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"Virtualization solutions are shortening time to market for software powered electronics systems. VaST's commanding market lead, stellar customer list, and strong technology portfolio, combine to make VaST an excellent high growth company," said Takeshi Mori, managing director, ZenShin Capital.
"Customers use the VaST's virtualization solutions to cut six to twelve months off their development cycles. Virtualization also uniquely solves the growing problem of enabling earlier software development at ecosystem partners," said Alain Labat, VaST president and CEO. "This new funding will drive further product and market expansion."
VaST Systems Technology Corporation solutions enable the creation of a virtual system prototype--a highly accurate software model of a system that operates at near real-time speeds under actual software loads. VaST's solutions are OSCI SystemC-compliant and are used for architecture, hardware, and software design. VaST solutions dramatically improve time to market and quality while reducing development costs and risk.
Current customers include worldwide leaders in semiconductors, automotive electronics, wireless devices, and consumer electronics. VaST is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California with sales and support offices worldwide. For more information, visit www.vastsystems.com.
Vast Systems Technology KK
Isao Yumoto, +81-3-5447-5231 (Japan)
Jean-Marc Talbot, +33 4 56 38 51 23 (Europe)
Lou Covey, 650-366-8212 ext. 203 (USA)


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Treon is the new “Utilities Token” that securely and seamlessly enables consumers around the world, including the unbanked, to easily manage and pay for their telecom, energy, and water usage with a click of a button.
Tallinn, Estonia, May 1, 2018, Blockchain Technology and the use of cryptocurrency have made their way into almost every facet of day-to-day life. It was only a matter of time before blockchain technology would be tapped for use in the payment of utility bills. The time has come, and ‘Treon’ is going to introduce a tokenized utility payment platform to the world and its much anticipated ICO Pre-Sale is scheduled for May 21st, 2018. ‘Treon’ is actually creating a new paradigm in the way consumers worldwide will be able to pay for utilities such as telecom, energy, and water.
‘Treon’ takes the form of a user-friendly mobile app and digital wallet that enable consumers to settle their utility bills through one consolidated dashboard using Treon’s TXO tokens. This disruptive technology will make everybody’s life hassle-free, eradicate the need to make costly trips to utility companies or queuing in long lines and avoid all the processing fees when settling utility bills through a bank account. The ‘Treon’ token is a definite solution for the unbanked that constitutes a considerable percentage of 76% of the total number of mobile users globally. From now on, they will join the rest of society and have access to the same digital system to pay their utility bills.
Treon comes also with great benefits to the service…

domain: news


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Britishvolt has announced to invest £200 million for building a battery cell research and development center. They will build this center at their Hams Hall site in the West Midlands with property firm Prologis. Moreover, the investment will anchor a minimum of 150 high skilled technology jobs with good wages.
Britishvolt is a fast growing battery technology firm looking to tap in opportunities in the automotive area. The new facility is due to open next year. According to the company, they will develop new chemistries and cell formats in Hams Hall. Hence, the new cells will be more powerful and cheaper at the time. “This is another important milestone for Britishvolt, UK plc and its world class automotive industry. The UK’s battery ecosystem is a global leader in integrated technology development and industrialization with the Warwick Manufacturing Group, Faraday Institution, UK Battery Industrialization Centre and the Advanced Propulsion Centre.” Paul Franklin, the property director at Britishvolt said in a statement.
Proximity with potential customers
Paul Franklin has termed the location of the new factory as an important milestone. In January, Britishvolt had entered into a collaboration agreement with the UK Battery industrialization Center (UKBIC) to further develop and manufacture its high nickel electric vehicle sample cells for mass production. In addition, UKBIC’s also have a research facility in the West Midlands, Coventry. Moreover, BMW Group Land Rover’s Battery Assembly Centre are also located in Hmas Hall. Therefore, Britishvolt have their potential customers in close proximity.
150 new technology jobs
In addition to proximity with potential customers, the new factory will also lead to creation of many employment opportunities. Initially, the new battery plant will create a minimum of 150 new jobs. These will mostly be technology related jobs. Moreover, the company is also determined to offer good wages to the potential employees. However, there is no information regarding the advertisement of these jobs.
Britishvolt has already developed pre-A battery samples at WMG in Warwick. The company has already confirmed MoUs with Lotus Cars and Aston Martin Lagonda.
Browse for job opportunities in Coventry
Keep up with the latest employment news across UK at News


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Image: A customer shops at a pharmacy in Xuchang, Henan province March 8, 2014. Picture taken March 8, 2014. REUTERS/Stringer/Files
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Three Chinese drugmakers are under investigation for crimes including using counterfeit medicines, the industry watchdog said, as China cracks down on shoddy practices in the world’s second-biggest drugs market.
The China Food and Drug Administration said it was investigating Hebei Yongfeng Yaoye, a subsidiary of Hong Kong-listed CSPC Pharmaceutical Group, as well as Gansu Dadeli Pharmaceutical and Guizhou Shouxian Pharmaceutical.
The firms were suspected of using illegal production methods and had been ordered to recall their products, the watchdog said in a statement on Monday.
China is pushing an ambitious programme of healthcare reforms to improve its home-made medicines, and has vowed to crack down on poor quality drugs.
The problem was highlighted by a recent scandal over almost $90 million worth of illegal vaccines that were suspected of being sold in dozens of provinces around the country.
A woman who answered the phone at Hebei Yongfeng Yaoye declined to comment on the investigation. Calls to Guizhou Shouxian Pharmaceutical and Gansu Dadeli Pharmaceutical went unanswered.
(Reporting by Brenda Goh; Editing by Stephen Coates)
Copyright 2015 Thomson Reuters. Click for Restrictions.


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Good news for owners of premium brandables who are looking for boutique, enduser sale prices on their domains. BrandBucket, announced today that it’s reducing commissions for high end sales. According to Managing Director, Michael Krell:
“Over the last year we have received many requests from buyers for premium names over $50K, but haven’t had the inventory to fulfill this demand. In an effort to attract the best names to our marketplace, we will be reducing the commission rate for names priced above $50K. Effective immediately, our commission rate for names priced $50K-$99K will be 20% and names priced $100K and over will be 15%. This change will apply to both current and future names on the marketplace.”
Who’s buying premium brandables?
BrandBucket caters to small and medium sized businesses that don’t want the cost of a branding agency. The question is, do startups have pockets deep enough for premium domains? Several recent BrandBucket sales between $15k and $65k seem to indicate that they do.
In addition, Bill Sweetman, of Name Ninja,


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“We are excited and honored to have received the IBM ISV Achievement Award at this year’s IOD," said Lynn Moore, CEO, Motio, Inc. "It was wonderful to be recognized as the leader in providing solutions that extend the IBM Cognos product suite.”
Dallas, TX (PRWEB) October 27, 2010
IBM announced Motio, Inc. as the 2009 - 2010 recipient of the ISV Achievement Award during the Information On Demand/Business Analytics Forum in Las Vegas, NV. Motio was recognized as the ISV Achievement Award winner for their innovative technology solutions for IBM Cognos. During IOD/Forum Motio announced the release of two new additions to their suite of products, MotioPI Pro and cloud based solution, ReportCard.
Motio is the recognized industry leader for Business Intelligence Life Cycle Management solutions, delivering products and services designed to enhance and optimize IBM Cognos. Motio’s solutions include MotioCI, MotioPI, MotioADF and MotioCAP.
Motio Inc., an IBM Business Partner since 2003, specializes in developing software solutions that streamline and automate key aspects in the BI development process. For more about Motio and their award-winning IBM Cognos solutions, visit http://www.motio.com.


