text:
Nigerian financial technology firm, VTNetwork Limited, has launched an
API that streamlines and squeezes efficiencies in the final mile of
remittances flowing into that country.
VTNetwork Limited, has
launched an API that streamlines and squeezes efficiencies in the final
mile of remittances flowing into that country.
Nigeria received a total of $21 billion from its citizens living abroad
as home-bound remittances in 2014, according to the World Bank, and the
services are expensive. Nigerians, like the rest of their sub-Saharan
neighbors, pay the highest fees globally on remittances.
In the chart below, the topmost line is "sub-Saharan Africa".
The Bank estimates that as much as $100 billion in migrant savings could
be raised annually by developing countries by reducing remittance costs
and agent recruitment costs, and mobilizing diaspora savings and
philanthropic contributions from migrants.
VTNetwork Limited, with its mobile payments brand VCASH, now addresses and
capitalizes on this problem. The just-launched API is a global first and
tackles remittance costs head-on with the release of a unified API to
allow inward remittance and seamless distribution to recipients in
The API will allow international money transfer organizations to
transfer funds directly to Nigerians on their mobile wallets and into
The API will enable remittance companies to take money electronically
from senders globally and channel these funds directly into a
recipient's mobile wallet or bank account in Nigeria. VCASH takes care
of the last mile distribution by notifying the recipients via email and
SMS in real-time.
Peter Ojo, CEO of VTNetwork Limited said, "It is our hope that this solution
will end the long arduous task of creating remittance agents network in
a country of 180 million people, thereby encouraging Nigerians in the diaspora
to send smaller amounts, as low as $20, to their loved ones without
worrying about the cost of delivery."
About VTNETWORK Limited
VTNETWORK LIMITED is a leader in Nigerian payment services. It developed
its platform in 2007 after several years processing transactions led to
research into the peculiarities and challenges for electronic commerce
in Nigeria. Its patent-pending mobile payment platform has been tested
in Nigeria since 2007 with over 2,000,000 registered users and fully
licensed by CBN for mobile payments. The platform is unique due to its
hybrid nature, the redundancy of its fully-fledged capabilities and
management knowledge of Nigerian digital consumers. It serves both
m-payment and e-payment needs in the Nigerian market place. For more
information, visit www.virtualterminalnetwork.com
# # #
+ 234 813-899-4140
Partnership enquiries: Please click


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The holiday season didn’t bring joy for Macy’s.
Citing declining profits, the retailer will close 40 stores by year-end, with up to 4,800 employees’ positions cut.
About 3,000 of those affected employees come from the 40 stores the retailer is closing, but Macy’s says roughly half are “expected to be placed in other positions.”
The news comes after disappointing holiday sales numbers. The Wall Street Journal reported:

