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Holding company Planet Hospitality has launched a $300 million project to establish hotel and motel chains in Russia capable of rooming more than 14,000 visitors by 2018, the year the country hosts the FIFA World Cup.
Planet Hospitality plans to open a total of 20 hostels with space for a total of 6,000 people, 50 three star hotels with 7,000 spaces, and 50 motels with 1,500 rooms, the holding's co-owner, Merab Elashvili, said during the official opening of the holding's first hostel last week, according to a statement on the company's website.
Elashvili, known in some circles as the King of Franchising, said that Planet Hospitality — which holds the Russian franchises to such restaurants as pizza chain Sbarro and Russian tavern Yolki Palki — will shell out $100 million for the project while attracting the remaining $200 million from other sources.
As well as building new stadiums and improving transportation infrastructure, making sure all World Cup fans have a place to stay is a priority for the tournament's organizers.
Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said Saturday that about 1 million football fans were expected in Russia for the World Cup and that some of the 11 host cities have a long way to go before they are ready to cope with such an influx, ITAR-Tass reported.
Even Moscow needs about 10,000 new hotel rooms by 2018 to support the inflow of visitors, Sergei Shpilko, head of the city's tourism and hospitality committee, was quoted as saying by Gazeta.ru.
Planet Hospitality's new Privet Hostel in Moscow, which can put up 300 people in its 67 rooms, opened last Tuesday to put a small dent in that figure, with thousands more beds to follow.
Built at a cost of $2.5 million and trumpeted as the biggest hostel in all of Russia and the former Soviet republics, Privet Hostel is a far cry from the typical spartan refuge for backpackers that the term 'hostel' tends to imply.
Kitted out with all modern conveniences, it boasts a cinema, 24/7 bar, fitness hall, library, underground parking, a children's play area and, of course, Wi-Fi.


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Apple has scrapped health-monitoring tech from a arriving Watch, it’s claimed, following problems with sensors and regulators.
Some of a facilities are too complicated, while others would have stirred neglected courtesy from watchdogs, it’s reported. We’re told a Watch has unsuccessful to accommodate Cupertino’s despotic product standards – sensor readings are marred by hairy arms or dry skin, for instance.
“Apple also experimented with ways to detect blood vigour or a volume of oxygen in a blood, though a formula were inconsistent,” a Wall Street Journal added.
“Moreover, if Apple interpreted a numbers to yield health or poise advice, a association expected would have indispensable capitulation from a US Food and Drug Administration or other regulators,” it said.
Apple hence opted for some-more vanilla pulse-rate monitoring tech.
According to a paper’s sources, a association is seeking suppliers in Asia to make 5 to 6 million Apple Watches in a initial quarter. The product will finally be expelled in April.
In a typically understated explain final week, Apple CEO Tim Cook pragmatic that a new Apple Watch could assistance forestall cancer.
In his keynote residence during a Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet Conference, he said: “Some doctors now consider that sitting down for prolonged durations is a new cancer, so 10 mins before a hour a Watch program taps we to make we have a travel around.”
He said: “It’s utterly humorous to be in a assembly during Apple and 10 mins before a hour people get adult and start relocating around, though people like it.” We’ll take your word for it Tim. ®
Protecting mobile certificates

domain: news


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Buyback boost for Rentokil
Shares in Rentokil Initial Plc rose by more than 10% as the UK support services firm continued its share buyback programme, according to dealers. The stock rose as much as 16- 3/4p, or 10.5%, to 177p, with volume reaching 45.8m shares.
On 27 March, shareholders approved the re-purchase of up to 15% of the company's stock, and Rentokil has been active in the market since then.
Rentokil, which also announced the sale of a US subsidiary for £320m, has underperformed the FTSE All Share Support Services Index by 21.5% so far this year.
The stock has fallen over the last four sessions, and dealers said Warburg was making use of the depressed price to pick up the stock on the cheap.
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Chinese social media app TikTok’s parent company ByteDance is putting the popular social platform’s AI technology for sale, according to reports by Financial TimesOpens a new window . The Chinese firm quietly set up a new BytePlus division earlier in June to sell TikTok’s tech and features. Besides the AI tech, the recommendation algorithm behind the ForYou feed is also up for sale. A few other features available for potential buyers include the app’s real-time video effects, computer vision tech, and automated translation of text and speech, as well as data analysis and management tools, among others. Once bought, these features and tech can be customized to fit the organization’s needs for its apps and consumers.
According to BytePlus’s website, it has a few early buyers, such as the American fashion apparel app GOATOpens a new window , Indonesian online shopping brand ChilibeliOpens a new window , Singapore-based travel site WeGoOpens a new window , and India-based mobile gaming app GamesAppOpens a new window .
The Recommendation Algorithm Behind TikTok’s Huge Success
TikTok’s recommendation algorithm, which is also up for sale, is the key driver behind the video-sharing app’s massive success. As per a post on ByteDance’s blogOpens a new window last year, TikTok identifies which videos it should recommend on a user’s feed based on their metadata and interaction on the platform. This includes which videos the user creates, likes, comments, and shares, what video captions and hashtags they use in their posts, the type of device they use, location, device, and account settings, language preferences, and more.
This creates a personalized experience that varies wildly for different users. The feed is called ForYouPage (FYP) and has become a meme within itself. For example, users had claimed that the app’s algorithm knew their personality, medical diagnosisOpens a new window , or sexuality even before they did. Further, various blogs and articles Opens a new window have been written about how users can get featured on FYP.
No doubt, ByteDance would want to capitalize on the recommendation algorithm’s huge success.
Has ByteDance Done a U-Turn?
It is interesting to see that ByteDance is now selling TikTok’s algorithm to buyers as just a year ago, the company had refused to sell it. When the company was under severe pressure from the Trump administration last year to either sell TikTok’s U.S operations to an American company or risk getting banned, ByteDance said it would neither sell nor transfer the codeOpens a new window behind the app as part of any deal. So, the question is, why is ByteDance selling the algorithm and AI tech now?
One industry speculationOpens a new window is that this move can help the company compete with giants like Amazon and Microsoft by selling its behind-the-scenes tools to other businesses. It is also speculated that TikTok and its counterpart Douyin may be close to plateauing, and selling their tech could bring in additional revenue for the company.
Whatever the reason behind the decision, the algorithm can potentially change which apps become the top players in the social media arena. Having said that, BytePlus is now entering a marketplace that is already crowded, and its suite of tools may face stiff competition from big players, such as Google, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft, and IBM. It may also face competition from other Chinese companies, including Alibaba, Tencent, and Baidu. The division is considering registering trademarks in the U.S., although it is not clear whether it has any stateside presence.
Further, some of the algorithm’s early buyers are companies based in countries where TikTok is banned. For example, India permanently banned TikTok earlier this year citingOpens a new window , the app was â€œprejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public orderâ€. Even in the U.S., TikTok has received temporary relief as President Biden signed an executive order revoking the bans imposed by Trump. Given that the algorithm and the AI tech’s customers will only be able to customize them according to their requirements; it will be interesting to see if there will be any heightened scrutiny or legal implications for companies using them.


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One woman has been barred from visiting stores in Gloucester after a string of shoplifting offences in the city.
Kelly Stokes appeared at Cheltenham Magistrates Court last week charged with stealing from shops in the city.
The 29-year-old from Evenlode Road, Tuffley, admitted three charges of theft in the city centre at the court on April 19.
But officers from Gloucestershire Constabulary, with help from members of Gloucester City Safe, applied for a criminal behaviour order to be placed on her barring her from shops and bars for the next two years.
Three restrictions have now been placed upon her until April 19, 2020.
Stokes must not enter any Co-op Store in Gloucester; enter any retail premises of the Gloucester City Safe scheme; enter any retail premise with, or be in the same retail premise as Aaron Huntley at any time.
The court also ordered Stokes to pay compensation totalling £211.49 and a further £85.
Steve Lindsay, manager of Gloucester City Safe – which employs the City Protection Officers who patrol the streets of the city centre – said: “This is a great result and will hopefully curtail the offending of an active shoplifter in the City.
“Thank you to all members who have submitted incident reports and reported crimes to the Police.
“This information assisted with the application and made the case for the application to be granted.
“Let’s all now work together to ensure it is enforced. Thanks to PC Andy Plant for all his work and supporting City Safe.”
Gloucester City Councillor Paul Toleman (C, Westgate) said it was a positive result but knew that more work needed to be done to help serial offenders stop committing crimes.
“It’s a shame that we to resort to these measures but we have to do something about it,” he said.
PC Andy Plant, the beat officer for Gloucester City Centre said: “In conjunction with Gloucester City Safe we will pursue anyone who thinks it is acceptable to take goods without paying when the decent, honest people of Gloucester work hard to pay for what they want.
"In obtaining these Criminal Behaviour Orders we are starting to reduce that theft figure."