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With the price of beef rising at grocery stores, cattle rustling is becoming a bigger problem for ranchers.
It's been a rough several years for both cattle raisers, and the consumers who buy their product.
Officials are investigating how 1,121 cattle went missing from a dairy facility in the northeast Texas Panhandle.
Cattle ranchers and wheat farmers are feeling optimistic after recent rains.
Ranchers are using ultrasound to help get better steaks from their cattle.
The severe lack of rainfall has made this past year tough on cattle ranchers.
Local ranchers and cattle raisers are optimistic about their line of work this year despite worsening drought conditions. Those positive feelings come on the coat tails of the US Department of Agriculture's predictions of strong growth in livestock production in the next 10 years.


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Eastgate’s New Stores Give a Festive Look
Eastgate’s New Stores Give a Festive Look in Lead up to Christmas
Two new stores opening this week at Eastgate Shopping Centre will give a festive air to Christchurch’s Eastgate Shopping Centre in the lead-up to Christmas.
Lincraft, the Australian fabric, craft and home furnishing store, opens its new store at Eastgate on Thursday, 29 November as does national bookstore and stationery retailer PaperPlus. As well Number One Shoes opens in its new ground floor location on the same day.
Joanna Hollander, Eastgate’s manager says, “Having Lincraft, PaperPlus and also Number One Shoes open in the same week, and a month before Christmas, is great timing for the people of East Christchurch. Adding these very popular retailers to Eastgate’s ground floor has been received very enthusiastically by our shoppers.
To celebrate Lincraft’s arrival, special craft tables will be set up outside Lincraft for shoppers to create some fantastic artwork. All the materials are being supplied by Lincraft. Completed pieces will go into a draw for a new Singer sewing machine and a number of gift vouchers. The craft tables will be open from Thursday, 29 November to Sunday, 2 December.
Adding to the festive theme, Santa Claus arrives at Eastgate at 10am on Saturday, 1 December; photographs can be taken of children with him by Eastgate’s special photographer outside Lincraft’s store.
“This is a true time of celebration for Eastgate. Not only are we enjoying having these new retailers at the centre, but also this new activity reflects the rejuvenation of Eastgate. We’re delighted to welcome Lincraft and PaperPlus, and Number One Shoes in its new location. We expect these positive developments to boost trade right over the summer,” says Joanna.
Eastgate Shopping Centre is owned by NZX-listed company NPT Limited and managed by Jones Lang La Salle. NPT has a diversified portfolio of retail, commercial and industrial properties located in Auckland, Hawke’s Bay and Christchurch.


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Those who look for best Android Wear watch, first consider the Huawei Watch and then second-generation Moto 360, though original Huawei Watch was deemed so long one of the best-looking/classiest smartwatches, rolled out in early 2015, and since then, nothing heard of a follow-up.
This time, everyone wants to know about the Huawei Watch 2 design and what kinds of developments have been carried out in one of the most-awaited devices.
Evan Blass has revealed that the Huawei Watch 2 will have beautified in different way this time as experts have been claiming, a 1.4-inch display and classic styling. Shenzhen, Guangdong based one of the largest tech ginat makers companies in this world reportedly designed both leather and stainless steel straps.
A number of watchmakers have started following trend creating slightly sportier designs that what today’s users want. If latest reports are to be believed, the Huawei Watch 2 will be in hands along with one significant feature of cellular connectivity.
It is also said to be that Chinese developers will have built a built-in SIM functionality in one of the most-wanted machines, though that gives right its users to dial and receive calls including access the internet without support to a phone, can easily connect to internet.
If someone has claimed to have accurate information about the Huawei Watch 2, must be wrong, because Chinese smart android makers didn’t announce yet any information, while everything is revelation.
However, Huawei Watch 2 will be running on Android Wear 2.0 that considers Google’s next generation wearable operating system, which would be rolled out on February 9 along with two LG-built smart-watches.
The Huawei Watch 2 is speculated to be launched on last week of February at Mobile World Congress, while we haven’t learnt what time they have planned.


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Published 4:00 am, Saturday, March 11, 2006
Government sides against eBay in patent dispute
The federal government on Friday took a position against eBay Inc. in a patent dispute that threatens to shut down one of the online auction site's shopping features.
The U.S. solicitor general said in a brief filed with the Supreme Court that eBay willfully infringed on patents held by MercExchange LLC of Great Falls, Va., and should be enjoined from using its Buy It Now feature, which allows users to buy goods at fixed prices rather than compete in auctions. Goods sold using that system account for about a third of eBay's business.
San Jose's eBay has been found guilty of willfully infringing two patents held by MercExchange but has not been barred from using the systems, because of a district court decision to deny an injunction. An appellate court reversed that decision.
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The high court will hear arguments later this month, and both sides have rallied big commercial interests to support their cases.
EBay, which also filed its brief in the case Friday, argued that a litigant should not be able to "automatically" get an injunction. In the case of MercExchange, which ceased doing its business in 2000, the company was not actively practicing its patent and therefore should not be able to use the threat of a shutdown as a blunt tool against a business, eBay said.
EU says Microsoft dragging its feet
-- The European Commission accused Microsoft again on Friday of flouting its 2004 antitrust ruling, with an independent monitor calling the company's responses "incomplete, inaccurate and unusable."
In a letter sent to Microsoft on Friday, the commission said its experts had again found that the company had not met the terms of the antitrust ruling, which fined the software giant almost $600 million two years ago.
Neil Barrett, the commission's independent monitor of Microsoft's compliance, criticized the company's responses. After reviewing Microsoft's latest submission, Barrett said, "Nothing substantial was added to the technical documentation."
Microsoft responded Friday by repeating that it was not only in compliance with the 2004 ruling, it had exceeded it.
Microsoft has accused Barrett and the commission of plotting against it with rivals in the software market.
New York Times
Nurses in Martinez threaten strike
Nurses at Contra Costa Regional Medical Center in Martinez said they will walk off their jobs for two days starting March 21 unless a contract dispute is resolved. Nurses will also strike at county clinics and jails.
Contract issues include wages, proposed reductions in pension and retiree benefits, and increases in health insurance copayments, according to the California Nurses Association.
A contract covering 450 registered nurses expired Sept. 30. Negotiations are scheduled to continue next week.


