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(Mr. MingwangZhang, chairman of Eagle Health Holdings and Ms. Linxiang Chen, executive director, sounded the first bell for listing in Sydney’s ASX on 3rdJuly,2017)
(Eagle Health Holdings Limited successfully listed on the Australian Stock Exchange on 3rdJuly, 2017)
The listing ceremony of the Eagle Health Holdings Limited (stock code EHH) Australian board (ASX) was held at 12:00 in Sydney on 3rd July. It is the first Chinese eco-pharmaceutical industry listed on the main board of Australia and it is also a gorgeous debut of the Chinese health products brand in the international market. The Eagle Health Holdings listed due to the guidance and sponsorship from the Australian capital IDC. It was touted by Australian and international investors, setting a record of＂Chinese concept stock” maximum amount of listed financing in the first half of 2017 on ASX.
More than 100 guests and more than 10 Chinese and foreign media reporters have been presented and witnessed this historic moment, such as principal leaders of ASX , the Chinese Embassy in Australia Commercial Consul, president of Xinhua News Agency in Canberra, former Deputy Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs in Australia,former Sports Minister of Tourism,president of the Zhejiang Chamber of Commerce in Australia, the president of Wenzhou Chamber of Commerce in Australia, IDC capital partners,etc.
Mingwang Zhang,Chairman of the Board of Eagle Health Holdings, spoke on behalf of the Board:＂Eagle Health Holdings Limited health officially listed in the Australian Stock Exchange, which is an important milestone in the history of the Eagle.Listing is not the end, but a new starting point, moving towards internationalization and publication. The successful listing reflects the Eagle’s business model, growth potential, profitability, management team,development prospects that are widely recognized from capital market.”
He said,＂In recent years, with the improvement of Chinese consumption levels, a growing awareness of health living and positive policy, China＇s health industry has ushered in a golden period. As the leading enterprise of health products industry in Fujian province, we have the responsibility and ability to connect Australia＇s health products reaching world＇s pharmaceutical standards with China＇s biggest health products market.Furthermore,we are confident that we will share Dendrobium made by eagle and other valuable Chinese herbal medicine health products with Australian nationals.”
He also said, ＂We choose to list on the main board of Australia to set up a bridge between China and Australia for realizing the complementary resources and market and taking advantage of Australia’s mature research, product and capital market.Currently, the Eagle has partnered with Monash University in Australia and has become the sole agent of China’s natural therapy for the treatment of grey nails. At the same time, it will also introduce a patent for diabetes.It has also attracted a long-term investmentof 11 million Australian dollars(about 60 million RMB) from Nativa, SouthAfrica’s largest health care company,which will open up the sales market in Africa. We will also use this bridge to bring traditional Chinese medicine products to the international community and bring benefits to the world.”
The Eagle Health is a comprehensive ecological pharmaceutical enterprises with a history of 16 years,integrating on research, development, production and sales of amous trademarkin Fujian province and Xiamen economy top 10 gold signs in 2016. It comes to the forefront of the modernization of traditional Chinese medicine represented by dendrobium with ＂ancients”at home and abroad.
The Eagle Health Holdings Limited will seize the favorable momentum of Chinese major health industry, relying on research and development technology in the Australian health industry, leveraging the international capital markets so that it can achieve rapid development and reward shareholders with the best performance.
(The leader of ASX and Mr. Mingwang Zhang, president of Eagle Health Holdings, posed for photographs.)
(This is listing ceremony of the Eagle Health Holdings Limited. Mr. Mingwang Zhang, president of Eagle Health Holdings(first on the right), Ting, jiang, the partner of IDC capital management, replied to Chinese and foreign media reporters.(second on the right).)


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Mischief has won a six-month brief to promote Virgin Atlantic’s top-of-the-range service, as the long-haul airline aims to increase its share of the business traveller market.
Virgin Atlantic’s director of corporate comms Greg Dawson told PRWeek Mischief would also focus on making the brand the airline of choice for the London 2012 Games.
The service, which starts in the spring, will feature an upper class cabin with enhanced seats and a futuristic bar.
Virgin Atlantic has piled £100 million worth of investment into its business class product – its biggest investment in more than a decade.
Mischief CEO Mitchell Kaye will lead the account and report into Dawson.
Mischief won the account after a three-stage pitch process after agencies were asked to send in credentials. Ten agencies - a mixture of travel specialists and consumer shops - were shortlisted and five then went through to a pitch process.
Dawson said of the appointment: ‘Mischief showed us great creativity and the ability to work across multiple platforms – which is what we need.
‘It’s the right time for us to drive awareness of this huge investment – the most we’ve invested in a product in a decade - and also we want to continue to learn from agencies like Mischief on the most innovative and creative ways to speak to our consumers.
‘In-house work will be joined-up with Mischief and driven by our international PR manager Joy Doyle.’
Mischief is currently on alert for its account with BAA. The Spanish-owned operator of six British airports is undertaking a multi-million pound comms review.

domain: news


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While some companies live in fear of being the subject of a Donald Trump tweet, some are more likely to be Trump targets than others.
In the case of Booz Allen Hamilton, Malone says most of the company's business is with the U.S. government, and two of its former employees were charged with stealing top-secret intelligence.
Malone says VW and Samsung could be targets because of safety issues with their products, and Walmart could be a target for employing workers part-time to avoid paying them benefits.
But Malone says companies with strong leaders and loyal followers would likely avoid any criticism from Trump. He says those companies include Amazon (AMZN) , Apple (AAPL) , Starbucks (SBUX) and Tesla (TSLA) .


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MT. PULASKI, Ill. — Motivated residents of the spunky community of Mt. Pulaski, in central Illinois, opened a new coop grocery store amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Their plans were delayed a little more than a month by COVID-19 disruptions, but if anything, it inspired the community to make their grocery store a reality, said Tom Martin, a local crop farmer who led the effort to open The Market on the Hill, a cooperative grocery store with 126 community owners.
Long before the pandemic made everyone think more about issues in the food/processing chain, Mt. Pulaski residents were spurred on to take action after their grocery store closed.
The residents raised $120,000 in only three months to make the newest grocery store in Logan County possible, an effort worth of a Hallmark movie.
So is the setting.
A bright, navy blue awning, large windows and its name etched in glass on the door welcome shoppers to The Market on the Hill. It sits amid a handsome town square, not far from the historic courthouse, and features a mural tribute on its exterior wall to the story of the historic 1910 plane-train race which involved the Wright Brothers bi-plane landing with a broken wheel near the town. In that story too, town members pitched in to win the race.
The spark to the engine that became this store was ignited in 2016 when the community’s grocery closed. Martin, chair of the Mount Pulaski Economic Development and Planning Board, got things rolling.
“We drove a stake in the ground — we’re not going backwards anymore,” he said.
First they tried to attract a chain store, but were turned down three times and told a population of 1,500 isn’t big enough to make it work. So they decided to establish their own store and within three months raised enough money for the store to both serve the community with food, and give opportunity to local farmers and growers.
“Pumping a potential $7 million dollars into our local food producers’ operations could be a game-changer for our county,” Martin said.
Inside the store, brimming with historic character, local produce is a star. On June 25, one day before the official opening, fresh broccoli from the nearby Hilltop Community Gardens field, was featured on the display. Andrew Meister, chairman of the Market on the Hill board, who also operates an insurance business next door, was one of the first in to snag some fresh broccoli. Along with the greens, shelves are stocked with many local products including honey, eggs, pork, beef, and homemade preserves.
While many of the products are local, other essentials are delivered to the store on a shared truck with a grocer from a nearby town, he said.
Because of its size, The Market on the Hill doesn’t have everything a household needs.
“The store is meant to be convenient, not the end all be all,” Martin said.
Martin said it’s young business people like Meister who will help the store and community flourish.
“They are going the direction we need in this town,” said Martin, a long-time volunteer and community supporter.
Good leadership, clear communication and a strategic plan have made Mt. Pulaski successful in its revitalization when some communities are not, said Bill Thomas, Logan County’s economic development director.
“They are very strategic. They set goals, break them down and achieve them,” said Thomas, who has worked in community development for three decades.
In a town where 45% of the residents are over 45 years old, according to 2010 Census figures, and one-quarter of the population is more than 65 years old, many leaders and volunteers have been seniors and retirees for years. The influx of people like Meister allows Martin to step back and give new leaders room.
“I love to lead and give ideas and let them take off with it,” Martin said.
The corn, soybean, wheat and hay farmer did the same with nine acres of his land which he rents to Kyle Reed for Hilltop Community Gardens, a big supplier for the market. Reed started planning last fall for the market this year. Before the store opened, he sold produce at farmers markets in Springfield and Lincoln on the garden’s online site, which he continues to do.
In addition to what he grows, about a quarter acre of garden space is rented to other citizens who pay a small fee for the plots to grow their own food.
Shoppers also get a 20% discount on the food from any local farmer now through September via income generated for economic development from a nearby wind farm, Martin said.
“That’s a big deal,” said Shaun Tyson, who sells his local beef at the store.
The 20% savings are incentive for people to buy local foods, said Tyson who operate Tyson’s Farmers LLC with his wife Kim in nearby Chestnut, and is vice president of the Market on the Hill.
This community has further plans for economic development. Among them, a food hub and a food processing center to help growers without enough volume, or year-round production to supply local institutions including schools, nursing homes and hospitals. The goal would be to pick four or five products such as carrots, beans and green beans and offer processing, likely freezing and packaging on a scale to supply local institutions.
Mt. Pulaski has an advantage some other communities do not. The city council approved a 1% sales tax to help with economic development, and the Enel Green Power wind farm provides between $80,000 and $90,000 for economic development annually. In all, the community gets between $200,000 to $250,000 to foster economic development. It also won a federal grant that covered initial research costs.


