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Harbor Launches Program to Distribute Food to the Community and Employees
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a massive disruption to supply chains around the country, and many organizations are left with excess inventory with no place to go. Harbor Foodservice is one such organization that was hit hard, with the closing of the restaurants and other institutions to which they provide food distribution. But the pandemic wasn’t going to keep them from living up to their mission of being passionate about serving their communities, and so they set out to distribute food to their communities and employees in the Puget Sound Region.
Harbor Wholesale Foods (Harbor) is a fourth-generation, family-owned and operated business distributing products to local Northwest customers since 1923. Harbor currently services more than 3,000 locations throughout Washington and Oregon, and parts of California, Idaho and Alaska from distribution centers in Lacey and Roseburg, Oregon.
On October 12, 2019, Harbor acquired a portion of Food Services of America (FSA) and created a sister company called Harbor Foodservice, which is responsible for the distribution of food to 1,600 local, regional, and national restaurant locations. You can find Harbor Foodservice delivering to your favorite neighborhood pubs, schools, restaurants, and other institutions.
According to Randy Irvine, president of Harbor Foodservice, their organization saw a drop in business by about 75 percent overnight, specifically due to the shutdown and restrictions placed on restaurants. “There has been total disruption in the supply chain and the actions we took in response to it really reflect our purpose of being passionate about serving our community. We consider our employees, our customers, and our communities as family,” says Irvine.
With the sudden disruption their business faced, they faced a problem with massively excessive inventory—and no place for it to go. They didn’t want it to go to waste, so they sought to find ways in which they could use it to serve their community and hopefully encourage other organizations to follow suit with coming together for a greater impact.
The question became: What do they do with all of this food? Their response was three-fold, initiated under the cause of #HarborCares. Read the Full Story in Thurston Talk Here.


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Food prices in Wales are rising at such a rate that more than double the amount of people are now using foodbanks compared to just a year ago.
Latest figures from the Retail Price Index show that prices have risen 12 percent in the last three months, with job centres now regularly referring people to their local food banks to ease the pressure.
Our Business Correspondent Carole Green reports.
More top news
Another largely cloudy day with drizzle in the east. Windy with some strong gusts along the coast and hills.
As shoppers gear up for one of the biggest challenges in the bargain hunter's calender, Ashleigh Swan shares her top Black Friday tips.
Councils have until today to say if they plan to merge. Minister Leighton Andrews says joining together will create 'significant savings.'

domain: news


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James Allen diamond studded iPhone case
Online bridal retailer James Allen has put its latest product on the market, the diamond studded iPhone case which is stated to be available for a premium price tag of $20,000. Blinged in true royal way, there are approximately 808 diamonds along with 43 rubies which adorn the border of this unique casing. The base frame of the casing is known to be titanium based, which have is supposed to be the brainchild of the retailer best designers. This creation is meant to be a mark for the newly launched interactive website of the retailer, which is going to distribute and sell all of the other products of the brand. Now that the occasion is big, and diamonds are glittering all over the site, the retailer has come up with this unique casing, which is known to have 5 carats worth of diamonds and 0.37 carat worth of rubies.


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Advertima finds important partner in UAE
11 May 2023 13:04
Advertima, which calls itself the global market leader in real-time audience measurement, has entered into a partnership with the Dubai-based company DigitAll. According to a press release from the company from St.Gallen, this collaboration makes DigitAll the exclusive representative of Advertima in the Gulf States.
DigitAll, a subsidiary of W Group and a regional leader in the development of smart advertising media, will be using Advertima’s proprietary Smart Targeting technology in digital outdoor advertising on screens in public spaces (called digital out-of-home advertising or DOOH) at shopping malls and retailers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). According to the information provided, installation has already started. It is expected to be completed by the end of 2023 in all 53 metro stations, more than 200 superstores, and more than 40 malls in Dubai.
Advertima’s technology based on artificial intelligence can be used by advertisers to gain insights into their buyers. It can precisely determine characteristics such as age, sex, and target group affiliation as well as the behavior of the audience and automatically display relevant content on the advertising screens.
W Group’s CEO Habib Wehbi commented; “The ability to offer real-time targeting and audience measurement in the GCC region is a game-changer for our industry.” Advertima’s CEO and founder Iman Nahvi also highlighted the advantages for his company: “With DigitAll, we’ve found a partner pushing the boundaries of innovation in the OOH and in-store retail media space, not just in this region but even at a global level.” ce/mm


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Hello! Welcome to the latest Geeky Brummie gaming roundup!
This week, we talk Watch Dogs, Pokémon and the Mega Drive Mini in this, the quiet pre-E3 week.
GOOGLE STADIA UPDATES
Just yesterday Google announced a bunch of new details on their Stadia streaming service. They’ve explained the connection speed required, a bunch of games, as well as costs. Google have promised 4K visuals on a 35mbps connection, with 720p promised on as low as 10mbps. Reports also state that if your connection doesn’t meet a minimum standard it won’t connect to the service at all.
Stadia will run off any device that can run Chrome. You can access the service through a Chrome browser on PC, or a Chromecast device hooked up to your TV. Tablets and smartphones are more limited, with only the Pixel range able to access the service at launch. You don’t need special hardware, as you can even ignore the Stadia controller in favour of other devices. Keyboard and mouse seem confirmed, and I’d bet Xbox controllers could hook up
Pricing is currently £8.99 a month, although this is the “Pro” membership, despite no other tiers announced. It’s also not clear how many games this subscription allows you to access immediately. There was talk of regularly updated freebie games, suggesting some games requiring extra purchases.
There’s a pretty good line-up of games at launch, with companies such as Ubisoft, Bethesda, Bungie and Square Enix porting games over. The conference also saw the announcement of Baldur’s Gate III, the long-awaited sequel to the DnD-themed RPG series. But if you’re not ready to jump into streaming, a traditional PC release is also on the cards.
It all sounds impressive, as long as your Internet can handle it. At present, my connection likes to cut out at random at least once a day, so it’s not too appealing right now. Bear in mind that this announcement came a few days after Google services went down across the board. Doesn’t bode well for the service.
But with this sort of thing, the real test comes at launch, when a wide audience is testing the power of the servers. We’ll find out in November when it launches across Europe, the USA and Canada.
Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs series is a strange beast. Pitched as a modern sidekick to the Assassin’s Creed series, with a cool hacker aesthetic and an attitude of sticking it to the man. Then the first game came out with less impressive graphics than advertised and a bland protagonist. A sequel followed, which delivered much of what the first game promised, but it didn’t sell as well. It seemed that the series was dead in the water.
But no! This week, details have emerged about Watch Dogs: Legion, a new title that looks set to be revealed in full at E3. Interestingly, while the first two games were set in Chicago and Seattle, this new title is leaving the country and moving to the UK. A post-Brexit Britain, which will be interesting to see when combined with Ubisoft’s bizarre “we don’t do politics but sell Tom Clancy games” stance.
There’s also a promise of being able to control “any NPC”, which doesn’t make sense when you realise what NPC stands for. It’s also not clear how this will work, but as I just finished Super Mario Odyssey, I’m imagining you throw an iconic hat at random people to possess them.
We’ll see more at Ubisoft’s conference on Monday at 9pm UK time.
THE SIZE OF THESE POKÉMON
Nintendo have an E3 presentation coming next week too, but because Pokémon is odd, they like to separate it. Which is why we got a separate Direct this week focused entirely on Pokémon Sword and Shield, the latest main line games.
They showed a few notable things. Of course, we got new Pokémon, including Wooloo, a sheep now beloved by the Internet. Then there’s Corviknight – an intimidating nightmare crow who’s also your Uber driver. They also showed off the two main legendaries, who are wolves based on the names of the games. So we have a wolf with a shield baked into its face, and a wolf…carrying a sword.
They also showed off the Dynamax system. No, it’s not an outdated 80s video format, it’s a mechanic that turns Pokémon into vast colossi for kaiju-sized battles. This is getting combined with a mechanic from Pokémon Go to make epic multiplayer raid battles. Due to the UK theming of the game, I’m hoping the large Pokémon will be called absolute units at some point, but there’s no confirmation of this.
And most importantly there is a release date. November 19th worldwide for the Switch, coming out the same day as Jedi: Fallen Order, so that’s quite a battle.
MEGA DRIVE MINI FULL LINEUP
Back when the Mega Drive Mini was announced, I wasn’t convinced due to the ease of getting Sega’s entire Mega Drive catalogue on every system. The full line-up is out now, however, and I have to say, this is how the mini systems should be done.
As well as a bunch of classics that can be found elsewhere (would they really leave out Sonic the Hedgehog?) there are some high-profile third-party titles such as Earthworm Jim. But more intriguing is the bonus titles – Tetris and Darius. Tetris for the Mega Drive is a rare title, as it was pulled quickly from sale due to licensing issues. Darius, meanwhile, never saw an actual release at the time, so this mini system is its first official release.
I must say I’m impressed with Sega’s lineup here. It’s a good line-up, and has enough differences from the Steam Mega Drive Classics collection to justify its existence, and those bonus titles are exciting for gaming history enthusiasts. Good one, Sega.
The Mega Drive Mini is out in September.
A couple of new releases this week, but let’s see what games are available for free on the various console services this month.
On PlayStation Plus, you can grab the excellent Sonic Manic and Borderlands: The Handsome Collection, which makes up for the Conan and Surge combo a few months back. On Xbox this month, you can grab NHL 19, Portal: Still Alive, Rivals of Aether and Earth Defense Force 2017. And Nintendo’s NES collection is starting to look silly, with this month bringing classics like…Volleyball, Double Dragon 2 and…City Connection? Okay then.
As for new stuff, this week saw the release of Hell Let Loose, a realistic WW2 shooter, and Zed, a surreal indie game about piecing together memories. Both are out on Steam right now. Both are getting some mixed reviews, but they might be worth looking into if you’re interested in either WW2 or emotional indie games.
There’s also Persona Q2, which is a sequel to Persona Q, a dungeon-crawling spin-off from the Persona series. Where the first game saw the casts of Persona 3 and 4 team up to fight off a new evil, Q2 adds the Persona 5 cast as well. If you liked the dungeon crawling of Persona and the wider Shin Megami Tensei series, then this is worth a look.
GAME OF THE WEEK
Game of the Week this week is the PC release of Octopath Traveller. While not a brand new game, it’s the most interesting game of the week’s releases in my eyes. Octopath Traveller was released on the Switch last year to huge critical acclaim, and now PC players can get their hands on it too. I’ve been playing it myself recently, and it’s excellent. It’s an old school JRPG in the style of Square Enix’s 16-bit era titles like Final Fantasy VI and Chrono Trigger, but with plenty of modern design choices. With eight interwoven stories and a fun and intuitive battle system, Octopath Traveller is worth grabbing now if you didn’t already play it on Switch.
And that’s it for this week! Sorry it’s a short one but that’s pre-E3 week for you. Next week will no doubt be the exact opposite, with an avalanche of news that won’t stop, so look forward to that. See you then!