domain: news


text:
LOS ANGELES (CN) — Environmental groups asked the Ninth Circuit to reverse a ruling that allows Nestle to continue pumping tens of millions of gallons of water from a stream during California’s historic drought, and sell it in bottles.
The Center for Biological Diversity filed a notice of appeal as it continues a fight to stop the Swiss-based food and drink company from diverting tens of thousands of gallons of water each day from Strawberry Creek, 70 miles east of Los Angeles.
Nestle uses a 4-mile pipeline at the creek for its bottling operations in Ontario, Calif. The environmental groups estimate that Nestle takes 36 million gallons of water from the creek each year.
“The Forest Service has been enabling Nestle to destroy the delicate ecosystems of Strawberry Creek for 28 years, and it has to stop,” said Eddie Kurtz, executive director of the California-based Courage Campaign Institute, a co-plaintiff.
“This appeal challenges a justice system that lets massive corporations play by a different set of rules than the rest of us. Taking a public resource and selling it at an obscene profit without the legal right to do so is unacceptable.”
Nestle is not a party to the lawsuit. The three groups, including the California Courage Campaign, sued the U.S. Forest Service for letting Nestle renew a permit the groups say expired nearly three decades ago.
Nestle spokesman Rieck said the company welcomes review by the Ninth’s Circuit.
“We continue to work cooperatively with the USFS (United States Forest Service) on the permit renewal process and to manage the Arrowhead Springs in Strawberry Canyon sustainably for the long-term,” Rieck wrote in an email.
“The USFS has acknowledged and the district court has held as a matter of law that that our permit is in full force and effect as they move forward with the permit renewal process.”
U.S. District Judge Jesus Bernal ruled in September that Nestle had given proper written notice to renew its permit in 1988.
Critics of Nestle's bottling operations say the Forest Service did not act on renewing the company’s permit for 28 years, and that the water supply in Strawberry Creek has been dwindling since at least summer 2015.
Californians have protested the bottling operations, appalled that a corporation is profiting from a scarce natural resource in a state where residents are forced to reduce their water use.
The Courage Campaign is calling for Nestle to stop bottling water from at least 12 natural California springs for its Arrowhead and Pure Life bottled water.
Nestle operates in some of the areas of the state hardest hit by the drought, the Courage Campaign says in a petition that has garnered nearly 140,000 signatures.
“While California is facing record drought conditions, it is unconscionable that Nestle would continue to bottle the state’s precious water, export it, and sell it for profit,” the petition states.
Nestle pays the federal government just $524 a year to divert water from the forest, the groups say. The water ends up on supermarket shelves as Arrowhead bottled spring water.
Nestle Waters North America’s Tim Brown was unrepentant. He told Southern California public radio station KPCC in May 2015 that the company would grab more diminishing groundwater from California if it could.
“The fact is, if I stop bottling water tomorrow, people would buy another brand of bottled water,” Brown said. “People need to hydrate. As the second-largest bottler in the state, we're filling a role many others are filling. It's driven by consumer demand; it's driven by an on-the-go society that needs to hydrate. Frankly, we're very happy they are doing it in a healthier way.”
The International Bottled Water Association, a trade group, claims bottle water is just a drop in the ocean and accounts for less than 0.01 percent of nationwide use. Bottled water accounts for 0.02 percent of water use each year in California, the association says.
“Despite the bottled water industry's size, the amount of water used is relatively tiny compared to tap water volumes,” the trade group says.
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UK moving to boost Caribbean trade, help businesses recover from COVID fallout
The United Kingdom (UK) has launched a plan of action to support trade in several Caribbean states to help them maximise the benefits of their Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA).
Conceived by the UK’s Department for International Development and delivered by the International Trade Centre (ITC), the UK Trade Partnerships Programme (UKTP) aims to create a more transparent business environment across all CARIFORUM states “by making comprehensive and up-to-date trade and market information available, and supporting SMEs to access it, and by establishing mechanisms to monitor trade obstacles”.
The programme also aims to see increased exports to the UK.
CARIFORUM – or Caribbean Forum – comprises the 15 CARICOM states plus the Dominican Republic and serves as a base for economic dialogue with the European Union.
The UK has been working to replicate the effects of the existing EU agreements with the CARIFORUM states to ensure continuity following the transition period and to promote increased trade and investment between the UK and CARIFORUM states in the future.
Further, 13 CARIFORUM States have signed the CARIFORUM-UK EPA, providing vital assurance to businesses, consumers, and investors on the continuity of trade arrangements.
The programme will also work with businesses, trade-support institutions, and other key stakeholders in Jamaica, St Lucia, and the Dominican Republic to boost exports in the creative and specialty-foods sectors.
A virtual meeting hosted last week by the ITC brought together trade officials, development agencies, public and private trade support institutions, and exporters from across 14 countries to discuss the programme’s objectives, interventions, and intended impact.
In her opening address delivered via videoconference, UK Minister for the Caribbean Baroness Sugg said that the UK Trade Partnerships Programme is globally more important now than ever before.
British High Commissioner Asif Ahmad has stated that the project is not only timely in the current regional and global context of COVID-19, but is especially vital for Jamaica.
“Up to now, we have focused on the macro-economic and security elements of what businesses need in our assistance to Jamaica,” said Ahmad. “This is a significant addition to our aid programme in Jamaica to help local businesses tap into the UK market.”
As part of the UK’s wider response to COVID-19 in the Caribbean region, the UK is reallocating resources from its £400 million development programme to help tackle the crisis and support countries that are most at risk.
“Jamaica can and should boost their exports and with the undeniable power and impact of Brand Jamaica. I want to encourage the creative industries here – the expressive fashion, the unique music, the hair and skin care. These are all goldmines waiting to be tapped in the wider markets,” stated Ahmad.


