inc for digital advertising market share.
- Google, Yahoo draw SC fire on abortion ads
The Supreme Court on Tuesday pulled up online search engines Google, Yahoo and Microsoft for allowing advertisements relating to sex selection and eventual abortion on their platforms in violation of its order.
- Football: Champions League results
Astana (KAZ) 2 Zalgiris Vilnius (LTU) 1 Astana win 2-1 on aggregate F91 Dudelange (LUX) 1 Qarabag (AZE) 1 Qarabag win 3-1 on aggregate IFK Norrköping (SWE) 3 Rosenborg
- Yahoo to retire its 18-year old Messenger
Yahoo will concentrate on seven core products: Mail, Search, Tumblr, News, Sports, Finance and Lifestyles.
- Football: Europa League results
2nd qualifying round, first leg FC Shirak (ARM) 1 FC Spartak Trnava (SVK) 1 Dynamo Minsk (BLR) 1 Saint Patrick's (IRL) 1 FK Partizan (SRB) 0 Zaglebie Lubin (POL) 0 FK Vojvodina (SRB) 1 Connah's Quay (WAL) 0 Maccabi Haïfa (ISR) 1 JK
- Twitter holds merger talks with Yahoo: Reports
New York, June 4 (IANS) Executives from the sinking micro-blogging website Twitter have met Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer to discuss merger possibilities, the media reported.
- Tennis: Wimbledon results - collated
Men 4th rd Sam Querrey (USA x28) bt Nicolas Mahut (FRA) 6-4, 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 Milos Raonic (CAN x6) bt David Goffin (BEL x11) 4-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 Roger Federer (SUI x3) bt


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Will the Tech Stocks Spark a Stock Market Crash With Buybacks and Hubris?
If you are an average or more experienced investor lacking the advantages of the institutions, you may want to stay away from the FANG stocks: Facebook, Inc. (NASDAQ:FB), Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX), and Google parent Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG). Tech stocks could be the leading edge of the next major stock market crash.
The Dow Jones may continue to sustain 25,000 points or better, but there’s nothing to keep the index there in the medium or long term. The next stock sell-off will be more of a race than a marathon. (Source: “Morgan Stanley: The biggest sell-off since February is coming and it’s going to hit the average investor hard,” CNBC, July 31, 2018.)
Apart from the data—which no longer applies, given the ever more illogical course of stocks—it makes sense to exercise caution, even in the best of times.
Small or Large, a Stock Market Crash Is Always Lurking
The conditions now are practically begging for a correction…and that’s being sarcastic.
Facebook has delivered mixed results for its latest quarterly performance. By “mixed,” I mean a combination of strong financial performance and uncertain prospects. Therein lies the dilemma of the tech or FANG stocks.
Facebook, Netflix, and Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR) have already shown weaknesses in their armor.
Their current valuations reflect past performance and a whole lot of buybacks. After all, how did you think Apple achieved a record trillion-dollar market cap? (Source: “The Stock Market’s Next $1 Trillion Milestone: Buybacks,” The New York Times, August 6, 2018.)
Their valuations are sending the kind of warning that all investors should heed. Even if revenues and earnings remain favorable in the next quarter, there’s a natural limit to their growth. They depend on ever increasing numbers of users.
But in Facebook’s case, the rate of user growth has dropped. And this reminds us that eventually, it will end; there are only so many humans on the planet.
A Similar Scenario Concerns the Other Big Social Media/Tech Companies
Tech and social media companies are not like, for instance, car companies, which design redundancy and wear and tear into their models so as to encourage innovation and the purchase of newer models every few years.
Apple Inc. or Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) and others like them can expect more growth because they operate a similar model. But they’re the exception.
Indeed, the collapse of the FANG stocks represents the clearest symptom of the coming stock market crash.
The tech stocks will drag down many others with them. And, just in case you have forgotten or were not around to remember it, tech bubbles on Wall Street have inflated and exploded before.
The boom of the tech stocks on Wall Street appears ready to turn into a bust.
