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Over four years after Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) issued a directive to mobile money operators and Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) to achieve interoperability among schemes which involves the transfer of money electronically from one person to another using a mobile phone still operates in fits and starts.
CBN had directed Mobile Money Operators (MMOs) in the country to fully connect to the National Central Switch (NCS) before February 28, 2013.
The CBN gave the directive in a circular entitled “Timeline for Interoperability and Interconnectivity”. The circular was signed by Mr. Dipo Fatokun, director of banking and payment system.The circular stated that full connection to NCS would enhance MMOs’ “interoperability and interconnectivity “.
However, Nigeria CommunicationsWeek gathered that after mobile money operators have connected to NIBSS a fully interoperability is yet to be achieved in the ecosystem.
Victor Olojo, national president, Association of Mobile Money Agents of Nigeria (AMMAN), at the association’s 2nd annual conference held in Lagos told Nigeria CommunicationsWeek that interoperability has continued to hobble the growth of mobile money in the country.
“Interoperability has continued to remain a major challenge for us in this industry, especially agents. Because, we deal with consumers who cut-across different mobile money operators and banks, for instance, if I’m an agent with bank A and I’m unable to do transactions with Bank B with the device of Bank A that is not really the idea of financial inclusion.
“Financial inclusion should enable people irrespective of whatever financial institution they are operating. It means, if I have a Paga wallet I should be able to send money from my Paga wallet to Quickteller or PocketMoney wallet.
Presently, this is not happening. What we have in the market place today is using different point of sale terminals for different banks, in that regard, I ‘m using 10 PoS for 10 banks. The ideal situation should be one PoS from Bank A should be able to attend to customers from nine other banks.
“That will solve the problem and the money I spent in buying the other nine PoS for other banks could be invested in the business. Imagine investing N900,000 in other areas of my mobile money business that will assist in driving financial inclusion. If interoperability issue is resolved, it means a problem of financial inclusion would have be adequately addressed.
Olojo also decried inability of banks to grant their members facility to grow their business especially Bank of Industry.
According to him, ‘Bank of Industry says mobile money is a high risk business and therefore not ready to give us loan facility’.
Emmanuel Okoegwale, principal associate, MobileMoneyAfrica, said there are different levels to achieve interoperability. It could be platform, agency or even via other channels like merchants.


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Survey Cements Japan's Growing Acceptence Of Western Games
As Western titles gain momentum in Japan, gamers there have voted Uncharted: Golden Abyss
as their most anticipated game for PS Vita, according to an online survey recently conducted by Famitsu.
| Eric Caoili
Dan Houser On How Rockstar Does It
Gamasutra speaks to the vice president of Rockstar about the developer's creative approach -- including why it doesn't do frequent sequels, how it thought about the story of the upcoming Max Payne 3
, and the GTA
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Portal 2 Leads Spike TV VGA Nominees With 12 Nods
Valve's Portal 2
leads the field of nominees for Spike TV's ninth annual Video Game Awards show with 12 nominations, ahead of Batman: Arkham City
with 10 nods and Uncharted 3
with nine nominations.
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franchise, told most recently at NYU.
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In this article, originally published in the October 2011 issue of Game Developer magazine, we take a look at some of the recent concepts, games, companies, and services that are changing the game industry, for better or for worse.
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Take-Two Beats Q2 Expectations, But Posts Losses
Grand Theft Auto
and Red Dead Redemption
publisher Take-Two Interactive on Tuesday reported a drop in revenues to $107 million, and increased losses to $47.3 million.
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In this interview, Gamasutra talks with Red Dead Redemption
's composers Bill Elm and Woody Jackson about developing the Western game's sound, comparing the experience to working on film scores, and more.
Rockstar Officially Announces Grand Theft Auto V
Rockstar Games has officially announced the existence of Grand Theft Auto V
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Opinion: Tools To Help Me Think
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Finest CBD For Pets What You Need To Know
It’s not a surprise that CBD has been blowing up over the previous couple of years, with increasingly more clients crowding the marketplace daily. Several assert the medicine to be remarkable as it aids lots of people with clinical problems such as seizures, anxiety, and also far more, yet a business out of Los Angeles, The Golden State (UrthLeaf) seems to have actually discovered a new and exciting use for the wonder medicine.
Urth Leaf CBD around the United States have started recommending CBD oil as well as capsules as an alternative medicine for pet dogs over the past year, and the outcomes have actually been unbelievable hence far. UrthLeaf has actually led the fee for this new age of dog-friendly CBD products, as well as clients around the country are liking it! CBD has been claimed as a natural solvent to assist these hairy close friends supress seizures, stress, anxiousness, arthritis, and also even cancer in many cases.
All-natural solvent-safe CBD is simply as safe for canines as it is for humans, where CBD has never ever gone on document being administered in a deadly dose. If the consumer comprehends precisely what is in their CBD item as well as whether or not the producer is reliable, there is absolutely nothing to anxiety about.
The key though is making certain a trustworthy manufacturer. In the past couple of years alone, the FDA has actually taken place document in declaring 40+ CBD companies to be selling harmful chemicals to their customers in their CBD products.This is specifically why UrthLeaf’s CBD solvents defeated all of the competition, as the business has never ever performed any one of these terrible techniques. UrthLeaf has done numerous laboratory tests that they have launched to the public, and these examinations show a 100% pure CBD product without traces of any type of chemicals or damaging chemicals.
Security, one of the other big issues for many purchasers is whether or not the medicine does anything significant for their dog. CBD is normally administered orally to these family pets in the type of oil, gummies, or capsules, as well as has been shown to aid dogs in times where traditional medicine is needed. Not just is it medically proven that CBD can have a positive impact for pet dogs, however even the Creator of UrthLeaf himself had his doubts reversed!
Ali Manesh (Founder) clarified that he “was careful regarding whether CBD worked in the top place. Urth Leaf CBD wishlist tried CBD Oil for my persistent migraine headaches, as well as the things functioned wonders! After I had success with CBD, I questioned whether the medicine can help my pet with his serious stress and anxiety and also aggression. top 10 benefits backed by science of mct oil placed a few declines of CBD Oil into his food, and just like that he stopped barking as well as being hostile in the direction of guests I offered the residence. Ever given that then, I knew there was something special regarding this medication, so I wished to reveal the globe the wonders CBD can do with my company.”
To buy CBD products for dogs from UrthLeaf, visit them here.
All-natural solvent-safe CBD is simply as secure for pet dogs as it is for people, where CBD has actually never gone on record being carried out in a dangerous dose. In the past few years alone, the FDA has gone on document in declaring 40+ CBD firms to be marketing damaging chemicals to their customers in their CBD products.This is precisely why UrthLeaf’s CBD solvents defeated out all of the competitors, as the business has never ever performed any of these horrible practices. CBD is typically carried out by mouth to these family pets in the form of oil, gummies, or pills, as well as has actually been confirmed to aid pet dogs in times where standard medicine is needed. Not just is it medically proven that CBD can have a favorable effect for canines, however also the Creator of UrthLeaf himself had his uncertainties reversed!


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Denver-based warehousing, logistics and e-commerce fulfillment company Symbia Logistics has acquired Chicago-based iD Commerce + Logistics (IDC), a third-party logistics and e-commerce fulfillment provider, the companies said today. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The acquisition broadens Symbia's reach and adds depth to its service offering, company president and CEO Tom Flynn said in announcing the deal, which is Symbia's fourth in the past 12 months. IDC's focus on consumer products, healthcare and beauty, and subscription box fulfillment services represents a growth strategy for Symbia, Flynn added.
IDC co-founder and president Dan Arriola will join Symbia's executive team; IDC will maintain its Chicago operations under the iD Commerce + Logistics name with its current workforce, the companies said.
"Our recent acquisitions in Nevada, Colorado, Missouri and now Illinois have allowed us to bring together exceptional industry leaders with niche logistics experience and regional knowledge to streamline the 'last mile logistics' process of moving product from the manufacturer to the end user," Symbia's CEO Megan Smith said.


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According to the latest issue of the Famitsu magazine, Koei Tecmo has decided to delay a Fairy Tail in the hopes of improve the overall quality of the game, developers will need more time to improve some magic effects and make overall balance adjustments. The game, who originally was scheduled to launch on March 19, and later June 25, will now launch on July 30, 2020 for the Japanese market.
Fairy Tail will release for the Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 4 in Japan on July 30, 2020. The game will also launch on a later date for the the PS4, Switch, and PC via Steam worldwide. The game is based on the fantasy adventure comic about Natsu, a Dragon Slayer of the rowdy Fairy Tail magician guild, and his unique group of friends battling against unusual and memorable enemies.
Developed by GUST Studios, Fairy Tail is a JRPG in which players are able to team-up with a range of guest characters from other guilds across Magnolia to take on common enemies. Confirmed characters are: the ‘Arc of Time User’ Ultear Milkovich, from the Crime Sorcière guild; ‘Ice-Make Wizard,’ Lyon Vastia from the Lamia Scale guild; the ‘Burning Hair Wizard,’ Flare Corona from the Raven Tail guild; and Minerva Orland, ‘Sabertooth Guild’s Finest Lady.’
Throughout the Fairy Tail adventure, from Tenrou Island to the Grand Magic Games and beyond, the guild’s famed hall becomes a key point for party members to prepare for upcoming quests. Inside the guild, items are available for sale and trade – including consumable items, Lacrima, and a variety of materials at the item shop. There’s even a selection of drinks at the bar that provide different status effects to party members. By saving up gold and purchasing upgrades for the guild, an increased inventory of items and drinks are available to purchase, and the appearance of the guild itself becomes increasingly more extravagant.


