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Royal Never Give Up has entered a partnership with Chinese sporting and athletic apparel company Li-Ning.
The deal specifically includes the Chinese organisation’s Dota 2 roster and will involve a co-produced ‘RNG X Li-Ning’ apparel line. Rumours of this partnership started in mid-December when RNG’s Dota 2 squad wore Li-Ning apparel at the Perfect World Ceremony in Shanghai.
On December 28th, Royal Never Give Up held a celebratory ceremony to commemorate the organisation’s six-year lifespan. Held at the RNG Beijing Esports Center, a RNG and Li-Ning branded hoodie was debuted.
During RNG’s ceremony, it was also revealed that it has entered a strategic partnership with smartphone brand Hongmo. The deal includes a smartphone that’s RNG branded and has the signatures of the organisation’s League of Legends roster.
Li-Ning is currently in a deal with Chinese organisation Edward Gaming, initially being announced in October last year. In the following couple of months, Li-Ning started to sell a co-branded ‘Li-Ning X EDG’ apparel line at its retail store in Shanghai.
RNG is currently partnered with companies such as Lynx, HP, Logitech G, DouyuTV, and Yili Guliduo. In June last year, the organisation announced a jersey and advertisement sponsorship from Mercedes-Benz. In the following September, the organisation entered a one-year deal with KFC that includes RNG toys, special meals, and its own exclusive store.
Esports Insider says: Royal Never Give Up is quickly building up a solid roster of partners and is demonstrating how to capitalise on having a big fan base. From a unique KFC deal to a branded smartphone and apparel, fans of the organisation have plenty of avenues to show their support.


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MG Motor India exploring export opportunities in UK, South Africa; plans to make India export hub
On South Africa, another right-hand-drive market, he said MG operations still have to start in the country as it has been delayed because of COVID-19. "It's not ruled out...Once MG operation starts in South Africa that also will be a potential market," MG Motor India President and Managing Director Rajeev Chaba said adding that the right-hand-drive countries in the global automotive market "could be potential export markets for the company's MG Hector SUV".
MG Motor India is exploring export opportunities in the UK and South Africa besides drawing up plans to tap right-hand-drive countries in the global automotive market as it prepares for the long term to enhance overseas shipments from India, according to a top company official. The company, which has started exporting to Nepal, plans to make India as an export hub for the neighbouring markets.
"Though at present, there is a shortage of chips... we need to prepare ourselves for the long term. We wanted to expand our base and make India as export hub for neighbouring markets," said MG Motor India President and Managing Director Rajeev Chaba.
The company has already started with the Nepal and dispatched the first batch of MG Hector. It will continue with the Hector SUV right now and then add the newly launched mid-sized SUV MG Astor and ZS EV next year, he added.
"So, Nepal is the first country but we are actively exploring other countries in the region, namely, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Bhutan. Also, we have got inquiries from the UK because the UK is right-hand market. So, we are also exploring the opportunity of exporting and MG Hector to the UK," Chaba said.
On South Africa, another right-hand-drive market, he said MG operations still have to start in the country as it has been delayed because of COVID-19.
"It's not ruled out...Once MG operation starts in South Africa that also will be a potential market," he said adding that the right-hand-drive countries in the global automotive market "could be potential export markets for the company's MG Hector SUV".
Explaining the rationale behind the company starting exports despite having order backlog in the domestic market due to semiconductor shortage, he said, "This export is for the long term and and we are seeding the markets right now, to start with a lower volumes, but when the situation improves that say, in a year from now, this will give us a good diversification of our sales footprint."
He further said it takes time to develop the brand and develop the market network.
Exports, he said, will help the company in the long term from a point of having more dollar revenues and "this will help us get more volumes as well as spread our base for sales footprint".
On the semiconductor shortage, he said, "It is actually a short term issue the constraints of chips, which may last for six to nine months."
While the Jeep brand currently offers four products in the market, the automaker is set to enter the Indian EV space with the Citroen. However, the auto major's profitability in the country may be credited to its frugal investment approach and JV-based business model.
According to ETAuto sources, the raid began at the company’s Corporate office in Gurgaon around 3:00 PM and continued till the story is filed. The latest development comes in light of heightened scrutiny by law-enforcement agencies on companies operating in India which have links with neighboring country, China.

domain: news


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Growth a little short of original forecast, attributed to year-end purchasing rush
Sales of foodservice equipment and supplies increased 3.3 percent overall in the first quarter of 2017 compared to the fourth quarter of 2016, per the MAFSI Business Barometer. That falls short of the 3.9 percent increase that was originally forecasted.
The Manufacturers’ Agents for the Foodservice Industry (MAFSI) described the first quarter market as “hungover” from the fourth quarter of 2016, which realized stronger than expected performance. The fourth quarter 2016 ended with a 4.4 percent increase, which MAFSI attributes to year-end purchases to maximize buying programs and avoid typical first quarter price increases.
By product type, sales of tabletop items increased 5.3 percent in the first quarter, equipment 3.1 percent, supply items 2.9 percent, and furniture 1.7 percent. Primary cooking equipment led the sub categories, with a 4.0 percent increase.
On a regional basis, the South led the way posting a 4.5 percent increase, followed by 4.2 percent in Canada, 3.9 percent in the Northeast, 2.5 percent in the West and 2.1 percent in the Midwest.
MAFSI also added janitorial and sanitation products for the first time its first quarter Business Barometer. The jan/san breakdown for North America shows an equipment increase of 4.9 percent, supplies up 3.5 percent and disposables up 3.1 percent.
In addition, 47.7 percent of reps report they are quoting more while 37 percent report busier consultant activity.


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Retail Industry Trends
Digital transformation and climbing consumer expectations are forcing retailers to rethink their IT infrastructure. Not only that, retailers today must deliver better customer experiences, improve supply chain management, and elevate in-store interactions.
Retail reinvents itself.
The retail industry is in the midst of completely reinventing itself. The digital revolution of recent decades has reshaped consumer expectations and behavior. It’s driving some household-name retailers out of business, creating opportunities for new entrants and business models, and driving all retail organizations to rethink their people, processes, and technology from the ground up. To remain relevant, and to survive, traditional retailers need to provide a highly tailored omnichannel customer experience (CX), update the function, role, and appearance of their brick-and-mortar stores, and vastly improve supply chain efficiency—all at the same time.
To meet these challenges, retailers are moving rapidly toward agile, primarily cloud-based IT systems. Retailers depend on these systems to support basic business infrastructure—ERP, database, analytics—as well as essential retail-specific functions such as merchandising, inventory and fulfillment, and customer relationship management.
The new customer experience.
A key focus for retailers is providing personalized customer experiences seamlessly across channels, both digitally and in-store. Customers find a personalized experience not just appealing—90 percent of them, according to Epsilon—now expect it. Nearly half of shoppers are even willing to share data with retailers—from their personal information to their location—to gain these improved experiences across all channels.
Omnichannel consumers—customers who shop both digitally and in-store—are far and away the most important portion of the contemporary retailer’s customer base. According to a recent global survey of retailers, although omnichannel consumers represent only seven percent of the overall universe of shoppers, they account for 27 percent of total sales. On an individual transaction basis, omnichannel shoppers spend about four percent more than the single-channel consumer per trip into the store, and 10 percent more online.
Brick-and-mortar stores find new life.
While a rash of store closings in 2017 and 2018 led to predictions of a “retail apocalypse,” the reality is that 90 percent of worldwide retail sales are still made in physical stores. But even if there is no widespread demise of brick and mortar, there is a fundamental change underway in the nature and role of the store. Today’s consumers, especially younger ones, expect more than merchandise on shelves—they expect an adventure. Retailers are transforming the physical store into a destination, blending the digital experience into the physical location for an enhanced and entertaining shopping experience that consumers can’t find online. Retailers that fail to reinvent their stores and create these unique and elevated customer experiences risk irrelevance—and extinction.
Embracing this change means adopting technologies like augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to enhance the in-store experience. IKEA, for instance, has recently introduced an AR app that lets customers see how its furniture would look in their homes. Apparel and cosmetics brands such as Timberland and Charlotte Tilbury added VR-infused mirrors in some stores to make trying products more convenient.
The last mile becomes a top priority.
As retailers fight to stay relevant to today’s customers, the last mile in the supply chain—delivery—has emerged as a competitive differentiator. Overall, retailers are failing to meet customer expectations for delivery: nearly 60 percent of shoppers rate the delivery experience as mediocre at best. Retailers that successfully balance operational cost against fast-changing customer expectations for a prompt and transparent delivery experience can set themselves apart.
The stakes are high for getting it right: 70 percent of consumers say they will not shop with a retailer again after a poor delivery experience. With such a direct impact on revenue, the delivery experience is now a standard KPI.
This represents a business opportunity for retailers able to get on the other side of the dissatisfaction curve. While price is still consumers’ key consideration in selecting a delivery method, nearly 25 percent say they are willing to pay significant premiums to have their orders fulfilled more quickly. Retailers can expect this percentage to grow, according to a recent projection.
How can you prepare for the future?
The solution is to prepare your organization with cloud-ready IT infrastructure that is optimized for on premises as well as in the cloud: Oracle Engineered Systems.
These systems are designed, fully integrated, and optimized with Oracle Database to deliver faster retail reporting, improvements in supply chain management, better customer experience, business and product forecasting, and increased revenue and employee productivity. The Oracle Engineered Systems are integrated to eliminate data loss, a retailer’s most valuable asset and accelerate rapid data recovery across your enterprise. And they provide a seamless path to the cloud when your organization is ready.
Many leading retail customers around the world have already learned that they can optimize for today while planning for tomorrow, with Oracle Engineered Systems.