And should anyone doubt it, remember that it would hardly be the first time that tech stocks disappoint. After all, they have been the ones to get most of the attention for the past two decades. It’s only normal that some of that attention has been somewhat misplaced.
The tech stocks, in turn, could set off a volatility bomb. It would go off and deflate the current financial bubble, fueled first by quantitative easing (QE) and then sent over the edge by tax cuts and stock buybacks.
What Is a Buyback and Why Is It a Bad Omen?
Beware the stock buyback—by definition, a transaction by which a publicly traded company buys its own shares with cash or its equivalent. This cuts the number of free-floating shares available for purchase on the public exchange.
The fewer the shares available, the higher that the price of each share rises. Thus, the buyback is an artificial way of increasing a stock’s appeal.
True, some investors—short-term profiteers—like share repurchases because they don’t care where the increase in share value comes from, so long as the stock goes up.
But long-term investors who like to “set it and forget it,” as an old commercial once encouraged, should watch out for stock buybacks.
A little buyback can be alright. A lot produces disastrous outcomes.
For the past decade or so, share repurchases have tripled. Yet they were illegal until 1982. And some concerned senators, on both sides of the aisle, would like to ban them again. (Source: “U.S. Senators Challenge The S.E.C. On Share Buybacks,” Bloomberg, July 8, 2018.)
Actual or added value played only a minor role in fueling the markets. The bull market trend that started in 2009 was lubricated by low interest rates. And that’s the other reason to pay close attention now.
Stock repurchases, when used too often, tell investors that the companies buying their own shares have no courage and no ideas. It’s the equivalent of doping in some sports, and the effects in the long term are nothing short of devastating.
Rising interest rates, combined with the realization that many FANG/tech stocks lack the infallibility they appeared to have, could likely cause the next stock market crash.
Tesla Could Be the Trigger for the Big Stock Market Crash
The next stock market crash is coming, and it will focus on the tech sector.
Be on the lookout for Facebook and Twitter, but even more so for Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA).
Controversy is surrounding Tesla, the famous manufacturer of electric cars that appeal to many consumers. In short, the company’s entry-level “Model 3” has come to market late and with many defects.
Some customers have reported bumpers falling off during the trip from the dealership to their residence. (Source: “Bumper Falls Off Brand New Tesla Model 3 After 30 Minutes and Some Rain (Updated),” Jalopnik, August 13, 2018.)
And then there are potential big legal problems for Elon Musk. Some investors (short sellers) have formally complained to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that Elon Musk violated their trust when he posted on Twitter about a potential deal involving the Saudi Sovereign Fund. (Source: “Update on Taking Tesla Private,” Tesla Inc, August 13, 2018.)
Musk tweeted that he wants to privatize Tesla, should its shares reach $420.00. That forced short sellers to take cover, boosting the TSLA stock price again.
It remains to be seen whether Musk hinted in a blog post about a Saudi purchase plan on purpose in order to boost Tesla’s share price (as some contend) or whether it’s simply a tool to afford him greater control of the company.
Tesla’s board of directors was caught by surprise. Savvy investors should try to avoid that kind of surprise, which could lead to another stock market crash.


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Well, this is a surprise
The beta for Mario Kart Tour recently went live in Japan. If you haven't read our previous post, it includes the usual driver roster and a selection of retro tracks. Races are cut down to just two laps and the game is played vertically with touch input and swipe commands. It all seems relatively straightforward until you...
Fancy a sneak peek?
The Mario Kart Tour beta test has just got underway in Japan, and it really didn't take long for all sorts of details and screenshots to find their way online. If you don't want to be spoiled ahead of the game's release, this is your final chance to head back to our home page and away from all the leaked images. We'll kick...
Even more to look forward to this year
Though there was plenty to be excited about during Nintendo’s presentation at E3 this year, the lineup focused exclusively on the Nintendo Switch, ignoring the aging 3DS and the company’s burgeoning mobile offerings. Indeed, it’s been assumed for a while now that the 3DS is on its way out, but Nintendo...