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How robots are influencing Hollywood
Long before robots and high-tech machines became a part of our daily lives, droids, humanoids and lifelike gadgets beeped and booped their way across screens in movies, cartoons and more.
Halloween home decorations, spooky gadgets and more03:23
Jolly Roger bots: This invention is fighting off telemarketers02:26
Gadi Schwartz puts his electric skateboard skills to the test01:55
FEMA’s ‘presidential alert’ to be tested Wednesday: What to expect01:16
Facebook data breach affects 50 million: What you need to know02:29
Elon Musk steps down as Tesla chairman03:06


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Thursday, 15 February 2024
Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht
39. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she has a strategy to ensure that bed accommodation for tourists visiting Ireland is increased; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6692/24]
I am advised that Fáilte Ireland has completed a number of Accommodation Audits to establish a baseline on existing tourism accommodation capacity for local authorities in each destination and region. This includes a quality and gap analysis for additional accommodation development on a county-by-county basis along with the projected accommodation requirements. Additional capacity supply growth projections have been identified for all counties based on best estimates of demand recovery to 2030, the current gaps in the market by location and type, and changing consumer preferences for accommodation categories. These projections recommend a phased pipeline of new supply in line with location specific demand drivers based on identified gaps in the market.
Full audits have been completed for 18 counties to date, as follows: Clare, Donegal, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Limerick, Mayo, Sligo, Tipperary, Waterford, Westmeath, Dublin, Cork, Roscommon, Galway, Longford, and Offaly. These audits have been issued to the respective local authorities who will draw on them as they shape their own tourism accommodation strategies.
This year, Fáilte Ireland intends to secure services for the development of a monitoring system to track the pipeline of tourist accommodation in Ireland focusing on planning, construction commencement and opening phases of development. This will allow Fáilte Ireland to pinpoint challenges that exist in terms of the development of tourism accommodation and to measure the impact arising.
Fáilte Ireland’s statutory register of all Short-Term Tourist Letting (STTL) accommodation in the State will, when implemented, provide a full picture of the stock of tourist accommodation. This will enhance Fáilte Ireland’s ability to promote wider tourism investment. In addition, the combined insights of the accommodation audits and the STTL will help shape and inform Ireland’s long term accommodation development plans to meet changing consumer demands and trends.
Furthermore, my Department is progressing the development of a new national tourism policy framework that will seek to mainstream sustainability – environmental, economic and societal – across the entire tourism sector. The new framework will shape how our tourism industry develops in the period to 2030. While I want to see the tourism sector grow, I want it to do so in a manner that is consistent with our broader sustainability targets and ultimately ensures that Ireland will be a brand leader in sustainable tourism practices. While initial consultations with key stakeholders were completed last year, I am establishing a focus group to look at sustainable targets which should meet in the next few weeks. Once the group meets, I will also launch a public consultation and hope to have the new policy framework finalised and published in the coming months. Issues around accommodation stock will be considered as part of the new Policy Framework and subsequent Action Plan.


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After Chief Minister Davendra Fadnavis' tweet yesterday, Reliance Industries confirmed that they will set up a Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR) with World Economic Forum in Mumbai, reported PTI.
It will operate as a sister centre for C4IR in San Francisco. This will allow "policymakers and thought leaders in India to stay ahead of the curve through unique insights in new forms of governance and new technology applications, and connections with cutting-edge technology innovators globally" said the company in its statement.
WEF chose India as its partner as it identifies the country as a key economic, political and social shaper of the 21st century's global, regional and industry systems.
"The capability for India to maximise the potential and minimise the risks of the Fourth Industrial revolution, both domestically for its economy and society, and globally as a major economic and social innovator -- and cultural influencer -- will be one of the foremost drivers for prosperity and peace over the coming decades," it said.
The economy will benefit from C4IR in this digital age and is expected to create great value to countries embracing them by increasing GDP and employment.
The opportunities include artificial intelligence and machine learning, Internet of Things (IoT) and blockchain, among many others.


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So many EV carmakers have worked hard with their various EV cars. The unspoken goal is to be so good that they dominate the EV car market Tesla cars have dominated for a while now. That’s also what Sony-Honda is up to with their new EV car, especially because it might be landing with a built-in PS5.
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Just imagine the thrill of playing a PS5 game from the comfort of your car. Now, that’s something Tesla cars are yet to catch up on.
The plans to add the built-in PS5 are still in the rumour stage. The president of Sony Honda Mobility, Izumi Kawanishi, is quoted saying, “Sony has content, services and entertainment technologies that move people.
“We are adapting these assets to mobility, and this is our strength against Tesla,” he said to the Financial Times.
As though that’s not already cool enough, Sony’s music and movies could also feature in its future EV.
About Sony Honda Mobility
Sony Honda Mobility is a joint electric vehicle venture between the electronics brand Sony and car manufacturer Honda.
Sony-Honda is not just concentrating on working towards producing an entertainment-focused electric car, though.
The joint venture is concentrating on perfecting a fully self-driving car, too.
The President of Sony-Honda Mobility said, “to enjoy in your car, you have to make it a space where you don’t need to drive.
“The solution for this is autonomous driving.”
The Sony-Honda EV Release Date
Sony-Honda plans to make the first North American deliveries of the yet-to-be-named vehicle in early 2026.
Although no one knows the car’s name yet or what it’ll look like, Sony’s been teasing it since 2020 when it revealed its Vision S 01 concept and the SUV 02 version at CES 2022.
The Sony-Honda Mobility now claims its first car will be unveiled in Las Vegas on 4th January 2023 ahead of the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) on the 5th of January.