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Cartoon Network survey reveals growing influence of apps on Australian kids
The Cartoon Network's latest "New Generations" survey was released this month and a key take-out for marketers is that game console use has dropped considerably and the use of apps has doubled.
In the 10th "New Generations" survey it was revealed that, while TV still plays a major role in children's entertainment, app-enabled mobile devices are playing a far bigger role.
In the past 18 months, the use of apps by children has doubled, now standing at 69% thanks in part to the increased adoption of mobile devices. Almost half (48%) of Australian households now have a tablet, and 30% of children use such a device to access the Internet using either their own device or that of another family member.
On average, 7.1 apps were used by children aged between 4 and 14 during the previous month, with games being the most popular app. In fact, according to the survey, the use of game consoles has dropped considerably (32%) since the Cartoon Network's 2011 survey.
The New Generations survey also revealed that Australian children's spending power is at an all time high at $1.6 billion. That's despite a drop in pocket money, down from $12.38 in 2011 to $11.89 per week. However, the survey also revealed that children within homes that have subscription TV have access to 62% more spending money on average.
"When you look at that $1.6 billion in spending power, kids are a force to be reckoned with and yet, as a market, are often neglected," said senior manager of strategic research for Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific, Peter Hammer. "Our research also shows that kids have great influence over their parents spending as well."
Image via Shutterstock
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Jude Binkley staff writer
Club co-president Chantel Yeshova has been raising funds for the cause for the past four years. She joined the cause her freshman year and has served as co-president for two years.
“When I joined I was a freshman, and I was just another member who was in the club, but I really liked the creative idea of selling cookies, an idea that everybody would enjoy participating in,” Yeshova said.
While Yeshova runs the club along with co-president Ava Hekmati, it was Ava’s older sister Tara Hekmati who started the club and built a relationship with the Research Fund, a local organization that hopes to one day find a cure for cancer.
The club meets twice a month in the bungalows where they designate four to five members to sell cookies at the Farmer’s Market.
“We go out a little bit outside the Farmers Market with a table and we have posters and signs and t-shirts and we buy cookies from Diddy Riese and we sell them for $1 each,” Yeshova said. “We promote it to people walking by and let them know that it’s going to the Children’s Cancer Research Fund.”
The club has been successful in raising money, raising over $2000 for the fund in the last year. Their goal for has been to sell out of all 60 cookies they bring to each sale. Yeshova and Hekmati have thought about selling more than just Diddy Riese. They have considered also selling gluten-free and organic cookies at the monthly bake sale.
“It’s just a really fun way to get together with your friends and donate to a good cause. You just have the best time every Sunday,” Yeshova said. “Like it’s always sunny out, so it’s just like such a great place to be and such a great feeling to be doing it.”


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Brownie Girl Scout Troop Visits Kelly’s Etc.
The El Dorado Brownie Girl Scout Troop 41235 enjoyed a special trip to Kelly’s Etc. flower shop on Wednesday, March 3rd. Kelly’s Etc. is located at 112 S. Main St. in downtown El Dorado.
Owner Kelly North gave the second graders an hour of fun, learning and a ‘behind the scenes’ look of running a business. North started off with a lesson on how flowers are different, how they drink and how to change the color of a flower. “
The Brownies were given a tour of the shop and were especially fascinated by the security camera, to Kelly’s amusement,” said Troop Leader Kristi Knapp.
The girls made memories as they worked together to create a flower arrangement.
“Troop 41235 appreciates Kelly’s hospitality, kindness and sharing her knowledge and love for flowers,” said Knapp.


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LONDON — What is the difference between a McDonald’s Happy Meal and a box of Coco Pops?
Beyond the obvious, one can be advertised to children on British television, and the other cannot.
Britain’s Advertising Standards Authority ruled Wednesday that the fast food giant McDonald’s could market its Happy Meal during children’s programs, but ordered Kellogg’s, which makes Coco Pops cereal, to remove commercials it had broadcast alongside a children’s show.
The decisions highlighted the British government’s increased scrutiny of fatty and sugary food and drinks being marketed to young people, part of a broader effort here to promote healthier eating among children.
Obesity affects nearly a third of children from 2-15 in Britain, and regulations prohibit the advertising of products that are high in fat, salt or sugar content during programs “commissioned for, principally directed at or likely to appeal to” children younger than 16.
Kellogg’s ran afoul of those regulations, according to the standards authority’s ruling Wednesday.
At issue was a new product, Coco Pops Granola, which the company introduced last year and had been promoting in a TV commercial featuring the cereal brand’s mascot, Coco the Monkey. The cereal tastes like traditional Coco Pops — whose sugar content was too high for ads aimed at British children at the time — and also contains whole grain oats and reduces the overall level of sugar. (Kellogg’s changed the Coco Pops recipe in July, bringing the cereal into compliance with advertising rules governing sugary foods.)
But the Obesity Health Alliance, an umbrella group of health organizations, filed a complaint with the advertising regulator, arguing that the ad for new version of Coco Pops had the effect of promoting the brand as a whole, including the flagship product and its higher levels of sugar.
Kellogg’s insisted the advertisement was clearly for Coco Pops Granola alone, and not any other products.
The standards authority was unmoved by the company’s argument. It found that “children were likely to very strongly associate the Coco Pops brand and Coco the Monkey primarily with Coco Pops original cereal.”
The authority’s decision on Coco Pops contrasted with its ruling on McDonald’s Happy Meals.
In January, McDonald’s broadcast a commercial on an online streaming service in which an anthromorphized Happy Meal box fought with the Pokemon character Pikachu over a pineapple. The ad also featured a bottle of water and a portion of chicken nuggets, options that can be included in a Happy Meal.
Although not all of the items available in Happy Meals meet the advertising regulator’s healthy food standards, the authority nevertheless found that the ad would generally be understood to promote the Happy Meal in general, and not just the healthiest items, and chose not to take action against McDonald’s.
The regulator has previously urged companies to be responsible in how they use characters popular with children in advertising, especially when marketing foods that are high in fat, salt and sugar.
Some activists were unimpressed by the distinction drawn by the regulator between Happy Meals and Coco Pops.
Ben Reynolds, the deputy chief executive for Sustain, a group that advocates for better food and farming practices, said that the McDonald’s ads could still draw children into the company’s restaurants, where they could order unhealthy items.
“Should we be advertising, associating junk food in any form with kid friendly characters?” he asked.
It remains unclear whether regulations and rulings by agencies like advertising authority make a difference.
A report in May from the Institute of Fiscal Studies, an independent British think tank, pointed to flaws in the advertising rules.
The report argued that children watched family programs that were not specifically targeted at them throughout the day leading up to 9 p.m. The 9 o’clock hour is known in Britain as “the watershed,” and broadcasters must assume children are part of the audience up to that point.
As a result, the report found, half of the advertising for food and beverage products that children saw in 2015 was for products high in fat, salt and sugar.
This “indicates the complexity of trying to design a regulation for something as complicated as advertising and nutrition,” said Kate Smith, a senior research economist at the fiscal studies institute and an author of the report.
Ultimately, Smith argued, regulating advertising might only be a partial solution. “It could be that restricting advertising is one way,” she said, “but there isn’t going to be one policy that will magically solve the issue.”
Copyright 2023 New York Times News Service. All rights reserved.


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A midtown Manhattan sushi restaurant is banning tips to improve dining experiences.
Sushi Yasuda has banned gratuities and raised menu prices, a common practice in European and Australian restaurants.
The owner also raised wages for employees, saying employees don’t need tips because they’re already paid well.
What do you think? Should other restaurants follow suit?