No pay drivers here
The news that Nintendo and mobile partner DeNA are currently working on a smartphone Mario Kart came out of the blue, even if it's not all that surprising given Nintendo's current smartphone strategy of using its biggest brands. Details on Mario Kart Tour are thin on the ground, but we now have a little more information...
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By Craig Erlam Another UK Prime Minister has resigned and I’ve now lost count of how many Chancellors we’re going to be up to if Jeremy Hunt is also replaced next week.
The list of victims of the Bitcoin and cryptocurrency crash continues to grow daily. According to StockApps.com, the latest victim is Elon Musk’s Tesla, which is expected to report a $440 million
By Edward Moya Robust hiring in the U.S. in May pretty much guarantees the Federal Reserve will move forward with a couple of half-point rate hikes at the next two meetings. US
Tesla is showing its resilience in the electric vehicle market by sustaining the number of deliveries during a period when the market has been affected by parts shortage and challenging economic conditions.
By Jeffrey Halley The Ukraine/Russia conflict has suffered some headline fatigue of late, and more than a little complacency by the world’s financial markets, as China’s slowdown fears grabbed centre-stage. The economic
Elon Musk’s calls for increasing U.S. oil and gas output in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will not deter investors from positioning their portfolios towards renewable energy, despite the “negative”
Tesla is one of the most valuable brands in the world and in 2021 reached a level of growth that was unmatched by other global brands. Tesla’s brand value skyrocketed this year
The last two months have been pretty dynamic for the crypto market. First, Elon Musk’s Bitcoin tweets and a new round of regulations by the Chinese government caused the unexpected pullback in
Cryptocurrency volatility is not necessarily a bad thing – but it could be, if your investment decisions are driven by the whims of Elon Musk, said the CEO of a leading financial


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Apple has extended its offer of free access to the Emergency SOS via satellite service for iPhone 14 users.
When Apple launched the iPhone 14 range in late 2022, one of the main new features was the ability to contact emergency services when there’s no mobile or Wi-Fi signal, courtesy of satellite connectivity.
While this is a clever feature that’s since made its way to 16 countries (including the UK) and the recent iPhone 15 family, it’s easy to forget that it was never intended to be a free service. Apple originally offered it free for two years, which meant that early adopters would have reached the end of their free usage period in November 2024.
Now Apple has announced that it has extended the free period of its Emergency SOS via satellite service by a year to November 2025. This means that iPhone 14 early adopters will have had free access to the service for three years by the time it expires, while iPhone 15 users will have had it for two years.
How much you’ll actually need to pay for the Emergency SOS via satellite service when this free period ends hasn’t been disclosed by Apple. Will there be a way to sign up for it when you actually need it in a pinch?
Will it reflect badly on Apple if and when stories emerge of people reaching for the service when a serious situation arises, and finding themselves paywalled out of a potentially lifesaving feature right when it matters most?
If nothing else, Apple’s latest announcement has allowed it to kick that particular can of worms down the road.


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Designer Michael Costello is thrilled to spot Caitlyn Jenner wearing a dress that he had originally made for Kim Kardashian. The dress was first seen on Kim during a trip to Mexico last year. It reappeared on a promo video for “I Am Cait,” but this time on Caitlyn Jenner.
The light and flowing peach-hued dress was seen on Caitlyn for one of the promo videos for the eight-part document series which will start airing on E! on July 26. According to a report by E! Online, Costello spotted the dress and was amazed to see it on Caitlyn.
"Oh my God, that's crazy. I can't believe it — she's wearing my dress," Costello said. The designer also noted that during the airing of the special “Keeping Up With the Kardashians: About Bruce,” he already spotted some fabric in Caitlyn’s Malibu home, which he suspected to be the dress. Seeing it on her for the promo video confirmed his suspicions.
He explained that the dress was originally made for Kim and she wore it during her post-honeymoon trip to Mexico last year. She went on the trip with her new husband Kanye West and their baby daughter North.