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Apple's big iPad Pro event is scheduled to take place a week from now on October 30. The company will unveil the new iPad Pro models featuring a radical design change with an all-screen design inspired by the latest iPhone models, but without a notch of course. However, we now have more information on Apple's future plans for the iPhone. Ming-Chi Kuo predicts that Apple is planning to launch a new iPad mini along with a potential release of AirPower soon. Let's see some more details on what the analyst has to say.
Kuo Anticipates Apple To Launch New iPad mini Later This Year or Early Next Year
Next week, we're expecting Apple to release the new iPad Pro with an all-screen design equipped with USB-C ports, Apple Pencil 2 for the new hardware and Mac updates. Apart from this, Kuo is now expecting that Apple will also produce a new iPad mini coupled with new processors and a low-cost panel. However, the analyst also suggests that the iPad mini will not make a debut in Apple's October event. instead, it will be unveiled by late 2018 or early 2019.
Judging on the basis of the mentioned release frame, we can potentially expect the fifth generation of the iPad mini at Apple's Springtime event next year. This is due to the fact that the company had debuted the 9.7-inch iPad and updates in the past two years during this time frame. With this in context, the update to a 7.9-inch iPad mini does make sense.
The iPad mini is currently sold by Apple in a 128GB configuration for $399, the internals are old and do not compete against the cheaper $329 9.7-inch iPad. It's A8 versus A10, so there's a lot of performance gap in-between. Apart from performance, the True Tone display is also not present, meaning an update is due for the iPad mini.
In addition to this, the new iPad mini will not be a pro version so we can expect that the design will remain the same and Touch ID will still be present. In addition to the new iPad mini, Kuo also believes that Apple will stick to its promise of launching an AirPower charging mat for the iPhone and Apple Watch by the end of this year.
To be precise, Kuo states that the new iPad mini and AirPower will be potentially released “late 4Q18 or early 1Q19”. At this point, we have Apple's October 30 event to look forward to and then move towards the latest predictions from the popular analyst. There will be more to this story, so be sure to stay tuned in for more details.
This is all for now, folks. What are your thoughts on the new iPad mini and AirPower debut? Do you think the 7.9-inch iPad should have a bezel-less design and Apple should sell it for a comparatively lower price? Share your views with us in the comments


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By- Simran , Chandigarh: A mall not only offers a great shopping experience but is also a mine of business opportunities. But the pangs of recession are clearly visible on this mine of opportunities also. Fewer Footfalls, No more swanky shops, empty spaces, have snatched the sheen out of this culture. About a year back, malls were sprouting up in Chandigarh, Panchkula and Zirakpur almost on an everyday basis. Over 10 malls, shopping complexes and multiplexes were set to come up, the hottest destinations being Zirakpur Road. In 2007-2008, a whopping Rs 6,000-crore investment was estimated in construction of malls over the next two years.
A quick look in 2009 showcases a different scenario. Blame it on the economic meltdown, the festive spirit has not made shopaholics to flock malls and retail outlets in Tricity. However, Shalimar Mall, the first one to start operations, wears a deserted look. No retail outlet has started its operations as yet.
The loss of business forced the branded shops to look for solutions. Of course, not all stores concede a drop in business; whereas shop owners in other malls complain of no attract takers for the swanky shops. Even shops that have come up in such malls are awaiting buyers, forcing many to shut shops. Reasons like parking problem, expensive box office has lead to fewer footfalls in Centra Mall, giving trouble times to the shop owners.
“To attract the crowd, lucrative offers should be given to the shop owners of premium brands. Moreover, management could think over a short lease period, in order to provide the flexibility to them, so that they get ample time to establish their business. Establishing more chains like Big Bazaar and giving more opportunities to factory outlets of various brands would add a feather in the cap,” suggests Vipin Sharma, GM, PropertyVertical.
Senior Marketing Executive of The Bella Vista, Chetan Sood, claimed, “Around 20 brands have been finalized, which have started sprucing up their stores for launch, the recession has led to a definite slowing down of the entire process. Of the 64 shops at this mall, we are yet to find takers for around 10 shops.” Asserting that Bella Vista’s USP is “truly retail centric mall” he added, “The mall will have floors dedicated to a particular lifestyle category.” Sood added that the opening of the mall may be postponed to June or July this year.


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Tuesday Morning Corp., the Dallas-based closeout retailer, said Thursday that it lost $12.4 million, or 29 cents per share, in the third quarter.
That compares to a net loss of $4.2 million or 10 cents per share in the third quarter of 2012, the company said.
Tuesday Morning said the results were affected by non-recurring charges related to severance costs and legal, consulting and recruitment expenses. Net sales by 3.1 percent to $178.1 million, compared to $172.7 million in the same quarter of 2012.
Excluding non-recurring charges, the company said it lost $4.8 million or 11 cents per share.
"Tuesday Morning's third quarter results show improvement in the top-line as evidenced by increases in both customer traffic and average ticket," Interim CEO Michael Rouleau said.
Tuesday Morning (Nasdaq: TUES) has experienced a series of executive departures in recent months. The latest was William Hunckler III, who resigned from the company’s board of directors in early April. Seth Marks resigned shortly before that from his post as senior vice president and chief marketing officer.


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Korean businesses keen on Eastern Economic Corridor
South Korean businesses are expressing strong interest in investing in Thailand’s Eastern Economic Corridor advanced development zone in order to balance out and minimize risks from investing in China as tensions on the Korean peninsula rise, according to an official with the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency.
“Many Korean investors used to focus on China because of its large market size of more than one billion consumers. However, things have changed. The intensifying geopolitical tension is making us think about diversifying risks by moving our production bases,” saidKim Nam-Wook, deputy director-general of the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, or KOTRA.
Kim made the comments on the sidelines of a seminar held by his agency last week that sought to create business matches between Korean firms, their counterparts in Thailand and others for the purpose of investing in Thailand, particularly in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) advanced development zone.
The EEC covers three provinces east of Bangkok and will be home to 10 priority industries that the government will support in its bid to evolve the Thai economy from one that relies on assembly-line manufacturing to one driven by innovation, creativity, and research and development.
The seminar was attended by over 100 companies from South Korea as well as companies from India, Europe and other countries from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Many expressed interest in investing in the vehicle parts and electronic parts industries, and also the cosmetics and beauty industries, along with consumer goods.
“We are interested in Thailand because it is the Detroit of Asia so it is quite easy to create a supply chain here to produce and export to other ASEAN countries,” Kim said.
Over 300 Korean companies operate in Thailand and Kim said he expected that number would double during the next few years. In 2016, Korean companies submitted investment applications to the Board of Investment worth $268 million. Korea is the eighth largest foreign investor in Thailand.
Korea’s neighbor to the east, Japan, is also interested in investing in the EEC, according to Hiroki Mitsumata, president of JETRO, the Japan External Trade Relations Office.
“Japan’s total investment value in Thailand is increasing every year, and it is a sustainable investment that continues to add value and growth to the Thai economy,” Mitsumata said.
He noted that Japan has been the biggest foreign investor in Thailand over the past three years, and that most Japanese companies continue to view Thailand as the best place to base their operations in order to reach all 10 countries of ASEAN.
Clear and favorable investment policies, and well-developed infrastructure are the factors that make Thailand the preferred location for Japanese investors in the region, Mitsumata said.


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Mario Kart can help improve your love life
A new survey has found that playing video games with your beloved can help boost your relationship and keep it running for longer.
Internet service CenturyLink surveyed more than 1,000 people and asked tough gaming and relationship questions to find if PC and console gaming has a positive or negative influence on their romantic relationships, the company wrote in its official blog.
Nearly 1 in 3 or 52 per cent of respondents aged between 18-24 years, reported gaming having a positive impact on their relationships. Overall, Nintendo's Mario Kart has most positively affected relationships. Call of Duty and Skyrim featured in the top three games.
Only 42 respondents said gaming led to a breakup and those from older generations perceived gaming as juvenile and irresponsible.