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A majority of Woodinville voters supported legalizing marijuana with Initiative 502, but they may not be able to buy weed within Woodinville’s city limits. The City Council is considering zoning regulations that would ban recreational marijuana stores anywhere in the city limits.
Woodinville’s Ordinance 541 already prohibits medical marijuana dispensaries and collective gardens within the city. At the Oct. 8 meeting, the council and city staff discussed whether that would also prohibit recreational marijuana, and whether or not the council wanted to ban recreational marijuana stores.
City Attorney Greg Rubstello said that Ordinance 541 prohibits any land use that violates federal law, which would include marijuana stores, but the council could add language to specifically prohibit recreational marijuana sales as well.
Marijuana is still illegal under federal law, but Dave Kuhl, director of development services for Woodinville, explained to the council that the federal government has "basically said they don’t have the resources to enforce this."
The state Liquor Control Board didn’t allocate any marijuana retail outlets for Woodinville when it announced the allocation of stores last month, but King County can have 11 stores "at-large," for which the WSLCB could issue permits in Woodinville.
Brian Smith, communications director for the WSLCB, said that I-502 allows cities to restrict the location of marijuana stores with zoning rules, but cities can’t ban marijuana stores entirely.
"There’s nothing in I-502 that allows a community to opt out," he said.
He added that if Woodinville prohibited marijuana stores in the city, that wouldn’t prevent the WSLCB from giving someone a license to open a store in Woodinville, but that person couldn’t open the business without complying with city zoning laws.
I-502 already prohibits marijuana stores within 1,000 feet of schools, parks, daycares, arcades and other places geared toward children, but Kuhl suggested the council could create more restrictive rules about where marijuana retailers can set up shop.
"Lots of cities use industrial zones, the same way they do with adult entertainment, as it tends to keep it out of the way of families and other operations," Kuhl said."
Council members’ opinions varied widely, from Councilmember Susan Boundy-Sanders, who tentatively advocated for allowing marijuana stores, to Deputy Mayor Liz Aspen, who emphatically argued against them. Councilmember Paulette Bauman also opposed them, but less strongly. Mayor Bernie Talmas and Councilmember Scott Hageman suggested waiting to see how other cities handle the issue. (Councilmembers Art Pregler and Les Rubstello were absent.)
Boundy-Sanders pointed out that allowing marijuana stores would bring in money from taxes and tourism, support the wishes of voters (a majority of whom, in every precinct of Woodinville, voted yes on I-502) and hopefully make the use and sale of marijuana safer.
"There’s already the demand and the consumption in a black market," she said. "If you have the white market sales, you know how much is being consumed, you know the quality of what’s being consumed, and you can audit the books of the retailers" to make sure the money isn’t going to criminal activities.
Aspen, on the other hand, stressed the health risks of marijuana and the chance of it getting to minors. Although I-502 legalizes marijuana only for adults over 21, Aspen, who works at a school, said students have already found it easier to get marijuana after medical marijuana became legal.
"It really frightens me to think that this is going to be happening in our state. It really does," she said. "I’ve seen permanent effects on people that are adults now that are 40 going on 15, and it is real that it permanently damages your brain and your ability to make decisions.
"And if anyone thinks it’s not addictive, just like alcohol, you can become an alcoholic, you can become addicted to marijuana."
People who want to use marijuana can "go to Redmond or Kirkland or Bothell to get their fix," she said, but it’s "too scary and too new and too uncontrolled" for her to condone it in Woodinville.
Talmas questioned whether the council’s responsibility as elected officials was to uphold state or federal law. He acknowledged that a majority of Woodinville voters supported legalizing marijuana, but that anyone who wanted to buy it could do so in another city.
"My concern is that since we’re a small town, physically as well as population, it’s not the issue that I’d want to take the lead on and run risks …" he said. "So my preference would be to do a moratorium and see what other cities do and what the effects are."
The council moved to have staff draft language for two possible ordinances — one that would ban marijuana stores, and another that would enact a moratorium for the council to study the issue more and perhaps eventually develop regulations that would allow stores in some locations.
Aspen, Bauman and Hageman voted yes on the motion; Talmas and Boundy-Sanders were opposed.
Neither the ban nor the moratorium will go into effect without another vote from the council.


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Leading food retailer Lidl GB has committed to investing in the British food industry, promising £4 billion for food businesses throughout 2023.
List view / Grid view
During a BBC interview, the Chairman of Tesco said that “some food firms may be using inflation as an excuse to hike prices further than necessary”.
16 percent of food and drink businesses have said inflation has stifled their business growth regarding tech advancements.
Joshua Minchin and Grace Galler chat to Professor Chris Elliot about upcoming food and beverage trends that should be on everyone's radar.
Professor Chris Elliott marks ten years since the infamous Horsemeat Scandal and assesses how resilient we are to fraud now.
Researchers claim genetically engineered rice with better salt tolerance could be grown in places where crops would usually fail.
In a bid to tackle food price increases themselves, Klaus Grunert explains to New Food why consumers might be "reshuffling" their purchases to navigate food inflation and potential food shortages.
A study has claimed that food-insecure families have higher health care expenditures than families that are food secure.
Food Minister Mark Spencer will be meeting with MPs to discuss Government plans to support the food and drink sector.


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Pollinator issues have emerged as critical within public awareness. As a result, many consumers and activists have advocated for the removal of commonly used pesticides. As various media and activist groups provide information (positive, neutral, and negative) about the impact of pesticides on pollinators, no information exists regarding how consumer behavior is altered based on such information. The authors determined how both information source and information type have an impact on a consumer's decision to purchase pollinator-friendly plants in the future.
- US Department of Agriculture/Connecticut Specialty Crop Block Grant Program


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BlackBerry is dropping its first Android phone, Priv, as it prepares to release its new mobile device, the BlackBerry KEYone. Meanwhile, the company is also rolling out its May security update to select devices.
Priv Is Out Of The Roster
BlackBerry Priv is the company’s first mobile device made for the Android platform. It was released in November of 2015 but was not able to get much popularity based on sales figures. Priv, which features a QWERTY slider, will no longer be available in the United States and Canada, but the device is still in stock in the United Kingdom and Germany, as reported by Android Authority. In the U.K., BB Priv costs £294, while in Germany, it is priced at €342. There is no update yet regarding when these devices will be available in these countries.
Moreover, BlackBerry is selling the DTEK50 for $229 and DTEK60 for $460. Accessories — such as hard-shell, leather, and flip cases — and headphones are also at 50 percent off this month as part of the company’s May Sale. Phone Arena said that BB’s Classic, Passport, and Leap models are also being discontinued.
— Android Headlines (@Androidheadline) May 6, 2017
With its newest device coming out this month, it makes sense to discontinue the Priv. BlackBerry KEYone is already receiving positive reviews. Built by TCL, the device features a 35-key physical keyboard with capacitive touch support and a 4.5-inch 1620 x 1020 LCD display. KEYone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor and Android 7.1 Nougat, with BlackBerry Hub software. It has 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, the latter of which can be expanded through a microSD card. It is equipped with 3,505mAh battery with Qualcomm QuickCharge 3.0, a 12-megapixel rear camera with f/2.0 lens and 8-megapixel front camera. Unlocked devices cost $549.
According to the Verge, the BlackBerry KEYone is particularly attractive for business people who aim to get things done. The device is best for people who do a lot of communications through email. The keyboard can also function as a trackpad that makes it easier to scroll through pages or emails. It has shortcuts that can be customized, as well as a fingerprint scanner. Its battery also promises a long life, which is particularly useful for busy people doing a lot of things through their mobile phones, not to mention its fast performance and ability to multitask between several apps. Looking like the classic BB devices, the success of KEYone phone counts on the nostalgia it brings and the longing some users have for the physical keyboard.
BlackBerry still emphasizes secure communication, so this device will still appeal to government customers, as CNBC noted. The DTEK app monitors your device’s security and lets you know how secure it is by providing you scores. It tracks the overall integrity of the operating system and allows you to toggle the remote management through the Android Device manager, PC Magazine added.
— Android Central (@androidcentral) May 4, 2017
May Security Update Rolls Out
Meanwhile, BlackBerry’s May security update is now available on select unlocked devices, including the BlackBerry Priv, DTEK60, and DTEK50. Those who have devices from their carriers would have to wait a little later to have the update from their service providers. The update contains crucial fixes particularly affecting BlackBerry devices and addressing core vulnerabilities and issues on Android, according to Android Headlines. Those who purchased their unlocked devices from BB’s online store should have the update available, which can be checked by going to the About Device settings. Make sure your phone has enough storage space before downloading the update file, as well as at least 80 percent battery charge before installing it.
BlackBerry KEYone is already available in Canada. It will be available in the U.S. this month via BB’s online shops. Sprint will offer the device in summer.
[Featured image by Manu Fernandez/AP Images]


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Today (Monday) is a red letter day for a United Kingdom Office of Fair Trading investigation into a Manx firm's move to buy the historic Pinewood Shepperton studio complex.
Peel Group wants to buy the complex, home to the James Bond and Harry Potter movies, for around £96 million.
But the OFT is looking into whether the firm, which also owns MediaCityUK in Manchester, would lessen competition through the deal.
An OFT spokesman described the probe as a standard merger investigation and said it would examine 'whether the deal may be expected to result in a substantial lessening of competition'.
The OFT will make a decision today.


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Primo Mobile Pte Ltd (MOU)
Signing of Memorandum of Understanding Between ITE CE and Primo Mobile
Once again, ITE College East is celebrating its successful collaboration with Primo Mobile since the first Letter of Collaboration was inked in December 2010 last year.
Primo Mobile was exclusively renowned for the development of their 3 prestigious brands namely Tonino Lamborghini, Aston Martin and Enrico Coveri.
ITE College East and Primo Mobile Pte Ltd will collaborate in the setting up of the Primo Design Innovation Centre. The Centre will be a platform for Primo’s business development in Singapore and for our students’ enhanced learning of the latest market technologies.
The significant ceremony was graced by our very own Director & CEO, Mr Bruce Poh, Principal, Mr Eden Liew, CEO of Primo Mobile Pte Ltd, Mr Tay Yong Ngee, and Design Director of Primo Design Innovation, Mr Makorn Chaovanich. It kicked off with two talks by Chief Technology Officer, HP Singapore, and Managing Director, HP Labs Singapore, Mr Chris Whitney, and Mr Makorn Chaovanich, himself.
5 sultry models then strut their stuff on the runway flashing two prestigious brands of mobile devices – Tonino Lamborghini and Aston Martin – and their accessories by Primo Mobile.
The event was memorialized with a ceremonial cut of the red ribbon.
Click here for more photos.