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Expo Communications has launched a consumer-generated video product review site at ExpoTV.com, to be supported by advertising and a revenue-sharing arrangement with content producers.
The “videopinions” are one- to three-minute clips that cover a range of consumer products. Users are able to rate the clips on the site for usefulness, and comment on each review. Beginning this month, the top vote-getters will get paid $0.01 every time their clip is played.
Seeing who’s giving a review makes it more relevant to users, since they get an idea whether the person is someone they can relate to, according to Daphne Kwon, CEO of Expo Communications, parent company of ExpoTV.com.
“It’s nice to see who the reviewer is, it strips away the anonymity,” Kwon told ClickZ. “We all know that on the Internet, LonelyGirl15 is often really LonelyMan51.”
Submitters are given wide leeway in what the reviews will talk about, but mature content, extremist views, and other salacious content is not allowed. Content of that type is usually flagged by others in the community right away and removed, Kwon said.
“Unlike most video-sharing sites, ours is not built to celebrate that kind of content,” Kwon said. “People coming to our site are doing product research, looking for information.”
That family-friendly attitude is appealing to advertisers too, Kwon said. Many advertisers who have been trying to get involved with consumer-generated media have shied away from video-sharing sites like YouTube, because they’re afraid of putting their brand in that environment.
Advertising consists of performance-based banners and links on the ExpoTV site. Pre-roll ads are planned to appear in certain categories in coming months. ExpoTV is also opening up opportunities for product manufacturers to contribute video, which will be clearly marked as sponsored content.
ExpoTV content is distributed on AOL Video, Google Video, and through a deal with About.com. The About.com deal also includes distribution of About-produced expert videos on ExpoTV. ExpoTV is also available as a video-on-demand channel through several cable TV providers.
As an organisation, finding the right marketing channels is an essential part of your marketing strategy.
2017 is the year in which CMOs are expected to outspend CIOs on technology, according to Gartner, which is no surprise given the way in which consumers of all kinds are increasingly using technology in their everyday lives.
As it prepares for a 2017 IPO that could be the largest in the social media space since Facebook went public in 2012, all eyes are on Snapchat.
Amazon Prime was launched in 2005 as an express shipping membership program and more than a decade later it has tens of millions of subscribers who enjoy a lot more than just free, fast shipping on millions of products Amazon sells.


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Mastercard introduced Crypto Secure, a new product powered by CipherTrace, with the goal of assisting in assessing the risk of crime associated with crypto merchants on the bank’s network in the midst of the proliferating Crypto ATM scams such as “pig butchering scams.”
News in a Glimpse:
- Mastercard announced the launch of Crypto Secure, a new product powered by CipherTrace.
- This new product aims to help cryptocurrency merchants assess the risk of crime within the bank’s network.
- Crypto Secure arrives amid a surge in Crypto ATM scams such as “pig butchering scams.”
Mastercard introduced their new product, Crypto Secure, earlier this week, with the goal of assisting in assessing the risk of crime associated with crypto merchants on the bank’s network. CipherTrace, a blockchain security startup acquired by Mastercard last year, will power this new product.
In the midst of the growing crime in the nascent digital asset market, one of the world’s largest payment card network processors, Mastercard, launched its newest product. According to the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Miami Field Office, crypto ATMs, such as the one released by Mastercard in collaboration with Hi, are known to be an avenue through which scammers receive funds from defrauded victims.
Mastercard’s Crypto Secure
Mastercard has officially unveiled their newest product, Crypto Secure, a new piece of software designed to assist banks in identifying and blocking transactions from fraudulent crypto exchanges.
This new system, according to the report, employs “sophisticated” artificial intelligence algorithms to identify or determine the risk of crime associated with cryptocurrency exchanges within the Mastercard payment network. The Crypto Secure is said to rely on data from the blockchain, a public record of cryptocurrency transactions, as well as other sources.
To assist banks and card issuers in determining the risk of criminal activity associated with cryptocurrency exchanges, the Crypto Secure platform displays a dashboard with color-coded ratings that aim to represent the risk of suspicious activity, with the severity of the risk ranging from “red” for high risk to “green” for low risk. Crypto Secure does not make the final decision on whether or not to reject a specific crypto merchant; this is left up to the card issuers.
The Technology Behind Crypto Secure
The technology used in Crypto Secure is simply an extension of Mastercard’s technology for preventing fraud in fiat currency transactions. According to Ajay Bhalla, Mastercard’s president of cyber and intelligence business, this new product ensures that its partners remain compliant with the complex regulatory landscape.
He also stated that the company’s goal is to provide the same level of trust for digital asset transactions for consumers, banks, and merchants as it does for digital commerce transactions. More banks and payment companies have been slowly entering the cryptocurrency space with their own services for trading and storing digital assets in recent months, with compliance being a key focus.
The Pig Butchering Crypto Scam and Crypto ATMS
More than a week after the release of the Mastercard and Hi partnership’s Crypto ATM project, and a day after the announcement of Mastercard’s Crypto Secure, the public has been warned by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Miami Field Office that Crypto ATMs are allegedly used by scammers to receive funds from defrauded victims.
According to a public warning issued on October 3, the fraudulent act is known as “pig butchering scams,” in which scammers pose as a potential romantic partner or even a long-lost friend in order to “fatten up” the victim’s trust by feeding them lies and interest.
Following that, the scammer will introduce investment discussions during their conversation. During the scam, the scammer is said to coach the victim through the “investment process,” after which they are encouraged to continue making deposits by the fraudsters.
The FBI and the Internet Crime Complaint Center have already made it public that if a user falls victim to this scheme, there will be no way for them to recover their funds. These agencies, on the other hand, have observed that scammers frequently ask their victims to send funds via crypto ATMs, in addition to more traditional methods such as wire transfers and prepaid cards.
This pig butchering scheme has been around for quite some time, and law enforcement agencies have issued warnings about it. Although some of the victims are allegedly uneducated about these new technological innovations, there are also tech savvy victims.
Scams Around Crypto ATMs
Scams have been reported around Crypto ATMs this year, with scammers pretending to be public officials, law enforcement agents, or employees of local utility companies and ordering their victims to send payments for bills or unpaid taxes in order to avoid further penalties. Scammers will sometimes attack emotionally and pose as potential romantic partners.
Government agencies have issued warnings to the public to always verify the investment opportunities that are presented to them first. Furthermore, the general public must be aware of the domains and URLs of websites that are sent to them. Finally, before downloading any applications, make sure they are legitimate.
According to Coin ATM Radar, the United States currently has approximately 33,500 cryptocurrency ATMs, accounting for 87.4% of global crypto ATM distribution.


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IBM secures China server biz with Great Wall
Lenovo loved and then attacked
After making a big splash in the Chinese PC market, IBM has now taken care of the server side of the house by forming a new joint venture with Great Wall Computing.
IBM will own 80 percent of International Systems Technology Company with Great Wall picking up the other 20 percent. The new company replaces an old joint venture between the companies known as International Information Products (IIP). That company manufactured notebooks, servers and other gear for IBM to be sold in the Asia-Pacific region.
IBM gave up its interest in IIP to Great Wall's rival Lenovo, as part of the two companies' much-publicized PC deal. In addition, Great Wall sold its stake in IIP to Lenovo.
Now, ITSC will make IBM's full spectrum of Intel, AMD and Power5 servers. IBM will be competing against PC partner Lenovo in the server market. ®