"I originally made that dress for Kim," Costello explained. "That's why it's a little short [on Caitlyn],” explained Costello. This would not be the first time that Caitlyn had been borrowing clothes from her stepdaughter. In fact, also in “About Bruce,” she admitted to Kim that she had stolen an outfit from her closet. Kim was shocked but amused to learn about it.
Caitlyn then proceeded to show Kim her female clothes and Kim sorted through them. She gave Caitlyn some style advice and put together some outfits for her. Caitlyn then asked if she could say that Kim is her official stylist, but Kim said that she wanted to see how Caitlyn’s female style would look once she has fully transitioned before she would put her name on it.
Just a few months later, Kim has firmly put her stamp on Caitlyn’s style choices by letting her wear one of her own dresses. Caitlyn has so far impressed with her fashion sense and has admitted during her ESPYs speech that getting it right for the fashion police is harder than she anticipated.


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The sports-based fan token market has surpassed $440 million in market cap since the football fans’ blockchain app Socios.com announced it has received regulatory approval from the Italian government, up 97% from the previous month.
Socios.com will now be able to provide cryptocurrency and digital wallet services to fans in Italy.
Fan tokens are tokenized assets that represent proof of ownership or even membership. Users can influence the clubs they support by developing club-specific fan tokens to gain voting rights.
Socios.com is an app for football fans where users can influence the clubs they support by purchasing club-specific fan tokens to gain voting rights.
The platform said the 2021 token generated nearly $200 million in revenue for its partner clubs.
Alexandre Dreyfus, CEO of Socios.com, stressed that Italy is a very important market, with several top football clubs such as AC Milan, Inter Milan, Naples, FC Barcelona, and Others already established Let the platform have a strong influence.
Therefore, ensuring the legitimacy of operations in Italy and gaining the trust of users in this country has always been the direction of the platform’s efforts.
Approval from Italian regulators is, therefore, key to Socios.com’s protection of consumers and continued service in the region
He added that:
“Regulation builds consumer confidence. Fan tokens as a very powerful digital asset class in their own right are growing, and with increased confidence and visibility comes increased demand.”
Chiliz ($CHZ), an ERC20 utility token on the Ethereum blockchain as the digital currency of the Chiliz and Socios.com platforms, is down by about 8.56% at the time of writing.
Dreyfus admits that since the launch of Fan Tokens in December 2019, nearly 110,000 users have joined and bought tokens worth an average of $20.
Image source: Shutterstock


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A new Showtime series, titled Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber, dramatizes the dramatic rise and fall of Uber and its CEO, Travis Kalanick.
There are a lot of tasty tidbits hinted at in the video, such as the fact that Travis is “willing to run through walls to win” and a group of people laughing it up when someone questions whether or not his actions are legal.
We then cut to various scenes of revelry, including Travis (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) casually strolling past a private plane and exclaiming, “My life is on the line here.” And you will all pay the price in blood!
Everything happens in real life, however, part of the language is fabricated. After witnessing all that, one is warranted in asking where on earth Travis is RN. This is the information you require.
Travis Kalanick’s Net Worth
Travis is still quite wealthy despite the fact that he is no longer Uber’s CEO. His net worth is $2.7 billion.
Travis Kalanick’s net worth is $2.7 billion, according to Forbes.
— Danny Tebb (@daniel_tebb) February 17, 2020
Who is Travis Kalanick?
American entrepreneur Travis Kalanick has left an unmistakable effect on the business and technology sectors. He was born in the dynamic city of Los Angeles, California, on August 6, 1976, and has been instrumental in numerous ground-breaking projects that have transformed their respective fields.
The creation of Uber, a ride-sharing platform that has changed transportation services throughout the world, is Kalanick’s crowning achievement. From 2009 to 2017, he served as CEO of Uber, overseeing its meteoric rise to prominence as a household name synonymous with easy, app-based transportation.
For a deeper dive into net worth, these articles await your click:
- Karely Ruiz Net Worth: The Secrets Behind Her Fame!
- Jack Doherty Net Worth 2023: From YouTube Pranks To Millionaire Status!!