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The new guidelines from Ofcom will effectively ban broadcasters from advertising foods that have a high fat, salt and sugar content as determined by the food watchdog the Food Standards Agency (FSA). Ofcom CEO Ed Richards said that research had shown television to be having an effect.
"In our view it is now clearly established that, given such advertising does have a modest influence on childhood food preferences, the case for the new restrictions - which will be significant in some area's of broadcasting - has been made," he said.
Ofcom is taking action due to concerns over rising levels of obesity in children, and in response to findings from its own research. The television regulators decision comes on the back of current health trends dominating the media, supermarkets and consumer interest.
"Children are targeted every day with messages that promote foods that are high in fat, salt or sugar, and the Hastings Review clearly showed that this does have an influence on children's food choices" said Deirdre Hutton, chair of the Food Standards Agency.
Controversially the new regulations will see cheese banned from children's ads.The British Cheese Board claims that a typical serving of cheese would be just 40g, less than the standard 100g measurement used by the FSA, taking it off of the list foods banned from being advertised. This is because the FSA's traffic light model asses the fat, salt and sugar content in a 100g or 100ml serving, which therefore classes cheese as extremly high in fat.
Other foods to be banned under the Ofcom 'junk food' tag are chicken nuggets, sausages, bacon rashers, pizza, hamburgers, Jaffa Cakes and chocolate.
Ironically other foods that might be perceived as unhealthy escape the ban, including currant buns, frozen chips, flavoured milks and ready meals.