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Accessing support networks has been more important than ever for many local businesses and a key to helping smaller companies survive the economic crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
BT hasn't been shy about offering its support to smaller firms, and the telecommunications and technology business is determined to make a difference within the communities it serves.
Last year it offered support packages to thousands of SMEs in the West Midlands to become better positioned for recovery and growth following the pandemic, as well as navigate a post-Brexit landscape.
BT’s Small Business Support Scheme included helping fund ultrafast business connections to firms that have been struggling throughout lockdown, as well as offering free resources such as mentoring, marketing tools, digital skills and mental health support.
And that's not all.
While many employers have temporarily scaled back or even ceased taking on apprentices, BT has an impressive recruitment scheme that will continue in Birmingham this year, employing more than 50 apprentices and graduates during its September 2021 intake.
The news comes as part of plans to recruit more than 400 school and university leavers across the UK this year in a diverse range of sectors, including engineering, customer service, applied research, and cyber-security.
With such a strong passion to promote growth within the region's businesses and upskill their workers, it's no surprise that BT Group is supporting the Greater Birmingham Apprenticeship Awards this year by sponsoring the Small Employer of the Year category.
The much-anticipated awards are back for another year. The annual ceremony will create huge fanfare to celebrate the best and brightest learners, recruiters and trainers who have been working with their teams to drive company success across the city and wider region.
Nominations for the awards are now open and close on Friday, September 17, 2021. After judging takes place, the glittering award ceremony will be held on Thursday, November 11, 2021. For more details and to nominate, see the website.
Sarah Walker, Director of BT’s Enterprise business in the Midlands, said: “As one of the UK’s biggest employers of apprentices, and a supporter of small businesses, we’re really pleased to be sponsoring the Small Employer of the Year category in the Greater Birmingham Apprenticeship Awards.
“As a business we know what value apprentices can bring. They can learn skills on the job, bring creativity and fresh thinking to an organisation, and reflect the values of the company they work for. BT has had an apprenticeship programme for more than 60 years, and many senior managers started their career as apprentices.
“This year, despite the Covid-19 pandemic, we have committed to recruiting more apprentices. It’s great we’re able to recognise the efforts of small firms in the Birmingham area in this space through these awards, and we applaud them for the fantastic work they have achieved.”
BT is also a member of the West Midlands Combined Authority Apprenticeship Levy Transfer Fund scheme - meaning it contributes hundreds of thousands of pounds in unspent apprenticeship levy funds to help cover training costs for apprentices at local SMEs.
Later this year, BT will be opening its new regional hub at Three Snowhill, Birmingham. The building is expected to eventually accommodate over 3,000 colleagues and offer state of the art facilities for those based there.
Driving recruitment and future opportunities
As well as providing the opportunity for 45 graduates and six apprentices in Birmingham to join later this year, BT will also be offering roles spread out across several UK locations - including Belfast, Bristol, Cardiff, Dundee, Edinburgh, Ipswich, London and Manchester.
BT has recruited more than 1,600 apprentices and graduates over the past 24 months.
The figures are in addition to Openreach’s recent plans to create more than 2,500 full-time jobs in its service and network build divisions, as well as an estimated 2,800 positions in its UK supply chain.
Together, BT and Openreach are currently delivering a wide range of apprenticeships, with over 4,000 colleagues working towards their qualifications.
Alongside its apprenticeship and graduate scheme opportunities, BT is also investing in several initiatives to support young jobseekers.
These include BT’s 'Work Ready' training scheme which has already helped thousands of young people kickstart their careers - providing opportunities for young people who aren't in employment, education or training and preparing them for the world of work.
The scheme is just one part of BT’s 'Skills for Tomorrow' ambition, which aims to help 25m people in the UK develop the skills they need to make the most of life in the digital world.
Helping local businesses recover
It's no surprise that small firms have been struggling the most during the pandemic, ongoing lockdowns have meant losing touch with regular customers and it's been difficult to make ends meet.
BT’s Small Business Support Scheme has been focusing on boosting three major concerns for SMEs - connectivity, cash flow and confidence in the following ways:
BT has helped SMEs fund the cost of installing an ultrafast business connection (know as an Ethernet line) by reducing the cost by up to £2,500 per customer.
The incentive has helped firms such as firms graphic design agencies and production houses gain access to Gigabit speeds of up to 10Gbps, so they can send and receive rich media files that are vital to their work.
BT has even launched the UK’s only converged fibre broadband, mobile and digital phone line bundle for micro-businesses, which represent 91 per cent of all businesses in the UK.
By combining three powerful connections in one service, the 'Halo' package helps businesses stay better connected inside and outside of the workplace, so that they never miss an important call or a sale.
BT has partnered with Square to bring a new digital payment solution to help its SME customers go cashless.
With many small businesses citing cashflow as their number one concern, BT is committing to pay its small business suppliers within 30 days of being invoiced.
The telecommunications company has also been assisting small businesses in financial distress during the peak of the pandemic as well, by helping them find a flexible option for paying their bill.
This will continue over the coming months, with BT continuing to support customers who are struggling with aspects of their bill as a result of financial hardships.
BT has introduced a new mentoring scheme for small businesses, to provide them with free access to its expertise across strategy, marketing, sales, and more.
The company is supporting businesses via 'Digital Boost' - a free non-profit platform uniting digital experts with leaders of small businesses and charities.
BT’s ambition is to reach 1m small business owners and their employees with digital skills by 2025.
The company has already helped 278,000 small business owners and their employees with digital skills training through its 'Skills for Tomorrow' programme and has released new learning content on crucial topics, including how to prevent cyber-attacks and using social media to reach new customers.
BT has also recently announced a new collaboration with Google to bring free additional digital skills learning content and business mentoring sessions to small firms.
BT is acutely aware that now is an extremely worrying and uncertain time for small businesses, so it has provided its customers with access to wellbeing advice and expertise on how to boost their mental and physical health. This has been delivered through a free online toolkit and webinar specifically designed for small businesses.
Commenting on the details of the new support package, Ms Walker said: “At BT, we can use our technology, scale and expertise to help small businesses kick-start recovery and growth by boosting their connectivity, cashflow and confidence.
"So, we’ve listened to the needs of small businesses and are stepping up to deliver a support scheme which should have something for everyone - whether you’re a sole trader, tech-start up, micro business or a larger firm.”


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Apple Sells Fewer Smartphones but Compensates with Higher Revenues in Services
Apple (Apple) reported revenue of $ 53.8 billion in the third quarter. The profit of the American company is 10 billion, which is a 13% decline, but exceeds market expectations, France Press reported.
The company stemmed some of its drop in sales to China, BBC reported.
Apple branded smartphone sales were down from $ 29.4 billion to nearly $ 26 billion, which is less than analysts' estimates.
But on the other hand, revenue from services (ApplePlay, AppStore, iTunes, Apple Music, iCloud, etc.) increased 15 percent in one year to $ 11.5 billion, The company said in a statement yesterday. The company's shares rose 4.6 percent in e-commerce after the New York Stock Exchange closed - a sign that investors are trusting Apple's turn.
Financially dependent on the iPhone - which generates nearly half of its revenue - the tech giant has begun diversifying into the service industry. For the fourth quarter (July-August-September), Apple estimates a turnover of between $ 61 and $ 64 billion.
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When this garbage truck’s trash compactor starts to malfunction, it decides to go out and find a new job – eventually coming across a pick-up truck that it has decided to dress up as a chick. But the truck has so much fun playing chick that it’s decided to switch professions for good – thanks to its amazing disguises!
What is the new smash hit?
The garbage compactor truck is dressing up as a chick for its latest smash hit. The truck has a pink and green color scheme and is decked out with bright pink and green props. It’s been driving around town for the past few days, attracting a lot of attention from people who love novelty trucks. The truck’s driver says that he decided to do a female version of the truck because it’s something that people always seem to enjoy.
Why did the truck decide to dress up as a chick?
The truck’s owner, John, said he got the idea for the costume while watching a cooking show. “I was flipping through the channels and I saw a Chrissy Teigen cookbook cover and I just thought it was funny,” John said. “So I started making calls to different fabric stores and got everything together.”
John says the truck has been a hit with passersby, who have been stopping to take pictures and ask about the costume. “I’ve had people coming up to me asking where I found the outfit and how much it cost,” John said.
What inspired its decision?
The garbage truck’s recent smash hit, “Dressing Up As A Chick,” is a homage to the legendary “Dirty Dancing” film. The truck’s designer, Tonya Griffith, says that she wanted to create something that was funny and relatable.
“I think a lot of people can relate to dressing up for a special occasion or just having fun,” Tonya said. “It’s a creative way to take some stress off and have some fun.”
The truck’s success has inspired other businesses to adopt similar themes. For example, the hair salon down the street has started doing “Bollywood Hairdos” and the pizzeria next door is doing “Italian Wedding Dresses.” Chicks truck
“I think it’s great that our community is getting creative and coming up with new ideas,” Tonya said. “I’m excited to see what else they come up with.”
How long has it been dressing like this for?
Since this garbage truck first started dressing up as a chick last month, it’s been a huge hit with the public. People love how whimsical and fun it is, and it seems like there’s never a dull moment when this truck is around. In fact, it seems like everyone has something to say about its latest look. Some people love the novelty of it, while others think it’s hilarious how out of place the truck looks.Regardless of what people think, it’s clear that this garbage truck has struck a chord with the public and is quickly becoming one of the most popular attractions in town. So, where did this unique idea come from?
Was it always dressed like this in the past or does it just have one outfit to wear?
The garbage truck that is now a huge hit on the internet is dressed up as a chick. This has caused quite a stir online and many people are asking what inspired the truck’s choice to dress up in such an unconventional way.
The truck, which is owned by Waste Management, is said to have been dressing up like a chick for its previous smash hits as well, but this particular outfit seems to have taken off in recent days. The truck’s owner says that he just loves playing with people’s reactions and that he gets lots of laughs out of it.
Some people are offended by the truck’s look and say that it is degrading to women. Others say that it is hilarious and enjoy watching the reactions of those who see it.
The garbage truck has always been a popular subject for artists and photographers alike, but this particular garbage truck is taking things to a whole new level with its latest smash hit: dressing up as a chick.
Dressed in lingerie and high heels, the truck has become an online sensation with countless users posting photos of themselves posing next to the “sexy” truck. The garbage company that commissioned the project says they were simply trying to bring some humor to their otherwise dreary job, but whether or not people find the truck funny is up for debate.
Whatever your opinion on the matter, it’s hard not to be amused by the “chick” truck’s antics. So if you’re feeling creative and want some inspiration for your next photo shoot, check out the trash heap dressed up as a babe!


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Sterling Bank Plc says it has launched a new product, called ‘Sterling Women and Youths in Agriculture Finance’.
It said it would provide low-cost financing at single-digit rates to young men and women entrepreneurs in the agribusiness value chain across the country.
The bank said this in a statement entitled ‘Sterling Bank launches single-digit agribusiness facility for women, youths’ on Tuesday.
The Group Head, Agric Finance and Solid Minerals Financing for Sterling Bank, Mrs Bukola Awosanya, explained that SWAY-AgFin was designed by Sterling Bank in collaboration with MasterCard Foundation.
She stated that the facility has a maximum tenor of two years and aims to grow agribusinesses in Nigeria with an overall focus to impact local production, improve employability for young entrepreneurs, and, ultimately grow the economy.
Awosanya noted that the SWAY-AgFin offering was available to entrepreneurs who were seeking to scale the output of their agribusiness offerings, adding that the opportunity would equip beneficiaries with the requisite knowledge and skills in financial management and good agricultural practices while generating direct and indirect employment.
She added that the SWAY-AgFin offering was a testament of the bank’s continuing commitment to agribusiness financing, noting that Sterling Bank’s various interventions within the sector had been made possible with the support of partners such as the MasterCard Foundation.
She stated, “SWAY AgFin has become imperative because the effect of disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic has not only restricted access to sufficient and nutritious sources of food but has also slowed down cash flow to farmers and food suppliers.
“There has also been a shortage of labour for production, harvest, and post-harvest activities. All of these have resulted in higher costs of food prices and disruptions in crop production cycles.
“The supply and distribution of agricultural inputs such as improved seeds, herbicides, and fertilizers to rural farming communities have been severely hindered in the wake of the pandemic.
“Linkages between major cities in the various states in Nigeria have become difficult as harvested produce cannot reach markets and this has discouraged farmers from engaging in crop cultivation, leading to less production and shortages of staples.”
Awosanya stated that the product would help increase productivity in the agribusiness sector, while easing the devastating effects of the pandemic in the lives of youths and women.
She added that MasterCard Foundation’s involvement underscored the commitment of the two organisations to the growth of critical sectors in the Nigerian economy.
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2K announced that the servers of WWE 2K22 will be deactivated on January 3, 2024.
As a result, all online modes and community creations will be unavailable. 2K says this is the “perfect time to upgrade to WWE 2K23“.
Attention WWE 2K community:
WWE 2K22 servers will be discontinued as of January 3rd, 2024.
All online modes & functions, including online matches & community Creations, will no longer be available.
— #WWE2K23 (@WWEgames) September 29, 2023