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Led by Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, and Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, a bipartisan group of 34 attorneys general urged the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) to improve consumer protection rules for airline passengers. The letter calls on USDOT to strengthen protections for airline consumers and provide meaningful relief when flights are unexpectedly canceled or significantly delayed.
Led by Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti, a bipartisan coalition of 26 attorneys general filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court arguing that Google is not immune from liability under Section 230 of the federal Communications Decency Act. The brief urges the Court to interpret Section 230 narrowly to ensure technology companies remain accountable to state consumer protection laws. The brief filed in Google LLC v. Gonzalez maintains that Section 230 should not apply when a platform through its algorithms makes targeted recommendations of information provided by another information content provider.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office announced that more than 87,000 consumers nationwide who were harmed by a student loan debt-relief company will receive $95 million in restitution. The governments alleged that Consumer Advocacy Center Inc., d/b/a Premier Student Loan Center and related companies violated state and federal law by committing deceptive acts and practices related to Premier’s student-loan debt-relief services. The funds will be paid from the CFPB’s civil penalty restitution fund.
Led by Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, and Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, a bipartisan coalition of 51 attorneys general submitted comments supporting the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) proposal to help reduce illegal robotexts. The comments support requiring mobile wireless providers to block texts from invalid, unassigned, or unused numbers, and from numbers on a “Do Not Originate” list.
Led by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, a bipartisan group of 36 attorneys general announced a multistate settlement with CarMax Superstores Inc. (CarMax) over the disclosure of safety recalls. The settlement requires CarMax to disclose to consumers unrepaired recalls related to the safety of its used vehicles before vehicles are purchased and pay participating states a total of $1 million.
Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum and Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes announced a data breach enforcement case settlement with Avalon Healthcare Management (Avalon). The $200,000 settlement involved a 2019 data breach arising from a phishing scam directed to an employee that allowed the scammer to access the personal information and protected health information of 14,500 Avalon employees and patients. Each state will receive $100,000.
Individual Attorney General Actions
Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor filed a lawsuit against Simple Save Protection LLC, a Missouri company that markets vehicle service contracts. The lawsuit alleges that the defendants sent deceptive mailers to Alaskans that were designed to make the recipients believe that they were being contacted by their vehicle’s manufacturer or dealer and that their warranty was set to expire.
Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich sued RLC Labs, an Arizona-based manufacturer of natural thyroid prescription drug tablets, for making false or misleading statements about its products. The complaint alleges that RLC Labs made false advertisements about the potency of two natural thyroid drugs: Nature-Throid and WP Thyroid. Although RLC Labs recalled the drugs and offered refunds, the lawsuit alleges that RLC Labs continued to make false or misleading statements.
Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge settled with the owners of a hospital for failing to protect sensitive patient information after the hospital closed. The consent judgment with Country Medical Services of Arkansas, Inc. provides for the lawful destruction of the records and a civil penalty of $770,000 that will be suspended if the terms of the judgment are followed.
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser secured $200,000 in refunds for Colorado customers wronged by Americor and Credit9’s financial practices. Americor, a California-based debt management company, through a related company, Credit9, allegedly unlawfully loaned money to consumers for whom it provided debt management services, contrary to Colorado law.
District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine sued SmileDirectClub, an online orthodontics company, for requiring harmed and dissatisfied consumers to sign nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) to receive promised refunds. The complaint also alleges that SmileDirectClub used NDAs so that customers who suffered painful and sometimes permanent injuries caused by the company’s products could not file complaints with government regulators or law enforcement if they wanted to receive refunds. Attorney General Racine also announced a new lawsuit against Amazon.com, Inc. and Amazon Logistics, Inc. (Amazon) for allegedly stealing tips from delivery drivers. According to the complaint, Amazon caused consumers to think they were increasing drivers’ compensation when Amazon was actually diverting tips to reduce its own labor costs and increase profits. Amazon later reimbursed the Amazon Flex drivers as part of a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, however, the complaint seeks civil penalties for violations of District of Columbia consumer protection law.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody sued Smartbiz Telecom, LLC (Smartbiz) for allegedly routing millions of foreign-based robocalls into the United States. The complaint alleges that Smartbiz, a Miami-based Voice over Internet Protocol telephone service, received multiple warnings that it was transmitting obviously fraudulent robocall traffic, but, nevertheless, continued to carry illegal robocalls. Records produced by the Industry Traceback Group, a neutral consortium appointed by the Federal Communications Commission, allegedly indicate that Smartbiz is one of the most prolific transmitters of illegal robocalls in the country.
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita announced two separate lawsuits against TikTok — both related to allegedly false claims made by the company about its video-sharing app of the same name. The first lawsuit alleges that TikTok has lured children onto the platform through a variety of misleading representations indicating that the app contains only “infrequent/mild” sexual content, profanity, or drug references — when in reality the app is rife with extreme examples of such material. The second lawsuit asserts that TikTok has highly sensitive personal information about Indiana consumers and has made deceptive representations that the information is protected from the Chinese government and Communist Party. The state is seeking emergency injunctive relief and civil penalties against the company.
Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller announced that Fort Dodge-based cosmetology school La/James International College will forgive an additional $461,771 in debts for approximately 116 students. The settlement resolves allegations that the school was in violation of a July 2016 consent judgment, specifically, provisions that require the college to not make false, deceptive, or misleading statements in connection with the recruitment of students or concerning financial aid.
Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh announced an appellate court affirmed a trial court’s $3 million order against pay day lender Cash-N-Go. The final order requires Cash-N-Go, Inc., Brent M. Jackson, and related businesses owned and operated by Jackson to pay over $2.2 million in restitution to Maryland consumers and a $1,200,750 penalty to the State of Maryland. In its decision, the Maryland Court of Special Appeals held that the restitution awarded to consumers was appropriate when a lender makes a loan without the required license or charges a usurious interest rate.
Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey sued a Florida company for allegedly scamming struggling residents into mortgaging their homes in exchange for small cash payments. The complaint against MV of Massachusetts, LLC, a/k/a MV Realty, which presents itself as a real estate brokerage, alleges the company aggressively marketed a deceptive small dollar loan product to hundreds of financially struggling homeowners who received payments in exchange for a 40-year exclusive right for MV Realty to act as the listing brokerage when the homeowner decides to sell and other allegedly unlawful terms.
New Hampshire Attorney General John M. Formella entered into a $1.25 million settlement agreement with a Kia dealership resolving allegations of falsifying customer loan applications to qualify customers for loans they could not afford. DMO Auto Acquisitions, LLC (“DMO”) dba Dan O’Brien Kia, also agreed to pay consumer restitution, and hire an independent compliance monitor.
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced settlements with six different car dealerships totaling more than $260,000 to resolve allegations of consumer protection violations. The dealerships’ alleged violations include failing to list prior accidents, damage, and repairs made to vehicles; failing to honor the advertised price of a used car; charging excessive vehicle preparation fees that were not itemized or properly disclosed to the consumer; failing to provide a written warranty; failing to disclose the full sale price of a motor vehicle; and deceptive advertising.
New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas announced that his office has resolved opioid litigation against grocery and retail pharmacy giant Kroger Co. in a deal that will deliver nearly $60 million to the state and to local communities to fund opioid abatement efforts within the next 90 days. Kroger was one of three pharmacy defendants that went to trial against the state in September of this year. The agreement also envisions “injunctive terms that match but do not exceed the injunctive terms imposed in any executed global settlement.” A global settlement has not been announced.
New York Attorney General Letitia James entered into a $1.5 million settlement with energy service company, Major Energy, resolving claims that it deceived and misled thousands of consumers across the state. The $1.5 million will be paid in restitution to eligible customers. Energy service companies are not utilities but are regulated in New York and offer consumers electricity or natural gas to be delivered by regulated utility distribution companies. The settlement recited findings that Major Energy engaged in deceptive advertising, door-to-door and telemarketing sales, which were neither admitted nor denied by Major Energy.
North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley obtained a judgment against a home improvement contractor, George Lavave, for failing to perform contracted jobs and for obtaining a contractor’s license by making false or misleading statements on his application. The judgment requires payment of $35,631 to impacted consumers, $2,000 in civil penalties, and $1,554 in attorney’s fees and costs. It also bans Lafave from contracting in North Dakota for at least five years, and until all amounts due in the judgment have been paid in full.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced criminal charges against 30 individuals and 21 businesses for “title washing” and for re-titling stolen vehicles in three Pennsylvania counties. The alleged fraud was designed to bypass stict requirements for titles for reconstructed vehicles in states such as New Jersey and New York and make those vehicles look legitimate for resale or export. The participants allegedly obtained totaled vehicles, then falsified inspection information and submitted fraudulent title applications to authorities and removed the Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) attached to each vehicle to bypass police detection of stolen vehicles.
Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed a federal lawsuit against a plastic surgery provider for falsely and illegally inflating its ratings on online rating platforms. According to the complaint, Allure Esthetic, a major plastic surgery provider in Seattle, and its owner, Dr. Javad Sajan, allegedly intimidated patients into removing negative reviews, and ordered its employees to post fake positive reviews. The defendants allegedly violated the federal Consumer Review Fairness Act and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, as well as state consumer protection laws.
Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul settled with a direct mail marketer of extended vehicle warranty products. The consent judgment with Missouri-based US Automotive Protection Services, LLC (USAPS) resolves the state’s claims USAPS used various deceptive solicitations including leading consumers to believe USAPS was the provider of their existing vehicle warranty or that their existing warranty coverage was about to expire. The settlement requires payment of up to $200,000 and reimbursement of costs and attorney’s fees.
Other articles in this edition include:


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WASHINGTON: A top Federal Reserve official said on Wednesday that school closures due to the the coronavirus pandemic are stopping the US economy and more support is needed to sustain a recovery.
The United States is seeing the world's worst coronavirus outbreak and in many parts of the country schools and universities have not reopened or only done so partially, which Fed Vice Chair Randal Quarles told a summit of the Institute for International Bankers posed a risk to the recovery from the severe downturn caused by the pandemic.
"Many parents with children will be forced to work less, or not at all, which is going to be a hardship for them and weigh on the economy," Quarles said of the school closures.
Echoing comments by the central bank's Chair Jerome Powell that more spending may be needed to get the world's largest economy back on its feet, Quarles said, "it will take continued support to sustain a robust recovery."
Lawmakers in Washington are deadlocked on how much more to spend to stimulate the economy after key provisions of the $2.2 trillion CARES Act passed in March as the pandemic intensified expired.
Among the lapsed provisions was a program of loans and grants for small businesses as well as extra weekly payments for jobless workers after businesses shutdowns to stop the spread of COVID-19 led to tens of millions of layoffs.
Those programs have been credited with helping spur a rebound in some sectors including retail sales and housing, though analysts have raised fears of lasting damage should no new stimulus be passed.
Quarles acknowledges that damage done during the shutdowns in March and April "will take time to reverse" but that the rebound has been stronger "than almost any forecaster expected," pointing a surge reported by the Census Bureau over the summer of people seeking to start new businesses as evidence of the country's resilience.
"Looks really happy he's just had his braces off so is accentuating the gums and teeth," social media user says
With the internet used for every choice people make these days looking at reviews and for ordering food too, many...
This year's UNGA featured repeated calls for climate justice by leaders from the Global South
Fiona leaves much of population without power but caused little damage in Bermuda
India condemned the Khalistan referendum held at Brampton, Ontario in Canada
The attacked mosque is often attended by senior Taliban commanders and fighters