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The engaging three-part series will span eight months and include perspective from some of the world’s most visionary companies, including PayPal, Stitch Fix, The Weather Channel, Affectiva and U.S. Bank
NEW YORK, May 14, 2019 – Forbes, in partnership with Teradata, today introduced a new multi-platform series called Forbes Analytics+, which leverages rich, multimedia storytelling and top thought leaders across the industry to offer actionable intelligence for C-level decision-makers.
Powered by Forbes Insights, a proprietary research-based, thought-leadership practice, Forbes Analytics+ convenes and curates insights from the analytic experts who are leading the global conversation on predictive analytics and the democratization of data.
The publication – which comes to life across Forbes’ digital, social, video, LIVE events and print platforms – debuts today with seven stories featuring perspectives from Sri Shivananda, SVP & CTO, PayPal; Brad Klingenberg, VP of Data Science, Stitch Fix; Nora Zimmett, CCO and EVP of The Weather Channel; Sheri Bachstein, Global Head of Consumer Division, The Weather Company; Gabi Zijderveld, CMO, Affectiva; and Srini Nallasivan, Chief Analytics Officer, U.S. Bank.
The first issue will tackle the promising potential of analytics to unlock answers about customer trends, needs and desires.
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Motorola starts rolling out Android 9 Pie for the Moto Z2 Play
There was a time when Motorola was widely considered the king of updates. Back when the company was owned by Google, updates would roll out to Motorola devices around the same time as Nexus phones, and often even faster: the original Moto X got Android 4.4 KitKat before the Nexus 4. That Motorola is, however, long gone. After the company was purchased by Lenovo from Google’s hands, they’ve managed to release compelling innovations in hardware with the Moto Z and Motorola One device lines, but they’ve fallen flat on their face when it comes to updates. One device that has lagged behind is the Moto Z2 Play and the company is finally giving it some love.
Case in point: the Moto Z2 Play, the midrange version of the Moto Z2, is now receiving an OTA update to Android Pie. Android Pie was released more than a year ago, and Android 10, the version that succeeds it, has been officially out for close to a month. And while we can understand that an update for this phone might take longer–this is a midrange phone from 2017 that launched with Android Nougat, after all, so it’s not exactly Motorola’s biggest priority to update it quickly–it still doesn’t justify taking more than a year to roll out a single update.
Nonetheless, the update brings all of Android Pie’s features, which you may have seen already in devices such as the Moto G7 and Motorola One devices. If you are a Moto Z2 Play user and you’ve been waiting for Android Pie to roll out to your device, then the update is now rolling out in waves, with devices in Brazil being the first in line. It should roll out in the next few weeks to India and other markets around the world. If you’re still on Android Oreo and you haven’t tried out a custom ROM yet, then be on the lookout for an OTA update coming soon to your device.
Source: Moto Z2 Play XDA Forums


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Next year will bring a host of fresh 5G-centric products, says Fergal Donovan
Data Select is urging partners to fully embrace the opportunities presented by 5G as the new technology is readied for launch this year.
The comments were made by the distributor’s CEO, Fergal Donovan, speaking at the Data Select Platinum Club partner conference at the Belfry Hotel in Sutton Coldfield earlier this month.
Attended by 130 members and brand partners, the event saw Data Select showcase new products from Google and Samsung that it has also added to its portfolio.
Donovan, who has been running the company for nearly four years, is optimistic about the opportunities for 5G and its impact on business.
He cited agriculture as just one area that could benefit, with farmers able to use 5G sensors to improve livestock management by, for example, maintaining humidity levels and automating feed to increase the productivity of chickens.
Donovan also sees 5G as a potential replacement for fixed-wireless broadband.
“We’re going to be selling a lot of 5G modems to the market,” he said. “We are going to see billions of connected devices and the capacity in the network has been improved dramatically to support that. Consumers are going to see 5G being a real alternative to broadband. It will be simple plug and play.”
He doesn’t expect 5G to really get going until the end of this year, with some of the main product launches for consumers and businesses happening next year. Data Select expects its first 5G offerings to consist of modems and MiFi hubs, mainly from Huawei and HTC (see box below).
“This is where 5G is going to establish itself first,” said Donovan. “This will happen after the summer. We see EE, Vodafone and O2 in the test stages, with many big cities seeing test beds. There are exciting times ahead.”
Data Select’s turnover for its financial year ending on April 30 last year was £156.1 million, while profit dipped by £300,000 year-on-year to £1.6 million, according to Companies House.
Donovan expects the company’s next financial results to be positive, despite the challenges of a shrinking market for new smartphones, but declined to disclose figures.
“We have grown year-on-year in a market that is going backwards. I think that’s due to us looking at new channels and new vendors, and creating more opportunities for our vendors and for our partners. We’re glad that we were able to enjoy growth this year, despite the mobile industry being down once again this year.”
He said he was inspired to embrace 5G sooner rather than later by what he saw at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February, where an array of announcements spurred Data Select into planning and preparing ways for partners to seize opportunities for the technology.
“There are lots of 5G devices in testing right now, but it’s going to be a while until there’s a decent consumer proposition out there,” said Donovan. “Initial devices will probably go through the operator channel. So how do we, as a B2B distributor, build propositions for 5G?
“After our visit to the Mobile World Congress year, it was evident that MiFi dongles and boosters are creating a viable alternative to fixed-line connectivity. We are working on several plans with partners as to how we can build those propositions to bring them early to market when the market’s ready.”
Donovan said that Data Select will in a few weeks announce a new partnership with a vendor from the Far East, noting the progress that Chinese smartphone vendors have made since entering the UK market – especially in terms of Huawei taking market share from the Samsung and Apple duopoly.
But Donovan expects “casualties” in the next two years, with some established and smaller vendors expected to feel the heat.
“Huawei has gained almost a 20 per cent share globally, and now players such as Xiaomi have reached these shores,” he said.
“Some traditional vendors are starting to struggle despite having excellent products,” he added, with new players offering competitive pricing.
Donovan agreed that Data Select may not have the scale of its rivals, but that the agility this gives it sets it apart from bigger rivals such as Tech Data and Ingram Micro, enabling it to “punch well above” its weight.
The company has direct partnerships with: Alcatel, BlackBerry, Boompods, DJI, Doro, Google, Hammer, HTC, Honor, NUU Mobile, Rhinoshield, Samsung, SOTI, Veho and Vodafone.
“We do hit above our weight,” said Donovan. “As long as we continue to grow every year I’m happy. We are a mobile-centric business. Others see mobile as a bolt-on to IT. Some people might see this disadvantage; we see it as an advantage. We’re specialists at what we do.”


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The Bloomberg administration, in its ever-expanding campaign to make New Yorkers eat better, has already clamped down on trans fats, deployed fruit vendors to produce-poor neighborhoods and prodded corner bodegas to sell leafy green vegetables and low-fat milk.
Now, in a city known more for hot dogs and egg creams than the apple of its nickname, officials want to establish an even bigger beachhead for healthy food new supermarkets in areas where fresh produce is scarce and where poverty, obesity and diabetes run high
Under a proposal the City Planning Commission unanimously approved on Wednesday, the city would offer zoning and tax incentives to spur the development of full-service grocery stores that devote a certain amount of space to fresh produce, meats, dairy and other perishables
The plan which has broad support among food policy experts, supermarket executives and City Council members, whose approval is needed would permit developers to construct larger buildings than existing zoning would ordinarily allow, and give tax abatements and exemptions for approved stores in large swaths of northern Manhattan, central Brooklyn and the South Bronx, as well as downtown Jamaica in Queens
To read the rest of this story, please go to: The New York Times


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Tobias Frere-Jones and Jonathan Hoefler are the closest thing to superstars in the mysterious world of typography. Their renowned studio has created fonts for Fortune 500 companies and garnered numerous design accolades. An iconic Gotham typeface, originally created for GQ Magazine, gave Barack Obama’s “hope” and “change” presidential campaign its distinctive edge.
This business partnership is now in shambles – and it’s unclear if anyone can pick up the letters and put them back together.
Mr Frere-Jones, in a lawsuit filed Thursday night, accuses Mr Hoefler of luring him into the company in 1999 with the false promise that they would be 50-50 partners. Whenever he asked to put the terms of the partnership – valued at $ 40 million, according to the lawsuit – in writing – he was told the timing was wrong. More recently, in July, according to the lawsuit, Mr. Frere-Jones, the chief design officer at Hoefler & Frere-Jones, addressed the matter.
“Stop it,” Hoefler, who runs the company, told him. “I’m working on it. Stop harassing me.
News of the schism quickly spread among the tight-knit community of designers, who are more used to arguing over serifs and spacing than over partnerships and profits.
“They are the most prolific American type designers, both in quantity and quality,” said Scott Thomas, national design director for the Obama campaign in 2008.
Fans of the foundry – a term reverting to the days when typefaces were forged out of metal – have expressed sorrow over the discord. On Twitter, an admirer lamented: “Police gods divorce. “A title on Quick business design read, “Hoefler & Frere-Jones, the Beatles of the guy world, go their separate ways.”
Friday, Michael Burke, lawyer at Hoefler & Frere-Jones, said in a press release that Mr. Frere-Jones had “decided to leave the company” and that the company would henceforth be called Hoefler & Company.
Regarding the accusations of fraud and broken promises, the company statement states that “the allegations are not facts, and they deeply distort Tobias’ relationship with the company and Jonathan.”
The statement said the company, located in Lower Manhattan, “has always been a great place for designers, which is why it has always been and will continue to be a great place for design.”
Foundries make money both by designing licensed fonts for users and creating custom designs for customers. Typographers credit the introduction of personal computers for drawing public attention to fonts. And recently, improvements in web browsers have opened up new markets in typeface design.
All of the changes have created instability and excitement on the ground, said Stephen Coles, who writes about fonts and typography at typographica.org.
The lawsuit accuses Mr. Hoefler of “the deepest betrayal”, and although it describes the many honors accumulated by Mr. Frere-Jones, it also describes Mr. Hoefler as “a character designer and a businessman” . (The trial documents were written in the Arial pedestrian typeface, which was not created by Hoefler & Frere-Jones.)
It was Mr. Hoefler, however, who first rose to fame in the typography world – creating a font, Hoefler Text, when he was barely 20 years old. Apple included the Hoefler font on its computers in 1991. It brought Mr. Frere-Jones to his company, the Hoefler Type Foundry.
By all accounts, however, Mr. Frere-Jones was the creative force behind the creation of the fonts, including Gotham, Whitney, and Mercury, which fueled the company’s growth. At one point, the company had 18 employees, according to the lawsuit. Yet all of their font designs, including four that were among the 23 added to the Museum of Modern Art permanent collection, shared the name Hoefler & Frere-Jones.
The perceived closeness of the partnership is why the typography world has been so surprised by the conflict. Most outsiders, and even former employees, assumed the two were, in fact, 50-50 partners.
“They were a very well-matched partnership – Jon has a very good sense of business marketing and enjoys it, while Tobias enjoys drawing,” said Jesse Ragan, a former employee.
In 2004, the company formally acquired the earlier policies created by Mr. Frere-Jones for a small fee of $ 10, according to the lawsuit. Mr Frere-Jones said the policies were actually worth $ 3 million, according to the lawsuit. It was around this time that the company was officially renamed Hoefler & Frere-Jones.
A 2004 New York Times article described a happy business partnership with Mr. Hoefler and Mr. Frere-Jones finishing each other’s sentences. The two have remarkably similar biographical details – they were born in 1970, just six days apart; they each have a British parent.
They also shared an early interest in what would become their life’s work. “Tobias and I were probably the only two people under the age of 14 who subscribed to U & lc,” Mr. Hoefler said, referring to the Upper & Lower Case font magazine.


