text:
Washington (People's Daily) -- Trade agreements exceeding $250 billion (USD) were signed between China and US companies during President Trump's two-day visit in Beijing. The deals represent a follow-through on promises made regarding the development of Sino-US cooperation.
One agreement will see a $12 billion chip-procurement bill of Xiaomi and Oppo from Qualcomm. And in another deal valued at $37 billion, Boeing will provide 300 aircraft to China Aviation Supplies Holding Company.
Sino-US trade reached $2.5 billion in 1979. Last year’s tally surpassed $500 billion. US exports to China increased 10 percent, with China exports to the US slightly lower.
Analysts have predicted Sino-US trade could double in a decade.
General Electric, Ford, General Motors and other major companies explored new opportunities with their Chinese counterparts.
China Energy Investment Corp signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to invest $83.7 billion in shale gas and chemical projects in West Virginia. The deal is expected to generate job opportunities in a state with one of the nation’s lowest annual household incomes.
Scholars, political leaders, and trade representatives feel economic cooperation is a “booster” and a “ballast stone” for bilateral relations. Through economic cooperation,both nations will achieve a win-win result.
Delfin Midstream made a preliminary 15-year sales deal that would provide three million tons of liquefied natural gas to China, meeting China’s clean energy demands while establishing the US as a reliable supplier.
The executive director of the Michigan-China Innovation Center, explained to People’s Daily how Sino-US economic ties are welcomed at local and state levels.
“Michigan exports to China and direct investment into Michigan by Chinese companies both result in jobs in Michigan. For exports, China is the 3rd largest destination for Michigan exports, behind Canada and Mexico. In terms of foreign direct investment, Chinese FDI is a small, but a quickly-growing segment of FDI into Michigan. Chinese companies have, through both acquisitions and greenfield investments, invested more than $4 billion (USD) and created or sustained more than 10,000 jobs in Michigan since 2010,” said the executive director.
New business deals worth $250 billion is hardly enough to satisfy consumers and investors on both sides. There are still tremendous strides to made by both parties. Greater pursuit is needed to accomplish mutually favorable agreements on open trade and market entry.


text:
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Windstream Corp., the former local-phone business of Alltel Corp., reported an 83% increase in income in its first quarterly report Thursday as an independent company.
The Little Rock, Ark.-based phone company posted a profit of $196.1 million, or 43 cents a share. That's up from $107.4 million, or 27 cents a share, in the year-earlier period, when Windstream was still part of Alltel.
Revenue rose 6% to $771.4 million from $728.9 million, but sales were flat on an adjusted, or pro forma, basis. Adjusted results allow for more a more accurate comparison.
Excluding onetime items, Windstream said it would have earned 21 cents a share on an adjusted basis, compared with 27 cents a year earlier. The company was projected to earn 24 cents a share on revenue of $798 million, according to the consensus of analysts surveyed by Thomson First Call.
Windstream added 55,000 high-speed Internet customers, a quarterly record, to help drive its average revenue per customer 2.4% higher to $75.79 from a year earlier. Yet Windstream lost 4.2% of its access lines year-over-year to finish at 3.29 million lines served
Windstream, which serves customers in 16 states, was created July 17 after Alltel combined its local-phone business with Valor Communications Group Inc. and spun the merged entity off into a publicly traded company.
The results reflect the Alltel wireline business for the full third quarter and the Valor business starting July 17.
Shares of Windstream

domain: news


text:
General Mills’ EPIC Provisions brand will launch next month the first beef snack to carry a regenerative agriculture eco-label.
The Savory Institute said Tuesday the launch of EPIC’s product marks the debut of the Ecological Outcome Verification (EOV) label under its Land to Market (L2M) regenerative agriculture certification and eco-labeling program, which it refers to as “the world’s first verified regenerative supply chain” for meat, dairy, wool and leather.
Boulder, Colo.-based Savory has a goal to regenerate 2.5 billion acres of grasslands – about 20 percent of the world’s grasslands – through holistic management by 2025. It also administers a global network of over 100 hubs that work with producers to show them how to restore the natural cycles of grasslands through properly managed grazing.
The nonprofit had first announced the L2M program in January 2016. The labeling process is based on EOV, which measures criteria at the producer level such as soil health, carbon sequestration, biodiversity, water infiltration and ecosystem function.
Savory said “rather than providing an inventory of management behavior – tilling, cover cropping, rotational grazing – [EOV] measures how the land is responding to its management as a living system.”
General Mills acquired Austin, Texas-based EPIC in January 2016. The brand, founded in 2013 by Taylor Collins and his wife Katie Forrest, offers a line of snacks including meat bars, pork skins, meat bites, meat trail mix, meat snack strips, bacon bits, bone broth, and animal fats. EPIC recently began selling meatless protein bars made with cage-free egg whites. General Mills reported EPIC’s net sales doubled for the year ended June 2017.
EPIC Provisions is the first brand to take part in the L2M Program, helping Savory develop it since 2013. Since then, three other brands have signed on, including Applegate Natural and Organic Meats, Zuke’s Natural Dog Treats and Supplements, and Union Snacks.
In early October, Savory will provide an on-farm demonstration of EOV at North Mason Ranch in Mason, Texas, a working cattle ranch and demonstration site of the Grassfed Sustainability Group, Savory Global’s Texas Hub. Representatives of Epic, Zuke’s Applegate and Union Snacks will be present to explain how they are utilizing the L2M Program to launch products which will carry the EOV seal on-pack.
Another regenerative agriculture certification and labeling program called Regenerative Organic Certification (ROC) is currently engaged in a pilot to test its standards with 22 brands and farms participating. The ROC, launched by Rodale Institute is set to officially launch in the first quarter of 2019. The certification is an add-on to the USDA’s organic standards with enhanced certification criteria focused on animal welfare, soil health and worker fairness label. The ROC covers requirements for farming and ranching operations, transportation, slaughter and certain processing facilities that produce food and fiber.
VIDEO: Watch more about the Land to Market Program


text:
Numerous rumors say that the future Nexus tablet is expected to sell big as ASUS finished the production and there are already six hundred thousand Google Nexus units ready to be shipped out in June. This means good news for Google as they expect to sell at least two million devices until the end of 2012.
Google Nexus tablet had the May set as the official release date, but it was pushed back to change some design feature and to reduce some hardware costs. It is expected for the 7-inch tablet to be launched with the quad-core Nvidia Kai platform and if we were to believe the rumors then ASUS finished the work and they wish to ship around 600,000 units in June in order to be ready for a July launch when the Google I/O event takes place.
As you might know, it has been said that the ASUS MeMo 370T displayed at CES was the base model for the Nexus tablet and if this were true, and since ASUS’ tablet costs $249 along with Google wanting for their Nexus device to be much cheaper then we should expect the final price of the new 7-inch Google Nexus tablet to be somewhere around $200. However, these are only rumors and there will be multiple other ones leaked in the near future.
We can’t give you any extra specs as there aren’t any beside the one that tells us that Google already expects ASUS to deliver over a half a million devices so that they will have them ready for a July release and presentation, when the Google I/O event takes place. So, what are your thoughts about the 7inch Google Nexus Tablet, will it come with a Nvidia Kai quadcore platform or Google will try to lower the costs and release it as dual core? Leave your opinions in our comments field.


text:
A single buyer has purchased four Vancouver-area dealerships owned by Mercedes-Benz Canada for an undisclosed price.
A news release says that, effective immediately, Dilawri Group of Companies will take ownership of the dealerships along with a body shop and service centre which previously formed Mercedes-Benz Canada’s Vancouver Retail Group.
Canada’s largest automotive group, Dilawri already owns Mercedes-Benz franchises in Langley, B.C. and Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Que.
Added to its portfolio as part of the new deal are a store and body shp in North Vancouver; a store and service centre in Richmond; and Boundary Road and Mercedes-Benz Vancouver.
When the intention to sell was announced in July, Mercedes-Benz Canada CEO Brian Fulton said the four dealerships accounted for 15 per cent of the company’s total sales volume.
The selloff was directed by the board of Daimler, Mercedes-Benz Canada’s parent company, as part of a global strategy of selling off corporate stores in Canada, Australia, Britain, Belgium and Germany.
“For us here in Canada was not something we were looking to do,” said Fulton. “It was something clearly not on our radar.”
He said the search for new ownership involved a review of proposals from leading Mercedes-Benz dealers across the globe.
“Our priority was to find a buyer who would maintain the same high standards of sales and service that our customers have come to expect from thee well-established Vancouver locations. After the review, Dilawri Group of Companies emerged as our retailer of choice.”
“We are honoured and thrilled to expand our partnership with Mercedes-Benz through the addition of these high-profile locations,” said Ajay Dilawri, who shares the title of principal director with his brothers Tony and Kap.
Neither he nor Lawson disclosed a purchase price or commented on whether the sale included the land occupied by the dealerships.
The Dilawri group employs more than 4,000 people at 72 franchised dealerships representing 30 automotive brands in Quebec, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C.