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Why Line's two-year wait for IPO cost it US$4b in valuation
[TOKYO] Line Corp has finally pulled the trigger on an initial public offering after a two-year hiatus. That period of hesitation may have cost the messaging service US$4 billion in valuation as Facebook Inc. began encroaching on its turf and markets cooled on technology company debuts.
Japan's leading mobile messaging service is aiming to raise as much as 113 billion yen (S$1.43 billion) in July at a market value of roughly 588 billion yen, according to data in its Friday IPO filings. That's down 40 per cent from an estimated 1 trillion yen when it first filed for an offering in 2014.
That may be as good as it gets. Line's gearing up for a battle with far larger rivals like Facebook and China's WeChat as it looks to expand its 218 million user base beyond its strongest markets of Japan, Taiwan and Thailand.
The Tokyo-based company, owned by South Korean search portal Naver Corp, plans to use the proceeds to spearhead an expansion across Asia and, eventually, the US.
"Line will have its market in Japan fairly fortified from the likes of WhatsApp or even Facebook Messenger," said Amir Anvarzadeh, manager of Japanese equity sales at BGC Partners Inc.
"Outside of its core markets, it's going to be a massive challenge."
Line's asking price contrasts with the princely sums conferred upon rival messaging services. Facebook paid US$22 billion for WhatsApp - which barely had a business model.
Snapchat Inc was last valued at US$18 billion. Line's own current valuation of US$5.5 billion implies it's asking investors to pay about US$25 per user, a far cry from the US$55 per user Facebook forked over for Jan Koum's app in February 2014.
Facebook and Tencent Holdings Ltd already hold sway in the US and China, the world's two largest internet markets. WhatsApp and Messenger each count about a billion users and dominate through sheer numbers, while Tencent's WeChat has become intertwined with the daily lives of its 762 million users, offering everything from car bookings to restaurant payments.
To be sure, Line has killed it at home. Debuting in 2011, it pioneered the business model of selling stickers and other digital knickknacks that people buy and share during chat sessions on phones.
Following the WeChat model, its users have access to streaming video, payment services, on-demand taxis and job listings. That approach earned the Japanese company top spot in global smartphone revenue rankings last year, excluding games, according to market researcher App Annie.
But user growth plateaued as it made limited headway beyond its home country. The company generates most of its sales at home: while Japanese users accounted for 27 per cent of Line's monthly active users, 69 per cent of its revenue came from Japan in the fourth quarter of last year. Line is now valued at about 4.9 times its 2015 sales.
That falls short of Facebook's price-to-sales ratio of 11.3 times, based on revenue estimates. It's also cheaper than Tencent's 8.9 times, but more expensive than South Korea's Kakao Corp's 4.1 times or Twitter's 3.5 times.
That's why Line is targeting Asia, a region mostly split between disparate apps and where it already has a foothold. It's No 1 in Thailand and Taiwan and chief executive officer Takeshi Idezawa, 43, is betting his company can make headway in regions lacking a dominant messaging service.
The structure of Line's IPO hints at its longer-term geographical ambitions. It plans to sell almost two-thirds of its offering in the US, an unusually large allocation for a Japanese company. Investors will want to hear about its broader expansion goals during the upcoming roadshow, even as they scrutinise its business performance.
Sales grew 40 per cent last year to 120.7 billion yen, with games, streaming music and comics accounting for 41 per cent. The company however chalked up a net loss of 7.6 billion yen in the period, according to the filing.
While it cited rising costs related to business expansion and higher payouts related to smartphone settlement and royalties, it said content and advertising sales were robust.
Line plans to offer 35 million shares in the US and Japan, with an over-allotment of 5.25 million shares. The price range will be set on June 27, and the final price July 11.
The IPO would be this year's biggest tech offering globally, according to data compiled by Bloomberg, providing a rare bright spot for the depressed market for listings. No business has raised more than US$150 million via a technology listing in 2016, even though more than 160 private startups are currently valued at US$1 billion or more.
"Because of the looming presence of Facebook's Messenger and WhatsApp, there is certainly a need for apps like Line, which is really popular in certain markets, to expand as fast as possible and stake a claim in other countries," said Felim McGrath, a London-based trends manager at market researcher GlobalWebIndex.
"Facebook has such a broad penetration via its main network that it can push its messaging platforms to its many existing users."


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Patanjali ties up with Amazon, Flipkart, 1mg, Netmeds, Paytm Mall to push ayurveda products
New Delhi: Baba Ramdev-led Patanjali Ayurved announced its partnership with eight online platforms in a move to push sales of its range of products.
"Online mechanism aims to provide convenient and efficient option along with the extension of the traditional retail market," Ramdev said while announcing the partnerships.
Patanjali has partnered with e-commerce firms Amazon, Grofers, Shopclues, Flipkart, BigBasket, 1mg, Paytm Mall and Netmeds on which whole range of Patanjali products will be available.
Patanjali medicine requiring the prescription will be sold only through Netmeds and 1mg. Shopclues Senior President Operations Vishal Sharma said that the company will directly source and sell the product to consumers.
Patanjali and e-commerce will not offer a discount for selling online to maintain balance with the sale from retail outlets.
1mg Amazon Baba Ramdev BigBasket e-commerce firms e-tailers Flipkart Grofers Netmeds online Online mechanism partnership Patanjali Patanjali Ayurved Paytm Mall products push retail market Shopclues ties up Vishal SharmaSource : PTI


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Hundreds of thousands of computer users across the United States may not be able to get online this summer after July 9.
FBI officials are warning all computer owners to check now for a type of malware, called "DNS Changer", similar to a virus.
PCs infected with DNS Changer were used by a group of hackers for fraud. Federal agents say they've caught those responsible.
But a temporary solution keeping the infected machines online will go away July 9, and at that point infected users won't be able to connect to the Internet.
To check to see if your computer is infected, you can visit www.dcwg.org.


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Hey, listen! We love hearing your feedback on Nintendo Voice Chat, and for the first time this year, you have the chance to make your voice heard on NVC.At the bottom ..
Summary: Relive three of Mario’s greatest adventures with Super Mario 3D All-Stars! Optimized versions of Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario ..
The PlayStation 5 was November 2020’s best-selling hardware platform in consumer spending, and it had the highest launch month unit and dollar sales for a video ..
Sony says the PS5 has had the biggest ever launch for a PlayStation, and confirmed that more units will be released before the end of the year.In a tweet thanking ..
Use of Drugs, Sexual Themes, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact, Strong Language, Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Use of Alcohol, Partial Nudity Platforms:Xbox ..
Thanks to you, the launch of Xbox Series X|S is now the most successful debut in our history. While we missed the emotional spark of being together with you in person, ..
Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time is a direct follow-up to the original, Naughty Dog-developed trilogy that was released on the original PlayStation. But with ..
Tokyo Game Show 2020 has officially arrived and, from September 23-27, there will be a ton of incredible announcements, trailers, and gameplay videos from some of the most ..
Microsoft shocked the gaming world this week with the announcement it had acquired ZeniMax Media, parent company of Bethesda, in a $7.5 billion cash deal. The move ..


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I have word of yet another recall leading into the weekend.
This particular recall was announced by Happy Shirts, a Honolulu-based company. That company has a line of t-shirts that were sold at Kohl’s, but it’s not the shirt that poses a safety risk. The safety hazard actually comes from a toy truck gift that was given away with the purchase of a shirt, and it’s that gift that is being recalled.
The toys are specifically called Big Movers Super Car toy trucks. They are blue, four inches long, and they were handed out to consumers who purchased Big Movers boys navy t-shirts from Kohl’s stores and on the web.
The issue comes into play when users put a battery into the truck. The battery compartment connections have a propensity to smolder, creating the risk of a fire and burn hazard. Users have been advised to take the toy away from children and take the battery away from the toy. Happy Shirts is standing by to receive word from customers, who can call to receive refund instructions.
9,000 units are affected, and already four reports have arisen of the aforementioned hazard, one that involved a full-on fire. Thankfully, no injuries have yet occurred.
As a Ventura personal injury lawyer, I think that all safety defects are tragic, but those that affect children are especially so. I hope as a San Jose personal injury attorney that no one gets burned by this defect.


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70% think couples who game together are more inclined to endure in a relationship
Fed up with swiping directly to find real love? We’ll you’re not by yourself, brand brand new research reveals significantly more than a 3rd (37%) of Brits stated they might instead fulfill their partner via a video clip game than the usual dating application.
Surprising data from Logitech G British discovered that of these in search of love, 60% of amateur gamers admitted they came across their significant other while playing a video clip game online.
And all is reasonable in love and war, as two in five Brits decide to try the video video video gaming battlefield, in arenas such as for example Call of Duty or Minecraft to check their compatibility having a partner.
The study of 1,000 game-loving Brits, who confess to video video gaming at the least seven hours per week, unearthed that 70% think couples whom game together are more inclined to endure in a relationship- with three quarters of partners gaming together regularly.
Dating specialist and advisor, Hayley Quinn, believes the pandemic is in charge of this increasing trend of men and women leaping into ‘the dating game’. Continue reading


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In 2020 PHEVs sales have been growing much faster than BEVs sales, thanks to strong incentives and a choice of now over 40 different models (even though we’re usually talking mostly larger and/or premium vehicles).
New PHEVs sales went from 1333 in 2019 to 2491 in 2020 brining the market share to 2.82%, closer to BEVs 4.54%. The Kia Niro is clearly the most popular car, followed by a few Premium cars and the Ford Kuga that should do quite well in 2021. New in December is the MG HS.
Even more impressive have been the imports, with a record 619 cars brought to the Republic last month (“thanks to” brexit uncertaincy) and a annual count of 3899 cars (2421 in 2019), much more than BEVs imports (451), thanks to a more mature British used PHEVs market, and signioficant VRT rebate.


