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Shopify has made it attainable for eligible sellers to promote NFTs (non-fungible tokens) through its platform, which opens up an entire new world for e-commerce retailers.
On Monday, the NBA’s Chicago Bulls launched its first-ever NFTs –– together with digital paintings of NBA championship rings –– by launching an online store on Shopify. As a substitute of getting to go to an NFT market, Bulls followers can now buy the digital artwork immediately with the staff’s on-line retailer utilizing a credit score or debit card. In its first day of creating them accessible, the NBA staff offered out of the NFTs inside simply 90 seconds, in accordance with Kaz Nejatian, Shopify’s VP of service provider providers.
“You would purchase NFTs on bank cards earlier than, however truthfully the NFT shopping for expertise exterior Shopify isn’t superior for anybody proper now,” he instructed TechCrunch “That’s why we determined to do that work. Retailers and patrons shouldn’t must take a course in crypto to purchase issues they care about.”
It’s additionally about giving customers extra choices to purchase NFTs – particularly those that aren’t well-versed in cryptocurrency.
By making it attainable for retailers to promote NFTs immediately via their Shopify storefronts, the corporate says it’s creating entry for retailers who wish to promote NFTs. They may finally be capable of select which blockchain they’d prefer to promote on primarily based on their merchandise and buyer base since Shopify helps a number of blockchains, Nejatian stated.
“In contrast, if retailers wish to promote on an NFT market, they want to decide on primarily based on the blockchain supported by that market,” he added.
The Chicago Bulls chosen the Circulate blockchain for his or her NFTs, for instance. However total, Shopify retailers can at this time select from Circulate and Ethereum, however quickly “can have extra selection with different blockchains on Shopify,” in accordance with Nejatian.
The transfer was additionally pushed by demand from retailers asking for the power to promote NFTs and the will to offer creators and artists one other discussion board to develop professionally.
“Many creators are already seeing the worth of promoting NFTs to their followers, however we’re eradicating a few of the friction for themselves and their patrons, permitting them to raised monetize their work and their connection to their viewers,” he added. “We’re opening up a world the place their followers really feel significant connection to their manufacturers, and the place NFTs simply more and more grow to be a part of how we purchase and promote on-line.”


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Authorities are asking for help in identifying two burglars who stole an electric meter and prescription drugs from a Lake Park pharmacy in July.
Surveillance images show the two men on July 20 taking a Florida Power & Light Co. electric meter from behind Robalo Pharmacy, 228 Federal Highway, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said. The two men then broke the front window and grabbed more than $1,000 worth of prescription drugs.
The burglars also are suspected of breaking into a jewelry store on July 15 at 905 Federal Highway in Lake Park.
Authorities ask anyone with information about these burglaries to contact Crime Stoppers, 800-458-8477.

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BY NICHOLAS WAITATHU
NAIROBI, KENYA: Kenya’s efforts to become a business process outsourcing and sustainability centre received a major boost yesterday after an international provider of customised onshore and offshore outsourcing solutions opened office in Nairobi.
The ADEC Group from Philippines signed a lease agreement with the Export Processing Zones Authority (EPZA).
The partnership will allow the global company to start Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) services in Kenya before the end of the year.
EPZA Chief Executive Cyrille Nabutola explained that his organisation would provide offices for the company to start their operations of developing services for exports.
- 1 Authority wants local ventures to make PPEs
- 2 Tough questions as Sh500m loss hits EPZ projects
- 3 How officials' laxity is denying Kenya faster growth
- 4 Kenya seeks new market for EPZA goods
“The partnership is to enable the international company initiate BPO services in the country. This is further geared towards enhancing the country’s profile in the international arena,” said Nabutola.
Export Processing Zones Authority has provided the company with 5,567 square feet of office. The company, he added has been attracted to Kenya owing to the country’s endowment, for example, human s resources and strategic position in the region.
“Our hope is that Kenya will soon start exporting service to the rest of the world soon,” said Nabutola. The start of BPO operations in the country, he noted, would further expand the labour market, as more people would be employed in agencies that would be established by Adec Group. Kenya is one of the top three BP0 destinations in Africa.
In the BPO market, Kenya has a comparative advantage due to the low labour rates for quality services. Learning institutions in the country produce more than 700,000 graduates every year.
While initially the success of BPO may be driven by the private sector, Nabutola added that government’s role is to provide support in terms of a stable legal and business environment.
The coming in of the new company, Nabutola said follows invitations EPZA has been extending since 2003 to local and international companies to discuss how the initiative could be pursued.
Adec Group Chief Executive Officer James Donovan said his company’s efforts to set up operations in Kenya are informed by research carried out recently, which rated Kenya as one of the leading countries in terms of BPO service offerings.


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Snack Factory previews organic pretzel crisps
Snack Factory has launched a new variety of its Pretzel Crisps flat-baked pretzel crackers: Organic Original Pretzel Crisps.
The new crisps are also Non-GMO Project verified and will be available for a limited time in the United States, the company said in a press release.
“Snack Factory is dedicated to fulfilling the demand for quality, wholesome snack options with exceptional taste,” said Eric Van De Wal, vice-president of marketing and innovation for the Clearview Foods Division of parent company Snyder’s-Lance. “The Organic version of our flagship Original Pretzel Crisps line was created for consumers seeking a greater variety of clean-label snacks without sacrificing taste. This introduction is the first of several new better-for-you snacks forthcoming in 2017 and beyond.”
Organic Original Pretzel Crisps have 110 calories per serving, and contain no saturated fat, zero trans fat, cholesterol, preservatives, artificial flavourings or colours.
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The NAMA Show
March 21-23, 2018


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After lots of announcements about ArabNet conference, the event successfully landed to Kuwait for the first time. Arraya Ballroom was the place to be on October 4 and 5. There were representatives of many respectable companies, such as KNET, MasterCard, Twitter, Careem and many others. We were also there, wouldn’t miss such an event that brings us the opportunity to attend interesting panels and talks.
Well-known speakers and panelists
One of the major conference panels was the opening panel that gathered Kuwait’s leading entrepreneurship advocates – Abdulaziz B. Al Loughani (Vice Chairman at The National Fund for SMEs Development), Essa Al Essa (Chairman at Mefazec), Mohammad Alhajeri (Chief Investment Officer at Impulse International), Mohammad Jaffar (former CEO of Talabat) and Shafeeq Al-Saed Al-Omar, Assistant Undersecretary at Ministry of State for Youth Affairs. They discussed the digital ecosystem and what are the opportunities and obstacles for entrepreneurs here in Kuwait.
Hashim Bahbahani, co-founder of Coded and a member of StartupQ8 community, participated in a panel that was held during the second day of the conference. Charles Saliba (Founder and CEO at HR Works s.a.l.) and Meherzad Dastoor, (Senior Manager, People Advisory Services at Ernst & Young) joined him on the stage and discussed talent acquisition since that’s one of the biggest challenges startups face nowadays. They were also talking about challenges startups face, outsourcing or doing everything in-house, the best practices for hiring, training and retaining talent, which we all know it’s not very easy.
Who won the ArabNet Kuwait contests?
Aside from all ArabNet talks and panels, there were two contests. One of those was called Startup Demo Competition, where Meddy by Abdulla AlKhenji (Qatar) won the first place for an app that helps people find best doctors based on patient reviews and credentials. SoukDesigner by Kamel Kabbani (Lebanon) took the second place. It is an online platform that enables people to sell products in their personalized online store easily and economically. Third place went to Pricinity by Ahmad Al-Benali (Kuwait). It’s a search engine for products, prices and stores throughout Kuwait and the region.
Ideathon contest was won by Jaffer Mohamad Mahdi, the youngest participant at some ArabNet competition so far. With his idea called MySpot, he could actually help resolving one of the crucial problems in Kuwait – finding a parking spot.
We would like to thank the ArabNet team who worked very hard for the last couple of months to bring this event to Kuwait and gather entrepreneurs and startupers around awesome topics.
Make sure to be there next year!


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The most expensive hamburger has been presented to the world. Prepared in a stem cell lab, it has a price that amounts to 330,000 dollars.
Before this news, the most expensive hamburger was sold in the restaurant Serendipity 3 in New York. Its price is quite a lot lower, around 295 dollars, however, due to its ingredients we can still say it’s the most luxurious burger there is. With the best meat in the world, waygu from the region of Kobe in Japan, this delicacy is prepared with white truffle butter, cheddar cheese, black truffles, quail egg and Kaluga caviar.
You can also have caviar on pizza at Nino’s restaurant in New York. You’ll have a chance of savouring their speciality la Bellissima if you preorder several days in advance. This opulent pizza has lobster and 4 different kinds of caviar; these ingredients can almost explain its price that is close to 1,000 dollars.
Hot dogs are also part of the elitist fast food trend. According to eHow the restaurant Capital Dawg, in Sacramento, CA, used to offer – before it closed down – a beef sausage seasoned with French mustard, garlic and herbs. The sausage was wrapped in Italian bread with white truffle butter, onion, vegetables, smoked bacon, tomato and dried cranberries. Selling for 150 dollars, it managed to be the most expensive hot dog in 2012 and got the World Guinness Record for it.


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Nissan News: Final Nissan Race Car of the Super GT 2017 Season is Revealed
Nissan has revealed the third and final race car for the 2017 season of the popular Japanese touring car series Super GT. We give you the Nissan GT-R Nismo GT500!Read More
Super GT Championship Finale Saturday AND Sunday!
MOTEGI, Japan – The 2016 Super GT Championship will be decided this weekend with Nissan aiming to defend its championship wins in both the GT500 and GT300 classes.Read More
Strong Performances for NISMO Athletes in Sonoma and Austin
Nissan News:Strong performances for NISMO athletes in Sonoma and AustinIt was a busy weekend in the U.S. with the Pirelli World Challenge series tackling Sonoma Raceway in California and the FIA World Endurance Championship heading to Austin's Circuit of The Americas in Texas.Read More


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NBCUniversal’s Peacock has signed up 10 million users, making the new streaming service a rare bright spot at Comcast’s pandemic-ravaged entertainment division.
Comcast disclosed the early Peacock results while reporting its second-quarter earnings Thursday. NBC has said it hopes Peacock will surpass 30 million active users by 2024.
Peacock, which is free and supported by advertising, made its debut to Comcast subscribers in April and expanded nationwide July 15. It’s still unavailable through Roku and Amazon’s Fire TV, the most popular connected-TV platforms.