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Aug 14, 2020 (NetworkNewsWire via COMTEX) -- Canopy Rivers , today released its unaudited condensed interim consolidated financial statements and management's discussion and analysis ("MD&A") for the three months ended June 30, 2020 ("Q1 2021"). "This quarter, we made a strategic investment in Dynaleo, a cannabis gummies manufacturer that we believe is well-positioned to help Canada's licensed producers and brands catch up to consumer demand for the gummy product format," Narbe Alexandrian, president and CEO of Canopy Rivers, stated in the news release. "We also continued to work closely with our portfolio companies to help resolve some of the unique macroeconomic challenges that emerged inside and outside of the cannabis sector. While PharmHouse faces some immediate challenges, we continue to believe that it has the potential to become a key component of the Canadian supply chain for low-cost, high-quality cannabis, especially as the value segment of dry flower becomes more prominent."
To view the full press release, visit http://cnw.fm/7XxJY
About Canopy Rivers Inc.
Canopy Rivers is a venture capital firm specializing in cannabis with a portfolio of 18 companies across various segments of the cannabis value chain. Canopy Rivers believes that bringing together people, capital and ideas raises the potential of the entire cannabis industry. By leveraging its industry insights, in-house expertise, and thesis-driven approach to investing, Canopy Rivers aims to provide shareholders with exposure to specialized and disruptive cannabis companies. The company's mission is to invest in innovators across the cannabis value chain, help them grow, and ultimately create value by guiding these companies towards a monetization event. Together with its portfolio, Canopy Rivers is helping build the cannabis industry of tomorrow, today. For more information, visit www.CanopyRivers.com .
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to CNPOF are available in the company's newsroom at http://cnw.fm/CNPOF
CannabisNewsWire (CNW) is an information service that provides (1) access to our news aggregation and syndication servers, (2) CannabisNewsBreaks that summarize corporate news and information, (3) enhanced press release services, (4) social media distribution and optimization services, and (5) a full array of corporate communication solutions. As a multifaceted financial news and content distribution company with an extensive team of contributing journalists and writers, CNW is uniquely positioned to best serve private and public companies that desire to reach a wide audience of investors, consumers, journalists and the general public. CNW has an ever-growing distribution network of more than 5,000 key syndication outlets across the country. By cutting through the overload of information in today's market, CNW brings its clients unparalleled visibility, recognition and brand awareness. CNW is where news, content and information converge.
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It took luxury-goods makers about a decade to realize that the Internet represented an opportunity. Now, they’re finally figuring out it’s also a threat.
As companies from LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE to Kering SA increasingly sell online, top brands are stepping up efforts to combat Web sales of counterfeit and grey-market goods. Gucci owner Kering sued China’s largest e-commerce operator for allegedly facilitating the sale of dodgy products. U.K. handbag maker Mulberry Group Plc and others use technology to take down links to websites selling fakes.
The push comes as a new generation of consumers turn to social media to shop as well as to show off, and as criminals target the same bona fide customers as luxury-goods makers themselves. At stake is as much as $82 billion of sales that Frontier Economics predicts will be lost to intellectual property breaches this year.
“The Internet has become a place where people will buy 5,000-pound ($7,800) watches and 2,000-pound handbags,” said Charlie Abrahams, senior vice president of worldwide sales at anti-counterfeit technology provider MarkMonitor. “The challenge is, on the Internet, it’s very difficult for the consumer to tell if they’re buying the real thing.”
MarkMonitor is owned by Thomson Reuters, which competes with Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News, in providing news and information.
Twitter Inc. introduced a “Buy” button in September, allowing brands to sell directly via the microblogging service. Nine out of 10 suspect links are on social media, according to French startup Data & Data, which says it can detect as many as 10,000 cases a week per client using algorithms to process big data.
Until recently, one of the biggest issues facing brand owners was the sheer volume of infringements online as too-good- to-be true prices made it relatively easy to spot bogus bags and shoes. But the perpetrators are now producing better quality copies and charging more, fooling customers and posing a greater risk to the reputations of genuine manufacturers.
“A 50-buck Louis Vuitton handbag used to be the poster child for counterfeit goods,” said Louise Nash, managing partner at law firm Covington & Burling LLP in London. “In the past few years, pirates have realized they can make thousands of bucks a pop producing something close to a Mulberry bag.”
Mulberry, which uses MarkMonitor’s software to scan the Internet for counterfeits, says it has taken down 3,321 websites selling fake merchandise in the 24 months to March 2015. MarkMonitor seeks to cut off the problem at the source by isolating the handful of criminals behind many thousands of illegitimate sites, according to Abrahams.


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One Plus anniversary sale: Bullets Wireless Z earbuds at just $30 today
The OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z earbuds are available for $30 for two sets, only today 14 April or until stocks last.
OnePlus is celebrating the anniversary of its launch by offering discounts on some of its products, including the Bullets Wireless Z and Warp Charge accessories.
The best deal available on the Bullets Wireless Z has them at almost half-off at $30 today. You can get two for the price of one, so your checkout price before tax will be just $30. The deal expires by the end of today or once they sell out.
The Bullets Wireless Z are wireless earbuds that charge via USB-C and only need a 10-minute charge to offer up to 10 hours of audio playback, according to OnePlus.