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Updated on 2 November 2012
With the help of Indian embassies abroad, we identify and approach buyers, examine their profiles and arrange their visits to India as well. At the India-Asia Pacific Pharma Business meet, reverse buyer- seller meets took place. In August, we took a delegation of 38 members to Latin America. Also, we invited 70 delegates from 15 Asia Pacific countries to visit India. FDA officials from Myanmar, Phillipines and Hong Kong also visited us. All these delegates are brought at our cost.
How does Pharmexcil engage with pharma companies?
We wish that the strength of Indian pharma should be known and recognized. Our purpose is to develop confidence in the buyers that India is a dependable source now for generic formulations and promises quality and affordable prices on a sustained basis. The Government of India has launched a special project called Brand India Pharma to promote Indian pharma at the government level in March in Japan. A logo has been launched "Rx India" with the tagline "Pharmacy of the World".
We are encouraging companies to put this logo on their consignments of goods being sent abroad. However, there is no compulsion for them to do so. We also create market reports. We study countries, market sizes, barriers and drug registration barriers and how to handle these issues for the 3,000 companies associated with us.
Does the organization provide financial assistance to pharma companies?
We certainly do. Importing countries may sometimes charge huge fees. For a product, registration prices may vary from Rs 10,000 to Rs 10 lakh. The government has sanctioned a scheme under MAI that reimburses 50 percent of the registration fees up to Rs 50 lakh per annum per company.
If a company has paid Rs 10 lakh to register a drug, it can come to Pharmaexcil, show the payment slip and the original registration document, and get 50 percent of the registration fees up to Rs 50 lakh per annum refunded. The best part is that this scheme is open to all irrespective of the size of the company.


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Marks & Spencer
M&S has responded to customer and colleague requests by launching its ‘All in this Together’ T-shirts for the whole family in aid of NHS Charities Together
Two weeks ago the retailer announced the donation of thousands of bespoke t-shirts for the NHS Nightingale London team to wear as part of their uniform.
Following this, customers and colleagues reached out to M&S asking for a charity t-shirt to buy and show their support and solidarity.
In response, M&S is now selling a range of ‘All in this Together’ T-shirts available with all the profits going to NHS Charities Together.
Marks & Spencer is now also delivering groceries via Deliveroo in order to reach families in self-isolation.
Deliveroo is delivering essential items from 120 M&S franchise stores across key UK cities including Cambridge, Reading, Brighton, Nottingham, Manchester, Leeds and London within the next two weeks.
Items like pasta, milk, bread, tinned goods, ready meals and household items are available to purchase from M&S petrol service stores with no delivery charge.
WHSmith & Sainsbury’s
WHSmith and Sainsbury’s extends their supply partnership to hospitals to help support NHS staff amid the coronavirus outbreak.
WHSmith will be stocking an extended range of Sainsbury’s grocery products to “support the needs of NHS staff and make it easier for them to buy food and essential items”.
The partnership will bring more than 90 additional Sainsbury’s products into 80 WHSmith stores across hospitals, including essentials such as toilet roll, pasta and long-life food products.
The sustainable footwear retailer Allbirds is donating 2000 pairs of its wool running shoes to front line NHS staff for the next 24 hours.
“It’s a small way of saying thank you and providing comfort for the long hours you’re putting in to keep us safe and healthy,” the footwear retailer said.
Hotel Chocolat is offering every NHS worker a 50 per cent discount on its products in store, as a “thank you”.
“Our locations are so close to so many major hospitals, it made sense for us to do something”, Hotel Chocolat chief executive Angus Thirlwell said.
The chocolate retailer follows similar moves from Pret A Manger, McDonald’s and hotel chains, which are offering discounts, free drinks and accommodation for key health workers.
Greggs is offering free hot drinks to all health, social and emergency service workers during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Greggs has a long-standing history of supporting the communities that we serve, and we’ll continue to help the Greggs Foundation donate unsold food to good causes and deliver the programmes that support those in need,” the bakery chain said.
Simba is offering all NHS and private healthcare workers a 50 per cent discount on their Simba Hybrid® mattress until Tuesday 30 June to help the nation’s heroes get the rest they deserve.
“Sleep is the absolute foundation for physical and mental health and recovery, making it very important for those working on the front line to get the best quality sleep they can.” Simba chief executive Steve Reid said.
Tesco is the latest to introduce new social distancing measures across stores.
Tesco chief executive Dave Lewis said there would now be floor markings in car parks to maintain safe distances when queuing, the number of shoppers in a store will be restricted, and extra hand santisier and cleaning products for trolleys will be available.
He added that new floor markings will be added to checkout areas, protective screens introduced on checkouts, and one-way aisles.
The John Lewis Partnership announced that its Waitrose shops will set aside a proportion of hard-to-find items exclusively for NHS staff.
The grocer said it will set a side batches of essential products from every delivery exclusively for NHS staff, on production of an NHS card.
John Lewis will also be donating items such as pillows, phone chargers, eye masks and hand cream, as well as 50,000 Easter treats, to hospitals on the frontline of the pandemic.
Morrisons introduced a dedicated shopping hour for NHS workers on the front line of the coronavirus pandemic.
The new hour will be 7am-8am, every day except Sunday and a Morrisons staff member will be at the door of each store to let staff with an NHS badge in.
Morrisons has also confirmed it will install checkout screens in stores to protect staff.
Asda also created a dedicated shopping hour for NHS workers, while also donating £5 million to charities and giving shop and distribution workers bonus pay.
Asda said its donation will go to charity partners FareShare and the Trussell Trust to help the country’s most vulnerable people through Covid-19 pandemic.
Asda and M&S have also introduced new in-store initiatives including limiting the number of customers allowed to enter stores at any one time and markers on the floor to ensure social distancing measures.
The UK’s biggest supermarkets are have been announcing measures to assist the elderly and vulnerable, and NHS health workers on the frontline, on what seems like an hourly basis.
In addition to those listed above, click on the link at the end of this paragraph for everything else we know so far when it comes to grocers taking actions to steer people away from stockpiling and to look after their staff: What are the UK’s grocers doing to help customers & staff?


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The tech giant is buying Texture, a ‘virtual newsstand’ lets users read about 200 digital titles for a monthly subscription fee
Apple is to buy the digital magazine service Texture, which lets users read titles for a monthly subscription fee.
The “virtual newsstand” gives readers online access to current and back issues of about 200 titles, including Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, Vogue and Cosmopolitan, for a monthly fee of $9.99 (£7.19).
“We are committed to quality journalism from trusted sources and allowing magazines to keep producing beautifully designed and engaging stories for users,” said the Apple senior vice-president of internet software and services, Eddy Cue.
The Texture app is available for iPad, iPhone, Android devices and Amazon Fire tablets.
Apple did not disclose the financial terms of the deal.
Texture is owned by Next Issue Media, a joint-venture between the publishers Condé Nast, Hearst, Meredith, Rogers Media and private equity firm KKR.
The Texture deal signals Apple’s latest move to develop content-related services and platforms. In December it bought Shazam, the London-based app that allows smartphone users to identify music, for a reported $400m.
In February the European commission announced it was reviewing the Shazam deal after requests from seven EU countries that feared the deal may “adversely affect competition”.
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010
PSFK’s CXI 2018 conference brings to life key trends in customer experience through talks and activations by pioneers at well known and new companies.
Palmer Luckey is the founder of Oculus VR and inventor of the Oculus Rift, a consumer virtual reality headset. Prior to starting Oculus VR, Palmer attended California State University and worked as an engineer at the Mixed Reality Lab at the Institute for Creative Technologies focusing on developing cost-effective virtual reality.
DoSomething.org CEO Aria Finger shares what it takes to have a successful brand partnership