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After learning the horrifying statistics of Diabetes in India, Harsha Vardhan S quit his job, and along with Damanbir Singh, started a food and nutrition brand called Lil’ Goodness to provide healthy and affordable snacks that also satisfy taste cravings.
Bengaluru resident Harshavardhan S was content with his well-paying job in TATA Health and TATA Industries Limited, until one day in 2017, when he became aware of India’s horrific diabetes statistics.
That year, his company collaborated with the Telangana Government and launched a programme in which nearly 1.3 million people from the state were screened for diabetes. It was found that 2,600 of them had advanced diabetes. Surprisingly, none of them was aware of the illness. Without the diagnosis, their condition would have probably resulted in a cardiac arrest within six months, informs Harshavardhan, which could have been fatal.
“The insights from the screening programme helped the government to take action in terms of medication and diet interventions at rural levels. The fact that we could diagnose so many people with diabetes and enable corrective action to prevent further damage was very satisfying. I also realised that so much more needs to be done at all levels of society, especially on nutrition to reduce the risk from metabolic disorders, which are very often ignored,” he says.
The screening programme results pushed Harshavardhan to start a business with a philanthropic objective, but the same year, he was blessed with a daughter. As a new father, he wanted to make sure his daughter is exposed to better food choices than what he had while growing up.
So, he decided to get into the food industry and produce snacks that are nutritious and can be consumed by everyone — be it kids, adults or even people with diabetes, which led to the brand Lil’ Goodness.
Adding health to taste
“During my college days, I also developed bad snacking habits. Back then, I didn’t know that regular chocolates, including the so-called healthier ones, spike glucose. I used to have higher sugar levels although I exercised regularly,” he recalls, adding, “But a strict diet helped me control my sugar.”
He says that a poor diet that’s low in fibre and high in fat, cholesterol, salt, and sugar can lead to obesity and diabetes. “Some of these dietary habits are formed at an early age when people are prone to succumbing to poor eating habits due to easy access to products that have low nutritive value. Unfortunately, most companies that manufacture such food items often optimise for margins and not nutrition,” he adds.
That’s why in 2019, the MBA graduate, who has over a decade of work experience, quit his job. And then in 2020, Harshavardhan co-founded Lil’ Goodness along with his colleague Damanbir Singh.
Lil’ Goodness is a new-age family food and nutrition brand that offers scrummy, nutritious, and healthy food options to kids and teenagers. “The philosophy is simple. If our future generation eats healthy today, then there will be fewer diabetics in the days to come,” the 37-year-old CEO tells The Better India.
“As a brand, we stand for goodness — in terms of the kind of food we eat, the kind of nutrition we provide to families with children. While we wanted our products to be tasty, we also wanted to prioritise adding goodness to every bite. A lot of food and nutrition engineering effort went into product development,” he adds.
Before starting the brand formally, the entrepreneur set up shops in flea markets and malls to test different consumer preferences for different product types. He observed that while people showed interest in products that had strong health benefits, the products with better taste had repeat consumers. So, the challenge was to come up with a brand that provides healthy snacking options that also satisfy cravings.
Healthy alternatives to go-to food options
The brand offers gut-friendly dark chocolates which Harshavardhan claims are “India’s first prebiotic chocolates”. Similarly, the brand also offers other healthy products like its milkshakes, which have 40 percent less sugar, more fibre, and more oats, and extruded snacks made with quinoa and super grain teff.
“All food items are chemical and preservative-free,” he says, highlighting that usually, chocolate costing between Rs 5 and Rs 10 is made using vegetable fat and lots of sugar. Whereas, healthy chocolate bars are expensive, costing between Rs 60 and Rs 80. So, to introduce a healthy and affordable option, Harshavardhan, a chocolate lover himself, came up with fibre-rich dark chocolate priced at Rs 20. He says, “It contains 56 percent cocoa in the dark variant and has naturally derived prebiotics.”
The entrepreneur wants to change the common perception that healthy food is always distasteful and expensive. “We are able to price the chocolates at Rs 20 because of the portion size. It is a 13-gram bar, which provides the indulgence of eating chocolate while ensuring portion control,” he says.
He further adds, “Because of the scale at which we sell, we have been able to bring down the cost of manufacturing while maintaining the same premium quality throughout the entire product range.”
Harshavardhan says that their milk chocolate product contains turmeric in it. “We have testimonials from consumers who say that our chocolates taste better despite containing turmeric!”
He shares that from mothers who struggle to include fibre in their children’s food to grandparents on dietary restrictions, everyone is now able to enjoy their fibre-rich products that can also improve gut health.
Apart from adding nutrition to snack options, he has also ensured that the packaging used for the products is reusable. Focusing on the concept of goodness, Harshavardhan shares that he imprinted cartoon characters from Avengers, Disney, etc, whose cutouts can be used to make toys. Besides, a QR code is imprinted on every product, which encourages children to play gut health-related games.
The brand started three years ago amid the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, and now, has its presence in around 4,000 kirana (retail) stores across the country — including Jharkhand, Meghalaya, Manipur, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and Bihar.
“We want to be in school canteens and kirana stores so that anyone can access our products easily. We are also going to grow our healthy snack varieties and expand our presence to nearly 10,000 stores soon,” says Harshavardhan.
Harshavardhan has employed 19 full-time employees and about 70 women from underprivileged sections to package the products, keeping his initial philanthropic philosophy in mind.
So far, the brand has catered to around 1.6 million consumers. He notes that about 30 percent of its sales come from offline retail stores, whereas, online sales — through its website, marketplaces and instant grocery channels — account for 70 percent of its revenue. Lil’ Goodness clocks an annual revenue of Rs 2 crore and is expecting five times revenue growth this financial year, he informs.
Vinod Naik, who hails from Bengaluru, has been a regular consumer of their products since the initial phase of the pandemic. “I get a package delivered from them [Lil’ Goodness] every month. I have faith in brands like these which are trying to make a difference,” the 43-year-old tells The Better India.
Of all products, he says his favourites are prebiotic dark chocolates. “They are very tasty, and definitely a good replacement for regular chocolates,” he shares.
Harshavardhan says that his vision was to be a part of a larger movement that makes indulgence healthier, portion-controlled, and accessible to a larger population. “With this brand, I have been able to create a product platform that provides healthy snacks that are also easy on the pocket.”
Edited by Pranita Bhat. All images: Lil’ Goodness


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Bed Bath & Beyond has accelerated what it said is the “realignment of its store management structure” which includes the reduction of 880 department and assistant store manager positions.
“The actions taken today to accelerate the realignment of our store management will allow us to better support our customer-focused initiatives as well as support our omnichannel growth while driving operational excellence,” said Steven Temares, Bed Bath & Beyond’s CEO.
The staff reductions will impact about half of the company’s Bed Bath & Beyond locations and about a dozen buybuy Baby stores in the U.S.
Bed Bath & Beyond officials said the job cuts will simplify the store management structure and strengthen the company’s ability to meet the growing and changing desires of its customers by focusing additional staffing needs in non-management roles and placing less emphasis on a management structure that supported a more rapid rate of store growth. There are no further reductions planned in connection with the realignment, the company said.


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A witness at about a of the predominant commercial events and economic indicators upcoming this week:
EYE ON CONSTRUCTION
The Commerce Division components its most up-to-date month-to-month tally of U.S. construction spending Monday.
Spending is predicted to hold risen 0.7% in December. That could perchance well be a rather slower accelerate than November’s 0.9% place. Energy in homebuilding has helped offset weak point in other aspects of the attain industry. Thru the first 11 months of 2020, construction spending elevated 4.4% when when put next with the identical length in 2019.
Building spending, month-to-month percent alternate, seasonally adjusted:
Dec. (est.) 0.7
Wall Avenue expects Amazon.com capped 2020 with any other solid quarterly report card.
Analysts predict the e-commerce big will report Tuesday that it’s fourth-quarter earnings and earnings elevated from a year earlier. That would echo the corporate’s ends within the outdated two quarters. Amazon’s gross sales hold risen sharply at some stage within the pandemic as extra of us flip to on-line trying to get hold of groceries and other items. In November, Amazon began selling prescription medications, too.
Economists predict hiring within the U.S. rebounded in January after falling the outdated month.
They request the Labor Division will report Friday that nonfarm employers added 150,000 jobs in January. That would educate a loss of 140,000 jobs in December, the first month that the nation shed jobs since April. December’s negative jobs amount stemmed totally from a loss of virtually 500,000 jobs in a category that entails eating locations, bars, resorts, casinos and entertainment.
Nonfarm payrolls, month-to-month alternate, seasonally adjusted:
Jan. (est.) 150,000


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- Containing natural ingredients and having clean labels now surpass brand recognition and product descriptions as the most important consideration for consumers when purchasing a food product, according to a recent survey reported by Ingredients Network. Beneo, an ingredient supplier, conducted the poll of 3,000 online consumers in the U.S., Germany and the UK.
- In the survey, 59% of respondents noted that with clean labels, they expected a product that is labeled "natural" to be healthy. Half equated "natural" with high quality. Additionally, 53% of consumers said that products labeled "natural" should not be genetically modified.
- Although less significant in the decision-making process, the survey also found that product descriptions (49%) and brands (45%) did not lag far behind clean label concerns in terms of importance.
Transparency and "free from" have become indispensable qualities in the food business. In order to keep up with competition and consumer needs, Big Food companies are being forced to display their inner workings to the public. Manufacturers that ignore transparency could risk losing customer loyalty, trust and awareness as shoppers direct their attention to competitors.
Along with this push toward accountability within industry practices, transparency has also made its way onto product labels as customers seek to understand exactly what they’re putting in their bodies. Another survey published earlier this year found that 75% of consumers say they'll switch to a brand that provides more in-depth product information. Not only do they want a simplified list of ingredients, but they are increasingly asking for "free from" food — often defined as not just free of specific ingredients, but also avoiding animal cruelty, genetically modified ingredients and unsustainable supply chains.
Beneo’s survey underscores how brand value is inextricably linked to ingredient lists and company claims. More than ever, consumers want to know if products meet their personal expectations, so they are relying on labels to convey company values. This trend has radically changed the way food products are marketed. The focus has turned to the manufacturer's ingredients, processes and backstory instead of commercial jingles or memorable scenes showing how products impact consumers.
But the survey also showed that the degree to which consumers expect natural ingredients is highly dependent on the product category. Particularly for products aimed at children, studies have shown 100% of millennial moms are looking for cleaner choices — and said they would pay more for transparency. But it's not just millennial parents who are willing to pay more; consumers of all demographics said they would pay up for a clean label.
In terms of ingredients, natural and clean label have become expectations. According to the survey, "no preservatives/made with natural ingredients" was the claim most closely associated with naturalness. Consumers' varying definitions of "natural" show that it still isn't defined for both companies and customers. Regardless of the actual definition, consumers agree that they want it on the label.
Classic food brands have a lot to figure out as they navigate new consumer demands. While brand names may no longer be enough to satisfy consumers, manufacturers need to be careful if they make the costly decision to reformulate their products. While doing so would likely give them access to a new demographic, it may also run the risk of alienating some loyal customers.