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Jaguar Land Rover’s (JLR) quarterly (Q2) sales fell by 6 per cent, the company said on Tuesday.
The JLR, a part of Tata Motors, reported 5.5 per cent decline in total retail sales at 41,866 units in October as compared with the year-ago period, the company said in a statement.
Sales of Jaguar were at 10,606 units during the month, down 22.9 per cent from October 2018, Tata Motors, the statement added.
It further said that the sales for Land Rover were at 31,260 units, up 2.4 per cent from the same month last year.
“The automotive trading environment remains challenging globally. Against this background, it is all the more encouraging to see our China turnaround strategy and work with the local retailer network generating positive results as sales have improved in China for the fourth consecutive month,” JLR Chief Commercial Officer Felix Brautigam said.
JLR witnessed 16.2 per cent rise in sales last month as compared with the year-ago period. It was the company’s fourth consecutive month of double-digit sales growth in the region.
The UK sales were, however, down 18.7 per cent during the month, the company said. Sales were flat in North America, and down 7.9 per cent in Europe, it added.
(With input from agencies)


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JUNEAU – An Alaska Native cultural organization and luxury department store Neiman Marcus have settled a lawsuit over the sale of a coat with a copyrighted geometric pattern borrowed from Native culture.
The Sealaska Heritage Institute said in a statement Wednesday that the two sides, including 11 other defendants in addition to Neiman Marcus, have agreed to terms “to resolve all disputes between them under US and Tlingit law,” KTOO reported. Public Media.
The Juneau-based institute is the cultural arm of Sealaska Corp., the Alaska Native Society for the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian peoples of Southeast Alaska.
In a federal lawsuit filed in April 2020, the institute argued that the Dallas-based retailer falsely tied the $ 2,555 “Ravenstail” coat to Indigenous artists from the northwest coast of California to Alaska by through the design and use of the term Ravenstail. Sealaska said it discovered the retailer was selling the coat in 2019.
The institute in its lawsuit said the term and style Ravenstail had been associated with the Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian tribes for hundreds of years. According to the lawsuit, the coat also mimics a Ravenstail dress created by a Tlingit weaver nearly a quarter of a century ago.
The lawsuit claims that Neiman Marcus violated the federal Indian Arts and Crafts Act requiring that products marketed as âIndianâ be in fact made by indigenous peoples.
Neither Neiman Marcus nor his Alaska-based attorneys in the lawsuit immediately responded to Associated Press emails seeking comment.
Sealaska claimed that the Neiman Marcus dress violated the copyright of Clarissa Rizal, a master weaver who created the Ravenstail dress in 1996. Upon her death in 2016, her family obtained the rights to the dress, said the Sealaska lawyer, Jacob Adams.
In 2019, Rizal’s heirs registered the dress with the U.S. copyright office, according to the lawsuit. The copyright was then granted exclusively to Sealaska.
Adams told public radio station Juneau that the terms of the settlement were confidential, but some of its effects may become public.
âThere are conditions that are met to meet the aspect of Tlingit law and the aspect of cultural requirements,â Adams said. “So, in the future, some things could be considered as the result of the settlement.”


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This afternoon, Lenovo showcased one of the three tablets which the company has launched last week in China. Designed for consumers, the IdeaPad K1 Android tablet sports a high definition display, dual cameras, 802.11 Wi-Fi connectivity and is powered by Nvidia Tegra 2 dual-core mobile processor.
For the most part, Chinese tablets which run off the Android operating system are known to spring up like popcorns on retail shelves in the country almost every other day, but the fact remains that most of these devices will never be able to see the light of day outside their own domestic market. However, it seems
Good news for those who own the ASUS Eee Pad Android tablets (or specifically the Eee Pad Transformer which is already available). The Taiwanese manufacturer has just announced the availability of the Google Android 3.2 update, which will happen from 28 July today.
Thought that Apple's iPad 2 and Samsung's new Galaxy Tabs are the thinnest tablets to exist in the market today? Well, you might want to think again, especially if the latest announcement made by a certain tablet OEM is of any indication. Apparently, a Chinese manufacturer known as Shenzhen Guangxuntong Communication Technology has developed what it
Thought that the Flyer is the only tablet which HTC has in its entire product lineup to offer to its consumers? Think again; apparently, the Taiwanese smartphone manufacturer has been hard at work behind the scenes in designing another tablet which sports a 10-inch display for users who just simply need the larger display size. And the
Apple iPad and iPad 2 users in Taiwan will be glad to know that peripheral maker Logitech has recently launched two of its keyboard products, the Tablet Keyboard and Keyboard Case. *Update* Logitech has just updated us regarding the launch of the Logitech Tablet Keyboard and Logitech Keyboard Case in Singapore as well.
Dell Streak 10 Pro was reported to be launched in summer and it looks like that day is near. An unamed source has told VR-Zone that the new, highly anticipated 10-inch Android tablet is expected to launch this week in the People's Republic of China.
Have you heard of a tablet known as the Andy Pad? Well, it is reportedly an entry-level tablet computing device which is aimed at users who do not have any desire to break the piggy bank just to satisfy their mobile computing needs. And apparently, thhis entry-level tablet will soon start making its way onto retail
Most people may not know it, but MSI has been a player in the tablet space for quite some time already, except that its tablets never really managed to take off in the same way as those of its competitors. However, if you though that MSI is all ready to give up its stake in the tablet
Think that Research In Motion (RIM) is swiftly losing ground to the likes of Apple's iOS and Google's Android, especially where government deployment is concerned? Well, think again; apparently, RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook, coupled with all the security features that people have come to associate with the company's BlackBerry operating system, has just scored a win in
Lenovo has recently announced the launch of their new tablet devices which come in the form of the IdeaPad K1, IdeaPad P1 and ThinkPad Tablet. The IdeaPad K1 and ThinkPad Tablet are powered by Google Android 3.1 Honeycomb operating system, while the IdeaPad P1 runs Microsoft Windows 7.
When Research In Motion (RIM) revealed in its earnings call that it was only able to ship 500,000 PlayBooks for its fiscal first quarter, rumours about the company probably having plans to discontinue the WiFi-only version of its new tablet in favor of focusing its efforts on the upcoming 4G versions and its other products
Kouziro, a Japanese computer OEM known for its Build-To-Order line of desktop PCs, has announced the availability of two new 10-inch tablets for its domestic Japanese market, which both feature and external keyboard and a choice between Microsoft's Windows 7 and Google's Android operating systems. Read on to find out more about the new tablets
Nikon Asia has announced the availability of their my Picturetown iPhone App for users in Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia. You can download the app to your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad and create your album, view your photos and even upload or take a photo.
Everyone knows that the iPad is a fantastic consumer electronic device for users to create and consumer digital content on, but the fact that it is designed to be used only by a single user makes it difficult (and potentially costly) for an entire family to share content without mixing up each other's personal files
ASUS had already shipped 400,000 units of Eee Pad Transformer for the month and this is expected to increase for the second half of the year.
Now this is not really a gadget-related piece of news per se, but it is still something that is interesting enough to warrant some mention on our front page. Apparently, a hardcore Batman fan was able to go about building his own Batmobile with a real honest-to-goodness turbine engine, but the best part is that
Looks like Haier is on a roll this week. In addition to launching a new, upgraded version of a yet-unnamed Haipad tablet which we talked about recently, it seems that the company has got yet another product which has been given an upgrade of sorts, and it comes in the form of a slight specifications bump
We all know that Amazon has been attempting to compete against Apple in just about everything that is related to digital content, such as e-books, digital music, and even mobile applications. However, it seems that Amazon is all ready to take the fight up to the next level, for word has it that the multinational
It is a common perception that most, if not all of those China-branded tablet devices that are currently making their way onto the retail shelves in the gigantic Chinese domestic market are nothing more than cheap toys which sport poor build qualities and weak hardware, right? Well, leave it to WitsTech to prove such critics


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Want to join the conversation?
$MUR 2Q15 Call: At 2Q15-end, Murphy’s long-term debt amounted to approx. $3.3Bil, 29% of total capital employed, while net debt amounted to just over 20%. In July, moved $150MM of funds from the UK following the sale of the UK downstream assets back to the US and these funds have been used to repay a portion of outstanding debt early in 3Q15.
The latest earnings report by $VZ shows how it is losing customers despite offering the unlimited data plans, a record for the company.
$BEBE is closing down all its stores by the end of May.
$WFC agreed to hike its payout in a class-action settlement over unauthorized accounts by $32 million to $142 million for its retail sales practices. The settlement will now include customers who were impacted as early as May 2002.