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The Complex Task of Managing Nanotechnology Risks
With increased safety and health scrutiny focused on nanotechnology, what risk management steps should manufacturers take to protect themselves, customers and the environment?
The inclusion of nanotechnologies within manufacturing processes and products has increased exponentially over the past decade. Fortune recently noted that nanotechnology touches almost all Fortune 500 companies and that the industry’s $20 billion worldwide size is expected to double over the next decade.
Click here to view the full article authored by Sidley lawyer Michael Lisak.


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BlackBerry’s new Bold smartphone is said to build on the success of its predecessor. Users can now look forward to features such as a more sensitive trackpad, a faster processor and a sleeker design. According to Research In Motion, the phone is currently available from MTN outlets in South Africa and will soon be available from Vodacom.
The new BlackBerry Bold 9700 offers an array of high-end communications and multimedia features in a design that will appeal to users for both professional and personal use. It offers support for 3G networks around the world, a next-generation (624 MHz) processor, 256MB flash memory, built-in GPS and Wi-Fi, a 3.2MP camera is also included.
The phone also includes a touch sensitive trackpad and a tactile, fretted keyboard. “The BlackBerry Bold 9700 smartphone builds on the success of the original model with new features in a smaller and lighter design,”” said Deon Liebenberg, regional director for Sub-Sahara Africa at Research In Motion.
Key features of the BlackBerry Bold 9700 smartphone include:
The BlackBerry Bold 9700 is available from MTN outlets.
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AT&T confirms new iPhone for June?
Everyone’s expecting a new iPhone to be launched this summer, and it looks like AT&T, the exclusive iPhone carrier in the US, has just confirmed that a third-generation Apple smartphone will be introduced in June 2009.
According to BGR, someone important at AT&T said the new iPhone will be indeed announced in mid-June.
Also, some details about its features were unveiled.
Reportedly, the next iPhone will be faster (than the iPhone 3G, of course) and it should offer a “more seamless experience”.
Furthermore, the new iPhone will come with a U-Verse app (for controlling your home DVR) and it might support data transfer speeds of up to 7.2 Mbps – well, isn’t the iPhone 3G already supporting that?
It’s not clear where exactly the iPhone Nano stands in all this.
Anyway, I’m sure Apple fans are eagerly awaiting more details on the new smartphone(s), so we’ll be here to bring them when they appear.


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The wins include several well-known brands-Chivas Regal scotch and Haagen-Dazs ice cream-as well as a Nissan distributor and three pieces of Sara Lee Corp. business.
Keith Smith, chairman of TBWA's Asian operations in Hong Kong, noted that the agency already handles several of these brands in the U.S., which helped TBWA's new Asian agencies gain entree and successfully pitch the business. The new accounts increase billings at TBWA's Hong Kong agency-TBWA Lee Davis-by 40% and TBWA's Singapore agency-TBWA Fong Haque & Soh-by 20%, said Mr. Smith.
CREATIVE ON CHIVAS
For Seagram Co.'s Chivas Regal, TBWA Lee Davis won the creative portion of the account, which spends about $20 million regionally. Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide, the incumbent, keeps media.
TBWA Lee Davis also picked up Sara Lee's Champion, Wonderbra and Dim brands, spending a combined $10 million in Asia, according to Mr. Smith. Euro RSCG Worldwide previously handled.
The Hong Kong agency won the $10 million business of Nissan's Hong Kong distributor Dah Chong Hong in late December. DDB Needham Worldwide previously serviced.
TBWA Fong Haque & Soh won the $5 million Haagen-Dazs ice cream account. Mr. Smith said a print and outdoor campaign for Haagen-Dazs will break during April in Singapore, and pan-Asian advertising is being eyed. That business had been handled by J. Walter Thompson Co.
The shop is moving ahead with other expansion plans in Asia. Mr. Smith noted TBWA plans to sign a deal to acquire ad agency Next & Triplet in Bangkok next month, to be followed by similar deals in Malaysia, Indonesia and Taiwan.


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Hong Kong gets OK for yuan accounts
CHINA said today it would allow Hong Kong to offer yuan-denominated bank accounts - a move regarded as a major step towards loosening controls over the currency.
Bank shares surged as investors judged this would enhance Hong Kong's role as a financial centre.
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The wait is almost over for early adopters of Blackphone, an Android-based smartphone that promises enhanced privacy and security.
The GPRS Roaming Exchange (GRX) network, which carries roaming traffic among hundreds of mobile operators worldwide, contains Internet-reachable hosts that run vulnerable and unnecessary services, recent security scans reveal.
Dutch telecom operator KPN has struck a deal with encrypted communications provider Silent Circle to start offering its Dutch, German and Belgian customers encrypted phone calls and text messages.
The Dutch competition Authority NMa raided the offices of Vodafone, T-Mobile and KPN on Tuesday morning as part of an investigation into price fixing, the authority said.
The largest telecommunications company in the Netherlands has stopped issuing SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificates after finding indications that the website used for purchasing the certificates may have been hacked.
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To think of LG without its smartphone division seems illogical, but despite its attempts to improve, the problems are more evident every year. The South Korean company does not have a financially sustainable business in its handset division and is struggling to find a way out of the situation. To put it bluntly: LG wants to sell its mobile business and cannot find a buyer.
In fact, the latest talks held to completely divest its smartphone business were not positive either. Apparently, LG Electronics did not close a deal with either of the two companies that showed genuine interest: Vietnam’s Vingroup JSC and Volkswagen Group.
What was not publicly explained is why the negotiations failed. For starters, a business model with more than 20 consecutive quarters without profits is not very seductive. It is also real that the South Koreans will not want to divest a division without pocketing a tidy sum of money.
Earlier this year, LG’s CEO said that “all options were on the table” due to financial losses in the smartphone business. The latest reports even mention the possibility of shutting down the division altogether.
This would undoubtedly have a strong impact on the corporation’s global image, not to mention the labor aspect. A formal communication to the company’s employees is expected, but not before April.
The launches that were planned for the first half of 2021 would have been postponed indefinitely. This scenario would not be favorable even for the successor to the LG Velvet, whose development would also be frozen. It is also unclear what will happen to the rollable phone that could be seen on video earlier this year.
The same appeared in a clip from CES 2021 and its main feature allowed the display size to be adapted to the user’s needs. Despite the interest, there were rumors in February about discontinuation of its development, but LG publicly denied them.
What will happen to LG’s smartphone business? Will the company be willing to get rid of it for good or will a last-minute buyer appear? April would be the key month to find out if one of the world’s great technology companies finds a not-too-disorderly exit from the mobile market.


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We’ve already told you all there is to about brand Lexus coming to India. In fact we gave you an exclusive story too, telling you about the cars that are making their way here as also the strategy the company will adopt as regards India. We’ve already told you about the RX450 and the ES coming to India and we’ve even spotted the cars out on the roads, registered and ready for delivery in fact.
There are about 50 to 60 cars that have made their way to India but all will be used to garner interest within dealer principals first, which means that potential customers are now being tapped and test drives for the cars have begun.
The Lexus RX450h was spotted by us on the streets of Mumbai
Lexus will launch the both the RX450 and the ES300h in March 2017. So the first two cars that will launch will be hybrids. March will also see the launch of Lexus dealerships in India. There will be four showrooms to begin with – 1 in Mumbai, 1 in Bengaluru and two in Delhi. The preferred dealership partners for Lexus are the ones who currently have Toyota dealerships and yes, there are going to be separate dealerships as we’ve said earlier. Lexus and Toyota will however, share the same service network, although there will be a separate bay altogether for servicing the Lexus cars.
The Lexus RX and ES will launch in March 2017 There will be an onslaught of cars by the end of 2017 as we’ll see the LX450 diesel, LX 570 petrol and the NX make their way to India. The RC F sports car will not be coming to India. The RX450h will be priced more than ₹ 90 lakh (ex-showroom price) while the ES 300h will cost close to ₹ 60 lakh (ex-showroom). The cars will be direct imports to India and hence will attract import duties. Lexus also plans to bring the LS600h by January 2018.
Bookings for the cars have been opened at a dealer level and we can’t wait for the cars to be launched in India. We’ll keep you updated on the latest, so stay tuned!
BlackBerry last week made an announcement that its smartphones will now be manufactured and sold by TCL Communication (TCT). One week after the BlackBerry-TCL partnership news, TCL has now said that it will launch new BlackBerry smartphones at the CES 2017 trade show. However, there are no details regarding the new devices, but one of them could bring the BlackBerry’s signature physical QWERTY keyboard.
TCL Communication said the CES presentation will “include a first look at how the BlackBerry brand legacy will live on in a new generation of smartphones.” It’s evident BlackBerry is betting on the new partnership with China’s TCL to compete with the likes of Apple and Samsung. To recall, BlackBerry in September made a bold announcement that it’s quitting the mobile manufacturing business, and would solely focus on its software unit. The company recently launched the Android-powered DTEK60, which was manufactured under an agreement with TCL Communication.
Steve Cistulli, President and General Manager for TCL Communication (TCT), North America commented, “We’ll unveil more news at CES around our plans, showcasing the legacy of the BlackBerry smartphone brand, while also giving a glimpse into what new BlackBerry smartphones will offer as part of our bold new brand portfolio within TCT. These are just the building blocks of our new growth strategy, with additional announcements to come in 2017.”
The new TCL-made BlackBerry QWERTY device is expected to be the rumoured BlackBerry Mercury, whose specifications were leaked online with images earlier this month. The rumoured BlackBerry Mercury is touted to have a fingerprint sensor integrated into the space bar. It is also expected to be powered by the Snapdragon 625 CPU, and house a 4.5-inch display. The smartphone has been spotted on GeekBench as well, and the leak hints at 3GB of RAM, 32GB of inbuilt storage, a 3400mAh battery, an 18-megapixel rear camera, and an 8-megapixel front-facing camera. It is said to run Android 7.0 Nougat with BlackBerry’s own customisations for security.
At this point, we are uncertain on when this device will be unveiled and what name it will commercially bear, but they are expected to hit the US first. Notably, BlackBerry’s partnership with TCL does not allow it to sell its new mobile devices in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh and Indonesia, some of BlackBerry’s biggest handset markets.
The Zuk Edge smartphone, which had been teased by Lenovo for a while now, has been finally launched in the Chinese market. The new Zuk Edge smartphone will go on sale from January 1 in China, and has been priced at CNY 2,299 (roughly Rs. 22,500) for the 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM variant, and CNY 2,499 (roughly Rs. 24,500) for the 6GB of LPDDR4 RAM variant. The latest Zuk smartphone will be made available in Ceramic White and Titanium Crystal Black colour variants.
The main highlight of the Zuk Edge is its 2.35GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 SoC, apart from its 5.5-inch full-HD TDDI display with Corning Gorilla Glass that supposedly has an 86.4 percent screen-to-body ratio, its USB Type-C (v3.1) port, its under-glass U Touch fingerprint sensor (that can unlock in as little as 0.09 seconds), and its built-in blood oxygen heart rate sensor. Other interesting additions in Lenovo’d Zuk Edge include a pneumatic altimeter and a UV light sensor.
The dual-SIM (Nano-SIM) Zuk Edge runs Android 7.0 Nougat-based ZUI 2.5. As for optics, the new Zuk Edge smartphone bears a 13-megapixel rear camera with a 1.34-micron pixel Samsung ISOCELL sensor, an f/2.2 aperture, PDAF+CAF hybrid autofocus, and a high-brightness flash. On the front, it bears an 8-megapixel camera with a 1.12-micron pixel sensor, and an f/2.2 aperture. Inbuilt storage of Zuk Edge is 64GB, which is not expandable via microSD card.
Connectivity options onboard the Zuk Edge include 4G LTE (with support for Indian LTE bands), Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth v4.1, and GPS/ A-GPS. The Zuk Edge bears 3100mAh battery, measures 142.9×74.5×7.68mm and weighs 160 grams. Other sensors on board include an accelerometer, ambient light sensor, gyroscope, magnetometer, and proximity sensor
California-based Blu Products has launched a new smartphone to its Life series – the Blu Life Max. The Blue Life Max is a budget smartphone that comes with a large 3700mAh battery as its biggest highlight. The smartphone will be available in the US via Blu’s official retail partner, Amazon at a decent price of $118.87 (roughly Rs. 8,000) for the unlocked version. For now, the smartphone is ‘temporarily out of stock’ without any information regarding its arrival on the Amazon. The Blu Life Max is only available in Dark Blue colour, and works on AT&T, T-Mobile, Cricket, MetroPCS, and Straight Talk, amongst other carriers.
The dual SIM (Micro-SIM) supporting Blu Life Max runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow out-of-the-box. The Blu Life Max is powered by a quad-core MediaTek 6737 CPU clocked at 1.3GHz, and houses a Mali T-720 GPU for the graphics. It packs 2GB of RAM under the hood. The Blu Life Max has a 5.5-inch HD (720×1280) IPS display with ‘Blu Infinite View’ – that’s actually the curved glass around the corners of the smartphone – and a resolution of 267 ppi.
For photography, Blu Life Max sports an 8-megapixel autofocus rear camera with full-HD video recording capability. The front-facing camera is a 5-megapixel shooter, and both the cameras come with flash modules. The Blu Life Max also offers a fingerprint scanner sitting right below the rear camera. The Blu Life Max also offers an inbuilt storage of 8GB, which is expandable via a microSD card (up to 16GB).
The Blu Life Max packs a 3700mAh battery that is rated to last up to 3 days with standard usage. Connectivity options in the Blu Life Max include 4G LTE, GPRS/ Edge, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and GPS. The smartphone measures 154.5×77.1×8.7mm.
Zen Mobile on Tuesday launched the Cinemax Click in India, a 4G VoLTE-capable smartphone priced at Rs. 6,190. The company says the smartphone will be available with online and offline retailers, and comes bundled with a Reliance Jio SIM with access to the Jio Happy New Year Offer. Zen Mobile is also bundling a protection kit and one-time screen replacement within the first six months.
The dual-SIM Zen Cinemax Click runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow and sports a 5.5-inch HD (720×1280 pixels) OnCell display. The smartphone is powered by a 64-bit 1.3GHz quad-core processor (unspecified) coupled with 1GB of RAM. As for optics, the smartphone bears an 8-megapixel rear autofocus camera with flash, apart from a 5-megapixel front-camera.
The Cinemax Click comes with 8GB of inbuilt storage that’s expandable via microSD card (up to 32GB) and features regular connectivity options like Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth, apart from 4G VoLTE support. The smartphone is powered by a 2700mAh battery that’s rated to deliver up to 30 hours of standby time. Other features of the Zen Cinemax Click include the Swalekh multi-lingual keyboard with support for for 20 regional languages, including Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu. The smartphone comes preloaded with Saavn, Zen AppCloud, and Zen Game Store apps, and the company is also touting a mobile tracking and special screenshot features for users.
Announcing the launch, Sanjay Kalirona, CEO, Zen Mobile, said, “The launch of Cinemax Click further strengthens our 4G VoLTE portfolio in India. At Zen Mobile, we are constantly working towards offering consumers with feature rich, value for money smartphones, while at the same time helping them live a seamless digital life. Cinemax Click will be available to customers with Jio 4G Happy New Year offer and esp. launch benefits of free protection gear and one time screen replacement in case of any breakage during first 6 months. We will continue to focus on our presence in Tier II and Tier III cities in India to help every Indian embrace the Digital movement.”
After launching the Ultra50 in October, Videocon expanded its 4G lineup on Friday after announcing the launch of the Ultra30 smartphone in India. Much like the Ultra50, the Ultra30’s VoLTE support and a large battery pack are its key highlights. The Videocon Ultra30 smartphone has been given a ‘special introductory price’ of Rs. 8,590, and is available exclusively on Snapdeal in a Blue Gold colour variant.
The 4G-enabled Ultra30 runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow and is similar to the Ultra50 in terms of specifications. The smartphone features a 5-inch (720×1280) HD IPS display with MiraVision and DragontrailX 2.5D curved glass. The device is powered by a 64-bit 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek processor coupled with 32GB of inbuilt storage, which is expandable via microSD card (up to 64GB).
The dual-SIM Videocon Ultra30 smartphone packs a fairly large 4000mAh battery with fast charging. On the camera front, the smartphone features a 13-megapixel rear camera with dual-LED flash, PDAF, and Gorilla Glass lens, and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera with LED flash for low-light selfies. Videocon says the rear camera comes with a Smart Wide Dynamic View (SWDR) and ISOCELL technology “to enable wide angled panoramic shots” and sharp images in low light conditions.The Videocon Ultra30 comes with the usual connectivity features which include 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, and FM radio. Some added features include dual WhatsApp, SOS-be-safe and gesture controls, among others. It measures 144×73.8×9.8mm, and weighs 166.5 grams.
Speaking on the launch, Akshay Dhoot, Head of Technology & Innovation, Videocon, said, “With the launch Ultra30 today, Videocon Smartphone continues to be a brand that constantly innovates in order to offer best in line smartphones. It has been our endeavour to stay ahead and lead the constantly changing.”
Huawei Terminal’s Honor brand on Friday unveiled the Honor Magic smartphone. The new Honor Magic smartphone will be available starting Friday in China and has been priced at CNY 3,699 (roughly Rs. 36,000). It will be available in China via Vmall, Tmall, and JD.com. The Chinese company has not revealed any global availability details for the Honor Magic smartphone as of now. With the launch of the Magic smartphone, Honor also commemorated its third-anniversary.
The Honor Magic features intelligent sensor and recognition technology to ensure privacy. It comes with WiseScreen sensor that allows users to unlock the phone by simply looking at the screen. When users put Honor Magic down or in pocket, the smartphone automatically turns off the screen and locks the phone. The new Honor Magic also comes with FaceCode intelligent recognition feature that shows notifications arriving on the device only when it verifies that it’s the user and not someone else. Users will have to pre-register a face on the phone. The company also introduced a Google Now on Tap-like feature dubbed Deep Think which surfaces information about a place or a topic when users press and hold the home button.
For specifications, the Honor Magic features a 5.09-inch (1440×2560 pixels) Quad HD Amoled 3D curved display. Honor Magic is powered by the company’s in-house octa-core Kirin 950 processor clocked at 1.8GHz coupled with 4GB of RAM. There is 64GB of inbuilt storage. The new Honor Magic smartphone runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow with Honor’s UI on top. It supports dual-SIM and packs a 2900mAh battery with fast charging support. The company claims that Honor Magic smartphone can reach up to 70 percent in 20 minutes of charging while 10 minutes of charging gives 40 percent charge.Honor Magic sports 12-megapixel dual-rear cameras with dual-tone LED flash and f/2.2 aperture. There’s an -8-megapixel front camera on board as well. The Honor Magic measures 146.1×69.9×7.8mm and weighs 145 grams. Connectivity options include 4G LTE, 3G, GPRS/ EDGE, Bluetooth 4.2, and GPS/ A-GPS.
Swipe Technologies, soon after launching the entry-level Elite Star, has now unveiled the Elite Max in India. Priced at Rs. 10,999, the all-new Swipe Elite Max is now available to buy exclusively via online retailer Flipkart. The company with its latest offering is targeting “youth, fashion-savvy women, and professionals.” The online retailer claims that the Elite Max is eligible for Jio Happy New Year offer which means it also supports VoLTE (voice-over LTE).
At this price point, the new Swipe Elite Max will be competing against the popular Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 and Moto G4.
For specifications, the Elite Max features a 5.5-inch (1080×1920 pixels) IPS display and runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow. It supports a hybrid dual-SIM (Micro-SIM + Nano-SIM) configuration. It is powered by a 1.4GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processor coupled with 4GB of RAM. The handset packs 32GB inbuilt storage and supports expandable storage up to 64GB via microSD card.It sports a 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and PDAF (phase detection autofocus). It also sports an 8-megapixel front camera. The handset comes with a glass back panel and also features a fingerprint sensor at the back. It measures 155×76.6×7.7mm and packs a 3000mAh battery.
Connectivity options apart from 4G LTE include Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS, USB OTG, and Micro-USB.
Swipe earlier this week launched the 4G-enabled Elite Star in India. The handset ran on Android 6.0 Marshmallow-based Indus OS and was priced at just Rs. 3,333.
The new generation MINI Clubman has been launched in India at Rs 37.9 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). It is the second product to be launched by the carmaker in India this year, with first one being the MINI Cooper S Convertible. The Clubman is currently the longest model in the British carmaker’s line-up and in its second generation.
It was early this year in February during the 2016 Auto Expo that MINI announced its plan to launch the new Clubman and the Cooper S Convertible in India. While we have already driven global-spec MINI Clubman, we will soon bring you a review for the India-spec version as well. As for the car itself, the new Clubman is based on the same front-wheel-drive UKL platform like its smaller siblings and shares its design cues with the Cooper S. In fact, you could even say that the Clubman is an elongated five-door wagon version of the Cooper S.
In reference to dimensions, the new MINI Clubman is 270 mm longer, 90 mm wider than the standard MINI-5 door and comes with an added wheelbase of 100mm as well. The longer wheelbase not only translates to additional cabin space but also increased boot capacity of 360 litres. In fact, by toggling down the rear seat it can be further expanded to 1,250 litres.
In terms of design, a lot has changed in the new-gen MINI Clubman. The car now comes with a new face styled by a bigger front grille with a honeycomb pattern and a large black chrome slat and a chrome surround. The classic sweptback headlamp cluster comes with projector lights with LED daytime running lights with chrome bezels. The new front bumper looks well-designed with the muscular lines and houses the new round fog lamps and wide central air dam. From the sides the car looks very much similar to the older model apart from the new alloy wheels along with the redesigned ORVMs and door handles. The car also comes with plastic underbody cladding.
The rear section of the MINI Clubman has always been the most intriguing part of the car and it’s mainly because of the signature two-door tailgate with nice chunky chrome handles and a Clubman badge below them. The horizontal LED tail lamps have been redesigned and now come with a bolder chrome border and new light pattern. The rear bumper is also new and is really well-designed. The lower portion of the bumper also gets plastic cladding and houses the dual chrome-tipped exhaust pipes.
The Clubman comfortably seats four adults offering generous space for luggage. Up front, there is an entirely new dashboard, but the cabin design is pretty much same as any MINI out there like the seats, steering wheel and gear lever. So you’ll find the same circular design patterns with toggle switches, frills and furbelows. The speedometer has found its place directly in front of the driver and there is the signature round centre screen fitted with a navigation system.
Under the hood, the new MINI Clubman gets the 2.0-litre petrol engine mated to an eight-speed automatic Steptronic transmission. It delivers 189bhp and 280Nm of maximum torque.
Lifting curtains off the highly awaited model of the year, the Bajaj Dominar 400 has been officially launched in the country with an introductory price starting at ₹ 1.36 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) for the non-ABS version. Bajaj Auto’s biggest motorcycle ever begins a new journey for the bike maker in the premium space and the company states that it will be the first in the series of big muscular bikes for the fast growing premium bike segment.
Speaking on the launch of the Bajaj Dominar 400, Eric Vas, President, Motorcycle Business, Bajaj Auto said, “We believe that a high quality product with the latest technology and offering high performance should be accessible, unlike what many think that high quality and premiumness is also expensive. So we’ve priced it at Rs 1.36 lakh to make it accessible to a wide range of customers.”
Power on the Bajaj Dominar 400 comes from the 373.2cc DTS-i single-cylinder, liquid-cooled, 4-valve engine that is tuned to produce 34.5bhp at 8000rpm and 35Nm of torque at 8500rpm. The motor comes paired to a 6-speed gearbox and also gets a slipper clutch, a first for any Bajaj offering. The bike comes with 43 mm telescopic front forks and an adjustable monoshock rear suspension, while braking performance comes from 320 mm front and 230 mm rear disc brakes. The bike also gets dual-channel ABS.
Bajaj Dominar 400: Instrument Cluster
In terms of styling, the Bajaj Dominar 400 retains the muscular and aggressive lines. The design is attention seeking and mixes a sports bike style with the stance of a cruiser. Furthermore, you get full LED headlamps on the Dominar 400, a first in the segment, while it also comes with Automatic Headlamp On (AHO) function as standard.
The Bajaj Dominar 400 will be available in three colours – Midnight Blue, Twilight Plum and Moon White. The bike will be initially sold via 80 showrooms across 22 towns in the country. The company will accept bookings for the Dominar only online for a token amount of ₹ 9000, while test rides and deliveries will happen at the dealerships.
Bajaj Dominar 400: Side Profile
The Bajaj Dominar 400 primarily competes against the Royal Enfield Classic 350. With respect to competition, Rajiv Bajaj, Managing Director, Bajaj Auto said, “People can ride the Bullet and if they want to go faster than the Bullet, they can ride the Dominar.”
The Dominar 400 will also be exported to international markets including Europe, Malaysia, Philippines, Dubai among others, while deliveries in India will commence from January next year. Bajaj is aiming to sell 15,000 units of the Dominar 400 every month, while an annual targeted is marked at 2,00,000 units. The company aims to capture 20 per cent of the market share in the premium motorcycle segment with its newest offering and with that pricing, the number certainly does not seem optimistic.
Bajaj Dominar 400 Prices:
|Variants||Price (Ex-showroom, Delhi)|
|Bajaj Dominar 400 non-ABS||₹ 1,36,000|
|Bajaj Dominar 400 ABS||₹ 1,50,000|
Bajaj Dominar 400 Specifications:
|Engine||373cc single-cylinder DTS-i|
|Power||34.5bhp @ 8000rpm|
|Torque||35Nm @ 8500rpm|
|Transmission||6-speed with Slipper Clutch|
|Kerb Weight||182 kg|
|0-100 kmph||8.32 seconds|
|Top Speed||148 kmph|
Bajaj Dominar 400 Dimensions:
|Fuel Tank Capacity||13 Litres|
|Suspension||43mm Front Forks, Adjustable Rear Monoshock|
|Brakes||320mm (Front), 230mm (Rear) with ABS|
|Tyre Size||110/70/R17, 150/60/R17 MRF Revz C1|


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Nigerian conglomerate Dangote Group recently reported that its cost of sales increased by 27.09 per cent to N1.398 trillion in 2023,partly attributed to the impact of inflation on raw material prices and operating costs.
The increase in cost of sales was reported in three of the group’s listed subsidiaries on the Nigerian Exchange: Dangote Cement Plc, Dangote Sugar Plc, and Nascon Allied Industries Plc. These companies represent some of the group’s core businesses, and the increase in cost of sales is indicative of the wider economic challenges facing the group.
As reported in the companies’ full-year results, the increase in the cost of sales was largely due to inflationary pressures and the depreciation of the naira. As a result, the cost of sales represented 51.21% of the total revenue of N2.730 trillion recorded by the three firms in 2023. This was a significant increase from the 42.55% of total revenue spent on cost of sales in 2022.
Dangote Cement’s revenue increased significantly from N1.618 trillion in 2022 to N2.208 trillion in 2023, a growth of 36.64%. However, the increase in cost of sales was even more pronounced, rising by 51.76% from N662.890 billion to N1.006 trillion over the same period.
The company’s cost of raw materials was a significant contributor to the total cost of sales, accounting for 45.56% of the total. The raw material costs increased by 41.88 per cent from N196.517 billion in 2022 to N278.825 billion in 2023, highlighting the sharp rise in input costs
The growth in revenue and cost of sales at Dangote Sugar was relatively modest, with revenue rising by 9.47% from N403.245 billion in 2022 to N441.452 billion in 2023. Cost of sales grew at a slightly higher rate of 11.93% from N403.245 billion to N355.149 billion. The cost of sales as a percentage of revenue, 80.45%, was significantly higher than the historical average for the company, which is closer to 70%.
For Dangote Sugar, the raw materials cost was the single largest component of its cost of sales, worth N296.027 billion, representing a 15.49% increase from the N256.326 billion in 2022,making up 83.35% of the total.
Despite Nascon Plc’s healthy revenue growth, the increase in cost of sales meant that the company’s profitability was negatively impacted. Cost of sales as a percentage of total revenue increased from 41.30 per cent in 2022 to 45.17 per cent in 2023. The company spent N31.371 billion to source for raw materials during the full year ended December 31, 2023, a 3.02 per cent growth from N30.452 billion recorded in 2022. Also, the cost of raw materials represented 85.93 per cent of the total cost of sales.
In his remarks, Ravindra Singhvi, the CEO of Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc,highlighted the challenging operating conditions the company faced during the year. These included high inflation, currency devaluation, and declining consumer purchasing power. However, he also noted that the company was able to achieve commendable results, despite these challenges.
Singhvi attributed the decrease in profit after tax (PAT) to a non-cash foreign exchange loss of N172.2 billion. He noted that, without this loss, recurring PAT was up 73.8 per cent, at N98.4 billion. The non-cash foreign exchange loss resulted from the depreciation of the naira relative to the US dollar. In addition, the company experienced other non-recurring expenses during the period, such as restructuring costs and one-off tax payments.
The Dangote Sugar CEO stated that the outlook was challenging due to the scarcity of foreign exchange and increasing costs of raw materials adding that the company was working to improve the effectiveness of its supply chain management processes in order to reduce costs and increase efficiency.
“In the longer term, our backward integration project will help to alleviate some of the pressure on costs and foreign currency demand,” Singhvi added.
Commenting on the company’s 2023 full-year results, Arvind Pathak, the CEO of Dangote Cement Plc, noted that despite the challenging macroeconomic conditions, the year was a testament to the effectiveness of the company’s diversification strategy. He noted that the company’s diverse operations helped to mitigate country-specific risks and provided resilience, with pan-African volumes up 12.7 per cent and accounting for 41.2 per cent of the group’s total volume.
Pathak stated that the company’s strong performance in Africa was due to its innovative strategies and ability to control costs in a high inflation environment. The company’s pan-African operations were particularly successful, with revenues increasing by 123.2 per cent to N925.9 billion. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) also surged by more than four times to N263.7 billion.
Pathak further emphasised on the initiatives that helped the company navigate the difficult economic conditions. He noted that one of the company’s key initiatives was fuel mix optimisation, which involved using alternative fuels to replace more expensive fossil fuels. In addition, the company began a phased transition from diesel-powered trucks to full Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) trucks. These measures helped to improve the company’s cost efficiency, while also reducing its environmental impact.


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BALTIMORE (WJZ) — All Marylanders know about Old Bay. It’s not just for crabs. Many people put it on French fries.
Now the rest of the country can try it for themselves. McCormick is partnering with a French fry manufacturer to create Old Bay fries.
They will be frozen and sold in stores around the United States, including Wal-Mart.
The fries are part of Old Bay’s 75th birthday.
Other Local News:


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Home Tags DiverXo
Spain now has two restaurants ranked in world’s top five
TWO restaurants in Spain have won coveted places in the top five of the list of the World’s Best 50 Restaurants in 2022. The awards...
DiverXo: ‘World’s best chef’ David Muñoz raises price tag to become the most expensive restaurant in Spain
JUST months after Spain’s culinary whizz kid David 'Dabiz' Muñoz was voted ‘Best Chef in the World’ he has upped the price of a tasting...
REVIEW: Madrid’s three star DiverXo exceeds expectations for the tastebuds and the wallet
With news that Dabiz Muñoz has just been named the world's best chef, check out the review by Olive Press editor Jon Clarke of DiverXo restaurant in Madrid.
Dabiz Muñoz of Madrid’s DiverXo restaurant named ‘Best Chef in the World’ topping list dominated by Spanish talent
MADRID chef Dabiz Muñoz has scooped the top prize in The Best Chef Awards 2021 in a list dominated by Spanish talent. The 41 year-old...
Spanish celebrity chef turned away from London eatery for scruffiness
Madrid’s DiverXO chef David Munoz had a nasty surprise when smart celeb hotspot restaurant Sketch turned him away
Spanish restaurants head for the stars in 2016 Michelin Guide
Spain’s galaxy of Michelin stars features eight restaurants with three, 23 with two and 157 with one
King Felipe’s food secrets and handsome new beard-less look
King Felipe’s svelte new look comes thanks to a mindful Mediterranean diet, a sporty lifestyle and a close shave
Mud, glorious mud for chef David Munoz at Spartan Race Madrid
Michelin-starred chef David Munoz and his TV presenter girlfriend Cristina Pedroche took on Spain’s most gruelling obstacle course together
Trio of Michelin-starred chefs to bring gourmet food to Madrid
Celebrity chefs David Munoz, Roberto Ruiz and Jordi Roca are opening a store in Madrid
Michelin-starred trio make luxury food affordable in Madrid
David Munoz of DiverXO, Roberto Ruiz of Punto MX and Jordi Roca of El Celler de Can Roca launch El Corte Ingles food court
David Munoz: ‘I needed a shrink with all the pressure of Michelin success’
DiverXo top chef David Munoz reeals what the hardships related to reaching for Michelin stars
VIDEO: Spanish celebrity chef roasts beef with the British ambassador in Madrid
New Youtube video set in the kitchen promotes Spanish investment in Britain
‘Brutal touch’ creates a miracle in Madrid as young punk wins three Michelin-star accolade for Madrid


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Michelle Fariñas is assuming the role of Senior Weddings Department Manager at AIC Hotel Group. Eight years ago, Michelle joined the company as a Wedding Sales Coordinator, converting countless leads into hard bookings, and significantly contributing towards the company's revenue stream. Her positive attitude, hard work and dedication landed her in a managerial position within the department as she continued to work under Carilis to develop the weddings business.
In her new role, Michelle will oversee a dedicated sales team of 11, with the goal of growing the weddings and events business within the company. Michelle will report directly to Frank Maduro, VP of Marketing.
Recent Appointments at AIC Hotel Group
29 May 2019 — AIC Hotel Group, the experiential brand redefining vacation experiences, is excited to announce the appointment of Katelyn Ciaramitaro to Regional Director of Business Development (RDBD), effective May 1, 2019.
11 March 2019 — AIC Hotel Group, the experiential brand redefining vacation experiences, is excited to announce the appointment of Korie Kelley to Regional Director of Business Development. Korie joined AIC Hotel Group in 2013, and has been instrumental in growing the company's business exponentially across eight states including major growth in Utah, New Mexico, and Colorado.
23 January 2019 — Carilis joined the company nine years ago as Business Development Manager, and spent her initial years under Ash Tembe's leadership growing travel agent business in her territories. Six years ago, she was tasked with leading the Weddings Department under Frank Maduro, ultimately growing AIC Hotel Group's wedding business for North America and increasing revenue for the company.


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Italy has extended its emergency coronavirus measures, which include travel restrictions and a ban on public gatherings, to the entire country.
Italy is under lockdown, all cancellations will be refunded. Please be patient. The situation here in Italy, because of the Coronavirus, is very dramatic: everything is closed: offices, museums, …. thanks for your understanding


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NEW YORK A California recycling company has been ordered to cease its used beverage container (UBC) refund program on May 31, the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) said April 14.
An investigation revealed that Bullseye Recycling was paying refunds for out-of-state containers, accepting material that exceeded daily legal limits and falsifying records and receipts, according to CalRecycle.
Officials found that the company had routinely purchased material from single sellers that exceeded daily load limits, CalRecycle said.
On several occasions, Bullseye employees illegally split loads from single sellers into multiple transactions to bring sales below the daily 500-pound limit, the agency alleges.
However, in an interview with AMM, Bullseye Recycling co-owner Thomas Allen Glenn III denied many of CalRecycles allegations.
"You think I am making money selling cans and bottles?" Glenn asked. "I never took over 500 pounds per day from a single seller. ... I am not saying I am completely innocent in terms of paperwork, but the laws are really screwed up."
He, along with co-owner Shannah Lee Glenn, must pay $235,000 in restitution and civil penalties to CalRecycle, the agency said.
"This is one more example to those who cheat that recycling fraud will not be tolerated," CalRecycle director Caroll Mortensen said in a statement. "Our investigations of suspicious activity are ongoing, and we will continue to take action against those who steal from the recycling fund, both in civil cases such as this one or by working with our law enforcement partners to pursue criminal convictions."
CalRecycles crackdown on UBC redemption schemes is part of an effort to protect the states beverage container recycling fund from fraud (amm.com, Jan. 17). As part of the crackdown, the organization recently instituted new per-person,per-day limits on aluminum or plastic refund-eligible containers and glass.
Moreover, new regulations implemented in 2014 require sellers transporting loads of empty plastic or aluminum beverage containers weighing 25 pounds or more, or 250 pounds or more of glass, into California to pass through a California Department of Food and Agriculture quarantine inspection station, as well as obtain and carry proof of inspection.


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Mobile app stores will generate $25B in revenue this year and 35% of this total ($8.8B) will...
Thursday, March 14, 6:33 PM ETMobile app stores will generate $25B in revenue this year and 35% of this total ($8.8B) will involve tablet apps, predicts ABI. iOS (AAPL), whose monetization edge over Android (GOOG) is well-documented, is expected to account for 65% of sales - assuming a 30% cut, that translates into $4.88B in revenue for Apple. Android is seen accounting for 27% of revenue ($2B for Google), and all other platforms 8%. ABI predicts iOS will make up 33% of smartphone downloads and 75% of tablet downloads, and Android 58% and 17%.
TECH ETFs IN FOCUS
Latest Tech Articles


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– aims to ensure availability of wholesome foods
In order to ensure that safe and wholesome foods reach citizens, the Food Hygiene Section and the Municipal Abattoir of the Mayor and City Council of Georgetown, has been monitoring the markets which fall under the municipal jurisdiction.
Meat products were primary among the items that were inspected during monitoring exercises. Inspectors, according to a statement issued by Public Relations Officer, Royston King, inspected food products at grocery and meat stalls of the Albouystown, Bourda, Stabroek, East Ruimveldt markets, New Vendors Mall and Merriman Mall.
King also revealed that for the month of August, 689 animals were slaughtered and inspected, among them 325 cattle, four goats and 11 pigs. Five carcasses of cows were condemned for generalised tuberculosis and 83 pounds of beef and 15 pounds of pork were condemned for bruising.
It was just earlier this year that the municipality had started a campaign to clamp down on the illegal slaughtering of animals. In fact it was revealed that about three percent of all animals slaughtered in the city were being done illegally.
This was according to Mr Jackdeep Singh, Chief Meat and Food Inspector, attached to the municipal abattoir. This unscrupulous practice, he said, could result in tainted meat being sold to consumers. And so in order to safe guard consumers from buying meat infected with diseases the municipality was forced to commence the campaign.
The campaign was geared at not only tracking illegal slaughter operations but also to ensure that such meats are destroyed. Singh during an interview had revealed that based on the municipal bylaws no meat should be sold within the city of Georgetown unless it is inspected and certified by a Meat and Food Inspector.
It also states that no slaughtering should take place in the city outside of the municipal abattoir, which is the sole authorised place for slaughtering in the city.
And since it had come to the attention of the municipality that animals are being slaughtered outside of the abattoir, officials of the abattoir were even then working in close collaboration with the City Constabulary to “track down” and “root out” all defaulters.
“We don’t actually know where these people are but we have received tips which prompted this action. We are depending on members of the public to help us put an end to this ghastly activity which could see the consumers suffering in the long run,” Singh had asserted.
“Our intent is to follow any information leading to these activities and according to the bylaws we have the authority to destroy these meats.”
In addition a quantity of food items including milk, butter and chowmein were found to be expired, these were confiscated and destroyed, according to King. The municipality he said is urging all citizens to be vigilant and alert when purchasing bottled and canned food items. They should also check for expiry dates, King added even as he noted that some vendors, who are unscrupulous, in their dealings, may put the health of the citizens at risk for financial gain.
In addition, he revealed that the Public Relations, Education and Food Hygiene departments are collaborating to hold a public forum on food safety and consumer responsibility. This he said is necessary to elevate public awareness, on the importance of food safety.
Oct 22, 2018The 2018 IBF Antilles 3×3 Under-18 basketball tournament concluded at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) last night where double defending champions, Martinique, were usurped by the lads from...
I have long argued that PPP leaders will never apologize for any depravity done while that party was in power from 1957... more
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PROXIA expands its horizons
We are an official WAGO IoT partner! The merging of IoT and traditional production IT to create the Industrial Internet of Things is fundamentally changing the way companies work.
XI Days 2023
Our MES information days on current trends and developments in the areas of digital transformation, Industry 4.0 and production management systems were a complete success.
Experts agree: "Fog computing" paves the way to the vision of "cloud computing" and its software-as-a-service concept for the store floor. PROXIA Software AG has already geared its MES-Software portfolio towards the future.


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China drafts new antitrust guideline to rein in tech giants, wiping US$102 billion from Alibaba, Tencent and Meituan stocks
- Draft guideline ‘targeting tech giants’ in e-commerce, online food delivery and ride hailing, Atta Capital’s Alan Li says
- Tech giants plunge broadly in Hong Kong trading on Tuesday, with Meituan and JD.com both down by more than 8 per cent
China has released a draft antitrust guideline to rein in internet-based monopolies, signalling policymakers’ heightened concerns over the growing power, influence and risks of digital platforms and their market practices in the economy. The move immediately erased about US$102 billion of market value from Alibaba Group Holding, Tencent Holdings and Meituan.
“The policy is clearly targeting the tech giants, with e-commerce, online food delivery and ride hailing platforms likely to receive the biggest blow because of how concentrated these sectors are,” said Alan Li, portfolio manager at Atta Capital in Hong Kong. “This is probably just the first warning shot.”
The guideline also deems activities like platforms offering steep discounts to eliminate rivalry, colluding on sharing sensitive consumer data, and forming alliances to force out competitors, as potentially monopolistic.
Chinese internet giants widened their losses through Tuesday trading in Hong Kong, after their American depositary shares tumbled in New York. Alibaba, operator of China’s largest e-commerce platform and owner of this newspaper, fell 5.1 per cent to HK$275.40, after sliding 3.1 per cent overnight. Tencent, which runs the country’s most popular messaging app, retreated 4.4 per cent to HK$595. Online food delivery giant Meituan dived 10.5 per cent to HK$300.
The slump erased HK$790 billion (US$101.9 billion) of market capitalisation from the trio popularly known as the ATM stocks, according to Bloomberg data. JD.com lost 8.8 per cent to HK$330.40, wiping HK$100 billion from its market value.
A representative of Alibaba declined to comment on this topic. JD.com, Tencent and Meituan did not immediately reply to requests for comment.
The new draft guideline is the first clear sign that Beijing is seeking to curtail the expanding prowess of its home-grown tech champions, analysts said, as they provoked increasing controversies in recent years regarding their labour and market practices.
How big are China's tech giants?
Alibaba and Meituan have significantly shaped people’s daily lives in China over the past decade – an estimated 400 million people in the nation now order food delivery from their smartphones and 855 million shop online, according to Daxue Consulting and McKinsey & Co.
“The draft rules appear to be harsh since a big number of practices are defined as monopolistic, such as exclusivity agreements that prevent vendors from selling goods on rival platforms,” said Gong Zhenhua, a partner with Shanghai Ronghe Law Firm. “Though the regulator did not release details of punishments on the wrongdoings, it can be expected that those players that fail to comply with the rules under tight regulatory oversight will pay a high price for the practices.”
Wang Xuliang, owner of a restaurant in Shanghai which uses several food delivery service platforms to cater to customers who opt not to dine out, said the new rules could benefit small shops like his because they have no bargaining power on fees charged by the internet giants now.
“Profit margin of our businesses is thin, and we want the platforms to lower the fees to help us shore up profitability a little bit,” he said. “But the platforms are essentially needed by us to promote business. We just hope that they can sacrifice some profits to support us.”


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A Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Technology and Communications (MTC) and Lao ICT Commerce Association (LICA) was signed on 29th September 2021.
The representatives include Mr. Phoukhong Chithoublok, Director General of Planning and Cooperation Department, MTC, and Mr. Thanousone PhonAmat, the President of LICA. The main purposes of the MOU consist of promoting the Lao startup ecosystems and innovative entrepreneurship, creating relevant policies related to digital zones and new innovations, and being a dots connector for all stakeholders in the creation of innovation and building digital talents.
Although the MOU signing has just completed early this month, LICA and MTC have a long list of activities and programs that have been successfully and sustainably implementing together such as:
- Contributing in the draft of the National Digital Economy Plan (2021-2025)
- Lao Digital Forum
- Lao ICT Expo
- Competitions, seminars, and workshops
LICA is a business association registered under the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry which is directly supervised by the Ministry of Technology and Communications. LICA gathers experts, professional individuals and businesses in ICT, digital technology, software, hardware, Internet Service Providers, and innovative entrepreneurs. LICA’s vision is to be a national organization that locally and internationally integrates the use of digital technology and innovation to leapfrog the sustainability of the socio-economic development of Laos.
LICA was established in August 2005 with the intention to build the ICT and digital ecosystems of Laos. Apart from MTC, LICA also works with many other stakeholders through MOU such as the Bank of Laos, SME Centers in 4 provinces: Vientiane Capital, Champasack, Savannakhet, and Luang Prabang, international organizations and private companies.
LICA Board Management (2020-2023) is considered to be a dream team for the Lao digital business sector, including Mr. Thanousone PhonAmat (President), Mr. Alivan Sithara, Ms. Souphpahone Souannavong, Mr. Virasack Viravong, Ms. Kingkeo Douangsavanh, Mr. Keovisouk Dalasane, Ms. Bouphamany Chounramany, and Mr. Souliyo Vongdala.
LICA office is located at the entrance of the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry building (KM5 – Kaysone Phomvihand Road). LICA can be followed on Facebook (Lao ICT Commerce Association)


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Killing all the rumors and speculations building around its foray into the still young but lucrative realm of virtual reality, Sony has finally confirmed that its PlayStation VR headset will be hitting the store shelves later this year in October.
The announcement was made by the Japanese tech giant during a press conference at the ongoing the Game Developers Conference (GDC). In case, you remember, Sony had earlier promised that the much-awaited virtual reality headset would happen in the first half of 2016.
“That is a bit later than the timeframe we previously stated, and I want to thank everyone for their patience and continued support,” the company said in the official PlayStation blog.
The headset will cost $399 – a lot cheaper than its arch rivals Oculus Rift ($599) and the HTC Vive ($799). Both these devices are also slated to go on sale later in 2016.
Those of you looking to buy or pre-order the PlayStation VR, you will also require a $300 PlayStation 4, $60 PlayStation Eye camera, and a $30 Move controller in addition to the headset itself. Even though the PS4 is an expensive investment, there is a fair chance that you could be amongst the 35+ million existing PS4 users out there. But then, even if you aren’t, it’s still a lot cheaper than the price you would have to pay to build or upgrade a PC (something you might have to do if you opt for the Oculus Rift).
As for the specs, Sony has confirmed that the PlayStation VR boasts a 5.7-in OLED display capable of delivering 1920 x 1080p resolution at 120 refresh rate and a 100-degree field of view. The device uses HDMI and USB for display and interface connections, respectively.


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This article was taken from the January 2012
issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in
print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of
additional content by subscribing online.
This month Wired asks its panel of experts what companies,
products and ideas are reinventing finance.
Muhammad Yunus: Founder, Grameen Bank
"Microcredit has and will continue to play a revolutionary role in
finance. Providing collateral-free loans to the poor, particularly
women, and enabling them to stand on their own feet, has changed
Jane Fuller: Codirector, Centre for the Study
of Financial Innovation
"I'm a big believer in DIY finance. I'm very interested in online
companies that provide direct links between savers and investors,
and where their money is put. One category is peer-to-peer lending
exchanges such as Zopa."
Caitlin MacLean: Senior manager, Financial
Innovation Labs, Milken Inst
"In this period of austerity, new financial products are providing
market-rate returns while catalysing much-needed social and
economic development, such as financing treatments for infectious
Sean Park: Founder, Anthemis Group
"Innovative startups such as Betterment are combining tech with modern design and
user-experience principles to remove complexity and offer simple --
yet powerful and intuitive -- products and services."
Andy Davis: Associate editor, Prospect
"I'm an early-stage investor in Platform Black, an online
auction platform that enables small firms to raise short-term
finance by selling their outstanding invoices. It will
revolutionise the way businesses raise finance."
Errol Damelin: Founder and CEO, Wonga
"Traditional credit models rely on low headline rates, with stings
in their tails. But consumers demand speed and flexibility.
Transparent pricing, and giving people much more control over
credit, is really rocking the boat."


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An interesting paradox: Despite the fact that many early paid search advertisers were small businesses, there hasn't been a big shift in advertising dollars from traditional media. Data from a recent telephone survey of 500 small-and medium-sized businesses (SMEs), with 100 or fewer employees, revealed that only 5 percent had adopted search engine marketing.
In today's SearchDay article, Local Search: Missing Pieces Falling into Place, guest writer Greg Sterling suggests that local search may be the catalyst that causes advertising dollars to shift away from traditional channels and into search marketing. If so, we're just at the beginning of the "boom" in the paid search market, far from the saturation point that many online pundits are claiming.
Optimising Digital Marketing Campaigns with Search, Social and Analytics
At SES London (9-11 Feb) you'll get an overview of the latest tools, tips, and tactics in Paid, Owned, Earned, Integrated Media and Business Intelligence to streamline your marketing campaigns in 2015. Register by 31 October to take advantage of Early Bird Rates.


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Addressing a press conference at Pragathi Bhavan, the Chief Minister said that so far 26 cases of Coronavirus have surfaced in Telangana, including five cases reported on Sunday. However, he said that threat of emergence of new cases has minimised due to ban on international flights.
He said those with recent travel history were being identified and quarantined. Therefore, he said lockdown for a further period of one week could control the spread of Coronavirus. Appreciating the cooperation extended by the people for the success of ‘Janata Curfew’, he appealed to them to extend similar cooperation and discipline for the lockdown till March 31. He appealed the people to stay at home to prevent themselves from the Coronavirus.
The Chief Minister said all shops and establishments, educational institutions and government offices would remain close during the lockdown period. However, he said 20% of government employees would work on rotation basis.
He said essential services like milk, gas, vegetables, medicines, etc., have been exempted while all public and private transport would remain closed.
He said only person from the family would be permitted to buy the essential goods. He said nearly 87 lakh White Ration card holders would be supplied 12 kgs of rice and Rs. 1500 cash in the next few days. He appealed to the private sector not to deduct salaries of their employees for the lockdown period.
KCR said that all inter-State borders of Telangana have been closed although vehicles carrying food items for the State would be allowed. He also announced that all wine shops, bards and pubs would also remain closed. (INN)


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The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has instituted proceedings against Melbourne-based consumer tech retailer and mobile provider Kogan Australia in the Federal Court alleging that the firm made false or misleading representations about a 10% discount promotion, in breach of the Australian Consumer Law.
Between 27 and 30 June 2020, Kogan ran an online promotion where consumers could obtain a 10% discount on most of its products by using the discount code “TAXTIME”. The promotion was held ahead of the end of the 2017/18 financial year.
Kogan published this promotion on its website and via text messages and emails to consumers.
The ACCC alleges that Kogan’s advertisements were false or misleading because Kogan increased the prices of more than 600 of its products immediately before the promotion. In most cases prices increased by at least 10%.
“We allege that Kogan’s advertisements were likely to have caused consumers to think they were getting products below their usual prices. In fact, Kogan had inflated product prices which we say created a false impression of the effective discount,” ACCC Commissioner Sarah Court said.
Towards the end of the promotion period, Kogan’s email advertisements used statements such as “48 hours left!” and “Ends midnight tonight!” which the ACCC alleges gave the impression that consumers only had a limited time to purchase at the “discounted” prices.
However, Kogan reduced the prices of the affected products shortly after the promotion ended, many back to their pre-promotion prices.
“Businesses must not make claims to consumers about discounts or sales unless they are offering genuine savings,” Ms Court said.
The ACCC is seeking penalties, injunctions, declarations, corrective notices and costs from Kogan.


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Back in November I picked AT&T (NYSE:T) as my 2012 stock pick of the year. Beyond the chuckles and rolled eyeballs was a stock that was selling at $28.64/share, and offered a whopping 6% dividend yield. When we take a look back, maybe I was not so crazy after all. The stock has drifted up steadily to it's current price of $36.00, a solid yield of 4.95% (it has maintained a five-year dividend growth rate of over 5% by the way) and has made tremendous strides in advancing it's state of the art bundling service, "U-Verse".
There Are Always Issues
Like any stock and company, there are always issues that are confronted that could cause the brakes to lock tight. The one that sticks out as the biggest issue was the failed merger with T-Mobile, and the $4 billion that AT&T had to pay for the failure.
Rear view mirror, folks. AT&T had already set that money aside, and the story is so far in the past that it is not even a speck on the radar any longer.
Another issue is the recent run up in the stock itself. It has actually been pretty damn impressive.
Any stock, especially a hi-yield growth stock, that has close to a 30% (including the two ex-dividend dips) upward move in seven months will cause even the best investors to pause and wonder if the stock has not gotten ahead of itself, or might even be overvalued.
To be sure, there have been several articles here on Seeking Alpha that suggest that the stock might be at a top, and another one, by a rather prolific Seeking Alpha author, that actually recommends investors to avoid the stock.
I am not sure what avoiding the stock means actually. Does it mean not to buy it? To hold it? To sell it? I am not sure, but I certainly would not SELL AT&T now. Why? Well because it is my opinion, as well as Wall Street's, as well as the tech and telecom world, that AT&T is just getting started.
Let's Look At Some Developments
U-Verse now has over 4 million subscribers
From the outset, back when I picked AT&T as my 2012 pick of the year, I kept harping on a rather new venture called "U-Verse", a bundling package for high speed internet connections, as well as a best of breed cable service for television.
If AT&T could bite into that market (especially cable TV) then revenues and profits would follow. As of now, the TV service has 4 million subscribers, an additional 2,000,000 high speed internet users for a total of 6 million subscribers. Not too shabby for a business that began about a year or so ago. I believe it is just getting started here as it has a full court press to switch AT&T customers to the U-Verse "package. Even if sometimes it is not in a very flattering way as noted in this article:
Put plainly, Judith Hedges says she was bullied and intimidated by AT&T to upgrade from DSL Internet service to U-verse Internet. The Arlington woman says she was warned repeatedly by mail that if she didn't call the company and upgrade, her service would be terminated.
AT&T wasn't kidding. She turned on her computer recently, and the Internet connection was dead. AT&T has found a new way to lure customers to its supposedly faster U-verse service: Force them to take it."
Some cry foul, I might say over zealous is more accurate. To be sure, AT&T has made sure not to be "over zealous" like that any longer, but the bottom line is that from the top down, the company wants everyone on U-Verse.
From AT&Ts 1st quarter earnings report:
- $0.60 diluted EPS compared to $0.57 diluted EPS in the first quarter of 2011
- Consolidated revenues of $31.8 billion, up $575 million, or 1.8 percent, versus the year-earlier period
- Wireless operating income margin up to 27.2 percent; wireless EBITDA service margin up significantly to 41.6 percent even with strong smartphone sales
- More than $2 billion in stock buybacks; 67.7 million shares repurchased
AT&T's growth engines - wireless, wireline data and managed services - represented 78 percent of total revenues and grew 6.2 percent versus the same quarter a year ago, led by:
- 19.9 percent growth in wireless data revenues, up more than $1 billion versus the year-earlier quarter
- 19.0 percent growth in strategic business services revenues
- 38.2 percent growth in consumer U-verse revenues
- Smartphone sales of 5.5 million, exceeding the previous first-quarter record, with about 30 percent of all postpaid smartphone subscribers on 4G-capable devices
- 726,000 total wireless net adds, with gains in every customer category
- Postpaid wireless churn of 1.1 percent, lowest level in seven quarters
- Record first-quarter branded computing (tablets, tethering plans, etc.) net adds of 460,000 to reach a total of 5.8 million, up almost 70 percent versus a year ago
- Postpaid wireless subscriber ARPU (average monthly revenues per subscriber), up 1.7 percent to $64.46
- Wireline business year-over-year revenue comparisons continue to improve
- Wireline consumer revenues up 1.0 percent versus the year-earlier period; seventh consecutive quarter of year-over-year growth.
AT&T will sell Samsung's Galaxy S III
This rather recent development takes place as of right now for AT&T. Pre-sold orders have already begun and users are giving it rave reviews, and the official RETAIL blast off comes this Friday, July 6th.
At $199.00 with a new two-year contract, this could give any smartphone on the market a run for it's money, and AT&T will also have an exclusive red color all to itself. Hey, every little edge counts!
Keep in mind that AT&T stores still sell more iPhones than anyone else, so this will be even more revenue for the company, and when the new Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone 5 hits the streets, those long lines will be forming around the AT&T stores again, just in time for the fall school season and the beginning of the winter holidays.
According to this cnet.com review, this device was given their "Editor's Choice Award":
"Samsung's latest superphone earned a CNET Editors' Choice Award for its 4G LTE speeds, 4.8-inch screen, silky smooth design, excellent camera, and software extras."
Customer trials of AT&T's "Enhanced Push To Talk" solution expands
The PTT (Push To Talk) solution is nothing new (actually being phased out by others), but for AT&T to add it to 5 existing smartphones in their lineup, it is. To offer this service in addition to it's regular wireless service gives AT&T another feather in it's cap, and even though it is still in the trial phase, the product has been well received.
"In response to increased interest and positive customer feedback from the trial, AT&T is now doubling the number of business PTT users who may participate in its free program." Reports the Sacramento Bee.
"At a time when other carriers are phasing out PTT networks, AT&T's goal is to provide customers with the type of communication service they need for instant group communications, backed by 4G technology and a broad portfolio of devices and business applications. AT&T offers a basic PTT service today, but expects to launch its Enhanced PTT solution - with dramatically improved performance, features and device choices - in late 2012."
Don't forget AT&T's "Toggle"
Bringing work and play together has been the goal of "Toggle" and it is being enhanced even further. This article gives a very good overview of the product as well as the enhancements:
"The newest version of AT&T Toggle can be used on smartphone or tablet devices running the major mobile operating systems, including devices originally loaded with Android 2.2 to 3.X, and with virtually any service provider."
Personal mode: When not working, send text messages to friends, watch TV shows and movies, and play games on your mobile device as you otherwise would. Personal activities remain separate from work.
Work mode: When it is time to buckle down and focus on business, employees can enter their encrypted work space. In this mode, users can access corporate email, approved corporate applications, calendars and more, just as they would on a company-provided device.
I will never tell anyone to buy or sell any investment product, and all I can do is offer my opinions based on some of the facts that are there for all to review.
Not only has the stock outperformed the markets, but it just might be the "STOCK OF THE YEAR" after all. That being said, I would seriously question anyone who offers a "sell" opinion on AT&T. I really think this stock is just getting it's legs!


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Maryland-based business protecting individuals and businesses from environmental hazards through the use of its innovative sensor technology
COLUMBIA, Md. (May 22, 2023) – TEDCO, Maryland’s economic engine for technology companies, announced a recent State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) investment of nearly $400,000 into N5 Sensors, Inc. This SSBCI investment was made through TEDCO’s Seed Funds.
“Environmental hazards are not always preventable, but detecting these hazards can support the safety of everyone in the area,” said Abhishek Motayed, Ph.D., CEO of N5 Sensors. “I’m thankful for TEDCO’s interest and support—with this additional funding, we can continue our research and find new ways to help provide safety to everyone.”
N5 Sensors, based in Rockville, Md., is a startup company with a mission to keep people safe form environmental hazards. This process is done using a cloud-connected ecosystem of smart sensors that utilize and leverage the endless possibilities of shared data and artificial intelligence. Through this approach, the company has developed a variety of products and solutions, each with the goal of helping individuals stay safe from various environmental hazards.
“N5 Sensors’ focus on promoting safety is admirable,” said Teddy Gresser, investment analyst, TEDCO. “TEDCO is looking forward to seeing how the company grows and where their research takes them next.”
N5 Sensors received funding and support from other programs within TEDCO as well. In addition to guidance and mentoring through the Maryland Innovation Initiative (MII), N5 Sensors received funding from the MII Company Formation Phase. N5 Sensors also received grant funding from TEDCO’s N-STEP program.
SSBCI funding is divided into four programs dedicated to helping support the various technology-based businesses and entrepreneurs throughout Maryland. For more information about available funding opportunities with TEDCO, go here: https://www.tedcomd.com/funding.
TEDCO, the Maryland Technology Development Corporation, enhances economic empowerment growth through the fostering of an inclusive entrepreneurial innovation ecosystem. TEDCO identifies, invests in, and helps grow technology and life science-based companies in Maryland. Learn more at www.tedcomd.com.
Tammi Thomas, Chief Development & Marketing Officer, TEDCO


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- One car every six months
- Three SUVs, one MPV
- Targets 3 lakh units every year
Kia has drawn aggressive plans for the Indian market with a new car launch scheduled for every six months starting mid-2019. Kia will open its Indian innings with the production version of the Kia SP2 Concept and is considering a line-up including a premium hatchback, a compact SUV, another premium SUV and a people mover for now. While the product mix might change a little depending upon the market, the total of six cars till 2021 is fixed.
The SP2 is a Hyundai Creta/Renault Duster competitor and Kia has indicated at a price band of Rs 10 lakhs to Rs 16 lakhs. The Creta is a regular 10,000-units-a-month club member and Kia, with its fresh take, should expect at least about 5,000 to 6,000 units in that ever-growing SUV pie. Kia is focussing on the B-segment and the C-segment of the Indian market as they are the fastest growing segments now and also in the foreseeable future.
Speaking about SUVs, there are two more SUVs being mulled, one below the SP2, competing with the likes of the Ford Ecosport, Tata Nexon and the Vitara Brezza while the other one will be above the SP2. The premium SUV can be a Tucson equivalent, especially after the Tata Harrier promising to disrupt the dynamics set by the Jeep Compass.
Kia has also said that they are considering the Carnival MPV as a luxury people mover to compete with the likes of the Innova Crysta which is having a free run as of now. A premium hatchback is also being considered and the chances of it making it to the market are quite high. That is because the premium hatchback segment which includes the Baleno and the Elite i20 is close to 30,000 units a month, presenting a lot more opportunities for Kia to be in the volume game. Also, Kia is taking on the electric-game as well with an all-electric car.
With this product offensive, Kia is targeting about 3 lakh units per annum by 2021 which would roughly be about six to seven per cent of the market share by then. Kia has already earmarked close to 70 dealers to kick off as the first product launches in 2019 and should aim at 200 touchpoints by 2021 including a presence in tier 4 cities as well.


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Redmond, Washington-based tech giant Microsoft is working on a new Xbox Game Streaming app for Windows PCs, which also includes access to the company’s cloud-gaming platform xCloud. The development of the new app being in the works comes courtesy of The Verge, who has also managed to get access to the latest version of the Xbox Game Streaming app for Windows. According to the report in The Verge, the app will allow Windows users to stream games from their Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X consoles, and xCloud. The version procured by the folks at The Verge is an internal beta version and hence, isn’t a fully finished product.
The new Xbox consoles can’t stream games from the console to Windows PCs currently, as this functionality is not supported on the existing Xbox Console Companion app. The new Xbox Game Streaming app will solve this and will also bring xCloud streaming to Windows PCs for the first time. The Verge also gave a brief lowdown of the features and functionality of the new Xbox app, saying that the Xbox remote play feature works similarly to the existing Console Companion and allows users to remotely wake an Xbox console, sign in, and play games wherever they are.
There is also a full touch support, allowing Surface and other touch-enabled devices to play Xbox games without having to connect a controller. The Verge report also states that Microsoft is also preparing some form of gyro support on the new Windows app as well. This function, however, doesn’t appear to be fully functional yet.
Microsoft is also reportedly preparing 1080p streams for xCloud, instead of the current 720p resolution it maxes out on. Now, it is not clear as to when the app will be rolled out for end users, but Microsoft is rumoured to be planning a “What’s new for gaming” event for next month and it is believed that the app may be unveiled during that event.


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As a child growing up in Richmond, California, the future held one of two possibilities in Darrell Jobe’s young mind: play for the NFL or become a microbiologist. But at 13, everything changed when he became homeless, dropped out of school and joined a gang.
That he celebrates Earth Day on Friday as the owner of Vericool, which produces environmentally safe packaging products, speaks to his unpredictable journey. He says it also speaks to his never-wavering interest in protecting the earth, even after he’s served short stints in prison.
“I love animals and if you do, you care about the environment because that’s how they live,” Jobe, 42, said. “All the stuff that went on in my life, that respect for the earth never left me. To get beyond all that and to be able to do something to protect the environment is rewarding.”
He invented the world’s first recyclable or biodegradable ice chest cooler in 2017 and developed a compostable and recyclable thermal solution for shipping Covid-19 vaccines in place of environmentally unfriendly Styrofoam coolers.
“My thing was, if I could create solutions — products that were safe for the environment — eventually there will be bans on products that are not safe for the environment,” Jobe said. “I thought: How do I create a cooler that would eliminate harmful Styrofoam coolers? How do I create a product that eliminates plastic gel packs? The same with bulk manufacturing and petroleum-based packing. That mentality — being about protecting the earth — inspires me.”
Jobe is among many Black entrepreneurs who have created businesses that focus on products that preserve the earth. More than a billion people around the world celebrate Earth Day Friday, an annual opportunity to demonstrate support for environmental protection, and the emerging business owners are especially noted, longtime environmentalist Ibrahim Abdul-Matin said.
“They represent a movement of human beings that are concerned about how we live the best possible way on the planet Earth — and how we solve problems better than we’ve ever done before,” said Abdul-Matin, author of “Green Deen: What Islam Teaches About Protecting the Planet.”
Click here to read more.
SOURCE: NBC News, Curtis Bunn


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Expansion into Thailand Includes a Full Suite of Data Center Solutions for Both Physical and Cyber Domains, Ensuring Comprehensive Security Convergence
LONDON, March 28, 2024 — Gorilla Technology Group Inc. (NASDAQ: GRRR) (“Gorilla”), a global solution provider in Security Intelligence, Network Intelligence, Business Intelligence, and IoT technology, today announced its further expansion in the Thailand market, tackling its burgeoning data center needs by introducing a comprehensive suite of full-stack offerings aimed at revolutionizing security convergence for these facilities. This strategic expansion marks a significant milestone for both Gorilla and the evolving technological landscape in Thailand.
Data centers are the cornerstone of digital infrastructure and essential for various sectors by storing critical information. Gorilla, leveraging its recent success in creating Egypt’s first AirGap Network, plans to enhance the security of Thailand’s data centers with its Security Convergence portfolio. Utilizing its proprietary technology and collaborations with industry leaders, the company seeks to set a new benchmark in security for Thailand’s data center landscape, thereby protecting both digital assets and physical infrastructure.
Strategic Benefits for Thailand:
- Enhanced Security: Gorilla boosts Thailand’s data center protection, reducing cybersecurity risks and elevating the nation’s digital security.
- Technological Advancement: The Company’s cutting-edge solutions drive innovation and elevate Thailand’s data centers to global competitiveness.
- Economic Growth: Gorilla’s initiatives stimulate Thailand’s economy by expanding data center capacity, attracting investments, and creating tech jobs.
- Partnership Opportunities: The partnership fosters knowledge sharing and innovation between Thailand and global tech leaders, enhancing the local tech ecosystem.
“Gorilla Technology is thrilled to further expand in the Thailand market and contribute to its journey towards becoming a digital hub in Southeast Asia,” said Jay Chandan, CEO and Chairman of Gorilla. “Our full-stack solutions are designed to meet the unique needs of the Thai market, addressing the needs for robust security, data sovereignty and technological advancement, comprehensively aimed at empowering the country’s digital economy. We are extremely optimistic about Thailand’s data center market’s growth – a projected CAGR of 9.8% from $764 million in 2022 to $1.33 billion by 2028 – and believe we are strategically positioned to support this development. We look forward to fostering strong partnerships and driving innovation that benefits Thailand’s economy and society.”
About Gorilla Technology Group Inc.
“Empowering Your Tomorrow”
Gorilla, headquartered in London, U.K., is a global solution provider in Security Intelligence, Network Intelligence, Business Intelligence and IoT technology. Gorilla offers a wide range of solutions, including Smart City, Network, Video, Security Convergence and IoT across select verticals of Government & Public Services, Manufacturing, Telecom, Retail, Transportation & Logistics, Healthcare and Education.
The Company’s vision is to empower a connected tomorrow through innovative and transformative technologies. Gorilla envisions a world where seamless connectivity transcends boundaries, enriching lives, industries, and societies.
This press release contains forward-looking statements, which are based on estimates, assumptions, and expectations. Actual results and performance could differ materially and adversely from those expressed or implied in forward-looking statements. Gorilla does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, except as required by law.


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The Economist Intelligence Unit’s bi-annual worldwide cost of living report has declared Singapore the most expensive city in the world, unseating Tokyo.
The worldwide cost of living index compares more than 400 prices across 160 products and services including food, drink, clothing, household supplies, personal care products, rent, property costs, transportation, utilities, and recreation.
Four cities in China made the list of 140 cities, though none were in the top ten. Hong Kong ranked as the 13th most expensive city, up from 14th in the last survey. Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Beijing ranked 21st, 39th, and 47th respectively.
The South China Morning Post attributes Hong Kong’s ranking to “currency appreciation and inflationary pressures.” The editor of the report, Jon Copestake, expanded on this, “Wage inflation has driven up local prices, but internationally, the impact of a stronger renminbi has also been felt.”
The cost of living continues to rise in mainland China and almost all the mainland cities climbed in their rankings compared to last year.
Here are the cities that ranked in the top 10 of the world’s most expensive cities:
image source: ben spreng