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In value terms, world exports of clothing grew by 17% in 2011, which represented by far the fastest rise for at least 20 years. As a result, exports reached a record high of US$412 billion.
However, the rise was due largely to increases in unit prices. These increases were, in turn, due partly to sharp hikes in production costs -- primarily in low cost Asian countries where energy costs and labour costs have increased substantially -- and partly to the surge in cotton prices which occurred between March 2009 and March 2011.
Exports from as many as 12 of the 15 largest exporting countries increased at double digit rates in value terms in 2011. The fastest growth rates were in exports from Southeast Asian and South Asian countries, notably Cambodia (up by 33%), India (up by 31%), Bangladesh (up by 27%), Vietnam (also up by 27%) and Sri Lanka (up by 21%).
In the first few months of 2012, however, there was a slowdown in export growth from almost all of the major exporting countries. Furthermore, data for imports into the USA and the EU -- the world’s two largest clothing import markets -- reveal falls in the first half of the year.
Looking ahead, there is little hope of trade picking up in the EU, given the continuing eurozone crisis and forecasts suggesting that GDP in the region is set to fall during the year.
Nevertheless, world export growth is expected to be sustained in value terms as energy and labour costs in the main Asian producing countries continue to spiral, and producers seek to recover increases in their costs by putting up their prices.
One factor which will drive up costs is continuing strike action in certain countries as workers demand living wages, spurred on by human rights activists.
Textiles | On 15th Feb 2020
Turkey has agreed to review its free trade agreement with Morocco,...
Textiles | On 15th Feb 2020
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Apparel/Garments | On 15th Feb 2020
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Personalised and differentiated footwear is in high demand
Textiles & allied industry
Textiles industry is always in the forefront in accepting latest technology
Defining MSMEs on the basis of turnover makes it simpler to do business
Based out of South Delhi, Gargee Designer's provides bespoke formal and...
Benetex Industries is a public ltd company established in year 1992 to...
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EDANA, the international association serving the nonwovens and related...
Michaela Griggs & Peggy Schulz
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Gramin Vikas Evam Chetna Sansthan
Ruma Devi is a jet-setting promoter of artisans who has empowered...
Sailesh Singhania Label
The Sailesh Singhania label was created to promote handwoven sarees and...
She grew up in the walled city of Old Delhi, completed her studies, and...


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Data Recovery Service Discusses Delays And Cancellations In The Tech Industry
Irvine, CA based Hard Drive Recovery Group would like to reach out to the wider public and talk about the several delays and cancellations that have occurred among the technological community because of COVID-19. Those interested in reading the entire blog post can view it here: https://www.harddriverecovery.org/blog/postpone-cancel-goodbye/.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, everyone is living in extremely uncertain times where almost everything has been indefinitely delayed despite efforts to maintain their lifestyles and schedules. Some plans have even been delayed indefinitely due to the pandemic’s sudden and inevitable effect on planned events and financial capabilities. These cancellations and delays have occurred because it is human nature to retreat when placed in uncertain situations.
The company also notes that it is extremely difficult to commit to anything due to the uncertainty of the situation as a whole. As such, many have developed a fear of commitment. Even if some people have the right resources and tools, their fear of commitment and the urge to let things fall where they may are stronger. This fear is not just present in the lives of individuals. It can also be seen in companies throughout the world of technology. Tech companies have been inconsistent in participating in major events, and they have been delaying several product launches. Some companies have even had to shut down so that they can cut their losses earlier instead of dying a slower and more painful death. Hard Drive Recovery Group has made a list of some items that have been delayed or cancelled.
The Japanese tech company Toshiba has announced that they will no longer produce laptops — after more than three decades of producing such products and being one of the most trusted and most prestigious names when it came to laptops. Toshiba was well known for pushing out laptops that were very sturdy and resistant against all sorts of malfunctions. However, over the years, many other companies have entered the laptop industry. These companies produced and introduced laptops that were more affordable and accessible. This took a toll on Toshiba’s once solid grasp on the laptop market and, now, they will no longer even be a part of the field.
Meanwhile, Google is known for their dominance in a wide range of services and industries such as search engines, the Android operating system and app marketing. However, Google is not without its weaknesses. One such weakness of the company can be found in the music service industry. The service they introduced known as Google Play Music was not able to attract customers in the same way that other platforms (such as iTunes, Apple Music and Spotify) have been able to. Now, Google has chosen to shut Google Play Music down for good.
According to an article by Ars Technica, “Google Play Music has been given the death sentence by Google, and today the company has announced a bit more detail about how its execution will be carried out. The main message from today’s blog post is “back up your music now,” as Google says it will wipe out all Google Music collections in December 2020.”
Microsoft is one of the major players in the video game industry. This is still the case even today where the pandemic has caused many to seek refuge in online worlds and communities. One of the most popular forms of escapist entertainment that people turn to is video games. This is why many were surprised when Microsoft announced that they will be postponing the release of Halo Infinite, the latest entry into one of their most popular video game franchises. Halo Infinite would also have been the biggest launch title for the upcoming Xbox Series X console. Its postponement may have led many to think twice about purchasing an Xbox Series X console on launch day.
Furthermore, people have shifted from going to theaters to watching movies and shows online. As such, it may have not come as a surprise when even the giant entertainment company Disney elected to push back the release date of their films. The much anticipated Star Wars and Avatar films that were planned for release between 2021 and 2027 have all been delayed for a year. There will be no Avatar sequel in 2021 and no new Star Wars movie in 2022.
Fortunately for those who need assistance with data recovery, Hard Drive Recovery Group continues to offer their services and remain accessible to the general public. They urge their community to get in touch at once if they suffer data loss. More information can be found on their website.
For more information about Hard Drive Recovery Group, contact the company here:
Hard Drive Recovery Group
12 Mauchly, Building C,