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The Italian luxury menswear label's perfume line will be launched in Q4 2020 and will be distributed through Lalique’s retail network, with a focus on Brioni’s key markets, among them the USA, Russia, Europe and Japan.
Bruno Saint Hilaire has failed to find a buyer. It filed for receivership in July, following a period of declining sales and worsening losses, and has now gone into liquidation, with its 85 employees and 20 stores.
Founded in 2010, the independent Swiss brand, which is experiencing rapid growth and expanding its operations, announced on Saturday that it has brought tennis star Roger Federer on board as part of its team.
Chanel has pushed up the date of its next Métiers d’Art show, as Paris braces for a new series of transport strikes in December. Originally scheduled for Thursday, December 5, but now advanced to Wednesday, December 4.


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Qualcomm unveiled its XR2 platform at the end of last year, and chipheads were pretty impressed with how much power the company had packed into its newest slice of silicon. Its XR (extended reality) platform features 5G (a first, according to Qualcomm) and 8K 360-degree video playback, as well as a host of other features that double the CPU and GPU performance of its predecessors. Now, the company has revealed a reference design that demonstrates how the chipset will actually work in a headset.
Developed with Goertek, the headset looks a lot like any other, but what's under the hood sets it apart from the competition. As well as 5G, 8K and double the CPU and GPU performance of Qualcomm's previous XR platform, the XR2 headset features four times the video bandwidth, six times higher resolution and eleven times the AI improvements. The design supports up to seven cameras, and includes an IR emitter for hand and head tracking, as well as electromagnetic tracking tech for low latency and peripheral device tracking. It also packs in 3D audio and voice commands.
Unfortunately, this isn't a device made for regular Joes. Yet, at least. At this stage the reference design is expected to be available for select partners in the coming months -- that is, companies that are doing interesting stuff with AR and VR and want a top level platform to showcase their work. However, it does demonstrate what's on the horizon for XR, and what consumers will eventually be able to get their hands on.


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Published on January 26th, 2021 | by Daniel Sherman Fernandez0
Ford Shuts Down Its South American Factory In Brazil
Some 5,000 jobs are lost.
Ford Motor Co. will stop manufacturing in Brazil in 2021 as part of a restructuring plan meant to cut costs and increase efficiency, the company announced Monday afternoon. ‘Ford Brasil’ is the Brazilian subsidiary of American automaker Ford Motor Company which was founded some 101 years ago on April 24, 1919. This January 2021, Ford ceased the production of their vehicles in Brazil. The Camaçari, Bahia and Taubaté plants were shut immediately.
The company is closing two plants immediately and a third later in the year, affecting about 5,000 workers, spokesman T.R. Reid told reporters during a conference call. This is part of the long-term USD11 billion restructuring plan that began with former CEO Jim Hackett.
Ford has lost hundreds of millions of dollars in the region. Vehicles sold in Brazil will continue to come from Argentina, Uruguay and other markets, the company said in a news release.
Ford will serve the region from its global product portfolio, including some of its most popular vehicle lines such as the all-new Ranger pickup built in Argentina, new Transit van, Bronco and Mustang Mach 1, and plans to accelerate the introduction of several new connected and electrified models. Ford maintains full customer support operations with sales, service, aftermarket parts and warranty support in Brazil and South America. Ford will also maintain its product development center in Bahia, its proving ground in Tatuí, São Paulo, and its regional headquarters in São Paulo.
“With more than a century in South America and Brazil, we know these are very difficult, but necessary, actions to create a healthy and sustainable business,” said Jim Farley, Ford president and CEO. “We are moving to a lean, asset-light business model by ceasing production in Brazil and serving customers with some of the best and most exciting vehicles in our global portfolio. We will also accelerate bringing our customers the benefits of connectivity, electrification and autonomous technologies to efficiently address the need for cleaner and safer vehicles well into the future.”
Ford said it would immediately begin working closely with its unions and other stakeholders to develop an equitable and balanced plan to mitigate the impacts of ending production.
“Our dedicated South America team made significant progress in turning around our operations, including phasing-out unprofitable products and exiting the heavy truck business,” said Lyle Watters, president Ford South America and the International Markets Group. “In addition to reducing costs across the business, we launched the Ford Ranger Storm, Territory and Escape, and introduced innovative services for our customers. While these efforts improved results over the past four quarters, the sustained unfavorable economic environment and the additional burden of the pandemic made it clear that much more was necessary to create a sustainable and profitable future.”
Ford is actively evaluating its businesses around the world, including in South America, making choices and allocating capital in ways that advance Ford’s plan to achieve an 8 percent company adjusted
“We will work earnestly with unions, employees and other stakeholders to develop measures to help deal with the difficult impact of this announcement,” Watters continued. “I want to emphasize that we are committed to the region for the long-term and will continue to offer customers full sales, service and warranty support. This is especially true as we bring to market a robust lineup of exciting connected and electrified SUVs, pickups and commercial vehicles from within and outside of the region.”
Watters added that, in addition to the recently confirmed production of the next-generation of Ranger and the arrival of the Bronco, Mustang Mach 1 and Transit van, Ford plans to announce other all-new models, including a new plug-in vehicle. This includes expanding connected services and introducing new automated and electrified technologies to South America.
As a result, the company will end sales of EcoSport crossover, Ka and T4 once inventories are sold. Manufacturing operations in Argentina and Uruguay and the sales companies in other South America markets are not affected.
Ford will continue to facilitate possible reasonable alternatives for interested parties to take over available production facilities.


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Manchester families could soon be growing lemons and bananas in their gardens – as global warming forces them to embrace ‘the Good Life’.
University experts have been handing out tips on growing a range of exotic crops – including lemons, coffee and cotton – after carrying out tests in a private city centre facility.
The botanists say that with average temperatures in Manchester set to rise by 4C over 50 years, and growing pressures on food supplies worldwide, both the need for ‘home growing’ – and the range of produce that can be grown – will dramatically change. The Manchester University team has been successful nurturing a range of exotic plants and fruits at a botanical garden near the Whitworth gallery.
And they have opened their doors to the public for the first time to show off their collection of rare plants and flowers from around the world. Experts showed how even bananas, coffee, lemons and cotton could flourish with special care.
Hundreds of families were shown how the crops could be grown indoors and in glasshouses – and the range of plants that could survive outside in the Manchester climate.
Corinne Leader, from the Manchester Museum, which organised the event, said: "Because of environmental changes and global warming, it may be that people may have to rely more on domestically growing. We want to show people what might be possible. The idea is to show that it’s possible to grow a surprisingly wide range of plants in the British climate."
The M.E.N. reported on how Flixton gardener Michael Tait is now producing his own wine after successfully growing grapes in his allotment.
And Manchester council planted Mediterranean trees at Piccadilly Gardens in 2007.


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The second-generation Kinect sensor is coming to Windows next week. As TechCrunch reports, a listing for the Windows version of the v2 sensor has popped up on the Microsoft Store, which is taking pre-orders for $199.
According to Microsoft, the Kinect for Windows v2 sensor will ship on July 15. That'll be more than seven months after the release of the Xbox One, which came with the second-gen Kinect in the box. The sensor saw such, uh, dramatic success that Microsoft introduced a cheaper, Kinect-free version of the console a month ago.
The new Kinect may get a warmer welcome on the PC. There, developers will be able to tinker with the sensor to their hearts' content, hopefully coming up with more exciting implementations. The product page talks about developers whipping up "interactive voice- and gesture-based applications for the Windows desktop and Windows Store." It looks like devs will need the Kinect for Windows SDK 2.0, though, which isn't available just yet.
Compared to the first-gen sensor, the new Kinect features a 60% wider field of view, greater accuracy, night-vision capability, and heart-rate monitoring. The device can track hand joints and and monitor the user's facial expressions, as well.
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|Deals of the week: Samsung's 850 EVO 1TB SSD for $290 and more||45|


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This week has seen the launch of The South Asian Beauty Collective (SABC), founded by Aarti Pal, a renowned beauty educator, content creator, brand consultant, bridal specialist, and award-winning makeup artist, and is inviting beauty enthusiasts to embark on a journey where beauty transcends the surface. The SABC is on a mission – a movement that aims to reshape beauty standards. The collective is set to champion brands that redefine the narrative, putting the spotlight on meaningful beauty brands committed to fostering genuine representation.
Announcing the launch Aarti said “Empowering women has always been my deepest passion. From feeling unseen in the beauty world, I’ve tirelessly worked behind the scenes, educating brands and forging partnerships. Each content creation, exclusive shoot, and skincare discussion has been an opportunity to amplify diverse voices, and I’m grateful for the chance to create an inclusive space.
Seeing South Asian beauty celebrated and recognised brings me so much joy, especially as a mother of two young ladies who are also a part of two world’s colliding just like myself, proud to be British born and also proud of our rich heritage.
At SABC, our unwavering passion drives us to redefine beauty standards. Championing brands that prioritise genuine representation and challenge the norms in beauty.
Enter a world where curated beauty products cater to South Asian beauty goals and where industry experts share their insights. SABC isn’t just a platform; it’s a vibrant community where diversity is celebrated. Engage in thought-provoking discussions about representation in the beauty industry. Whether spotlighting diverse beauty, showcasing inclusive products, or championing brands that embrace South Asian skin, the commitment to positive representation knows no bounds.
The collective is a welcoming haven for those eager to explore South Asian culture’s significance in beauty.
Having conversations with South Asian women over my 15-year career, I’ve seen their dedication to self-care. Yet, many feel overlooked by brands. As a united community, the collective is here to bridge that gap and foster belonging in the beauty industry.”
Aarti will be announcing Ambassadors in the coming weeks and you can find out more information by following here.