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In Wednesday's Papers: High-Speed Trains to Offer Wi-Fi Service, Money Floods into Yu E Bao before Spring Festival
High-Speed Trains to Offer Wi-Fi Service
A few high-speed railroad routes will begin offering Wi-Fi services soon, says WAPI Industry Alliance, an organization for wireless industry companies that includes the country's Big Three telecoms firms. It is unclear how the Wi-Fi service will be offered and when they will be available on more routes. Work was also being done to improve the stability of 3G and 4G services provided by the telecoms companies. The services are sometimes spotty on trains. The Wi-Fi system is awaiting the approval of regulators and China Railway Corp., which runs the country's railroads. Rail officials have said passengers cannot sell Wi-Fi services from laptop hotspots.
Original story by ST Daily
Money Floods into Yu E Bao before Spring Festival
More than 4 million people put money into Yu E Bao accounts from January 23 to 29, says e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, the company that offers the investment service. Average daily deposits topped 10 billion yuan, several times more than the usual amount. Much of the investments came from people's year-end bonuses, analysts say. Tian Hong Asset Management Co., the fund company that manages Yu E Bao, has quickly become the country's largest public funds manager.
Original story by 21 Century Business Herald
Eight New Cases of H7N9 Bird Flu Discovered
Eight more people have been found infected with H7N9 bird flu, Xinhua said on January 28. The cases were in the coastal provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Guangdong. Jiangsu has reported 53 cases of human infection since January 1, more than for the same period last year. China has stepped up efforts into H7N9 vaccine research. Health experts say transmissions between people are very unlikely, but poultry markets have been closed in affected areas as a precaution.
Original story by Beijing News
Capital Issues Subsidy Plan for New-Energy Cars
The Beijing city government announced a plan on January 28 to subsidize purchases of new-energy vehicles. Under the plan, buyers of select models of electric or hybrid cars will be given subsidies of as much as 108,000 yuan. The list of models that qualify will be released in February. All of the models are domestic brands, a city official said. The city is also planning to build more charging facilities.
Original article by Caixin
Second Batch of Telecoms Resale Licenses Issued
Eight companies were granted licenses for telecoms resale business on January 29, the second time the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has issued the permissions. Major retailers Suning and Gome are among the companies. On December 26, the MIIT gave licenses to 11 companies to participate in a pilot program for telecoms resale business. The pilot program allows private companies that do not own wireless networks or facilities to resell wholesale services they buy from telecom carriers, such as call time, to other companies or individuals.
Original article by Caixin
Provinces to Release Results of Land Survey
Provincial governments will soon release detailed results of a land survey following the completion of a national investigation. The second national land survey was published on December 31. It shows that the country had about 2.03 billion mu, about 135.4 million hectares, of arable land last year. This was an increase of 200 million mu from a survey in 1996. Despite the increase, some provinces are expected to report that they have less arable land than they did a decade ago, a source from the Ministry of Land and Resources said. The central government has set a "red line" lower limit for arable land at 1.8 billion mu.
Original story by China Business News
- 1Gallery: China’s Homegrown Jet Is Ready for Takeoff
- 2In Depth: Has China’s Monetary Policy Reached Its Limit?
- 3Morgan Stanley Joins Chorus Expecting China Reopening Next Spring
- 4Exclusive: Lessons From the Chinese Silk Road Fund’s Eight-Year Journey Along the Belt and Road
- 5China Announces Tax Breaks to Kick Start Personal Pensions Market
- 1Power To The People: Pintec Serves A Booming Consumer Class
- 2Largest hotel group in Europe accepts UnionPay
- 3UnionPay mobile QuickPass debuts in Hong Kong
- 4UnionPay International launches premium catering privilege U Dining Collection
- 5UnionPay International’s U Plan has covered over 1600 stores overseas


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The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation has reached an agreement with Ameridose LLC to temporarily halt all shipments to facilities in Florida.
Ameridose’s management is associated with the New England Compounding Center, which is the compounding pharmacy linked to the ongoing outbreak of fungal meningitis from contaminated medications.
On Oct. 31, Ameridose issued a voluntary recall of its unexpired products in circulation. Health care professionals should cease using any products from Ameridose at this time and should return the products to the company.
Facilities with Ameridose products, which may include hospitals, clinics and other establishments, should contact the company at 888-820-0622 for instructions on how to return the products. A complete list of recalled products subject to this recall is available on the company's website.
DBPR is currently working with the Massachusetts Board of Pharmacy to identify facilities in Florida that may have received products from Ameridose. Once these establishments have been identified, DBPR will work with the facilities to ensure that the products have been separated and recall procedures are being followed.
No infections that link back to Ameridose medications have been reported at this time, therefore, the Food and Drug Administration has recommended that health care professionals do not need to follow up with patients who have received Ameridose products, the DBPR said. However, any patients who are experiencing any adverse effects from the products should contact their health care professionals immediately.


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Globally, financial institutions particularly banks spend a lot of their time, and money to protect information. One of the easiest ways the hackers get access to people's information is via their card. For years, their safeguard protocol consisted of imprinted digits and a signature field, but now you will find most of the debit and credit cards are issued with smart chips and PIN/password verification to stand guard.
The new chip and PIN cards (an EMV standard) promised greater security than simple magnetic stripe cards but no sooner were they deployed than criminals tried to break their protection. The banking industry spends a lot of effort, time, and money to protect bank cards. For years, their protection consisted of printed digits and a signature field, but now smart chips and one-time passwords stand guard between your money and the criminals who want it.
In 2010, their secure chip product family by the name of SLE66 series security was compromised and the security vulnerability was demonstrated by an independent researcher C Tarnovsky.
Recently in Nov'17, Estonia and Spain citizen ID cards which were using Infineon's secure chip platform were security compromised. A team of researchers discovered vulnerability (Return of Coppersmith's Attack / ROCA) in a generation of RSA keys used by a software library adopted in cryptographic smart-cards, security tokens and other secure hardware chips manufactured by Infineon Technologies AG.
This weakness has far-reaching security consequences in electronic government documents like electronic passports, driving license, national id card…to name a few. A recent case of a German semiconductor company by the name of Infineon, whose security of the chips used in various government documents and banking products have been compromised.
Bangladesh government should give due attention to such developments. Several of the national Identity documents like National ID Card, Electronic Passport, and Driving License are already in pipeline. These will be based on secure smart card chips.
But what are the easy ways to stay safe? Researchers have two simple tips for cardholders who want to stay safe. Firstly, never ever enter PIN twice in a transaction. If you see an error and get a request to enter your PIN again, cancel the transaction, take out the card, insert it again, and enter your PIN once more (and only once).
The second tip is not applicable in all countries, but it's interesting. NCR experts have a high opinion of mobile payment systems security (like Apple Pay), so playing with your watch or phone can be more secure than using the credit card. We don't have those in Bangladesh yet, but still, we thought you should know. After all, at the end being safe is all that matters/.


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Arkema announces a new project to produce polyamide 12 in China mid-2020
Arkema announces an investment plan to increase by 25% its capacity of polyamide 12 polymers, commercialized under the trademark Rilsamid®. This new capacity will be added at Arkema’s Changshu platform in China and is expected to come on stream by mid-2020. With this latest investment plan, Arkema continues to reinforce its specialty polyamide business in all three major global regions – Europe, North America and now Asia.
This investment which represents several tens of millions of euros, will support the strong demand in growth applications such as cable protection, lightweighting (metal replacement) in automobiles, improved high performance sports shoes (running, soccer, etc.) and evolving applications in the consumer electronics segment.
The mid-term growth rates in these applications are expected to exceed 7% per year in Asia.
With this latest project, the specialty polyamides business will continue to bolster its industrial, commercial and R&D presence in Asia, and confirms its commitment to supply its global customers locally.


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Chinese technology company Xiaomi is preparing to start smartphone production in Turkey during the first quarter of the year, the company said in a statement Thursday.
Xiaomi Turkey Country Manager Usher Liu said that they always aim to carry work a step further by maintaining and not decreasing investments in Turkey, which is one of the most valuable markets for the firm.
Production in the country will begin in a factory on approximately 14,000 square meters (3.5 acres) of land. The factory, which is being commissioned with the cooperation of Salcomp, will have an annual production capacity of 5 million phones.
With the $30 million investment, the brand will also provide employment for some 2,000 people.
Liu said one of their main operating policies is to become a part of the regions they enter by creating added value, noting that they are pleased that Turkey is the fourth country where they will start production.
Xiaomi opened its first store in Istanbul, also its first in Turkey, in 2018.
Speaking on the production, Salcomp Europe Director David Chang said they continue their projects to help Turkey with its new technologies and to carry Turkish producers a step forward in the international market.დატოვე კომენტარი


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My estimate has been that Apple sold about 15 million Watches
in the last 12 months at an average price of about $330. This
puts the Apple Watch revenue run rate at $4.9 billion, indeed
They may be slightly high but the news makes me feel quite
comfortable in my methodology. Note also that within the last
quarter Apple said sales for the Watch increased by 50%. This is
also reflected in my estimate of 3 million in Q2 vs. ~2 million
for 2016 Q2.
Overall, about 33 million Apple Watch units have been sold since
launch and they generated about $12 billion in sales. Coupled with
a 95% customer satisfaction score, altogether, this has been a
great success story. But only 2.5 years in, it’s still act one.