His time at Uber was not without controversy, however, as a shareholder revolt led to his departure in June of 2017. Kalanick remained a powerful business figure even after leaving Uber. On December 31, 2019, he resigned from the board of directors, but his will to succeed as a business owner never wavered.
He is currently the chief executive officer of CloudKitchens, the world’s leading provider of virtual restaurants. CloudKitchens’ goal is to transform the meal delivery industry by providing the necessary infrastructure and assistance to virtual restaurants.
Notable investors in CloudKitchens include Microsoft and the Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund. Beyond Uber and CloudKitchens, Travis Kalanick has been an entrepreneur in a variety of other fields.
He has a track record of starting and developing profitable businesses, with Red Swoosh being just one of many examples. Kalanick is regarded for his ability to strike a balance between strategic thinking and excellent execution, a skill that has been crucial to the success of his companies.
The trajectory of Travis Kalanick’s professional life has been marked by creative disruption and a dogged dedication to entrepreneurship. His innovations in technology and business have revolutionized entire sectors and continue to serve as an inspiration to would-be business owners everywhere.
Travis Kalanick Career
- American entrepreneur Travis Kalanick is most recognized for his role in launching the ride-hailing app Uber. He has had an exciting career path since his birth on August 6, 1976, in Los Angeles, California.
- At the beginning of his career, Travis worked for Scour, a forerunner in the peer-to-peer file-sharing program business.
- As an example of his innovative and entrepreneurial drive, he co-founded Red Swoosh, a P2P content delivery network.
- Kalanick took over as Uber’s CEO in 2010, and he stayed in that role for the next seven years, until 2017. As CEO, he oversaw Uber’s meteoric rise and subsequent disruption of the taxi sector.
- After months of controversy and a revolt from Uber shareholders, he resigned as CEO in June 2017. This was a watershed moment in his career at the firm.
- Travis’s passion for entrepreneurship and his history of investing in a wide range of endeavors inspired him to start a venture capital firm under the name 10100.
- He established City Storage Systems, an organization that focuses on revitalizing cities through the redevelopment of foreclosed properties.
- Kalanick is leading CloudKitchens as its chief executive officer. CloudKitchens is a global virtual restaurant startup that uses technology to disrupt the traditional meal delivery model.
- He further cemented his financial triumph in 2019 when he sold a stake in Uber for $2.8 billion.
Travis Kalanick Social Media Accounts
The New York Times reports that in August of 2019, Travis spent $36.5 million on a penthouse in New York City’s SoHo area that includes a pool and rooftop deck.
It was the most expensive New York City residence sold that month. The next year, Travis reportedly spent $43.3 million on a seven-bedroom house with two pools in Los Angeles. His success in the property market is evident.


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Alamo Drafthouse has become the first national movie theater chain to require guests to wear face masks at the movie theater.
- The theater announced on Friday that it would require guests to wear a face covering while at the theater except when they’re eating or drinking.
- Guests who arrive without masks will be given one.
- The theater said: “When we open, the safety of our teammates and guests cannot be compromised. This is not political. We will require that guests wear masks at the theater (except when eating/drinking). Those without masks will be given one.”
The theater promised there is “more to come” and plans to “talk next week” about the policy.
This means Alamo Drafthouse is the first national chain to require masks. Credit Suisse analyst Meghan Durkin released an analysis of all the health and safety policies for the movie theater chains across the country that found no movie theater chain required masks at their theaters.
Alamo’s decision comes less than 24 hours after AMC Theatres announced plans to reopen its theater chain. AMC Theatres CEO Adam Aron said the chain would not require masks from guests because they did not “want to be drawn into a political controversy,” Variety reports. AMC later reversed course.
“It’s well-known that there are some parts of the U.S. population and some parts of the country that are resisting wearing masks even though the scientists are saying it’s a very good idea to do so. We didn’t want to step into that controversy. So what we’re doing is we’re encouraging people to wear a mask, but not necessarily requiring it.
“And I can tell you this, on July 15, when we start opening our theaters, I’m going to be going to a movie theater and on the very first day. I might go to a double feature, and you can be sure that I’ll be wearing a mask, leading by example.”