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Scenes of violence in the streets, subway, and international airport of Hong Kong have scared away tourists, prompting the highest decline in visitor arrivals in the former British colony since the 2003 SARS virus outbreak.
- Canada’s response to Hong Kong protests remains pro-China: community forum
- How Vancouver was forever changed by the Tiananmen Square massacre
- Hong Kong crisis could lead to a big resurgence in Vancouver’s housing market
According to a blog post by Paul Chan, the financial secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, tourist arrivals dropped by about 40% in August compared to the same period in 2018.
This followed more marginal year-over-year decreases of 5% in July.
According to a passanger taking the Cathy Pacific airplane from #Hongkong to Shanghai, September 7th, 2019. You can see it’s nearly empty. Before the protest, usually it’s nearly full. #HongKongProtesters are destroying the tourism and economy of Hongkong. pic.twitter.com/CrUNw2RsU6
— Liam Stone石立安 (@liamstone_19) September 8, 2019
Hong Kong-based airline Cathay Pacific also expects to see a major drop in its revenue in August, after only slight impacts to its business in June and July as a result of the protests.
“Recent events in Hong Kong over the past two months did not substantially impact our passenger business in July; however, we anticipate a much more significant impact to our revenue in August and onwards,” said Ronald Lam, Cathay Pacific’s chief customer and commercial officer, in a statement last month.
“Traffic into Hong Kong, both business and leisure, has weakened substantially and we’ve also now seen ex-Hong Kong traffic starting to soften, especially on our short-haul network including mainland China, Taiwan, South Korea, and South East Asia.”
Numerous foreign governments have issued various travel advisories to their citizens considering visiting Hong Kong, including the Canadian government’s warning that requests travellers to “exercise a high degree of caution.”
— chris dwyer (@chrismdwyer) September 10, 2019
A lot of empty seats on this Dragon flight out of #HongKong. Certain parts of the city’s economy taking quite a hit from the crisis. Actually a great time for a holiday to Hongkers. Cheap flights and hotel deals galore. 😉 pic.twitter.com/gemXY90k5o
— Stephen McDonell (@StephenMcDonell) September 9, 2019
Last month, wrote Chan, occupancy rates for hotels dropped by nearly 50%, and room rates fell by between 40% and 70%.
“Repeated vandalism and disruptions to major transport infrastructure, such as trunk roads, railway and airport, not only have disrupted the daily routines of citizens, but also affected many international conferences, exhibitions, and mega events,” reads Chan’s post.
“Many conferences and business journeys have been postponed or even directed to other destinations.”
Hong Kong’s annual National Day major fireworks display in Victoria Harbour on October 1, marking the founding of the People’s Republic of China, is currently still scheduled to go ahead as planned.
With protests now entering their 14th week, multiple major sectors that are a cornerstone to Hong Kong’s economy are being hurt — everything from both small business retail and luxury retail to catering and restaurants.
Shopping districts and indoor malls that are normally packed with locals and tourists currently only see a relative trickle in foot traffic, with sales likely seeing a representative drop.
Hong Kong’s theme parks, Disneyland Resort and Ocean Park, have also been hurt, with numerous recent social media posts showing sparser crowds than normal at both attractions.
Chan also noted that the increasing tension of the China-US trade war is leading to a decrease in the value of total goods exported through Hong Kong.
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Aww. So different from yesterday, that it took us an hour just to have photos with Minnie and Mickey. May peace prevail on your country!
— Charleen G. Acob (@tsanggonzales) September 10, 2019


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Some buy now, pay later platforms are testing out a new model: subscription plans.
For $5.99 a month, Afterpay Plus users get a digital card they can use in stores. And Klarna just rolled out a subscription of its own: $7.99 a month lets users dodge service fees, rack up loyalty points faster and access special deals.
For these companies, it’s another guaranteed revenue stream and maybe a way to lock in loyal customers. But can they work when paying later is the whole point?
“Um, it’s a little counterintuitive” said Sheridan Trent, with the payment analytics firm The Strawhecker Group.
If subscriptions to these platforms appeal to you, “you’re someone who’s probably using buy now, pay later multiple times a month,” Trent said.


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Denmark sets up trade association for fishing tackle industry
A new trade association has been set up by the fishing tackle industry in Denmark.
While some European countries, including Germany and Italy, have discontinued their trade bodies in recent years, Denmark has launched the Danish Angling Association.
Founding members of the organisation include manufacturers, wholesalers, tackle shops, fishing guides, tourism companies, boat operators and NGOs (non-governmental organisations), who hope that their unified voice will have political impact.
The initiators of the idea have been lobbying for almost a year to bring the trade together, explained Chairman, Peter Lyngby, of Strip Strike Media. “We are overwhelmed by the initial support we have received from all branches of the angling trade in Denmark,” he said.
“Though we have only taken our first humble steps as an organisation, we feel this is a big leap for Danish angling. Everybody in the trade seems to have been waiting for a chance to unite and we have already lined up an ambitious array of projects supporting fish and anglers across Denmark.”
Pure Fishing is among the supporters of the association. “We cannot continue to develop and expand Danish angling without supporting fish populations and the environment,” said Christian Stenhild, the company’s Country Manager for Denmark.
Further support has come from the Danish Sportfishing Association, which represents the country’s anglers. “We welcome the new trade association and see important collaboration opportunities,” said Chairman, Torben Kaas.
“The sooner Danish politicians understand the trade, and the numbers and jobs involved, the better. A collaboration with the commercial part of the angling business will benefit our NGO when negotiating fish and angling politics.”
For more information contact firstname.lastname@example.org or visit www.dansklystfiskeri.dk.
Pictured above are (from left to right) Gordon P. Henriksen (Megalops), Martin Hubert (Spar Shipping), Torben Kaas (Danish Sportfishing Association), Hanna Bossow Vestergaard (The Fly Company), Peter Lyngby (Strip Strike Media), Claus Eriksen (Go Fishing) and Christen Stenild (Pure Fishing).
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Pro and Elite tablets look to reassure organisations still unsure about BYOD and workplace mobility
HP has extended its enterprise device portfolio with the launch of a new range of tablets targeting businesses, consumers and specific markets such as education and heavy industries.
The company has released eight new tablet and 2-in-1 devices as it looks to help a variety of workplace environments embrace the possibilities enabled by increased mobility.
On the go
The new devices include two new Android tablets, the eight-inch HP Pro Slate 8 (pictured left) and 12 inch HP Pro Slate 12, both of which sport a powerful quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor and super-thin 8mm body. Packing all-day battery life and super-tough Gorilla Glass 4 screens, the devices are targeted at workers in the field, sold with an HP Duet Pen stylus which is able to write both on the device’s screen and paper.
HP says both the Pro Slate 8 and Pro Slate 12 should go on sale in Europe later this month, starting at €379 (£291) and €529 (£405) respectively.
Alongside these is the HP Elite x2 1011 G1, (pictured right) a lightweight, 11.6 inch 2-in-1 Windows device which can operate as either a tablet to a laptop, with Ultrabook configurations also available.
Costing from €999 (£766), the Elite x2 runs Windows 8.1 and features military-grade approved durability. It can be outfitted with a range of accessories and comes with a WiGig enterprise wireless dock which HP has developed with Intel, and a lightweight travel keyboard which also comes with its own built-in battery to ensure a long life when out and about.
Lastly, the HP Pro Tablet 408 G1 is a 9mm-thin lightweight business-focused eight inch tablet. Running off an Intel Atom quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM and Windows 8.1, the device also includes micro-HDMI support, up to 64GB of storage and an eight megapixel rear camera. It will be available later this month costing from €249 (£191).
There are also two education-focused devices, the Intel Atom-based HP Pro Tablet 10 EE running Windows and the HP Pro Slate 10 EE Android tablet. Both are sturdily built for students, featuring a durable design that has passed heavy-duty testing for dust and moisture. Both devices include an option to connect to a detachable keyboard, and stylus to allow convenient and secure 1:1 learning, and will cost from €289 (£222) for the Pro Slate 10 EE and €319 (£245) for the Pro Tablet 10 EE.
Continuing the tablet-fest, HP also announced two ruggedised ElitePad 1000 G2 tablets specifically targeting the healthcare and heavy industry markets.
The healthcare-focused device, (pictured right) designed alongside hospital professionals, is geared for use in medical centres thanks to its light build and sturdy body, which comes with a built-in hand strap for easy reference.
Costing from €1,369 (£1,049) on release later this month, it features a built-in barcode reader to scan patient records and medicines quickly, an antimicrobial, treatment and can be cleaned easily to minimise the risk of cross-patient infection.
Targeting industries such as construction and oil & gas, the ElitePad 1000 G2 Rugged tablet also features up to 20 hours of battery life and a 2D barcode reader to quickly access information. It is IP65 tested against water and dust, and also features antimicrobial protection. It will cost from €1,469 (£1,126) when it goes on sale in EMEA later this month.
“Mobile devices are changing how we live and work, and they also pose significant challenges to IT departments who have to support their now mobile workforces while keeping corporate data managed and secure,” said Frank Brassart, director, Mobility Business Unit, Printing & Personal Systems, HP EMEA.
“HP is the world’s largest computing provider to the world’s largest companies. No other company is better suited to address commercial mobility than HP. Our devices feature built-in security, manageability, and durability. When paired with our ISVs’ robust solutions, HP has created an ecosystem that helps companies powerfully and securely harness the promise of mobility.”
The new devices come as many companies still appear to be having difficult deciding how to implement an effective Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy.
Research released by HP found that many organisations are still mistrustful of BYOD, especially when it comes to the security of such initiatives.
Half of respondents contacted by the company admitted to being concerned that such a policy would compromise their organisation’s security. Of those companies surveyed that had a BYOD policy in place, 20 percent reported that they had been hit by at least one security breach in the last year, with two percent suffering more than five BYOD-related breaches in the same period.
What do you know about tablets? Find out with our quiz!


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Here are some things that caught my attention today — Om
The iPhone12ProMax reviews are out — and everyone agrees it is a fantastic camera. As I said on Twitter, I’m skeptical of positive reviews of the iPhone cameras. One needs to use the devices for a long time to understand the good and the limitations. Still, the iPhone12ProMax seems to be a big step-up from 11Pro. I am a little bummed that despite calling them all iPhone Pros, Apple has created three different classes of cameras for their phones.
My photography has become more abstract, and I much prefer to use my standalone camera. I personally use the phone as a visual data sensor — a device to capture more than just photos. I am waiting for the Mini — it is just ideal for my needs. If you want to see the performance of the iPhone12ProMax camera; check out photos by Swiss writer Rafael Zeier and by Austin Mann, who is a professional photographer.
The world of semiconductors is dominated by acquisition hungry giants like Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Broadcom, Qualcomm, and Nvidia, who keep getting bigger. And there are the smaller independents who keep growing, not by acquisitions but by innovations. According to Mike Hurlston, CEO of Synaptics, that isn’t enough, for chips have become a scale business. “Apple is a very reliable customer, more so than most,” he said. “As long as you’re able to execute with them, you’re in pretty good shape.” This interview with Hurlston by veteran tech writer Tiernan Ray is full of insights.


text: Netflix has another original series in the works. Following the release of House of Cards, it is teaming up with the Wachowskis to produce a 10-episode sci-fi series titled Sense8, which, said the sibling directors, seeks to explore the ways technology simultaneously unites and divides us. The series will be made available to Netflix's streaming subscribers late next year, Netflix said in a statement. Andy and Lana Wachowski and Joe Straczynski are among the most imaginative writers and gifted visual storytellers of our time, Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos said in the statement. Their incredible creations are favorites of Netflix members globally and we can't wait to bring Sense8 to life. Within the coming months Netflix reportedly plans to release the horror series Hemlock Grove and to revive the comedy series Arrested Development. The Wachowskis have a mixed record at the box office. The Matrix trilogy, which initially brought them fame, was most recently followed by Cloud Atlas, a certified disaster domestically.


