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Mastercard is blasted for 'greed' and 'opportunism' by charging British card users FIVE TIMES the fees on items ordered from EU then blaming Brexit
- Mastercard is hiking fees for UK shoppers buying from EU-based companies
- The European Union brought in a cap in 2015 amid fears over hidden fees
- Mastercard says the cap does not apply to some transactions following Brexit
- Payments between UK and the EEA are now 'inter-regional', the company says
Chair of the all-party parliamentary group on Fair Business Banking, Kevin Hollinrake, said the change was 'alarming'
Mastercard has been accused of 'opportunism' and 'greed' for increasing fees for British shoppers using debit or credit cards to buy from EU-based companies five-fold.
Visa and Mastercard levy 'interchange' fees on behalf of banks for card payments that used their networks.
The European Union brought in a cap in 2015 amid fears over hidden fees costing companies hundreds of millions of euros, meaning higher prices for consumers.
Mastercard has now revealed that the cap does not apply to some transactions following Brexit, as payments between Britain and the European Economic Area are now technically 'inter-regional', the FT reports.
The company will raise its credit card charge from Britain to the EU from 0.3 per cent of the transaction's value up to 1.5 per cent from October 15, with debit card payment fees jumping from 0.2 per cent to 1.15 per cent.
The change will reportedly be a benefit for British banks and card issuers rather than Mastercard, but it has sparked a backlash from companies who rely on online payments.
Chair of the all-party parliamentary group on Fair Business Banking, Kevin Hollinrake, said the change was 'alarming'.
He added: 'This smacks of opportunism and I would urge the regulators to step in as a matter of urgency to ensure that financial institutions do not use Brexit as an opportunity to hike up costs that consumers will ultimately bear.'
Head of policy at the Coalition for a Digital Economy, Joel Gladwin, said: 'Some people might put this change down to Brexit, but it is actually just greed. It is well within the power of the card schemes to make merchants' lives easy and keep things operating as they were pre-2021.
Visa and Mastercard levy 'interchange' fees on behalf of banks for card payments that used their networks
'Not only does this hurt the already squeezed bottom lines of ecommerce start-ups and subscription businesses, it comes at a time when a huge number of small businesses have shifted to online models to survive.'
The change could mean consumers see higher costs of companies pass on the fee.
Amazon UK domestic purchases typically go through a company based in Luxembourg.
A source familiar with its plans said there could be a change of location for the UK store to avoid fee increases for those who use the platform.
Hotels, airlines, travel groups and car rentals could also be hit by the move, according to Callum Godwin, chief economist at global payments consultancy CMSPI.
He added that any sector where the consumer is in Britain and the merchant is in the EU may be affected.
Visa told the FT that the company would aim to provide clients with 'advance notice' if a change to interchange became 'appropriate'.
The announcement is one of a series of challenges now facing Britain in the wake of the country's exit from the European Union - and the end of the transitional period.
Recent reports revealed up to 50 per cent of all lorries bringing goods into Britain from the EU are crossing the Channel back empty afterward as British businesses shun exporting because of Brexit red tape.
The Road Haulage Association (RHA) said that far fewer containers filled with goods are leaving for the continent from the UK since Boris Johnson agreed a trade deal with Brussels.
And UK businesses that export to the EU are reportedly being encouraged by trade officials to set up hubs across the Channel so they can avoid post-Brexit disruption.
Richard Burnett, chief executive of the RHA, said: 'Most of the trucks that bring goods into the UK are not British and we've seen a noticeable reduction in hauliers wanting to make the journey'.
He told The Times: 'There is not normal demand from exporters, which means around 40 per cent are returning to the Continent empty. They are also worried about being stuck in port if they don't have the right customs paperwork.
'The new Covid tests are also very unpopular and are having an effect on the number of hauliers who are prepared to make the trip.'
Some firms claim they have been advised to set up subsidiary companies in the EU so they can avoid extra paperwork when exporting products into the trade bloc.


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3rd July 2020
By Nadeem Ladha, Business Development Director at TMT Analysis.
According to this months American Banker identity fraud has risen sharply in the past year.
Citing a Javelin Strategy and Research report it showed losses stemming from identity fraud rose 15% in 2019 to $16.9 billion, and while there was no data in this report for 2020 there have been reports of substantial increases in financial fraud since the onset of the Covid 19 crisis.
This trend is also reported by the financial services technology company, FIS, which has recently reported that credit and debit card fraud rose 35% in April this year compared to the same time last year.
One US lender, Axcess Financial, is using technology to combat the problem; they brought in a veteran from Synchrony Financial, Richard Cooney, to lead fraud strategy; he began beefing up authentication for every new account opening and online transaction. According to Cooney, “We started with that idea, to make authentication as tight, strong and optimised as we can make it so that the person who is trying to manipulate an identity, create a synthetic identity or steal an identity is going to have a hard time getting through that process. And the good customer is going to come through very easily.”
At TMT Analysis we have been developing a range of Account Takeover Protection products, based on mobile number intelligence, which allows banks and financial services companies to offer a seamless customer experience whilst also protecting their customers from fraud.
Using our single API plus live feeds from our Mobile Network Operator partners around the world, Verify from TMT Analysis now offers an ATP service in over 50 countries. For more information email us at firstname.lastname@example.org

domain: news


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Xander Shepherd was smoking a joint outside with his cousins Zach and Max Spohler at the family’s Vermont Thanksgiving gathering in 2016 when the three twenty-somethings looked through the window and saw the rest of the family drinking and laughing together in the dining room. They mused, Shepherd said, about “bringing cannabis to the dinner table” so the whole family could enjoy the occasion together. More than just a fleeting idea that sounded good because they were high, the cousins’ reveries launched a cannabis beverage business.
“A drink in your hand is the universal socializer,” said Shepherd. Alcohol has had a traditional hold on that, he said, but “We wanted to create cannabis for cocktail moments.” The company’s first foray into the market came in 2019 with the creation of Artet, a botanical aperitif. “Something low dose, to wash away the day,” Shepherd said.
Artet’s aperitif, also called Artet, comes in a 750ml bottle complete with shot glass so consumers can measure consumption of their THC, the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis. (10mg of THC is considered a “serving” but many consumers new to cannabis-infused products may feel the effects with less THC.) The $40 bottle includes 15 servings, each containing 2.5mg of THC. A double strength bottle costs 48$ and contains 15 THC servings of 5mg each.
Coming from an extended family of entrepreneurs the founders had plenty of advisors to tap. Serendipitously, their own work experiences were suited to create a cannabis drink company together, combining marketing, finance and beverage knowledge. Shepherd worked in brand strategy for a creative agency. Cousin Zach worked in venture capital. Cousin Max worked for a coconut water company.
More recently the California-based company introduced pre-made cocktails that use Artet as the base, in packs of four eight-ounce cans. Tet & Tonic combines the Artet aperitif with chamomile tonic and lemon. Rosemary Jane combines Artet with grapefruit, rosemary, and sparkling water. Coming soon, Mango Ginger Spritz. Each can contains 5mg of THC.
The company was “off to the races” starting at the end of 2019 said Shepherd, but then the pandemic hit. The founders regrouped, researching digital sales and the best retailers for their products. When they did start selling in stores, they partnered with three locations, one for each founder to spend time in. “We wanted to learn as much as possible about what people want and how to pitch the product,” Shepherd said.
The drinks are now stocked in 100 stores.
The biggest challenge the company faces is just getting on the shelves said Shepherd. Only licensed dispensaries (not liquor or grocery stores) can sell cannabis beverages and most were set up before the category existed, so drinks would have to replace currently-sold items. Beverages usually take up more space in dispensaries than traditional higher-priced products like flower and edibles, Shepherd said, so they have to sell more to generate the same income as a more expensive item. In addition, while Artet drinks are shelf-stable, they’d be more ready-to-consume if chilled, which means investing in display refrigerators for retailers he said.
Increasing customer demand will be one of the keys to the company’s long-term success said Shepherd, “We want to move out of the novelty space into the everyday space.”


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How Manitoba’s tourism industry plans to recover from the pandemic
WINNIPEG -- With restrictions on travel and the shutdown of many local businesses, Manitoba’s tourism industry has been hit especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
But a virtual town hall held on Tuesday by Destination Canada, looked at ways the industry is dealing with the pandemic and how it can bounce back.
THE IMPACT ON MANITOBA
During his presentation, Colin Ferguson, president and CEO of Travel Manitoba, said if the virus is contained by the summer, Manitoba will see a 25 per cent decrease in tourism spending for 2020 and more than 6,800 jobs will be lost. But if the pandemic is not contained until the fall, the province will see a 60 per cent decrease in tourism spending this year and more than 11,600 jobs lost.
“The one thing that’s clear is the impact will be substantial,” he said.
Ferguson also unveiled Manitoba’s tourism recovery plan, which includes three phases: respond, rebuild and restart.
He noted this plan involves an in-province campaign, encouraging people to travel close to home.
THE RISE IN LOCAL TRAVEL
One sentiment echoed throughout the town hall, is the fact that as restrictions are lifted, the tourism industry will likely revolve around hyper-local travel.
“It’s possible, and we all know this, that there could be a return to more travel restrictions,” said Gloria Loree, senior vice president for marketing strategy and chief marketing officer at Destination Canada.
She noted the tourism industry in Manitoba’s remote communities, which aren’t easy to get to by vehicle, will have a tougher time with recovery.
Loree said right now Destination Canada is trying to understand how different communities feel about welcoming tourists. The research found that Manitobans are more comfortable welcoming tourists from nearby communities or from within the province, compared to allowing those from out of the province or other countries into their communities.
“Everything we knew about travel before we have to put to question and ask if that’s still true,” she said.
Charlotte Bell, president and CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC), said the organization is gathering information, working with the government, filling in the gaps, and planning for post-pandemic success.
She pointed out many of the government programs that have been put in place that can help the tourism industry, including the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance, and the Canada Emergency Business Account.
“I appreciate that not everyone can access these programs,” she said, noting she hopes people will be able to access some of the initiatives.
Bell said TIAC created an industry-led policy committee that has come up with government recommendations to help with recovery. She noted this is a robust document that will be released in the next few days.
“We are going to be focusing a lot of our attention on recovery and working with the government.
Keith Henry, president and CEO of the Indigenous Tourism Association of Canada (ITAC), said the sector is experiencing significant vulnerability.
He noted among Indigenous tourism businesses, the hardest-hit sectors have been gaming and accommodations, and 3,800 permanent and 1,600 non-permanent jobs have been lost.
Henry said in response to the pandemic, ITAC has revised its action plan, conducted research, and implemented new marketing activities.
“We’re trying to create at least more awareness during these challenging times,” he said, noting the association has also created a stimulus grant program and recovery plan.
Henry noted that historically, viruses have decimated Indigenous communities and therefore they might be more sensitive about reopening and allowing tourists into the community.


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From The Economist
It HAS been called a revolution, and rightly so. Over the past 25 years computers have become a feature of everyday life in rich countries and, increasingly, in poor ones too. Today’s machines are fast—a typical desktop now has ten times the number-crunching power of the fastest machine on earth in 1983—and widespread, given that the world’s 3 billion or so mobile phones are, in effect, pocket computers. But although computers have become cheaper, more capable and more commonplace, they have made much less progress when it comes to ease of use. Their potential remains tantalisingly out of reach for people who find their control systems, or “user interfaces”, too complex. And even people who have no difficulty navigating menus, dialogue boxes and so on, might use computers more productively if their interfaces were better.
Consider the Nokia 6680 mobile phone, says Adam Greenfield, an expert in computing culture at New York University and the author of “Everyware”, a book about the future of computing. He found that 13 clicks were needed to change its ringtone. “It’s an interface designed by engineers for engineers,” he says. Steven Kyffin, a senior researcher at Philips, a consumer-electronics giant based in Eindhoven in the Netherlands, concedes that computer programmers and engineers, himself included, are often guilty of designing complicated systems packed with too many features. “We’re compelled by complexity,” Mr Kyffin says. “There’s a point where humanity just can’t handle it.” Tellingly, the field of interface design even has an unwieldy name: it is known as “human-computer interaction”, or HCI.


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ROUND CDs ARE BECOMING A BIT SQUARE
ONE OF THE MOST PREVALENT symbols of the digital era is the compact disk. With billions of audio CDs and computer CD-ROMs around, almost everyone recognizes that round, shiny platter. But who says a CD has to be a plain, circular disk? Certainly not anyone at Shape CD Inc.
The company uses a laser to cut a normal 5-inch CD platter into any shape that a corporate customer desires. The custom-shaped disk can still be used in any standard player, but the amount of music or data each can hold will vary. For example, a CD in the shape of rocker David Bowie's head can hold only about 20 minutes of that artist's music instead of about 70 minutes for a standard disk.
Rod Lowenstein, president of the U.S. subsidiary of Shape CD, based in New York, reports that he has already lined up his first customers in America. One is RCA Records, which has placed an order for a CD shaped like Elvis Presley to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the singer's death.
EDITED BY PETER ELSTROM
Updated June 23, 1997 by bwwebmaster
Copyright 1997, Bloomberg L.P.


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Here are the details of sexual stimulation: a parallel market and a low world without censorship
At least £ 8,000 a small retail outlet sells on Thursday night
Social networking sites Azer is a merchant of a fake dope
38% of those with intensive care due to heart attack are overweight for sexual stimulation
Heiba Qutb: Take the social pressure and the secret to lie down in the bedroom
Head of Pharmaceutical Division: There is no shell for manufacturing a stimulant medicine
Pharmacist Syndicate Secretary General on the Port Side: We do not have any judicial control over the crisis.
More than 10000 packets of sexual exploits have been seized on a campaign by police officials with inspectors from a public authority supervising the factory for producing drugs without license. What is it seriously, in the absence of official statistics from legal drugs, which is illegal in the country, subject to illegal selling, drug control and health problems?
The Drug section of the Dog Ali O`f in the Federal Chambers of Commerce shows that there is a lower house to have sex offenders without a license. These factories are commercially fraudulent and erratic in the printing press to support these illegal activities, sell products generated from censorship, and communicate these products, which are causing serious danger to the general public of young people and the general public.
The company or a clear valippamillennum adhealeakattinreyea this trade, it is now very janapritiyullatanennum, it has become a general merchant, social media sites and promote its marketing methods, tracking, promoters, men and women are not licensed because of the great public danger Elegant workers in this sector.
The Federation of Chamber of Commerce's Pharmaceutical Division of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce promotes the importance and necessity of media distribution, strictly regulates all outlets for the sale and distribution of such products and regulates the control of distribution companies distributed to them.
"No drugs produced"
Dr, who said that the proper name of these drugs is not drugs, and that it is sexual stimulants. Hiba Qutb says that the excitement of these products has created a market in parallel, the ignorance of abuse and misuse and the continuity of this phenomenon.
The products of the product in the parallel market trade and taxes, licenses, the state and the rights of others enninnaneyayal palakkunnillennum, the products in the state in terms of treatment costs bharamillennum badhiccavarkkavasyamaya the health of the abuse, medical statistics be 10 years before the license, In order to point out. Around 38 per cent of those admitted to hospital are under heavy attacks due to cardiac arrest. The patients in the intensive care unit ensure that the state governments spend huge amounts of money.
Sexual stress, social pressure and the fear of revealing material goodies Some couples have shown that some young people depend on their challenge in their marriage, and some young people depend on these products on "Dukla night".
Dr. Hiba Qubub sells the products for only £ 8,000 on Thursday night. The psychological factors of both couples and their health are the basis for establishing a successful marriage, and these products do not create excitement that sexually-pleasing and idiopathic treatment makes it easy for women to have sex in the snow.
Women are pressured to sell slogans according to sexual stimulus. Women have been stressed for some reasons.
"Sell through prescription"
In addition to the lack of awareness and control, Kutub said, not to allow these products to be sold with severe fines imposed by their manufacturers and promoters without license, and beneficiaries from health units deployed at centers and villages. Ensure the sexual integrity of young people.
"We have no power"
Pharmacists' Syndicate, Dr. Ahmad is a pity, pharmasisrrukalute syndicate the right to judicial control of the administration of this product, is the only integrated pharmakealajikkal Inspection praise and coordinate between them, the ownership of which have, of infringing the inspection of the police, the criminals control, a thief, or an unknown product to market sud'dhikari Cook.
Al Shoreouq added that 10 percent of sexual stimulation and sexual disruption for sexual stimulation are unknown. "There is no limit to sexual harassment registered by the Ministry of Health, he pointed out that indiscriminately from censorship.
The Union Guidelines and Guidelines have been pointed out to educate pharmacists, pointing out that the General Secretary of the Pharmaceutical Syndicate on the Port Side. Thus they can play the right thing in standing up for their legal or trade union responsibilities in society.
"Doing Secret Work Is Secret"
Daniel's Faculty Dean Dr, from Sharia University at Tanto University Saif Rajab said in Khasam. The owners of this license are prohibited from profits. Because they work in secret and violate the rules and practices established by the state in order to carry out such activities. Harassment is banned from censorship, as the construction of such uncompromised products threatens the public health of its users.
We're grateful to Arab visitors to browse our website, if you have any questions about this news, try to deceive the sexual stimulus. Let us know below a parallel market and low world without sensor
Source: Shortcake Gate


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Visa and MasterCard rail against RBA intercharge review
(17 February 2020 – Australia) Visa and MasterCard have warned the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) against squeezing debit and credit card fees further, asserting the move will harm challenger banks unnecessarily and increase cybersecurity risks by diverting much needed investment in the payments system.
The response came in the wake of Australian regulators considering intervention to stop banks using Visa and Mastercard as their default debit card payment routes. In a submission response to the RBA's recent payments regulation paper, MasterCard argues interchange fees have already been slashed too far. Visa and Mastercard are concerned the RBA could set an international precedent driving fees even lower, after stricter caps were mandated in 2017.
RBA head of payments Tony Richards is reviewing regulation of the payments system alongside other key issues such as allowing merchants to pass through to their customers the costs of providing buy now pay later (BNPL) services and least cost routing (LCR). LCR refers to banks automatically allowing merchants to switch contactless payments to the cheapest system which would route more receivables flows to the lower cost Eftpos network.
MasterCard criticised the major banks' ownership of Eftpos, BPay and the new payments platform, which allows direct account transfers to be made in real-time while also seeking greater transparency around merchant service fees (MSF) reporting.
Notably ANZ and CBA have recently lodged submissions with the RBA’s review of payments regulation suggesting the current complex intermesh of payments schemes and legacy infrastructure needs to be integrated into a singular industry wide platform. After providing the core infrastructure that powers direct bank debit account transactions and ATMs for the last 50 years, a once in a generation consolidation of payments platforms is edging closer.
“Further interchange restrictions would assist major banks by significantly reducing competition and negatively influencing Australia’s reputation as an innovative nation” Visa stated.
"The current regulatory and policy framework is inhibiting the ability of neobanks and fintechs to issue cards. Regarding the regulation of card schemes, it is clear regulation is distorting the market, most notably in the areas of least cost routing, interchange and surcharging” MasterCard said.
"The right to surcharge allows the merchant to signal to customers that particular payment method was more or less costly. Implementing this principle consistently across payments methods would minimise the risk that customers using low cost payment methods cross-subsidise customers choosing to use high cost payment methods" ANZ stated in response to the RBA’s consideration to prevent ‘no surcharge’ rules being imposed by on merchants by BNPL providers such as and Zip Co and Afterpay.


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COCKBURN residents can find out if they have trouble with their hearing in as little as 15 minutes thanks to a new service.
Audiologist Kathleen Stoop said public health campaigns had made people more diligent about getting their eyes, skin and teeth checked, but that the same focus wasn’t put on hearing.
She said hearing problems weren’t just a product of old age.
“What we understand now is that most hearing loss is related to cumulative noise exposure over many years, a bit like sun exposure, or medical conditions such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease rather than simply being an unavoidable consequence of aging,” she said.
“We also understand that uncorrected hearing loss can have serious health consequences, including 29 per cent increased risk of falls, a 41 per cent higher risk of depression and a 52 per cent higher risk dementia.
“When we do a hearing assessment, we are evaluating the health of the ear and determining whether a person is able to detect all the sounds we should expect to hear.”
She added many people didn’t realise there was anything wrong with their hearing.
“In the early stages of hearing loss, the ear loses some fine-tuning ability, which makes it sound as though people are mumbling or makes it difficult to hear certain sounds clearly,” she said.
“People tend to think of hearing in absolute terms, so they think you are either deaf or you can hear, but they don’t recognise that hearing difficulties are often about not hearing clearly rather than not hearing at all.”
Mrs Stoop said she believed it was important for people to shop for their goods and services locally.
“Most importantly for me, it creates a sense of community and the opportunity to build relationships rather than simply conduct transactions,” she said.
“I think Cockburn has an incredible range of retail and health services that are easily accessible, reducing the need to travel and the stress of finding parking.”
The hearing tests can be done at Specsavers in Spearwood and Success.
Visit www.specsavers.com.au/hearing to book a test.


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Snap Inc. goes all-in on AR with improvements to Lens Studio as well as the Snapchat app.
Today Snap Inc. held its yearly programmer occasion where it revealed a brand-new video camera and also a huge selection of updates to both Lens Studio and the Snapchat app, more expanding the platforms existing magazine of groundbreaking AR web content presently being accessed by over 170 million individuals on a daily basis.
This consists of voice-activate UI navigation, shared AR Lenses capable of spanning numerous city blocks, brand-new scanners capable of determining canine and also plant types, and also artificial intelligence performance simply to name a few.
Voice-Activated Lenses As Snapchat remains to introduce AR material to its platform, situating certain Lenses among the seemingly-endless directory of both user-related as well as expert productions has actually become significantly hard. With the intro of Voice Scan, you can now inform the app exactly which Lens you’re looking for.
Just press and also hold the electronic camera choose screen and speak right into your mobile phones mic. Snapchat will after that bring up any closely-related outcomes based upon your spoken description.
Local Lenses While not completely readily available to the public just yet, the other day Snap showcased a sneak peek of its brand-new Local Lenses
, shared AR Lenses efficient in spanning entire city blocks. Existing as relentless digital globes, Local Lenses will permit you to work together with other Snapchatters on huge AR tasks developed precisely top of your area, such as embellishing regional buildings with colorful enhanced paint.
Scan Originally presented back in 2019, Snapchat’s AR utility platform “Scan” uses the Snapchat electronic camera to identify real-world objects as well as accessibility pertinent details. By partnering with details business, Snap has actually been able to dramatically expand the capability of Scan, whether it be determining details music by means of Shazam or fixing mathematics troubles with Photomath.
Today Snap announced 2 brand-new Scan partners: PlantSnap and also Dog Scanner. Readily available now, PlantSnap permits Snapchatters to use their Snap camera to identify a whopping 90% of all recognized trees and plants. Similar to PlantSnap, Dog Scanner makes use of the Snapchat video camera to identify over 400 breeds of dog. Extra upcoming companions include Nutrition Scanner, which rates the quality of components in packaged food, along with numerous brand collaborations, consisting of Louis Vuitton.


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Bioware has announced the Mass Effect Trilogy for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3. The set includes all three games in the Mass Effect Trilogy which marks the original Mass Effect’s first appearance on PS3. The box set will be released on PC and Xbox 360 on November 6th with a PS3 release date to be announced later.
On the following day, November 7th, Bioware has announced a Mass Effect celebration day, “N7 Day”. Events planned will include in-game, online and live events with more details to be announced soon on masseffect.com.
The original Mass Effect was released on Xbox 360 in November of 2007, followed by a PC release in May 2008. Mass Effect 2 launched on Xbox 360 and PC in January 2010, with an enhanced PlayStation 3 version a year later. Mass Effect 3 launched for all three platforms in March of this year, and will be released for Wii U on November 18th.


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Mozilla, the company behind the Firefox browser, announced Thursday that its Mozilla VPN product is launching in the next few weeks.
We are working hard to make the official product, the Mozilla VPN, available in selected regions this year. We will continue to offer the Mozilla VPN at the current pricing model for a limited time, which allows you to protect up to five devices on Windows, Android, and iOS at $4.99/month.
You can sign up to join the waiting list here.
Starting today, Firefox will begin rolling out support for encrypted DNS over HTTPS for U.S.-based users.
We’re enabling DoH by default only in the US. If you’re outside of the US and would like to enable DoH, you’re welcome to do so by going to Settings, then General, then scroll down to Networking Settings and click the Settings button on the right. Here you can enable DNS over HTTPS by clicking, and a checkbox will appear.
You can choose between Cloudflare and NextDNS. As I mentioned in my roundup of DNS services, I’ve been using NextDNS for the past couple weeks and I love it.
Mozilla announced its third annual 2019 *Privacy Not Included gift guide to highlight gadgets and toys that are secure, and ones that aren’t secure.
This year we found that many of the big tech companies like Apple and Google are doing pretty well at securing their products, and you’ll see that most products in the guide meet our Minimum Security Standards. But don’t let that fool you. Even though devices are secure, we found they are collecting more and more personal information on users, who often don’t have a whole lot of control over that data.
Google doing well at securing its products.
Mozilla released Firefox 70 today and one of the new features is Enhanced Tracking Protection turned on by default on all platforms.
More privacy protections from Enhanced Tracking Protection:
Social tracking protection, which blocks cross-site tracking cookies from sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, is now a standard feature of Enhanced Tracking Protection.
The Privacy Protections report shows an overview, with details, of the trackers Firefox has blocked. It provides consolidated reports from Monitor and Lockwise.
Amidst all the fuss about iOS 13/13.1 and new iPhones, John found some real gems in this week’s news roundup.
Firefox Private Network is a Mozilla VPN launching under its old Test Pilot program. It’s available as a beta today for U.S. users with a Firefox account.
In a nutshell, the Firefox Private Network extension will provide a “secure, encrypted path to the web” to protect the user’s Wi-Fi connection and data contained within the Firefox browser. One of the scenarios Mozilla thinks Firefox Private Network will be useful for is when connecting to the internet through public Wi-Fi hotspots, as it will shield personal information and conceal what websites a user is visiting.
Mozilla announced that the next Firefox 70 update will reduce power consumption on macOS by up to three times.
But according to Mozilla engineer Henrik Skupin, Firefox devs have finally made a breakthrough, and believe they fixed Firefox’s power consumption on macOS. Skupin said that a current fix for the battery drain issue has been deployed on Firefox Nightly, where it managed to reduce power usage by three times. The fix is expected to land in the stable version of Firefox in late October 2019, with the release of Firefox 70.
Mozilla is adding a dedicated social tracking protection component and it’s slated for release with Firefox 70.
If you use your internet service provider’s default DNS, they can see everything you do on the web. It comes as no surprise that ISPs don’t like privacy tools like Mozilla’s DNS over HTTPS (DoH) technology in Firefox. The UK Internet Services Providers’ Association (ISPA) declared Mozilla a 2019 Villain, alongside President Trump.
ISPA Internet Villain
Mozilla – for their proposed approach to introduce DNS-over-HTTPS in such a way as to bypass UK filtering obligations and parental controls, undermining internet safety standards in the UK
Andrew Orr and John Martellaro join host Kelly Guimont to discuss the Mac’s value to scientists and the new tracking project from Mozilla.
Yesterday Mozilla announced a new project called Track THIS that aims to fool advertisers. It lets you pretend to be someone else for a while.
Mozilla Corporation CEO Chris Beard said on Friday that premium Firefox features will come in the future, like a VPN and secure cloud storage.
Firefox is about to get a lot faster. Its parent company Mozilla said that the latest version of the browsers is twice as fast as before.
In the latest news of anticompetitive corporate behavior, a former Mozilla executive said Google sabotaged Firefox for years.
“When Chrome launched things got complicated, but not in the way you might expect. They had a competing product now, but they didn’t cut ties, break our search deal – nothing like that. In fact, the story we kept hearing was, ‘We’re on the same side. We want the same things’,” the former Mozilla exec said.
I encourage everyone to read the Twitter thread.
Bryan Chaffin joins host Kelly Guimont today to talk about the rise of cashless stores, and Mozilla’s petition to “improve” iOS ad tracking.
Mozilla has a petition calling on Apple to add a feature to iOS that changes the advertising ID every month. Here’s why that’s not needed.
Firefox Send is a free tool that lets you send encrypted files up to 1GB in size, or 2.5GB if you sign in with a Firefox account.
What sets Send apart is its ease of use. It works in any browser; just go to send.firefox.com. Upload or drag and drop files, and Send will generate a link that you can set to expire after a certain number of downloads—up to 100—or a certain amount of time, ranging from five minutes to seven days.
Being able to use any browser is probably the best part about this tool.
Firefox is getting a feature from the Tor Browser called letterboxing, making it more difficult for advertisers to see your window size.
Quantum is being seen as a major effort to gain back market share from Google’s Chrome with a new “Photon” user interface and a new, speedier engine.
A recent video of Steve Jobs talking about corporate leadership and product vision has reawakened a debate about Apple CEO Tim Cook.


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The Federal Reserve is now in day 1 of their two day meeting. The statement we get tomorrow, and the minutes we will read next month are likely to be intriguing.
Examples abound: The Times of London: Food-price inflation has already pushed up a typical family’s weekly shopping bill by 15 per cent in a year (Era of cheap food ends as prices surge). Yet here in the US, the BLS has food prices up only 4.5% year over year (that’s with the dollar down ~2% vs. the pound)
The price of rice has increased dramatically in recent weeks due to crop failure overseas and resulting hoarding… Rice has doubled in price in six months. (Bay Area Shoppers Asked To Limit Rice Purchases)
During the first week of April…leisure fares from traditional carriers on 280 major routes rose 13
percent from the previous year…We’ve got an industry that’s in trouble," said Vaughn Cordle, chief
executive and chief analyst at AirlineForecasts in Washington. "If oil prices stay anywhere near $100,
$120 for the year … we’ll have a massive restructuring of the airline industry." (Summer travel headaches loom as airlines’ woes deepen).
All these obvious price increases are begining to undermine confidence int he Federal Reserve. We see article like this one in the San Diego Union-Tribune: The Fed’s inflation gauge isn’t realistic, critics say and this one in Harpers: "Numbers Racket: Why the Economy is Worse than We know."
Is the Fed Causing a Global Food Crisis? http://bigpicture.typepad.com/comments/2008/04/is-the-fed-caus.html
Era of cheap food ends as prices surge
Steve Hawkes, Greg Hurst and Valerie Elliott
Times Online, April 23, 2008
Moms’ new battle: The food price bulge
Parija B. Kavilanz,
CNNMoney.com, April 21, 2008: 10:33 AM EDT
The Fed’s inflation gauge isn’t realistic, critics say
San Diego UNION-TRIBUNE, April 17, 2008 http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/business/20080417-9999-1n17inflate.html


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smb acceleration of tech
embracing technology to ensure their future
“In an increasingly unpredictable world, SMB leaders are accelerating their tech investments – seeking technology to help their business survive even the most tumultuous times.”
In the fifth edition of the “Small and Medium Business Trends” report, it’s clear that more and more SMBs are embracing technology, convinced their survivability depends on it. Responses from more than 2,500 SMB owners and leaders around the world showed:
- What changed for SMBs over the past year and how that impacted their future
- How technology has helped SMBs grow
- How SMBs are utilizing technology to deepen trust with customers and employees
- Why the majority of SMBs increased their investment in CRM, email marketing, collaboration/project tracking and e-commerce software.
The survey was conducted online by The Harris Poll for Salesforce in June/July 2021.


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Socoe helps Sarawak Lorries Transport Association go digital
By Digital News Asia June 5, 2018
- Easy to monitor industry players and hasten the process of identifying problems or issues
- Over 400 members can stay connected via the platform which displays their business information
A COLLABORATION between Social Community Technology (Socoe) and Sarawak Lorries Transport Association will provide online presence for truck and carriage companies in the state.
This collaboration strives to elevate transportation services to better connect and improve through this digital platform.
Through Socoe's digital efforts, the lorry association which has more than 400 members will now be able to stay connected via the platform which displays all of their business information as well as allow members to interact with each other online.
Minister of Infrastructure Development and Transportation, Dr James Jemut Masing said this venture makes things easier for his ministry especially in monitoring industry players and hastening the process of identifying any problems or issues that needed to be resolved quickly.
"Thank you to Socoe for providing this platform. It is my hope that other business communities in Sarawak will come in and use this platform," said Jemut.
"When we have so many things going around in Sarawak, it is easier for us to know what are the problems that the community has. We have to move on. Business changes -- if we don't change, we will be left behind."
Meanwhile, Socoe founder and chief executive officer Samuel Wong said Socoe's initiatives were in line with Chief Minister Johari Tun Openg's push towards digital economy.
Wong said by categorising according to industry, groups and communities, digital platforms can allow the community to communicate their personal and commercial needs effectively.
"We have so much quality and cost effective goods and services to offer which are not accessible due to this communication gap -- for example, businesses find it difficult to source for trucks to move their large goods and vice versa."
"With the rise of digital economy, things are moving very quickly. It is no longer just about building walls -- it is about building communities with effective communication.
"Sarawakians have the right mindset. There is a big gap for effective communication between the people. The first step is bringing everyone onto the digital platform before we can move forward."
Countries such as Korea, Russia, New Zealand and the US, he said, are all using different methods of execution to bring their citizens onto the platform.
"We are creating communities to begin with so we can group like-minded people of the same industry together - in order to solve issues and provide added value as well."
Socoe is currently working on collaborations with several communities, such as property development, shipping, timber, palm oil, oil and gas, manufacturing, tourism, art and leisure and more.
Also present during the launch are SLTA chairman Phur Pui Ann, and RH Vision managing director Peter Wong.


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By Medha Singh and Devik Jain
July 16 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks fell on Thursday with the S&P 500 retreating from a five-week high as concerns about the economic toll from another round of shutdowns across the United States offset data showing upbeat domestic retail sales in June.
The Commerce Department's report showed retail sales jumped 7.5% last month compared with economists' forecast of 5%, signaling the economy was continuing to limp out of a coronavirus-driven slump.
But a recent surge in domestic COVID-19 cases has forced states such as California to shut down again, sparking fears of more business damage and slowing the pace of a Wall Street rally.
"Much of the easy lifting in both the equity markets and in the economy is mostly behind us," said Michael Hans, chief investment officer at Clarfeld Citizens Private Wealth in Greater New York Area.
"Especially as it relates to retail sales, the policy moving forward is important. What goes on at the end of the month with the pandemic unemployment assistance set to expire? How does that impact the recovery and how does the consumer fare?"
Millions are set to lose their unemployment checks on July 31 when the government stops paying an additional $600 per week to jobless self-employed people, gig workers and contractors who do not qualify for regular state unemployment benefits.
Another report from the Labor Department on Thursday showed weekly jobless claims fell to 1.30 million in the week ended July 11, down slightly from the previous week but remain roughly double their highest point during the global financial crisis.
At 9:49 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJIwas down 125.92 points, or 0.47%, at 26,744.18, the S&P 500 .SPXwas down 21.88 points, or 0.68%, at 3,204.68. The Nasdaq Composite .IXICwas down 116.37 points, or 1.10%, at 10,434.12.
Technology stocks weighed the most on all the three indexes. Among major S&P sectors, communication services .SPLRCS, technology .SPLRCT and energy .SPNY lagged the most.
Bank of America Corp BAC.N fell 3.8% after its second-quarter profit more than halved, while Morgan Stanley rose 1.6% after posting a record quarterly profit. [nL3N2EN322]
Twitter Inc TWTR.N fell 2.8% as hackers accessed its internal systems to hijack some of the platform's top voices including U.S. presidential candidate Joe Biden, reality TV star Kim Kardashian West, former U.S. President Barack Obama and billionaire Elon Musk and used them to solicit digital currency.
American Airlines AAL.O dropped 6.5% as it sent 25,000 notices of potential furloughs to frontline workers and warned that demand for air travel is slowing again.
Tesla Inc TSLA.O slipped 2.8% as its vehicle registrations nearly halved in the U.S. state of California during the second quarter, according to data from a marketing research firm.
Declining issues outnumbered advancers for a 3.09-to-1 ratio on the NYSE and for a 3.39-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq.
The S&P index recorded 20 new 52-week highs and no new lows, while the Nasdaq recorded 51 new highs and nine new lows.
(Reporting by Medha Singh and Devik Jain in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)
((firstname.lastname@example.org; within U.S. +1 646 223 8780; outside U.S. +91 80 6182 2062; ;))
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.


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A seasonal coconut porter from Oskar Blues Brewery’s is making its return next month.
According to a post on the Longmont, Colo.-based brewery’s website, that is when it will be releasing the 2018 version of Death By Coconut, a 6.5 percent ABV Irish porter brewed with coconut and liquid dark chocolate sourced from Cholaca that was first released in 2014 during the Colorado Craft Beer Week. The original version of the beer was a collaboration between Oskar Blues and Pueblo, Colo.-based Shamrock Brewing Co., both of which have released their own versions in the past.
“No false advertising here – it’s as straightforward a chocolate-and-coconut beer as it gets,” said Juice Drapeau, head brewer at the Oskar Blues pilot brewery in Lyons, Colo., in a press release. “The chocolate-y malt flavors and coconut aroma and flavor are nicely balanced, and it’s not as viscous as a stout, which makes it more palatable.”
The newest release of Death By Coconut will be packaged in four-packs of 12-ounce cans and is scheduled to be released on Oct. 5 during events at the brewery’s facilities in Austin, Brevard, N.C., Longmont, Colo. and Boulder, Colo. Limited amounts will then begin shipping to retailers across the breweries entire distribution footprint starting in “early October.”
(Sept. 28, 2018) – This post has been edited to include release details. It was originally published on Sept. 20, 2018.


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io9 has arrived at Comic-Con, and of course the zombie apocalypse has already begun. One of the hotels has been wrapped to look like Terminus, the iconic Walking Dead location. We'll be here for the next five days, bringing you the latest news and insanity from pop culture central.
Photo via @ashleyelizabeth
Get ready for the next year in escapism with sneak peeks and toy hints and previews of everything from giant movies to brand-new indie comics. We're here and we're going to SEE IT ALL.
You can follow all our Comic-Con coverage here.
Meanwhile, elsewhere, Godzilla is rampaging...
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Rosetta Stone Lifetime Subscription - All Languages
Photo via Total Film
Here's the Syfy Cafe, looking pretty awesome this year.
And of course, the Constantine tent, covered in runes.


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Canadian supermarkets are soon to be stocking Indigenous-owned potato chip brand Tomahawk Chips. In just over five years an Indigenous business owner has taken an upstart potato chip business from humble roots in rural Manitoba, to a distribution deal that will now see his chips sold all across the country, reports Dave Baxter for O.Canada.com.
Alfred Lea of Riverton, a community approximately 110 kilometres north of Winnipeg, is the creator of the Native Canadian Chip Corporation and for the last five years, the company has worked to create, distribute, and sell TomahawkChips potato chips.
Currently, Tomahawk Chips are available in five flavours, with each flavour sporting a different packet design created by an Indigenous artist. “It’s about selling a product, but it is also very important to me that I can do something to share my culture and to help these artists share their work,” Lea said. “It’s about more than just business.”


text: April 18, 2016: AtrionSMB Becomes Vertikal6 in Rebranding. Today, we’re excited to announce that AtrionSMB and RhodeOne Technology Solutions have merged to become: Vertikal6. The company will roll out their new name, tagline, and look throughout the month of April. With the adoption of its new brand, Vertikal6 has simultaneously launched their new website www.vertikal6.com. “This brings a renewed energy, excitement, and commitment to our clients.” Says Rick Norberg, President of Vertikal6. “Our team is pumped about our new identity and this translates to a renewed attention to our client’s success as well. We know there’s power in collaboration and we’ll continue to provide the technology services our clients need to streamline their business, and ensure they are always running at its full potential.


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walmart (WMT -1.00%) might have gained market share in US e-commerce last year, but it didn’t happen Amazon (AMZN -0.21%).
The big-box retailer ramped up its e-commerce business in 2022, increasing total US online sales by 12% for the full year. That’s faster than the US Census Bureau’s estimate of 6.5% growth for total internet sales. It also compares favorably with Amazon’s reported online store sales, which fell even last year on a constant currency basis.
But looking at those reported numbers doesn’t paint the full picture of what’s going on in online retail in the US. Amazon investors worried that Walmart is eroding its market dominance may want to take a look.
The truth requires an apples to apples comparison
The 12% figure reported by Walmart includes its entire e-commerce business: direct sales, third-party services, and advertising. Therefore, it should be compared to Amazon’s overall e-commerce business.
While online sales stagnated for Amazon last year, it was still growing its third-party seller services and advertising business. In fact, sales in North America were up 14% on a constant currency basis. If you discount the slower growth of physical stores during the year, Amazon’s online-related revenue grew even faster. Amazon’s sales in North America without physical stores are perhaps most comparable to the 12% increase reported by Walmart US.
Walmart also said it made more than $80 billion worldwide from e-commerce last year. That’s more than the $73.2 billion it generated last year, or more than 9% growth. Indeed, that’s faster than Amazon’s total e-commerce-related revenue growth of less than 6%. That suggests that Walmart is still seeing strong progress in e-commerce in international markets. But one area of particularly strong e-commerce growth for Walmart is China, where Amazon provides limited marketplace services.
In other words, it doesn’t appear that Walmart’s growth is at the expense of Amazon’s.
What to watch in the future
There are a few areas investors should pay attention to as Walmart continues to try to beat Amazon in e-commerce.
First, there is the retail advertising industry. Walmart first broke out its ad revenue during its fourth-quarter earnings call, letting investors know it generated $2.7 billion in ad revenue last year. That pales in comparison to Amazon’s $37.7 billion in sales, but Walmart is growing faster. Total ad revenue grew 30% this year, with Walmart Connect in the US growing even faster. In comparison, Amazon’s advertising business only grew 21% last year.
Walmart’s advertising business could face tougher comparisons in the second half of 2023 after it made changes to its advertising business midway through last year.
Importantly, Amazon forecast revenue growth of between 6% and 10% on a constant currency basis for the first quarter, which disappointed analysts. While that includes its cloud computing business, it is stronger than Walmart’s outlook for revenue growth of 4.5% to 5%. Walmart also disappointed with a full-year forecast of only 2.5% to 3% and comparable store sales growth of only 2% to 2.5%. In other words, Walmart expects a marked slowdown in growth.
It seems likely that Amazon will once again surpass Walmart’s e-commerce growth in 2023, even as the competitor outperforms other players in the space. Amazon remains the dominant force in the online retail industry, with a vast network of sellers and customers ensuring it continues to gain market share.
John Mackey, former CEO of Amazon subsidiary Whole Foods Market, serves on the board of directors of The Motley Fool. Adam Levy has positions in Amazon.com. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon.com and Walmart. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.


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Hiroki Totoki, the CEO of Sony Mobile, put an end to speculations that company might exit the smartphone business. In an interview, the high-level executive said that the Japanese tech giant “will never ever sell or exit from the current mobile business.”
As you probably remember, earlier this year, rumors floated that Sony is open to selling its smartphone business. Kaz Hirai, the industry heavyweight’s CEO, also revealed that the company will consider a sale of its struggling smartphone unit.
Sony’s significant loss in 2014 came from a massive goodwill write-off related to the company’s purchase of Ericsson’s share in 2012. The sale of its Vaio division further fueled the speculation that Sony might move its mobile unit.
Mr. Totoki expressed confidence that Sony Mobile will improve its performance next year by launching quality products that are packed with tech. Additionally, the company plans to cut its costs by 30% by the end of next year, as well as decrease its headcount by a fifth.
The executive pointed that, in order to fight the severe competition, Sony Mobile will focus on delivering superior user experience. The company will also focus on bringing new technology to key smartphone areas that include display, camera, and audio quality.
Very good news Sony... Keep going... I have a Z3 and very happy with it... I think my next phone will be Sony too...
There was a time when Nokia, Motorola and Blackberry were the major players of the smartphone industry, but now we see that two of them have been sold to other companies and the third one could also be sold out in next few years or even months, ...
So should we expect any 6 inch phablet flagship?


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Xiaomi world’s 4th largest manufacturer smartphone in the world. It’s a Chinese Company partner with Smartlink Technologies Officially launched in Pakistan soon. This news was confirmed from a national newspaper. They are started his service in Pakistan. In 2016 Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) banned Xiaomi Smartphones company for selling in Pakistan as illegal.
Mi 5 and Xiaomi Mi Max available at the company launch in Pakistan and Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 and Redmi Note 4’s in process.
In November 2016, Xiaomi got the approval from Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and submit all the legal requirements in Pakistan and NOC to officially launch in Pakistan soon. Xiaomi’s smartphone prices are affordable/reasonable and high-quality products they manufacture.
The company also launch eco products in Pakistan like Power banks, Mi VR, Mi Band 2 and Car Charger. The mobile phones or products available at competitive prices in Pakistan.
Xiaomi expected to launch in January in Pakistan but delay for some issues with partners. The company got the approval from PTA in December as selling and operating smartphones in Pakistan. Xiaomi also cleared the NTISB test.
Head of Xiaomi’s Hugo Barra, this delay due to Hugo Barra leave the company and they are joined to Facebook VR division in Silicon Valley. Now the Xiaomi ready to launch in Pakistan and also available his smartphone Mi 5 and Mi Max and other products.


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Of which, the export value of major agricultural products in the eight months was estimated at $15 billion, while the value stood at $11.8 billion from forest products, $7.5 billion from seafood products and $258.6 million from livestock products.
In August, the export value from these products reached nearly $4.4 billion, a rise of 32 percent year on year and 0.3 percent month on month.
During the first eight months, the trade value of these products was estimated to reach $66.2 billion, up 8.7 percent on the year. Therefore, the agriculture sector enjoyed a trade surplus of $6.3 billion in that period, a surge of 94.6 percent over the same period last year.
In January-August, seven products gained export value exceeding $2 billion, including coffee, rubber, rice, vegetables and fruits, cashew nuts, shrimp, and wooden furniture.
Many products saw an upturn in exports, such as coffee (40.3 percent), rubber (8.1 percent), rice (8.1 percent), peppercorn (8.2 percent), cassava (22.5 percent), tra fish (82.6 percent), shrimp (22 percent), and furniture (6.5 percent).
However, a downturn was also recorded in some other products, including vegetables and fruits (13.9 percent), cashew nuts (nearly 10.4 percent), and livestock products (12.3 percent).
In the first eight months of this year, Asia remained the major market for Vietnamese agro, forestry and seafood products, accounting for 43.1 percent of the total export volume, while America ranked second with 28.9 percent and Europe third with 11.8 percent.
The US continued to be the largest export market of those products, with revenue of about $9.6 billion, followed by China with $6.5 billion and Japan with $2.7 billion.
In the first eight months, the agriculture sector exported valuable and quality products to many countries, such as mango, dragon fruit, passion fruit, longan and lychee, especially those with big markets such as the EU, US, Australia, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, China, Middle East and ASEAN.
For the seafood industry, the number of products and enterprises with export licensees increased, including in markets with high food quality and safety requirements.
The US continued to give export licenses to six more local enterprises to ship tra catfish products to this market, bringing the total number of enterprises with the licenses to 19. The EU also permitted 14 more enterprises to export seafood to this bloc, bringing the number of eligible enterprises up to 531.
According to the ministry, this year's agriculture sector will complete negotiations to export longan to Japan and continue to negotiate on exporting passion fruit and coconut to the US, pomelo to South Korea, passion fruit to Australia, and citrus fruit to New Zealand.
It will also continue to remove obstacles related to new regulations of China for Vietnam's export seafood.
The MARD is working with Vietnam's embassies and offices abroad to expand export markets for local agro, forestry and seafood products, especially China, US, EU, Russia, Japan, South Korea, ASEAN and Middle East markets.
It is also implementing bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements and supporting people and businesses in producing products to meet export requirements.


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Chef Matthew Evans has partnered with Greenpeace and the Australian Marine Conservation Society, to develop a campaign to reform Australia’s seafood labelling laws.
The campaign is designed to push for new Australian laws requiring complete and accurate information on seafood labels, in particular: what fish it is, where it’s from and how it was caught.
A significant launch pad for the campaign is an SBS TV series called ‘What’s the Catch?’ which is fronted by Evans and will screen for three weeks from 30 October 2014.
In the show Evans examines the problem of poor seafood labelling and campaigns for reform.
Other key components of the campaign include:
- A PR, advertising, digital and media strategy, with on and offline actions.
- A campaign launch, including release of a dossier of labelling ‘scandals’ flowing from current labelling practices.
- A campaign website, to which SBS will also direct its viewers, highlighting the problem and the solution, and a petition to key government MPs.
- Promotion of public support for reform from significant sustainable operators in the Australian fishing industry, top chefs, influential MPs and celebrities.
- Drafting instructions for new federal laws, prepared by the NSW Environmental Defenders Office.
A Senate inquiry into seafood labelling laws, due to report on 27 October, may recommend reforms. Submissions currently indicate support for better labelling, including from influential sectors of the Australian seafood industry and large retailers.


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Orora Continues Solid Recovery with Strong Product Demand
- Orora shares continue higher as global economies reopen.
- Orora shares have risen 20 per cent Year to date.
- The company expects earnings to be higher in FY21 against the prior year.
Orora Limited (ASX: ORA) currently stands at the forefront of a surge in demand for many packing materials domestically and internationally. The packaging solutions company has seen tremendous success in recent months, with the company’s share price surging 20 per cent this year alone. Heightened demand for glass bottles and plastic packing following a strong economic rebound from COVID-19 have allowed Orora to restore business lost during the pandemic continually.
Orora Limited, previously owned by Amcor, provides a wide range of packing and visual communication solutions, including point of purchase displays, packaging equipment, recycling paper, printing and signage. Glass bottles, aluminium cans, boxes and cartons. The company operates 46 manufacturing plants across of variety jurisdictions with an extremely close correlation to the general level of consumer consumption.
A Market insights report into Global Glass Packaging Materials revealed that demand for Glass Materials has accelerated in recent years and is expected to do so moving forward. In particular, glass beer bottle consumption is currently accelerating and with economies reopening is likely to be a key source of revenues for Orora. Chief Executive Officer Brian Lowe commented how their “market-leading beverage business continues its track record of earnings growth.”
In February of 2021, Orora released their half-year report to the market, with net profits after tax of $91.1 million, an 18.9 per cent increase on the prior corresponding period (pcp). Likewise, on a constant currency basis, sales revenue rose 3.1 per cent on pcp. Following the announcement, shares in Orora surged 5.49 per cent.
A sharp sell-off in US Tech Stocks dragged the S&P 500 and the NASDAQ lower yesterday by 0.67 and 1.88 per cent, respectively, leaving the Dow Jones slightly in the Green. Today Orora shares have lifted slightly today following these capital flows opening 1.25 per cent higher, continuing the company’s recent breakout from resistance. The share price opened trading on the 5th of May 2021 at $3.25 per share, a remarkable 49 per cent increase from 6-year lows set in September last year.
Today, Credit Suisse also raised their price target on Orora based on their own analysis f “North American Packaging Solutions earnings margins and upgraded Earnings per share estimates for the following financial years.
Moving forward the company will look to take advantage of increased consumer activity and consumption continually. Providing costs can be managed appropriately and passed onto customers, Orora's future outlook remains strong. The company has forecasted wine bottle exports to be negatively impacted by Chinese restrictions but, at a Group level, still expect earnings to be higher in FY21 against the prior year.


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Apple May Ship 2019 iPhones with 18W Fast Charger and Lightning to USB-C Cable
According to a report by Mac Otakara, Apple will “likely” include a faster charging 18W USB-C power adapter and a Lightning to USB-C cable in the box with each of three new iPhone models it is expected to release in 2019 (via MacRumors).
Apple has been including the 5W adapter and Lightning to USB-A cable with its iPhones for many years, despite adding fast charging support to the iPhone 8 and newer models.
In order to fast charge newer iPhone models, users are required to purchase standalone 18W USB-C power adapter for $39 CAD and a Lightning to USB-C cable starting at $25 CAD. This could finally change this year, should the rumour turn out to be true:
Last year, we heard a similar rumor about Apple bundling a faster 18W USB-C power adapter with 2018 iPhones, but it ended up being for 2018 iPad Pro models. This is the second time Mac Otakara has shared this rumor in as many months, so hopefully there is truth to it this time around.
The report has also claimed that the next iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max models will feature triple-lens rear cameras.


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Articles filed under
OSL’s parent firm said investors should exercise caution due to the “unusual movement” in the company’s stock price.
HashKey Exchange and OSL — the only two cryptocurrency exchanges licensed by the Hong Kong SFC — received license upgrades Thursday to service retail investors.
Hong Kong’s crypto rules offer level playing field, investor protection, says OSL exchange executive
OSL is one of only two digital assets trading platforms in Hong Kong licensed to offer services to professional investors.
Hong Kong-based OSL Asset Management Ltd said it won a local license to offer investment products in blockchain, Web3 and AI companies.
ZA Bank, the largest virtual bank in Hong Kong, has started offering cryptocurrency conversion services through licensed crypto exchanges.
Financial instruments sold and traded on a public blockchain could be the next big thing, so Forkast caught up with OSL to hear about what’s planned.


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De Beers, the world's largest diamond miner, is set to launch a rights issue to raise up to $1bn (£601m).
After a difficult year that saw diamond prices collapse and De Beers profits fall by 99 per cent, the group faces a $1.5bn debt refinancing in March, out of total net debt of $4bn.
The new money will be used to pay down the debt and also help De Beers take advantage of a recovery in the global economy, the company said yesterday. "By reducing De Beers' level of external debt and improving its capital structure, this investment would better enable the company to take advantage of new opportunities... as the recession gives way to recovery," the company said.
Mining giant Anglo American owns 45 per cent of the diamond producers' shares. A further 40 per cent is held by South Africa's Oppenheimer family, and the remaining 15 per cent is owned by the government of Botswana.
De Beers said yesterday that all three shareholders have agreed in principle to support the issuing of new equity. It has already borrowed nearly $750m in shareholder loans.
In July the company blamed the "extraordinarily difficult" trading environment for half-year profits of just $3m, compared with $316m the year before. It was forced to cut production in South Africa, Botswana and Canada as the global economy slipped into recession and spending on diamonds plummeted.
Stephen Lussier, a De Beers' director, said last month that a deal with the creditor banks was expected around Christmas, although the full refinancing was not likely before early 2010.Reuse content


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Just in case we didn't scar you enough with our recent story about a baby who thinks his mom and Alexa are the same, Amazon has announced a new feature that is just as horrifying.
Miss the soft and sweet sound of your departed grandmother's caring voice? Just have the audio of her voice transplanted into your virtual slave, Alexa!
I mean this in all seriousness: who the heck asked for this?
This might be the most horrifyingly dystopian idea I have heard of in a while.
And that's saying a lot for this day and age.
Amazon's Alexa might soon replicate the voice of family members - even if they're dead.
The capability, unveiled at Amazon's Re:Mars conference in Las Vegas, is in development and would allow the virtual assistant to mimic the voice of a specific person based on a less than a minute of provided recording.
I can see this being fun or useful if you wanted to steal Morgan Freeman or James Earl Jones's voice for Alexa.
Or it could be used for comedic purposes. Like if it was Gilbert Gottfried or Jason Alexander's voice.
Or Ben Shapiro's (that would actually be hilarious... set that sucker to 3x speed and let's GOOOO).
But the purpose behind this is to make Alexa more personable and to get people to disclose more to the machine that is hooked up to Jeff Bezo's money-making machine.
Rohit Prasad, senior vice president and head scientist for Alexa, said at the event Wednesday that the desire behind the feature was to build greater trust in the interactions users have with Alexa by putting more "human attributes of empathy and affect."
"These attributes have become even more important during the ongoing pandemic when so many of us have lost ones that we love," Prasad said. "While AI can't eliminate that pain of loss, it can definitely make their memories last."
In a video played by Amazon at the event, a young child asks "Alexa, can Grandma finish reading me the Wizard of Oz?" Alexa then acknowledges the request, and switches to another voice mimicking the child's grandmother. The voice assistant then continues to read the book in that same voice.
Alexa can't ease the pain of loss, but it can make sure you can hear it imitate the voice of your lost loved ones in a creepy robotic way.
To create the feature, Prasad said the company had to learn how to make a "high-quality voice" with a shorter recording, opposed to hours of recording in a studio. Amazon did not provide further details about the feature, which is bound to spark more privacy concerns and ethical questions about consent.
I'm sorry, but this is beyond creepy and I won't allow my FBI/Amazon listening device to talk to me like a dead relative.
I'll just talk to her like a normal generic robot.
P.S. Now check out our latest video 👇


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Trump: China tariffs may remain for 'substantial period'
Trump says trade deal 'coming along nicely' with China
Trump says tariffs on Chinese goods may stay for 'substantial period'
Trade War Jaw-Jaw Returns With Fresh Talks: Global Economy Week
US President Donald Trump says tariffs on Chinese imports may remain in place for a ‘substantial period of time’
The Tragic Irony Of Donald Trump’s Foreign Policy – Analysis
The US-China trade war is drawing a new battle line over megaproject funding. At least it will be good for infrastructure
Here’s the bizarre sequence of events that led Trump to offer Stephen Moore a Federal Reserve seat
As G20 chair, Japan is placed to resurrect free trade - but faces challenges


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Hitachi, Toshiba and Panasonic said they would ship stand-alone recorders in a few months that use DVD-RAM. Such drives have been available for computers since early 1999, but the group is now trying to move it into the consumer electronics arena. By the end of the year, the recorders will cost $500 to $600. By contrast, regular DVD players are expected to cost $100 by Thanksgiving time, Edwards said. The DVD-RAM standard has large manufacturers and software developers behind it and the advantage of being first to market. However, the discs produced by a DVD-RAM recorder can't be played in the DVD players that have been sold so far. They require "RAM-capable" DVD players, which a Hitachi spokesman promised would be on sale shortly.
DVD+RW, a format backed by Hewlett-Packard, Ricoh, Philips and Yamaha, doesn't have the same problem. The discs can be played in existing DVD players. But there's a drawback: the stand-alone recorders are likely to be a bit more expensive, and the computer drives won't be out until next year. Philips is bringing out a stand-alone recorder by the end of the year for about $1,000.
For a third alternative, there's DVD-RW, derisively called "DVD minus RW" by DVD+RW backers. DVD-RW was created by Pioneer. The recorders are already on sale in Japan, and Pioneer hopes to start selling them in the United States by the fourth quarter. Pioneer executives said the first recorders would be geared towards home theater enthusiasts and would cost about $3,000. The DVD-RW discs will be playable in Pioneer DVD players and some players from other manufacturers. The recorders will also be able to use write-once DVDs, which could be played on any DVD player.
The most acrimonious fight seems to be brewing between the DVD Forum supporters and the DVD+RW manufacturers..." NULL


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In my Jan. 25 column, I wrote about the price increase for single copy newsstand sales of The Post, which went up from $1 to $1.25 on weekdays and Saturday, and from $2 to $2.50 on Sunday, a 25 percent increase.
At the time I wrote, I did not know that the price for home subscribers also had gone up. But some alert readers wrote to me saying their latest bills had reflected a price increase.
They were right. And I got my own renewal bill at home to underscore it. (Yes, I’m a home subscriber even though I get it free here at my Post office. It’s my civic duty.)
So here’s the deal. Home subscribers whose subscriptions come up for annual renewal will pay 10 cents more per day for the papers from Monday through Saturday; there is no change for the Sunday home-delivered copy. That’s about a 9 percent increase. “Because of the wide variety of renewal dates, [the price increase] will happen over time,” said Kris Coratti, spokesperson for The Post.
The new price works out to be about a $31 increase for the year. My current full-price subscription works out to $383 per year, after the price increase. But on The Post Web site there is an introductory offer of $1.81 a week for the full year, or $94.12, a deal.
As Coratti points out, home delivery is still way less expensive than buying the paper daily. By subscribing, she points out, “On weekdays, readers save 40 cents per paper, and save 65 cents on Sunday.”
And if The Post decides to start charging for online subscriptions later this year, a possibility, and if such an online subscription would be included in the home delivery price, then home delivery will be even a more compelling deal.


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Blog: Danone's note of caution from a despondent Davos
Dean Best | 31 January 2009
"Here in Davos everybody is deeply pessimistic. I have not met one single optimist."
This was the somewhat gloomy description of this year's World Economic Forum by Bert Heemskerk, the chief executive of Rabobank.
This week, the world's political and business leaders have headed to the Swiss ski resort for their annual discussions on the global economic climate – and, of course, there is a lot more to discuss than usual.
Reuters has hand-picked some of the more “eye-catching” quotes from Davos, including the rather bleak assessment from the Rabobank boss.
Danone chairman and CEO Franck Riboud was also among the great and good at Davos, where he spoke about the French food giant's project in Bangladesh, which was set up two years ago to make affordable dairy products for local consumers.
However, aside from Danone's notable work on sustainability projects, Riboud was also asked about the company's prospects for 2009. For the Activia-to-Evian maker, the tone for the next 12 months seems to be one of caution.
“Like everyone else, I am putting brackets around 2009,” Riboud said in an interview with French news channel France 24 earlier this week (French-speakers can see the full interview here).
Riboud said Danone was keeping its medium-term targets but said it would be wrong to set objectives for 2009. An assessment, Riboud said, should be made at the end of January because “everything is moving in every direction”.
Instead of setting targets, Riboud said management should have the right tools to handle every situation that could come before it.
“We must have a foot on the accelerator where things go well and a foot on the break where things go wrong,” Riboud said.
Riboud's comments come just a couple of weeks before Danone publishes its full-year results for 2008. We should expect Danone to give some of its thoughts on how it sees the economic landscape in 2009.
Next week, Danone's peer Unilever, the Anglo-Dutch consumer goods giant, reports its own 2008 numbers – and hand down its own outlook for the year ahead.
Given the rather mixed numbers issued yesterday (30 January) by Procter & Gamble, industry watchers will be waiting with baited breath for Unilever to kick off the reporting season for Europe's largest firms.
At first glance, a portfolio centred on probiotic yoghurts and bottled water may not be the best recipe for success in a recession. However, a booming baby food business could ensure Danone's rides ou...
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If you have always wanted to know how Google works and how you can use the world’s biggest search engine to your advantage, your chance is here.
Google Inc is bringing its marketing conference, ‘Google g|days’ for the first time to India.
The free conferences are aimed at both businesses and developers, with the first day focused on businesses and the second day targeted at developers, including webmaster and application creators.
On day one, Google will help business users and entrepreneurs to find tools that will help them to “improve and take advantage of their online presence.” There will dedicated ‘tracks’ of discussions on topics likes AdWords, AdSense, YouTube, Google+, and Google Apps.
The second day discussions will focus on Android, Google+, Google Apps and Google APIs.
The event will be modeled on the format of popular technological conferences and ‘unconferences’ and will have sessions specifically for women entrepreneurs.
There will be multiple panel discussions featuring heads of Google’s departments (product leads) and local industry experts.
Such events have so far been held in other regions, including the Middle East, South America and Africa, and are being launched in India for the first time.
There will be events in five Indian cities, including three in south India — Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad, and one each in Delhi and Mumbai.
The g|days will be held in Chennai on 19-20 July, Bangalore on 2-3 August, Hyderabad on 21-22, Delhi on 3-4 September and Mumbai on 11-12 of the same month.
Google has launched a special site for those interested in participating in the event, featuring a registration link.


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While one of the main draws of the Far Cry franchise has always been the single player campaign, many gamers find themselves increasingly enticed by the multiplayer portion of each title. In addition to taking to online battlegrounds with friends, a key feature that has developed a strong following is that of the map editor. Unfortunately with the launch of Far Cry 4 drawing near, it has been confirmed that the game will not support some of these much-loved features upon release.
Much in the same way this past week has given new life to the debate of quality vs. quantity, an early Twitch stream of Far Cry 4 has sparked an increasing amount of vitriol regarding the upcoming game’s map editor. For many, the ability to create maps that can then be used in competitive multiplayer is an essential component of the Far Cry experience. When the feature was not found in the early stream, fans took to the game’s official forums en masse to criticize its absence.
To address these criticisms, Ubisoft Montreal creative director Alex Hutchinson took to Twitter to explain that budgets and timelines often make it difficult to include everything that one would like to. In the end, they are “always prioritizing” and trying to “squeeze in as much as [they] can.” While not an alleviation of the frustrations of the game’s map-making community, Hutchinson then went on to state that the game would be receiving post-release support.
It may not be a concrete promise, but even the slightest glimmer of hope is something compared to nothing. With a map editor already present in the package, one can hope that competitive multiplayer support will make its appearance down the road as DLC, like “Valley of the Yetis” changes the game up. While Alex Hutchinson sympathizes with the map-making community, he went on to explain the central reason why competitive multiplayer support didn’t make the initial cut.
@LegacyZ3RO We try very hard to support the map making community, trust me. But there are millions of players who play the campaign only.— Alex Hutchinson (@BangBangClick) November 13, 2014
This is hardly surprising considering the amount of effort that has gone into crafting the narrative of the franchise’s next iteration. The game is shaping up to be an incredibly chaotic experience, but there’s a decidedly large focus on the single player campaign. While there will be a PvP mode, it doesn’t seem to be as central to the experience. That is not to say though, that post-launch support can’t help to augment this. Only time will tell.
Putting aside the issues surrounding its map editor, Far Cry 4 is shaping up to be a massive experience worthy of its name. From an expansive map to all manner of deadly wildlife, there’s sure to be a ton to do outside of the game’s core narrative. Add to this the game’s unusual Guinness World Record and you have a title that’s worth following.
Is a lack of competitive multiplayer support for the map editor something that will impact your purchase or not? Will you be spending more time in multiplayer or single player?
Far Cry 4 launches on November 14, 2014 for PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.
Follow Ryan on Twitter @ThatRyanB.


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A few years ago, only the healthiest eaters even knew what hummus was—much less ate it on a regular basis. Now, the stuff practically takes up an entire section at the supermarket (despite the fact that a quarter of Americans still don't know what hummus is). Here's why the dip's growing popularity is a good thing: People who regularly eat hummus tend to have smaller waists and healthier diets overall, a new study in the Journal of Nutrition & Food Sciences found.
The researchers pulled data about chickpea and hummus consumption from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and found that hummus eaters—63 percent of whom are female—take in 52 percent more fiber, 13 percent more good-for-you polyunsaturated fats (despite an overall lower intake of fat), and 20 percent less sugar than non-consumers. Plus, people who eat the chickpea-based dip are healthier eaters overall, packing in more servings of fruit, dark green veggies, and whole grains per day.
Not surprisingly, this translates to benefits you can see: Hummus fans' waists are, on average, eight percent smaller than the waists of people who don't eat the dip, the study found. They also tend to weigh less, even though they take in no fewer calories overall.
MORE: 4 Easy Ways to Control Cravings
What makes hummus such a super food? It's loaded with slow-digesting carbs, belly-filling fiber, and protein to help you stay satisfied longer, the scientists say. In other words, it's pretty much the perfect snack.
If you're buying pre-made hummus, look for one made with olive oil instead of a cheap substitute. You should also be sure to watch your portion size; one serving is usually just two tablespoons, and the calories can add up fast, even though they're the good-for-you kind. Making your own? Rinse canned chickpeas before pulverizing them to reduce the sodium content of your dip, the researchers suggest.
MORE: 14 Signs You're Obsessed with Hummus
Copyright © www.020fl.com Lose Weight All Rights Reserved


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Plymouth Industrial REIT Executes 426,000 SF in New Leases During First Quarter
BOSTON — Plymouth Industrial REIT Inc. (NYSE: PLYM), a Boston-based investment firm focused on the acquisition and management of industrial properties, executed more than 426,000 square feet of new leases during the first three months of 2020, according to the company’s latest quarterly report. Commercial leasing has declined amid the COVID-19 health crisis, but industrial owners have benefited from demand for distribution and warehousing space, especially from e-commerce users. At the end of the quarter, Plymouth owned 125 industrial buildings totaling approximately 20 million square feet, including 11 properties totaling 2.1 million square feet that were purchased in the first quarter. Plymouth reported 96.3 percent occupancy across its portfolio, which is primarily located in the Midwest and Southeast regions, as well as in New Jersey and Maine. Plymouth’s stock price closed at $13.98 per share on May 8, down from $15.55 per share a year ago.