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Kron, a leading provider of identity and access management, data security, and telco solutions, announced today that it will be attending GITEX Africa 2023.
The continent’s largest tech event, from May 31 to June 2, 2023.
At the event, Kron will showcase its state-of-the-art Identity & Access Management solutions, including Privileged Access Management, Remote Access Management, PAM as a Service, as well as its Data Security solutions, including Database Access Monitoring, Database Firewall, and Dynamic Data Masking.
Additionally, Kron will also showcase its Telco & Data Management solutions like CG NAT Logging and Enrichment, Observability Pipeline for SIEM, Service Orchestration and AAA Server.
Kron’s solutions are designed to help businesses and organizations protect their data, secure their networks, and manage their user identities efficiently.
By attending GITEX Africa 2023, Kron aims to connect with potential customers and partners, showcase its solutions, and gain valuable insights into the African tech market.
“We are excited to attend GITEX Africa 2023 and showcase our cutting-edge solutions to the African tech community,” said Mete Sansal, CEO at Kron.
“Our solutions are designed to help businesses and organizations tackle their most pressing security and data management challenges, and we believe they can make a significant difference in the African market. We look forward to meeting with attendees, partners, and customers at the event.”
GITEX Africa 2023 will be held at Movenpick Hotel Mansour Eddahbi, Marrakech, Morocco from May 31 to June 2, 2023. Kron will be located at Hall 7, booth 7B-60, where attendees can learn more about its solutions and meet with its representatives.


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Win Free Sheetz For A Year At Hope Mills Grand Opening Event
The MTOs are OTW! The date is set for the grand opening celebration of the new Sheetz in Hope Mills, North Carolina. The addition of this new Sheetz store has been in the works for years now, with the Hope Mills Board of Commissioners discussing plans since the summer of 2022.
The new Sheetz store, located at 310 Chicken Foot Road, will be officially open to the public the morning of Thursday, February 15. The grand opening celebration, however, will take place the following Friday, February 16.
The festivities will begin Friday morning at 9am with prize drawings for many awesome prizes. But I think everyone (myself included) will be gunning for the grand prize of “free Sheetz for a year.” Specifically, it’s a Sheetz gift card worth $2,500. Think of all the Boneless Bitez you can score for that much!
The Sheetz grand opening event will be punctuated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony later that morning at 10:45am. Customers can then enjoy free self-serve coffee and soda for the entire celebration day.
Sheetz is further commemorating the opening of their new store by donating $2,500 to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Southeast North Carolina. They’re also giving a Sheetz branded thermal bag to any customer who brings in a non-perishable food donation for the non-profit.
But the philanthropy doesn’t end there. The popular restaurant/convenience store/gas station is also donating $2,500 to the Special Olympics of North Carolina.
This grand opening celebration for the new Hope Mills store looks like a can’t-miss event! It always does my heart good to see a new Sheetz store open up close by. And with my 30th birthday coming up, it’s got me thinking that maybe I should look into booking the new store as a party venue. A guy can dream!


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For many North Carolinians, it just isn't summer without locally grown cucumbers. Trouble is, the summertime vegetable can't handle temperatures like we've seen the past few days. Local growers have been working overtime to bring the dry crop in before it's damaged.
"We've been very busy the past couple of weeks," says cucumber grower Pam Boyette. "We probably ran an average of 10 or 11 loads every day last week until the end of the week."
Cucumbers look pretty good right now, but growers throughout the state say they expect a smaller crop this year.
Corn might also be more expensive, though most of what's consumed here is grown in other states.
The irrigated fields are fine, but many that rely on rain won't produce much this year. The biggest moneymaker, of course, is tobacco, and that's where you'll find the most irrigation.
"We usually try to start harvesting around the first or second week of July," says Tobacco farmer Michael Boyette. "In order to stay on schedule, we need to try to get it going
Strangely enough, the fruit with the most water in it, watermelon, doesn't need as much rain.
"They are used to dry weather," says watermelon grower Jimmie Worrell. "They can stand dry weather. They need a little bit of water and they've gotten a little bit, and the crop looks real good."
Growers don't expect any shortages this year, but if demand is higher than supply, your grocery bill could go up, too.
Strangely enough, the dry hot weather has brought some benefits with it. It can dramatically cut back on some tobacco crop diseases.
Copyright 2022 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Apple CEO Tim Cook, currently in China to negotiate with suppliers, told local media that the Apple Vision Pro will appear on mainland China later this year.
Cook was answering a question from journalists at the China Development Forum in Beijing. He added that the company will continue to invest in research and development capabilities.
Apple previously said that Apple Vision Pro would appear in other countries outside the US, but has not yet provided an exact timetable. Further announcements could come as early as WWDC in June.
Cook also helped open the new Apple Jing'an Apple Store in Shanghai. Apple is also rumored to be in talks with firms like Baidu to help with AI-related technologies.


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Viewers around the world are watching more than 1 billion hours of YouTube videos every day, setting the online video service on the path to beat regular TV viewership, according to a report this week by The Wall Street Journal. The 1 billion hour milestone, which YouTube passed sometime late in 2016, is said to have been reached thanks to Google's "aggressive embrace of artificial intelligence to recommend videos."
Google started building and introducing the algorithms in 2012, and YouTube said that its 1 billion daily viewership hours represent a 10-fold increase in hours of video watched since 2012. In total, there are 400 hours of video uploaded to YouTube every minute, which equates to 65 years of video every day. To get through all of that content, YouTube's algorithms give viewers a nudge of what to watch next on both desktop and mobile, growing the service's numbers year-over-year.
“The corpus of content continues to get richer and richer by the minute, and machine-learning algorithms do a better and better job of surfacing the content that an individual user likes,” YouTube Chief Product Officer Neal Mohan said.
With 1 billion hours of YouTube videos being viewed daily, the company's worldwide viewership will soon eclipse traditional American broadcast television numbers. According to Nielsen data, Americans watch around 1.25 billion hours of live and recorded TV every day. But, thanks to the rise of cord-cutting services, that number has been "steadily dropping in recent years."
Because Google doesn't disclose YouTube's monetary performance, it's unclear how much the company is profiting off of its growing popularity. A report from 2015 suggested that YouTube made around $4 billion in 2014 "and roughly broke even." YouTube has begun initiating ways to profit more from its increasing viewership, including the launch of the premium, $9.99/month YouTube Red service, as well as reports that began last year of the company's plan to debut its own streaming TV subscription service.
YouTube is also tweaking and learning what works best for its users. Earlier this month, the company confirmed that it'll be doing way with unskippable 30-second advertisements in 2018 because it knows that it loses some viewers completely when such ads pop up in front of videos. In their place, it's expected that shorter, but still unskippable 6-second "bumper ads" will become the norm.
For its online TV service, which was referred to as "one of the online video giant’s biggest priorities" when news of it broke last year, YouTube is predicted to introduce a skinny bundle with the four major U.S. networks and a few other popular cable channels, all for less than $35/month. At the time, YouTube's efforts were compared to Apple's attempts to launch a cord-cutting package, but plans for such a skinny bundle service from Apple have fallen apart due to media companies wanting more money than Apple wanted to charge for the service.
YouTube has also pushed out a small update to its iOS app today that will ensure all links to any YouTube video consistently open up within the YouTube app instead of in a browser window, like they sometimes did in the Safari or Chrome apps. YouTube is available to download for free on the iOS App Store. [Direct Link]


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This week MCV has investigated what proportion of game sales are physical, and how many are digital.
By combining physical data from UKIE/GfK Chart-Track and digital information from SuperData, we can see what the divide is between the two formats.
We also speak to Ubisoft Quebec about the publisher’s upcoming Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, and Codemasters talks to us about the transition to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One for F1 2015.
Meanwhile we catch up with some of the biggest names in QA and localisation to see what challenges are facing the sector at the moment, and whether publishers have stepped up their act following the slew of buggy games released last Q4.
And following the blockbuster launch of The Witcher 3 we catch up with developer CD Projekt RED about the huge success of the latest entry in the action RPG series.
Also, industry charity GamesAid explains why you should sign up.
Below are the full contents of this week’s issue, which can be found here:
- COVER: Physical still dominant despite digital shift
- NEWS: New-look NCSoft West eyes rapid American and European growth
- NEWS: Spotify rules out games as it goes beyond music
- NEWS: ‘Publishers are still not doing enough to end buggy games’
- NEWS: PDP sets sights on PC accessory market
- INTERVIEW: For Creed and country – Ubisoft’s attempt to restore Assassin’s Creed’s reputation with London-based entry Syndicate
- FEATURE: What’s bugging the bug testers? MCV catches up with QA and localisation firms to find out what challenges are facing them at the moment
- MCV AWARD WINNER: Turtle Beach – acccessory to success
- INSIGHT – In the final part in a series of articles, Rebellion CEO Jason Kingsley talks about the launch of self-published titel Zombie Army Trilogy
- THE BIG GAME: Racing fans were disappointed when last year’s F1 2014 didn’t come to PS4 and Xbox One – but now developer Codemasters is bringing the series to these new platforms. We speak to VP of publishing Jonathan Bunney to find out more
- INTERVIEW: Following the huge launch of The Witcher 3, we catch up with developer CD Projekt RED about the title’s success
- INDIE INTERVIEW: From indie to triple-A… and back again – The Astronaut’s Adrian Chmielarz on his journey through the games industry
- INTERVIEW: Why you should get involved with GamesAid
- SHELF LIFE: Games Centre Dumfries’ Raymond Reid on how the store has been defying the trend and keeping pre-order numbers up
- APPOINTMENTS: Shop Direct’s Johnson joins MCV RAB
- MARGIN MAKERS: All the best Metal Gear Solid merchandise on the market


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It’s been a bad year for Facebook so far. They recently revealed that they may have improperly shared the details of 87 million users with a third-party, the now-infamous political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica. Then, on Wednesday, Mark Zuckerberg himself admitted during a press conference that “malicious actors” may have took advantage of Facebook to obtain the public data of all or most of Facebook’s 2.2 billion strong user base.
An Post has admitted to a data breach which resulted in the data of up to 8,000 customers being provided to a third party without their knowledge or consent. The breach took place between April 2016 and September 2017, and involves the data of customers who used An Post’s online mail redirection service. An Post discovered that it had inadvertently shared these details with a Dublin-based marketing firm, Precision Marketing Information Ltd, who updated users’ details with companies they had previously done business with.
Up to 8,000 customers’ data was sent to a third party marketing company, allowing businesses that had previously contacted them to market to them at their new addresses
Trend Micro, one of the largest cyber security firms in the world, has released their annual security roundup report, and the results show some alarming trends. With the GDPR upcoming, cyber criminals have been refining their techniques in order to increase their financial gains, moving away from exploit kits which can be an unpredictable earner, to more reliable tactics such as business email compromise, phishing and spam, ransomware, and the relatively new threat to businesses, malicious crypto-currency mining.
Exploits kits are down, but 2017 saw over 300 new ransomware families, in addition to a rise in business email compromise scams and the all-new malicious crypto-mining threat.
The governments of the UK, US, Australia and more have publicly blamed Russia for the NotPetya ransomware attacks, which crippled businesses all over Europe back in June 2017 with a particularly nasty and destructive strain of ransomware. Last Thursday, the White House press secretary Sarah Sanders stated that NotPetya was “a reckless and indiscriminate cyber-attack that will be met with international consequences”, squarely blaming the Russuan Military and the Kremlin for causing billions of dollars’ worth of damage to businesses and states alike. The same day, the British defence secretary Gavin Williamson accused the Russian government of “undermining democracy”, after the attack, which was primarily aimed at the Ukraine, spread uncontrolled throughout Europe and beyond and caused major disruption to commerce and public services.
NotPetya has been described as a destructive political move disguised as a normal criminal attack seeking financial gain.
Ireland is claimed to be wide open to attacks from cyber criminals and rogue states, following an incident in which over 4000 websites around the world were hacked and used to mine crypto-currency. First reported by The Register, the breach affected the Department of Argicultures, Dublin City Council and Fingal, Cork, Wexford and Offaly county councils, and it is suspected to have also affected the websites of the Oireachtas, the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, Women’s Aid and the Central Remedial Clinic. The crypto-mining attack was not limited to Irish websites, however, as the Information Commisioner’s Office in the UK, the United States courts and many more sites belonging to governments and organisations were also hit.


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Facebook comments: Austin bag ban
Since Austin’s ban on single-use bags went into effect, stores and police are more closely monitoring customers with reusable bags for shoplifting. While statistics in Austin don’t show a rise in theft, officials say the bag ban makes it easier for people to steal and harder to distinguish customers from shoplifters.
Kenny Baran: Which means they are not reporting the thefts because of the problem with telling the difference … reporting numbers may not rise but that doesn’t mean theft #’s haven’t.
Tom Brown: That’s a lot of monitoring as most everyone is now forced to tote their own bag into the store. How they gonna do it?
Donna Rene Johnston: Yeah. This article clearly states that no one is sure that shoplifting has increased. But … we all know that plastic bags are terrible for the environment. Stores should offer paper bags, if they see an increase in shoplifting. It’s just selfish and shortsighted to say the only solution is to lift the ban. I went to Wichita Falls recently and could not get over how many plastic bags were on the side of every road, stuck in every mesquite tree … Get over yourselves. Your grandchildren will thank you.
Mary Ann Castro: It feels weird when I walk out of Walgreens with the couple of items in my hand, and I paid for them. Maybe they should do what Fry’s does, have someone check your receipt as you leave. But that would be hard to check off items at the grocery stores.
Kristi Rae: Just another excuse to scrutinize good and honest people. It’s the same criminals. Wake up!!!
Kellye Cook Noret: Told you so. That was the first thing I thought when I first heard about the stupid bag ban.


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Lululemon opens girls' pop-up shop at Plaza Frontenac
Calling all moms and girls who love Lululemon: The yogawear retailer with a cult-like following has opened a pop-up shop for its girls’ line at Plaza Frontenac.
Ivivva athletica, Lulu’s dance-inspired line for girls, opened Oct. 26 and will stay open through the end of January.
Erin Hochstein, a Lululemon spokeswoman, said demand in St. Louis for ivivva came via the full-line store at Plaza Frontenac. “We know that there’s a vibrant dance and athletic community in St. Louis. We would have seen that come through our Lululemon location,” she said. “We would have picked St. Louis because we would have known the community is engaged.”
Lululemon launched ivivva in 2009 based on feedback from customers who wanted dance-specific products for girls. The first store was in Vancouver; currently there are nine ivivva stores in Canada and 11 showrooms and pop-up stores in the U.S., including the St. Louis location.
But Hochstein said Lululemon has no plans to convert any of its pop-up stores into permanent locations, nor are the pop-ups an initiative driven by the holiday season. “But certainly (we) wanted to be available for that time,” Hochstein said.
Vancouver-based Lululemon has 201 stores in North America and Australia. In 2011, Lululemon averaged $1,900 in sales per square foot.
The company on Thursday reported net revenue in the third quarter was up 37 percent to $316.5 million.
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Or consider IBM’s monopoly on mainframe computing, which was challenged by private and public antitrust suits in the 1960s and ’70s. At the time, the main concern was the use of “waferware” tactics in the mainframe market, which affected a now-long-dead company called Control Data Corporation. But what’s important today is that IBM, fearing it would go broke, unbundled its software from its hardware, which created a market for software sold as a separate product – over time, which has now become multi-trillion. dollar industry. The suit also weakened IBM as the personal computer emerged, benefiting smaller upstarts like Apple and Microsoft.
As this history suggests, we’re unlikely to know what new forms of calculation will yield results against Google. The path of technological evolution cannot be predicted. But we know that monopolies stifle innovation and keep too much to themselves, and forcing monopolies to retreat pays off.
Google’s own creation story is another good example. Google began as a small start-up with a great product, but it was also the beneficiary of federal government intervention. Google began its operations relying on Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser, which had an estimated 95 percent market share in the early 2000s. And Microsoft was running its own search engine on top of Internet Explorer, then called MSN Search (later renamed Bing). Fortunately for Google, Microsoft had just been put through the ringer by the Justice Department, whose antitrust lawsuit nearly broke the company. In the end, Google beat Bing in part because it had a better product — but it wasn’t facing the nasty Microsoft of the 1990s, but a weak and disciplined Microsoft operating under federal oversight.
Today Google has an interest in and risk for large language model technologies from companies like OpenAI, which developed ChatGPT. Google has spent billions of dollars on AI research, including developing its own chatbot, Bard, and recently rushing to incorporate dozens of AI features into its products. But as a giant, Google needs to protect its existing revenue streams and keep its investors, customers and advertisers happy. He has a strong incentive to ensure that AI doesn’t become something that disrupts or destroys existing businesses.
In a lawsuit in Washington last week, the plaintiffs (which include the federal and state governments) explained that Google has used its money and power to stifle competition over the past decade, paying billions of dollars to companies like Apple and Samsung to build Google. Default search setting for their phone. Apple also agreed to stay out of Google’s business: handling search queries.


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South Australian Citrus Launch Marks Start of 2022 Season
May 25, 2022 | Media Release
A celebratory event at Barossa Fresh Nurioopta today will officially launch the 2022 SA grown citrus season as fresh produce shelves across the State begin to fill with new season shades of orange from the Riverland.
The Hon Clare Scriven MLC, Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, will be in attendance to cut the red ribbon to officially launch the 2022 SA grown citrus season and Masterchef Callum Hann will prepare a citrus souffle at the citrus themed event.
The season has kicked off with great coloured navel oranges coming in from the Riverland along with new season Mandarins.
South Australian Produce Market CEO, Angelo Demasi, said “It is always great to see a new variety of locally grown fruit coming into the market as it signifies a change of season and a new line of local produce for consumers to enjoy.”
“Citrus has a gross revenue value of some $388 million per annum in South Australia. The industry is a major contributor to the local economy with an expected growth target of $474 million by the year 2030.” Mr Demasi said.
Weather conditions during the growing period have resulted in brightly coloured fruit which according to growers translates to flavour.
Citrus SA Chair, Mark Doecke, said “South Australian citrus is now available and starting to come into good supply with the first of the season navel oranges and satsuma mandarins being picked. The cold spring of 2021 has meant a later start to the 2022 season, but that will translate into an above average crop load full of flavour.”
New this season being grown in South Australia is a variety of blood orange – the Ippolito. The blood orange has a very unique flavour with both the flesh and skin blushed red when ripe. Consumers will see the new variety in stores later in June when the first picks start.
Penny Reidy, Pick a Local, Pick SA! Campaign Manager said, “A great way for the community to support our SA citrus growers is through the simple act of purchasing citrus when they can this season. Filled with Vitamin C citrus provide a great immunity boost during winter, oranges play a key role in half time energy boosts for kids winter sports and mandarins are a great addition to a lunchbox for school or work.”
Photo / Vision opportunities
|11am – 11:45am||Callum Hann cooking demonstration in store citrus souffle|
|11:45 am||Official opening ceremony with ribbon cutting. Hon Clare Scriven MLC, Angelo Demasi – CEO SA Produce Market, Mark Doecke – Citrus SA, Jeff Knispel – Nippy’s.|
|11am – 12pm||General citrus themed displays and activities. Mr Squeezy – Orange Mascot, citrus Sampling, Public enjoying locally grown citrus.|
For Media Enquiries Contact Sophie Hula Media: 0418 697 351
About Pick A Local, Pick SA!
Pick a Local, Pick SA is a South Australian based campaign run by Market Fresh SA. The South Australian Produce Market and SA Chamber of Fruit and Vegetables Industries have come together to form Market Fresh to highlight the important role the independent retail sector play in the local horticulture industry. The independent retail sector consists of local business owned by local South Australian families who source the bulk of their produce from local growers.
The Pick a Local, Pick SA campaign reminds customers that when they see this logo, they can feel assured that they are not only buying fresh produce that was handpicked this morning from growers and wholesalers at the South Australian Produce Market. They are also supporting local businesses, local families, local growers, local communities, local jobs, the local industry, and the local economy.
The campaign consists of extensive print and social media advertising, regular competitions, and in-store promotional activities.
As of 2018, Pick A Local, Pick SA! is working with national brand ‘A Better Choice’ to extend the reach of the campaign to truly support all of Australia. www.pickalocalpicksa.com.au
For media enquiries or interviews please contact Penny Reidy 0408 877 797 firstname.lastname@example.org


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George D. Carameros did not invent cactus candy. But like many other Greek immigrant confectioners his culinary innovations perfected a confection that is said to have first originated with the Aztecs. Again, like many other Greek immigrants of his generation, Carameros’ road to fame and fortune was a long and winding venture.
"candy has a distinct flavor, and the consistency of gum drops. It has been made by Mexicans for centuries and is called ‘Culbertson de viznaga’ or little squares of virnaga. Virnaga is the Mexican name for the barrel cactus from which it is made."
Step aside, Wonder Wheel: Among Coney Island's star attractions is the collection of shops and restaurants serving some of the best beach eats in New York City. Coney...AM New York 2019-08-01
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Goods from the woods: Living Greens Colorado sells preserves made from locally-gathered ingredients at the ...
Editors’ note: This article appears as part of a series about vendors at the Vail Farmers’ Market and Art Show. The series will be running throughout the summer. Sure, you...Vail Daily 2019-07-28
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Mexico’s prickly pear cactus, which is emblazoned on the country’s flag, could soon play a new and innovative role in the production of biodegradable plastics. A packaging material that is made from the plant has been developed by a Mexican researcher and is offering a promising solution to one of the world’s biggest pollution conundrums. “The pulp is strained to obtain a juice...The Hindu 2019-08-07
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Some traditional Greek recipes can take several hours cooking over a hot stove to prepare, but a new cookbook offers a more convenient way to cook many of the classic Greek favorites. The Greek Slow Cooker: Easy, Delicious Recipes from the Heart of the Mediterranean by Eleni Vonissakou is an excellent addition to any foodie’s cookbook library. The traditional recipes you would...The National Herald 2019-08-02
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The State is all set to add one more superlative to its list of attractions-the largest cactus garden of the country. Spread over an area of eight acres, the cactus garden is being developed near the Statue of Unity, country's tallest statue, and will have more than 330 varieties of cacti procured from different places, including other countries. The garden is located on the...The Times of India 2019-08-05


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Inter Miami CF announced today that the Club will be hosting the Fan Appreciation Match presented by Publix on Saturday, Oct. 30 when the team hosts New York City FC at 1:30 p.m. ET. The Club will take the opportunity to honor its fans for their unwavering support in Inter Miami’s first season fully opened to the public with special events, deals and more around DRV PNK Stadium for the team’s final regular season home match of 2021.
Food and Music in the Fan Zone
Publix will have a large activation in the fan zone, which opens at 10:30 a.m. ET, including a Publix food truck where fans can sample premium smokehouse selection products. There will also be a Publix Maximus trailer, where they will have a DJ booth and LED screen for fans to enjoy.
Publix will be gifting 15,000 fans honorary captain’s armbands as they enter DRV PNK Stadium. Inter Miami staff will be handing these out at tables set up in front of all of the stadium gates. During pregame, the team will have a t-shirt toss and a few lucky fans will also be surprised with additional giveaways throughout the day.
Fan Appreciation Sale
All Inter Miami team stores at DRV PNK Stadium will be having a Fan Appreciation Sale. During this match only, Inter Miami fans can get 40% off select apparel and headwear, while supplies last.
Following the match, Inter Miami CF First Team players and staff will thank the fans and La Familia with special giveaways.
Don’t miss the team’s last regular season home match of 2021 and get your tickets visiting HERE.


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The famous luxury brand has denounced the logo of the Chinese telecommunications giant for four years.
It’s a new setback for Chanel. As reported by the BBC, the famous luxury brand lost a new battle against Chinese giant Huawei in European Union court on Thursday, April 22. The subject of the dispute between the two brands has since 2017 been over a Huawei logo, which the famous rue de Cambon brand considers too close to its own. Two arcs of a circle, also intertwined but in the opposite direction to that of Chanel, and cut on both sides.
But the European body based in Luxembourg brushed aside the fact that the two logos “share similarities”, their visual differences “are very significant”, said the court. According to the judges, the logos “must be compared as they were filed and registered without changing their orientation.” According to the court, Chanel’s logo “has more rounded markings, thick lines and a horizontal orientation, while Huawei’s is vertical.” The logos are very “different”, say the judges.
An appeal soon ?
This judgment was in fact an appeal since Chanel has criticized the Chinese giant for this logo since 2017. In a first court decision, Chanel was dismissed in 2019. For the European Intellectual Property Office, there was no similarity between the two logos and customers could not in any way confuse them. It was after this that Chanel decided to appeal.
According to the BBC, Chanel can still appeal the decision of the European Court of Justice, but the French luxury brand has declined to comment on the decision. Chanel, for her part, was convicted in 2012 for having copied the motif of the World Tricot sign, recalls the Huffington Post.


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The only thing more powerful than a Hulk Smash is a Gronk Spike. Now you can represent the Gronkowski power with an official "Gronk Spike" T-shirt.
The T-shirt — which features an image of Rob Gronkowski spiking a football on the front and his name and No. 87 on the back — has been made available on GronkNation.com.
The shirt is the latest in an assortment of Gronkowski-related apparel available to purchase on the website. GronkNation.com brings fans news and items pertaining to each of the Gronkowski brothers — Rob, Dan and Chris — currently playing in the NFL. Among the items available in addition to the "Gronk Spike" shirt are shirts reading, "In Gronk We Trust," and wristbands stating, "Get Gronk'd."
Check out the newest T-shirt in the photo below.
Photo via Twitter/@GronkNation


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Apple is now reported to be getting ready to release the iOS 17.2 update in the coming weeks. However, a new iOS 17 bug has been reported on iPhones and users are taking to various online platforms such as Reddit, Apple community forum and others to share their problems. Apple had launched iOS 17 with the roll out of the iPhone 15 series. While the iOS 17 update has brought in a lot of improvements in iPhone’s performance in terms of features and accessibility, some problems have occurred. And now, many users have been reporting issues with their iPhones. Now, a new iOS 17 bug has been reported which, all of a sudden, opens the iPhone app switcher even as the user is typing on the screen. Know how you can fix the iOS 17 keyboard bug.
According to a MacRumors report, many iPhone users are sharing their problems about the iOS 17 keyboard bug, which suddenly opens the iPhone app switcher out of nowhere while the users are typing. Various iPhone users are reporting the problem in the online platforms saying that they get switched to a new app while typing something on the keyboard.
The app switcher is normally used to navigate between different apps easily just by swiping up on the screen, however, now it is appearing without the user command which has become an annoying experience. If you are also struggling with the same iOS 17 bug then worry not because you are not alone and a solution of sorts, may well be at hand. Also, know that there is no defect in your iPhone, but you need to make some adjustments to fix the iOS 17 bug. There is a temporary fix which could solve the problem.
Turning off the functionality will restrict some of the iPhone quick features, but for now, this is the only way through which you can deal with the iOS 17 bug. Note that the iOS 17 bug has been seen on various iPhones and the recent updates including the iOS 17.1.2 update. It is being said that the problem is arising due to fast pace typing on the iOS keyboard, however, no other reason has been stated by Apple yet. MacRumors also reported that various iPhone users have returned their phones due to the iOS 17.
For now, turning off the reachability functionality on your iPhone is a temporary fix, but it is expected that Apple may fix the bug with the upcoming iOS 17.2 update. The iOS 17.2 is in beta testing and it is speculated that Apple may roll out the update this month. The iOS 17.2 update is reported to introduce various new features and functionalities for the iPhone along with the new Journal app and roll out new features for the Action Button.
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exchange4media.comIbiboAds appoints Rammohan Sundaram as CEOMediaNama.comibiboAds, previously known as AdWinks, is an affiliate network platform which falls under ibibo Group. ibiboAds has developed a retargeting product that is being used by the group's internal e-commerce Read More
LivemintOnline start-ups in the hiring spaceLivemintIt was while working on Satyamev Jayate, (an Indian television talk show on social issues hosted by film actor Aamir Khan) that Bhagia learnt how to keep the audiences engaged. â€œFor better engagement and better results, Read More
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Who ordered the tall, white, extra soy for President?
Immediately after announcing his departure from Starbucks, Executive Chairman Howard Schultz began sounding like a man running for office.
Appearing on CNBC on Tuesday, the Hillary-buddy launched bombs at both President Trump and the Democrats, calling the recent tax cuts “reckless” and pinning the root of America’s cultural divide on the current Commander-in-Chief.
“It’s not about trade wars with China, it’s not about building a wall, it’s about getting our house in order,” the coffee tycoon pontificated.
According to Bloomberg, “Schultz also lamented that ‘some Democrats’ had moved too far to the left.”
Under a–hold your laughter–President Hillary Clinton, Schultz was speculated to become Labor Secretary and Tuesday’s grandstanding wasn’t the first time the corporatized social justice CEO shared his political opinions on a national platform.
In 2017, Business Insider released a video of Schultz telling workers “We have a president that is creating episodic chaos every single day and that is no doubt affecting consumer behavior,” among other pointed accusations.
Just after that statement was made the U.S. saw a massive spike in consumer confidence, reaching the highest levels since before the Great Recession in 2008.
That same year, Schultz announced a plan to hire 10,000 migrants throughout all Starbucks locations in a feeble attempt to hashtag resist President Trump’s travel ban on six nations that aid terrorism. As a direct result, Starbucks was boycotted and the company’s consumer opinion dipped.
Schultz is a corporate progressivist who envisions a nation run just like his coffee chain. He doesn’t believe in stealing from the wealthy to the extent that someone like Bernie Sanders may. He also says the U.S. can’t afford socialized medicine and he isn’t all that concerned with issues like global warming. He also believes the national debt is a major issue that needs addressing.
Such views from the political outsider have made the Democrats uneasy. Alt-left media and conspiracy theory websites like CNN have swiftly punched back at the notion of a Schultz 2020 campaign.
New York magazine published an article Wednesday titled, “Democrats Must Reject Howard Schultz and His Radical Centrist Ideology.”
The headline was not sarcastic. We checked.
CNN ran a story titled “Why the Starbucks guy should not be President.” And the Washington Post gave space to a piece headlined, “Howard Schultz Shouldn’t Run for President.”
After a pair of nonpaying grifters were asked by staff to leave a Starbucks store in Philadelphia in April, a nationwide leftwing “racism” circle-jerk ensued. Schultz had planned to step down from the company before that incident but stayed on to virtue signal the coffee giant into calmer waters.
At the end of May, he ordered over 8,000 Starbucks stores to shut down for racial education training. He also announced that now anyone was welcome to hang out in a Starbucks for as long as they’d like, whether or not they were paying customers.
At least we know where he stands on immigration.
Shcultz’s formal involvement with the company will now cease by the end of June.
feature image: Howard Schultz/Business Insider


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Post Oak Motor Cars will be able to finance car sales through NYDIG’s suite of Bitcoin services, including BTC-backed loans.
Houston residents can now purchase luxury automobiles through natively integrated bitcoin-backed loans.Post Oak Motor Cars announced a partnership with NYDIG to give customers access to a fully-fledged suite of Bitcoin services, including custody and lending.POMC employees will also be able to allocate a portion of their paychecks to BTC.
A Houston-based luxury auto dealer will soon be able to accept bitcoin for its services, according to a release sent to Bitcoin Magazine. Post Oak Motor Cars have announced a new partnership with NYDIG, a bitcoin-focused financial services firm, integrating Bitcoin into its business operations.
The collaboration will allow POMC customers to purchase luxury vehicles financed through BTC-backed loans and enable employees to allocate a portion of their paychecks to bitcoin.
“We are proud to partner with a firm like NYDIG to offer our customers the ability to finance a car with a loan secured by bitcoin and to offer our employees the opportunity to allocate a portion of their paychecks to bitcoin,” said Lonny Soza, general manager of POMC. “NYDIG has a vision to make bitcoin more accessible, and our industry-leading partnership will propel that vision into reality and give our key stakeholders the opportunity to have exposure to sound digital money in bitcoin.”
POMC also announced that it had sold its first luxury automobile financed with bitcoin, a Rolls Royce Ghost. The purchaser financed the car with BTC held at NYDIG.
The luxury car dealer will leverage NYDIG’s platform to hold bitcoin in its treasury and finance an expansion of POMC’s footprint. The company shared that its first bitcoin-financed venture will be a new dealership in The Woodlands, Texas.
“This partnership marks an important milestone as we start to help Americans unlock the spending power of their bitcoin through borrowing USD against it without selling their long-term bitcoin holdings,” said Patrick Sells, chief innovation officer at NYDIG, per the release.


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This Massachusetts-based wholesaler sells the Terroir single-origin line and is run by industry legend George Howell, the founder of Coffee Connection, a high-end retail chain that Starbucks acquired in 1994.
Dunkin' brands has gone public again. Some highlights from its complex and tasty history.
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Catch up on the latest episodes of “UFC 196 Embedded,” following Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, Holly Holm, and Miesha Tate into Saturday’s pay-per-view event from Las Vegas. Parts two and three came online Wednesday, and you could check them out below:
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Weibo Corporation (NASDAQ: WB) is set to report its third-quarter 2019 earnings results on Thursday before the market opens. The top line will be benefited from advertising and marketing while gaming could hinder growth. The bottom line, meanwhile, will be hurt by higher costs and expenses arising from the investments in the creation of content.
For the third quarter, Weibo estimates net revenues to increase 6-9% year-over-year on a constant currency basis. The company has been relishing an increase in engagement by the users. However, this is likely to decline in the future as users are shifting from microblogs to specific social media platforms such as WeChat and ByteDance.
The company will also be impacted by the soft advertising market, falling engagement, and competitive pressure from private short-video platform players. The cost optimization has been a crucial part of Weibo since the past year as the company is looking into ways to achieve improved margins.
Also, Weibo has been struggling to catch the attention of the people as there remained a decelerating trend seen for the Weibo main app. The company has been facing immense competition from short-form videos platform ByteDance and Kuaishou while TikTok is turning into the fastest growing media app in China in terms of active users.
Both the platforms are likely to turn public next year. This is likely to hinder the growth of Weibo in the social media platform. The people have turned towards short-form video as it can deliver a more robust and entertaining content than microblogs. This can be seen from the diminishing trend of the Weibo microblog and in turn, hurt the engagement metrics and revenue growth.
Read: Baidu Q3 earnings review
Analysts expect the company’s earnings to decline by 2.70% to $0.73 per share while revenue will rise by 1.70% to $468.07 million for the third quarter. The company has surprised investors by beating analysts’ expectations in all of the past four quarters. The majority of the analysts recommended a “buy” rating with an average price target of $53.25.
For the second quarter, Weibo posted a 27% drop in earnings due to higher costs and expenses despite a 1% rise in total revenues. The growth in the live streaming business drove the top line higher and partially offset a decline in gaming revenue and unchanged advertising and marketing revenues.
Biocept (NASDAQ: BIOC) reported a narrower loss in the second quarter of 2020. The company's revenue declined by 23% year-over-year to $917,000, hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic. BIOC stock slumped
Lyft Inc (NASDAQ: LYFT) reported second-quarter financial results after the closing bell on Wednesday. The ride-hailing company reported a 61% dip in Q2 revenues to $339.3 million, narrowly beating Wall
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFttiM-lTuY&t=138s Network gear maker Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) on Wednesday announced financial results for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020, reporting a decline in earnings and revenues. However, the


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The cryptocurrency industry is developing at a fast pace, with new and exciting ventures emerging every day. While some of these ventures have brought the people behind them into the spotlight, several of them are created by well-known people in the industry. When Bitcoin was first created, it didn’t gain immediate popularity and only a handful of people understood its true value. This meant that such people had a headstart on Bitcoin investments which were cheap at the time. Continue reading THE WINKLEVOSS TWINS’ PROJECT GEMINI
Gemini, the cryptocurrency exchange founded by the Winklevoss twins, has added a new feature that will reduce the impact that large buy and sell orders have on the Bitcoin price. Announced on Monday, Gemini Block Trading will allow cryptocurrency “whales” to execute large trades outside of the exchange’s continuously-updated order books, where a single trade can have an outsized effect on the market as a whole. Continue reading Gemini Adds Block Trading to Reduce Impact of Large Orders
While speaking to CNBC at the Milken Institute’s MENA Summit in Abu Dhabi, Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, better known as the Winklevoss twins, took a dig at the older generation of the financial community who mostly criticizes cryptocurrencies, stating that they don’t understand the future of money. The Winklevoss twins were asked to respond to criticism leveled by Wall Street personalities, including legendary investor Warren Buffett, who stated bitcoin was a “real bubble,” and JP Morgan’s CEO Jamie Dimon, who claimed the flagship cryptocurrency was a “fraud.” The twins had previously addressed Dimon’s comments. As reported by CCN, they dared the CEO to short bitcoin, since he believed the market was going to fail in the long run. DImon has since revealed he regrets his bitcoin ‘fraud’ remark, although he remains uninterested in the cryptocurrency.


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Microsoft and British developer PomPom Software announced today an agreement that would bring a new version of Mutant Storm to the Xbox 360 this Christmas with the sequel arriving exclusively for Microsoft's next generation console next year, according to a report at GamesIndustry.biz.
According to the terms of the arrangement, the next-generation version of Mutant Storm will appear on Xbox 360 Live Arcade around Christmas this year. The game, currently code-named "Reloaded", will be a launch title for the online service when the Xbox 360 is released. Mutuant Storm 2, currently codenamed "Revolution" (these guys must really like The Matrix), is scheduled for an exclusive Xbox 360 release in the second half of 2006.
We'll keep you updated on the status of "Reloaded" and "Revolution" as new information becomes available.