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More Crazy Apple iOS Device Rumors: Verizon iPhone and More
Even more crazy rumors have been appearing regarding Apple and its future plans. Even more juicy than the rumors from last week, they surprisingly do not conflict and actually add some support to the previous. Ready for some fun? Here we go.
Verizon iPhone (iPhone 5?)
This is obviously the biggest and more wished to be true rumor floating around. Having begun way back in 2007 when AT&T got exclusivity for the iPhone, it has managed to survive and grow stronger. There actually is some evidence for it now, however. AT&T made a possible nod to losing its coveted iPhone exclusivity in its latest SEC filing by hinting at the end of an exclusivity deal but planning on bringing plenty more smartphones onboard to keep from losing customers. Furthermore, a parts manufacturer in China has supposedly gotten an order for a CDMA iPhone that will be compatible both with Verizon’s network in the United States and with China’s China Telecom.
Why would this be an iPhone 5 and not just a Verizon iPhone? A new design is allegedly in the works for this model. That iPhone 4 ‘Antennagate’ thing? Forget that, Apple has just licensed the exclusive rights to use LiquidMetal—a futuristic metal/glass material—in consumer electronic products (think everything ‘i’). The company will be using the new substance to create the back of the new iPhone and integrate the antenna. At least according to the rumors. The licensing thing regarding Apple and LiquidMetal very real and was disclosed by Apple in SEC filings but its use has still not been verified. Keep your fingers crossed, realize that this LiquidMetal technology is twice as strong as titanium and read on. It gets better.
That superfast A4 Apple processor in your iPad or iPhone 4 just too slow? It may not be quite the fastest mobile processor available for smartphones and similar technology, but Apple plans on staying at the top when it comes to technology. Bring in the next generation. The 1 GHz processor in the iPad which was slowed to around 800 MHz for the iPhone 4 was a Cortex-A8 (Apple named its version the A4)—the Cortex-A9 will be here soon. Whether or not Apple will decide to name this the A5 is debatable, but regardless, it offers support of up to four processor cores. Quad core iPads anyone?
While it would probably take too much battery power and cooling to make a quad core iPad or iPhone in the near future, a dual core one is a likely possibility. The Cortex-A9 is expected to show up in the next iPad refresh sometime near the end of this year and while no one is sure if it will have multiple processor cores, it will certainly boast faster speeds. There are even more rumors regarding the next iPad so keep reading.
New Apple TV and 7” iPad
Remember the Apple TV? Me neither. This product has languished in relative obscurity since Apple started focusing so much on its iOS product lineup. The next Apple TV is expected to run a version of iOS itself and will supposedly use a chip by AMD. It will also not have its own hard drive and instead use ‘cloud’ storage—fancy web 2.0 terminology for stream media from a server. Apple is also working on a streaming service for iTunes, so this would make a lot of sense. Why the company would choose to go to a different chipset instead of its A-series makes this a little fishy, but not impossible. Certainly as feasible as Apple’s supposed plans for a 7” iPad.
Yes, you read that right. More rumors are out in support of a 7” iPad model to complement its existing one. The current 9.7” model is selling insanely well (think the only thing slowing its sales down is how many Apple can make) and has propelled Apple record sales numbers. Like I said before, these new models are expected to have that new processor clocking in at over 1 GHz. The rumored 7” iPad will also have the same 1024×768 screen resolution as its larger sibling and should have that same front-facing camera that the other one is expected to get to allow FaceTime video calling over Wi-Fi. Giddy yet?
So there you have it. A whole bag of new and updated Apple iOS rumors and more evidence of Apple’s growing hegemony in consumer electronics and media. Who wouldn’t want a jailbroken iOS-powered Apple TV that can stream your entire iTunes library and surf the web in Apple style? Or who could resist a dual core iPhone 5 on Verizon’s network with rumored 4G network support? Oh how Apple teases. Hopefully these turn out to be more than just rumors. At least they have some support from industry insiders and a variety of analysts. Sound off!CDMA, Apple TV, Apple iPhone, Verizon, apple ipad


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GRAND CAYMAN, Cayman Islands, May 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — Our personal data continues to be the main source of revenue for companies like Facebook and Google, but consumers have yet to leverage their data for profit. To dig deeper, Insights Network, a data exchange based on a variant of the EOS blockchain that allows consumers to take control of and monetize their data, commissioned a survey of 1,000 consumers in the United States and found respondents are eager to see major changes in the data sharing landscape.
Consumers want increased transparency and regulation to protect personal data.
eTN Chatroom for Readers (join us)
An overwhelming 90 percent of respondents think it’s unethical for their personal data to be shared without their consent. Understandably, then, 65 percent are uncomfortable with their personal data being shared with for-profit businesses, and 68 percent are worried about the security of their personal data.
However, respondents are not entirely opposed to sharing their personal data, as long as there is more transparency throughout the process. In fact, 77 percent of respondents would be more comfortable sharing their data if they knew which company was requesting it, and 86 percent think they should be notified every time their personal data is shared.
“Under current practices, our data is being collected behind our backs for nefarious purposes and we need to move to conventions for data use that are based on transparency and consent,” said Brian Gallagher, CEO of Insights Network. “This is why we’re building Insights Network and offering a solution that provides users with secure storage and ownership of their personal data through a blockchain-based model for data exchange.”
In addition to increased transparency, respondents would like to be compensated when it comes to sharing their personal data. A large majority of respondents—79 percent—think they should be compensated every time their data is shared, and 72 percent would feel more comfortable sharing their data if they were offered an incentive in exchange.
Social media is perhaps the most easily recognizable example of large entities profiting from the sharing of users’ personal data. Around 60 percent of respondents have heard about the Cambridge Analytica/Facebook story. In light of the recent news about Facebook, 45 percent of respondents have considered deleting at least one of their social media accounts, and 12 percent ultimately deleted an account. Of those respondents who deleted an account, 78 percent chose to delete their Facebook profile.
On May 25, 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) goes into effect across the European Union, requiring companies to comply with consumer data protection rules or risk strict penalties. Since this is a European regulation, it was not surprising that 87 percent of respondents had not heard of the GDPR. However, when informed of its details, 84 percent of respondents supported the regulations.
About Insights Network
Insights Network’s EOS blockchain-based data exchange is reinventing how brands interact with consumers. Individuals will now have control over their personal information and can choose to interact with brands securely, while being financially compensated. Founded in 2017, Insights Network is automating the data brokerage industry using blockchain technology, secure multiparty computation and smart contracts. For more information, please visit www.insights.network and follow Insights on Twitter, Telegram and Medium.
*Insights Network surveyed 1,000 respondents from the United States who have used social media
View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/study-shows-us-consumers-want-regulations-protecting-personal-data-300650485.html
SOURCE Insights Network
To post and circulate your own press release on FIR and the eTN Network please click here


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Hacker News article Hacker news title Google has updated its Chrome browser with a new “Grocery Shopping” feature that lets you check your account online without having to visit a website like Walmart.
The feature is available in the Chrome browser for Windows and MacOS and Google’s Android browser for Android devices.
Google’s new “grocers” feature allows you to use the Chrome Web browser to check an account’s balance, balance transfers, credit card purchases, and more.
In addition to checking your account balance, the feature also allows you view credit card transactions, create a new shopping cart, and create a shopping basket.
The Chrome browser also has a “gravatar” feature to make it easy to see your shopping basket and shopping history, as well as a new option for the Chrome extension “Gift cards” that allows you save your gift cards to your Google Wallet account.
This new feature is only available on Chrome for Android.
This is not the first time Google has added a grocery shopping feature to Chrome browser.
Earlier this year, the company also added the ability to check balance transfers and make a payment to a bank account without using a bank website.
If you want to check online using your bank’s web interface, you can visit your bank website and select “Goblin” to start checking.
Google also said that you can make a grocery checkout using a mobile phone.
If that’s not your thing, you should probably just stick to Google’s Chrome browser and not worry about these features.
Google does not support online shopping or checking your bank balance with a third-party website.
Google said in a blog post on Thursday that it was working on ways to make online shopping more secure and convenient, and that the Chrome web browser has been updated to support this new feature.


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Amazon acquires Roomba robot maker iRobot for $1.7 billion
Amazon has signed an agreement to acquire iRobot, makers of Roomba robotic vacuum cleaners. The deal is valued at about $1.7 billion, and Amazon will acquire iRobot for $61 per share in an all-cash transaction.
“Customers love iRobot products — and I’m excited to work with the iRobot team to invent ways that make customers’ lives easier and more enjoyable,” says Dave Limp, SVP of Amazon Devices. It’s not immediately clear how iRobot will integrate with Amazon once the deal is finalized and cleared by regulators, but Amazon plans to keep Colin Angle as iRobot’s CEO.
iRobot has been designing robot vacuums since 2002 and has sold millions of its popular Roomba vacuums. Earlier this year iRobot released its latest iRobot OS, an artificial intelligence platform for robotic vacuums and mops. iRobot OS is designed to differentiate Roomba products from competitors with additional features and software capabilities as the robot cleaning space becomes increasingly competitive.
While Amazon isn’t detailing its plans for iRobot, the synergies with its other smart home products are clear. Amazon released its $999 Astro smart home robot last year, which Verge deputy editor Dan Seifert described as “the love child between a Roomba smart display and an Echo Show.”
The long-rumored robot can map floor plans, listen to commands to move between rooms, and even recognize faces. As an Alexa-enabled device, it can answer questions, play music, and show you things like the weather. iRobot’s latest operating system may not be mounted on an Alexa on wheels, but it’s just as ambitious, aiming to better understand a home through artificial intelligence and smart functions, and then expand into other areas of the smart home.
The combination of Roomba, Alexa, Ring doorbells and other Amazon smart home products gives the company an incredible amount of data in a modern smart home. This of course will lead to even more questions about privacy and Amazon’s control over the smart home market.


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Toshiba is officially out of the laptop business
Toshiba quietly exited the laptop business once and for all last week, ending a 35-year run by transferring its remaining minority stake in its PC business to Sharp. Two years ago, Toshiba sold an 80.1 percent stake of its PC business to Sharp for $36 million, and Sharp renamed the division Dynabook. Sharp exercised its right to buy the remaining 19.1 percent of shares back in June, and Toshiba released a statement August 4th that the deal was completed
“As a result of this transfer, Dynabook has become a wholly owned subsidiary of Sharp,” Toshiba said in a statement.
The company made the first PC laptop in 1985: The T1100 boasted internal rechargeable batteries, a 3.5-inch floppy drive, and 256K of memory. ComputerWorld’s 20-year…