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A NEW alcoholic beverage at Walmart will soon be available to Costco shoppers too.
Everyone has memories of enjoying one juice bag or two when they were a child.
Mizo is an alcoholic soda sold in a juice pouch that closely resembles a Capri Sun.
Each sachet contains 4.5% alcohol by volume (ABV) and is non-carbonated so there is no bloating.
Shoppers can choose from several flavors: Original Lemonade, White Peach, Mango Passion Fruit, and Blackberry Lychee.
Mizo boasts that it has 85 percent less sugar than the leading soda brands and only 90 calories.
The company announced on Instagram last month that it would be expanded to Costco.
Fans flooded the comments with praise and excitement about the expansion options.
“Let’s go I can’t wait to get some when I get there,” one person wrote.
“My friends group would live with it,” one person wrote.
Another added: “I need a whole case.”
The lemonade is already available at select Total Wine and Ralph’s locations.
So far, the drinks aren’t listed on either Costco’s or Walmart’s websites, but Mizo has one Store locator on his website.
ANOTHER NOSTALGIC HARD SELTZER
Hard seltzer has become the trademark of this generation.
Many companies that produce alcohol have dabbled in the seltzer game.
In a big leap of faith, Sunny D started his own business Vodka Selters.
The drink many people remember from their childhood has been transformed into a sparkling 4.5% alcoholic beverage.
Each four-pack contains 12-ounce cans, made with real fruit juice and zero grams of sugar, each containing just 95 calories.
“Consumers have a passion for this iconic brand that’s rooted in nostalgia but has a taste that resonates today,” said Ilene Bergenfeld, chief marketing officer for Harvest Hill Beverage Company.
“Many have told us that they like SunnyD as a blender and have asked about this product.”
Bergenfeld added, “So we looked at the Hard Selters category and thought, ‘Fine, but we can do better.’ And SunnyD Vodka Seltzer was born.”
And they definitely did better.
In a blind taste test, 57 percent of the participants stated that the SunnyD Vodka Selters tasted better than the Hard Selters they normally drank.
Check these out while remembering the taste of SunnyD four sodas from the 2000s that didn’t last long.
Also check out the fan favorite product Return to Trader Joe’s.


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Tribe Accelerator, the first-of-its-kind Singapore government-supported blockchain accelerator, and part of TRIVE Ventures, a Southeast Asia focused Venture Capital firm, have announced respective strategic relationships with BMW Group Asia, Intel Corporation, and Nielsen.
The incoming corporate participants mark a new batch of top tier corporate partners, with Tribe Accelerator previously announcing during its launch the key involvement of Enterprise Singapore, and PwC Singapore’s Venture Hub.
“We have a vision of how the technology – an enabler of cross-sector innovation with
transformative potential – can be beneficial in the everyday lives of people,” said Ryan Chew, Managing Partner of Tribe Accelerator.
“To move forward as a society, we need to encourage experimentation, and once the benefits of blockchain technology become evident, mainstream adoption will undoubtedly follow, ” he added.
Under the terms of the respective agreements, incoming corporate participants from BMW
Group Asia, Intel Corporation and Nielsen collectively, will focus on knowledge sharing in their respective fields of subject expertise through various Tribe Accelerator organized industry engagements, including a global demo tour spanning Singapore, Seoul, San Francisco, and Shanghai.
BMW Group Asia said its involvement for accelerator participants will focus on sharing best practices around innovation and insights in the mobility industry. It will approach and integrate new technologies into their business.
Through masterclasses and dedicated BMW Group Asia mentoring sessions, accelerated startups can glean valuable knowledge of how their blockchain solutions can be implemented in a mass market situation.
Intel Corporation is working to optimize blockchain solutions for Intel platforms in order to deliver the best performance for customers and accelerate blockchain adoption. Intel Corporation delivers and supports open source software such as Hyperledger Sawtooth, PoET and Trusted Compute Framework, and collaborates with consortia such as Enterprise Ethereum Alliance and Hyperledger to help influence blockchain architecture and ease deployment.
Intel Corporation says it will work with Tribe Accelerator to help program participants best utilize Intel’s blockchain technologies and improve their technology solutions. In addition, Intel Corporation will provide business and technical mentorship to these companies.
Nielsen says it will provide a sandbox with the objective of providing participants with a safe, controlled environment to test new technologies and accelerate the adoption of their solutions. With the support of data SMEs across various industries who will provide mentoring during the program, participants will be able to gain a first-hand appreciation of inherent business risks, understand regulatory environments in which their prospective clients operate, and fine-tune their business models in ways that allow them to continue offering value.
Officials say the mass adoption of the blockchain, though an industry in its nascent stage, is expected to gather pace in the near future, with companies increasingly trying to find the ways to adapt and synergize blockchain technology into their business plans.
Tribe Accelerator is the First Blockchain Accelerator Supported by a Singapore Government Agency. It is a product development focused blockchain accelerator that aims to provide promising startups with a hyperconnected platform to develop and implement their solutions through our network of partners worldwide.


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Google, which was recently sued by the Match Group, which owns the popular dating app tinder,has now launched a legal counterattack with very strong demands. The tech giant is accusing Match Group of acting in bad faith and breaching a contract; provoking a lawsuit regarding Google Play policy.
So, Google filed a lawsuit in response to a lawsuit initiated by the Match Group in May – the owner of popular dating applications Tinder and OurTime accused the owner of the marketplace of a monopolistic billing policy. In addition, as you know, Google and Apple are extremely negative about initiatives to carry out monetary transactions; bypassing their own payment systems. Google has partly changed its policy while preparing for retaliatory steps.
In a dispute over the Play Store, Google sues the Tinder developer
Gizchina News of the week
Google has sued Match Group Inc., accusing the dating-app service of bad faith dealings; and breach of contract in provoking a legal battle over Google Play policies.
On Monday, Google filed a lawsuit against Match Group, alleging that the company does not want to pay for using the marketplace; in which Google charges a 15% commission on the first million dollars a year from US developers; the commission usually increases after this amount of sales is reached.
According to Google, this puts the Match Group in a better position than other app developers who “respect their agreements and voluntarily compensate Google for the benefits they receive”.
Also, Google, in turn, is demanding monetary compensation from the Match Group; and is also asking the court to make a decision; to permanently deprive the owner of dating services of access to its app store.


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Developer DICE recently had its latest creation hit store shelves in the form of Battlefield: Bad Company 2. However, the developer is also working on the multiplayer component for EA’s upcoming title, Medal of Honor. As many of you know, Medal of Honor features a new spin on the series as the design team is bringing the storied franchise into the modern warfare scene.
Today, producer Gordon Van Dyke assured gamers that you can expect an entirely different multiplayer experience with Medal of Honor compared to BF:BC2. Despite the same team working on both products, Van Dyke insists that Medal of Honor’s online component will be its own.
“No. Absolutely not … people shouldn’t expect a clone of Bad Company 2 for Medal of Honor’s multiplayer,” he said in a recent post-mortem. “It’s just like if you went and saw one action movie and then another one came out that year, you’re not gonna say, ‘Oh, I’m not going to go see that one.’ If it was the same director, maybe you’d want to go see that other one even more.”
“…Medal of Honor’s a cool franchise, it gives us the ability to express ourselves through multiplayer in a bit of a different way.”
This is probably for the best considering gamers aren’t going to be likely to shell out $60 for two similar titles within a close time frame. Thankfully, the development team behind the game is standing firm in delivering an experience that isn’t too close to any other in order to validate the purchase for the consumer.


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Asus has made a couple of announcements at CES 2019 across their ROG lineup and more.
Razer has announced the new Razer Blade 15 Advanced which now comes with Nvidia’s RTX GPUs, Alexa support for their Chroma products, keyboard and mouse for Xbox One and more.
At CES 2019, TCL has announced their first home audio product with the Alto Home Theater Sound Bars, the first ever 8K Roku TV and a range of headphones.
As part of their CES 2019 announcements, Dell’s Alienware brand has updated their thinnest laptop ever, the m15 with the latest Nvidia RTX GPUs and also introduced the m17 laptop.
Samsung and Apple have announced that an iTunes Movies & TV Shows app will be coming to both 2018 and 2019 Samsung Smart TVs.
HP has made few announcements at CES 2019 included the OMEN X Emperium 65 with Soundbar, an AMOLED display option for the Spectre x360 15 and more.
If you wanted a new TV to go with LG’s recently announced soundbar lineup, then the company has got you covered.


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Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc. (BBW)
BBW Price and Sentiment
BBW Latest news
Celebrate The Holidays With Build-A-Bear Workshop® And Find The Perfect Personalized Gift For Everyone On Your List2021-11-11 09:00
ST. LOUIS, Nov. 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Let the Beary Merry Festivities Begin at Build-A-Bear Workshop®! From children's gifts and décor items to pop culture favorites and collector's items, there's a furry friend waiting for everyone.
ST. LOUIS, Nov. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Could we BE more excited to announce this collaboration? Grab a coffee mug and get cozy on the couch, because today Build-A-Bear (NYSE: BBW), in partnership with Warner Bros.
Build-A-Bear Workshop Names New Vice President Of e-Commerce And Vice President Of Digital Technology2021-11-02 13:51
ST. LOUIS, Nov. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE: BBW) today announced the hiring of Char Nicanor-Kimball in the newly created role of Vice President of e-Commerce and the promotion of Art Huggard to the role of Vice President of Digital Technology. These moves represent Build-A-Bear's continued commitment to its digital transformation and to the delivery of innovative new products and experiences.
ST. LOUIS, Nov. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE: BBW) is launching a new digital, interactive ecommerce experience! Twenty-four years after reinventing brick-and-mortar retail with the opening of its highly engaging stores, Build-A-Bear is reimagining its ecommerce site with the announcement of this important next step in its digital transformation -- the new Bear Builder 3D Workshop ™ -- a unique animated ecommerce shopping experience that brings furry friends "to life" online.
ST. LOUIS, Oct. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Shop early and bring the fun and magic of Build-A-Bear Workshop® (NYSE: BBW) home this holiday season! Build-A-Bear Workshop has something for everyone on your list with a holiday assortment of furry friends including the popular Merry Mission™ line, classic movie characters, holiday-inspired furry friends and other great gift options for everyone on your list.
Tanger Factory Outlet Centers Inc. has performed in line with the market since we last wrote on it.
BBW, ONTO, HIBB, and TJX qualified the screen for stocks with a high net income ratio.
We present some of the biggest Wall Street stories of the first nine months that have influenced stocks like First American Financial (FAF), MercadoLibre Inc. (MELI), BuildABear (BBW), Boyd Gaming (BYD) and Goodrich Petroleum (GDP).
Build-A-Bear Workshop: A Value Play
We have narrowed down our search to six small business operators that have surged in the past month and have more upside left for the rest of 2021. These are: GDP, BBW, BVH, AOSL, EGLE and GNK.