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"It only looks like a burger, but has all the goodness of a pizza inside," says Dev Amritesh, president and chief business officer of Domino’s Pizza India. Perhaps, that’s the reason why the pizza maker is not calling it a burger but a BurgerPizza — a cross between the two. Proof that Domino’s is not willing to cut the umbilical cord completely. The BurgerPizza will come in two vegetarian and non-vegetarian variants, with a starting price tag of `89. Unlike most burgers, it doesn’t have a patty, is loaded with herbs, tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese — ingredients that are central to pizzas — and is oven baked.
But why would a brand famous for its pies even come up with something which resembles a burger? No rocket science there, just business opportunity. Though Amritesh prefers to call it a move dictated by occasions.
The opportunity is immense. While the branded food service industry in India was a $3 billion market in 2015, it is set to touch $8 billion by 2020, according to a recent Euromonitor consumer food service report. In terms of the quick service restaurant (QSR) market share, burgers occupy 29.9% whereas pizzas slice up 26.7%.
Though the gap between burger and pizza is not huge, the market for a whole-day indulgence food has been growing at a faster clip. Over the last two years, a slew of big global burger brands such as Carl’s Junior, Wendy’s, Burger King and Johnny Rocket have opened stores in India at a time when the pizza segment has been quite muted in terms of new players. In fact, Domino’s is not the first to step out of its comfort zone. Cross-product pollination has become the norm, with a donut brand like Dunkin, and Café Coffee Day, the country’s largest chain of cafes, pushing burgers.
The move by Domino’s wins approval from some marketing experts. The segment that patronises pizza predominantly consists of young consumers, who seek multiple products. This is necessarily because of non-preference for pizza, but is driven by variety-seeking behaviour, boredom with pizza or the need to fit in with others in the group, says Abraham Koshy, professor of marketing at Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad. He believes brand loyalty for Domino’s has outgrown product loyalty for pizzas. "By launching burgers, Domino’s will make itself product independent," he says, adding that what matters to consumers is the brand experience which another product could offer just as well as the flagship.
But can Domino’s burger potentially cannibalise offerings by its sister concern — Dunkin Donuts? Koshy doesn’t think so. The fact that Dunkin and Domino’s share franchise ownership is known only to discerning and informed consumers, he says. For ordinary consumers, these are two different brands that deliver two different products with alternative brand experiences. "A donut company’s burger may taste differently from a pizza company’s burger," he says.
However, not everyone is sure BurgerPizza is the right move. for Domino’s. "Imageries are strong in the minds of consumers who have been into silo-oriented brand consumption," says brand strategist Harish Bijoor. When you try muddying these waters, there will be some mud on your original product and brand imagery for sure. "So watch out for that," he adds.
Bijoor contends that a brand must not tamper with its DNA. "A burger is a burger, and a pizza is a pizza," with the core-competence of creating these tied to separate sets of brands. At one end, there is McDonald’s, Burger King and others, and at the other, there are Domino’s, Pizza Hut etc. The battle lines are well demarcated, with the brands vying to preserve their specialty through QSR and delivery.
While Domino’s move is to get new customers, stay relevant in all time slots and increase moments of consumption, it may take the shine off the brand. "A branded QSR is not a ration shop where you get everything," says Bijoor. It has a specific lure and bait, a core competence that is product defined, and not necessarily service defined. "Therefore, I question this move. The fact is that the future brand imagery will be fuzzy," he says. It will not be as deep on pizza as it used to be, he fears. Domino’s, for its part, sounds confident.
"We are and will always be a pizza company," asserts Murugan Narayanaswamy, senior vice president of marketing at Domino’s India, clarifying the new product is a pizza in an innovative new form. Narayanaswamy believes that the Indian QSR space is evolving at a rapid pace and consumers are on an exploration journey.
"They are pushing brands to flirt with bold and new ideas," he says. But c a n thi s flirting result in khusiyon ki home delivery for Domino’s? The pizza brand is more than double the size of McDonald’s, a company it trailed just four year ago according to Euromonitor. However, in an earlier interview with The Economic Times, Amit Jatia, vice chairman at Westlife Development, master franchisee of McDonald’s restaurants in south and west India, claimed that “McDonald’s is the largest western fast food player in India in terms of average volume per store and average customers per store.”
In the context of what appears to be heated rivalry, it’s hard to see BurgerPizza as anything other than Domino’s taking the fight right to the flagship of its rival.
Can a `89 hybrid from Domino’s land a killer punch to the `25 something fare from McDonald’s? Or is knowing your slices no guarantee that you will know your buns?


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Future of tourism post COVID-19 discussedEnvironment
/MONTSAME/ A meeting themed “COVID-19 and Tourism Post COVID-19” was held at
Sky Resort on October 28 within the opening of International Travel Mart (ITM)
2020. The meeting attendees touched sustainable
tourism in special protected areas, post-crisis opportunities, ways to overcome,
foreign investment, eco-solution, eco-friendly tourism
trend and product types of winter tourism.
During the event, President of the Mongolian National Chamber of Commerce and Industry O.Amartuvshin remarked that the tourism industry promotes our way of life, culture and heritage aside from developing number of businesses. Tourists come to see feature and distinction of the country. Therefore, I am calling to make feature of Mongolia a tourism brand.
ITM-2020, which is being organized for the 21st year by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism and the Mongolian Tourism Association, will run under the motto “Tourism and Rural Development” on October 30-31 at Misheel Expo Center. More than 200 entities including hotels, tourist camps, restaurants, handicraft companies, museums and sanatoriums will promote their activities while corresponding officials will present about projects and programs run by SME Development Fund and green loan during the travel fair that aims to connect businesses, provide them with opportunities to find partners and promote their products.
During the meeting themed “COVID-19 and Tourism Post COVID-19”, we talked with President of the Mongolian Tourism Association D.Gantumur within the topic.
Tourism industry of the world countries are experiencing hardship during the period of COVID-19 pandemic. How is the situation in Mongolia?
Tourism industry is experiencing huge loss amid the pandemic. Having zero local transmission is creating a positive image for Mongolia. And the countries are developing domestic tourism based on features of their country.
There is no way for us other than adapting to a new situation caused by the pandemic. How about the tourism industry?
Necessity has arisen to see tourism industry from a different angle and create new versions. It is important to pursue a policy to maintain the interest of the tourist for a longer period and improve service quality rather than focusing attention on the number of tourists. Mongolia prefers to develop eco-friendly tourism based on national features. Different types of domestic tourism will be developed in addition to increasing its significance. I am hopeful that tourism would define the new image of Mongolia further.
Could you tell us about the ways to develop domestic tourism?
tourism will be developed in various types including recreational travel, medical travel based on way of living and characteristics of Mongolian people. Concurrently
with it, we will attach attention on environmentally-friendly tourism without leaving
the issues behind such as toilet and waste. Furthermore, we will learn from the
experience of some countries to develop winter tourism. There is an example
that a citizen from Norway, building engineer J.Erik made investment of USD 1
million to Mongolia’s tourism industry, founding a tourism camp with ecosolutions in Selenge aimag in this time of the pandemic.
How much revenue did the tourism industry earn last year?
Tourism industry gained revenue of USD 607,231 million last year. Around 580,000 tourists arrived in Mongolia and it is an increased performance by 11 percent compared to the previous year. While, statistics show that 2,4 million (duplicated counting) Mongolian people traveled overseas last year.


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Rick Ross is expanding his business portfolio. The Maybach Music Group founder who already owns stakes in fast food restaurants such as Wingstop and Checkers, is expanding into health and wellness. According to Forbes, the 44-year-old Ross is making a seven-figure investment into Florida-based telehealth startup Jetdoc.
For Ross, recent health scares played a pivotal role in putting such a large financial cosign into a rising company. Following two seizures — one in 2011 and a second in 2018 where he was hospitalized for more than a week — Ross had a wake-up call.
“I’ve been healthy, an athlete, my entire life,” Ross told the outlet. “But me becoming an artist, me traveling, flying five times a week, up in the studio, up to 20 hours a day, it actually took a toll on me. I’ve made up my mind; I’ve lost 80-plus pounds. I’ve addressed and adjusted certain eating habits, of course, my sleeping habits, which was my largest fault.”
Ross shared news of the investment on Instagram Saturday (January 16) with the Forbes article featuring Jetdoc CEO Tommy Duncan and thanking him for his latest venture.
“BIG THINGS,BIG THINGS,” he wrote. “@forbes much luv for the @myjetdoc positive energy. @tommy2duncan thank you for the huge opportunity brother. Now let’s all tap in! www.JETDOC.com.”
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JetDoc is an online health club offering virtual doctor visits for patients for $20. Users can also sign up for a $10 unlimited monthly membership and health insurance isn’t required. Members also receive a discount card offering up to 85 percent off retail prices for prescription medication at most major pharmacies.
In December 2020, Ross was a guest on Good Morning America and explained what made him such a strong believer in Jetdoc and why he needed a doctor nearly on call.
“That’s what’s really driving me,” he said. “The fact that I’ve had a seizure — And I’ve woke up from being unconscious on the toilet before. And I never even spoke on this before, but, I suffered from seizures for a long time.”
Jetdoc is available on both Google Play as well as Apple’s App store.