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Delhi recently added 560,600 people to its gig economy in the six months to 31 March, an 88% jump from 298,000 people in first half of financial year 2019.
The number of migrant workers joining Bengaluru’s gig economy rose 29% to around 252,300 in H2FY19 from 194,400 in H1FY19.
Delhi’s population grew by around 1,000 a day in 2016, out of which over 300 were migrants who came to the city to settle down. The share of migrants in the capital’s population growth touched 33% – highest in 15 years. The city state’s booming services economy and its highest per capita income among states makes it the number 1 destination for migrants from every state from India.
Delhi has emerged as the top destination for migrant workers joining India’s tech-enabled gig economy, pushing India’s startup capital Bengaluru to a distant second spot.
The capital city added 560,600 people to its gig economy in the six months ended 31 March, an 88% jump from the 298,000 people it attracted in the first half of the last fiscal, data from human resource firm Team Lease Services shows.
Meanwhile, the number of migrant workers joining Bengaluru’s gig economy rose a moderate 29% to around 252,300 in the second half from 194,400 in the last six months.
The gig economy — characterized by contract, temporary employment and freelance workers — is ubiquitous all over the world, India included.
Uber and Ola drivers, Swiggy and Zomato boys and their ilk are integral parts of urban living.
It really doesn’t matter if they legally qualify as ‘workmen’ under Indian laws.
Indian economy which is boomed by rapidly growing e-commerce industry and versatile tech startups like Swiggy and Zomato, and ride hailing firms Uber and Ola, thrives largely unregulated, even as drivers and delivery boys work with little job security and fewer benefits.
R. Srinivasan, professor of strategy at the Indian Institute of Management, Bengaluru, said heightened migration and readily available job training at hyper local delivery companies had helped more migrant workers take up gig economy jobs.
The normal minimum salary for a driver is 16k-17k per month. A private sector driver earns around 15k-18k every month. However Uber and Ola cab drivers makes around two to three thousand a day.
Here also, higher earnings through the new gig routes make for far more ‘attractive’ cash flows than the government incentives – still confined majorly to the organised sector.
“The speed at which you can convert a migrant into a skilled worker has gone up. In fact, we can see that Delhi has some 1.3 million Ola and Uber drivers. It took eight years for Ola and Uber to do this, while the entire Indian IT industry employs around 4 million people,” added Srinivasan.
According to reports and data, around 13 lakhs Indians migrated to five cities — Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Chennai in the last six months to 31 March 2019, Team Lease said, registering a 60% growth in migration compared to the six-month period ended 30 September 2018.
Even as the two top political parties’ election manifestos have made space for the budding startup economy and its entrepreneurs, the gig economy, which has transformed how people dine and travel in big cities, has not done enough to protect the interests of gig economy work, said industry experts.
Gig economy workers in India do not have access to insurance like their Western counterparts; this statement is true today, but is likely to change.It is great to see platform economy players offer insurance products through partnerships to their workforce; Ola and Uber together have roughly ~2 Million employees i.e. these schemes can impact the lives of at least 4 Million people.
Millions of people working as self employed in the unorganized sector for decades have never had any safety nets:
*Our employment laws and regulations expressly prohibit dual employment.
Gig pro’s love handling dual/multiple contracts simultaneously.
Drivers, toolers, machinists, servicemen will all run the gig way.
The signs foretell a new storm is coming.
And the imperative’s crystal clear picture — bridge the pay gaps; bring equity.
Migrants support economies in cities around the world. It is important to recognize their contribution rather than see them as outsiders.


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On January 31, 2014, AmCham Sweden held a press conference at the offices of Prime PR in Stockholm. The main speakers, Mark Brzezinski; US Ambassador to Sweden, Ewa Björling; Swedish Minister for Trade, and Hans Stråberg; Co-Chair of the Trans-Atlantic Business Dialogue introduced the first two videos in a series entitled TTIP: Removing Trade Barriers.
The videos were shown at the press conference and are now posted on a youtube channel – TTIP: Removing Barriers – and have been produced by AmCham Sweden to clearly explain the benefits of the Transatlantic Trade Investment Partnership (TTIP) that is now being negotiated between the EU and US.
AmCham Sweden encourages member companies to provide a link on their websites to the youtube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/TTIPremovingbarriers in order to spread news of TTIP throughout their organizations. At least three more installments in the series – TTIP: Removing Barriers – will be posted in the weeks and months ahead. We will keep you informed as each new video is added to the youtube channel.
The first video in this series, TTIP: Removing Trade Barriers “What is TTIP?” provides a background for the proposed trade agreement, and begins to explain how important this could be for Sweden’s businesses and overall economy, as well as its impact on Swedish consumers and families.
The press conference was live streamed in its entirety and can now be viewed here as well.


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Toyota recalls 2.3 million cars
* Recall for US cars * 'Faulty' accelerator pedal * Eight models affected...
Toyota is recalling 2.3 million vehicles in the US after the problems with the accelerator pedal sticking.
The manufacturer is renowned for the reliability of its cars, but safety concerns relating to the faulty accelerator pedals prompted the recall. This follows a similar recall involving 4.2 million cars last autumn.
Pedal could 'stick' open
Toyota has said that accelerator pedals could 'in rare instances, mechanically stick in a partially depressed position or return slowly to the idle position'.
A Spokesman for Toyota said the problem was due to the vehicles' pedal mechanism suffering from wear and in some cases becoming stuck.
The cars affected in the US recall are:
• 2005-2010 Avalon
• 2007-2010 Camry
• 2009-2010 Corolla
• 2010 Highlander
• 2009-2010 Matrix
• 2009-2010 RAV4
• 2008-2010 Sequioia.
• 2007-2010 Tundra
Will Toyotas in the UK be recalled?
Toyota does not currently have any plans to recall cars in the UK, but Toyota Europe is investigating whether action needs to be taken.


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Little small business entrepreneurs say they have a single much more merchandise to increase to their list of problems: economic downturn.
Extra than four in five modest organization leaders say they worry that a economic downturn will hit the overall economy shortly and it will effects their enterprises, according to a new survey by on the web company-banking system Kabbage, a examining-account company by American Convey
The study is the latest installment of Kabbage’s Small Enterprise Recovery report. It gathered solutions from 550 compact company leaders with fewer than 500 staff members throughout industries in early April.
The modest company leaders aren’t on your own. Wall Road forecasters from J.P. Morgan & Chase
CEO Jamie Dimon and Goldman Sachs
CEO David Solomon to trader Michael Novogratz see economic storm clouds ahead as the U.S. Federal Reserve attempts to engineer a “soft landing” though concurrently taming inflation. A Economical Instances study performed in early June confirmed that a the greater part of economists predicted a recession will start off in 2023.
The U.S. overall economy shrank in the very first quarter of the year and is on monitor to develop by a lot less than 1% for the 2nd 1, according to Wall Road estimates. Some economists have predicted that this trend points to even further proof of an impending recession, defined as two straight quarters of declining economic expansion.
As of the close of Might, the price tag of living experienced risen by 8.6% as opposed to a yr ago. With inflation at a 40-calendar year superior, the Central Bank has executed a series of interest-amount hikes that could place the federal resources rate amongst 3.25% and 3.5% by the end of the calendar year, in accordance to Bankrate, a particular-finance web-site. The Fed experienced saved desire prices at close to zero as a way to incentivize financial action considering that the commencing of the coronavirus outbreak.
After the most recent 75-basis-issue level hike, it will be additional expensive to just take out a business enterprise financial loan. The corporations experience a double-edge sword: Between those modest corporations that have utilized for credit or are arranging to do so in the subsequent six months, pretty much half of them noted that they strategy to use the income to go over inflation-linked expenditures, according to the Kabbage survey.
Nonetheless, Kabbage also located that smaller-business entrepreneurs may well be drawing lessons from the pandemic to enable them get ready for a economic downturn. Close to 80% of respondents are self-confident about their business enterprise surviving a probable economic downturn, and said the top rated motive they truly feel that way is that the pandemic has assisted them discover a greater perception of resilience and to prepare for any forthcoming economic turbulence ahead.
“Small organizations are traditionally optimistic by difficult periods mainly because they are comfy earning the essential modifications to persevere,” reported Gina Taylor Cotter, executive vice president and typical manager of U.S. Little Small business Banking at Kabbage. She mentioned different economic components have pushed tiny corporations to prioritize branding, internet marketing and e-commerce to set by themselves aside from the levels of competition.
“Hopefully, if there is a recession it will probable be moderate presented that the basis of the economy is relatively great,” explained Holly Wade, executive director of the Nationwide Federation of Impartial Organization (NFIB) Investigate Heart through a latest NFIB event. ”People are still investing revenue. Most persons who want a career, have a job. All of these variables are pretty different from the 2007 fiscal disaster, when we experienced a housing bubble and other foundational problems.”