text:
The Kentucky state Senate is considering measures introduced with the intent of boosting the competitiveness of charitable gaming in the state.
One measure, sponsored by state Senator Mike Wilson, clarifies the law concerning internet sweepstakes cafes. The bill would specifically outlaw the cafes, which sell internet time to customers for the purpose of playing online slot games, and pay out cash as prizes. Wilson has complained that the cafes cut into the business of legal charitable gaming venue. The bill stating that the cafes are illegal passed the Senate Committee on Licensing, Occupations and Administrative Regulations on a unanimous vote.
The second bill would allow charities with bingo halls to sell electronic pull-tabs, which are tablet versions of the traditional paper game.


text:
Target reported a blockbuster holiday season with sales soaring as traffic grew and consumers spent more per shop often utilizing pickup and other same-day shopping options.
On Wednesday morning, Target announced its comparable sales grew 17.2% in November and December with same-store sales increasing more than 4% and comparable digital sales jumping 102%.
The numbers were a large improvement from the 2019 holiday season when Target’s comparable sales grew only 1.4% and failed to meet expectations in large part due to a weak performance in normal holiday heavyweights like electronics and toys.
Target did so well that the Minneapolis-based company decided to announce early that it will again be closed Thanksgiving after it was closed like many retailers last year as a pandemic precaution to prevent crowds.
“The momentum in our business continued in the holiday season with notable market share gains across our entire product portfolio,” said Brian Cornell, Target’s chief executive, in a statement. “We’re very pleased with our results, and the strength of our performance is a reflection of the tireless work of our team to support our guests through a safe, convenient and inspirational experience.”
Target has made gains throughout the coronavirus pandemic as consumers turned toward big box stores — and many to different types of online buying.
The recent holiday season saw a reversal of sorts from 2019 with sales growing in the low 20% range in home merchandise, which includes holiday decorations, and its “hardlines” category, which reflects surges in demand for electronics and toys. Store and digital traffic grew more than 4% and the amount customers spent on average per visit climbed more than 12%.
Sales on same-day services continued to grow dramatically by nearly 200% with “drive up” growing more than 500% and sales through home delivery done by Target-owned Shipt growing more than 300%.
On one day in December, Target employees fulfilled 6.5 million items via “drive up” and pickup, the most ever for Target in a single day.
The new numbers continue the strong sales Target has generated throughout the pandemic as consumers turn to the multi-category retailer as a one-stop shop.


text:
Microsoft unveils free Windows 8.1 update
SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp's forthcoming update to its personal computer operating system will be called Windows 8.1 and will be available later this year free to existing Windows 8 customers, the marketing chief for the Windows unit said on Tuesday.
The world's largest software company has been touting the update, previously code-named 'Blue,' as a series of improvements to the Windows 8 software, launched in October, which has not been as popular as it had hoped.
Microsoft has sold 100 million Windows 8 licenses in the six months since launch, roughly in line with the previous version, but wants to combat sputtering interest in its flagship software with a substantial update to make it easier to use and compatible with smaller tablets.
"Windows 8.1 will be delivered as a free update to Windows 8 and to Windows RT and it will be easy to get right from the Windows start screen through the app store," said Tami Reller, head of finance and marketing at Microsoft's Windows unit.
A preview version of Windows 8.1 will be made available at the start of Microsoft's annual developer conference on June 26, Reller said, with the finished update released later this year.
- Police hunt for motive as search for Malaysian jet spans hemispheres |
- Crimeans vote on union with Russia as troops build up rapidly |
- Malaysian PM says lost airliner was diverted deliberately |
- Democrats seek ways to limit Obamacare fallout after Florida defeat
- Indian Ocean poses daunting challenge in search for missing Malaysia plane


text:
Sky's held up its hands and admitted to being a bit slack when it comes to integrating its Sky Go system and Android, with the boss of product design and development at Sky stepping up and taking responsibility for the mess.
In a long and detailed post over on the Sky forums, Alun Webber said the Sky Go app has "fallen short of the expectations of some of our customers," while also listing the main complaints him and his team have seen flooding in from users of the 2.4 star rated app. And there have been quite a few, most notably when it comes to iOS feature parity and Android device support.
It's refreshing to see some honesty from those involved for a change. Instead of ignoring criticism and sticking out new releases without any warning, Sky's put up a list of issues and put together a timeline of when things are likely be fixed. And in what order it's tackling the list. Good on you, Alun. [Sky]


text:
Target Suspends In-Store Trading Card Sales After Incident
David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images. Pictured: Target
When COVID-19 shuttered hobby stores, the big box retailers became the main distributor of trading cards.
But as the stakes rose, and flippers and breakers were able to make serious margins, the lines to buy got longer and the rules got tighter.
On Wednesday, days after a fight over trading card erupted in at a Target parking lot in Brookfield, Wis. that led one man to pull a gun, word started to circulate about signs at Target stores. The company confirmed to The Action Network that the gravy train will at least halt temporarily.
“The safety of our guests and our team is our top priority,” Target said in a statement. “Out of an abundance of caution, we’ve decided to temporarily suspend the sale of MLB, NFL, NBA and Pokémon trading cards within our stores, effective May 14. Guests can continue to shop these cards online at Target.com.”
Online retailers like Target and Walmart can of course better regulate limits as opposed to in store where stories of tracking trucks and anecdotes of back room dealings were told.
While the card boom has been most documented by cards selling for $20,000 that were only $5,000 two years ago, the explosion in value of packs at big box retailers like Target and Walmart can’t be underestimated.
Boxes that cost $20 sell for $100 to $200 on eBay, which led to people camping out waiting for shelves to be restocked and, on a few occasions, led to unruly behavior.


text:
Rutter’s is the Luckiest Place to Play Lottery!
Over the past five years, we have paid out over $106 million in lottery cash prizes to customers, which included several multimillion dollars’ to lucky winners!
The Rutter’s in East Berlin sold a scratch off ticket worth $50,000. A big win recently was a Cash 4 Life ticket sold at the Rutter’s on the Susquehanna Trail that gave the winner $1,002,000 and in April 2016, the Mountville Rutter’s sold an Instant Fever ticket worth $1 million, and two months before that, another lucky Rutter’s customer received $100,000!
“We are very fortunate to have become a lucky place for our customers to get their lottery tickets. This time of year, PA lottery tickets make great gifts, and we are proud of our partnership with them. With an annual average payout to lottery winners of over $21 million each year, Rutter’s really is the luckiest place to play,” said Derek Gaskins, Rutter’s Chief Customer Officer.
We offer all PA Lottery terminal-based games as well as a variety of instant lottery games to hundreds of thousands of customers who visit their 69 convenience stores throughout Central PA each week.


text:
After having split the past four months between Shenzhen, China and San Francisco, California while running what would go on to be a very successful Kickstarter campaign, the Canadian cofounders of the Palette freeform hardware interface are coming home.
After having raised $158,000 in a Kickstarter campaign that ended on January 6 (with a $100,000 funding target), the startup told BetaKit today that along with news of a new and improved pre-order website, it will be making Waterloo its home base and hiring a small team to build out its software side.
When we last chatted with cofounder Ashish Bidadi on December 5, he said he and Calvin Chu were “definitely going to make it” over the $100,000 funding goal. The final two days proved to be strong the campaign experienced a few big spikes in campaign backers, whether that was due to reminders by Kickstarter to users who had starred the page, or a few how-to videos released by Palette to help potential backers understand the product more.
Designed by the pair of University of Waterloo engineering grads, Palette is the first freeform hardware interface that offers hands-on control of your favourite software, and it most appeals to creative professionals using software programs to alter their work. They moved to China for three months to take part in the HAXLR8R accelerator program in Shenzhen, the “Electronics Capital of the World,” before a short stint in Silicon Valley as part of the program to talk with investors. It was during that time that the Kickstarter project was live.
But now with money in the bank and manufacturing plans in place for the first batch of Palette interface, the guys are ready to settle down, hire a few more people and pursue funding.
For Bidadi though, he emphasized that the startups’ journey with Palette has yet to really start. “I think what we’re offering in the physical modules is just the beginning. The button, dial and slider is what we’re starting with but we’re also planning to develop things like a joystick or a trackball module, or a motorized fader. So these are all the types of things that people are excited about,” he said.
The software that Palette currently supports is also “just the beginning”. Bidadi wants to see the interface support other software like Apple products, games, design software and AutoCAD software (software for 2D and 3D computer-aided design). “We know there’s demand for something like this and people have asked us for it. I think me and Calvin are interested in taking this several steps forward.”
First things first though: the guys are back in Waterloo for the first time in four months and once they’ve satisfied the initial shipment orders, they’ll focus even more on software building and bringing on a few more people.


text:
Move over, Ford: Chevy set to take lead
Analysts say GM's bread-and-butter line will become nation's best-selling brand.
By Eric Mayne / The Detroit News
The champagne is chilling at General Motors Corp.’s Chevrolet division, which is poised to overtake Ford as the nation’s best-selling automotive brand this year.
Some analysts predict an end to Ford’s 17-year reign as the industry’s sales champ, a mantle the automaker has long used to rally employees, motivate dealers and entice new customers.
Ford led Chevy by about 54,000 vehicles through August — a sliver of the 700,000-unit lead it held five years ago, according to Autodata Corp.
In fact, Chevy outsold Ford by about 18,000 models last month and 34,000 vehicles in July. September sales will be released Friday, and both brands are staging clearance sales to finish the month strong.
Automotive forecaster Global Insight Inc. estimates Ford will end the year with sales of 2.66 million cars and trucks, down from 2.85 million in 2003, said analyst Rebecca Lindland. Chevy is on course to record sales of 2.69 million.
Despite the projections, Chevy isn’t popping any corks just yet.
“Just because we’re closing the gap, there’s no reason to celebrate victory any time soon,” said Bob Lutz, GM’s vice chairman for product development. “It won’t change the history of the world. But it would be a useful rallying point for the Chevy organization, internally and for our dealers.”
If Ford does lose its sales crown, it’s largely due to its reluctance to dump sales into rental car fleets and match Chevy dollar for dollar on incentives. Ford decided in the past year or so to focus on retail sales.
“If that costs us leadership, I guess I will be willing to congratulate Chevrolet on becoming the largest seller of rental cars in the world,” said Steve Lyons, Ford Division president. “And they can have that title.”
Ford said it won’t chase sales for bragging rights, no matter how sweet they may be.
“We have pulled back (on fleet sales) and we are going to pull back even more next year and the year after,” Lyons said. “We didn’t sell fewer rental cars this year because we weren’t competitive. It’s because we chose not to.”
Chevy last outsold Ford in 1986 with sales of 2.9 million vehicles, compared with Ford’s 2.7 million unit sales, Autodata says.
Ford wrested the sales crown from Chevrolet in 1987 with the help of the popular Taurus sedan. When the Explorer sport utility vehicle joined Ford’s lineup in 1990, it helped widen Ford’s lead even further.
The blue oval has stayed ahead of the bow tie ever since.
But 18 months ago, Chevy officials vowed an unprecedented flurry of new cars and trucks over the next few years would propel Chevy back “to its position as America’s favorite brand.”
Both sides are launching a new wave of key products this fall that will decide how close the race will finish.
In addition to the Silverado pickup and new Equinox SUV, Chevrolet will add an all-new Corvette and the new Cobalt small car to its arsenal. Ford is counting on the all-new Mustang, the new Five Hundred sedan and the Freestyle crossover to complement the top-selling F-150 pickup and Explorer SUV.
“This is going to be combat — down to the wire,” said Jim Sanfilippo, executive vice president of AMCI Inc., a Detroit-based automotive marketing firm. “It’s going to depend on how fast Ford can get to market with the Five Hundred and the Mustang.”
The Ford-Chevy feud has seethed for generations. It plays out from dealer showrooms to neighborhood driveways to the NASCAR racing circuit.
In Detroit, the stakes are higher. Livelihoods hang in the balance.
And while pride can’t pay the bills, it was — and remains, for some — a prime motivator for continuing the competition. To others, the Ford-Chevy rivalry doesn’t seem quite so important now that foreign automakers are gaining ground on both brands.
“There are vast amounts of foreign vehicles that are being produced here on American soil,” said Tom Spears, first vice president of UAW Local 3000, which represents workers at the Flat Rock plant where the Mustang is assembled.
The competitive fire still burns hot at the dealership level.
“It sure is with us — we’re right next to the biggest Ford dealer in the city,” said Bill Studebaker, general manager of Buff Whelan Chevrolet in Sterling Heights. His store competes head-to-head with Jerome Duncan Ford.
If there’s a party to celebrate an end to Ford’s sales dominance, Studebaker said he’ll invite his neighbors at Jerome Duncan.
Scott Reas, general manager at Jerome Duncan, said he’d accept Studebaker’s invitation “in the spirit of fun.” But Reas was quick to note Ford is still ahead in the important pickup sales race. “And I’d be glad to pass him the crying towel.”


text:
The regional government has received complaints about odours from cannabis production in Metro Vancouver.
West Coast-based distributor acquires two companies in strategic move.
The Calgary-based cannabis retailer and franchisor started in 2017.
Vancouver-based company utilizes plant cell growth technology.
New Frontier Data has published a report titled “Global Cannabis Trade: Emerging Regional Import & Export Opportunities”.
Colorado-based GCH Inc. developed the renowned Willie’s Reserve cannabis brand.


text:
Atlus Acquisition, Earnings Adjustment Strengthen Investor Confidence
Something positive happened for Sega and its parent company late last week that most didn’t notice: Shares in Sega Sammy Holdings hit fresh multi-year highs on both the American and Japanese stock markets.
In the US, SGAMY soared to $7.26 a share, a level not seen since January of 2007. In Japan, Sega Sammy also soared to a stock price not seen in at least five years, breaking the 3,000 yen mark to ¥3,015 a share. Both prices have since leveled off a tad.
Two major influences likely had an impact on both the price hike and its fall. The first, no doubt, was Sega Sammy’s acquisition of troubled Index Corporation, the owner of developer Atlus. But the investor glee was short lived as Sega Sammy also revised its earnings forecast on Friday, keeping its Net Income forecast steady at ¥9 billion, but adjusting sales forecasts down nearly 20 percent, and operating income more than 40 percent. The company pointed to slowing Pachinko and Pachislot sales behind the revision.
Currently on the OTC markets, SGAMY is sitting at $6.96 a share5


text:
Results 81-90 of 449
Sort by: Date | Relevancy
Launching at YCS on May 28
May 05, 2016
Konami will be adding a new event category to its organized play program: the Yu-Gi-Oh! School Tournament Series.
Winner TBA at the Ann Arbor Comic Arts Festival
April 25, 2016
The Michigan-based educational organization Kids Read Comics has announced a shortlist of ten finalists for the Second Annual Dwayne McDuffie Award for Kids Comics, which will be handed out at the Ann Arbor Comic Arts Festival on June 18.
From Dark Horse
April 21, 2016
Dark Horse will release a new video game art book for Metal Gear Solid V.
'The Dark Side of Dimensions: Movie Pack'
April 19, 2016
Konami will release a special product this summer for the Yu-Oh-Oh! TCG tied to the 2017 feature film Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dark Side of Dimensions.
Column by Scott Thorne
April 18, 2016
This week, Thorne looks at the conflict between publisher policies and Amazon pricing decisions.
April 15, 2016
Scholastic has signed a publishing deal to release a definitive resource handbook for the Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game.
For 2016 Awards
April 15, 2016
The Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design has released the list of games nominated for the 2016 Origins Awards.
April 11, 2016
Konami has revealed details of the 2016 Mega-Tins for Yu-Gi-Oh!.
April 9 - 10
March 31, 2016
Konami Digital Entertainment will host the next Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series event in Houston.
Now Drive Traffic to Official Tournament Stores
March 28, 2016
This year’s After-School Kit includes a coupon redemption program which drives traffic to Official Tournament Stores.


text:
3D Printer Market In A New Stage Of Development
Bangalore: 3D printing can be considered as a burgeoning industry despite of high levels of hype in the technology’s potential. The most recent news on astronauts using a 3D printer in space next year is an indication of surge in this industry. Gartner for the first time in its new report predicts worldwide shipments of sub-$100,000 3D printers will grow by 49 percent this year, to reach a total of 56,507 units. Whereas by 2014 the rate of growth in the 3D printing market is anticipated to rise to 75 percent with fuelling shipments of 98,065 units.
“The 3D printer market has reached its inflection point,” said Pete Basiliere, research director at Gartner. He added that, even though it’s a nascent market hype outshines the technical realities, and with the rise of buyers interests both hardware software and service providers are compelled to offer easier to use tools that cater high quality positive benefits.
Post your Comment
All form fields are required.


text:
Qualcomm has introduced a type of processor that combines the low-power expertise that Qualcomm(s qcom) has perfected in the mobile world with radios that it has designed and acquired over the years. The internet processor is the first Qualcomm has designed for a residential gateway device and was developed in preparation for a glut of connected objects in the home. This is another new market for the company that invented the CDMA protocol.
The two internet processors that Qualcomm launched are like network processors with an ability to process a lot of packets really quickly. The special bits for Qualcomm is that these chips can do this without consuming a lot of power. The chips contain a dual-core Krait processor that operates at 1.4 GHz and also adds a network accelerator engine that can process streams of up to 5 Gbps. Add to this a mess of radios including Wi-Fi and cellular and you have the overall design.
In an interview last week Amir Faintuch, president, Qualcomm Atheros, explained that because of all the bandwidth consuming devices in the consumer home, processing all those requests is creating network bottlenecks that are more common in data centers. For the user, this means that your Netflix(s nflx) stream might not be bogging down because you don’t have the bandwidth, but because your router just can’t manage as many simultaneous streams.
Hence a network processor for inside the home. Faintuch says that it should appear in products next year, although I’m curious if this is a problem that many consumers will have or more of an anticipated issue. I have plenty of connected devices and a somewhat iffy connection, which I’ve ascribed to the fluctuation that comes with a cable modem. But perhaps it’s a backlog caused by the packets hitting my router all at the same time.
For most consumers this isn’t even an issue they have to worry about given that most consumers simply don’t buy their own modems. So for Qualcomm the question will be if service providers buy into this concept. Many of them are launching their own connected home offerings, so carriers could soon experience the pain of too many devices attempting to ping their gateways.
The deeper push into connected home devices follows on Qualcomm’s 2011 purchase of Wi-Fi chip firm Atheros and as part of a renewed push into industries that are outside the mobile phone. While Qualcomm’s application processors and radios are a huge business, the company knows that as computing becomes ubiquitous it has to have products that solve the problems encountered in cars, homes and even in spread-out citywide networks. Hence Qualcomm’s investment in technologies as diverse as displays or software to connect the internet of things.
Clearly Qualcomm has come a long way from CDMA.


text:
FILE PHOTO: The logo of Amazon is seen on the door of an Amazon Book store in New York City, united states of america, of February 14, 2019. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
(Ap) – Amazon.com Inc., has launched an initiative that allows users to gain access to the Alexa,, Microsoft Corp. (nasdaq: msft Cortana, and many other voice-activated virtual ” assistant services are a single unit.
The move comes as competition has increased among the global technology companies have dominated the market for voice assistants, who are often housed in a smart, speakers, and mobile devices.
The notable exclusions from the Amazon’s Voice Interoperability Initiative,’ be the Alphabet Inc, and Google’s Assistant, to Apple Inc. ‘s Iphone and Samsung Electronics Co.’ s, Bixby.
Google was contacted by Amazon, but only on the weekends, so it’s a very, very short period of time for the assessment of the proposal, a source familiar with the matter said.
“We’ve just heard about this event, and would have to look at the details, but in general, we are interested in taking part in the efforts made by the broad-based support of the eco-system, and the maintenance of strong privacy and security practices,” a Google spokesperson said.
The initiative was supported by more than 30 companies, including Salesforce.com pages Einstein’s.
Chip companies, including Intel Corp., Qualcomm Inc., MediaTek Inc., and NXP Semiconductors NV, and the development of the hardware, Amazon says.
Spotify, Tencent, Baidu, BMW, Bose, Harman, Orange, Sonos, Sony, Audio, Group, also, with the support of co-operation.
Microsoft and Amazon have worked together in the past. The two companies, and two years ago, it was announced that their voice assistants to be able to talk to each other, in a rare move, as the majority of the virtual assistants are well-known for the details of their own ecosystem and do not talk to each other.
Reporting Munsif Vengattil in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila


text:
Games nominees announced for the Ivor Novello Awards
This year's nominees for the video game Ivor Novello Awards have been announced and they include a potential final hurrah for Bizarre Creations.
The nominees include Bizarre Creations' Bond title James Bond 007: Blood Stone, Ninja Theory's Uncharted inspired Enslaved: Odyssey to the West and epic strategy title Napoleon: Total War.
The 56th Ivor Novello Awards ceremony will be held at the Marriot Grosvenor House on Thursday the 19th of May.
This is the second time the Ivor Novello Awards have recognised the music in the games industry.
- Call of Duty: Black Ops III is coming to the PS3 and Xbox 360 after all
- Tomonobu Itagaki's Devil's Third gets a release date
- Adr1ft is coming to PC and consoles at the end of the summer
- EA gives the new Mirror's Edge a name – Mirror's Edge Catalyst
- ZombiU PS4 and Xbox One port reportedly in the works
- Mike Bithell's Volume to be released this August
- Gearbox's new shooter Battleborn gets a pre-E3 trailer
- Steam Controller launches in October, Steam Machines arrive in November
- Gears Of War devs Black Tusk change their name to The Coalition ahead of E3


text:
Three Injured By Gunman at Mall
NORTH VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) _ Two men fleeing from a jewelry store robbery on Friday shot and wounded three people, police said.
Two men, one armed with a shotgun, went into the mall in the northern suburb of Vancouver Friday evening. The man with the shotgun stood outside a jeweler while the other used a rubber mallet to smash display cases, said Staff Sgt. Ron Babcock of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
The two men then fled with an unknown amount of jewelry, Babcock said.
Witnesses said that as they ran from the store, the men yelled at shoppers to get down. Then the armed robber fired, apparently at random, at people sitting at an outdoor cafe.
″Everybody was under the tables,″ said Hector Conesa, who runs a takeout food stand.
″There were a few screams, and with that, I decided I’d better get down on the floor too,″ said Gary Murray, a clerk at a store beside the jeweler.
The three injured people were taken to hospitals. Their names and condition were not released.
One merchant, who declined to be identified, said the two robbers jumped into a car driven by a third man that was waiting in an alleyway.


text:
Viral ‘Side Eyeing Chloe’ meme’s NFT sold for $74,000
An NFT of the viral internet meme, Side Eyeing Chloe, featuring a two-year-old girl, has been sold for about $74,000. It was bought by 3F Music, a Dubai-based music production company. The meme shows two-year-old Chloe Clem giving a disapproving look after her mother reveals a surprise trip to Disneyland.
ED freezes ₹700-crore shares of Karvy Stock Broking group after raids in Hyderabad
Enforcement Directorate has seized shares worth ₹700 crore held directly and indirectly by Karvy Stock Broking Ltd’s Chairman and Managing Director C Parthasarathy. It comes after the ED raided various premises of Karvy Group of Companies, connected entities and the residential premises of Parthasarathy in Hyderabad. Notably, Parthasarathy was arrested last month over defaulting on a bank loan.
70 Freshworks employees in India who have become crorepatis aged below 30
Seventy of the more than 500 employees of Freshworks in India, who became crorepatis with the US-headquartered software firm’s IPO, are aged below 30. “They passed out of college a few years ago and they fully deserve it,” Founder and CEO Girish Mathrubootham said. Freshworks, originally founded in Chennai, was valued at $12.2 billion in its Nasdaq debut.
Tata Group largest wealth creator for investors in 2021, RIL second
Tata Group is the largest wealth creator for shareholders so far in 2021, as per Sharekhan BNP Paribas’ data. Tata’s 28 listed entities added ₹6.6 lakh crore wealth for investors since January 2021, a return of 40%, the report said. Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries’ (RIL) nine listed firms added nearly ₹4 lakh crore, making it the second-largest wealth creator.
Ford India head Mehrotra quits after firm decides to stop making cars in India
Ford Motor Co’s India head Anurag Mehrotra has quit the company, days after the US automaker said it would stop making cars in India, taking a hit of $2 billion. Mehrotra is leaving to pursue other career opportunities, a company spokesperson said. September 30 will be Mehrotra’s last day with the company, as per reports.


text:
Brahmins Foods ties up with Vinayaka Foods
Sweetmeats in the ready-to-eat format, as per the agreement signed.
Kochi: The Rs 60 crore Brahmins Foods India Ltd., producer of over 100 foods and having a wide network in India and abroad, has entered into a marketing tie-up with Vinayaka Foods and Beverages, a leading name in the catering business in Kerala.
Vinayaka had recently launched a range of Kerala dishes and sweetmeats in the ready-to-eat format. As per the agreement signed between the two companies, Brahmins will market Vinayaka's products which include various payasams and traditional curries in other Indian markets and overseas.
The tie-up of two brands that popularise vegetarianism will surely benefit the people who love vegetarian food,'' said M Anantharaman, managing director of Vinayaka Foods. The RTE products manufactured using retort technology have a shelf life of over 6 months. Anantharaman said more products are on the pipeline.
Brahmins have dealers for their products in the US , Europe and Australia besides the Gulf . The Gulf countries are our biggest market outside Kerala. The people are more brand conscious and are willing to shell out more for the products,'' said Sreenath Vishnu, executive director Brahmins Foods. The foods product range of Brahmins include spices, condiments, breakfast cereals, whole grain flours, pickles and specialty foods.
Find this Comment Offensive?Choose your reason below and click on the submit button. This will alert our moderators to take actions


text:
Despite some bumps along the way, 2019 was a solid year all around for the economy, for business, for the consumer, and for the financial markets. For 2020 however, while we expect positive growth, it will be markedly slower. We may even experience a quarter of flat or negative growth, but the odds of a recession are waning.
One of the major supports for the economy for the entire recovery has been somewhat overlooked because it has become the “new normal”, and that is low-interest rates and low inflation. It’s hard to imagine now in a world of stable 2% inflation, but in 1974 inflation was running at 12% y/y and in 1984 it reached 15%. Mortgage rates which are now less than 4% reached an unthinkable 19% in 1981. It’s also hard to overstate the beneficial effects to consumers and to businesses of low and stable inflation and interest rates, even if savers and lenders are somewhat less well off. And the best news is that low inflation and interest are likely to continue on and support the 2020 economy.
It’s also hard to overstate the importance of the services sector which comprises about 80% of the economy. Historically services have not only grown faster but have also been more stable than the goods sector, offering a solid foundation for growth. That was certainly the case in 2019, and again, given its stability, we expect that to be the case in 2020 as well.
The housing market, which was a drag for part of 2019, has seen a sharp rebound over the past few months. Sales, starts, and permits have all taken a leg up, largely due to lower mortgage rates which declined throughout 2019.
The Federal Reserve also initiated a series of three cuts to short term interest rates in July of 2019 after economic data suggested a slowing economy, and the yield curve had inverted. Since it can take from six months to a year for monetary policy actions to have full effect on the economy, so those cuts will help support the economy in 2020. But they may not be enough to counteract the headwinds of slowing global growth, trade tensions, and fading fiscal stimulus.
There is no question that the economy was in fine shape at the end of 2019, and many indicators demonstrate currently robust conditions. But the keyword is “currently”. Some of the same indicators are also giving us concerns about the future, including interest rates, consumer behavior, and the labor market.
There are still significant risks for 2020.
Interest rates are currently low and are positive for the economy, as mentioned above. But the behavior of the interest rate yield curve earlier in 2019 gives us a warning for 2020. The curve inverted in May, meaning the 10-year yield was lower than the 3-month yield, and it and stayed inverted for five months. Over the past 50 years, an inverted yield curve has been a perfect predictor of the past seven recessions. Typically there is a three to five quarter lag between when the curve inverts and when a recession starts, and if that pattern were to hold true, it would put a slowdown somewhere in the first half of 2020. And the fact that the curve has now gone positive is not an argument against its predictive powers because in five of the past seven recessions, that has been the pattern – the curve inverts, then goes positive, and then the recession comes. Note that we are using the term “slowdown” instead of a recession. One reason we are hedging our bets is that because of the unconventional monetary policy over the last decade, where we are coming off a 0% Fed Funds rate, historical patterns may not hold up perfectly.
Similarly, the Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index is currently at a very high level historically which is typically a sign of strength for consumption. But the index has fallen for four consecutive months, and five of the past six. More importantly, two components of the survey, present situation and future expectations, are diverging sharply. The difference between the two is shown as the blue line in the right-hand chart, and when that line gets very negative, it means people are much more concerned about the future than they are of the present, and they are usually right – a recession usually follows.
And it would appear that consumers’ actual behavior is being guided by expectations for the future because total consumption is not only running below average, it’s trending down as well. On top of concerns about the future, another weight on consumption is that growth in real, after-tax, disposable income is also stalling. That downshift can be explained in part by the fact that the effects of last year’s tax cuts, a form of fiscal stimulus, are now drying up. Since there is no tax cut this year, growth in taxes is returning to previous levels, leading to a decline in after-tax income growth.
Another weight on income is growth in hourly wages—which is now running at a decent 3.1% y/y—but is down from 3.4% in February. In turn, that slowing wage growth is due in part to the deceleration in job creation from 1.9% y/y at the beginning of 2019 to 1.5% currently. A decline in job growth has historically been associated with a recession, and in all 11 of the previous recessions over the past 70 years, job growth was actually faster than it is now. There are some other less visible signs of decay in the labor market as well. Job openings have fallen 4.7% over the past year, effectively breaking a 10 year upward trend. Weekly jobless claims are up 11% since April and recently jumped the most in over two years. Finally, the number of job quitters has fallen 4.3% over the past two months, indicating less confidence among workers that they will be able to find a new job easily.
The consumer is also facing an additional burden from interest payments. Despite the Fed cutting interest rates over the past six months, credit card rates remain sky-high at an average annual rate of 17%. In addition, the amount of outstanding student debt has soared. The combination has resulted in rising levels of interest payments as a percent of all personal outlays. In fact, in January that percentage reached the highest level since the recession, and although that percentage has turned down slightly since then, it follows previous patterns that suggest an imminent slowdown. When consumers have to pay more interest on their debts, it leaves less money available to spend on other goods and services to support the economy. In addition, consumer delinquencies on such debt are on the rise, surely a drag on the consumer.
The trade situation has created a great deal of uncertainty and has caused business investment to fall in Q2 and Q3. In addition, total merchandise exports have declined by 0.6% in the past 12 months compared to the previous 12 months. As a result, manufacturing has been suffering. The ISM manufacturing index has been under the 50 level signaling contraction for four consecutive months, manufacturing industrial production is down 0.8% y/y with 13 of 19 sub-industries in contraction, core orders for durable goods are down 0.8% y/y, and shipments of those orders, which are a part of the GDP calculation are only running at 0.4% y/y. Perhaps more importantly for the future, manufactured goods have to be shipped, and shipping indicators, which lead the economy, are all in decay. Freight hauled by trucks, carried by rail, or moved in and out of our ports by ship is all in sharp decline. All of this manufacturing and shipping data could turn more positive relatively quickly if trade negotiations with China were to be finalized immediately, but that seems unlikely. As of this writing, we are on the brink of a phase one-trade deal that would offer some relief on tariffs, but it is only a limited agreement, and it’s possible that the Chinese may drag out any more agreements on trade until after the November 2020 election. At the moment, we estimate that we are losing a bit less than 1% of GDP growth over two years due to this trade “feud”. However if we enter into a trade “war” where we put tariffs on all Chinese goods, and put tariffs on $200B of auto imports, and suffer retaliatory tariffs, we would be losing closer to 2% over two years. And in a world of 2%-ish growth, that’s a lot.
Enjoy the current strength, but expect a slowdown in 2020
So the list of worrisome indicators is significant, but again, many of those same indicators show good business conditions at the moment. Consumer confidence is high overall, but consumer concerns over the future are significant. Overall consumption and personal income are both positive but slowing. Job creation is strong but is decelerating, and several other indicators in the labor market confirm this emerging weakness. Personal interest payments as a percent of total outlays have risen sharply, constraining spending on everything else. Trade uncertainty is driving down investment, manufacturing, and transportation. As a result, our overall scenario is one of positive, but sluggish, GDP growth of 1.6% for all of 2020. And it is possible that we may see a quarter of near-zero, or perhaps even negative growth in the first half of 2020, however, the chances of a full-blown recession are waning.
Our scenario is a bit less rosy than the consensus, and we suspect that this is because of the nature of our business. We ensure our clients against the possibility that the businesses they sell to won’t pay them back, or can’t pay them back due to bankruptcy, and the incidence of those events has been soaring. Perhaps more importantly, we know that increase is a strong leading indicator of the economy. Other analysts may be more focused on the steadily rising stock market which tends to create euphoria and an exaggerated sense of security about the economy. But historically the stock market is usually rising just before a recession. In fact, the S&P 500, shown in the charts below as the blue line, has only given a substantive warning about an impending downturn in just three of the past 11 recessions (shown as the gray columns) going back 70 years. So enjoy the rising stock market now and the currently strong economic conditions. But be aware that there will likely be a marked downshift in 2020.


text:
Has your company taken a big hit during the pandemic over the past year? Find out how our Zenovate CEO & Founder Amelia Wilco brought her company back from the brink, on this episode of Tech Beat.
If your business was threatened by the COVID-19 pandemic, you’re not alone. The pandemic drastically cut revenue, and for some businesses, also increased expenses in order to facilitate remote work.
In many cases, these factors closed businesses outright — but many others, like Zenovate, essentially went on life support, before being brought back thanks to hard work and careful innovation by their leaders.
Want to know how they did it?
Nexus CEO Earl Foote was joined by Amelia Wilcox on this recent episode of Tech Beat to talk about how she oversaw the recovery of her business over the course of the pandemic:
Before starting Zenovate, Amelia worked as a massage therapist. She knew she didn’t want to open a conventional spa or work solely in therapy forever — eventually, she had the idea for Zenovate.
Zenovate provides a range of wellness services for companies, from teletherapy and massage to meditation and life coaching. Instead of selling massage therapy and associated services directly to clients, Zenovate works with companies to provide health and wellness support for their employees. It was just as Zenovate began to develop and gain steam as a corporate massage therapy provider, with Amelia and her team investing time and money in its’ future, that the COVID-19 outbreak began.
“COVID came out, and not only was our path no longer viable, but our business died over the course of ten days,” says Amelia. “We had a 98% revenue reduction.”
So how did Zenovate survive? Over the course of the episode, Amelia shared her insights:
This past year has taught business owners a lot of different lessons. Key among them is understanding that no matter what happens, the future of your business is in your hands. With the right tenacity, teamwork, and a little luck, a global pandemic won’t necessarily mean the end of your company.


text:
Yelp’s new “anti-racist social score” is something of a dog whistle to far-left “anti-fascists” who are already using it to determine which businesses are “racist” and thus need to be destroyed, and which are “woke” and worthy of continuing their operations.
Even if “racism” accusations are completely unsubstantiated, businesses accused of such are now being flagged by Yelp with “Business Accused of Racist Behavior Alert” buttons, which communicates to Antifa and Black Lives Matter (BLM) that potentially violent action is needed to stamp out fascism.
“Now, when a business gains attention for reports of racist conduct, Yelp will place a new Business Accused of Racist Behavior Alert on their Yelp page to inform users, along with a link to a news article where they can learn more,” Yelp tweeted in a company announcement.
Back in the summer, Yelp announced that diners and shoppers should seek out “black-owned businesses” as opposed to those owned by “whites.” This latest “anti-racism” initiative is simply an extension of that.
“At Yelp, we value diversity, inclusion and belonging, both internally and on our platform, which means we have a zero-tolerance policy to racism,” the company contends as it simultaneously instructs people to only patronize black-owned businesses.
“We know these values are important to our users and now more than ever, consumers are increasingly conscious of the types of businesses they patronize and support. In fact, we’ve seen that reviews mentioning Black-owned businesses were up more than 617 percent this summer compared to last summer.”
Businesses need not say the “N word” or refuse to serve blacks in order to qualify as “racist.” According to Yelp and Antifa, refusing to contribute hard-earned profits to causes like BLM is enough to warrant a “racist” social credit score, along with a nasty review.
“Despite raking in enough money from exorbitantly priced, gentrified ice cream, they did not make any donation to the Black Lives Matter movement,” one Antifa, presumably with white skin, wrote about the Portland ice cream shop, the identify of which was censored to protect the business.
“When pressed about this, the owner responded that [the business] was functioning as a ’nonprofit’ and could not afford to donate (because sales numbers had shrunk).”
Seeing as how many American businesses were forced to close because of the Wuhan coronavirus – and many of them are still closed seven months later – it is not hard to imagine that this ice cream business has suffered tremendously already, only to now have to face fascism from the “anti-fascists” targeting it for fake “racism.”
This same Antifa is also upset that the ice cream shop in question supposedly does not employ enough LGBTQPs as employees, even though it actually does, according to the unidentified Antifa. Oh, but these are just “tokenized” LGBTQPs that have to work alongside “the straight white norm.”
"White people and men are consistently outsider hired or promoted over extremely qualified, long time women or employees of color, despite allegations of inappropriate behavior and cruelty by those men," this same Antifa concluded in the negative Yelp review.
This writer can confirm from his own experience that straight white men are generally rare in today’s American businesses. Ironically, most employees and even business owners these days appear to be women and LGBTQPs. Does that mean they are racist, sexist and heterophobic? We will ask Yelp and let you know.
More related news about far-left fascism can be found at Terrorism.news.
Sources for this article include:


text:
The lack of filters from dust leads to damage to the iMac and MacBook. Apple of course
Law firm Hagens Berman has accused Apple of intentionally refusing to equipping computers with filters to protect from dust. This affects the performance of the devices and on the screen appear indelible stains.
A complaint to Apple regarding the iMac and MacBook advanced by law firm Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro, which deals with lawsuits of this kind. Earlier, the firm won a famous case against Apple about the purchase of electronic books for $ 450 million dollars. Since then, Hagens Berman has participated in other litigation against the Corporation from Cupertino, including the slowing of the iPhone.
In recent Hagens Berman lawsuit claims that the MacBook and iMac, released in 2013, do not have the necessary filters to protect against dust, which ultimately leads to the appearance of black spots on the display and performance issues.
“The owners of iMac and MacBook reported dark spots and stains on the screens as well as excessive performance degradation related to the lack of a filter on Apple computers. As is known, the technique consumes air to cool their components, but without the filter the dust gets inside, resulting in a slow computer and overheating.”
In addition, Hagens Berman States that “Apple refuses to acknowledge the shortcomings” and instead makes the affected customers to pay “more than $ 500 to fix a defect of the screen, or even more if they want to replace components that affect the speed and performance of your computer”.
In the framework of the class action Hagens Berman hopes that Apple will refund to affected users the repair costs and will also compensate all inconveniences.
“We believe that Apple is obliged to indemnify the buyers of these premium high-performance computers for widespread defect”.


text:
SINGAPORE / ACCESSWIRE / September 20, 2022 / Decentralized social investing marketplace Zignaly is introducing ZIGBids, a brand new product seeking to disrupt the DeFi auctions landscape, starting with the $20 billion NFT market but with plans to make waves well beyond.
ZIGBids represents a dramatic makeover in how DeFi auctions operate. It will add an array of new features and offerings, making it easier for participants to place bids to secure access to their favorite offerings. Whether it's a spot on the whitelist for their favorite NFT collection, a mystery box with top coins, giveaways, and just about anything else they can think of, ZIGBids is an entirely new way to put Zignaly's native ZIG Coin to work.
The concept for ZIGBids follows the success of the Zignaly Raffles launched earlier this year, which gave Zignaly users the chance to add yet another passive income stream backed by high-quality NFT collections. The overwhelming response to this new offering, which included nearly 30 raffles and thousands of entries, demonstrated the untapped potential of the concept. Zignaly has since refined the process, believing it has the potential to shape the future of the DeFi auction experience. The result of their efforts is ZIGBids.
Thanks to ZIGBids' support for the ‘wallet connect' feature on the highly scalable and efficient Polygon network, users will now be able to directly connect their ZIG-funded Polygon Metamask wallets to ZIGBids, transfer tokens, and start bidding on different auctions happening in the Zignaly Raffles Marketplace with only a nominal raise in ZIG per bid.
"Polygon was the perfect choice of chain to deploy ZIGBids on. It's highly scalable, robust, and on its way to becoming the gold standard for Web3, expanding to Defi, GameFi, NFTs, and far beyond, which aligns so well with what Zignaly plans to do with ZIGBids," says Bartolome R. Bordallo, Co-Founder and CEO of Zignaly.
Perhaps most exciting of all, ZIGBids isn't limited to a single asset class. It was built with the capabilities to run auctions for anything and everything crypto, from IDO/IGO slots, pre-minted NFTs, a basket of tokens going at a deep discount, or anything else users can think of. This unmatched functionality will help progress the mass adoption of ZIG as well as cross-community ecosystem growth.
As is the case with all of its offerings, ZIG Coin is at the heart of ZIGBids. Zignaly's newest offering is one of the firm's biggest moves yet towards transforming the DeFi auctions landscape. ZIGBids will help establish Zignaly as a true melting pot of crypto communities, which will strengthen the Zignaly and Polygon ecosystems.
With over 430,000+ users globally, the Zignaly platform and marketplace are leading the Social Investing revolution by connecting regular crypto investors with the world's top, proven expert traders and fund managers in a win/win profit-sharing model. It's expert-managed, passive crypto investing for the rest of us. Zignaly's multiple offerings also feature uniquely powerful open doors for Investors looking for full-fledged Portfolio Management services, staking vaults, IDO participation via the ZIGPad, NFT raffles, and revolutionary new Bridge solution.


text:
Latest Update: Renault has reportedly stopped the production of the Duster SUV owing to the poor demand.
Renault Duster is one of the early days compact SUVs available in the Indian market that took the utility segment to the masses in the country. Having created a niche amongst the buyers with its excellent driving dynamics, it is about to complete almost a decade in the Indian market. However, despite its huge success, Renault hasn’t given it any major updates in the past years except for two mid-life facelift updates, which has left it lagging behind in the league, and its sales gradually went down. And, now a recent report by the Economic Times suggests that the French manufacturer is planning to discontinue the model by end of this year and may halt its production by October 2021.
The report states that the Duster is being taken off the shelves to reduce costs and increase profitability. And we believe Renault’s quick focus will be on the Kiger sub-4m SUV segment, which is currently getting a decent number of bookings thanks to its competitive pricing and features-rich packaging. Also, it will help the brand to tide over the heavy waiting period running on the Kiger. Even Renault’s other models- Triber and Kwid are also performing quite well in comparison to the aged Duster. However, the brand will introduce the next-generation Duster, probably by the next year.
For those who aren’t aware, the 2nd-generation Duster is already on sale in Europe. In fact, the European-spec model has also received a facelift update last month, which incorporates minor design-related changes, a revised central console, a new infotainment system, driver assistance-based features, and updated mechanicals.
Currently, the first-generation Renault Duster retails from Rs 9.86 lakh to Rs 14.25 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), fighting out with the likes of Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Nissan Kicks, Maruti S-Cross, and the recently launched Skoda Kushaq.


text:
All mass-market plug-in electric cars on sale today have one thing in common.
They are powered by battery packs composed of cells with lithium-ion chemistries.
But to surpass current limits on range and charging speed--as well as to lower the cost and weight of battery packs--researchers are diligently looking for ways to augment or replace lithium-ion cells with something even better.
But what could possibly replace lithium-ion cells in electric-car battery packs?
According to a recent Navigant Research blog post, lithium-ion technology could hit a development ceiling by the end of the decade, necessitating a switch to some alternate chemistry.
In the near term, though, the energy density of lithium-ion cells is expected to increase steadily--accompanied by a decrease in costs.
Battery pack assembly for 2015 Chevrolet Spark EV electric car at GM's Brownstown, Michigan, plant
Economy of scale offered by higher-volume production at plants like Tesla's Nevada "Gigafactory" is expected to help bring prices down, as will hoped-for decreases in the amounts of precious metals used.
Navigant estimates that overall lithium-ion battery pack prices will continue to decline by about 5 to 6 percent annually for the remainder of the decade.
And carmakers are hoping to unlock additional efficiency gains as well.
Speaking at the October eCarTec conference in Munich, Renault battery-development chief said that improvements in energy density will allow for 200 miles of range in mainstream electric cars by 2020.
Before then, Renault alliance partner Nissan is widely expected to be selling a 200-mile Leaf electric car, and the 200-mile Chevrolet Bolt EV and Tesla Model 3 will also debut over the next few years.
But beyond that, analysts believe other chemistries could gradually supplant lithium-ion.
Tesla Motors - Model S lithium-ion battery pack
At the same Munich conference, supplier Bosch predicted that alternatives like lithium-air, lithium-sulfur, and solid-state batteries will soon become commercially significant.
Solid-state batteries will be the first of these technologies to be commercialized in the short term, said Dr. Holger Fink, senior vice president of engineering for Robert Bosch Battery Systems.
Solid-state batteries replace the typical liquid electrolyte with a solid material. The technology has already received some attention from carmakers including Volkswagen, which owns a stake in solid-state battery firm QuantumScape.
Lithium-sulfur batteries may become commercially viable around 2030, Fink said.
With lithium-ion well established, though, the transition to alternative battery chemistries will likely be slow and gradual.
No other cell chemistry has reached the stage where a mainstream carmaker is ready to commit to using it in production vehicles.
And even when these new technologies do become commercially viable, it will likely take time for them to erode lithium-ion's market share.


text:
PLDT and Smart have narrowed down to 10 startups the finalists for its Start Up Innovation Challenge launched a few months ago. Nudgyt, Packetworx, Uproot Urban Farms, Lyon.com.ph, KargaX, @steer platform, Olivia Technology Group, Inc., DaliPay, Wela School Systems, and MetroCity AI make up the 10 finalists that will vie for aid to scale their businesses.
“It’s been a fierce competition yet, as we have received entries across all the focus areas and we would like to thank everyone for bringing your best PLDT & Smart Startup Innovation Challenge,” said Melvin Jeffrey Chan, VP ad head of Enterprise Innovations and IoT Business Development, PLDT. “We welcome all of you to our rigorous boot camp. We prepared mentorship programs, startup kits, and prototyping in the next four weeks.”
The month-long application process was able to gather over 80 startups entries from Metro Manila, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
Under the Workplace of the Future, finalists Nudgyt Pte. Ltd. developed AI that uses behavioral science to help managers grow their hybrid and work-from-home teams, while Metrocity AI developed asynchronous video interviews with AI analysis and stack ranking. Packetworx Inc. has an IoT solution that monitors, logs, and reports environmental conditions inside workplaces automatically, while Olivia Technology Group Inc.’s expense management app allows users to scan receipts or dictate expenses and then auto-generate expense reports for them. Finally, Steer helps companies in the blue-collar industries transform the way they do business.
For Smart City, DaliTech developed contactless palm vein scanners to help busy professionals feel at ease going out and making transactions. KargaX has a B2B freight-matching platform to match businesses’ trucking requirements to accredited trucking companies.
Finalists in Education Lyon gives people the ability to build the learning experience they want, and engage communities, while Wela School System uses a platform that automates the processes in schools and updates parents in real-time using IoT/RFID.
For the Sustainability category, UPROOT Urban Farms has modular shipping container farms that enable communities to grow food using fewer resources, up to 90% less water compared to traditional farming for the Sustainability category.
“These startups have great potential to drive technology and innovation forward in the Philippines and we’re excited to see their progress.” said Katrina Rausa Chan, executive director, IdeaSpace. “We are happy to support PLDT and Smart in this Innovation Challenge, and work together with them in creating new opportunities for our homegrown tech ventures. This program is a model for how we hope to bridge promising Filipino startups with our country’s leading enterprises.”
The teams are currently undergoing boot camp to further develop their products and will present during the culmination of the challenge during the Philippine Start-Up week.


text:
Islamabad, May 17, 2016 (PPI-OT): Islamabad Chamber of Small Traders on Tuesday criticised the decision of the government to slap two percent tax on turnover of the retailers in the forthcoming budget terming it highly discriminatory.
The unjust decision will trigger inflation and protest to meet the fate of tax amnesty scheme launched last year which failed to attract traders while government could hardly raise one billion rupees, it said.
Traders were already frustrated due to high cost of energy, multiple and irrational taxes and ever-increasing demands of government officials therefore they cannot bear more burden, said Patron Islamabad Chamber of Small Traders Shahid Rasheed Butt.
He said that government has already pushed many traders towards cash economy, transactions in US dollar and on slips and the latest decision will increase the volume of undocumented economy.
Shahid Rasheed Butt said that all the efforts to bring traders in the tax net have failed and the latest attempt will also fail as the sector representing 20 percent of the GDP will not accept tax in presence of larger sectors enjoying tax exemptions.
The veteran business leader said that government imposed tax on import stage while shopkeepers pay fifteen percent withholding tax on rent therefore new tax is without justification.
If government assures that cost of energy will not be hiked in the upcoming budget and afterwards then some traders may consider otherwise, he said.
For more information, contact:
Islamabad Chamber of Small Traders and Small Industry
Office No, 9 Block E, Super Market, Islamabad


text:
Retailers are looking to invest money into more intuitive digital experiences for consumers, despite rising cost pressures in the industry. Lewis Weinger, a partner with Bain's Retail practice, explains how zero-based budgeting helps retailers find savings to reinvest in the company's strategy.
Read the Bain Brief: The Zero-Based Cost Revolution in Retail
Read the transcript below.
LEWIS WEINGER: Retailers continue to face cost pressures and margin pressures with rising labor costs, rising logistics costs, and downward pressure on price with more competitive online offers, and the increasing consumer trend towards value. At the same time, retailers are looking to invest resources and dollars they don't have into technology and digital, and into improving the customer experience to be more competitive with Amazon and other online competitors. More and more retailers are turning to zero-based budgeting to achieve this objective.
Now zero-based budgeting isn't simply starting over with a clean sheet every year. It's actually a cost management system and mindset. It's about understanding where your dollars are spent and allocated, and investing those to support the strategy with intentionality. Zero-based budgeting starts with a visibility exercise to understand across complex financial systems and platforms where you're spending your money, and getting more granular into financial buckets, like "other," to know where's that money really being spent. Treating it like it's your own money, and understanding where every dollar is spent.


text:
Ford builds 100,000th hybrid
Claycomo, Mo. -- Ford today celebrated the production of its 100,000th hybrid SUV and reinforced its commitment to ramping up production of hybrid vehicles this year. Ford launched the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner hybrids five years ago and the vehicles remain the most fuel-efficient SUVs on the market. At the same time as workers at Ford?s Kansas City Assembly Plant celebrated the hybrid milestone, Ford dealers are preparing to begin selling the all-new 2010 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan hybrids, which will be America?s most fuel-efficient midsize sedans.


text:
All British Heart Foundation stores have temporarily closed
The British Heart Foundation announced on Thursday 19 March that it will be closing its stores to protect staff, volunteers and customers from the ongoing coronavirus outbreak.
The charity, which raises money for research into heart and circulatory disease, will be taking the new measures with immediate effect.
Which stores are closing?
All 750 of the British Heart Foundation’s stores will be closed.
According to the statement on the charity’s website, this move has been made “ in line with the Government’s latest advice and in response to the emerging evidence that people with many heart and circulatory diseases are at greater risk of complications if they develop COVID-19.”
Allison Swaine-Hughes, Retail Director at the British Heart Foundation, explained the decision:
“The British Heart Foundation exists to support the millions of people in the UK living with heart and circulatory diseases and it’s clear some people with these conditions are particularly vulnerable to complications if they develop COVID-19.
"As significant numbers of our volunteers, staff, customers and donors are in a high-risk group or are directly affected by heart and circulatory disease, it’s only right that we close our 750 shops and stores.
"Without the invaluable contributions of our staff and volunteers, it is not possible for us to operate normally.”
Will their delivery and collection services still run?
For those who are currently awaiting a delivery, the charity will attempt to fulfil all orders by the end of Friday 20 March, or to provide a full refund. Customers with queries have been advised to contact the customer service team, who are available from 9am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday.
The charity will also be suspending its collection service with immediate effect, and have asked that people refrain from leaving donations outside British Heart Foundation stores, as they will not be picked up.
The company also asks that customers try to retain anything which they had planned to donate until the stores are able to open again.
“Once back up and running we will be hugely grateful to receive all items," it said.
The British Heart Foundation’s eBay store will continue to operate as normal, for the time being.
How long will they be closed for?
Beginning on Thursday 19 March, all of the British Heart Foundation’s stores will be closed for “at least two weeks”, according to the statement on the charity’s website.
Swaine-Hughes said, “We hope to re-open all shops as soon as it is safe to do so.”
Coronavirus: the facts
What is coronavirus?
COVID-19 is a respiratory illness that can affect lungs and airways. It is caused by a virus called coronavirus.
What caused coronavirus?
The outbreak started in Wuhan in China in December 2019 and it is thought that the virus, like others of its kind, has come from animals.
How is it spread?
As this is such a new illness, experts still aren’t sure how it is spread. But.similar viruses are spread in cough droplets. Therefore covering your nose and mouth when sneezing and coughing, and disposing of used tissues straight away is advised. Viruses like coronavirus cannot live outside the body for very long.
What are the symptoms?
The NHS states that the symptoms are: a dry cough, high temperature and shortness of breath - but these symptoms do not necessarily mean you have the illness. Look out for flu-like symptoms, such as aches and pains, nasal congestion, runny nose and a sore throat. It’s important to remember that some people may become infected but won’t develop any symptoms or feel unwell.
What precautions can be taken?
Washing your hands with soap and water thoroughly. The NHS also advises to cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze; put used tissues in the bin immediately and try to avoid close contact with people who are unwell. Also avoiding touching eyes, nose and mouth unless your hands are clean.
As of Monday 16 March the government advised that everyone should be observing social distancing - avoiding unnecessary travel and working from home where possible. Anyone with a cough or cold symptoms now needs to self-isolate with their entire household for 14 days.
The government has also advised against going to the pub, out for dinner or partaking in any socialising with large groups. This has caused a number of closures across the country. Schools will close from Friday 20 March for the foreseeable future and exams have been cancelled.
The over 70s or anyone who is vulnerable or living with an underlying illness are being asked to be extra careful and stay at home to self-isolate.
For more information on government advice, please check their website.
Should I avoid public places?
The advice now is to avoid public places and any non-essential travel. Travel abroad is also being advised against for the next 30 days at least, and many European countries have closed their borders.
What should I do if I feel unwell?
Don’t go to your GP but instead call NHS 111 or look online at the coronavirus service that can tell you if you need medical help and what to do next.
When to call NHS 111
NHS 111 should be used if you feel unwell with coronavirus symptoms, have been in a country with a high risk of coronavirus in the last 14 days or if you have been in close contact with someone with the virus.
Sources: World Health Organisation and NHS


text:
In exchange, GSK will get a 5.7% stake in HUL, which is valued at ₹230 billion, and hence, become the second-largest shareholder in the company.
GSK said India remained an important market for it and the company will continue to invest in growth opportunities for its OTC and Oral Health brands there, which include Crocin, Eno and Sensodyne.
As part of the process, it had initiated a strategic review of Horlicks and other brands. The GSK CH India business delivered total turnover of around Rs 4,200 crore in the year ended March 2018 and a large chunk of it, nearly 95 per cent of its, came from Horlicks and Boost brands.
The Transaction is subject to customary regulatory and shareholder approvals, with expected completion in c.12 months.
The transaction includes the all-equity merger of Hindustan Unilever Ltd with the publicly listed GSK Consumer Healthcare India; Unilever's acquisition of an 82% stake in GSK Bangladesh Limited; and acquisition of certain other commercial operations and assets outside India. HUL's top management said it will unlock significant synergies from the merger both from revenue and costs.
Post the acquisition, HUL expects the company's Foods and Refreshment (F&R) business to exceed the turnover of Rs 10,000 crore. "We look forward to welcoming new brands and great talent into the Unilever and HUL family, once the transaction is complete", says Sanjiv Mehta, chairman and managing director, HUL.
Kanye West apologises after being caught using phone during Cher musical
In many parts, it was much, much better than I thought it would be. West later tweeted an apology to Spector and the show .
Merger will make HUL's food and refreshment business 1.6x larger and give it a strong nutrition brand which can be leveraged in more categories Raises FY21 earnings estimates by 6.5 percent Maintains neutral, lifts PT to 1,900 rupees from 1,770 rupees. HUL told on Monday that it has approved merger with Glaxosmithkline (GSK), a company manufacturing Horlicks.
Unilever will also be getting its hands on Boost, another of India's most popular malted drinks.
Horlicks has a long history in India - which accounts for nearly 90 percent of the GSK arm's turnover in Asia - having been introduced there in the 1930s.
'Despite this, the category still remains under-penetrated in India, ' it said.
It is estimated that the malt-based drinks category will grow to Rs 119 billion by calendar year 2022, from Rs 77 billion, last year.
Unilever is boosting its presence in India by buying some of the country's top nutritional drinks. We will increase penetration with special focus on rural markets and emerging channels and expand our offerings to the fast-growing premium segment.
- Gautam Gambhir retires from all forms of cricket
- Indian policeman, civilian killed by stone-pelting mob over 'cow slaughter'
- Rematch between Bucs’ Mike Evans and Panthers’ James Bradberry a physical one
- Pres. Trump complains about cost of 'uncontrollable' arms race
- Markelle Fultz diagnosed with nerve condition
- Green Bay Packers fire associate head coach Winston Moss
- Nigel Farage quits Ukip over its 'fixation' on anti-Muslim policies
- Australia vice-captain Mitch Marsh dropped for first India Test
- Saskatchewan doesn't plan to follow Alberta's oil production cuts, says Moe
- Trump says US-China ties make 'BIG leap forward'