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The cryptocurrency market has grown massively over the past year, and it has now achieved a new high, reaching a $2 trillion market cap for the first time
Over the past year, the cryptocurrency space has experienced massive growth. Bitcoin, Ethereum and a host of other cryptocurrencies all reached new all-time highs. Also, the non-fungible tokens (NFTs) market gained mainstream recognition, institutional investors trooped into the crypto market, and the decentralised finance (DeFi) space also recorded massive growth.
As more investments entered the cryptocurrency market and the prices of the digital currencies surged higher, the total crypto market cap steadily grew. Yesterday, the total cryptocurrency market cap reached the $2 trillion mark for the first time.
According to data obtained from Coingecko, the total cryptocurrency market reached $2 trillion yesterday after an extended rally by ETH. Bitcoin has struggled to reach the $60k mark in recent days, but Ethereum has been performing excellently.
The second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap attained a new all-time high above $2,100. The ETH rally helped other cryptocurrencies like the Binance Coin (BNB), Polkadot (DOT) and XRP to also record extended gains.
The cryptocurrency market has been rallying for roughly a year now. During the last bull run of 2017, the total cryptocurrency market cap had reached the then all-time high of $852 billion. However, the market correction of 2018 saw the total market cap drop to a low of $102 billion in December 2018.
Institutional and retail investments helped the crypto market to a new high
The past year was marked by the massive institutional entry into the cryptocurrency space. Institutional investors pumped billions of dollars into the cryptocurrency market while retail investors matched them in that aspect.
Companies such as MicroStrategy, Tesla, Square and several others bought bitcoins worth billions of dollars. Furthermore, traditional financial institutions like Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Visa and several others have changed their stance on cryptocurrencies and are offering various crypto-related services to their clients.
The increasing adoption from retail and institutional investors helped push the market cap to a new high. Analysts at leading financial institutions are already predicting Bitcoin’s price to surpass $100,000 over the next few months. If that happens, then the total cryptocurrency market cap could reach $3 trillion by the end of the year.


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Coffee Production Threatened by Climate Change
Coffee is the second most internationally traded commodity in the world, and farming it is the livelihood for more than 25 million people. The crop also employs millions more secondarily at roasting facilities, restaurants, cafes and distributors around the world. Coffee can only be produced in a very specific climate. Consequently, coffee production is limited to areas near the equator, including southern Asia, south-central Africa and Central and South America.
Due to the changing global climate, almost all of these regions are seeing drastic reductions in the yield of coffee plants. Tanzanian coffee yield is down more than 50 percent from 1960, which researchers have attributed to increasing night temperatures as well as drought conditions. Virtually all coffee-producing countries are recording an increase in night temperatures of at least 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit), and in some cases, such as southern Brazil (the world’s largest coffee-producing country), as much as 4.8 degrees Celsius over the past half-century.
Years of below-average rainfall have been on the rise as well, leading to more drought-like conditions in these warm countries and further dampening coffee production. Coupled with periods of extreme rainfall, coffee crops are facing the harshest growing conditions they have faced in modern history.


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American Apparel has had a pretty rough couple of years, from ongoing, very expensive drama with ousted founder Dov Charney to filing for bankruptcy in October. Could higher-end, higher-priced iterations of its staple item — the humble T-shirt — be a much-needed bright spot for the beleaguered company? In June, the brand will debut "a premium, beautiful fabric T-shirt," as Cynthia Erland, American Apparel's SVP of marketing, told AdWeek. "This is a big moment for us...but this is about more than a T-shirt campaign. This is the campaign that will set American Apparel back on the map," Erland told the publication of the "Perfect T-shirt" campaign.
If you swear by the basics purveyor's tees, don't fret. The newer, pricier shirts won't be fully replacing American Apparel's classic styles. "Our older T-shirts are great, but they were a little bit heavier," Erland said. Tinkering with tried-and-true takes on the staple also reflects the retailer's desire to keep up with the rest of the industry's tweaks on tees. "They're still best-sellers; there's nothing wrong with them, but fashion has changed, trends have changed, fit has changed." Expect the campaign to be super inclusive, which would be quite a departure from American Apparel's past racy imagery. Though fairly racially diverse, the risque ads have never been too impressive in terms of size representation. "We want to cast girls and guys, influencers and creatives of all ages, shapes, and sizes," Erland said. "This will be an omni-channel global campaign, and the broader message will be that American Apparel is back and for everyone." The brand is also toning down its salacious ads to some extent, it wants to (finally) expand its sizing in the near future, though no timeframe is set for plus-sized offerings, according to Adweek. "[More inclusive sizing] was one of [CEO] Paula [Schneider]'s first big imperatives. When she came in here it was, 'We've got to expand the sizing and get our sizing to be consistent.' So sizing is at the top of the list," Erland said. There aren't any specifics yet on just how much more luxe the shirts will be, both in terms of price and fabrication. Frankly, it seems like our closets need more-than-$20 American Apparel tees about as much as they were lacking $78 Hanes ones. But we'll try to suspend our doubts, to some degree, until the shirts debut in three months.


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InfoSonics launches ‘starter’ smartphone
INDUSTRYBy BiztechAfrica - Oct. 8, 2012, 2:23 p.m.
Infosonics has launched an entry level smartphone for those upgrading from a feature phone for the first time.
The new verykool s728 Smartphone is designed to bridge the gap between feature phone and smartphone, says the company, which manufactures and provides wireless handsets and related products to OEMs, carriers and distributors in Latin America, Europe, Africa and Asia Pacific.
"We have heard from consumers in a number of our target markets that they would like to make the transition from feature phones to smartphones, but are rebuffed by the complexity and price points of many of the products on the market today. We designed our new Android 2.3.5 powered verykool® s728 as a compact, entry-level smartphone to fill this very need," said Joseph Ram, the company's president and chief executive officer.
"The s728 is only about 4 inches tall, 2.2 inches wide and 0.5 inches thick and fits perfectly in the palm of your hand. It is a great 3G starter smartphone with a 2.8 inch capacitive touch screen, dual cameras, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, push e-mail and many other features. Combined with an attractive price, we hope the s728 will appeal to consumers shopping for their first smartphone."
The Company noted the following additional details of the s728:
- 3G HSDPA dual band (850/1900) and 2G GSM quad band (850/900/1800/1900)
- Connectivity includes WAP, GPS and USB port
- SMS and MMS messaging plus push e-mail
- Predictive text input
- 3.2 megapixel camera with front-facing VGA camera
- Built-in FM radio, MP3 music player and video recorder
- G-Sensor, eCompass, Play Store (for application downloads)
- Speakerphone, 3.5mm audio jack and stereo headset included
The verykool® s728 is available now and comes in two versions: a single SIM version for operator customers and a dual SIM version for the open market. To learn more about the device, visit our verykool® website at http://www.verykool.net/Products/s728.
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By NEMS Daily Journal
Toyota Motor Corporation’s serious problem with malfunctioning accelerators that has caused the company to recall 2.3 million vehicles for repairs is an undeniable safety issue and a public relations nightmare, but it is not beyond a solution.
Toyota, whose strength is intertwined with Northeast Mississippi’s economic future through the planned production of the Prius hybrid vehicle at the Blue Springs plant sitting ready for outfitting, said Monday it is confident its engineers have on the way to dealers the fix for unintended acceleration.
Dealers could begin receiving training as early as today on how to fix the gas pedals.
The company had previously recalled 5.3 million vehicles to correct a problem with floor mats that can get caught on the gas pedal and cause vehicles to unintentionally accelerate.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Safety Research and Strategies, a Massachusetts-based safety research firm, has identified 2,274 incidents of unintended acceleration in 275 crashes and at least 18 deaths since 1999. Toyota said it could not confirm those numbers.
Other automakers, including all of the Detroit Three automakers and several other foreign companies besides Toyota, have successfully dealt with their own large safety recalls through the years.
While Toyota’s gas-pedal problem is among the highest-profile safety recalls in auto history, it is far from an isolated situation.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has a Website devoted to safety recalls extending over parts of five decades. Go to http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/recalls/ on the Internet for more specific information.
Eight Toyota models are involved: All 2009-10 Matrixs, 2005-10 Avalons, 2007-10 Tundras and 2008-10 Sequoia vehicles. Some 2009-10 RAV4s and Corollas, 2007-10 Camrys and 2010 Highlanders models.
The recall does not involve Lexus or Scion vehicles, and the Prius, Tacoma, Sienna, Venza, Solaris, Yaris, 4Runner, FJ Cruiser, Land Cruiser, Highlander hybrid and the Camry hybrid are not involved. Also, Camry, RAV4, Corolla and Highlander vehicles with Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN) beginning with “J,” meaning that they are built in Japan, are not affected.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has advised Toyota vehicles, “Owners of these vehicles should pay attention to the operation of their accelerator pedals. If their accelerator pedal is harder to depress than normal or slower to return, it may be a precursor to a stuck pedal. These vehicles should be parked and a dealer immediately notified.”
Toyota isn’t selling the models involved until they’re repaired.
Toyota hasn’t closed the file, a responsible position, and a fix also requires cooperation from owners of affected models.