Aron said in an interview with CNN Business that the theater chain will increase social distancing, add seat limitations, add new cleaning protocols, create contactless ticketing and allow for mobile food ordering.


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Apple pulls HKmap.live app used in Hong Kong protests
Apple has removed HKmap.live, a mapping app that crowdsources the location of police and protestors in Hong Kong, from the App Store, saying it violated the store’s guidelines and local laws by allowing protestors in Hong Kong to ambush police and threaten public safety. The move comes after Apple was criticized by a Chinese state media on Tuesday for allowing the app.
Apple said it removed the app after learning it has been used in ways that put law enforcement and residents in Hong Kong in danger.
“Many concerned customers in Hong Kong have contacted us about this app and we immediately began investigating it,” Apple said in a statement. “The app displays police locations and we have verified with the Hong Kong Cybersecurity and Technology Crime Bureau that the app has been used to target and ambush police, threaten public safety, and criminals have used it to victimize residents in areas where they know there is no law enforcement. This app violates our guidelines and local laws, and we have removed it from the App Store.”
via CNET Collections – Iphone Update https://www.cnet.com/news/apple-pulls-hkmap-live-app-used-in-hong-kong-protests/#ftag=CAD-01-10aai3d
link : https://www.cnet.com/news/apple-pulls-hkmap-live-app-used-in-hong-kong-protests/#ftag=CAD-01-10aai3d
October 10, 2019 at 04:15PM


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After Bharti Airtel’s ‘Wi-Fi Calling’ kicked off recently in select countries to enable its customers with free voice calls over Wi-Fi, Reliance Jio on Wednesday also launched Video and Voice Over Wi-Fi (VoWiFi) service in India, which will enable them to switch to voice over Wi-Fi inside their homes/offices.
“Jio has been testing this service over the past few months, to provide a robust experience to every customer at launch,” the company said in a statement.
Jio’s service is currently available nation-wide on over 150 smartphones. Customers can also make and receive calls with Wi-Fi using existing Jio phone number. To know which handsets are compatible with Jio Wi-Fi calling, please click here.
The key takeaways from Jio wi-Fi calling service:
1. You can use any Wi-Fi network for Jio Wi-Fi-calling
2. The voice and video calls will switch-over between VoLTE and Wi-Fi to provide voice/video-calling experience
3. Jio Wi-Fi calling works on the largest ecosystem of handsets
4. Jio customers can also make Video over Wi-Fi calls
Reliance Jio announced that this service comes with no additional charge.
How to enable free Wi-Fi calling on Andorid and iOS calls:
-Go to Settings
-Search for Wi-Fi Calling
-Switch Wi-Fi calling feature ON your Wi-Fi-calling capable handset
-Note that for a seamless experience you should keep both VoLTE and Wi-Fi Calling switched on.
Jio Wi-Fi Calling will be enabled pan-India between 7 and 16 January, 2020.
Commenting at the launch of this service, Akash Ambani, Director, Jio, said “At Jio, we are constantly innovating to enhance customer experience or solve their problems. At this juncture, when an average Jio consumer uses over 900 minutes of voice calls every month, and at a growing base of consumers, the launch of Jio Wi-Fi Calling will further enhance every Jio consumer’s voice-calling experience, which is already a benchmark for the industry with India’s-first all VoLTE network.”
Earlier, Bharti Airtel had announced Airtel Wi-Fi Calling service for its customers in Delhi, Mumbai, Tamil Nadu, Kolkata and Andhra Pradesh. The sevice is compatible with number of premium smartphones.


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WASHINGTON—The Biden administration has decided it won’t nominate acting Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Janet Woodcock to lead the agency on a permanent basis, according to people familiar with the situation, who say the White House is now focused on a shortlist of other potential candidates.
Dr. Woodcock was once considered a possible nominee for the permanent job despite opposition from Sen. Joe Manchin (D., W.Va.) and other senators who sent a letter to the White House in March calling for new leadership at the FDA, citing its “long track record approving dangerous opioids without considering public health.”
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