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Interest in the cryptocurrency is growing and growing. Some fairly large brands, marketplaces, and payment processors are announcing the launch of their cryptography, so this digital payment method is strongly a radar for merchants around the world. While not everyone believes the world is ready for cryptocurrency payments, it is certainly more difficult to ignore the impact of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology on e-commerce.
Whether you’re an ecommerce retailer just dipping your toes in the water of these strategies, or you’re hooked on the idea of a fantastic process and exploring its adoption in your online store, this trend is important to keep an eye on.
Cryptocurrency is a digital payment method based on complex encryption that users can exchange directly for goods and services. In investment circles, it is considered a variable-value asset and not a fixed-value cash. One of the main advantages of cryptocurrencies is that they are decentralized. In other words, they are not controlled by central authorities (such as banks and governments) like traditional currencies. Instead, transactions are scanned from a network of thousands of computers without a central server.
The cryptocurrency they all started, Bitcoin, was created in 2009 to diversify the financial sector. Until 2011, it was the only cryptocurrency in use.
Today, there are several of them worldwide Types of cryptocurrencies available, although Bitcoin remains the most significant model in digital use and dominates the market as the largest cryptocurrency.
Rise of cryptocurrency in e-commerce
Cryptocurrencies are already penetrating the e-commerce industry and causing tension among retailers and consumers. As more and more companies use digital currencies as a means of payment, could commercial exploitation soon become the standard?
Paypal’s recent announcement certainly suggests this. At the end of March 2021, Checkout with Crypto began operations. This feature allows customers to seamlessly use cryptographic coins (Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum or Bitcoin Cash) to pay millions of online merchants. Let’s not forget that CashApp also integrates Bitcoin payments into its application.
The online marketplace eBay also announced a few weeks ago that it is open to the possibility of accepting cryptocurrencies as a means of payment in the future. Even social media and technology giant Facebook recently confirmed its plans to launch a new cryptocurrency Diem later in 2021.
Several retailers use cryptocurrencies as an official payment, including technology giant Tesla and online travel agency Expedia. Financial companies, business organizations, currency brokers, online stores, beauty and fashion companies around the world are increasingly using cryptocurrencies every day.
The role of Bitcoin and cryptocurrency in the online gambling market cannot be overstated. Online casinos like Betnero Cryptocurrencies are being introduced more and more, and many players are interested in using different types of cryptocurrencies in online sports betting and betting on casino games. This is because cryptocurrencies play a significant role in deposits and withdrawals.
The benefits offered by cryptocurrencies are enjoyed not only by players but also by online casino operators. Cryptocurrency and blockchain technology have sophisticated encryption. So you don’t have to worry about losing funds. In addition, decentralization increases credibility and transparency. With the exception of fast transaction processing time, unlike traditional transactions, the cryptocurrency charges little or no fees.
Cryptocurrencies enhance the independence of an online casino from some external factors. In terms of gambling, cryptocurrencies offer a fair game in the eyes of the public. If you carefully analyze statistics for different cryptocurrencies or other casino research, the interest of thousands of people will increase. Cryptocurrency casinos and games have appeared recently, but they have already fallen in love with the public and set up a kind of fan club that does not accept online casino games with fiat money.
How cryptocurrencies affect e-commerce
In recent years, it has become very clear that e-commerce is not only the present, it can also be the future. Easily finding products, buying from home and buying with one click is a huge advantage. However, the websites of these online stores will get a new variable in their payment methods: Cryptocurrencies.
Cryptocurrencies have become a safe alternative to traditional money. So much so that some studies suggest that between 2025 and 2027, 50% of the world economy will be covered by digital currencies.
Virtual currency and e-commerce have one thing in common: they are the key to the future. For this reason, they are gradually creating synergies that are visible in companies that already use cryptocurrencies as a means of payment. More and more companies are taking advantage of blockchain technology to develop solutions based on this type of trading.
The impact of Bitcoin on e-commerce has been significant. It has opened up a new way to do business and buy unique total value. In short, cryptocurrencies have become another part of the e-commerce process.
Cryptocurrency could be the answer for online merchants who want to increase their market share and offer their customers a faster and more convenient way to pay for products and services. While some people are skeptical about the widespread adoption of cryptocurrency and its impact on e-commerce, signs from across the retail sector point to its increasing adoption and use.


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Coffee and Tea Reports from the Front Lines
Organic Indian Tea Exports Up
India - Organic tea production in India has almost doubled from 1.68 million kg in 1998 to 3.5 million kg in 2003, with about 75% of it being exported, reports India News.
Organic tea is currently exported to Germany, Britain, France, the US and Japan, N.K. Das, chairman of the Tea Board, told Commerce Minister Kamal Nath during a presentation on the crisis in the tea sector.
With certification having been introduced, organic tea is fetching a better price than normal tea, the minister was told.
This welcome development has come at a time when plantation crops, mainly tea and coffee, have been affected by a fall in prices during the past four years due to oversupply.
"Lower price realization has in turn affected the viability of tea gardens," Das said.
One of the world’s largest producers, India’s tea sector has been going through a crisis with both domestic and export demand dipping.
The increasing switch to organic tea production is helping to revive export demand. As part of the promotion, Darjeeling organic tea is being targeted as a premium niche market specialty export product, Das said.
Expressing concern at the declining share of Indian tea in world markets over the last decade, Kamal Nath said this negative trend must be reversed.
He stressed the need to find a viable solution to revive the tea sector in consultation with industry as it provides direct and indirect employment to more than 10 million people, half of them women.
Last year, India set up a special fund with contributions from plantation owners to help out farmers during times when prices dip sharply in domestic markets.
Farmers Want To End Coffee Auction
Kenya - Small scale coffee farmers from the giant Kenya Planters Cooperative Union (KPCU) wants to get rid of the weekly Nairobi coffee auction, reports The East African Standard. Instead, they want a liberal coffee marketing system that would enable them to sell their beans to roasters directly without going through auction house. The demand came as cooperatives minister Njeru Ndwiga ruled out the possibility of registering additional marketing agents and the elimination of the auction system as had been suggested by the Gatandu North Legislator Patrick Muiruri.
Currently, there are three marketing agents including KPCU, Thika Coffee Mills and Scofinaf. During KPCU’s Annual General meeting held recently, the farmers unanimously supported the elimination of the auction system as suggested by Muiruri. Muiruri, who was invited to address the farmers by Ndwiga, accused the auction dealers of short-changing farmers. He said there was no justification for buying the same grades of coffee from different farmers and paying differently for the same quality as is being done by some of the dealers.
"These people will buy grade AB from me at $100 but during the subsequent auction, they will but the same at $70. Is this not cheating?" he asked. Ndqiga said the government was gathering evident on the behavior of the auctioneers and will act on it promptly. "There is enough evidence that whereas roasters are paying good prices for the auction, the auctioneers are deliberately depressing the prices in order to raise their profit margins," said Ndwiga. The minister disagreed, saying that the auction system was relevant as a "value realization market."
Study Says Coffee Can Make You Forget
Italy - A new study suggests caffeine might hinder short-term recall of certain words, reports BBC News.
Caffeine made it harder for people to find a word that they already knew - the "tip-of-the-tongue" phenomenon.
Valerie Lesk, of the International School for Advanced Studies in Italy, believes caffeine improves alertness by shutting down other brain pathways. This makes it harder to recall words, she says in Behavioral Psychology.
Lesk and her colleague divided 32 college students into two groups. One group was given 200mg of caffeine, which is equivalent to two strong cups of coffee, and the other was given a placebo.
The students were then asked to answer 100 general knowledge questions that had simple, one-word answers. For each question the student was given 10 words to look at before answering. Between two and eight of the words were similar sounding to the answer, and the other words were completely unrelated to the answer.
Caffeine helped word recall when the words the students could choose from were similar to the answer. But when the words were unrelated to the answer, the students who had taken caffeine had more trouble recalling the answer than those who had taken the placebo.
A spokeswoman from the British Coffee Association said the study was too small to be able to generalize. "There are many studies that show the beneficial effects that moderate caffeine consumption can have on alertness, cognitive function and mood. This one study does not rewrite the science," she said.
Tea & Coffee - August/September, 2004
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In countries with the widest gender gap in salaries, the income of women workers is adversely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
North Macedonia is still far from real equality and is placed 71 in this year's Gender Gap Index from the World Economic Forum – well behind neighbours Serbia (19th) and Montenegro (48th).
Louis Vuitton and Gucci are among the most sought-after names for consumers hunting fake products. Rolex is also dominating web searches in this regard.


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DDC is an IoT solution that helps leverage the distribution center to optimize retail, manufacturing and logistics operations through real-time scalable package inspection and verification. Artificial intelligence and ML reasoning are used for multi-video stream analysis to improve the solution over time through self-learning. Because DDCs are built using the Azure IoT hub platform, their setup is simple, allowing solution adopters to focus less on the operation and management of global IoT solutions. Lenovo and Nvidia have long been recognized as key components behind adding unique value to such industry-related solutions.
Microsoft is previewing the solution at the Inspire 2019 conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. The tech giant announced a series of new products and investments before the event, including upcoming team features, a new Azure migration plan, and more. Taking into account the negative feedback on this action, it also withdrew the decision to take internal usage rights away from partners.
DDC's future releases will add geofencing alerts, palletization, de-palletization, and last mile sorting. During the 2019 Inspire Conference, which is coming to an end on July 18, you can watch a demo of the current form of the solution at the Microsoft Partner booth.


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Whataburger president, COO to assume CEO role
Beginning next year, Whataburger's president and chief operating officer will assume the responsibilities of chief executive officer, the restaurant chain announced Thursday.
It is unclear whether Preston Atkinson will continue performing his current roles when he assumes the new position on Jan. 1. Tom Dobson, who currently serves as chairman of the board of directors and CEO for Whataburger, will continue his role as chairman.
“We are currently in the planning phase for 2012,” Whataburger spokeswoman Meredith Hargrove said in an email. “In this process, Preston will determine how his current duties will transition so that he can focus on his new role as CEO.”
Atkinson designed and built Whataburger restaurants from 1986 through 1998. After being hired by the restaurant chain itself in November 1998, he held several titles such as senior vice president of development and chief development officer.
During Dobson and Atkinson's tenure as a leadership team, Whataburger expanded into new markets, grew sales and moved its headquarters to San Antonio from Corpus Christi.
The chain has more than 720 locations across 10 states and sales of more than $1 billion annually.