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The size of smartphone keyboards are generally a one-size-fits-all kind of deal, where presumably they have been designed to accommodate the average user’s hands/fingers. But this means that those with smaller or larger than average fingers could end up having a slightly tougher time.
The good news is that if you’re a Gboard user, a report from 9to5Google has revealed that Google is working on an update to Gboard where it will now introduce more granular options when it comes to customizing the size of the onscreen keyboard.
Prior to this, Google did give users the option of resizing their keyboards, but they were fixed presets which means that in some cases, it might still not be the perfect fit for some users. With this update, users can actually drag the keyboard until it’s the right size for them. This is similar to the Samsung Keyboard, so while it’s not new, it’s good to see that Google is bringing the feature to Gboard for non-Samsung users.
That being said, don’t get too excited at trying out this feature just yet. The new resizing options are part of the latest Gboard beta, so unless you’re in the beta you won’t see it until Google rolls it out to the public.


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Grand Theft Auto IV's in-game radio station hit with changes after some song licences run out
We hate to be the bearer of bad news but, 10 years after its release, some big changes are about to hit the cult favourite Grand Theft Auto IV.
Although not as dramatic as the dispute that hit San Andreas, fans of the game have been left disappointed after a recent patch for the game removed a lot of its music library.
Rockstar Games has confirmed that the disappearance of some of its in-game radio tracks is because of “music licensing restrictions” – which will happen when a game is still popular a decade down the line.
In a statement, the developer told Kotaku that while songs are being removed from the game, replacements will be made available to download.
“Due to music licensing restrictions, we are required to remove certain songs from the in-game soundtrack of Grand Theft Auto IV and its Episodes, in particular a large portion of the Russian pop station, Vladivostok FM,” it said.
“However we are replacing some of those songs with a new set of songs on that station. We will update our customer support website with new information as soon as it is available.“
Still, it’s not all bad news for the Grand Theft Auto franchise, as it was recently revealed that Grand Theft Auto V has made more money worldwide than any film – ever.
Yep, GTA‘s fifth instalment chronicling the satirical world of guns, gangs and gags is now officially the highest grossing media title of all time.
Since the game’s release in 2013, GTA V has made a ridiculous $6 billion (£4.2 billion) off the back of its comparatively modest $265 million (£187 million) budget. Good work.
Source: Read Full Article


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The model?a Frenchwoman named Isabelle Caro?is described in her own online page as a "comedienne" and is shown almost naked in a series of photos nearly as shocking as the one on Nolita's site. Caro is quoted as saying that she has battled anorexia since childhood and wants to show the public the dismaying effects of the disease.
The point of Nolita's ads is to fight back against the use of increasingly underweight fashion models. This trend has been blamed for the increased presence of anorexia and bulimia among young girls worldwide.
The ads are headlined "No Anorexia No-l-ita." Nolita's website also shows the company using models who aren't scarily skinny and who even sport a bit of a bulge in the midriff area. Bravo for Nolita for taking such a critical stand in a world (the fashion world) that seems hellbent on sales at the cost of the health of its models.
By Bonnie Erbe


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Google's video call service "Google Hangouts" has recently been made available as a web version independent of the Google pages. So you don't have to search for it in Google+ and Gmail anymore, but can open the Hangouts website directly and independently in your browser.
Google Hangouts as standalone app
In our recently published article Creating an App Shortcut we explain how you can launch the Hangouts website with the look and feel of a Windows desktop app.
By the way, with this tip you can create a desktop app from any website.
You can find the Google Hangouts page at the URL http://hangouts.google.com
This time Google has made sure that all core functions of the hangouts can still be used in the web version. It remains exciting to see what further adjustments Google, now part of the Internet company Alphabet, will make to its products.


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Neem, a platform for embedded finance in Pakistan, has raised $2.5 million in a preliminary investment round to help the nation’s underbanked communities.
The startup with headquarters in Karachi focuses on communities across various industries, including agriculture, MSMEs, e-commerce, logistics, healthcare, and others. It provides a lending platform that its affiliates use to offer consumers and MSMEs specialized financing products. Neem is also working on a banking-as-a-service (BaaS) platform that will launch in December and allow partners to incorporate wallets and payments and provide financial products like savings accounts and insurance tailored to the needs of particular communities.
Nadeem Shaikh, Vladimira Briestenska, and Naeem Zamindar, who had previously worked as fintech entrepreneurs, operators, and VCs, formed the three-year-old company Neem.
“The majority of [current] players offer a B2C solution; we are a B2B2C solution. According to Shaikh, there is a $167 billion opportunity in the embedded banking sector. Shaikh made this statement in an interview with TechCrunch.
Because of COVID, Neem has been able to integrate its financing services into the private and public sectors.
Shaikh stated that according to industry statistics, there are currently 53 million unbanked individuals in Pakistan. The firm intends to serve underbanked people outside of Pakistan in other emerging countries in the future.
The business received seed money from Hong Kong-based SparkLabs Fintech, which it plans to use to grow its current team of 20 employees, launch the BaaS platform, and capitalize on licenses. Arif Habib, an investment banking firm based in Pakistan, Cordoba Logistics and Ventures, Taarah Ventures, My Asia VC, Concept Vines, and Building Capital were other participants in the funding round. The founding partner of Mentors Fund, a veteran of the fintech industry, and the former CEO of Seccl were also seeded round participants, along with partners from Outrun Ventures.
In a prepared statement, William Chu, managing partner of SparkLabs Fintech, said, “We have a strong conviction about Neem’s mission to enable financial wellness for underbanked communities, and have full confidence in the Neem leadership team to realize this vision amidst macro challenges across the globe.”


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A coalition of charities has passed the milestone of providing one million meals for dogs and cats in Great Britain.
The Pet Food Partnership, made up of Battersea, Cats Protection, Dogs Trust, RSPCA and FareShare, was launched in late 2022 to help owners struggling with the cost of feeding their pets.
Since then, it has given out around 150 tonnes of pet food donated by pet food manufacturers.
The food has been distributed through FareShare’s network of more than 8,500 community groups and charities across England, Scotland, and Wales.
The cost of pet food has soared in the past year, with the prices of many products rising above inflation. According to The Grocer’s KVI tracker in July, the cost of own label cat food pouches had increased by 38 per cent on average, and own label dry dog food had become 14.7 per cent more expensive on average.
A spokesperson for the Pet Food Partnership said: “We know how important pets are to the people that love them, and that many owners would rather go hungry themselves than let their pet go without a meal. We believe no one should ever have to make that choice. That’s why we started this programme – to offer struggling owners a helping hand and fill pet food bowls across the UK.
“While reaching the million meals milestone is a great example of how effective working together can be, it is also a sad indicator of how many owners continue to struggle as a result of rising costs. From the dog owners up in Aberdeen, to the people with cats down in Plymouth, we’re here to help keep pets well-fed this winter.”
Image © Shutterstock