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Sega's Empire: Total War has managed to knock Sony's Killzone 2 off the top of the UKs All Formats charts in its first week of release.
Although Killzone 2 sales are down 58 per cent from last week, the Guerilla-developed title is still only 1600 units behind the latest from Total team Creative Assembly.
Empire: Total War is the first PC title to top the All Formats charts since October 2007, according to data from GfK Chart-Track, with sales double that of Rome: Total War's first week.
Wii Fit surged back to number three this week, with sales up 31 per cent, while the only other new entry in the top ten was Tom Clancy's HAWX from Ubisoft, at four.
The All Formats top ten follows:
- 01 Empire: Total War
- 02 Killzone 2
- 03 Wii Fit
- 04 Tom Clancy's HAWX
- 05 Halo Wars
- 06 Professor Layton and the Curious Village
- 07 Street Fighter IV
- 08 FIFA 08
- 09 Call of Duty: World at War
- 10 Ben 10: Alien Force


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Members of the Popeyes fan club are about to get even more excited. Beginning Wednesday, the fast-food chain’s latest collaboration will be available in its restaurant locations across the United States, as well as for delivery, and it will delight both truffle and spice enthusiasts.
Popeye’s classic Chicken sandwich is dressed up for this one. The company has partnered with Truff, a brand known for creating luxury sauces with a truffle twist.
The Spicy Truff Chicken Sandwich is the outcome of this union, which combines Popeyes’ crisp Louisiana fried chicken sandwich with a delectable spicy mayo flavored with black winter truffle, giving it that extra kick.
It’s also served in a brioche bun and topped with pickles. The new sandwich begins at $5.99.
That is not all, however. The agreement also includes a full Truff menu, which features some of Popeye’s most popular products elevated to new heights with Truff’s feisty sauce.
“Both Popeyes and TRUFF have reimagined our industries, and now we are coming together to challenge the status quo on the concept of ‘fancy food,’ but for every day,” Popeyes President Sami Siddiqui said in a statement to Food&Wine.
If that isn’t enough, the fast-food restaurant business encourages innovation with its “Build Your Own” Truff menu, which can be accessed via its website or mobile app.
There, you may customize your order to include a side of Truff Spicy Mayo with almost anything.
And, what’s a fancy cooperation without a fancy competition? Fans can now enter the “So You Think You’re Fancy?” contest.
Wisdom Kaye, a content developer, organized a TikTok contest. Truff aficionados can enter to win a berth aboard Popeye’Yachtsteraunt by posting a video on TikTok and tagging #PopeyesContest. The yacht will set sail from Miami in April 2024. (View the contest rules here.)
“Our Chicken Sandwich honors time-honored cooking techniques used in fine-dining restaurants.
Combined with Truff, our new sandwich features new bold, savory ingredients traditionally reserved for white tablecloth settings, and we saw a chance to lean in on being opulent,” said Jeff Klein, Popeyes’ Chief Marketing Officer.
“We launched a TikTok contest anchored to the launch of our fanciest Chicken Sandwich yet and designed the campaign to inspire guests to take to social media to spotlight fancy moments in their everyday life.”