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Free fuel will help sell Toyota's fuel-cell car Mirai
When Toyota's new fuel-cell vehicle goes on sale in October, drivers will receive an inducement that might help make up for having relatively few places to go for a fill-up.
They'll get free fuel.
The freebie is aimed at early adopters, individuals willing to plunk down about $57,500 for the new Mirai, which runs on hydrogen and emits only water vapor, says Mark Oldenburg, Toyota's national fleet marketing manager.
Hyundai has leased about 70 of the fuel-cell version of its Tucson SUV since last year, also offering free hydrogen. Honda also plans to field a new generation of hydrogen-powered fuel-cell vehicles.
But access to fuel remains an issue. Oldenburg says California has nine hydrogen filling stations. There could be 20 by the end of the year.
Still, few places to refuel presents a problem for launching the car.
Toyota, however, is serious. It's putting a lot of backing behind the car, offering other goodies, as well, like an around-the-clock "concierge," roadside assistance and an eight-year, 100,000-mile warranty on the fuel cell.
Sales expectations are modest. Toyota expects sales of only about 200 this year and a total of 3,000 by the end of 2017. About a quarter will be snatched up by corporate or government fleets, but that's an educated guess, Oldenburg says.
Who will buy it?
Mostly men in their 50s, those with an interest or background in science and technology. The goal, Oldenburg told auto writers in the Motor Press Guild in Los Angeles, is to "build a community of early adaptors."


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Authors often say “write the book you want to read” and Zainab Kwaw-Swanzy has done just that. She “would have loved to have” a history of the black-girl afro when she was younger, she says: the 25-year-old’s book will explore the personal and political histories of the hairstyle, as part of a groundbreaking new series by young people about the history of black Britain.
“Myself and almost everyone I know has had their own personal journey relating to afro hair. It’s not just hair – it can be political, it can be a statement, so many things,” says Kwaw-Swanzy, a founding member of award-winning magazine gal-dem. “There was a time when lots of products weren’t available and there wasn’t a lot of education out there about how to manage this hair best, because it’s not the norm in our country. So to have a book that explains why it is important would have probably helped me learn to love my own hair a lot quicker than I did.”
Kwaw-Swanzy’s is one book in A Quick Ting On, a groundbreaking new non-fiction series focused on the black British community, all written by young black British writers. Created by 24-year-old publisher Magdalene Abraha, the series is the first of its kind and will cover topics from grime music to bamboo earrings, plantain to the black British power movement, Afrobeats to black British business.


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Bisphenol A (BPA) levels in people can rise by 1,221% after eating canned soup compared with fresh soup, according to a first-of-its-kind study.
BPA has been used since the 1950s to make polymer products including liners for food cans, drinking containers, thermal register receipts, DVDs, and car parts. Only recently have researchers raised questions about the chemical’s safety. BPA has been described as an endocrine-disruptor and linked to maladies ranging from diabetes to cancer. The U.S. has urged manufacturers to stop using BPA, and Canada declared BPA as toxic in 2010.
TIME staff writer Alice Park reports on the new work:
The study — the first to measure how much BPA is absorbed by eating canned food — found some of the highest recorded levels of BPA in urine outside of manufacturing facilities where BPA is used. ‘We were surprised,’ says [researcher Jenny Carwile, a doctoral student in epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health]. ‘Other studies have quantified the amount of BPA in canned food itself, so we were expecting a modest association. But this is really big.’
Although the study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, looked only at canned soup, the results likely apply to other canned foods and beverages as well.
Carwile and her colleagues examine how much BPA in food packaging gets into humans. For this study, they focused on BPA in canned foods. They recruited 75 fellow students and staff members. Half of the participants ate one 12-oz. can of vegetarian soup each day for five days, while the other half ate soup made from fresh ingredients. After a two-day soup break, they switched. Carwile told Park that the switch ensured that whatever else the participants were eating during the two-week study wouldn’t affect their BPA levels, since the only thing that changed was the source of their soup.
Participants gave urine samples after each soup-eating period so that the researchers could measure BPA levels. Park summarized the results:
In the fresh-soup group, average levels of urinary BPA were about 1.1 micrograms per liter, roughly equivalent to what’s seen in the average American adult. After five days of eating canned soup, however, those levels rose to 20.8 mcg per liter, a more than 1,000% increase.
The American Chemistry Council contends that BPA flushes out of the body quickly, and only massive exposure has been conclusively determined to be harmful, writes Lesley Ciarula Taylor, staff reporter for the Toronto Star. The council has also said that without BPA, Taylor writes, inexpensive and convenient canned foods and plastic goods would not exist.
“I appreciate that canned foods are convenient and inexpensive,” Carwile told Taylor. “But consumers need to know what they’re being exposed to.”
Carwile noted to Park that analyzing how long BPA from the soup stays in the body was beyond the scope of their work, “but the results definitely deserve further study.”
Source: “BPA levels skyrocket after eating canned soup,” Toronto Star, 11/23/11
Source: “Study Finds Spikes in BPA From Eating Canned Soup,” TIME Healthland, 11/23/11
Image by Steven Depolo, used under its Creative Commons license.
Rachel Petkewich is a freelance science writer and editor. She has worked as a research scientist in the chemical industry and spent eight years as a staff writer and editor at various science journals and magazines, including Chemical & Engineering News.


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Matchstick: the dongle streaming Firefox OS and its small success. More than 8,000 units have been ordered via crowdfunding.There are some days we were talking about the Matchstick, a dongle streaming (similar to Chromecast) developed by a company of the same name and uses the Mozilla Firefox OS operating system.
Currently, the Kickstarter campaign to launch the product on the market is open and we can already say that the idea of a dongle streaming Firefox OS is more “open-source” than that of Google Chromecast .
As part of the campaign, a dongle is offered at $ 18 (the Developers Kit costs $ 25). And while there is still 22 days before the due date thereof, over 8,000 units have already been ordered on the platform (within 10 days).
Early in the campaign, Matchstick raised at least $ 100 000. But by the time of this writing, more than triple of that amount has already been raised. The future looks bright for the dongle streaming.
Recall that Microsoft has launched the HD-10 and a dongle for streaming recently. Both stand as competitors for the Chromecast of Google. But both use the Miracast technology. The difference? They mainly do screen mirroring.
Nine months after more than four-times its funding goal, Matchstick has announced that it has cancelled the Firefox OS-based HDMI dongle which was sold for $25, designed to compete with the Google Chromecast. However, buyers will get a full refund.


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Chinese online payment platform Alipay is reportedly set to block transactions in North Korea after it was revealed that the service was being offered at a casino in Pyongyang.
According to local news outlet NK News, both Alipay and UnionPay are advertised as being available inside Pyongyang Casino at the Yanggakdo Hotel despite both companies insisting they have no such arrangement in place.
A representative of a tour group told NK News that the platforms were offered “for high-rollers to gain access to money while gambling.”
Responding to questions about the service, Alipay said this week that it “doesn’t have any commercial relationship with the casino in Pyongyang and strict measures have been in place to ensure transactions in the area will be blocked.”
UnionPay said it had “absolutely no” connection to the casino.


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Recently Gemwire name Instagram page Covered News about the renaming of pubg mobile India to the new name as Battleground video in India after which Cheap discovery media like sportskeeda and talk esports created article Regarding these Vimeo leaks on Pubg mobile India
As this news media is continuously creating fake hype for pubg mobile India and give dates of releasing new pubg mobile India on their articles everyday fans are getting continuously being cheated by this news daily however if pubg has not confirmed the official news these media has no right to play with fans heart at all by giving credit to other Instagram pages and posting without facts and researches however Today
A page called Gemwire on Instagram posted an update that pubg mobile India will be renamed as the battleground Mobile India on their official handle without research Gemwire posted with a caption ” In a recent development, the PUBG Mobile India official website links to a new creative asset. The creative found suggests the Indian version of PUBG Mobile will likely be named “Battlegrounds Mobile India”. The new poster creative was found via an embedded link to a video on Vimeo which previously hosted the Diwali Coming Soon creative. There looks to be another video private in their asset collection on Vimeo with the above thumbnail. The new video file was named “India Recall Campaign Motion_v02.mp4”.
On checking, the domain “battlegroundsmobileindia.in” has also been registered on April 7th.
This suggests a new announcement regarding a change that looks to be around the corner. to @ashuishere__ for bringing this to our attention. The access to PUBG Mobile was earlier blocked in India on 2nd September 2020 along with 118 other apps amid rising tensions between India and China. Ever since then Krafton, the parent company of PUBG Mobile has been looking for different means to try and bring the game back to India.
as per the link stated as battlegroundsmobileindia.in the website was not accessible for users however fake website can be created in the names of battlegroundsmobileindia.into the gemwire was completely wrong
after checking and verifying the facts we readerscook haven’t found the official sources so we are totally denying this official news of Battleground Mobile India will New Name of Pubg Mobile India and requesting all media to give an exact date or update the article when you get proper research and official news However this may be confirmed the news or maybe true in future but without original facts, we are not allowed to disclose any fake news to dishearten our pubg India fans
thanks for reading Battleground Mobile India will New Name of Pubg Mobile India? comment your views on this


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The ‘buy now, pay later’ app Klarna is scrapping a popular financing product used by 90,000 shoppers just weeks before Christmas amid a spate of technical issues.
The company says the closure of the Financing Account product is unrelated to problems which have presented themselves over the past five weeks where repayments haven’t been registered.
The regulated credit product lets customers spread the cost of expensive purchases like furniture, phones and other tech.
At the beginning of October, customer payments using these accounts which were made by direct debit weren’t being registered and these were classified as ‘missed payments’ – which could impact credit ratings.
Klarna says it’s aware of the problem and it will be fixed before the next payment date in December.
Users experiencing problems with the Financing Account on Klarna posted on X
Klarna says it’s aware of the problem and it will be fixed before the next payment date
The Financing Account – used by around 90,000 customers – lets users spread the cost of expensive purchases over a period of between six and 36 months.
But the product will be wound down when the current debts have been paid off.
The accounts work like a credit card, so it can be used for multiple purchases which can be paid off at the same time gradually with interest
This is different to the ‘buy now, pay later’ scheme which only applies to one purchase at a time and won’t be affected.
Of Klarna’s 18million British customers, 0.5 per cent use the Financing Account – totalling around 90,000 people.
Klarna’s website says customers can select the ‘Financing’ option at checkout and choose their preferred timeline and interest rate.
The website also notes that a credit check is performed whenever someone applies to a Financing option.
The first payment is due one month after the store processes the order, and is due monthly on the same date until it is fully repaired.
But at the beginning of October, customer payments using these accounts which were made by direct debit weren’t being registered.
Although the money left the customers’ bank accounts, Klarna’s system wasn’t linking these to the Financing Account, which made it seem like users were failing to repay the purchases.
These ‘missed payments’ could impact users’ credit rating.
At the beginning of October, customer payments using these accounts which were made by direct debit weren’t being registered, with users frustrated at the problem
One customer who experienced this issue said they informed Klarna but heard nothing back for over two weeks and customer support ignored their messages.
Shawn Smith posted on X: ‘@Klarna still no reply to my missing payment I made on October 4th.
‘This is not good service and customer support ignore my messages as it’s with a specialist, but it’s been more than three business days now.’
Another user replied and said: ‘Same here. I’ve messaged them twice. They say there’s an issue with their payments.
‘Would be helpful if they reached out to those affected. I’ve turned autopay off so I don’t get double charged.
‘[It better] not affect my credit score as a missed payment or incur charges.’
Another user posted: ‘Klarna has taken three payments from my bank, none of which are showing on my Klarna account, and now I’m getting emails of missed payments when I have now overpaid.’
Once Klarna became aware of the issue, it said it stopped reporting information to credit reference agencies like Transunion so the problem wouldn’t impact their customers’ credit rating.
This came too late for some users – but the company said it’s now in the process of correcting these credit files.
A spokesperson for Klarna told The Sun: ‘We’re really sorry for the inconvenience caused to a small number of customers using one of our legacy financing products.
‘The problem will be fixed ahead of the next payment date at the beginning of December.
‘We’re taking action to ensure this issue will not leave a mark on credit files. Our other payment products, including BNPL and Pay Now are not affected’.
MailOnline has contacted Klarna for comment.
Some links in this article may be affiliate links. If you click on them we may earn a small commission. That helps us fund This Is Money, and keep it free to use. We do not write articles to promote products. We do not allow any commercial relationship to affect our editorial independence.


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Text by Corina Tan
At the Genting International Convention Centre in July 2022, Martell Malaysia held its grandest dinner since the pandemic to mark a Grand Finale to its Legacy Dinner Series. Inspired by the brand’s legacy and rich history in Asia, the series brought over 750 guests on a journey from the birth of the brand’s legacy all the way through to the art of blending that Maison Martell has perfected over centuries, culminating in a lavish setting inspired by the story of Maison Martell.
What started as a series of dinners focused on the Chinese New Year celebrations quickly grew into a year-long celebration of camaraderie, audacity, and traditions – and that is what the Martell Legacy Dinner Series truly embodies. Martell Malaysia has championed the grandeur of Chinese banquets, bringing audacious experiences with each theme. During the pandemic, Martell sought unique ways of engagement by holding more intimate dinners and even virtual dinners made exciting with drone deliveries.
The end of the Legacy Dinner Series marks the start of a new beginning as guests at the Grand Finale were treated to a preview of what to expect in the coming series. Inspired by the storied journey of the brand, the next dinner series invites guests to step into the ‘Martell World of Cognac’ to discover everything from its history and heritage and savoir-faire to the elements and art behind the creation of the Martell blends and the audacious spirit of the brand that found its way from the West to the East. The celebrations throughout the night culminated with one lucky guest walking away as the proud new owner of a Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 Coupé, the Grand Prize of the night’s Lucky Draw event.
“The Martell brand has become synonymous with the opulence, vibrancy and audacity of grand-scale Chinese dinners and banquets like these. We are constantly finding new ways to excite our guests with events that are out of the ordinary, and ensuring that with each year, we challenge ourselves to create bigger and better experiences that our guests will remember for years. It is, after all, in the brand’s spirit to be audacious,” commented Benny Tsang, Managing Director of Pernod Ricard Malaysia.


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Digital twins are slimming down expenses in the warehouse
Businesses now spend an estimated US$350 billion per year on warehousing. Thanks to an explosion in e-commerce, there is now more need than ever to tie stock up in centers where it can be shipped within hours of a mouse click. We only have to look at Amazon’s investment in fulfillment to realize just how significant logistics are to business nowadays.
Warehouses are crucial breakpoints in the supply chain, whose optimization and efficiency can ensure evermore paper-thin profit margins are secured. Get things right in shipping, and businesses can carve out reputations for reliability and efficiency, helping them cement loyalty among consumers with more options than ever before.
But get things wrong, and profits will quickly wither away into the hands of more agile competitors.
The very fact that ‘always-on’ efficiency has become key to warehousing, however, makes it difficult to test and trial new methods to optimize operations. If current orders are to be fulfilled, conveyor belts can’t just be switched off for 12 hours while new robotics technology is tested; 100 tons worth of stock can’t just be cleared off the shop floor in aid of a rethink.
At the same time, warehousing and supply chain are now key focal points for tech-driven disruption. New automation solutions abound, from Robotics-as-a-Service to predictive analytics software that can forecast seasonal stock demand.
According to McKinsey, promises of superfast-fulfillment are leading organizations with warehouses to explore digital twins technology, enabling them to replicate the working environment and run experiments to explore how it can be optimized, and how new technologies can be rolled into play.
By creating a digital twin of an individual warehouse, companies can design, simulate and test new warehouse operations and product movements virtually, without making on-the-fly changes to existing sites, which are becoming increasingly complex. The technology is also proving useful for businesses opening up new warehouses and as new automation systems enter the market, organizations can apply them virtually to see what kind of impact they can generate on workflows.
“These technologies can be powerful tools to reduce space and increase efficiency,” wrote McKinsey’s Ashutosh Dekhne.
“But in some cases, incorrect or inappropriate automation can actually create more problems than it solves. Digital modeling lets companies see what is possible from a range of technologies and applications before they make any investment decisions.”
Already, the more pioneering of businesses are utilizing digital twins of their facilities to experiment with different scenarios, whether it’s revising floor plans for a new approach to storage for accessibility, how the site could cope with an unexpected spike in demand, or how a new automation technology could ramp up productivity.
Essentially, advanced, detail-oriented digital twins technology lets businesses optimize without shutdowns.
While the process of recreating a living, breathing warehouse in the cyber realm typically takes six to ten weeks, says McKinsey, revamped designs can lead to efficiency gains of 20 to 25 percent, before any money has even been spent.
“Digital warehouse design has a wide range of applications, from productivity initiatives at existing facilities to mergers, warehouse consolidations, and new warehouse construction,” Dekhne wrote.
“Across all applications, however, the benefits are reasonably consistent: sizable savings in operating expenses from productivity improvement, as well as in capital expenses from optimizing the deployment of material-handling equipment, storage assets, and targeted right-sized automation systems.”
While the benefits of trialing new technologies and processes in a virtualized environment are obvious, there are some caveats. For starters, businesses — and even third-party logistics providers — may lack the data or in-house skills to build virtual replicas. Digital twins aren’t built using ‘traditional’ CAD design, so most businesses will require external help from experienced engineers. This will still be more cost-effective than taking a blind risk on new tech investment, however.
Meanwhile, McKinsey warns that digital warehouse design “is not a turnkey solution.” Companies must look at the longer-term strategy and how future business growth and other factors may impact what currently works. In a similar vein, warehouse owners must be prepared for continuous improvements — “it must happen again and again, as market forces, technology, and consumer preferences continue to evolve.”
Simulations must involve those involved directly in warehouse management, and getting their buy-in from the get-go will also help ensure new processes are slickly implemented.
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21 February 2024
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The summer months leading up to the start of the new children’s television season in September used to be a low-key season for buyers and sellers of kids advertising, but no longer. There’s been more and more post-upfront scrambling in recent years, and this summer saw a significant amount of last-minute shifts and cuts in national ad schedules. And the networks have continued to tinker with the schedules they announced last February.
Summer is also when the local spot TV market starts to heat up, especially for toy advertisers looking to place their key fourth-quarter budgets. Meanwhile, a parallel set of negotiations is taking place between advertisers who have backed syndicated kids shows with ad budgets and the stations that have committed to carry those shows and are now locking down their fall schedules.
In the national marketplace, almost all of the networks were writing kids business in July. Although major advertisers placed their upfront orders in an all-night frenzy in February, they finalize their purchases-or ‘go to order,’ as it’s called-in July. Clients who have seen their budgets cut are allowed to modify their upfront buys; technically, anyone can change an order for any reason, but doing so purely to get a better deal is a breach of market etiquette.
The problem, says Gary Carr of Ammirati & Puris/Lintas, is that ‘the upfront happens too damn early.’ The last couple years, it has even preceded the American International Toy Fair, a time ‘that makes no sense for the toy business,’ says Shelly Hirsch, CEO of Summit Media, a kids media specialist. ‘In late February, the only thing a toy company knows is that Christmas is over.’
The biggest kids cutbacks this summer came from non-toy advertisers. Kellogg’s and Burger King both trimmed their kids commitments, say sources from the buy-and-sell sides. Kellogg’s got clobbered by cost-cutting in the cereal business, while Burger King pulled back after losing its heavily promoted kids meal tie-ins with Disney to archrival McDonald’s Restaurants.
Networks were able to sell the newly freed-up scatter spots to clients who didn’t get their money down in February, or to smaller toymakers who don’t spend enough to merit an upfront deal. While the market has been active, it has been far from frenzied. ‘I don’t sense any monstrous demand out there,’ says Carr. ‘There used to be times I’d be buying fourth-quarter [kids] scatter in April, but in the last few years, most of the kids money has been spent upfront.’
Some networks that were heavily sold or maybe even oversold for the fourth quarter were said to be happy to get some inventory back. ‘Fourth quarter has been 90 percent sold for a few years,’ says Carr, which d’esn’t leave much room for quick make-goods if schedules fail to perform.
Inventory is heavily affected by ratings performance. Kids WB, the only broadcaster to overdeliver on its ratings promises last year, ‘hasn’t been cut back much,’ reports Kids WB sales chief Jed Petrick. ‘We’re cheap [compared to the other networks' cost per thousand (CPM)], and the community seems to feel we have upside.’ Thus, WB hasn’t written much new business, he says. Conversely, a buyer notes that Fox Children’s Network, which has seen its ratings shrivel over the last year, d’esn’t have too much inventory to sell.
The networks have continued to massage their Saturday morning schedules. Fox had to shift shows after Saban pulled back Masked Rider to plug into its syndicated lineup in place of VR Troopers. And ABC has benched Hypernauts in favor of Flash Forward, a live-action teen sitcom. In an example of Disney/ABC synergy, that broadcast exposure will help the show when it airs on the Disney Channel next year.
Tightness in the national kids marketplace usually affects prices in spot TV markets. And though network CPMs rose 12 to 18 percent this year, there has not been any stampede by spot buyers. The growth in network prices came from a decline in the supply of rating points, not vastly increased demand, says Tom Horner, group media director at DMB&B Advertising. ‘More people have moved their money to the national scene. I haven’t heard of any panic [spot] buying, and it hasn’t been a super year for toys.’
Nor is there much compelling syndicated kids programming for spot buyers to chase, Horner adds. ‘The Mask hasn’t been performing very well on CBS recently-for the second quarter, it averaged a 3 rating, so in syndication it’ll be a 1.5- to 2-rated show.’ He notes that aside from three Disney shows-Aladdin, Gargoyles and Timon & Pumbaa-’nothing else in syndication did a 2 rating in the second quarter, and that’s pretty bad. We’ll see further deterioration in syndication this year.’
Many, if not most, syndicated shows are cleared over the winter because major advertisers promise to spend large amounts of money with the stations that pick up the shows. The spot market, which heats up over the summer, is driven by those early commitments.
‘The spot market is starting to shape up,’ says Summit’s Shelly Hirsch. ‘Reality happens by the end of August.’
He explains the summer mating dance this way: Last winter, agency X promised to spend $2 million with station Y to secure a time slot for an advertiser-backed show. Now the agency comes back and offers $1.2 million, with $900,000 of it deferred into next year. So, the agency asks: ‘What’s the unit cost for the show, and what time period do I get: 6 a.m. or the much more desirable 7:30 a.m.?’
Toymakers are also looking at their order patterns, and if they haven’t sold into one of the big national retailers, they will probably cut back ad support for that line. ‘Right now, stations are separating the wheat from the chaff-or the shaft, if you will, because that’s what they ultimately get,’ says Hirsch. ‘It’s a game of cat and mouse.’
The problem is that too many stations are more interested in grabbing the most ad dollars than in putting together a solid program lineup. ‘The quality of most shows is so horrific that the ratings stink,’ says Hirsch, ‘and the ratings are so low, you can’t put money into producing the show or getting a good licensing program. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy.’


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A leading estate agent has urged others in the industry to follow his example and make local TV programmes to build their brand and engage prospective clients.
Back in October we reported that London agency Benjamin Stevens has made a lifestyle-focused viral ‘TV show’ for YouTube and other social media viewers.
It’s called North London TV and has been devised and hosted by agency director Steve Wayne and marketing director Rosanne Oppenheimer.
The idea has been a big success with four videos made so far. The first programme secured 13,000 views on social media and the company says customers have said they have recognised the agents from their appearances.
Now Steve Wayne has discussed the idea - appropriately enough, on video - with industry consultant Christopher Watkin: Estate Agent Today has exclusive access to the interview, which you can see below.
In it Wayne describes how he and his colleague deliberately did not talk on camera about selling homes. “It’s about us selling ourselves, selling the brand … We’re trying to create a brand and an image.”
The Benjamin Stevens agency videos are high quality - there are clips in the video interview below - and are professionally edited, all in a bid for the agency to become what some analysts call ‘The Digital Mayor’ of their area, being the prominent figure in a locality thanks to their presence on social media and other outlets.
It’s a fascinating concept and the 11 minute interview covers the challenges associated with this kind of self-publicity - whether people would laugh at the agents, how difficult it is to track the immediate effectiveness of the publicity and so on.
However, with video production becoming less expensive and agencies switching increasingly to other advertising media such as Instagram and YouTube, this may be the way forward for some.
Our thanks go to Christopher Watkin for sharing this video exclusively (below) with EAT readers.


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5 Reasons Why Small Businesses Should Care about Sustainability
There are many reasons why small businesses should care about sustainability, but here are the top five:
1. Because sooner or later every business will have to pay attention to sustainability in order to stay in business.
The pressure on companies to disclose how they are addressing environmental issues continues to escalate. The demands are coming from governments, consumers, employees and customers. Large businesses have felt the heat already.
2. Because your company can obtain more business through commitments to sustainability.
To become eligible to get on or stay on a suppliers list, the vendor companies must submit data concerning their sustainability policies and practices.
3. Because you can save on your bottom line.
Most experts forecast that energy prices will continue to rise annually. And increasing energy prices have been the greatest source adding to the cost increases in small and mid-sized businesses over the past few years. The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Energy Star for Small Business says that companies can increase their energy efficiencies by 10 to 30 percent through facility operation, maintenance and use of cost-effective technologies.
4. Because you can add to your top line through innovation.
In a recent panel discussion sponsored by SAP, a leading provider of business software, Peter Graf, SAP’s Chief Sustainability Officer asserted that sustainability is driving innovation worldwide. Graf contends that it takes companies working together to achieve the greatest successes in this sustainability space.
5. Attract, retain and engage talent.
Small business leaders who are concerned about attracting and retaining talent should take a look at what younger workers are looking for in the workplace. More than two-thirds of Generation Y workers (those born after 1989) say that they want their employers to be environmentally friendly. And, in fact, a third of all workers said that they would be willing to sacrifice salary to work an environmentally friendly firm.


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Prairie Warrior Auction set for March 21
Auction supports Minot AFB activities
This year’s Prairie Warrior Auction, an event to raise funds for Minot Air Force Base activities, will be held Saturday, March 21, in the Grand Hotel in Minot.
Sponsored by the Minot Area Chamber of Commerce, the event begins with a preview of merchandise, refreshments and hors d’oeuvres and silent auction at 5:30 p.m., followed by the live auction at 6:30 p.m. with auctioneer John Bearman of Minot.
Admission is $25 per person.
Since it began more than 30 years ago, the auction has raised nearly $700,000.
Funds raised are distributed to support the base’s competition teams, squadron activities and annual awards banquets. Auction proceeds also go to Operation Warmheart, a year-round program that provides food, clothing and other essential items to needy service members and their families, and for Thanksgiving baskets during the holiday season.
The deadline is March 1 to submit items for the auction. Cash donations are also accepted.
Points of contact for downtown donations are the Chamber at 852-6000 or Tom Rafferty at 852-0406 or 720-0126. For more information call the Chamber.