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As the coronavirus pandemic surged around the country and began closing community centers, businesses, schools and other locations, local donation organizations have seen an increase in charitable contributions.
Goodwill Industries of Monocacy Valley serves eight retail stores within Carroll and Frederick counties and three of the eight locations are in Carroll — Eldersburg, Hampstead and Westminster. Amy Lyons, director of community engagement for Goodwill Industries of Monocacy Valley, said these locations have received a significant amount of donated goods during the pandemic.
“We know that many people have been cleaning up their homes and garages,” Lyons said. “This pandemic has forced people to stay home and tackle projects they have put off prior to COVID, so people are getting in there and doing home cleanups and getting rid of clutter and other items they no longer use.”
Overflow items are stored in the organization’s warehouse and are distributed out to stores that need them, Lyons said. Some items are being withheld from distribution as the staff looks for alternative storage options until they items can be place in the retail stores.
“We separate our donated items into separate bins to get them ready in our processing area,” Lyons said. “We get them ready for pricing, we tag them, and the hope is that we can get fresh products out there for shoppers to purchase and create a very pleasant shopping experience for people looking for a good bargain.”
Stephanie Halley, executive director of the Westminster Rescue Mission, said the nonprofit organization has received just as many, if not more, food donations during the pandemic. Thrift donations were difficult, however, because the Mission was forced to close its thrift store for a time.
“It’s been a journey,” Halley said. “In the beginning of COVID, we had a dip with our food program as everyone did because just like you went to the grocery store and couldn’t find mean, we couldn’t get meat either. There have certainly been things that have been difficult to get, but that was more in the beginning of the pandemic.
“Since then, a lot of that has worked itself out.”
Westminster Rescue Mission works closely with the Maryland Food Bank as the largest re-distributor of food in Carroll County. The organization sends trucks to pick up food from restaurants and stores to bring back to the campus and distribute the items into the community through its food pantry.
The organization collects surplus food from over 40 local stores and restaurants to serve about 25 households with 125 pounds of food, on average, to each family, according to the Westminster Rescue Mission’s website.
The nonprofit’s Mission Store is a Goodwill-type model thrift location where people can donate clothing, home goods, and other supplies. Any money earned is given back to the Mission to support all of the organization’s programs.
Clients enrolled in the Westminster Rescue Mission’s Residential Recovery Program contribute to the program’s workforce development handing out food to members of the community and working in the Mission Store. Halley said since the Mission is a residential living community, the staff and its guests are operating as safely as possible during the pandemic.
“We have to be incredibly careful about visitation and people coming on campus and all of that,” Halley said. “Our workers aren’t going home at night, our workers are staying here and it has really hindered the donation process because we haven’t been able to accept donations as often and as frequently.”
Carroll County Breaking News
The Mission Store is currently operating on a much smaller scale and has reduced its hours to coincide with the schedules of the organization’s clients, Halley added.
Westminster Rescue Mission also provides Blue Collection Boxes at eight locations in Finksburg, Hampstead, Monkton, Reisterstown and Westminster. These boxes are used to collect gently used clothing and shoes for people in need as well.
“There’s so much support that comes in through so many places and that really is financial support to be able to run and operate the organization,” Halley said. “We really have a generous faith community that provides us with financial support both through the churches themselves, but also from individuals.”
Halley said the Westminster Rescue Mission has received government support through relief programs designed to provide fiscal aid and support during the coronavirus pandemic, such as the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, a $2.2 trillion economic stimulus bill signed into law by President Donald Trump on March 27.
Donations to the Westminster Rescue Mission can be dropped off at the Donation Center Monday through Saturday between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Donations of accessories, books, clothing, collectibles, CDs and DVDs, household items, shoes and more can be dropped off during posted hours at any Goodwill location.
“Our donors here have seen the need and they’re going above and beyond,” Halley said. “The truth is, we need more money because our costs have gone way up because of COVID. We haven’t been scrambling and that says a lot about our community.
“The people who support us continue to support us even if they’re having a rough time.”


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India Might Be Banning Cryptocurrencies According To Leaked Government Documents
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Beaxy Launches Crypto Trading Platform By Diana Ngo - June 11, 2019 0 160open_in_new
After 24 months of development, cryptocurrency startup Beaxy Digital, Ltd. has officially launched its trading platform, which is now live to customers in 43 US states and 185 countries, the company said on Tuesday.
The platform currently supports trading pairs for 16 of the top digital assets, and comes with advanced features including TradingView charting within the exchange UI, a profit/loss calculator, the ability to manage multiple wallets per currency, in-platform portfolio management, and a tax reporting tool.
Designed with a strong focus on security, the exchange also comes with “the most advanced, state of the art security features,” including third party security audit, multi-signature protection, a blockchain sweeping protocol that minimizes exposure of funds to hot wallets, account monitoring and alerts, system health monitoring, distributed denial of service (DDoS) protection, and phishing prevention, the company says.
OneMarketData, a provider of software solutions for the financial industry, has built Beaxy’s matching engine on top of the its existing software. By leveraging OneMarketData’s OneTick platform, Beaxy is able to provide users with nine order types – with more to come soon – and the platform can reach transaction speeds of 225,000 per second per trading pair, “an order of magnitude faster than any other current digital asset exchange,” the company claims.
“Our implementation of OneMarketData’s OneTick technology has yielded impressive results, out-performing most engines in traditional financial markets and the cryptocurrency markets,” said Artak Hamazaspyan, CEO of Beaxy. “Through prioritizing user experience, security, regulatory guidance, and seamless functionality, I am confident we’ve built a best-in-class trading platform.”
After building Beaxy’s matching engine, OneMarketData deployed OneTick Surveillance, a compliance and regtech solution used by global banks, brokers, algo operators and stock exchanges.
All these integrations make the Beaxy cryptocurrency trading platform “on par with leading traditional exchanges” and able to meet global regulatory requirements, said Ross Dubin, global head of sales of OneMarketData.
“Beaxy’s ambition to build a top of the line cryptocurrency exchange made them an obvious partner,” he added.
In addition to leveraging technology provided by OneMarketData, Beaxy also uses know-your-customer (KYC) and anti-money laundering (AML) services provided by software-as-a-service (SaaS) company Mati. US-based alternative asset custodian Kingdom Trust supplies Beaxy with enhanced security and custodianship of assets services.
Founded in 2017, Beaxy Digital, Ltd. is building an all-in-one digital asset exchange aimed at providing users with “the ultimate trading experience in terms of trading customization and features, asset security, transaction speed, and customer support.”
The company claims more than 60,000 users pre-registered to the trading platform, and says it has raised US$8 million in funding, which will be used to expand operations in the US, enter the European market, and integrate fiat deposit and withdrawal capabilities.
Features and products scheduled to be released in the near future include a mobile app, the Initial Coin Offering (ICO) Launchpad and Incubator Program, and an over-the-counter (OTC) trading desk.
Beaxy Digital, Ltd. is registered in the country of Nevis in the Caribbean Islands and has a development team based in Armenia.


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What's new in this version (1.1):
WHO news headlines and summary texts are now available via "really simple syndication" (RSS). RSS is a straightforward way for you to keep up-to-date with the latest news from WHO. Every time a news article is published on the WHO web site, you will receive an automatic update without having to visit our site.
Apps from the same developer
Rss Feed for Food and Drug Administration
Rss Feeds for the United States Navy.
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Guy Fieri, Mayor of Flavortown, Takes Action to Save Local Restaurants With a Livestream Event Called “Guy’s Restaurant Reboot”
Guy Fieri is once again standing up for the restaurant industry. Guy Fieri, the Food Network star and Mayor of Flavortown, has partnered with LendingTree for Guy’s Restaurant Reboot, a free livestream event honoring small businesses across the United States. During the presentation, Fieri will hand out $300,000 in awards to restaurants.
Guy’s Restaurant Reboot takes place on June 12th.
Because they’re ‘Warriors,’ Guy Fieri served over 1,000 free meals to first responders.
The webcast, which organizers claim will be one of the largest culinary events of all time, will begin on Fieri’s Facebook page on Saturday, June 12 at 7 p.m. ET. Chef Antonia Lofaso is one of the co-hosts. LiveXLive will broadcast the event on over 20 different platforms, including LiveXLive, YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, and Twitter. GuysRestaurantReboot.com also has it available to watch.
‘Cake Boss’ is a television show about a man who runs a bakery. Others join up with Fieri to support restaurants, including Buddy Valastro, Shaquille O’Neal, and others.
During the broadcast, famous chefs Buddy Valastro, José Andres, Marcus Samuelsson, Cat Cora, Jon Taffer, Alex Guarnaschelli, Robert Irvine, and Matthew Kenney will sit down for roundtable talks with the Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives host.
Shaquille O’Neal, Rob Gronkowski, Wale, Adriana Lima, and Kane Brown will also make appearances in Guy’s Restaurant Reboot. Each has partnered with a favorite local restaurant and Pepsi to offer “Off the Hook” menu items that can be purchased in-store or online through GrubHub.
Shaq has partnered with Park Tavern in Atlanta, Gronkowski with Datz in Tampa, and Brown with Party Fowl in Nashville. Lima is working with Monty’s in Miami, and Wale is supporting the legendary Ben’s Chili Bowl in Washington, D.C.
During the livestream, Guy Fieri will award $300,000 in grants.
Guy’s Restaurant Reboot celebrates the resurgence of dining out by inspiring and empowering the next generation of restaurant owners. During… This is a condensed version of the narrative. Hope you enjoyed.


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The Government of India has decided to continue ROSL (Rebate of State Levies) scheme at old rates for the next three months (till 30th September 2017). The move comes after the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC)’s request for restoration of the previous rates of ROSL at 3.9 per cent in reaction to the announcement made by the Ministry of Textiles, through a notification issued on 27th June 2017, which had notified the interim ROSL scheme at 0.39 per cent.
Additionally, another notification dated 30th June 2017 had made it compulsory for the exporters to give declarations and certificates in a prescribed format at the time of export for claiming the duty drawback.
APEC had termed this sharp reduction of 90 per cent as ‘not acceptable’. Ashok Rajani, Chairman, AEPC shared, “We are happy with this decision as our demand has been accepted. This will be a good support to Indian apparel exporters.”
It is pertinent to mention here that AEPC, through its recently conducted study, found out that the ROSL scheme has hugely impacted the Indian apparel export industry in a positive way.


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GOOGLE HAS SPLASHED OUT $555m on webcam surveillance company Dropcam.
Google's Nest subsidiary bought the 2009 startup, adding it to the firm's "smart home" acquisitions that started with Nest, designer of smart thermostats, which Google bought at the start of the year of $3.2bn.
Dropcam was set up to provide home and small business video surveillance systems that don't require much knowledge of networking. It takes a simple plug-and-play approach and offers aggressive pricing to make it enticing to home users as well as businesses, but can also be configured for webcast streaming.
Both companies demonstrate Google's desire to become a player in the burgeoning Internet of Things (IoT) market, ranging from wearables to a whole smart lifestyle.
Dropcam co-founder Greg Duffy told readers of the company blog, "Nest and Dropcam are kindred spirits. Both were born out of frustration with outdated, complicated products that do the opposite of making life better. After numerous conversations with Nest Founders Tony and Matt, it was clear that we shared a similar vision.
"Nest cares as much about customers, privacy and product experiences as we do. Our products and technologies are a natural fit and by joining up with Nest we can fully realize our vision."
As well as home automation, Google's portfolio includes wearables, with the first fruits of its Android Wear line expected to appear at Google I/O later this week, as well as the continuing Google Glass Explorer programme.
Nest, which launched its smart thermostat in the UK earlier this year, recently had to recall hundreds of thousands of smoke alarms after it was found that the default setting meant they could potentially trigger emergency services by triggering alarms over burnt toast. µ
You can't fault them for speed
Investigation reveals that malicious code was injected into the firm's payment page
Plus the three-for-free
And it's not just on Ubuntu, neither


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The rupee maintained overnight levels against the dollar on the currency market on Wednesday in the process of trading activity, dealers said.
INTER-BANK MARKET RATES: RATES: The rupee held its levels versus the dollar for buying and selling at Rs 158.40 and Rs 158.50 respectively, they said.
OPEN MARKET RATES: The rupee did not show any change in terms of the greenback for buying and selling at Rs 157.50 and Rs 158.50 respectively, they said. The rupee continued slide, shedding more 50 paisas against the euro for buying and selling at Rs 172.00 and Rs 176.00 respectively, they said.
In the third Asian trade, the safe-haven yen gained sharply, but the dollar held onto hefty overnight gains against other currencies on Wednesday, as fears over the coronavirus pandemic kept markets frazzled despite massive injections of liquidity by central banks.
The yen rose 0.8% to 106.80 per dollar with a flight to safety in the Asia afternoon as stock markets around the region extended losses.
The pound and euro were ahead, but struggled to win back more than a fraction of the ground ceded to the dollar on Tuesday. The Aussie and kiwi languished below 60 cents.
Markets have crumbled this month as investors liquidated nearly everything for cash-driving up the dollar's value and the cost of borrowing the greenback abroad.
The dollar was trading against the Indian rupee at Rs 74.168, the US currency was at 4.355 in terms of the Malaysian ringgit and the greenback was at 7.019 versus the Chinese yuan.
Open Bid Rs 157.50
Open Offer Rs 158.50
Interbank Closing Rates: Interbank Closing Rates For Dollar on Wednesday.
Bid Rate Rs 158.40
Offer Rate Rs 158.50
RUPEE IN LAHORE: The Pak rupee drastically declined its worth in process of trading against the greenback in the local currency market on Wednesday.
According to currency dealers, the short supply phenomenon of the greenback prevailed throughout the trading session which helped its appreciation for buying and selling at Rs 157.00 and Rs 157.90 against the overnight closing trend of Rs 156.20 and Rs 156.90 respectively.
Furthermore, the national currency lost Re 1 against the pound sterling for buying and ended at Rs 188.50 against the opening rate of Rs 187.50 whereas it did not witness any change for selling at Rs 191.50, they added.
RUPEE IN ISLAMABAD AND RAWALPINDI: The dollar gained 50 paisas against the rupee at the open currency markets of Islamabad and Rawalpindi here on Wednesday. The dollar opened at Rs 159.50 (buying) and Rs 159.60 (selling) against last rate of Rs 159 (buying) and Rs 159.10 (selling). The buying and selling rates of one tola of gold were Rs 98,700 (selling) and Rs 98,500 (buying) in the local Sarafa (gold) markets of twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi.


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Consumer demand for healthy, convenient and trustworthy food and drink will remain strong over the next 12 months, according to Mintel analyst Jenny Zegler.
She said: “This year’s trends are grounded in current consumer demands for healthy, convenient and trustworthy food and drink. In addition, Mintel has identified exciting new opportunities for functional food and drink designed for evening consumption, progressive solutions for food waste and affordable healthy food for low-income consumers."
The report stated the extremes will include ancient products such as grains, recipes, practices and traditions up to the use of technology to create more and better tasting plant-enhanced foods.
Additionally, there will be greater opportunities to leverage the reputation in the tea category to aid calm before bed, to help consumers sleep better and restore the body while asleep.
Mintel's key trends:
In Tradition We Trust meaning consumers are looking for the safety of choosing products they recognise but comfort could be taken from contemporary updates of traditional flavours to keep offers fresh.
Vegetarianism, veganism and the like is at the forefront and this will continue into the new year.
Power to the Plants is a pattern that will leverage fruits, nuts, seeds, grains, vegetables, botanicals and other plants in a bid to align with consumers’ health and wellness priorities.
Zegler added: “Across the world, manufacturers and retailers have opportunities to provide more people with food and drink that is recognisable, saves time and contains servings of beneficial fruits, vegetables and other plants.”
Operators have had to address the amount of food and drink that is wasted globally and the Waste Not trend will focus on eliminating food waste.
The continuous consumer demand of wanting quick yet fresh, nutritious and "customisable" food and drink is the heart of the Time is of the Essence direction.
Next year, the time spent or saved on a food or drink product will be a clear selling point, which will inspire more products to show how long they will take to receive, prepare or consume.
The Night Shift angle includes helping consumers unwind before going to sleep and can make the most of the tea category to use chamomile, lavender and other herbs to achieve calm before bedtime.
Taking a hint from other industries, there will also be a trend for food and drink that give benefits while the consumer is in the land of nod.
Campaigns and innovations in 2017 are expected to help lower-income families afford healthy produce to make healthy food available for everyone in Balancing the Scales: Health for Everyone.
Zegler added: “Opportunities abound for companies around the world to capitalise on these trends, helping them develop in new regions and more categories throughout the course of the next year and into the future.”


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Sears Holdings Corp. named Ron Boire EVP, chief merchandising officer and president of the Sears and Kmart business units on Jan. 3.
In addition to long-standing tenure in the retail space, Wal-Mart Stores and Sears Holdings Corp. apply a similar approach to direct marketing, including direct mail, email, social media outreach, loyalty rewards and extensive e-commerce platforms.
A new CRM system has improved Sears Holdings' campaign execution from two and a half months to three and a half days, Tony Arnold, director of CRM at the company, told an audience at the DMA: 2010 Conference & Exhibition.
Sears Holdings hired former Razorfish executive David Friedman as SVP and president of marketing, effective September 13.
Online marketplaces are getting a lot of attention lately since Walmart and Sears both recently made plays in this direction. Their strategies, however, aren't exactly the same.
Company of the week
Data Services, Inc. meets the needs of today's data-driven marketer by providing front-end database management and data analytics platforms alongside our expertise in global contact data quality, database building and ongoing maintenance that comes with our 45+ years in business.


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The cashless (Digital) India initiative was launched by the Government of India to empower the society digitally. There are many advantages of a cashless economy which can be witnessed all over India. Cashless means – faceless, paperless and most importantly “Touchless”. This brings in more convenience as people do not need to use tangible cash to pay for various goods and services. At CyberMedia Research (CMR), we have focused on capturing the performance of various digital payment apps in our “Alpha Brands 2021” study.
The severe second pandemic wave has caused a drastic decline in cash usage due to the risk of contamination. Over the past eight to twelve months, the country has seen the use of cash decline even further, and that’s a trend we’re going to see continue.
The unprecedented surge in the demand for contactless payment has also led to outstanding performances for major companies offering mobile wallet apps.
The Alpha Brands 2021 research is based on a comprehensive digital survey covering 2164 respondents across top seven cities of India, namely New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Ahmedabad. It shows how different categories and brands were performing last year and were they able to maintain their position during lockdown & in new normal. How people adopted categories and brands according to their changing needs after the outbreak of covid-19.
The Alpha Brands have been arrived at on the basis of their performance across four major components, including brand’s users, key decision makers, NPS score, and the overall brand trust quotient. The brand quotient was arrived at, on the basis of consumer satisfaction and brand advocacy.
Google Pay, Paytm and PhonePe are the top three digital payment brands. Consumers are using more than one digital payment apps at same time. This is basically a resultant of offers and availability of payment platforms with different vendors.
Going forward, digital payments will continue to gain in traction over the next year, beyond Tier II and Tier III. The pandemic has accelerated the digital shift. Most of the consumers are accessing online services thus enhancing the digital payment market. With the growing digital consumer base, consumer-friendly e-Wallets play a pivotal role in providing accessible digital transaction facilities through smartphones to both the urban and rural population. Although a large portion of the rural population still lacks internet access, India is on the road to build a robust digital economy.
The study can be accessed online at https://cmrindia.com/shelf/alpha-brands-2021-most-trusted-brands-amidst-the-pandemic/