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With additional bad loan provisioning of Rs 489 crore factoring in Covid-related disruption, SBI Cards reported a 71 per cent year-on-year decline in pre-tax profit to Rs 112 crore in March 2020 quarter (Q4).
The company also witnessed Rs 90-crore revenue from late fee reversal during the quarter. Its net profit of the company saw a 66 per cent decline to Rs 84 crore. Had it not been for Covid-19 impact, the company would have reported a sharp 80 per cent year-on-year jump in its pre-tax profit to Rs 692 core.
Although the key numbers such as interest income (up by 42 per cent to Rs 1,348 crore), net interest margin (up by 155 basis points to 16.6 per cent) are strong, some indicators show that a few days of Covid-led disruption in the March quarter had negative implications on the company’s overall business from adding new customers to spending by customers and also repayments.
For instance, addition of new accounts fell sharply from 10,000 a day during January to mid-March 2020 to just 4,000 in the later part March. The spends too declined by 32 per cent to Rs 256 crore during the same period. While panic buying by customers in the last 2-3 days of March pushed overall card spending in Q4 by 15.5 per cent year-on-year. The spending got tapered in April and remained volatile, according to the management.
The management of the company said the June quarter will get impacted because they are not able source new cards, and the collections are also down.
What’s more, repayment by customers got impacted due to moratorium and low collection ability due to lockdown. Over 800,000 customers, or 9 per cent, (25 per cent have repaid in April) with outstanding amount of Rs 3,400 crore as of March 2020 have availed moratorium.
This also helped SBI Cards to report lower gross non-performing assets to 2 per cent as of March 2020 from 2.47 per cent December 2019 quarter. As per the management, NPAs would have gone up with ought moratorium.


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Paramount Pictures has made a bold and late decision to push Jon M. Chu’s G.I. Joe: Retaliation out of its June 29 release date all the way back to March 29, 2013, Hasbro toy plans and already executed marketing plans be damned. Chalk up a rare victory for diabolical Cobra Commander against those pesky Joes, their Super Bowl ad, and countless marketing dollars spent since.
The reason cited by Paramount for the drastic move is twofold. First, the studio claims that test audiences wondered why the film wasn’t available in 3D like other big summer blockbusters are (note: Lionsgate’s hugely successful The Hunger Games and The Dark Knight Rises are not available in 3D). Based on a positive experience retrofitting James Cameron’s Titanic with 3D, Paramount is convinced the G.I. Joe: Retaliation experience will do nothing but benefit with the third dimension added.
Paramount is locking in on the potential for huge overseas business, the only reason G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra made enough cash to justify a sequel. With stars Dwayne Johnson, Bruce Willis and 21 Jump Street and The Vow’s Channing Tatum to market, Paramount feels the addition of 3D in big international markets like China and Russia – where 3D showings are growing exponentially – will lead to extra bucks at the box office.
Lionsgate’s huge success with The Hunger Games as a March release helped convince Paramount that moving G.I. Joe: Retaliation back was the right idea. Though the studio makes no official mention of it, I’m sure the continued success of The Avengers, couple with the release of The Amazing Spider-Man and The Dark Knight Rises just after Retaliation’s old release date, helped scare the Joes out of 2012.
Fans of the G.I. Joe franchise were all keyed up for a 2012 release. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Hasbro 3-3/4″ action figures and a celebration was planned for the annual G.I. Joe Convention that would have featured a screening of the film. In fact, action figures for G.I. Joe: Retaliation have already begun to trickle into stores. Hasbro will now have to scramble to rework their plans.
Thanks to Paramount Pictures chasing the mighty dollar, go ahead and cross G.I. Joe: Retaliation off your summer 2012 movie list. Hopefully the 3D addition will help bring in the big bucks and get the ball rolling on another sequel.