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Every five years, the Chinese government draws up five key tasks it wishes to undertake. In 2003, it wasn't infrastructure, education or political reform that made the top five, but changing the little tags we in the West have become so accustomed to seeing, from 'Made in China' to 'Created in China'. The subtlety of the change speaks volumes - China no longer wishes to be the world's factory, but the world's creative driving force.
"There is a tremendous amount of focus on creativity and creative skills in China," enthuses Scott Burnham, creative director for Urbis in Manchester and curator of the recent China Show there. "From industrial design to graphic design, China realises that it has all the hardware in place to produce everything from functional to fanciful objects and materials. What it lacks is the creative input, which, for most production, is still coming from the West."
For a country in which graphic design has been traditionally associated with Maoist propaganda and the functional aesthetic - almost half a decade after the Cultural Revolution - Chinese design is largely starting from year zero. As Burnham points out, there's no previous generation to learn from. Nevertheless, it's not a question of if, but when the Chinese will join Japanese, Scandinavian and British designers as a creative driving force with serious global reach.
Only a matter of time
"Once the creative skills become embedded in Chinese creative culture and intellectual property production, the transition will be complete, from culture and design media being made in China to being made by China," says Burnham.
"The art and design scene in China is growing exponentially. It's the most rapidly growing creative scene today, largely fuelled by the economy," Burnham continues. "That said, there is a gap in the market, because the most profitable work being done by Chinese designers and design houses is for Western clients who want to move into Chinese markets."
Part of this new creative firepower comes from Chinese design schools, which are quickly gaining a reputation as world-class institutions. Colleges such as Beijing's Central Academy of Fine Arts, the China Academy of Art, located in Hangzhou, and the College of Design in Guangzhou are now offering courses in architecture, apparel and clothing design, industrial art, digital design, sculpture, illustration and photography. And they've already turned out many high-profile students, among them graphic designer Beibang; Jimmy, one of Asia's most popular illustrators; and X2R, the famous toy designer, graffiti artist and graphic designer.
Surprisingly, all these artists have a marked Western style, which begs the question: what about Chinese design itself? If its impact is expected to be as big as China's growing economic influence, what influence can we expect China to have on the global design scene?
"Although Chinese style is considered similar to Japanese style, it's actually a distinct one with a longer history," argues Mazakii, a 22-year-old illustrator and designer, based in Guangzhou, China. "In Western eyes, colour is most essential to a piece of art, which can attract people in a fraction of a second. But both modern and traditional Oriental styles work more on the details, especially lines and curves, which are the second, deeper attraction."
More specifically, Mazakii considers Chinese-style illustration to be of biggest potential impact, specifically because of the Chinese education system's reliance on calligraphy. "Chinese people regard calligraphy as a very important type of art," she says. "They believe handwriting reflects personality and that they must learn calligraphy before they even start to master Chinese handwriting."
Yet even though mainstream design is coming to the fore, underground and urban art remains in its infancy. Street art and graffiti is almost non-existent, and although exhibitions such as Get it Louder and the British Council's Aftershock show shed some light on the country's emerging talent, it's still difficult for up-and-coming Chinese artists to make their mark.
Burnham for one believes that the West has an almost exploitative attitude to Chinese art. "Today it's hard to find the commercial art world paying attention to much else. I do fear, however, that a lot of the attention is almost entirely investment and speculation-based."
Even if this is true, Mazakii considers Chinese influence an inevitability - if only because of the sheer size of the country: "There is a trend that more and more Chinese artists have caught the world's attention," she says. "I believe that, sooner or later, a new wave of Chinese art and style will be presented. With 1.3 billion people and 1.3 billion ideas towards art, we will make the world more vibrant."
Isn't it time the world took notice?


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Along with the long-awaited introduction of Apple’s TV and movie-streaming service, the company also introduced a new Apple TV app for iPhone, iPad and Apple TV. The updated design is meant to make it easier to find content, no matter the source — whether that’s Apple’s new TV channels service, Apple TV+, your iTunes library, cable or satellite TV or other streaming services, like Amazon Prime Video or Hulu.
The updated app includes a new “Watch Now” tab where you can pick up where you left off on current shows, see suggestions of trending and popular content, or dive into personalized recommendations that get smarter the more you’re on the app.
The interface looks much like what you’d expect from a streaming service — with sections like “What to Watch” or “New and Noteworthy,” and shows depicted by image thumbnails.
When you find things you like, you can add items to your Watch Later list.
Similar to Roku’s TV and movies hub, The Roku Channel or Amazon’s Prime Video Channels, the Apple TV app will also offer a simple way to subscribe to premium channels.
With a few clicks, you can start a free trial to paid channels like HBO, Showtime, Starz, CBS All Access, Epix, Tastemade, Noggin and others, using your saved payment information.
Above: Apple’s add-on TV “channels”
To navigate the app, you tap on the sections across the top: Watch Now, Movies, TV Shows, Sports, Kids and Library. Some of these have had small changes, as well.
For example, the brand new Kids experience lets children browse by their favorite characters, similar to Netflix.
There are other nice touches, too — like the ability to skip shows’ intros to get straight to the action — and, of course, you can still use Siri to find content and control the experience.
It’s in the Apple TV app where Apple will begin to showcase its new Apple TV+ programming, which includes shows from big names like Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Octavia Spencer, J.J. Abrams, Jason Momoa, M. Night Shyamalan, Jon M. Chu and others.
“We’re honored that the absolute best lineup of storytellers in the world — both in front of and behind the camera — are coming to Apple TV+,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services, in a statement. “We’re thrilled to give viewers a sneak peek of Apple TV+ and cannot wait for them to tune in starting this fall. Apple TV+ will be home to some of the highest-quality original storytelling that TV and movie lovers have seen yet.”
The revamped app will be available on Apple TV, iPhone and iPad in May 2019, and will come for the first time to the Mac this fall. It also will become available worldwide in more than 100 countries when the OS update arrives.
As previously announced, Apple TV will be available on non-Apple devices for the first time, too. This includes smart TVs like those from Samsung, LG, Sony and Vizio, as well as on Roku and Amazon Fire TV platforms at a later date.


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Top 4 Tech Stocks to Buy in January
The largest Canadian cannabis stocks suffered a sharp drop, as the second trading week of January came to a close. Investors that are moving to take profits from the cannabis surge should be looking to reinvest at the beginning of the year. Let?s take a look at four tech stocks that have room to run as we kick off 2018.
BlackBerry Ltd. (TSX:BB)(NYSE:BB)
BlackBerry stock has surged 21% to start 2018 as of close on January 12. The transition from hardware to software has been encouraging in light of recent developments. Its stake in growing industries like cybersecurity and autonomous vehicle technology make it a highly attractive long-term hold.
BlackBerry stock jumped on January 3 after it was reported that the company was selected to work with Baidu Inc. for its Apollo driverless vehicle program. The BlackBerry QNX automotive unit will provide the ASIL-D safety operating system for the program. BlackBerry stock has climbed 78% year over year.
Shopify Inc. (TSX:SHOP)(NYSE:SHOP)
Shopify stock has increased 10.7% to start 2018. Shopify has been battling volatility since it was targeted by short seller Andrew Left. The company achieved operating profitability for the first time since being publicly listed when it released its third-quarter results on October 31. Revenue and gross profit were also up 72% and 86%, respectively.
Businesses operating through the Shopify platform made over $1 billion in sales over the Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping weekends. According to retail search marketing agency NetElixir, holiday e-commerce sales jumped 13% year over year. Retail e-commerce sales are expected to hit $4 trillion by 2020 compared to $2.4 trillion in 2014.
CGI Group Inc. (TSX:GIB.A)(NYSE:GIB)
CGI Group is a Montreal-based global information technology company. The stock has dropped 2% to start 2018. The company released its fourth-quarter and full-year results on November 8.
Revenue grew 4.3% to $10.8 billion in 2017. The company posted net earnings of $1 billion, or 9.5% of revenue. Net debt grew to $1.7 billion in 2017 compared to $1.3 billion at the end of the previous year. Currently, CGI Group possesses $165.9 million in cash and $1.3 billion in unused credit facilities. In Q4 cash generated from operating activities fell to $352.1 million compared to $401.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2016.
Enghouse Systems Ltd. (TSX:ENGH)
Enghouse is a Toronto-based software company. Enghouse stock has been mostly flat to start 2018 but has climbed 19% year over year. The company released its fourth-quarter results on December 14.
Revenue climbed to $325.4 million in comparison to $308 million in Q4 2016. The company saw its operating expenses increase to $137.6 million over $129.5 million in the prior year. Net income also jumped to $50.8 million, or $1.87 per diluted share compared to $47.3 million, or $1.74 per diluted share in Q4 2016.
The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.16 per share, representing a 1% dividend yield.
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Fool contributor Ambrose O'Callaghan has no position in any stocks mentioned. David Gardner owns shares of Baidu. Tom Gardner owns shares of Baidu and Shopify. The Motley Fool owns shares of Baidu, BlackBerry, Shopify, and SHOPIFY INC. CGI Group, Baidu, BlackBerry, and Shopify are recommendations of Stock Advisor Canada.


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Consumers Are Back to Leading the Charge
J: The Census Bureau gave us much appreciated good news in their Advance Retail and Food Services Sales report of May 12. As the chart below shows, total retail and food services sales rose to a record $474.9 billion, seasonally adjusted. (L: Remember ALWAYS seasonally adjusted unless we say otherwise.) That was an increase of 0.4 percent from March, whose total was revised from a decline of 0.2 percent from February to an increase of 0.1 percent. You should note that on April 26 the Census Bureau revised all of these data back to January 2008 as a result of the 2015 Annual Retail Trade Survey.
L: You should also note that being an economist is a weird job. How many jobs depend on historical data that keep changing?
J: As always, various components of the total grew faster or slower than the 0.4 percent average in April as compared to March. The star performer was the “nonstore retailers” (think Amazon and various catalog purveyors), which grew by 1.4 percent in April and posted a huge 11.9 percent increase from April 2016.
Second was “electronics and appliance stores” with a 1.3 percent increase from March. That only put them up 0.7 percent from a year earlier though.
Next came “building material and garden equipment and supplies dealers” with a 1.2 percent increase from March and up 9.3 percent from April 2016. This is a reflection of strong residential construction activity and great weather in much of the country for all the gardeners and landscape lovers out there.
Fourth place went to “auto and other motor vehicle dealers.” They were up 0.8 percent from March and 4.7 percent from April 2016.
Consistent with all the dismal news we’ve had lately from Target, Sears, Costco and Wal-Mart, the “general merchandise” category was down 0.5 percent for the month and 0.7 percent for the year. The department store subset (Macy’s, Nordstrom, etc.) actually managed a gain of 0.2 percent for the month, but was down 3.7 percent for the year.
The chart below shows the year-over-year percentage change in the total. That was 4.5 percent from April. The percentage increase for the first four months of 2017 compared to the same period in 2016 is 3.5 percent. All this good news from consumers suggests that the second quarter is off to a rollicking start. We can expect more good news on retail sales in next month’s report on June 14.


text: 2016 EICMA Milan saw a lot of revelations that is going to change the way we bike. Modern and sophisticated packages that is one above the other. Ducati’s stable was also a busy bee with it showcasing the lineup for 2017 and included are two models that will join their badass Scrambler series that add the missing pieces to the puzzle. A gleaming and stylish Café-Racer and an off-road capable Desert Sled that we couldn’t help but get obsessed with them already. "Scrambler is no longer just a model, but now it is a brand," announced Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali.