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For one of the 48 stalls set up by SMC for 'Navratri mela', a footpath on one of the most busiest roads in Surat - Ghod Dod Road - has been converted into a sale area for selling Navratri paraphernalia.
When it comes to food, more often than not, presentation scores over all other factors. While investing in the latest crockery is always good, one can also try to re-use some old kitchen ware in novel ways.
Cleaning products and air fresheners, which provide a pleasant smell to your house, may also spike indoor aerosol levels and hamper the quality of air, a new study has warned.
The raiding team also searched a pharmaceutical distributor’s godown and seized two packages of a health supplement as it was found to be ‘non-standard package’.
Flipkart will now offer gift coupons to customers who were unable to buy products at advertised prices and earmark specific dates for vendors to showcase wares on the marketplace.
The otherwise quiet Urban Haat is a bustle of activity these days. A cacophony of artisans hawking their wares and customers trying to get the best deal is the order of the day at this Belapur complex
Motorists travelling on the busy Foreshore Estate Road, especially during the morning and evening rush hour, find the drive an ordeal due to fish vendors hawking their wares right on the road.
With just a few days to go before Navratri, shops in the city have started putting up their best wares on display, be it dandiya sticks, lavish clothes or dazzling accessories
Large amount of goods including some foot ware were turned to ashes as fire erupted in footwear shop and two residents of Gjjar Building located in Kanski Wad vegetable market in Bhagal area of the city near midnight of Wednesday in the city.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has decided not to contest the state assembly election, but the party's workers in the city will not stay away from the poll process.
AAP's Pune Lok Sabha candidate Subhash Ware said that his party will focus on development issues in election campaign.


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Sega supports the development of some of the most popular game franchises – Sonic the Hedgehog, Yakuza, Streets of Rage and Bayonetta, to name a few. A “tactical alliance” with Microsoft seems to be brewing to create next-generation experiences using the Azure cloud platform. The partnership has not yet been consolidated, but the joint efforts of Sega and Microsoft may lead to the creation of “large global games.”
one article On Sega’s official website, more background information is provided for the entertainment company’s Microsoft support program. Sega’s main goal is to develop “super games”, with special attention to keywords such as “global”, “online”, “community” and “IP utilization”. We may enter a new era of multiplayer games released/developed by Sega based on recurring themes. Maybe, even MMO. But this is all speculation.
Yukio Sugino, President and Chief Operating Officer of Sega Corporation, expressed his overall excitement about the partnership and the recent announcement:
“We are pleased to announce today that we are considering forming a strategic alliance with Microsoft to help develop Sega’s new “Super Game” program and build a next-generation game development environment. By considering a strategic partnership with Microsoft, we seek further Promote our game development so that fans all over the world can enjoy our games; in this regard, our goal is to build an alliance that utilizes Sega’s powerful game development capabilities and Microsoft’s cutting-edge technology and development environment.”
Similarly, Microsoft’s CVP Sarah Bond expressed the group’s respect for Sega’s historical pedigree and emphasized the use of cloud-based capabilities:
“Sega has played such an iconic role in the gaming industry and has been a great partner for many years. We look forward to working with them to explore new ways to use Microsoft cloud technology to create unique gaming experiences in the future. Together, we will reimagine the game. The goal is to add more value to players and SEGA etc. in the way of building, hosting and operating.”
The specific details about these two companies remain to be seen.
In other Sega news, the last chapter of the Bayonetta series has been revealed, and it looks bigger and better than ever, with fierce monster battles. Bayonetta 3 will be launched on Nintendo Switch sometime in 2022.
What do you think these super games will look like? Please let us know in the comments below!

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Soundcloud is a Berlin, Germany based music sharing website and mobile will soon be the dominant platform for the company according to founder and CEO Alex Ljung. “It’s not a battle between video and audio, or audio and text – they are good for different things,” stated Ljung. “But sound is easier to create and to listen to in parallel while doing something else. Sound doesn’t need a screen.”
Pinterest, the fastest growing social network where users can pin some of their favorite products, photos, and videos on a virtual pin-board, has set up some additional attribution tools for websites like eBay, 500px, Kickstarter, SoundCloud, and SlideShare. By the end of the year, Pinterest is expected to be the largest social traffic driver to e-commerce websites, even surpassing Facebook and Twitter. Pinterest has raised over $100 million and funding and is valued at $1.5 billion.
Continue reading →
SoundCloud is one of the most popular music streaming websites. The website has raised $50 million in funding from Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and GGV Capital. This puts the company at a $200 million pre-money valuation. SoundCloud will be using the funding to expand aggressively in the U.S. Kleiner Perkins partner Mary Meeker will be taking a board observer seat at SoundCloud. SoundCloud is based in Berlin and was founded by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss.
SoundCloud is a German music file sharing service that has raised $10 million in funding from Union Square Ventures and Index Ventures. SoundCloud lets amateur musicians share music with each other using a cloud-based file system. If the file violates copyright, then it is taken down in a similar manner that YouTube does it. SoundCloud plans on using the funding to scale faster and expand their presence in the U.S. [AllThingsD]


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Drivers of electric cars will have to start paying to charge them from later this year - but it will still be much cheaper than filling up with petrol or diesel, the ESB insists.
E-car owners enjoy free power at the 1,100 public charging points which has helped in the uptake of electric vehicles.
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STORY CONTINUES BELOW
The ESB is working out how much it will charge drivers to top up their batteries, but a spokesman said yesterday: 'The cost will be announced in the coming months but the price points will come in cheaper per kilometre than petrol or diesel.'
The vast majority of the 1,100 public charging points around the country are run by the ESB but some on the N11 route between Dublin and Wexford are provided by German company Ionity, a joint venture owned by car-makers BMW, Ford and Volkswagen.
It plans to build a high-power charging network for electric vehicles along major highways in Europe.
The ESB said that e-cars, which are three times as energy efficient as conventional vehicles, would remain much cheaper to run, with drivers able to save even more if they charge at home outside of peak times. And the ESB said the electricity network will have the capacity to cope with thousands more electric cars, with excess clean energy being generated 24 hours a day.
'When you take the demand curve, electricity is produced around the clock and at times there's spare capacity at night,' the ESB said. 'Also, the wind tends to blow quite a bit at night. So there's all this renewable electricity that's not necessarily being used. With smart charging we feel there's a real opportunity to make the grid work harder and around the clock.'
There are 9,500 fully electric vehicles on Irish roads and sales are more than doubling each year. The Government, meanwhile, has announced it wants to ban sales of petrol and diesel cars by 2030.
The Society of the Irish Motor Industry said it was the success of the cars' take-up by drivers that meant the ESB had to start charging.
SIMI electric car director Tom Cullen added: 'The ESB is a commercial organisation, it's not State-subsidised, so at some stage they had to introduce charging.
'They've been paying for it but they know it's going to be potentially lucrative for them in the future.'


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Australian automotive brand, GM Holden, in partnership with Carat Australia and AJF Partnership, has launched a media-first on Instagram, becoming the first automotive brand to introduce cinemagraphs – posts that mix still images with video – to the platform.
To launch the new model Cascada, a stylish convertible, Holden launched their ‘Let Life In’ campaign, targeted at style conscious and progressive women 25 to 44 years – a marked change in direction for the brand.
Holden collaborated with existing brand ambassador Alex Davis, as well as creative director and blogger Amanda Shadforth of @oraclefoxblog, to produce a series of editorial style cinemagraphs to highlight the fashionable elements of the Holden Cascada.
With elegant styling and subtle movement, the cinemagraphs blended naturally into the feeds of Holden’s target audience, and were highly effective in engaging an audience typically ambivalent to the Holden brand.
The campaign exceeded all Nielsen online ad benchmarks, driving significant lifts in all key brand metrics. It has proven to be one of the most successful automotive brand campaigns run on Instagram globally.
- 30 point lift in ad recall
- 9 point lift in brand awareness
- 8 point lift in favourability
GM Holden senior advertising and communications manager, Bianca Mundy said: “This campaign represented a major shift in Holden’s strategic direction, so it’s exciting to see such strong results. It proves that when captivating creative and the right influencers are used, Instagram has the ability to drive strong brand outcomes.”
Carat group business director, Jarrad Provis said: “By leveraging talent and content not normally associated with Holden, on a platform synonymous with style such as Instagram, we are evolving what it means to be a Holden driver.”


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Filed under: Aftermarket , Coupe , Performance , Japan , Videos , Scion , Toyota , Tokyo Auto Salon Gazoo Racing has teased a new take on the Toyota GT86 (our Scion FR-S ) that it is bringing to next week’s Tokyo Auto Salon . Having only posted a picture of the coupe’s rear wing and backlight on its Facebook page, we have no idea what the rest of the concept will offer. If last year’s introduction is any guide, there should be plenty more bodykit and power to go along with that wing. Speaking of last year’s concept, Gazoo has released some new track footage of its twin-charged GRMN Sports FR Platinum Concept from last year’s Salon. It will return to this year’s show alongside the new car, and you can watch it drift deliciously in the new video below . Continue reading Gazoo Racing hints at Toyota GT86 concept for Tokyo Auto Salon [w/video] Gazoo Racing hints at Toyota GT86 concept for Tokyo Auto Salon [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 02 Jan 2014 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Filed under: Sedan , Japan , Videos , Tokyo Motor Show , Toyota , Electric When Toyota first conceptualized a gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle for mainstream Americans to drive, the initial response was pretty skeptical. Still, through relentless engineering and solid product after solid product, Toyota has built the Prius brand into the dominant force in the hybrid car market. Something like that plan of attack is what the Japanese company is preparing for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, as well, and that attack is seeing a critical salvo fired today with the debut of this FCV Concept at the Tokyo Motor Show . Though there’s nothing substantive to be said about rumors of a 300-mile range or a sticker price around $50,000 , the FCV concept does offer a few technical details. The sharp-beaked concept makes use of two high-pressure hydrogen tanks and boasts a power output density of three kilowatts per liter. Right now, the expectation is that Toyota will have a real-world version of this technology sometime in 2015. Continue reading Toyota FCV Concept comes one step closer to reality [w/video] Toyota FCV Concept comes one step closer to reality [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 20 Nov 2013 08:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Filed under: Japan , Videos , Tokyo Motor Show , Crossover , Toyota , Design/Style , Luxury Historically, the Toyota Harrier has been a doppelg
Filed under: Car Buying , Videos , Crossover , Toyota Not surprisingly, the 50-millionth Toyota product sold in the US was a Camry , but Toyota had a big surprise in store for Michael Dee, the buyer of said milestone vehicle. Toyota group vice president Bill Fay showed up at Dee’s house to not only personally thank him for the purchase, but also completely paid off that brand new Camry, presenting the owner with a clear title. But that wasn’t all. As you can tell from the image above, Fay had one more trick up his sleeve. The group VP brought along a brand new 2013 Toyota RAV4 , which was also presented to Dee in appreciation. The best part is that Dee’s genuine amazement was all caught on video, which is posted below . Continue reading Toyota gives a free RAV4 to 50-millionth customer [w/video] Toyota gives a free RAV4 to 50-millionth customer [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Aug 2013 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Filed under: Motorsports , Coupe , Performance , Videos , Scion , Subaru , Toyota , UK , Racing , Comparisons , McLaren The Toyota GT86 , in all of its forms, is one of the best-handling cars money can buy, a trait that can put a smile on the faces of all but the most jaded car enthusiasts. But if good handling isn’t what they’re looking for, then what is? Our first guess would have to be more power, something the 200-horsepower Toyota would benefit from. Autocar tries out that theory by driving two turbocharged GT86s on track, then pitting the more powerful one against the 616-hp McLaren MP4-12C in a track battle. The first GT86 turbo Autocar ‘s Steve Sutcliffe drives makes around 255 rear-wheel horsepower and a bucket-load more torque than the stock car. That’s plenty of power to either have a lot of fun or get into a lot of trouble. But the GT86 that Sutcliffe tails in the McLaren is race-prepped, stripped to the bone and wears slicks to harness a heavy-hitting 335 hp at the wheel. Weighing in at under 2,500 pounds, the Toyota can’t overcome the MP4-12C’s power-to-weight ratio of 5.3 pounds per horsepower, but it comes pretty close. Enjoy a lot of chasing and drifting fun in the video below ! Continue reading Autocar pits McLaren MP4-12C against turbo Toyota GT86 Autocar pits McLaren MP4-12C against turbo Toyota GT86 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 29 Aug 2013 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .
Filed under: Hybrid , Videos , Toyota Toyota Prius owners aren’t bad folks. With a few exceptions , they’re just normal people who appreciate the comfortable, high-mileage hybrid. Someone in Arlington, Virginia doesn’t see it that way, though, as 14 examples (and one Smart ) had at least one tire slashed last Sunday night. The serial tire-slasher didn’t swipe any items from the vehicles, but he or she has left owners with substantial bills and sour dispositions. According to a report from ABC affiliate WJLA , some citizens are considering the matter a hate crime. Despite the targeting of Toyota hybrids and the acquisition of one fingerprint, police have been unable to make any arrests, as the slasher has targeted vehicles across the county. Take a look at the local news report from WJLA below . Continue reading Toyota Prius owners targeted by tire-slashing VA vandal Toyota Prius owners targeted by tire-slashing VA vandal originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 24 Jul 2013 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Filed under: Safety , Videos , Crossover , Toyota When the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tested a batch of SUVs in its small overlap frontal crash test earlier this year, it held off on putting the Toyota RAV4 in the blender because the new, 2013 model was due to arrive shortly after the test. The new crossover might be better than it was before, but it could still only manage a rating of “Poor” in the test that has been a bugbear for a number of manufacturers. Among other issues, the IIHS noted that the steering column moved seven inches to the right causing the crash test dummy to practically miss the airbag, the dummy’s left foot was trapped in deformed sheetmetal and the dummy’s head hit the instrument panel. The 2013 RAV4 earned the Top Safety Pick rating by scoring well in the Institute’s four other tests. A good score in this particular test would have earned it the Top Safety Pick+ rating that is so far only claimed by the 2014 Subaru Forester and 2013 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport in the SUV category. There’s a press release below with more details and a video of the test. Continue reading 2013 Toyota RAV4 earns ‘poor’ rating in IIHS small overlap crash test [w/video] 2013 Toyota RAV4 earns ‘poor’ rating in IIHS small overlap crash test [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 11 Jul 2013 13:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink


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The new Tesla would arrive in 2023 with a price of 25 thousand dollars and without pedals or steering wheel
According to the Electrek media, the billionaire expressed in a meeting with his team that he aimed to start the production of this car in 2023.
Like The Jetsons, Tesla's new vehicle would have no steering wheel or pedals. Elon Musk , CEO and founder of the automaker, said he expects the new model to be ready in 2023.
It would be the 'Tesla Model 2', an electric car that would cost 25 thousand dollars (approximately 497,320 Mexican pesos). According to the Electrek media, the billionaire expressed in a meeting with his team that he aimed to start the production of this car in 2023.
According to the report, Musk linked the launch of this vehicle to the development of his company's autonomous driving system and even asked his employees if they wanted the car to come with a steering wheel and pedals.
It is important to note that at the moment it is a rumor, and that not even the name 'Model 2' is confirmed, what is certain is that on last year's Tesla Battery Day, the tycoon commented that the company will manufacture a $ 25,000 electric car.
According to Musk, this model would take advantage of the new batteries they have been developing, which would be priced 50% less than the ones they currently drive, and as a consequence, they would reduce the cost of the car.


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ALGETE: With a vast wardrobe catering to everything from “House of the Dragon” to “The Crown”, Spain’s Peris Costumes has carved out a well-tailored niche for itself, renting costumes to producers across the globe.
“Here, you can find everything,” says CEO Javier Toledo showing off a vast array of costumes and accessories — from suits of armour to frock coats, sailor suits and monastic robes.
All around him mannequins dressed in 18th-century gowns stand next to posters of the many films his company has worked on in recent years.
“There are starting to be rather a lot,” admits the 63-year-old entrepreneur with white hair and a neatly trimmed goatee whose business is based in Algete, a small town just outside Madrid.
Since Toledo took over 10 years ago, the business has been transformed.
What began as a small family firm set up by tailors specialising in theatre costumes in the eastern coastal city of Valencia in 1856 has become a world leader in costume hire for the film industry.
And it’s a success story closely linked to the rise of on-demand streaming giants such as Netflix, Disney+ and HBO.
“We have responded to the changes that have taken place in the market,” he told AFP, pointing notably to the explosion in popularity “of the series”.
When he bought the company, Peris Costumes only had a dozen staff, all based in Madrid.
Today, the group employs 250 people and has offices or workshops in 15 capital cities, including Budapest, Berlin, Paris and Mexico City.
“During the first half of the year, we were involved in almost 600 productions. And by the end of the year we’re hoping that will be more than 1,000,” says marketing director Myriam Wais.
Newspakistan.tv | YouTube Channel


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July 22, 2014
PrivateFly shortlisted in the National Luxury & Lifestyle Awards 2014
We were thrilled to find out recently that PrivateFly has been shortlisted as Best Private Jet Hire Company in the National Luxury & Lifestyle Awards 2014. The awards celebrate the UK’s best luxury brands across a number of sectors, from hotels to watches, to travel destinations.
So it’s great to see private jets being celebrated alongside. And even better to see PrivateFly listed as one of the nominees, alongside other global brands such as NetJets and Air Partner.
The winners will be announced at a ceremony in London on July 31st and voting is open until this date.
So if you agree that PrivateFly is the Best Private Jet Hire company, please vote here (Chelsea Monthly is the magazine organising the awards).
June 04, 2019
PrivateFly is proud to be named Best Broker 2019
We were delighted to find out this week that PrivateFly has won the ‘Best Broker 2019’ category in this year’s Sapphire Pegasus Awards for Business Aviation. This is the second year running we’ve won the…
June 04, 2018
Bombardier expands the boundary-breaking Global family
Last week several of our team were at EBACE, Europe’s premier business aviation event, in Geneva. It’s always a fantastic event and this year was no exception – a great opportunity to strengthen our relationship with our network of operators…
September 11, 2017
Teamwork is key to our Sunday Times Tech Track 100 success
We are delighted to be listed in The Sunday Times Hiscox Tech Track 100 once again this year. The 2017 edition was published yesterday, ranking the UK-founded private tech companies that are growing the fastest, over a…


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According to a game store in Winsford, England, these are the new prices for the Start Collecting boxes–and bonus, there are a couple of new ones sneakily announced!
Alchemists Workshops, a gaming store in Winsford, England has been cleared to talk about the new price points for the Start Collecting boxes, according to a tweet released earlier today. Included is a list of new start collecting boxes and their prices. Interestingly enough, the prices aren’t as uniform as they once were, but all the pieces do seem to be there. Take a look for yourself.
— Alchemists Workshops (@AlchemistsWorks) January 7, 2019
And for those of you who can’t visit Twitter because you’re at work or just staying away from social media because you actually get things done with your life, congratulations to you on your worthwhile contributions to humanity–and here’s the price list in its entirety.
via Alchemists Workshop
These prices are probably in pounds, since Alchemists Workshops is based out of England, which means you’ll have to make an educated guess or two to get the prices. GW doesn’t usually do the direct conversion thing but instead picks a fixed rate and goes with it, but it seems reasonable that the USD prices would increase by similar amounts as well.
In addition to the price increases, there are two other things worth pointing out. The Maggotkin of Nurgle AND the Idoneth Deepkin are both getting some start collecting boxes later this year–and seeing the increase for kits that haven’t changed in a while (like the Seraphon) makes us wonder if they won’t be seeing a little more love later this year, but that all remains to be seen.
For now, here are the prices as Alchemists Workshops reports them, and with the price change taking effect February 4th, that means its less than 30 days before we find out for ourselves.
What do you think of the changes?


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Just Eat slams watchdog's approval of Amazon's £442m investment in Deliveroo
Article Date: 2020-05-19
Just Eat Takeaway.com has questioned whether the decline in the financial position of Deliveroo was “due to coronavirus or because of the quality of its business model”.
In its submission to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) into Amazon’s investment in Deliveroo, Just Eat Takeaway.com said while it does not question the very serious and perturbing nature of the covid-19 crisis, it does not believe this “creates a ‘carte blanche’ to assume permanent, irreversible negative impact on businesses, particularly those who are in the business of delivering food to people at home in circumstances that align with social distancing rules”.
In its 28-page submission to the CMA, Just Eat Takeaway.com stated: “While Deliveroo might have temporarily lost part of its supply, at the same time it also gained 3,000 new restaurants in the first weeks of the crisis alone. This should have generously compensated the loss of other restaurants. The majority of them did not perform delivery services before the coronavirus pandemic. This triggers Just Eat Takeaway.com to question whether the decline in the financial position of Deliveroo was actually due to covid-19 or because of the quality of its business model and decision-making relating to its pricing. The CMA must therefore ascertain, with certainty, that Deliveroo's alleged dramatic drop in orders in the UK occurred as a result of the unavoidable impact of covid-19, rather than due to a failure on the part of Deliveroo to adapt effectively and grasp opportunities to service additional demand.”
Just Eat Takeaway.com also pointed out Deliveroo had forged a number of grocery partnerships that “could have (easily) offset the effect of some restaurant closures in the UK”.
The submission added: “The sheer amount of new partnerships that Deliveroo has engaged in do not signal the company is in distress.”
The CMA provisionally cleared the deal last month after Deliveroo warned it would have to cease operations without the cash injection. Amazon was the lead investor in Deliveroo’s $575m funding round, announced in May last year. Its stake, thought to be worth about $500m, has been frozen by the regulator as it conducts an investigation into alleged competition concerns raised by the deal.
Last week Domino’s Pizza told the CMA that Amazon’s investment in Deliveroo would “result in driving small and independent food businesses out the market”.
A Deliveroo spokesperson said: “This investment is a key part of Deliveroo’s plan to provide an even better service to customers, riders and restaurants and, as we’re a British company, this will be a boost to the UK economy.
“The unprecedented health crisis we all face has disrupted businesses across the country. This investment will help us to overcome immediate and long-term challenges, allow us to continue to improve our service for customers, enable us to develop new innovations and offer people even greater choice.
“Everyone at Deliveroo is excited that Amazon, the most customer-obsessed and innovative company in the world, has chosen to invest in Deliveroo’s future.”


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Crowdfunded investment platform CurioInvest has partnered with Seychelles-based MERJ Exchange to sell fractions of a supercar using a new blockchain token.The companies plan to tokenize 500 Supercars with a total value of more than $ 200 million. Ferrari F12tdf worth about $ 1.1 million to be one of the flagship products. A follow-up bounty scheme to reward users with tokens for publicizing the project also saw major issues when a partner marketing company soon walked away, the news source indicates. Going the bounty route also raises the thorny issue, as reported by CoinDesk, that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has indicated that even giving away tokens may break securities rules.Join to our Telegram channel HYIP.com to be always up-to-date with the latest news of the cryptocurrency space.”Technology is only half the process. Regulation is equally important. We are talking about a well-regulated and well-thought-out offer that will be available on the stock exchange,” Jim Needham, a digital asset strategist for MERJ commented the deal.
Both vintage and modern supercars rose in price by 330% between 2007 and 2017, beating growth rates of traditional investments like stocks and bonds.


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FALCON Petroleum Limited officially launched its new brand identity, symbolized by the adoption of Falcon Corporation Limitec as its new corporate name, the introduction of a new logo, and an updated company website.
The unveiling of the company’s new corporate name and brand identity comes in the wake of her 20th anniversary of operations, and reflects on one hand, Falcon’s remarkable growth and achievements over the past two decades; and on the other hand, Falcon’s transformation, future strategic direction, mission, and goals for the future.
The Chief Executive, Falcon Petroleum, Prof. Joseph Ezigbo, said: “Our new corporate name and brand identity illustrate how far Falcon has matured as a business in it’ 20-year history, and the strides our group is making. From extremely humble beginnings, we have since come into our own as a serious contender in the sectors where we operate.
“We have done excellent work over the years, growing in a steady and organic manner, and steadily and consistently increasing profitability and shareholder value over time. We are focused on a more robust and dynamic expansion of our operations and size over the next twenty years and the re-positioning of our brand is a clear message to the market that we will deliver.”
Falcon Corporation is a leading, privately held, wholly indigenous company and member of the Falcon conglomerate which holds a diverse portfolio of prime investments in oil and gas, energy and infrastructure, real estate and construction.
Co-founder & Executive Director, Falcon Petroleum, Mrs. Audrey Joe-Ezigbo, said: “We have built a formidable and highly successful company which has achieved tremendous growth over the past 20 years, and a brand that this Country can well be proud of. Falcon is a company that is determinately driving operational excellence, quality, health and safety, manpower development, and an unshakable commitment to maintaining integrity and good governance as pillars of our past and future successes.
“Our change of name, logo, website and other brand collaterals – which was done in collaboration with Brandzone Consulting LLC – a leading world class and global brand consultancy outfit; simply brings our company’s external image into alignment with the reality of Falcon’s business agility and achievements in the economy; setting the tone and a strong framework for what we will certainly achieve in the future.”
By Sulaimon Salau – culled from: http://allafrica.com/stories/201410010369.html


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PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Despite reports of Americans experiencing mysterious illnesses and deaths in the Dominican Republic, one local travel agent said it hasn’t stopped her clients from traveling to the country.
Right now, the United States Department of State ranks the Dominican Republic a “Level 2” out of four under the advisory system. But, that’s because of crime – not illness.
Since the start of the year, at least seven Americans have died in the Dominican Republic. Right now, officials in the Dominican Republic and the United States haven’t said if the recent deaths are connected.
Autopsies performed concluded at least three of the American deaths were from respiratory problems, and at least one tourist died of a heart attack. Officials are still waiting on three FBI toxicology reports for the other three Americans who died.
Video Now: Travel agent not concerned about Dominican Republic
In the meantime, tourist groups are becoming concerned, especially after more than 50 Jimmy Buffet fans became sick on a trip back in April.
Ann Petronio, owner of Annie’s Escapes Custom Travel Planning, said while she’s heard of growing concerns from travelers, she said her clients aren’t letting it ruin their trips.
“They’re asking questions, understandably, because they are hearing all kinds of things or their own family is saying, ‘Should you be going to the Dominican?'” she said.
Petronio said she has approximately a dozen clients traveling to the Dominican Republic this month. She said none of them have canceled their plans, and she says at this point, she wouldn’t tell them they have to do so.
“I haven’t heard any facts that say it’s statistically significant,” she said. “That it’s any more than any other year. I think we just become hyper-aware of it. It’s the uncertainty – not having definitive answers about what has happened.”
Petronio said if a travel ban were to be issued on the Dominican Republic, agents like herself would do everything they could to help those affected.
While she’s waiting for more information on the deaths, Petronio said she urges travelers to be smart and be safe.
“I would say just use normal precautions like you do at home,” she said. “Just be safe about what you see and do any time you’re on vacation. But, I’m not abnormally concerned about the Dominican.”
When traveling to the Dominican Republic, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) suggests keeping the following in mind:
- Receive vaccinations recommended by your doctor
- Monitor travel warnings and alerts
- Exercise caution when deciding what to eat or drink
- Keep away from animals while traveling
- Avoid sharing bodily fluids
- Take antimalarial medication and protect yourself from bug bites
- Reduce your exposure to germs by washing your hands frequently
- Avoid non-sterile medical or cosmetic equipment
- Avoid dangerous activities to lower risk of injury
- Select safe transportation and be smart while traveling on foot
When considering what to eat or drink while in the Dominican Republic, the CDC said it’s important to know what is 100% safe and what could be contaminated:
What you can eat
- Food that is cooked and served hot
- Hard-cooked eggs
- Fruits and vegetables you have washed in clean water or have peeled yourself
- Pasteurized dairy products
What you shouldn’t eat
- Food served at room temperature
- Food from street vendors
- Raw or soft-cooked (runny) eggs
- Raw or undercooked (rare) meat or fish
- Unwashed or unpeeled raw fruits and vegetables
- Unpasteurized dairy products
- ”Bushmeat” (monkeys, bats, or other wild game)
What you can drink
- Bottled water that is sealed
- Water that has been disinfected
- Ice made with bottled or disinfected water
- Carbonated drinks
- Hot coffee or tea
- Pasteurized milk
What you shouldn’t drink
- Tap or well water
- Ice made with tap or well water
- Drinks made with tap or well water
- Unpasteurized milk


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Streaming 4K video is now available on Netflix after earlier announcements that the on-demand video service would be introducing ultra-HD content.
Early adopters of 4K may be unable to take advantage of the new feature as the decoder required to view Netflix 4K videos is not built into early 4K televisions.
There are currently few alternatives to overcome the problem.
Shows available include House of Cards and "some nature documentaries".
It has been confirmed by Netflix via Multichannel News that 4K streaming is now live and available for a select number of programmes, including the second season of House of Cards.
However, initial access to the service is limited, with older 4K televisions unable to stream the new high-quality content.
Most 4K televisions purchased before this year lack the H.265/HEVC decoder required to stream Netflix's ultra-HD service.
Netflix chief executive Reed Hastings has said that an average speed of 15.6 Mbps would be required to stream its 4K content.
This could pose additional problems for UK users, whose collective average download speed is below this threshold.
"Average broadband speeds in the UK are 7.6 megabits per second. You would need to have at least double that speed to watch 4K reliably on a streamed basis," IHS broadband analyst Richard Broughton told the BBC last November.
"Currently only 15% to 20% of households have the speeds necessary."
Despite the increased demand for 4K, some commentators still have reservations about whether the human eye is truly capable of viewing the difference between 1080p and ultra-HD 4K resolutions.
The eye has a finite resolution, says Geoffrey Morrison, former editor-in-chief of Home Entertainment Magazine, which makes most instances of extreme resolutions needless.
Beyond the home, for example in cinemas, the use of 4K and higher remains desirable for many, with a report from Sony stating: "4K makes a visible difference on screens big and small... 4K projection is scalable, accommodating 4K, 2K, HD and other digital content."
Netflix is thought to have been working on its 4K streaming service since last November.


text: According to statistics recorded last year, average wedding costs have risen to an excess of $31k. To that end, the National Wedding Council has issued a security bulletin designed to protect consumers from wedding vendors who undermine the industry. Widely-recognized as the watchdog for wedding vendor practices, the council's bulletin outlines seven ways engaged couples can preserve the integrity of their wedding day. Topping the list are practical insights on how to actively avoid unscrupulous suppliers. Speaking to the future, the report also underscores wedding trends for 2016.


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The hot new BMW M3 Touring estate is on the way and it’ll feature the same 503bhp straight-six engine as the saloon.
BMW has officially confirmed plans to launch an estate version of the upcoming, sixth-generation M3. When it eventually reaches the UK market, it’ll be the first official M-performance version of the 3 Series Touring, and compete directly with the Mercedes-AMG C 63 Estate and the Audi RS 4 Avant.
The car has been officially pictured in a shadowy teaser image and now in a short video clip posted by the manufacturer on Instagram showing a disguised prototype on test. The images confirm that the design of the car will closely follow that of the new BMW M3 saloon that has also been spied testing, as revealed in our exclusive rendering.
Leaving M Town. #TheM3 #BMW #M3 #TOURING #G81 #BMWM
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It has also been confirmed new BMW M3 Touring will be powered by a twin-turbocharged six-cylinder petrol engine. It’s the same 3.0-litre powertrain found in the X3 M and X4 M performance SUVs, which means the hot M3 estate should have an output of 503bhp and 600Nm of torque.
- Best performance cars 2020
The new M3 Touring will feature the same selectable four-wheel drive system as the M3 saloon, which will allow the driver to send 100 per cent of the engine’s power to the rear wheels. BMW has also confirmed that the estate will have a wider track than the standard car, which should be complemented by an upgraded suspension system and larger brakes.
BMW says the M3 Touring is still in the early stages of its two-year development cycle, so we’re unlikely to see the finished car until late 2022 at the earliest. The first test mules are now testing on public roads, along with a few track-based prototypes, which will undergo a rigorous test cycle at the Nurburgring.
Our exclusive illustration gives an indication of how the finished M3 Touring will look, and BMW has confirmed that it will share some of its cosmetic tweaks with the standard M3.
The pictures of the disguised M3 Touring confirm an aggressive makeover compared with the regular 3 Series Touring, but also that the M3 models are set to adopt the large vertical kidney grilles used to controversial effect on the new 4 Series and the next M4 too.
BMW developed a running prototype M3 Touring based on the E46 generation M3 in 2000, using a straight-six engine developing 338bhp, but never brought the model to market.
Click here to read more about the new 2020 BMW M3 saloon…
Source: Read Full Article


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Australian shares have surged nearly 2 per cent, boosted by an expansion in the US manufacturing industry and a rally in technology stocks on Wall Street.
- With today's gains included, the ASX 200 has fallen about 10pc since the year began
- Retail sales lifted 2.7pc in June, before Melbourne's lockdown worsened
- Donald Trump has threatened to ban TikTok in the United States on September 15
Stocks gained more than 2 per cent in early trade and then eased back.
But the Reserve Bank's announcement of further bond purchases to keep the interest rates on three-year Government bonds at 25 basis points saw the share market pick up again.
The Australian dollar also increased late in the afternoon, edging up 0.3 per cent to about 71.41 US cents by 4:45pm (AEST).
That is despite the central bank warning unemployment could rise to 10 per cent later this year because of the lockdown in Victoria.
The ASX 200 index put on 1.9 per cent, or 112 points, to 6,038 by the close of trade, with all sectors higher.
The All Ordinaries index also rose by 1.9 per cent, or 113 points, to 6,167.
Energy stocks performed best on the benchmark index after a rise in the price of oil overnight on the back of positive US manufacturing data, although Brent crude slipped in futures trade to $US43.87, down 0.6 per cent on worries about weaker demand because of rising coronavirus cases.
Woodside Petroleum increased 1.7 per cent to $20.39.
Technology stocks came off their highs but still finished strongly.
Afterpay rose 6.5 per cent to $70.80 after it raised $136 million from retail investors in a share sale.
Biotech firm Mesoblast was the best performer on the ASX 200. It surged 7 per cent to $4.12.
WiseTech Global rose 5 per cent to $22.38.
Banks jumped, recouping some of yesterday's steep falls.
The Commonwealth Bank put on 2.3 per cent to $71.50 and Westpac rose 1.8 per cent to $16.79.
The value of loans given repayment holidays by banks because of the coronavirus pandemic increased to $274 billion by the end of June, according to the banking regulator, APRA.
But there was also a rise in the value of loans that were no longer deferred.
Mortgages make up the majority of loans granted repayment deferrals, but nearly one fifth of small business loans have been deferred.
Miners also gained thanks to higher iron ore prices, with BHP up 1.6 per cent to $37.92. Rio Tinto shares put on 2 per cent to $105.10.
But gold miners fell along with the precious metal's price. Although, it is still near a record high of $US1,973.11.
Evolution Mining fell 2.8 per cent to $5.90.
Westfield shopping centre owner Unibail Rodamco fared worst on the ASX 200 and lost 3.1 per cent to $3.50.
Wesfarmers said it would temporarily close Kmart and Target stores in metropolitan Melbourne because of the Victorian lockdown, but Bunnings and Officeworks would remain open to trade and business customers.
Online click and collect services will also keep operating.
Wesfarmers shares rose 0.9 per cent to $46.29.
JB Hi-Fi said it would close 46 stores and 21 The Good Guys stores in Melbourne but its online operations would also stay open. Its shares fell 1.2 per cent to $44.08.
Woolworths said it would shut Big W stores in Melbourne, but its shares jumped 2.3 per cent to $39.92.
Pain and gain as reporting season unfolds
"The recovery in the Australian equity market from the lows in March has left some investors perplexed," said Anthony Doyle, cross-asset specialist at Fidelity International.
The local share market has enjoyed a 37 per cent surge since its bottom, almost five months ago — a faster and stronger recovery than what was seen following the 1987 and 2009 market crashes.
"The answer of course is found in the unprecedented monetary and fiscal stimulus that has deployed since the crisis took hold, and coupled with ultra-low interest rates, has acted as a powerful technical driver of prices for risk assets like equities."
However, Mr Doyle said the issue remains "how damaging COVID-19 has been to the economy, businesses, and labour markets", and warned the recent market strength will be hard to sustain in the September quarter.
Morgan Stanley analysts believe the share price recovery is too optimistic, given the market is trading at 19.4 times what earnings will likely be in the next 12 months.
They warned there is scope for great anxiety in the next few weeks as ASX-listed companies report their profits (or lack thereof), and reveal just how badly they've been battered by the pandemic recession.
Citi analysts predict earnings may have dropped 20 per cent last financial year, with dividends 37 per cent lower than last year.
Retail recovers, while exports surge
Retail sales lifted by a stronger-than-expected 2.7 per cent in June (to $29.76 billion), seasonally adjusted, according to the latest figures from the Bureau of Statistics.
It has been an incredibly volatile time for retail trade, following a record surge in May (+16.9per cent). But that was a rebound from its worst-ever plunge, in April (-17.7per cent).
"The June month saw the continued recovery of industries impacted by trading restrictions in April and early May," said Ben James, director of quarterly economy-wide surveys at the ABS.
"There were large month-on-month rises in cafes, restaurants and takeaway food services (+27.9per cent), and clothing, footwear and personal accessory retailing (+20.5per cent)."
Online sales continued to surge, making up 9.7 per cent of total retail sales in June.
However, the result is more disappointing when viewed from a quarterly perspective.
Retail sales dropped 3.4 per cent in the three months to June, the largest fall since the GST was introduced in 2000, the ABS noted.
In contrast to retailers, Australia's exporters have been going gangbusters thanks to demand from China for iron ore and other resources, while imports have been hammered by the lockdowns.
Separate ABS data on Tuesday showed the trade surplus swelled to $8.2 billion in June, taking the total for the second quarter to a whopping $23.4 billion.
Exports rose 3 per cent in June, underpinned in part by sharply rising prices for iron ore and gold, providing a windfall to miners' earnings and government tax receipts.
Also, exports to China alone hit an historic high of $14.6 billion for the month, bringing the rolling 12-month total to $151 billion.
A TikTok deal by mid-September
Microsoft shares jumped (+5.6per cent) after the tech giant said it would push ahead with talks to buy the US operations of Chinese-owned TikTok.
US President Donald Trump previously said he would ban the short video app in America, but has softened his stance somewhat.
He said Microsoft should pay the US Government a "substantial portion" of the sale price for the short video app. But he also threatened to ban the app on September 15 if the sale did not proceed.
Reuters reported last week that some investors were valuing TikTok around $US50 billion, citing people familiar with the matter.
"I did say that if you buy it, whatever the price is that goes to whoever owns it, because I guess it's China essentially," Mr Trump said.
It was not clear how the US Government would receive part of the purchase price.
He added: "[It] will close down on September 15 unless Microsoft or somebody else is able to buy it and work out a deal, an appropriate deal so the Treasury … of the United States gets a lot of money."
Deal-making boosts market sentiment
Overnight the Nasdaq index jumped by 1.5 per cent to 10,903 points, a new record high.
The Dow Jones lifted by 236 points (or 0.9 per cent) to 26,664, while the S&P 500 rose 0.7 per cent to 3,295 points.
A rally in tech-related stocks and trillions of dollars in monetary and fiscal stimulus have lifted the S&P 500 to within about 3 per cent of February's record high.
Apple shares jumped (+2.5 per cent) for a second-straight session following stunning quarterly results and announcing a four-for-one stock split.
The tech giant is about $US140 billion short of hitting $US2 trillion in market value on the stock market.
Security device company ADT surged 61 per cent — on reports that Alphabet (Google's parent company) was buying a nearly 7 per cent stake for $US450 million.
ADT soared (+61 per cent) on news that Alphabet's Google was buying a nearly 7 per cent stake in the security device company for $US450 million.
Under this deal, ADT will be able to provide service to customers of Google Nest home security devices.
"The market is revolving around M&A [mergers and acquisitions] activity possibly picking up," said Jake Dollarhide, chief executive of Longbow Asset Management in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Investor sentiment was also boosted by figures from the Institute of Supply Management showing US manufacturing activity accelerated to its highest level in nearly 18 months, despite a surge in COVID-19 infections.
Still, the road to recovery for manufacturing likely remains long and bumpy, with the survey from the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) on Monday also showing hiring at factories remaining subdued for a year now. About 72 per cent of industries reported growth last month.
The ISM said its index of national factory activity raced to a reading of 54.2 points last month, from 52.6 in June.
That was the strongest since March 2019 and marked two straight months of expansion.
A reading above 50 indicates growth in manufacturing, which accounts for 11 per cent of the US economy.
Also, congressional Democrats and Trump administration officials resumed talks aimed at hammering out a coronavirus relief bill after missing a vital deadline to extend relief benefits to tens of millions of jobless Americans.
The Labor Department’s monthly employment report is due on Friday.
Last week's weekly jobless claims data showed a recovery in the job market appeared to have stalled in late July.
Funnyman Max Gillies thought he'd never discover the truth about his father. Then an Aussie billionaire called


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A Florida woman has been arrested after allegedly paying only $3.70(£2.82) for nearly $2,000(£1522.42) worth of electronics at a Walmart self-checkout.
A Walmart loss prevention employee told police he saw 25-year-old Cheyenne Amber West walk into his store in Indian River County with another woman, later identified by police as her mother.
The employee said the women started taking video game controllers, a computer, and other electronics off the shelves. He then followed them to the clearance section, where he claims they began taking the cheaper price tags and sticking them onto their items.
The women then proceeded to the self-checkout, where they allegedly paid less than $4 for $1,828.90 worth of products.
Arrest records indicate that Ms West is a waitress from nearby Fort Pierce, Florida. She was arrested on 6 November and released the next day on a $3,000 bond.
According to an affidavit, Ms West told an officer that she was attempting to purchase gifts for her son that she could not afford. The computer, she added, was for her husband.
“Since he just got me a Coach purse, I figured he deserved something nice as well,” she said.
Her mother, Alicia West, reportedly told officers that she knew what her daughter was doing, but that “she was just trying to get gifts for her son”.
Ms West has been charged with felony grand theft and misdemeanour retail theft. A conviction for felony grand theft can carry up to 5 years in prison or a $5,000 fine. Her court date is set for 13 December.
Self-checkout lanes and apps generate more than double the loss of standard checkout lanes, according to a recent study from the University of Leicester. The researchers discovered that nearly four per cent of the items taken through self-checkout lanes are not scanned.


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Nearly 80% of viewers said they want more episodes that show how influencers create videos. Read more….
The majority of social media users looking for product information prefer posts from other consumers, with 51% of survey respondents saying they trust user images because they’re more authentic and trustworthy than brand-owned creative. Read more….
Facebook is developing a voice-powered virtual assistant similar to Apple’s Siri, Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. Read more…
Tech companies also are experimenting with monetization strategies that extend beyond the initial purchase of a smart speaker. Amazon likely sells its smart speakers at a loss, according to product teardowns by ABI Research, which estimated the second-generation Echo Dot that sells for $29 has about $31 in parts. But those devices give the e-commerce giant a foothold in the connected-home market and help to support Amazon Prime, the subscription service that costs $119 a year for streaming video, a limited package of streaming music and no-fee two-day shipping on most products. People who have an Echo in their home spend about $1,700 a year on Amazon, or 66% more than the average Amazon customer, per Consumer Intelligence Research Partners.
Health insurance company Cigna released results from a national survey exploring the effect of loneliness in the United States. The survey, conducted in partnership with market research firm, Ipsos, revealed that most American adults are considered lonely.
- Nearly half of Americans report sometimes or always feeling alone (46 percent) or left out (47 percent).
- One in four Americans (27 percent) rarely or never feel as though there are people who really understand them.
- Two in five Americans sometimes or always feel that their relationships are not meaningful (43 percent) and that they are isolated from others (43 percent).
- One in five people report they rarely or never feel close to people (20 percent) or feel like there are people they can talk to (18 percent).
- Americans who live with others are less likely to be lonely (average loneliness score of 43.5) compared to those who live alone (46.4). However, this does not apply to single parents/guardians (average loneliness score of 48.2) – even though they live with children, they are more likely to be lonely.
- Only around half of Americans (53 percent) have meaningful in-person social interactions, such as having an extended conversation with a friend or spending quality time with family, on a daily basis.
- Generation Z (adults ages 18-22) is the loneliest generation and claims to be in worse health than older generations.
- Social media use alone is not a predictor of loneliness; respondents defined as very heavy users of social media have a loneliness score (43.5) that is not markedly different from the score of those who never use social media (41.7).
Paying attention to Instagram is a must for any publisher of women’s magazines, given the app’s heavy emphasis on fashion and beauty. Read more….
Snap’s first partner summit revealed lots of ambitious plans for its image-messaging app Snapchat, such as a mobile ad network, gaming platform, camera features and original shows. The planned Snap Audience Network will let marketers reach users of third-party apps with ad inserts resembling the full-screen, vertical videos in Snapchat. Read more…
Facebook and Google, which bought ad-serving network Doubleclick in 2008, have similar platforms that give marketers broader campaign reach among apps and mobile websites, even among digital audiences who don’t use their services. That extensive reach is the major reason why Facebook and Google are called the “duopoly.” The two companies have a combined market share of about 60% of the $129.3 billion U.S. digital ad market, researcher eMarketer estimated. So far, the biggest threat to the duopoly is Amazon, whose rapidly growing ad business is denting Google’s dominance, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Snap doesn’t share personal data about the people who use Snapchat, in stark contrast to Facebook’s looser policies that let app developers collect data about millions of users and all their social connections. Such promiscuous data sharing let political campaigns recreate Facebook’s social graph for ad targeting, and directly led to last year’s Cambridge Analytica scandal. Facebook has changed its data-sharing policies in the past year, and this week called for governments to regulate the internet more closely to protect privacy and prevent the sharing of harmful content.
Tech companies are pushing into videogames as multiplayer gaming becomes a focal point for social networking. “Fortnite,” the hit battle royale game from Epic Games, exemplifies the trend as an online gathering place. Not only does “Fortnite” host multiplayer games among its 250 million users, but it also is adding live events like the concert from Marshmello. The popular DJ’s February 2 concert had a virtual attendance of a stunning 10.7 million people, the equivalent of about 150 outdoor stadium concerts (10.7 million attendees divided by stadium size of 70,000 equals about 150). “Fortnite” players showed up for the 10-minute show by using their player avatars to dance, jump around and rush the virtual stage.
Apple this year will release Apple Arcade, a game-subscription service with more than 100 exclusive video games. Google is planning a videogame platform called Stadia that will let players stream games from the cloud without the need for an expensive console like a Microsoft Xbox or Sony Playstation. Facebook last month added a dedicated gaming tab to its mobile app and has games on its Messenger app. More than 700 million people play games, watch gaming videos or participate in gaming groups on Facebook every month, the company said. Viewership of live videogaming content on Amazon’s Twitch streaming service surged 41% to 8.9 billion hours last year from 6.3 billion hours in 2017, per researcher Newzoo.
Snapchat’s remaining announcements focused on the user experience, including camera features and original programming. The company added Photomath and Giphy as partners for Scan, Snapchat’s camera search feature. The new services add to features that let users press and hold on the camera screen to unlock experiences, such as scanning Snapcodes to unlock filters and lenses; scanning physical products or barcodes to see Amazon search results; and identifying music tracks with Shazam.
Snap’s upcoming slate of Snap Originals, its exclusive shows for Snapchat, next month will be available on Snapchat’s Discover page. The shows include a range of genres such as serialized scripted dramas and comedies, character-driven docuseries, unscripted social commentary, among others. Production partners include Bunim/Murray Productions, Dakota Pictures, New Form, Bazelevs and other film and television writers and producers, per an announcement. Snap’s original programming is another way for the app to keep users engaged on its platform, and to sell video ad inserts.
Instagram is reaching out to marketers and their media agencies about buying ads on IGTV, the standalone feature that the Facebook-owned app introduced last year to compete with YouTube. Read more….
Buffalo Wild Wings, the sports bar chain with more than 1,200 locations worldwide, recruited several all-star players for an Instagram Stories push that aims to shame fans for not watching March Madness. Read more….
Dating app OkCupid added a profile badge that lets “Game of Thrones” fans show their enthusiasm for the HBO hit series. Read more….
OkCupid is the most popular dating app in West Virginia, according to a survey of U.S. consumers by PC Mag. Tinder is the top dating app overall — used by 17% of people — and is most popular in 27 states, followed by Match with 17 states. Bumble, the only app that requires women to send a first message after finding a match, was the leader in Missouri and Oregon, while Plenty of Fish was most popular in Maine and Utah.
Chiquita is celebrating World Banana Day by putting scannable codes on 200 million of its iconic blue banana stickers. Read more…


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Release time 2021-03-05
On the afternoon of 3 March 2021, An Jing, Deputy Director-General of the Hebei Provincial Department of Commerce, visited Dalipal for research and understanding. Zhang Hongyao, our company's vice chairman, warmly welcomed the team.
The team made a visit at Dalipal's exhibition hall. Zhang Hongyao introduced in detail the company's origin and development history, business development, technology, exhibition area and actual production process, etc.
An Jing further learned about the company's production and operation and fully affirmed the company's effectiveness in foreign trade and investment., He emphasized that it was a critical period now and foreign trade and investment must adapt to new environment as soon as possible.
Zhang Hongyao said that Dalipal would analyze the market holistically, adapt to new environment, welcome new challenges, and strengthen research in terms of brand innovation and market development, etc., so as to effectively improve the competitiveness and development momentum of the company.


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By Joanne Chiu and P.R. Venkat
Two of China's most valuable U.S.-listed companies have won approvals from Hong Kong's stock exchange for multibillion-dollar share sales in the city, amid pressure from U.S. lawmakers for greater financial scrutiny of Chinese companies.
NetEase Inc., an online-games company, on Friday put out a preliminary listing prospectus on the city's stock exchange website, after it received approval from the listing committee of the exchange operator to proceed with a stock sale ahead of a secondary listing.
The prospectus didn't disclose the timing of the IPO nor the amount NetEase is planning to raise. A person familiar with the IPO process had previously told The Wall Street Journal that NetEase may start taking orders from investors as early as next week and seek to raise between $2 billion and $3 billion ahead of a debut on June 11.
Separately, JD.com Inc., the operator of an e-commerce website, has also received the green light from the listing committee of the exchange operator, a person familiar with the situation told The Wall Street Journal.
JD.com plans to raise around $2.5 billion to $3 billion and start trading in Hong Kong on June 18, another person familiar with the situation told the Journal earlier this week. It will kick off the stock sale in Hong Kong during the week of June 8.
The fundraising plans by two U.S.-listed Chinese technology companies follow their bigger peer Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., which raised roughly $13 billion through a stock sale in the city last November.
The planned secondary listings come at a sensitive time for U.S.-listed Chinese companies. A bill passed by the Senate earlier this month--now introduced in the House--would kick Chinese companies off U.S. stock exchanges unless their audits are inspected by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's audit-watchdog arm--the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board.
NetEase said in the prospectus that like other independent registered public accounting firms operating in China, its auditor "is not permitted to be subject to inspection" by the PCAOB, and consequently investors are deprived of the benefits of such an inspection.
It said the company may also be "adversely affected by the outcome" of any administrative proceedings brought by the U.S. security regulator against major mainland China-based accounting firms.
For the three months ended March, NetEase's net profit rose 49% to $501.5 million from a year earlier, while revenue increased 18% to $2.41 billion, the application showed.
NetEase's American depositary receipts have risen nearly 19% this year, giving it a market capitalization of nearly $48 billion as of Thursday. The equivalent securities for JD.com have risen 45% this year, giving it a market value of nearly $75 billion.
"I believe that returning to a market that is closer to our roots will further fuel our passion in our business and our users," William Ding, founder and chief executive of NetEase, said in a letter.
Write to Joanne Chiu at Joanne.firstname.lastname@example.org and P.R. Venkat at email@example.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
May 29, 2020 02:38 ET (06:38 GMT)Copyright (c) 2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.


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(BlockBar) The 1100-year-old financial institution, Royal Mint, announced plans to become a cryptocurrency custodian institution in the next few days. This British government-owned coin manufacturer will provide custodian services for the first time.
The Royal Mint issued an official press release confirming that they are expected to be the custodian of the temtum (TEM) cryptocurrency issued on July 17 (Wednesday). The company said that TEM would initially be used to buy and trade on CoinAll. CoinAll is a large-scale crypto exchange based in Hong Kong and a strategic partner of OKEx, the world’s leading exchange.
Specifically, the Royal Mint will serve as a storage of the temtum genesis private key and currency reserves. And the reserve also plans to keep the original blockchain keys in its vault forever
Temtum is described as a zero-cost， point-to-point cryptocurrency that supports a temporary blockchain network and greatly improve the block time of traditional blockchain systems (such as Bitcoin and Ethereum). Essentially， EM blocks have a processing time of 1 block every 12 seconds averaging about 5 blocks every minute compared to Bitcoin, which processes 1 block every ten minutes.
On its official site, Temtum writes it’s a blockchain that aims to provide a peer to peer trading system leveraging on the Temporal Blockchain network to create a “new world of financial freedom away from centralized institutions.” Furthermore, TemTum is set to provide a fee-less structure for transactions completed on the network.
Recently, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the financial industry regulatory authority (FINRA), two of America’s largest financial regulators, issued a joint statement on encryption hosting services. Specifically, the regulators suggested that crypto custodians may not be able to demonstrate that it actually control the assets it claims to hold, while simply holding a private key is not sufficient to demonstrate ownership of crypto.
Weekend is the most representative female writer in the blockchain industry. She is known for her keen news capture ability and is good at English writing of blockchain news in the Chinese region.


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Why is demand for British goods growing so rapidly in Asia – and how can you successfully break into the market?
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New figures released last month by the Office for National Statistics show that the fastest-growing export markets for the UK are in Asia.
UK business has seen remarkable growth in exporting figures to the region – with a whopping 40% growth in exports to Taiwan, 19% to India, one of the world’s fastest growing economies, and 17% to Thailand.
So why is it that British goods are proving to be in such high demand in Asia right now – and how can UK businesses get in on the action?
It’s firstly important to note Asia’s increasing economic prosperity. Five of the world’s fastest growing economies are in Asia and, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, by 2020 Asian economies will be bigger than the combined total of the rest of the world’s economies.
It’s predicted that, by 2030, Asia’s share of global GDP is on course to reach 35%. This is currently equivalent to the share of the Eurozone and the USA combined.
Changes in purchasing habits
Asia’s population has an increasingly disposable income and consumption is rising as a whole. The demand for products and brands is at an all-time high and this is set to continue for the foreseeable future. Health-care spending alone is expected to exceed $3.5 trillion by 2020. Collectively, Asia represents 60% of the total buying power of the world.
Emerging middle and upper classes
Asia’s population is booming and salaries are increasing, meaning there is a rising middle class – the fastest growing in the world. The highest number of billionaires and millionaires on any continent are also located in Asia.
In Asia’s developing countries, the higher middle class and HNI families lead the market trends but the emerging and growing middle class is the major force of buying power in those market for the present and the near future.
Attraction to British products
In the mindset of Asia’s rapidly-expanding middle classes, British goods are associated with quality and exclusivity and are ‘hand-made’ by companies with long histories.
Many Asian countries have historical links to the British Empire. The uniqueness and lineage of British products are therefore deeply rooted in people’s hearts. The rich history of Britain gives the brands a powerful story to tell, which makes them more meanigful to the consumer.
Research by Barclays Corporate Banking revealed that 64% of consumers in India, 57% in China and 48% in the UAE were prepared to pay more for UK-made goods because they perceive the quality to be higher. The research also showed that this trend is even stronger amongst younger generations.
Almost half (48%) of under 55s surveyed said a product showing the Union Jack increased their likelihood of purchasing a product, compared to a quarter (24%) of over 55s. In China, this was as high as 73% in 25-34 year olds.
How can UK businesses successfully break into the market?
There’s massive potential for luxury and British-branded goods to become major global brands via exporting to Asia. Every successful product needs a good back story that will sell in Asia, whether it’s about the product being hand-made, the maker’s long-standing heritage or its exclusivity.
There are a huge number of opportunities for British businesses in Asia – from healthcare products to food to tech. Be very clear about where in Asia there is a market for your product.
Heavy industrial products are valued across emerging markets in Asia like India, China, Thailand and Cambodia, where huge infrastructure construction is needed and where the country’s own heavy industry manufacturing is relatively weak.
Energy products, ranging from traditional fossil industry to all types of renewable energy equipment, are very competitive in ASEAN countries. Luxury goods – from fashion to food – are, as ever, popular in GCC countries and Japan and Singapore.
The demand for convenient, well-packed food products has spiked in recent years. The appetite for traditional UK beverages like whisky and gin has reached a whole new level in countries like China and India.
Governments are also aiming to shift 60% of Asia’s population to urban areas by 2025. This provides unrivalled opportunities in urban infrastructure – with a continued need for both trade and investment.
The governments have also signalled that foreign investment will have a significant role to play in this process.
Breaking into the market is not as simple as finding one or two distributors. It’s essential to build a real understanding of the market and the culture and have the right product and local partners for the business.
Siddharth Shankar is a leading expert in trading with Asia and CEO of Tails Trading, an innovative new solution helping UK SMEs to export their goods to Asia. Visit www.tailstrading.com to find out more.