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An organ of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) responsible for research and training for electoral officers, the Electoral Institute (EI), has urged the commission to sustain the use of smart card readers in future elections.
The Director of the institute, Professor Abubakar Momoh, made the appeal at a forum in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.
Professor Momoh explained that the meeting was convened to discuss the gains and challenges of the use of smart card readers in the 2015 elections.
“The whole idea of this round-table is to have a conversation around what went wrong with the card readers in the 2015 general election (and) what were the unintended consequences and backlash from the use of the card readers.”
The EI boss described the use of the card readers in the 2015 elections as a game changer.
He stated that the innovation of the technology had helped to reduce instances of over-bloated voters register.
A former INEC National Commissioner, Mr Nuhu Yakubu, also appealed to INEC to sustain the use of the card readers in future elections.
Mr Yakubu was of the belief that the technology had set a new standard for elections in Nigeria.
“The use of the smart cards and the companion card readers had become the minimum standard for the conduct of elections by the commission.
“This must not only be sustained but be improved upon in future elections,” he said.
Other resource persons at the event highlighted some of the challenges experienced with the use of card readers during the last general polls which include rejection of cards, poor battery issues and inability to capture fingerprints among others.


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[TechWeb]News on November 16, according to foreign media reports, after selling $6.9 billion worth of Tesla shares last week, Tesla CEO Elon Musk sold again on Monday Bought Tesla stock worth $930 million.
Before selling Tesla shares last week, Musk launched a poll on Twitter asking his 62.7 million followers whether he should sell 10% of Tesla shares. At the beginning of the vote, he said: “Regardless of the result, I will abide by the results of this vote.” The results showed that nearly 60% of fans supported him to sell 10% of Tesla stock.
After gaining the support of the majority, Musk began to sell Tesla stock last week. Last Monday, he exercised stock options for the first time, bought nearly 2.2 million Tesla shares, and subsequently sold 934,000 shares for $1.1 billion. In the next few days, Musk sold some Tesla shares.
On Monday, Musk continued to exercise his options, buying 2,107,672 shares of Tesla at a price of US$6.24 per share, and then selling 934,091 million shares of which are worth US$930 million.
Since November 8 this year, Musk has sold about 7.23 million Tesla shares, which are worth about $7.83 billion.
Musk began to sell Tesla stock last week, causing Tesla’s stock price to continue to fall. Since November 8, Tesla’s stock price has fallen by more than 17%.
Despite the recent decline in Tesla’s stock price, the company’s stock price has risen by 44% so far this year, and has risen by 148% in the past 12 months. (Little Fox)Return to Sohu to see more
Disclaimer: The opinions of this article only represent the author himself. Sohu is an information publishing platform. Sohu only provides information storage space services.


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Sources: Hyundai to set $7B Georgia plant during Biden visit
ATLANTA (AP) — South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Group is expected to announce next week it’s building a massive electric vehicle plant near Savannah, Georgia, according to a U.S. official familiar with the anticipated announcement.
Hyundai is finalizing its plans for the new plant as President Joe Biden is set to travel to South Korea next week as part of his first visit to Asia during his administration.
The White House and Hyundai have been in discussions about the plant that’s expected to bring thousands new jobs to Georgia, and the formal announcement is likely to come during Biden’s May 20-21 visit to Seoul, according to the official who was not authorized to comment and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The official stressed though that details of the formal announcement are still being worked out.
The plant could grow to include 8,500 employees and would be built on a 2,200-acre (890-hectare) site that state and local governments own near the hamlet of Ellabell, Georgia, said two people familiar with Georgia’s talks with Hyundai.
That’s about 25 miles (40 kilometers) inland from Savannah. The second person said Hyundai would invest more than $7 billion and could also build some cars powered by gasoline engines at the site, with an announcement in Georgia set for May 20. The people spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the confidential talks.
It would be the second massive electric vehicle plant announced in Georgia in less than a year. Rivian Automotive in December announced it would build a $5 billion, 7,500-job electric truck plant about 45 miles (70 kilometers) east of Atlanta.
Madhani reported from Washington. Associated Press auto writer Tom Krisher contributed from Detroit and writer Russ Bynum contributed from Savannah, Georgia.


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Elon Musk, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO, has hinted that “X, the everything app,” is on the way. Twitter’s purchase expedites the creation of X by three to five years, according to him.
Everything About the “X”
In response to a tweet about why he is buying Twitter, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has hinted at developing “X, the everything app.” Musk wrote on Wednesday:
“Buying Twitter is an accelerant to creating X, the everything app,” he tweeted.
Similar to his tweet on Tuesday, he wrote that Twitter will accelerate X by three or five years by acquiring it.
Twitter probably accelerates X by 3 to 5 years, but I could be wrong
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 4, 2022
“Twitter probably accelerates X by 3 to 5 years, but I could be wrong,” tweeted Elon Musk.
Tesla’s CEO has mentioned X before; in August, when asked if he would consider creating his own social media platform if Twitter’s deal didn’t work out, Musk responded: “X.com.”
The Obsession of The Letter X
Tesla’s CEO is reportedly obsessed with the letter X, people have noted on Twitter. The first online bank Musk founded was X.com, whose name changed to Paypal when the company merged with its competitor, Confinity Inc, in 2000.
The domain name X.com was repurchased by Musk from Paypal in 2015. In his attempt to buy Twitter, Tesla CEO Elon Musk created a few entities called “X Holdings” in their names such as “X Holdings I” and “X Holdings II”.
It’s not clear how Musk envisions Twitter X, but in June he did share his vision with Twitter employees.
He compared it to Wechat, the Chinese app that lets users perform payments, play games, and even hail rides.
“There’s no Wechat equivalent outside of China … You basically live on Wechat in China. If we can recreate that with Twitter, we’ll be a great success,” Musk said.


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‘The group is united in making RISC-V an option in HPC,’ says SIG-HPC chair
RISC-V International, the nonprofit at the helm of the free and open-source CPU instruction set architecture, says it is writing a high-performance computing (HPC) roadmap of “new features and capabilities.”
For an architecture which only began life at the University of California, Berkeley, in 2010, RISC-V has enjoyed considerable success.
A wealth of products based on RISC-V are already in the market, with more arriving regularly, but the majority of these, like Seagate’s storage processor designs and the OpenTitan root-of-trust (RoT), target embedded or otherwise less performance-critical applications.
RISC-V International, though, believes there are more strings to its bow. In an announcement from member Dr John D Davis, chair of the RISC-V Special Interest Group on High Performance Computing (SIG-HPC), it has set out its stall for taking over the performance end of the market.


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The Federal Aviation Administration is expected to make a decision soon about where to open up air space for the testing of commercial drones. Southwest Ohio is competing to become one of six sites around the country as the FAA prepares to regulate the commercial drone industry by late 2015.
The possibilities for commercial drones are kind of endless—at least if you ask the entrepreneurs. Frank Beafore of SelectTech Geospatial has a long list.
“Disaster management, telecommunications, weather monitoring, making movies, environmental monitoring,” he said.
At Beafore’s hangar at Springfield Airpark, they’re working on unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designs that look like little helicopters and little planes. One model with four ‘copter blades on it lifts off smoothly from the warehouse floor, looking like a souped-up kids’ toy.
“The economic benefit is really only limited by our imagination,” said Maurice McDonald with the Dayton Development Coalition. He says these machines could be a driving economic force for the greater Dayton area, bringing in over $2 billion in business by 2025. He hopes there will be thousands of new jobs in research, manufacturing and operations.


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Former William Hill Australia Head Returns to Australian Sportsbetting Market
Former Chief Executive of William Hill Australia, Michael Sullivan, has launched a new bookmaker, BlueBet. After years of experience working in the Australian sports betting market, Sullivan has announced that his new bookmaker will be targeting Australian punters.
Sullivan, who had been chief at Sportingbet Australia and Centrebet since 2002 said his company would offer top sports betting options, together will levels of customer support and personalised engagement that foreign-owned bookmakers could not offer. His company aims to compete against the many UK bookmakers that are targeting Australian punters and which are readily available in the market.
“I really believe these big English bookmakers don’t understand what the Australian punter is after and we will be offering a far more personalised service,” stated Sullivan.
“Back when we started Sportingbet in Australia in 2002, we really gave punters an experience they hadn’t been exposed to before and we will be servicing all punters in the new business whether they bet in $1 or $100,000.”
Drawing on his experience of the Australian market and Australian punter’s mindset, Sullivan plans to use a similar model as the one used for Sportingbet to attract these customers. Sullivan sold Sportingbet and Centrebet to UK bookmaker, William Hill, in 2013 for $660 million.
“My turnover at Sportingbet when I sold was $3 billion and I had 300 staff,” he stated. “I don’t see why I can’t build another business of a similar size.”
BlueBet will be based in the former quarters of the CEO of the Sydney Turf Club in Randwick, Sydney and will start with 20 staff.
April 16, 2017


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Insurance companies are being more vigilant over fire claims and have partially suspended accepting factory owners as their clients.
A string of factory fires across Turkey has given rise to speculation that arson was involved in several of the factory fires in a bid to receive insurance payouts, reports Daily Sabah.
Since January, nearly 100 factories have burned across the country and although causes vary, it is widely speculated on social media and by media outlets that the owners of factories on the brink of bankruptcy deliberately started fires to claim insurance money.
The Turkish Association of Insurance Agents is seeking data from its members to compare figures related to factory fires in a bid to thwart payment for suspicious fires.
Insurers say that it is more viable for factory owners to be paid for fire insurance claims than to declare bankruptcy over unpaid loans. Even in cases of sequestration, businesses indebted to banks fail to repay in full, as factories are sold well below their original value.
Mr Irfan Uzun, head of the Turkish Association of Insurance Agents, says factories pay a rather low amount of premium to insure a factory worth, say, TRY1m ($156,000), and laws allow them to be compensated the original value.
"Manufacturers seek money from insurance companies when their business falters, but insurers are aware of this and try to not allow them," he said.
Mr Uzun said that existing clients owning factories will have no problem, but insurance agents have stopped accepting new clients as well as clients who wanted to resume paying premiums after halting payments for some time.