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Japanese car manufacturer agrees an 8-year partnership with the International Cricket Council
As part of Nissan’s ever-improving sports sponsorship strategy, the Japanese car manufacturer has teamed up with the International Cricket Council in a deal that will see them back many significant tournaments through to 2023 including the ICC Cricket World Cup, the ICC Champions Trophy, and the ICC World Twenty20 – as well as the Under19 and Women’s Cricket events.
With a passion for international growth, Nissan – one of the world’s most-respected car manufacturers – will now be able to showcase its talents to cricket-lovers around the world in a collaboration that’s fuelled by passion and creating unique experiences for sports fans.
Speaking of Nissan’s partnership with ICC, Corporate Vice President and global head of marketing and brand strategy for the car marque, Roel de Vries, said: “We're excited to be part of the global cricketing family and to be involved in some of the world's most prestigious and popular tournaments. Our aim is to share with cricket fans around the world the excitement of the game and our cars. Both are created by people who have passion for what they do.”
As global partners, Nissan will be able to contribute heavily to all ICC events thanks to extensive broadcast and digital rights. This will drive creativity and ensure the sponsorship is innovative, engaging and exciting.
Chief Executive officer of the ICC, David Richardson, said: “Nissan’s values are closely aligned to those of the ICC, to be innovative, with a strong focus on delivering exciting and unique experiences for our fans and stakeholders. We are delighted to welcome such a strong brand to our growing commercial portfolio and we would like to thank Nissan for their support.”
Nissan has already helped to drive many sporting events to date including the UEFA Champions League and the Olympic Teams of Great Britain amongst others.


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It’s not surprising that we are in the midst of the most exciting season in gaming in a long time. It’s fall, and with the holidays closing in, just about every blockbuster release is going to be hitting stores in the next few months. This year, however, seems to be a bit special, bigger than ever before, as Sony and Microsoft have their consoles release dates just around the corner, and the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One are surely looking to reshape the landscape of video games and entertainment. I’m not sure we could’ve picked a better time to introduce this weekly video game feature, as we’ve undoubtedly just witnessed one of the most epic weeks in video games, with the release of the much-anticipated Grand Theft Auto 5. But, that’s not all; there’s plenty more that happened this week in the wonderful world of video games that YOU need to know! (more…)
Despite the fact that the majority of gamers are having a wonderful time playing GTA V, today will go down as a sad day for gaming. We now have word that Nintendo’s former President, Hiroshi Yamauchi, has passed away at the age of 85.
Running the company from 1949- 2002, Yamauchi was responsible for Nintendo throughout not only the most important years of the company, but also the most important years in gaming. Taking over as president of Nintendo when it was still just a trading card company, he made the decision to move the company toward electronic entertainment, and his vision and creativity is seen through Nintendo’s entire gaming history, as he grew and expanded video gaming itself.
Having been president of the company through its ground breaking NES console, all the way through to its performance focused GameCube, Yamauchi was a major player in arguably the best period in gaming; okay, I know that is almost the entire period of gaming, but you can just look at what gaming has morphed into, from what it originally was, and you’ll see Nintendo’s, and in turn, Hiroshi Yamauchi’s, fingerprints all over it.
As a man that has helped build the gaming industry into the unbelievable monster that it is today, and in turn has provided us with years of entertainment, the legacy of Nintendo’s former President will surely live on. It is without a doubt that Hiroshi Yamauchi’s influence will continue to be felt throughout the gaming world for years to come.


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Target Corp. says poor sales at its Canadian stores will have a bigger impact on its fourth-quarter results than it originally expected.
The discount retailer says it has slashed prices to clear out unsold merchandise and that's hurting gross margins.
It now anticipates a loss of about 45 cents (U.S.) per share for the quarter, more than the 22 cents to 32 cents loss it had previously projected.
Target operates 124 locations across Canada following a hyped launch last year.
But the chic chain has since admitted that its highly anticipated foray north of the border was rocky, as it faced high expansion costs and worse-than-expected sales.
Some common complaints have ranged from near-empty shelves in Target Canada stores to prices that were notably higher than its U.S. locations.
For its entire operation, the retail giant lowered its fourth-quarter adjusted earnings guidance to a range of $1.20 to $1.30 per share, down from $1.50 to $1.60 per share.
Analysts surveyed by FactSet expect earnings of $1.24 per share.
The Minneapolis company also revealed that a data breach at its stores pre-Christmas may have affected the personal and credit information of 70 million customers, not the 40 million it had originally estimated.
Target says that names, credit and debit card numbers, card expiration dates, debit-card PINs and the embedded code on the magnetic strip on the back of cards had been stolen during the breach.
The company is set to report its fourth-quarter and full-year earnings on Feb. 26.


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The Republic India 24 thousand carat diamonds of Panna mine in Madhya Pradesh will be auctioned online on September 28. Diamond entrepreneurs will be able to see it from September 24 to 27. An exhibition of diamonds will be organized at the International Dietrade Center of James & Jewelery Park located in Ichhapore area of Surat.
Dinesh Bhai Navadia, regional chairman of the Gems and Jewelery Export Promotion Council of India, said that 94,000 carat diamonds are produced every year from Panna Mines. Out of the production of diamonds made in three months, 24 thousand carat diamonds will be auctioned on September 28.
Significantly, to take advantage of the auction, it is necessary to be a member of the Jewelry Export Promotion Council (GJEPC). Small diamond entrepreneurs will benefit from the online auction of rough diamonds in Surat. Also, in the diamond market, which is going on a slowdown these days, it can also change.
Let us know that in Panna district of Madhya Pradesh, famous for diamond quarry, recently a person has found a precious diamond of good quality weighing 29 carat 46 cents during the excavation of the mine. In the auction, it can be sold for one to one and a half crores of rupees. The land of emerald is famous in the country and the world for spewing precious diamonds. It is difficult to guess when the fate of which worker shines on this earth and becomes a millionaire overnight.


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The GSM Association says Mobile World Congress (MWC), the huge trade show it hosts in Barcelona each year, is going ahead as planned, but notes it has imposed tough new restrictions on access to the show as it tries to address concern about the risks of coronavirus following cancellations by several major companies in recent days.
Under its latest policies, anyone coming from China will need to prove they have been outside the country for at least two weeks before MWC starts -- a rule that effectively means anyone still in China tomorrow will not be allowed into the event on February 24, when the show begins.
The GSMA has also banned anyone from China's Hubei province, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, from attending this year's MWC.
The show last year welcomed about 109,000 attendees, including between 5,000 and 6,000 from China, according to the GSMA's own data, but restrictions and cancellations look bound to hit visitor numbers this year.
Now the telecom sector's biggest annual event, MWC grew from just 47,000 visitors in 2009 to reach more than 100,000 by 2016. Attendee numbers have plateaued in the past three years as the broader industry has failed to grow.
The GSMA's restrictions were announced after several exhibitors announced their withdrawals from the show amid concern about the risks of exposure to coronavirus, a respiratory disease that had claimed more than 900 lives and infected 40,000 people -- mainly in China -- at the time of publication.
Before the weekend, South Korea's LG Electronics and Sweden's Ericsson -- one of the event's largest exhibitors -- said they would not be attending MWC due to concern about the disease. They were joined at the weekend by Japan's Sony, Nvidia, a US maker of graphical processing units, and Viavi Solutions, a test and measurement specialist.
Generating $79 billion in revenues in its last fiscal year, Sony said it would not be coming to Barcelona in light of what the World Health Organization has described as a global emergency. "As we place the utmost importance on the safety and wellbeing of our customers, partners, media and employees, we have taken the difficult decision to withdraw from exhibiting and participating at MWC 2020 in Barcelona, Spain," said the company in a statement.
Nvidia, which made nearly $12 billion in revenues in 2018, said it would not be sending any employees to this year's event. "Given public health risks around the coronavirus, ensuring the safety of our colleagues, partners and customers is our highest concern," said the company in a statement published on its website.
In its own release, Viavi, which reported sales of about $1.1 billion in its 2019 fiscal year, said it had chosen to cancel "after reviewing all available data." It had planned on sending about 50 people to this year's show.
According to an update from The Mobile Network, Amazon Web Services has also decided it will not be exhibiting or participating at MWC this year.
Various other companies, including Apple and Verizon, are believed to have scaled back or cancelled attendance without issuing formal statements, while Chinese vendor ZTE has scaled back its show plans. Nokia, a Finnish equipment maker of similar size and importance to Ericsson, is currently monitoring the situation.
Operators including France's Orange -- which typically has a major presence at the event as one of Europe's biggest telcos and an important service provider in Spain -- are also reviewing their plans. "Orange is still attending MWC though we are of course monitoring the situation closely," said a spokesperson for the company. "Needless to say, the health and safety of our employees is a top priority."
Despite the withdrawals and speculation the event might be cancelled, the GSMA is determined not to scrap a show that generates the bulk of its annual income, with companies collectively paying tens of millions of dollars for exhibition and meeting room space.
In its latest statement on the crisis, it said it remained "more than 2,800 exhibitors strong" even though several high-profile companies had pulled out and others were "still contemplating their next steps."
The GSMA has made investments in additional hygiene facilities and advised attendees not to shake hands this year.
But further withdrawals by major exhibitors or service providers would increase the pressure on the organization to cancel this year's show.
Spain's public sector authorities are currently insisting the region of Catalonia is not a public health risk zone, according to the GSMA. "The Catalan health system is prepared to detect and treat coronavirus, to give the most appropriate response, and this must be clear to those attending MWC Barcelona," said Health Minster Alba Vergés, as quoted in the GSMA's statement.
- MWC at Risk as Ericsson Pulls Out on Coronavirus Concern
- How Badly Will Coronavirus Hurt MWC?
- Eurobites: MWC Organizer Plays Down Coronavirus Threat
- The Telecoms.com Podcast: Coronavirus, Balkanization & Vodafone
— Iain Morris, International Editor, Light Reading