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Dish Network and DirecTV are both companies in transformational phases. Dish has ambitions of becoming one of the major wireless carriers in the U.S., and DirecTV—which has been spun out from AT&T—now offers its pay-TV services via an Internet-based streaming model. That has led many industry insiders to speculate whether DirecTV and Dish are good candidates for a merger.
Dish Network and What the Future Holds
As of this writing, Dish Network still has 8.55 million satellite TV subscribers, but that number continues to trend downward. In fact, satellite TV as an industry is losing almost 12 percent of its customer base each year. Dish has other ambitions, though, and was pivotal to the FCC allowing T-Mobile and Sprint to merge. Conditions of the agreement require Dish to build a 5G network—via a partnership with Amazon Web Services—that can provide service to 70 percent of Americans by June 2023. The beta program for this network will kick off in September 2021 in Las Vegas and continue throughout the fourth quarter.
DirecTV and What the Future Holds
AT&T spun off DirecTV as its own business. While AT&T still has something around a 70 percent stake in the company, this independence is important on a number of fronts, including any regulatory approval that would allow DirecTV to merge with another company. Meanwhile, DirecTV is hard at work reimagining itself as more than just a satellite TV service. It has taking up a mantra that some have referred to as beam it or stream it. If you want to access DirecTV through traditional means, you can. But you will also be able to access it purely as a streaming service. The company will soon have its own Android TV-like device, or you can use its app via other devices, such as Roku and tablets.
Potential to Be the Largest Pay-TV Operator in the U.S.
DirecTV currently has 15.4 million subscribers. Were Dish and DirecTV to merge, the total consumer base would be approximately 24 million. That would make the new company that largest pay-TV provider in the U.S. This would be in addition to the 5G network and the ability to entice people with packages that could combine cellular, Internet and the most robust TV plans available.
AT&T and Dish Partnership May Be an Indicator
AT&T spinning out DirecTV was the precursor to much of the merger speculation. It seems to be the most obvious reason AT&T would want to do it. What is also interesting is the developing relationship between Dish and AT&T, which had one been contentious at best. A stipulation of the T-Mobile-Sprint merger approval was that T-Mobile sell certain companies to Dish, such as Boost Mobile, and provide it access to its network so that Dish could continue serving customers as it built its own network. But T-Mobile has been a bad actor since the agreement was put in place, and that problem was largely alleviated by a deal between Dish and AT&T that gives Dish access to the AT&T network. In fact, Dish is on record saying that it will actively minimize use of the T-Mobile network that it has available.
This Merger Is Not a Novel Idea
It is worth pointing out that this is not the first time there has been potential for a Dish and DirecTV merger. Both companies tried to consummate a merger approximately 20 years ago, but the FCC and DOJ blocked it because there simply was not enough competition to warrant it.
But the Environment Is Different Now
Much has changed since then, and much of what the FCC pointed to then, such as the maturation of broadband and the rise of 5G, has happened or is at least in the process of happening. Chairman of Dish Network—Charles Ergen—believes whether it happens now or in a decade, the merger is inevitable.


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Of the 1,000 US internet users surveyed, more than half (56%) of Gen Zers, ages 16 to 24, said they had increased their use of Snapchat in the past year, and another 55% of respondents said they are using Instagram more.
Young people are watching less traditional TV in the home – that much is clear. But data from Nielsen indicates that they haven’t abandoned their interest in linear TV.
Some 65% of Gen V consumers report regular use of a tablet, according to a YouGov survey of almost 600 respondents ages 8-17. The results suggest that children ages 8-11 are the most frequent users (74% regularly using tablets), with regular usage tapering off among older kids.
Americans are spending less time with most major media, with one major exception: smartphones.
Seven in 10 Americans ages 50 and older own a smartphone, says the AARP in research, and those Americans are most likely to use their devices for messaging.
There are few things more frustrating for cord-cutters than getting home from a long day’s work and queuing up their favorite show online as they kick back on the couch, only to realize they can’t watch in peace and harmony because the video won’t load correctly.
New research from artificial intelligence-powered video creation service Wibbitz provides some insight into which social media platforms video advertisers should be paying attention to—and it’s pretty much what you would expect.
Wyzowl conducted a worldwide survey of marketers in December 2017, finding that YouTube and Facebook were considered the first- and second-most effective video platforms for marketing—in that order.
One in three people—2.48 billion—worldwide used a social network in 2017, eMarketer estimates. Rising social network use in emerging markets in Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East and Africa drove an 8.7% gain over 2016.
Mobile app developers worldwide were directing the majority of their install marketing budgets to video. When added together, various types of video made up 61% of app install budget allocation in fall 2017.


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Will Brands Dislike the ‘Dislike’ Button?
September 17, 2015
September 17, 2015
The people have spoken and Facebook has listened – the dislike button is finally on its way.
The dislike button has been a topic of debate since the like button was initially rolled out in early 2009. Many people desire a dislike button so that they may express empathy to those who might share sad updates on the social network because, as CEO Mark Zuckerburg said after he announced that developers are working on the new feature, “not every moment is a good moment.” Facebook initially rejected requests for a dislike button over fears that it would create an outlet for cyberbullying, harassment and would foster a breeding ground for negativity on the world’s largest social network. It’s a valid concern – how would you feel if someone disliked a photo of your new baby?
And then there’s the dislike button’s potential effect on brand pages.
For many users, the exact meaning of clicking the dislike button will be unclear. The word dislike has a negative meaning, not an empathetic one, so users may use it to express anger and negativity. With the meaning of a dislike not entirely clear, it will be difficult for brands to use Facebook to figure out what consumers want to communicate. As Facebook’s former Chief Technology Officer told TechRadar last year, “If you want to dislike something, you should probably write a comment because there’s probably a word for what you want to say.”
The dislike button also gives little real feedback for brands to respond to. As Facebook currently functions, if someone feels negatively about a brand, they write out their concerns explicitly in a comment. This gives brands the ability to provide a personalized response to the consumer’s concerns and to gather valuable information about where they may need to improve. The dislike buttons give consumers the opportunity to express their distaste without explaining it.
The dislike button can also serve as a barrier to consumer engagement with brands. While people currently feel very comfortable sharing their opinions on Facebook, many may be skeptical about sharing their opinions if they fear being disliked’ by other users. When people see that a post has a lot of dislikes, they may be less inclined to mindlessly click the like button or share a post with their own friends and followers. With these fears in mind, overall engagement with brands could see a sharp drop off.
Facebook seems to be holding off on the dislike button until they can address these types of concerns, but will there ever be a way to make the dislike button good for business? Give us a “like” on Facebook and let us know what you think!


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Following a months-long investigation into sexual misconduct allegations, downtown-based apparel brand Guess Inc. announced the resignation of co-founder Paul Marciano as executive chairman of the board in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing on June 12.
According to the SEC filing, he settled with five people for a total of $500,000 over claims of inappropriate behavior that included inappropriate comments and texts, and unwanted advances, including kissing and groping.
Guess formed a special committee in February after the allegations came to light including those from actress and model Kate Upton.
The filing said that investigators interviewed more than 40 people and reviewed approximately 1.5 million pages of documents, “including emails, human resources and legal department files, social media messages, video and audio recordings, photographs, travel itineraries, calendar entries, agreements, invoices and financial records.”
They found that on certain occasions, Marciano exercised poor judgment in his communications with models and photographers, and placed “himself in situations in which plausible allegations of improper conduct could, and did, arise,” according to the filing.
Marciano resigned from his role as executive chairman but will continue to remain on the board, according to the filing. Guess said Victor Herrero, who took over Marciano’s role as chief executive of the company in 2015, will take over Marciano’s duties. Marciano’s brother, Maurice Marciano, has been appointed as his replacement.
Manufacturing, retail and trade reporter Shwanika Narayan can be reached at email@example.com or 323-556-8351. Follow her on Twitter @shwanika.
For reprint and licensing requests for this article, CLICK HERE.


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Instagram rolls out new messaging features for business profiles, expands action buttons to more third-party apps
Now, messages to a trade will display up within the business profile’s primary Direct inbox as opposed to the pending folder, and companies will be capable to big name and clear out conversations to raised organize their messages.
Instagram says it is going to even be trying out fast replies within the coming weeks, giving companies the facility to craft messages that may be despatched according to usually requested questions.
Instagram may be increasing the booking and payment feature for trade profiles that it all started trying out remaining week. Now numerous third-party apps have get right of entry to to “motion buttons” that permit customers make reservations, acquire tickets, get started a cafe order or ebook a provider with out leaving Instagram.
“Take HomeState for instance, a well-liked eating place in Texas, they’ve partnered with ChowNow to make use of the ‘Get started Order’ button — letting their consumers order their signature tacos proper from their Instagram trade profile,” writes Instagram on its Business Blog.
These days, the motion buttons are to be had to the next third-party apps:
- Atom Tickets.
- Yelp Reservations.
Instagram says it is going to be bringing the motion buttons to extra apps quickly, together with Appointy, Genbook, LaFourchette, Mindbody, Schedulicity, SetMore, Shedul and Vagaro.
Eventbrite, the net tournament control and ticketing platform, launched an announcement concerning the new motion buttons, confirming Instagram’s “Get Tickets” button is now to be had to the masses of 1000’s of creators that use Eventbrite.
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It’s hard to keep up with the hundreds of security-specific headlines published every week.
So, we’re rounding up the top news that affect you, your business, and the security and technology industry overall. This week we explore Android banking trojans, brute force attacks, and clickjacking schemes. Check back every Friday to learn about the latest in security news.
Facebook patches Instagram for Android brute force vulnerabilities
This week, Facebook plugged two holes in Instagram that would have allowed an attacker to brute force her way into a victim’s account. The attack is executed against the “authentication domain used by the Instagram app for Android,” as reported by SecurityWeek. Brute forcing is the act of guessing a password to an account until the correct one is reached. It is often run by a script that can guess passwords at rapid rates. Facebook paid a bug bounty hunter $5,000 for the vulnerabilities.
Runkeeper patches Android app after code found leaking location data
Popular running application Runkeeper released a blog post explaining that its app had been inadvertently sending location data to a third-party advertiser. Jason Jacobs, the company’s CEO, explained in a blog that, “Like other Android apps, when the Runkeeper app is in the background, it can be awakened by the device when certain events occur (like when the device receives a Runkeeper push notification). When such events awakened the app, the bug inadvertently caused the app to send location data to the third-party service.” He went on to say that the bug only impacts iOS, but that the company is updating both iOS and Android apps to patch the hole and remove the third-party service.
Internet Service Providers hit with worm
Ubiquiti Networks, which provides wireless networking solutions alerted customers this week about a malware attack impacting unpatched versions of “airOS,” the firmware installed on its devices. The attack is an “HTTP/HTTPS exploit that doesn’t require authentication.” It uses vulnerabilities patched in July, as noted by Ars Technica, but it seems a number of ISPs are still running unpatched systems. “Simply having a radio on outdated firmware and having it’s http/https interface exposed to the Internet is enough to get infected,” the company wrote on its forum.
Banking trojan in Google Play steals credentials from financial and social apps
The malicious app, discovered by Lookout, is an instance of the mobile malware family Acecard and was able to evade Google Play’s security mechanisms to get into the official app store. Once installed on a device, Acecard downloads a secondary app that displays overlay windows over legitimate banking apps and some other popular apps such as Facebook and Skype. It tricks people into entering their online banking credentials and credit card information. Google quickly removed the malware four days after it initially appeared.
Android clickjacking proof-of-concept concerning, but limited
This week we saw a proof-of-concept attack in which a malicious app, skinned to look like a fun game, actually guides victims through a flow to turn on the accessibility service on an Android device, using clicks. Presumably from there the attacker could abuse the accessibility service to collect data. The POC is legitimate, but an attacker would need to be dedicated in order to efficiently execute it. Depending on the device model, there are many different click-sequences a user would need to follow in order to turn on the accessibility service. Additionally, the changes in screen sizes and resolutions of these devices will also affect the placement of the overlay “game”. An attacker can certainly achieve these things, but it’s extra work, and attackers are economic actors. They want to get the biggest bang for their buck with the lowest tax on resources.
Image via Ben Sutherland/Flickr


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“It is with immense sadness that we share The Exclusive Company on Farwell Avenue, Milwaukee will be closing at a yet to be determined date in the next few months,” reads the message. “We have loved every minute of serving the East Side community and thank you endlessly for the support you have given The Exclusive Company at this location over the past 30 years.”
Happily, a new record store will take Exclusive’s place, Lilliput Records. The new store will be run by current Exclusive managers Tanner Musgrove and Brian Kirk.
“With every ending comes a new beginning,” continues the message. “We are excited to welcome Lilliput Records as the newest record store to Milwaukee. The new owners may look a little familiar, as they have been with the Exclusive Company for 17 years. The current managers, and new owners of the Farwell Ave. location, will continue to bring the East Side the selection, variety and quality of music our loyal customers deserve and expect. Same location, same model, new name, new owners. Welcome Lilliput Records.”
A GoFundMe, “Help turn MKE Exclusive Co. into Lilliput Records,” is already live, organized by Musgrove and Kirk. The campaign is seeking to raise $120,000.
“As many of you may now know, The Exclusive Company on Farwell will be closing in the coming months,” reads the GoFundMe. “As the Milwaukee location’s current assistant manager and manager, we knew we had to save our store. Without a second thought, it was clear that our next step was to open our own shop: Lilliput Records. We are negotiating a price for the Farwell location to keep our store alive and are turning to our loyal customers and community to help us make this a reality. We are looking to switch hands in the near future, so it has become a time-sensitive endeavor.”
The GoFundMe continues:
The Exclusive Company on Farwell closing came as a shock to us all, but we couldn’t stand the idea of seeing the void that would be created. The record stores in Milwaukee are wonderful, and we love being a piece of the puzzle that makes it whole. This is why buying our current inventory is so essential to us. Our aim has always been to be a non-judgmental place to decompress and leave your worries at the door. As Lilliput Records, our goal is the same. We strive to have something for everyone and offering Milwaukee a diverse and vast selection of new and used vinyl, CDs and DVDs has always felt like our purpose.
Our vision for the future of Lilliput Records is to be a much more community-based space. There are so many amazing local artists, businesses and people in Milwaukee, and we cannot wait to share an abundance of memories with you all moving forward. We believe deeply in the Milwaukee community, vinyl community and music lovers.
The impending Milwaukee closure follows the February closure of Exclusive’s Janesville location. Locations in Appleton, Green Bay, Greenfield, Oshkosh, and West Bend remain open. The founder of the independent Wisconsin record store chain, James “Mr. G” Giombetti, died last November. He opened the first Exclusive Company in West Bend in 1956.
A GazetteXtra story on the Janesville closure hinted at the Milwaukee shakeup:
Barb Anthony, an office manager in Exclusive Company’s Oshkosh corporate headquarters, said in an interview that The Exclusive Company’s owners haven’t yet decided whether they intend to liquidate and close any of the other six locations, but she said one of the company’s Milwaukee stores might get bought out by a store employee.
“We have loved every minute of being your local record store on Farwell Ave. in Milwaukee,” concludes the Milwaukee message. “One last time, ‘Say It With Me, The Exclusive Company!'”
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The Battle of the Food Trucks is being coined as the largest gathering of its kind in Central New York and it’s happening at the New York State Fairgrounds this weekend.
More than 50 food trucks from Syracuse, Rochester, Ithaca and Watertown will roll into the Fairgrounds for another year, to battle it out for top honors from local taste testers.
Nick Sanford is the President of the Syracuse Food Truck Association and he also happens to be the owner of the Toss-N-Fire Wood-fired pizza truck. He says that what began nearly seven years ago has since evolved to become a unique community of vendors who can celebrate each other through food.
“When I think of food trucks, I think of someone offering an item that they love and grew up eating,” he says. “Having food that someone ate growing up and being able to experience that is something that I think is one of the greatest things in the world.”
Everything from empanadas to lobster rolls, gyros, tacos and more will be at the Fairgrounds as part of the event, and Nick says the best way to take on this year’s battle is to arrive early and leave late.
Entertainment will also be part of the battle including a special kids zone and live music and entertainment too. The battle will also be giving back with proceeds being donated to Clear Path For Veterans, Helping Hounds and the Food Bank of CNY this year.
The Battle of The Food Trucks is happening Saturday, May 14th from 11 a.m to 10 p.m. around Chevy Court at the New York State Fairgrounds. Tickets are $10 to get in and vendors will be offering samples ranging in prices from $3 to $6. For tickets and more information, visit SYRFoodTrucks.com.


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Microsoft knew of the patent held by i4i as early as 2001, but instead set out to make the Canadian developer's software "obsolete" by adding a feature to Word, according to court documents.
The patent infringement case brought by Toronto-based i4i resulted in a $290 million (£175 million) judgment against Microsoft, and an injunction that bars Microsoft from selling Word 2003, Word 2007 and Word for Mac 2008 in their current forms.
In a 65-page summary opinion dated 11 August, US District Court Judge Leonard Davis said that evidence presented during the May 2009 jury trial showed Microsoft had met with i4i executives as far back as 2001, knew of the firm's patent for XML editing, and yet did nothing to guarantee that its implementation of "custom" XML would not infringe the i4i patent.
Davis highlighted an internal Microsoft email that was presented by i4i during the trial as "particularly damaging." The email was sent by Martin Sawicki, a member of the XML for Word development team, as a reply to another Microsoft employee who forwarded a message from i4i that described both its software and patent.
"We saw [i4i's products] some time ago, and met its creators," said Sawicki in the Jan. 23, 2003, e-mail. "Word 11 will make it obsolete. It looks great for XP though." Word 11 was the in-development code name for what was eventually dubbed Word 2003.
"The trial evidence revealed that Microsoft's intention to move competitors' XML products to obsolescence was quite bold," Davis said in his opinion. During the trial, i4i's expert testified that 80 percent of the market for the company's products was made moot when Microsoft added custom XML capabilities to Word 2003.
"My main concern with i4i is that if we do the work properly, there won't be a need for their product," stated another internal Microsoft e-mail submitted into evidence.
Last May, a Texas jury awarded i4i $200 million in damages for Microsoft's patent infringement. Davis added another $40 million in "enhanced damages" for Microsoft's "wilful infringement," and additional damages and interest that brought the total to $290.6 million.
Davis slapped an injunction on Microsoft that blocks it from selling Word 2003, Word 2007, Word 2008 for Mac, and when it's released, Word 2010, unless the company changes or removes the word processing programs' custom XML feature. Microsoft has until 20 October to comply.
Microsoft said last week that it will appeal the verdict and the injunction. The company has not yet filed an appeal with the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
This is not the first time that Office file formats have been taken to task. Two weeks ago, Microsoft said it would add a file format "ballot" to Office 2010 as part of a campaign of concessions to ward off European Union (EU) antitrust regulators.