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Gold and silver struck following the August 2021 retail sales release
Both gold and silver prices experienced a virtual breakdown following the release of a report by the US Census Bureau detailing monthly retail and food services sales in August 2021. The report showed consumer spending increased 0.7% to total sales of $ 618.7 billion.
The report said: “The US retail and hospitality sales forecast for August 2021, adjusted for seasonal and public holiday and trading day differences, but not for price changes, was $ 618.7 billion, an increase of $ 618.7 billion 0.7 percent (Â± 0.5 percent). compared to the previous month and 15.1 percent (Â± 0.7 percent) over August 2020. Total sales for the period June 2021 to August 2021 rose by 16.3 percent (Â± 0.5 percent) compared to the same period last year. The percentage change from June 2021 to July 2021 has been revised from minus 1.1 percent (Â± 0.5 percent) to minus 1.8 percent (Â± 0.2 percent). Retail sales increased by 0.8 percent (Â± 0.5 percent) compared to July 2021 and by 13.1 percent (Â± 0.7 percent) compared to the previous year. Clothing and clothing accessories stores increased by 38.8 percent (Â± 3.3 percent) compared to August 2020, while petrol stations increased by 35.7 percent (Â± 1.6 percent) compared to the previous year. “
This report had a huge impact on gold, silver and the dollar market sentiment. The US dollar index gained 0.36% and is currently at 92.855. However, it was gold and silver prices that were absolutely devastated in trade today. As of 5:00 p.m. EDT on a gold futures basis, the most active Comex contract fell USD 41 in December 2021, down 2.26% and fixed at USD 1,753.80. The silver futures base, the most active contract in December 2021, lost $ 0.91 (-3.83%) and is currently pegged at $ 22.89.
The shift in market sentiment is based on the belief that today’s strong retail sales numbers will bolster the tapering narrative at this month’s FOMC meeting. The FOMC meeting begins with the Federal Reserve members meeting on September 21st.
According to Reuters, Bob Haberkorn, chief market strategist at RJO Futures said, “Gold has taken a pretty big slump with the uptrend in dollar and government bond yields and stronger data … they’ve been waiting a long time to get out.” Haberkorn added, “It was because, if there is a geopolitical event or a Fed surprise, the development of gold is unlikely to change until the FOMC meeting. “
Our technical studies show that the first level of potential support for gold is the 61.8% Fibonacci retracement currently pegged at $ 1,738.40, followed by the 78% retracement currently pegged at $ 1,712.80 is. The data set used to create the retracement starts after the August 9 flash crash when gold traded to a low of $ 1,678.10, to the highs on September 3 when gold peaked at 1836 reached $ per ounce.
If you want more information, just use this link.
As always, I wish you good business and good health,
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect those of Kitco Metals Inc. The author has made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information provided; however, neither Kitco Metals Inc. nor the author can guarantee such accuracy. This article is for informational purposes only. It is not an invitation to exchange goods, securities or other financial instruments. Kitco Metals Inc. and the author of this article assume no responsibility for any loss and / or damage that might arise from the use of this publication.


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Today Every Company must be a Service Provider and a Software Company
The Internet of Things (IOT) will have a dramatic impact on product and service innovation. Gartner group forecast that the number of wirelessly connected products will increase from 5 billion today to 21 billion by 2020 (not including smartphones or computers). Everyday objects from kettles to T-shirts will have sensors that can detect when, where and how they are used.
Stephen Hoover, CEO of the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) puts it this way, ‘I can instrument and understand what my customers are doing with my products across the world. I can understand if those devices starting to fail. I can understand the environment they’re in and adapt their behavior to be responsive to the local environment.’
Companies will need to fundamentally rethink their products and the user experience. Manufacturers have the opportunity to bypass traditional distribution channels and forge personal relationships with their end-users by offering web based services. Where previously products wore out and were replaced by new versions the IOT offers the promise of products which get better with updates and new releases.
Rolls-Royce uses sensors in its jet engines to monitor performance and to detect problems. It has turned its product into a service and charges by engine usage rather than outright purchase. Babolat makes tennis racquets whose sensors can send data which allows analysis of your tennis strokes, giving the company the opportunity to offer coaching services. John Deere supplies agricultural equipment which can receive and sense data on weather and soil conditions to as to advise on when and where to sow seeds.
Where previously products wore out and were replaced by new hardware the IOT offers the promise of products which get better with updates and new releases. When Tesla discovered that its cars had a problem with uphill starts it released a software patch to fix the problem. Similarly when they wanted to add a “crawl” feature which lets drivers use slow cruise control in heavy traffic, the company broadcast a software release that delivered the new feature to all existing Tesla cars.
In 2014 Google bought home-automation company Nest for a massive $3.2 billion to give it a strong stake in IOT technology. Nest systems can lower your heating bills and warm your house just as you get home but they can also send alerts or shut off home heating systems if sensors detect fire, smoke or carbon monoxide.
‘Once the things in the IoT are connected and given a voice, they become more than just ‘things.’ They become part of a living experience shaped by interactions among people, places, and objects, among product, nature, and life,’ said Olivier Ribet, VP of High Tech for Dassault Systemes. ‘They become contributors to what beckons just beyond the IoT: the Internet of Experiences.’
Companies will need to think innovatively about customer needs. CEOs must ask, ‘In the IOT what is our new value proposition?’ Firms will have to hire software engineers to design and deliver service solutions based on usage data. They will need data analysts to review all the data they gather from their devices. In other words every company will have to become a service provider and a software company – or perish.
image credit: ringthedamnbell.com
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Baa atoll councils, MPs, resorts call for nationwide plastics ban to protect environment
All thirteen island councils in Baa atoll, the three members of parliament, and many of the leading resorts in the atoll have signed an open letter calling on the government to impose a nationwide ban on single use plastic bottles, bags and straws, which are littering beaches, killing coral reefs, and damaging the tourism industry.
In an open letter to President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, the signatories to the letter warn that the Maldives “is in danger of becoming another Bali: a once-pristine, tropical tourist paradise ruined by plastic litter.”
“Take a morning stroll along any beach in the Maldives and you’ll be confronted with the same sights: swaying palms, crystal clear waters, powder soft sand — and plastic garbage everywhere,” they write.
“”The Maldives is awash with plastic pollution, with single-use water and cola bottles littering the roads, beaches and lagoons, and plastic bags getting caught up in the coral reefs. Meanwhile, with no proper waste disposal, every local island in the country burns plastic waste in poisonous bonfires.”
The signatories highlight that the current government “was elected on a pledge to tackle with the plastic pollution problem. We would like to support the president as he delivers on his promise.”
“Please impose a national ban on single-use plastic bags, bottles and straws, which are needlessly tarnishing our beautiful country, and damaging the tourism industry upon which we all depend,” they write.
Signatories include Baa atoll MPs Hisaan Hussein, Ali Hussein, and Ahmed Saleem.
All of the atoll island councils – Maalhos, Kihaadhoo, Dharavandhoo, Eydhafushi, Goidhoo, Thulhaadhoo, Hithaadhoo, Kudarikilu, Kendhoo, Kamadhoo, Fulhadhoo, Fehendhoo, and Dhonfanu — also signed the call for a phase out of single use plastics.
Many of the atoll’s major resorts, including Soneva Fushi, Amilla Fushi, Finolhu, Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu, Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas, Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Landaa Giraavaru, and Dhigufaru Island Resort, also signed on.
More than 280,000 plastic water bottles are used daily in capital Male, and 104 million non-biodegradable plastic bags were imported in the Maldives last year.
The President’s Office, and other government ministries and state-owned enterprises, recently banned the use of single-use plastic bottles.
Other countries have already taken action against single use plastic. Kenya recently banned single use plastic bags. Vanuatu has pledged to be the first Pacific country to ban plastic bottles and bags. France will bring in a total ban on plastic cups, plates, and cutlery from 2020.
Photo: Mika Rissa


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Google has quietly introduced DuckDuckGo as a preferred search engine option with the release of the new Chrome web browser in the markets.
Mozilla launches brand new file sharing service, Firefox Send. It’s providing free file transfers while keeping your personal information private.
A new study by London based venture capitals firms MMC has said that about 40 percent of EU AI start-ups actually not using AI to their business.
Pinterest Inc has confidentially filed for an Initial Public Offering (IPO) and expected to seek a valuation of at least $12 billion.
Machine learning algorithms process starts with information or observations so as to search for patterns in data to make better decision choices.
Cognitive analytics describes the hidden insights from a large amount of data-set and which can be unstructured, structured, audio, or visual.


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Kieran O’Donnell TD
The Competitive Start Fund could create the next start-up success story in Limerick- O’Donnell
The Competitive Start Fund could create the next start-up success story in Limerick and ambitious early-stage start-ups should apply now, Fine Gael TD for Limerick Kieran O’Donnell has said.
Deputy O’Donnell was speaking as Damien English TD, Minister for Business, Employment and Retail, invited entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial teams to apply for Enterprise Ireland’s €1m Competitive Start Fund (CSF) which is now open for applications.
Deputy O’Donnell, “This fund is aimed at start-ups with the potential and ambition to succeed on the global stage. That could well be a new business in Limerick. It is open to early-stage companies across all sectors with an eligible innovative product or service set for global markets.
“Up to 20 successful applicants will be awarded up to €50,000 investment along with mentoring opportunities with the Enterprise Ireland team as well as access to entrepreneurial networks. You would also receive assistance with evaluating overseas market opportunities, building prototypes, developing market entry plans, and securing third party investment.
“Limerick start-ups and entrepreneurs should apply now through the Enterprise Ireland website. The closing date is 3pm on 25 May 2021.”
Damien English TD, Minister for Business, Employment and Retail added: “This €1 million of funding will provide a critical boost for innovative entrepreneurs and companies in Ireland at the start of their journey, helping them to drive forward their pioneering products and services.
“As the country moves towards a post pandemic jobs-led national economic recovery, targeted initiatives such as the Competitive Start Fund will help to build the businesses of tomorrow and propel their future prosperity. I’m delighted to launch the fund today and would encourage companies to make the most of the opportunity to realise their global aspirations and turn their ideas into an international commercial reality.”


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Pops, maker of an application that adds another dimension to the mobile notifications people receive on their Android smartphones, has raised $1.5 million from Mangrove Capital Partners, who were early investors in companies like Skype, Rdio, OpenX, Kupivip.ru, Nimbuzz and Wix.
Pops basically enables mobile users to customize smartphone alerts, including new email, SMS, Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and whatnot in a more creative way than you’re used to.
Pops’ technology essentially captures incoming notifications and personalizes them according to a user’s needs and wishes, including animations or video clips that wrap the alerts in question.
Not something for power users who receive such mobile notifications every other minute or worse, or rely on instant delivery of alerts for their professions or whatever, but it’s nice to know you can at least customize those typically bland phone notifications.
The startup behind the application plans to monetize the service by offering premium content. Since we last wrote about Pops, the app has garnered close to 500,000 downloads.


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Muramatsu further said that India will remain the company's priority market, as its contribution to global Honda motorcycle sales reaches 25 percent this year. "With India contribution reaching 25 percent of global Honda motorcycle sales this year; India is and will remain Honda's priority market globally. However, I consider 50 lakh units to be the turning point of Honda in India," Muramatsu said. The company said that it has re-activated the Indian two-wheeler market with six new offerings in just 2 months.
"Honda will surprise Indian customers across scooter and motorcycle segments in 2015. Starting with the launch of new CB Unicorn 160 in January'15, Honda has re-activated the Indian two-wheeler market with 6 new offerings in just 2 months," said Yadvinder S. Guleria, vice president - sales and marketing, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India. The company also launched the new model of Activa scooter priced at Rs.48,852 (ex-showroom, Delhi) and offers top mileage of 60 km per litre and is powered by the 110cc proven Honda engine with Honda Eco Technology (HET). The company also unveiled refreshed editions of Dream Yuga, Dream Neo, CB Shine and scooter Dio.


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Well, well, well here we go again! Chris Brown has lashed out at a LA based clothing store for what he calls a false advertisement for fans to meet and greet him. Last month, Mistaken Clothing – branded as MSTKN – promoted an October 4th meet and greet with the singer, sponsored by LA’s Power 106. In a now deleted tweet, he criticizes the store for false advertisement, even going as far as slagging off their clothes. Looks like there will be lawsuits floating soon!
Peep the flyer:
The flyer for the event, stated that meet and greet hopefuls had to spend $50 online or in store by 3PM that day for entry, with Chris supposedly doing a meet and greet from 4PM to 6PM. As expected, Chris was a no show. The brand’s owner Stefani Chapman is furious at Chris for not only failing to stick to his end of the bargain but for publicly criticizing their clothes. Chapman says they had a contract with the singer and he had an obligation to show up.
Angry messages from both sides below:
Brand owner Stefani Chapman took to Instagram (in a now deleted message) to accuse Chris for allegedly breaching their contract:
“We @mstknsociety personally apologize for anybody that came to see @chrisbrownofficial ….we booked and confirmed this artist, with a contract. And sh*t went bad….. And HE decided not to show up! But for him to bash OUR BRAND?!!!! NOT COOL! don’t believe his bullsh*t! Their were other people who were mediating this meet and greet. This is a horrible situation, but for you to personally bash our brand is slander! I’m at a loss for words…”


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Written by: Roshan Dwivedi
Hulu announced this week that it is to offer selected advertisers the opportunity to buy premium video inventory using enhanced targeting capabilities from the peak Fall Season onwards, after the online video on demand streaming service struck-up partnerships with IT giant Oracle, and Facebook-owned video advertising platform LiveRail.
The announcement, dubbed “the next evolution in its sales process”, means advertisers will be able to buy premium inventory across a number of screens, using Oracle’s data management platform (DMP), to improve targeting capabilities by matching first and third-party data sets.
For its part, Hulu maintains this technology will help maintain its relationship with viewers, as it means it will be better able to serve viewers with ads that are more relevant to their tastes (quite importantly, ads on Hulu are unskippable).
Industry sources noted that this marks a distinct departure from Hulu’s initial subscription strategy, with some expecting similar moves from rival online video-sharing sites, such as Netflix, and Amazon Prime.
The direct sales model is where media owners do a direct deal with advertisers – often in person – over specific media placements via insertion orders, commonly referred to as IO’s.
Read the entire story here.