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Mercedes-Benz has been on a roll this 2013. Aside from the various awards that it has received from various institutions worldwide, the sales report of the brand for the past 11 months have showed huge improvement in terms of the position of the automaker in the global market.
So, is this enough to assume that 2014 will be the year of Mercedes? In other words, is it the time wherein it will finally beat its major rivals namely BMW and Audi in terms of worldwide sales?
Looking at the sales performance and momentum of Mercedes in our previous report, the global domination of the brand this 2014 might be possible making it a good year of Mercedes. The German automaker is also expected to end its US sales with a bang after reigning in its market for having the most units of luxury cars sold.
Despite the strong forecast of industry experts and people in Daimler that Mercedes will finally overtake its rivals by March next year, it all depends, of course, if the brand will be able to maintain its current momentum and the market or economic conditions remain stable. Add to that its capability to answer the new challenges set forth by its competitors in the form of new luxury car models, promotions, advertisements and global events. But with the new generation of Mercedes cars for 2014, the brand will definitely remain competitive.
It should be noted as well that the developments in the brand’s overall sales have been mainly attributed to the release of its CLA cars, A-Class, S-Class and other compact models. However, as we have earlier mentioned, it looks like the CLA class will have a tight supply on the first half of next year. So, unless Mercedes or Daimler will be able to address the issue, it might make a big impact in the shift of the brand’s momentum.


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Despite the fact that Sony has been slowly teasing us with the details of their upcoming console, expected to be released next year, it is becoming quite obvious that they really want us to be sure of one major upgrade that will come with their next-generation console, PS5.
8K graphics, 3D audio and backwards compatibility with PS4 titles have been mentioned now and before but the one that actually stole the show is SSD storage that was demonstrated with one of the latest games Spider-Man that loaded in less than a second in the new console while PS4 loaded in 8 seconds.
Sony says the PlayStation 5 will be ‘immersive’ and ‘seamless’: Sony’s official video comparing performance of PS4 Pro vs next-gen PlayStation pic.twitter.com/0Mv9lU7RF0 — Takashi Mochizuki (@mochi_wsj) May 21, 2019 Sony just announced a partnership with… https://t.co/Q7nSatTlIF
— Nacho Sanzu © ?? (@morodog) May 21, 2019
Now, this incredibly fast loading speed comes alongside other features like easily handling vigorous maps that cause certain spins and breaks when moving from one part to another.
Other than the enthusiasm that Sony wants to draw from its loyal fans and console owners about the next generation console, they still want people to continue focusing on the current product they have now. This is since they insisted that PlayStation 4 will still drive engagement and profitability for the next three years. Now, this may be difficult to still believe considering the fact that the console’s sales immediately started dropping when the details of PS5 were first announced.
It is still safe to note that PS5 pricing has not yet been revealed neither the games or general user experience. What is presumed, however, is cloud gaming being a huge part of the console with the company’s heavy hinting especially with their new partnership with Microsoft. What we do know though is that it will use an 8-core CPU based on the third-gen Ryzen line by AMD as well as a ray-tracing graphics GPU even though they never showcased it during their investors’ meeting.


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Net profits at Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic) slumped by 51 per cent to SR 1,782 million ($475 million) in 2001 due to a sharp drop in global petrochemical prices, the company announced on 13 February. The fall in profits came despite a 28 per cent surge in marketed product to 27.4 million tonnes, which pushed total sales up by 9 per cent to SR 28,900 million ($7,710 million). Total production jumped by 26 per cent to 35.4 million tonnes, following the completion of a raft of expansion projects launched by Sabic affiliates in the late 1990s.
Sabic blamed the performance on weak global demand particularly in the last quarter of 2001 following the 11 September attacks on New York and Washington. It said prices across many of its product lines, including polyethylene, styrene and ethylene dichloride, had reached all-time lows. It added that global prices for flat steel products had come under severe pressure, while at home, steel prices had been hit by dumping. It is also said that the results had been affected by Sabic affiliates having to pay back some SR 500 million ($133 million) to the Saudi Public Investment Fund.
Sabic vice-chairman and managing director Mohammad al-Mady predicted that prices would gradually improve during the second half of the year. Improvements in price indicators were already being seen, as was the return of price stability across some of its product lines, he said.
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by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
(NaturalNews) It's always amusing to see how quickly consumers can be
worked up into a false fear frenzy by health authorities. We saw it last
year with the overhyped H1N1 swine flu scare which was fanned into a
flaming fear fest by WHO advisors on the take from vaccine
manufacturers. Now we're getting a new round of fear-mongering from many
of the same sources who are warning us about salmonella contaminated eggs.
According to mainstream news sources, a massive 380-million-egg recall has been announced, and these eggs are all so incredibly dangerous that you have to immediately remove them from your refrigerator and take them back to the store where you bought them so that they can be properly destroyed. This is all backed up by phrases like, "It's not worth the risk," and claims that if people eat the eggs, they are taking "too much of a chance."
But you don't hear warnings to "take your chicken back to the store!" or "it's unsafe to eat your chicken!" Ever wonder why?
Or to phrase the question another way, why is salmonella so dangerous on your eggs, but completely safe on your chicken?
The answer is it's not. It's the exact same risk in both cases: Cook either one
and you destroy salmonella entirely. Infected eggs are no more
dangerous than infected chicken, and infected chicken is apparently so
safe that it's sold every single day at your neighborhood grocery store (without any warnings or alarms, I might add). Nobody at the FDA has even mentioned it is recent memory. Salmonella contaminated chicken is apparently a non-issue.
The real reason for the salmonella scare
Now, here's the real reason why the issue of chicken contaminated with salmonella is almost never publicized: Because to expose the salmonella contamination of chicken would be to expose the sick, filthy and inhumane practices of the factory-farmed conventional chicken industry.
And the (non-organic) chicken industry doesn't want anyone to start looking
into its practices because its practices are just too disgusting for
most people to stomach. You might lose your (chicken McNugget) lunch,
and then you'd probably stop buying chicken. They can't have that.
you don't believe me about the disgusting practices of the chicken
industry, watch this extremely disturbing (but factual) video on NaturalNews.TV about it (WARNING: Extremely graphic. Highly disturbing. Watch at your own risk.) (http://naturalnews.tv/v.asp?v=FF65E...)
So chicken meat gets a free pass: It's okay with the FDA, the CDC and the USDA that Americans are buying salmonella contamination every single day as long as it's in the form of a piece of chicken flesh.
then, are contaminated eggs being flagged as so dangerous? To answer
that, you have to go back to a story I wrote in 2008 called, "FDA Unleashes Mass Irradiation of Spinach, Lettuce and Other Vegetables" (http://www.naturalnews.com/023945.html)
There, following the FDA's demands that spinach and lettuce be irradiated, I explained the FDA's real agenda: "Don't
think the FDA will stop with spinach and lettuce, either. They're
already talking about irradiating tomatoes, peppers and onions. Before
long, radiation could become mandatory for ALL fresh produce..."
It's already happened with almonds, which must now be fumigated or pasteurized
in the United States -- a punitive rule that has severely damaged the
U.S. almond industry. That took place after an outbreak of contamination
with almonds. Similarly, this recent egg contamination fiasco is giving
the FDA precisely the excuse it needs to demand routine pasteurization or irradiation of all eggs.
Meanwhile, salmonella-contaminated chicken will be utterly ignored by
the FDA even as it calls for the mass-pasteurization of "dangerous"
The FDA, you see, will seize upon each contamination event as a leverage point from which to ratchet up its food sterilization agenda, and the agency won't stop until every scrap of fresh food sold at grocery stores is either pasteurized, fumigated or irradiated.
then will the FDA's true agenda of food control be fully realized.
(Insert evil genius laughter here.) And this plan of course involves
outlawing all raw milk, raw almonds,
raw spinach, raw eggs and anything else that might be living. Hence the
recent ramping up of criminal arrests and prosecutions against raw milk producers and living food coops.
The only safe food is dead food
according to the FDA. And they're going to make sure your food is as
dead as possible by exploiting these hyped-up food emergencies as
leverage points from which to assert their "dead foods agenda."
The punch line to all this should be obvious by now: Dead foods lead to dead people. When a population is denied access to health-enhancing living foods (raw foods), its health
begins to deteriorate. This of course create a financial windfall for
the pharmaceutical industry that thrives on suffering and disease. (More vaccines, anyone?)
other words, keeping the food sterilized means keeping the people
diseased. And keeping the people diseased means keeping the sick-care
industry rolling in easy cash. There's nothing like a little sickness to
remind people to keep taking their pills, after all...
Don't think that this egg recall
has anything to do with protecting the health of consumers. Cigarettes
kill hundreds of thousands of people a year and they're perfectly legal
to sell. Even toxic chemical food ingredients
like MSG, aspartame and sodium nitrite remain perfectly legal, too. If
the FDA cared about protecting people from dangerous foods, it would
have banned disease-causing ingredients long ago. But instead, the
agency going after your raw milk, raw eggs, raw spinach and raw almonds.


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Stamp price increase approved
November 17, 2005
The Postal Service Board of Governors approved a 2-cent increase to the cost of the first-class stamp effective Jan. 8, Tom Millham of the Main Branch of the Post Office reported Thursday.
A stamp will cost 39 cents.
The Postal Rate Commission had approved the 5.4 percent increase a few weeks ago. Its last increase came about three years ago.
Also next year, a post card will go up 1 cent to 24 cents. Priority mail, at a base rate, will increase to $4.05. Parcel post, 2 pounds, up 22 cents to $4.36. Certified mail has been raised 10 cents to $2.40. Money orders will cost 95 cents, and Express Mail will go for $14.40 – up 75 cents.


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The Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) will sell products at affordable prices across the country through Family Card from 20 to 31 March in the first phase.
One crore beneficiary families will get two liters of soybean oil at Tk110 per liter, two kg of sugar at Tk55 and two kg of lentils at Tk 65.
The second phase of TCB sales through family cards will start from 3 April as disclosed at a press conference attended by Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi at TCB Bhaban in Karwan Bazar on Friday (18 March).
Some 87,10,000 people from all over the country except Dhaka and Barishal will be able to buy products through this special card.
Twelve lakh beneficiary families of Dhaka North and Dhaka South city corporations and 90 thousand beneficiary families of Barishal City Corporation will have to buy products from TCB's mobile trucks.
In a written statement at the press conference, it was said that a total of one crore families of the country will be given products at subsidised prices.
Out of the list compiled to provide cash assistance to people of different classes and professions in the country during Covid-19, three million families are getting this special card.
Some 56,10,000 beneficiaries have been listed with the help of local people's representatives and district administration.


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Any food marketed in Canada as certified halal in its labeling or ads will have to include the name of its halal certifying body, starting next month.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) said Wednesday the two-year grace period it launched in 2014 for halal labelling and advertising requirements will end April 4. Past that date, all halal claims must meet the new standards.
CFIA “will take compliance and enforcement actions if the requirements are not met,” the agency said Wednesday.
Food deemed halal follows standards laid out in the Qur’an, the principal scripture of Islam, for food preparation and storage, foods’ ingredients, materials coming in contact with food, and methods of livestock slaughter.
The regulation bans anyone from using — in labelling, packaging, advertising or selling a food — the word “halal” or any letters of the Arabic alphabet or any other word, expression, sign, symbol, mark, device or other representation “likely to create an impression” that a food is halal, unless the name of the person or body that certified the food as halal is indicated.
“Like all claims, halal claims must be truthful and not misleading, both before and after” the deadline, CFIA said.
CFIA also emphasized the new rules do not affect food safety and halal products sold in Canada “must meet Canada’s stringent food safety standards.”
The government said in 2014 it will be up to a consumer to decide if the requirements of a given certifying body meet his or her expectations for halal.
CFIA won’t establish federal standards for what can be labelled as halal, nor any requirements for becoming a halal certifying body.
Increased demand for halal food products is expected to lead to an increased number of businesses in the market and products marketed as halal, the government said at the time.
However, the government added, “it is difficult for consumers of halal food to make informed purchase decisions without knowing the standard used in certifying the food product as halal.”
Also, “there are various interpretations of Islamic law which makes reaching a consensus amongst Canadian Muslims as to what constitutes halal difficult to achieve.”
During consultations in 2010, the government said, stakeholders in food processing and the Muslim community indicated they would have ideally wanted halal regulated through a standard.
But stakeholders also recognized the government can’t enforce a halal standard “without consensus among the stakeholders themselves as to what constitutes halal.” — AGCanada.com Network


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Branson's business-only flights
SIR RICHARD Branson is in talks with Canadian executive aircraft maker Bombardier in a bid to launch a business class-only airline, Virgin JetSet, by the autumn of 2002. Branson, in Toronto for the inaugural flight of Virgin Atlantic to the Canadian city, will today meet Bombardier executives to discuss taking delivery of executive jets for new services to North America.
While Branson is also negotiating with Boeing and Airbus, he said 'serious talks' were taking place with Bombardier for jets that would seat 20 business travellers. 'It would be good to buy Canadian while we are in Canada,' Branson said. Bombardier is building Virgin Trains' 125mph Voyager rolling stock for its CrossCountry routes across Britain.
Branson envisages using secondary airports such as Biggin Hill outside London. He said he would like to launch business-class services to cities such as Seattle and Philadelphia, as well as to New York, to augment Virgin Atlantic's current services. He said using executive jets could shave journey times by half an hour - and JetSet would provide limousines to get travellers to city centres.
Of Virgin Atlantic's new services to Toronto, he said he expected to lose $50m (£36.47m) in the first year but to break even within four years.
He expects to launch services to Vancouver within three years, adding that he would also like to take a crack at the Canadian domestic market if regulators will allow. 'It is felt the quality of Air Canada, which controls 80% of the market, is not exactly wonderful,' he said. 'It is said that competition in Canada has disappeared. That is not good for the travelling public.'
'Borrowing from the banks is cheap. We have been pledging shares in our businesses to do so since I was 16,' he said. He added he could raise further cash for the Virgin empire by selling stakes in his 100-owned companies such as Australia's Virgin Blue airline.
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Last year, the discovery of iPhones bending out of shape and breaking when kept in the pocket caused much panic among its consumers.
Inusrance firm SquareTrade undertook a study to test the flexibility of the new Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, and as it turns out, the the Galaxy S6 Edge is equally bendable. In a succession of lab tests, the firm discovered that both the iPhone 6 Plus and the Galaxy S6 Edge bend with 110 lbs of pressure. A robot, christened the ‘bendbot’, operated on the iPhone 6 Plus, the Galaxy S6 Edge and the HTC One.
What Galaxy users might really be frightened to learn is that while the Apple flagship product becomes non-functional at 179 lbs of pressure, the Galaxy S6 Edge stops at 149 lbs of pressure. The phone’s screen also cracked earlier. The HTC One came last with bending and breaking at 120 pounds.
When the iPhone’s flexibility was discovered last year, it quickly became the subject of ridicule, with both the public and other companies taking pot shots at them – companies including Samsung. There’s no doubt that Samsung will receive a similar response this time around.
You can watch the S6 Edge undergoing a bend test below:


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Boisjoli cites strong consumer spending, low unemployment, year-over-year uptick in housing starts in the US.
Valcourt manufacturer increased sales of its three-wheeled roadsters by 110%.
Maker of Ski-Doo snowmobiles and Sea-Doo watercraft says the profit totalled $23.8 million.
Telwater will become part of BRP’s Marine Group as an independent line.
There are growing markets to be tapped in Mexico, Brazil and China.
Jose Boisjoli says he’s happy with the new trade agreement.
Brings together Alumacraft with its Evinrude outboard motor business.
Successfully transformed Bombardier into a significant Canadian global company.
20 employees who service the US from the company’s facility in Sherbrooke, Que., will be affected.
Its $1.03 billion revenue is up 20% from last year’s second quarter.
Montreal company is focused on current products, introduced three new 2017 models at Florida event.
Reducing dealer bottlenecks; a bit of a drop in global sales expected.
NHTSA investigation began in August after the agency received reports of multiple motorcycle fires.
Hooking up with long-time distributor Smooth Marine Equipment
495,000 square-foot facility will create up to 900 permanent jobs.


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A luxury tax on mobile phones is necessary to prevent excessive imports of the product, Deputy Industry and Trade Minister Nguyen Thanh Bien said Tuesday.
A special consumption tax should be imposed on cell phones worth more than VND3 million, Bien said at a press briefing.
Local consumers cannot be banned from using expensive phones like the iPhone, but imports of such phones need to be regulated to prevent negative impacts on the country's trade balance, he said.
There is no import duty on mobile phones now as per commitments under a trade pact between China and the South East Asian region. Thus, a luxury tax would be a practical option, Bien said.
But it's up to legislators to decide whether or not to impose the tax, he said.
The import of unnecessary products must be restricted and exports must be boosted to narrow the country's trade gap, chief of the government's office Nguyen Xuan Phuc said last week. "It's not necessary for a poor country to spend US$1 billion importing the iPhone," he said.
Vietnam's year-to-date trade deficit has reached $3.5 billion, official statistics showed.


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Google is expanding into the financial technology (fintech) market, starting with mobile payments, and the local IT industry is paying a lot of attention to its move. Google's choice of Android, which accounts for nearly 90 percent of the local operating system (OS) market, as a basis of its mobile payment service will have a profound effect on the local fintech market. The fintech market has just started with simple payment services. If the search engine giant adopts a strategy to pre-install Google Play at the same time, which contributes to Android's growing dominance, it will also affect the market greatly.
According to the Korea Internet & Security Agency, Android OS makes up more than 85 percent of the local mobile OS market. The nation's dependence on Android is considered to be the highest in the world. Against this backdrop, if Google comes up with its mobile payment platform like Android Pay, it will be able to easily attract both users and app developers.
Android Pay will reportedly enable companies to develop apps by syncing with the mobile payment platform, while allowing users to make payments within the app by storing credit or debit card information. It will also have an NFC-based Tap to Pay feature, thereby making transactions in offline stores possible. In other words, Google is also targeting the offline payment market.
Pre-installation of Google’s app market will be more dangerous. Google Play and the Apple App Store comprise over 80 percent of the local app market because they come pre-installed on every Android or iOS phone by default. In the past, the three local mobile carriers and Samsung Electronics tried to counter Google's dominance using their influence in the country to pre-install their own app markets as well. But those secondary app markets have not been successful. Therefore, there is growing concern that if the web search giant demands that local handset makers pre-install Google Wallet and Android Pay, the local mobile payment market will never get off the ground. An industry source said, "If a company that dominates the OS market enters the mobile payment market, it could dominate the mobile payment market as well."
There are other factors, though. ITC and financial companies have launched numerous digital wallet services so far, but nothing stands out from the crowd like Alipay or PayPal. In fact, digital wallet services are not popular in the country. Hence, there is possibility that the local market will show a cold response to Google Wallet, even if it comes pre-installed. Another factor is that Google's offline payment service is based on NFC technology. Currently, NFC-based mobile payment systems are not fully commercialized in the nation, as shown by the fact that there are only 26,000 NFC-enabled point-of-sale terminals nationwide.


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AT&T is now selling Apple's handset on its business Web site for customers as part of its Premier Enterprise program. A customer can purchase an 8-GB iPhone 3G for $199 and a 16-GB version for $299. Either handset will require a two-year contract. The store estimates delivery time will take seven to 10 business days.
With a major 2.0 upgrade this summer, Apple has made prominent steps to ensure that the latest iPhone is a capable device for the mobile professional. The iPhone 3G has secure push e-mail with Microsoft Exchange support, remote wiping, built-in VPN, as well as the ability to run enterprise apps from the likes of Oracle and Salesforce.com.
Gartner recently said the iPhone can be safely used for the enterprise. The research firm did advise businesses to slowly deploy the device though, as there were potential shortcomings with security and bandwidth.
One potential problem is the need to have iTunes installed on the desktop, Gartner said, because it could give the enterprise unwanted or malicious content.
"We recommend that Apple enhance this area long term to optionally eliminate iTunes (that is, as a desktop application) as a necessary component to access business applications and manage the device," Gartner said.
If you're still in the dark about implementing an iPhone in your mobile workforce, InformationWeek recently published a report titled "6 Top Technologies For Remote Office Support ... And 2 To Avoid." You can download the report here (registration required).
This move to sell the iPhone 3G online is the latest to make the popular touch-screen smartphone more accessible. Earlier this week, Best Buy and Apple announced an agreement to sell the iPhone 3G across the United States in Best Buy's 970 stores starting Sept. 7.


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The first digital coin produced by a central bank will soon be issued in the Euro Zone, according to media reports, with Lithuania set to launch its own digital token – LBCOIN.
Next week the Baltic country, which has been overall friendly to cryptocurrencies, will issue the digital coin as part of a project to trial central bank digital currencies and blockchain technology in everyday use, according to a report from Reuters on Thursday.
In particular, 24 thousand digital tokens, called LBCOINs will go on sale next week, based on blockchain technology. The launch follows on from Facebook releaing the whitepaper for its Libra stablecoin, which has forced central banks to start seriously considering launching their own digital coins.
Commenting on the new currency, Marius Jurgilas, deputy governor of Lithuania’s central bank said to Reuters: “No one in the central bank community was thinking about digital currency seriously before we realized that there is a legitimate threat that someone else will take our space… We need to provide society with what it wants.”
Lithuania’s LBCOIN is similar to CBDCs
According to Jurgilas, LBCOIN is similar to a central bank digital currency (CBDC), which is tradition money in digital form issued and governed by a country’s central bank. The digital tokens will be solid in packs of six for €99 and will come with an attached portrait of one of the 20 people who signed the declaration of independence of Lithuania in 1918.
The central bank of the Baltic country expects users to trade the digital token with orders to build a specific set which can then be exchanged for a credit card-sized physical silver coin with a nominal worth of €19.18. Holders of LBCOINs can exchange the tokens directly with the central bank and on private blockchain networks, according to Reuters.
“At a time when central banks are beginning to change their thinking on digital currency, LBCOIN is probably the most advanced experimental playground to test different reincarnations of the CBDCs,” Jurgilas told the news outlet.


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The women’s volleyball locker room at the University of Southern California’s 10,000-seat Galen Center isn’t the most glamorous green room, but Bonnie Ross couldn’t care less. It’s June 15, and in 30 minutes, Ross, who’s in charge of Microsoft’s most valuable gaming franchise, will take center stage at the industry’s most important conference, E3. It’s the pitch of her career—a preview of Halo 5: Guardians, set to go on sale on Oct. 27.
Three years in the making, Halo 5 is widely anticipated to be one of the biggest game releases of 2015. Ross, 48, runs 343 Industries, a studio within Microsoft. She manages 600 people and has likely overseen the spending of more than $100 million for Halo 5 alone, which is typical for a release of this size. (Microsoft declines to give an exact figure.) It’s a huge production—and a chance for Microsoft to recoup its investment in Xbox One, which has lagged behind Sony’s PlayStation 4.
The fate of the Xbox has been linked to Halo since both debuted in 2001; Microsoft executives at the time said the platform probably would have failed had Halo not been such a smash years later, Ross still describes the game as a way to how good the Xbox itself is. “Halo is all about innovation and pushing our technology,” she says. “We feel like we’re pushing where we need to be, and pushing Halo.”
Five-foot-6, with long brown hair and an easy smile Ross is athletic and direct, and betrays no trace of the awkward intensity common among engineers. Nor does she wear the kooky fan-themed T-shirts that are the standard outfit of most game developers. At E3 she has on a leather jacket, jeans, and black leather boots. If she nervous, she’s covering well, staying upbeat. Still, she jerks to attention when Terry Myerson enters. “Sorry,” Ross tells me, excusing herself. “My boss just showed up.” Myerson, a Microsoft executive vice president, is in fact Ross’s boss’s boss. Their boss’s boss, Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella, is waiting in a seat in the audience. He’s the first Microsoft CEO to attend the show in eight years. Even for one of the world’s largest companies, there’s a lot depending on this one game.
Halo’s influence is broad. Over the last 14 years, consumers have spent $4.6 billion on Halo products, about 25 percent of that on nongame merchandise. Microsoft has licensed the name to everything from special editions of Monopoly to a full bodyarmor suit that sold for more than $450. The first Halo book, a novel called Halo: The Fall of Reach, was actually published before the first game was released. For a time it looked like Peter Jackson, the director of The Lord of the Rings, might make a Halo movie. There’s now a Steven Spielberg television show in the works for Showtime.
When asked about her ambitions for Halo, Ross always comes back to Star Wars, which she adored as a kid. “For those of us that are a little bit older, we saw Star Wars and stood in line the first time around,” she says. “We are seeing the same thing with Halo, where a lot of dads and parents that started playing when they were 20 or 30 now have kids that are coming in through our, you know, Mega Bloks line.”
In the Lady Trojans locker room, Ross chats with several leaders of 343, among them Frank O’Connor, the franchise development director; Josh Holmes, the head of Halo’s internal development; and Tim Longo, 343’s creative director. It’s a wonder they’re all standing. Ross and her team have spent the previous 17 days fixing 700 software bugs in a “sprint,” as programmers call the race to meet a deadline. In one case, a flying armored man had gotten loose in the code and was floating around unmoored, liable to appear anywhere, even during a serious firefight. In another, someone in the art department had thoughtlessly stuck a rock in the path of a plane in a narrative scene. More disturbingly, the plane would fly right through it.
Excited by the Xbox One’s processing power, animators decided to build a fully interactive cactus that could move in different ways depending on where a gamer shot it. They blanketed one level with cactuses all the way to the virtual horizon. Even the new turbocharged Xbox couldn’t render the needles fast enough. At one point during the development process, the cactuses were the single biggest contributor to technical problems. Finally, the developers convinced the artists they had to go. Says Chris Lee, 343’s director of production.“There were hard feelings on different sides f out a month from the cactus fallout.”
Finishing the coding sprint, saving Microsoft’s console—all of this is top of mind as Ross strides to the stage, smiles, and waves. It’s a friendly crowd. “Let’s start tonight with the first Halo game—” she begins,but he’s immediately drowned out by applause. Thank you! That’s right—that’s where I want to hear the applause,” says Ross, before finishing her sentence: “—the first Halo game built from the ground up for Xbox One, and the game that fulfills both the promise of the Halo universe and the power of Xbox One.” Ross settles into her pitch. “Master Chief, hero or traitor?” she asks. “Spartan Locke, friend or foe? Epic worlds, epic battles, epic scale!”
The lights go down, and a trailer booms to life on a 50-footby-28-foot screen. A cyborg trains his assault rifle into the distance, and a fleet of spaceships flies over an alien landscape. A gravelly voice announces that Master Chief, the hero of the Halo epic, has gone absent without leave. Ross quietly disappears from the stage, as her deputies scan Twitter’s reaction on their Windows phones. A few hours later, she meets Holmes and O’Connor for lunch at a nearby steakhouse. They’re relaxed, elated, for one afternoon at least. The Twitterverse is pumped.
Bonnie Ross is a video game executive by happenstance. She was a good volleyball player in high school, but her father insisted she pass up athletic scholarships to focus on something useful. So she studied technical communications and computer science at Colorado State University, which led to an internship at IBM. She graduated, then applied to work at NeXT, Apple, and Microsoft; her first two choices never called back.
Ross started at Microsoft in 1989 but quickly got bored. She liked drawing a paycheck but had a normal human’s lack of enthusiasm for drafting manuals. “I just wanted to take a break, just for, like, one year, to work on something that my friends would understand,” she says. She talked her way onto a team developing a basketball game for Microsoft’s nascent video game business.
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Is the Future Of the Internet In This Van?
Tarana takes a $300 million shot at providing wireless internet that can rival fiber-based networks
THE DOGESTOCK GENERATION
Get-rich-quick trading is partly about entertainment, but it’s having a very real impact on markets
Private Equity Wants You
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The Chip King Faces The Crunch
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Too Cool for School
Making enemies of the wrong parents has been hazardous to Juul’s health
For Crypto, The Price of Success May Be Regulation
Governments could finally target the anonymity that makes Bitcoin a haven for hackers
Decoding the Price Signals
What’s real, what’s transitory, what’s base-effect distortion? Let’s cut through the noise
India thought it had the virus beat. The virus had other ideas
Governments around the world keep repeating the same mistakes. In a country of 1.4 billion, the consequences are on a whole new scale
China's Next Export: Inflation
With prices rising at the factory gate, consumers abroad may wind up paying more
Chamath Palihapitiya—tech billionaire, Golden State Warriors co-owner, and all-around meme lord—has a sure-thing, 100%-can’tmiss investment for you that will definitely, absolutely pay off for him
MICROSOFT PROFITS SOAR AS CLOUD DEMAND CONTINUES IN PANDEMIC
Microsoft’s profits soared during the first three months of 2021, thanks to ongoing demand for its software and cloud computing services during the pandemic.
How to Make Your Windows PC Boot Faster
Computers have come a long way since the beige boxes of old, but even with speeds measured in gigahertz and gigabytes per second, they still involve some occasional waiting.
Microsoft Surface Laptop 4 (15-Inch): Excellent Choice
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10 Simple Ways to Make Better To-Do Lists
How effective is your to-do list? Does it help you plan your day and nudge you to prioritize the right tasks? Or is it a never-ending inventory of tasks you feel guilty for not having done yet, and now you’re not going to do any of them? A good to-do list should serve you. You should not be at its mercy.
A POTTED HISTORY OF LINUX
Or how a 21-year-old’s bedroom coding project took over the world and a few other things along the way.
MICROSOFT BUYING SPEECH RECOGNITION FIRM NUANCE IN $16B DEAL
Microsoft, on an accelerated growth push, is buying speech recognition company Nuance in a deal worth about $16 billion.
Microsoft Surface Pro 7+ : A giant leap in graphics performance
It’s the most potent upgrade the Surface Pro line has offered in years.
WINDOWS 10 ON M1 MACS: WHAT YOU CAN DO (VIRTUALIZATION, SORTA) AND CAN'T (BOOT CAMP)
VIRTUALIZATION IS KEY, BUT THE LACK OF A CONSUMER VERSION OF MICROSOFT’S M1 -COMPATIBLE OS KEEPS THE SITUATION IN DOUBT.
MICROSOFT WINS $22 BILLION DEAL MAKING HEADSETS FOR US ARMY
Microsoft won a nearly $22 billion contract to supply U.S. Army combat troops with its augmented reality headsets.
Here's Why Bill Gates (Still) Prefers Android to iPhone
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Australia's Biggest Blood Pressure Check 2017 has drawn to a close. Final results are still coming in but we have beaten our target with over 60,000 free health checks delivered across Australia. Thanks to our amazing partner Priceline Pharmacy for working with us to make this possible.
Australia’s Biggest Blood Pressure Check took place Wednesday 17 May - Wednesday 14 June with a target to deliver over 56,000 free health checks at over 320 locations around Australia including Priceline Pharmacy stores, selected shopping centres and Queensland MH4L sites. Stay tuned for the final 2017 results to be released soon.


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Apple’s enterprise focus assessed: iPhone X, iOS 11, and more
In case you missed it, Apple held a small event earlier this week. Though a fair amount of what was unveiled was leaked previously, of course, it was official confirmation of the iPhone X, 8 and 8 Plus, as well as Apple Watch Series 3.
All very nice – but what was there for the enterprise observer?
Not a lot, according to Michael Finneran. Writing for No Jitter, Finneran said the event “delivered little for the enterprise”, adding only the capability of augmented reality – Apple made announcements around its ARKit framework – had the potential to get the pulse racing from an enterprise perspective.
“Unfortunately, fancy screens and wireless charging are a poor counterweight to Siri, which has fallen woefully behind in terms of the speech recognition and natural language capabilities we’re seeing from Google and Amazon,” Finneran wrote.
This is a point echoed by Josh Garrett, president and co-founder of managed mobility services provider MOBI. Citing the iPhone X, he explains: “Candidly, many of the features Apple is rolling out – edge to edge screen, no home button and wireless charging, for example – have been standard in other brands’ phones for a few years.
“True Apple enthusiasts are excited, but the technology has existed in the enterprise for quite some time.”
The fact remains that Apple is the dominant enterprise mobile technology. Recent survey data from MOBI found that more than seven in 10 (71%) respondents manage Apple devices in the enterprise. Or take recent data from Egnyte, which found that of billions of ‘activities’, 82% of enterprise tasks were undertaken on iOS compared to Android.
On the device side, Garrett notes: “Whenever there is a new Apple release, there’s always a huge uptick in ‘lost’ and ‘suddenly broken’ older model iPhones. This has become much more apparent as consumer-focused as enterprise mobility has become.”
iOS 11, more often than not the poor relation in the device-heavy keynotes, could however be an area of progress. A post from Su Mon Kywe of Appthority discussed how the operating system will impact enterprise security through location services, and machine learning.
It was a similar theme posited by Roberta Cozza, Gartner research director. Speaking to IT Pro, Cozza said: “The enterprise grade enhancements that we have seen with the iOS 11 release will build further on the security and management foundation that Apple has built over the years, release after release, around security and manageability for the iPhone (and iPad).”
Appthority puts three recommendations for enterprises; take advantage of location privacy to reduce the risk of geo-data leakage; continue analysing and monitoring apps for risky behaviours; and begin monitoring the new capabilities introduced in iOS 11 to understand the potential risk of data exposure and loss.
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- » Why the IoT market is predicted to double by 2021 - reaching $520 billion


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Internet privacy protections that the European Commission introduced this week could undermine American investigations into stateside data breaches, some security and legal experts say.
Several of the reforms focus on safeguarding data in the cloud, where online applications are managed by an offsite company's computer centers. Europe's proposed rules would require U.S.-based cloud computing providers with European Union customers to notify EU authorities of a data breach within 24 hours of detection.
"There are no borders online and cloud computing means data may be sent from Berlin to be processed in Boston and stored in Bangalore," commission officials noted when unveiling their agenda Wednesday. The recommendations require data handlers to "notify data breaches without undue delay to both [EU] data protection authorities (which, where feasible, should be within 24 hours) and the individuals concerned."
But some corporate attorneys say the 24-hour rule could focus efforts on documenting an incident at the expense of resolving it. Often, American authorities and U.S. firms prefer to keep details of a compromise on the down low until they understand the extent of an intrusion.
"Companies will have to put their resources into preparing their breach report -- not figuring out how big the problem is or capturing the criminal," said Jonathan P. Armstrong, a London-based partner with law firm Duane Morris. "Do you want to stop people from getting hurt or tell them when they have been hurt?"
Businesses also do not want to notify the hackers that they are being sought, thus allowing them to escape. "I'll know much sooner that they're on to me" is the criminal's mentality about the 24-hour deadline, Armstrong said.
Todd Thiemann, a senior director for data security firm Vormetric, said, "it's going to put a lot of executives between a rock and a hard place when a breach happens. And it's not if, it's when."
In addition, U.S. firms may be hesitant to sound an alarm if the "breach" turns out to be a misplaced laptop discovered safe and sound two days later. "Twenty-four hours might be too soon to declare something is missing in action," Armstrong said.
Furthermore, he said, immediate notifications could create a boy-who-cried-wolf situation where breach alerts become so routine that no one knows when a threat is real. "If you get seven reports of a breach, you're probably going to start hitting delete. I think we should reserve telling people about a breach for the most serious breaches," he said. Although firms likely will not have to notify U.S. citizens, Twitter is sure to spread the word from across the pond, he added.
Officials at industry group TechAmerica welcomed the effort to harmonize global regulations on data privacy but, James Lovegrove, the organization's managing director for Europe, said, "the real concern is that many of the proposed rules will inhibit the free flow of information globally and make it difficult for global businesses to operate and invest in Europe due to greater legal uncertainty, increased administrative burdens and the risk of fines."
U.S. officials last spring proposed their own breach notification rules, but the recommendations would allow companies 60 days to inform consumers whose personal information has been compromised. Europe's actions were partly fueled by several major 2011 assaults against Sony's PlayStation Network. Customers seethed after hearing the entertainment giant waited a week before telling customers it had discovered an intrusion on April 19.
Fact sheets on Europe's plan explain the need for reforms by pointing to what sounds like the Sony incident: "Hackers attacked a gaming service which targets users in the EU. The breach affected databases containing personal data (including names, addresses and possibly credit card data) of tens of millions of users worldwide. The company waited for a week before notifying the users concerned."
U.S. officials, according to PCWorld, have expressed reservations about the 24-hour rule, saying it is "simply too short."
The commission's strategy is not a sure thing. First, the European Parliament and member states must approve the proposal and, even if agreed to in full, the rules would not take effect until two years later.
Still, "this is more motivation for U.S. IT companies, whether they are catering to the U.S. federal government or the EU, to step up their game in terms of data security," Thiemann said.


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Carrier T-mobile USA officially announced that it will offer the LG Optimus F6 (Model:LG D500BK) in the coming weeks.
Please notes that the official model number/name of the T-mobile LG Optimus F6 is “LG D500BK”. The LG Optimus F6 to be launched in Europe features model number “LG D505”.
Unlike the LG D505, The Euopean Version LG Optimus F6 which comes with 8MP Camera, The T-mobile LG Optimus F6 is equipped with a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera that can record up to 1080p video, and a 1.3-megapixel VGA front-facing camera.
The LG Optimus F6 (LG D500) has a 4.5-inch display with a 540×960-pixel resolution. It runs Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean and will have 4G LTE capabilities (LTE Band 4/17).
The device is powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core processor from Qualcomm, and a 2,460mAh battery. It also features 1GB of RAM, 4GB of internal memory, and a microSD card slot that’s expandable up to 32GB.
As to Wi-Fi connectivity, the device supports 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.5GHz & 5GHz).
The LG D500 will not feature built-in FM Radio that comes with LG D505.
Software wise, the T-mobile LG Optimus F6 will also features Wi-Fi Calling, NFC-capabilities, QuickMemo, QSlide, Quick Translator and VuTalk,and etc.
T-mobile USA suggests that the Pricing and availability for the Optimus F6 will be shared in the coming weeks.
LG Optimus F6 (LG D500) Picture:
Stay tuned for more information.


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Amazon Shareholders Can't Stop Rekognition
There were two Amazon shareholder proposals that aimed at curbing the sale of their facial recognition software, Rekognition, due to privacy concerns and both failed. “One proposal would have banned Amazon from selling its Rekognition technology to government agencies unless it first determines the software doesn't infringe on civil liberties. The other proposal called for an independent study of the potential privacy and human rights violations caused by Rekognition.”
The fact that these proposals were presented shows the mistrust the average person has for big tech getting into the biometric recognition business. As I have discussed in previous blogs, the foundational algorithms used to power this technology can have built in societal biases and we have to be very careful before utilizing biometric technology to “police”. We must make certain that use of any biometric identifying technology does not infringe on the individual right to privacy that we all have.
Of course, Amazon would say that their technology “has proven its value in improving public safe [and there] are material benefits to both society and organizations". However, it is irresponsible, in the race for profits and to sell to governmental agencies, that privacy concerns have not been fully addressed. It is curious that both Google and Microsoft have stated publicly that they will not sell their facial recognition software to law enforcement, but Amazon has pushed forward. Google and Microsoft want laws enacted that will help guide the use of biometric technology.
In law school we were taught that the right to privacy is the right to be left alone, not only in our own homes but in places where an individual would have a reasonable expectation of privacy. We are vastly approaching a place where the only place we can say we have a right to privacy is in our own home….. oh wait….. Amazon Alexa is there too!


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- Articles tagged "overclocking"
Professional overclockers Lucky_n00b and Coldest from Indonesia turned up at Computex 2014 to showcase the overclocking potential of MSI's Z97 MPower Max AC motherboard taking Intel's just announced K-series Devil's Canyon processor to 6.4GHz. ZOMG!
We are at a special event in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, to check out MSI’s latest motherboards that are based on Intel’s new 9 Series chipset. Apart from checking out MSI’s latest offerings, we also learn more about the company’s strategy and plans for the year ahead.
MSI's yearly Master Overclocking Arena is back! Team HardwareZone was present in Taipei, Taiwan to witness the action over two days of "classic" and "freestyle" battles that determined the winners of the 2013 competition. Read on to find out what took place!
15 contestants from all over the world have made it to the grand finals of Gigabyte's Open Overclocking Championship 2010. Who among them will emerge as the king of OC? Stay tuned for the live coverage straight from Huashan Creative Park in Taipei.
We all know that ABIT is in the business of overclocking and they have extended their support for the overclocking community by yet another mile with the overclocking competition held here in Singapore. The competition just concluded a couple of hours ago and we're back here in the office, working hard to bring you all the updates and pictures.
- Photos of a fully assembled Apple iPhone 6S' display leaked
- Samsung lowers retail prices of Galaxy S6 and S6 edge in Netherlands
- Xiaomi working on a Windows 10 tablet for launch in September?
- Here are the first ten Lumia devices getting the Windows 10 Mobile update
- Photos and specs of Sony Xperia C5 Ultra and M5 leaked, could launch on 3 August
- New Apple TV with touch-based remote and App Store to debut in September?
- Over one million people requested for invitations to buy the OnePlus 2
- Alleged press image of Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 edge+ leaked


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Aston Martin is getting ready to unveil its new V12 Vantage, which will likely be the last 12-cylinder sports coupe from the brand.
Yep, sadly, V12s will not last much longer on the new-car market. This is due to ever-tightening emissions laws being introduced to try and help reduce the carbon footprint left by motor vehicles. However, before the legendary engine layout leaves us, Aston Martin is preparing a last hurrah for its driver’s coupe.
In an official tweet sent out by the company, Aston Martin gives us a preview of the glorious soundtrack of the upcoming V12 Vantage. It also says: “Never leave quietly”. Although this could simply mean never leave a venue or home quietly, we think it has a double-meaning by also indicating it will be the last of its kind.
Leave with poise – but never quietly.
— Aston Martin (@astonmartin) March 13, 2022
The current Vantage has so far only been offered with a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 AMG-sourced powertrain. But, very soon a V12 option will join the lineup. It is likely to see the installation of a 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12 into the Vantage body, connected to an eight-speed automatic with rear-wheel drive.
This has been a long-time coming. You might remember back in December the company released a similar teaser video (below), flashing up the same line about not leaving quietly. Aston Martin has also been spotted testing prototypes at the Nurburgring since at least August last year.
While specifications are yet to be confirmed, reports suggest it might receive the same engine tune as the V12 Speedster. That developed a potent 522kW and 753Nm, helping to dust off the 0-100km/h dash in 3.5 seconds. We’d expect similar performance from the coupe – it might end up being slightly lighter in weight than the Speedster.
The full debut will take place on March 16, later this week. Stay tuned for all the details.


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Reluctantly taking the stand, an ex-Apple engineer testified on Friday that he worked on a project meant to shut competitors out of iTunes.
Rod Schultz s testimony came at the tail-end of a two-week trial in Oakland federal court over Apple s dominance of digital music. Plaintiffs subpoenaed Schultz, who reported to court in an untucked dress shirt and a leather jacket, according to the Wall Street Journal. Schultz readily admitted that he had not wanted to talk about his work at Apple, a portion of which was code-named Candy.
He testified that the project was meant to block 100% of non-iTunes clients and keep out third-party players, according to the Wall Street Journal, echoing plaintiffs key argument in the long-running case. Plaintiffs argue that Apple repeatedly updated iTunes solely to drive out competitors, orchestrating a monopoly that enabled it to sell iPods at inflated prices. Plaintiffs seek $350 million in damages, which could be tripled under antitrust laws.
But Schultz agreed with Apple that that the software updates delivered several improvements — one of the company s key rebuttals to the plaintiffs claims.
After a rough-and-tumble trial that included an eleventh-hour search for a plaintiff, the antitrust case will soon be handed to a federal jury. Both sides will deliver their closing arguments later today.
Above: Apple is ensnared in a trial that dates back to the iPod s heyday (Simon Dawson, Bloomberg/Getty Images).


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Delta just announced that they are expanding their Porsche Service to Los Angeles, New York-JFK and Minneapolis/St. Paul.
Currently it has only been available in Atlanta which started back in 2011, so this is a great addition to the service. Delta claims that they are able to pick up about 75 passengers a day, so adding to these three other cities should greatly increase the number of customers that will receive this service.
“Delta is continuing to create new ways to recognize and enhance the travel experience for our most valuable customers,” said Mike Henny, director – Customer Experience. “By partnering with Porsche to offer unsuspecting pick-ups in an even more unexpected vehicle, we’ve found a unique opportunity to surprise and delight customers while assisting customers between connecting flights.”
Diamond Medallion customers selected for the service are greeted at the aircraft boarding door by a Delta Elite Services representative who escorts them with their baggage to an awaiting vehicle and on to their connecting gate. Each customer is selected for transfer based on a number of factors including flight operation, connection timing and member status.
I’m glad to see Delta expanding this service to these cities. If you’ve been lucky enough to have been selected for a Porsche pickup, please feel free to share below!


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Take a look at some of the biggest movers in the premarket:
Procter & Gamble (PG) – The consumer products giant beat estimates by 2 cents a share, with quarterly earnings of $1.61 per share. Revenue also topped Wall Street forecasts. P&G said it was facing increasing commodity and transportation costs, however, and its shares fell 1.1% in the premarket.
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) – J&J shares rose 1% in premarket trading after the company reported quarterly profit of $2.60 per share, 25 cents a share above estimates. Revenue was slightly below analysts’ forecasts. J&J also raised its full-year outlook, noting strength across all its businesses.
Travelers (TRV) – The insurance company’s stock jumped 3.3% in premarket action after it beat top and bottom line estimates for the third quarter. Travelers earned $2.60 per share, well above the $1.67 a share consensus estimate, helped by strong investment and underwriting results.
Bank of New York Mellon (BK) – The bank came in 3 cents a share ahead of estimates, with quarterly earnings of $1.04 per share. Revenue also came in above consensus, benefiting from funds released from credit loss provisions, as well as increased fee income.
Halliburton (HAL) – The oilfield services company matched forecasts, with quarterly profit of 28 cents per share. Revenue fell short of analysts’ predictions. Halliburton results were helped by rising oil prices, and the company expects that trend to continue. Its shares fell 1% in premarket trading.
Walmart (WMT) – Walmart added 1.9% in the premarket after Goldman Sachs added the retailer’s stock to its “Conviction Buy” list, citing the company’s increasing ability to generate earnings growth.
Philip Morris International (PM) – The tobacco producer came in 3 cents a share ahead of estimates, with quarterly earnings of $1.58 per share. An increase in shipment volumes helped revenue rise above forecasts as well.
Alibaba (BABA) – Alibaba announced it has developed a custom computer chip that the China-based tech giant will use to power its data center servers. The chip will not be available for use outside of Alibaba. The stock gained 1.8% in the premarket.
BioNTech (BNTX), Pfizer (PFE), Moderna (MRNA) – The drugmakers are on watch list after multiple reports that the Food and Drug Administration was set to approve “mix and match” Covid-19 vaccine booster doses this week, allowing people to receive boosters with a different vaccine than they originally received. BioNTech jumped 2.7% in premarket trading, while Moderna added 1.8%.
Sinclair Broadcast Group (SBGI) – Sinclair is still working to contain a cybersecurity breach that disrupted operations throughout its TV broadcast stations and networks. The company said it could not yet determine if the disruption will have a material impact on its financial results.
Zions Bancorp (ZION) – Zions beat estimates by 10 cents a share, with quarterly earnings of $1.45 per share. The bank’s revenue fell below Wall Street forecasts. Zions said loan demand has recovered after several weak quarters. Its stock slid 2.1% in the premarket.