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"Shanda Interactive Entertainment Limited, the largest online game operator in China, began selling its IPTV gaming console for RMB 6,850 (USD 849) on a limited trial basis this week, Shanda PR Manager Li Lijun said Tuesday.
Shanda's EZ Station IPTV gaming console, image: IT.com.cn
Trial sales of the "EZ Station" IPTV gaming console are only being held in the city of Yiwu, in eastern Zhejiang Province, because IPTV services are available in the city, a Shanda sales official told Interfax. "It will not take a long time for Shanda to officially launch the product throughout China," the sales official, who asked to remain anonymous, said.
Although Shanda's "EZ Station" is only available for sale in Yiwu, individuals outside of the city are able to place orders for the IPTV gaming console through a telephone hotline and a new website (http://EZ.sdo.com
). These advance orders, which do not require a deposit to make, will be delivered once Shanda rolls out the "EZ Station" to other cities in China.
Shanda's "EZ Station" has been highly anticipated since the gaming company first unveiled plans for the console late last year. However, its price has already turned off many consumers. Chinese gamers have already begun to criticize Shanda for launching what they term a "luxury item." One gamer said that for the price of Shanda's "EZ Station," he could buy a Sony PlayStation 2, a Microsoft Xbox, a Sony PlayStation Portable, a Nintendo Game Cube, and a Nintendo Duel Screen on the Chinese black market.
Microsoft's new XBox 360, which will not officially be sold in China until 2006, is available in the U.S. for between USD 299 and USD 399. Sony's PlayStation 2 is sold in China for about RMB 1,500 (USD 186).
However, the price of the "EZ Station" is not the highest in China for an IPTV console. In October, Chinese electronics maker Hisense launched the company's new Zhijia M series entertainment PCs priced at RMB 9,000 (USD 1,115), which supports IPTV and broadband functions, as well as featuring many of the same functions as "EZ Station." Moreover, Changhong Zarva Information Technology Products Co., Ltd. said it would launch a similar digital home product priced at about RMB 10,000 (USD 1239) in early November." [more
]Looks like another contender in the ring - NOT!


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At the regular meeting of council on Tuesday night, Aug. 28, council approved second and third reading of bylaw 924-28.
Council passed second and third readings of the bylaw with a split vote of 5-2 in both cases. Councillors Kathy Barnhart and Perry Hendriks were opposed in both votes.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
The bylaw defines and regulates the sale of cannabis and cannabis accessories within the Town of Beaumont. Council passed first reading of the bylaw at the meeting on July 24.
The meeting of council started with a public hearing to discuss the amendments to the land use bylaw concerning cannabis sales. There were no comments from the public neither for or against the proposed bylaw.
Beaumont conducted a public cannabis survey in April, 2018, which received 640 responses. The results were presented to council on May 15, 2018. The town also held two public open houses this July, with nearly 50 residents attending to give their feedback and discuss cannabis sales in Beaumont.
The amended bylaw 924-18 includes a separation between cannabis retails stores and includes definitions for cannabis, cannabis accessory and cannabis retail store to distinguish retail operations.
The bylaw approves the Town Centre Mixed Use and C2 Commercial District land use districts for cannabis retail stores only. Cannabis retail stores, similar to liquor stores, must restrict the display of products and be set a minimum of 500 metres from each other.
It also includes that, according to provincial regulations, a cannabis store must be a minimum of 100 metres away from all schools and provincial health care facilities.


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WASHINGTON, D.C. – As support for Senator Baldwin’s DAIRY PRIDE Act continues to gain strong support from farmers across Wisconsin and the country, Senator Baldwin wrote to President Trump urging action from the Food and Drug Administration to combat the mislabeling of imitation dairy products.
“I write to urge you to ensure that the Food and Drug Administration acts to solve a problem impacting consumers and Wisconsin’s dairy industry: the mislabeling of imitation dairy products. First, I would urge you to swiftly nominate a Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) who understands the need to enforce these laws and provide consumers with accurate information about the products they consume. Second, I would encourage your Administration to enforce the laws on the books that allow the FDA to crack down on the mislabeling of non-dairy products with dairy terms including ‘milk,’ ‘yogurt,’ and ‘cheese,’” Senator Baldwin wrote.
This weekend, Senator Baldwin visited a family-owned-and-operated dairy farm in Chippewa Falls. During the farm visit, dairy farmers and processors discussed the DAIRY PRIDE Act, as well as the challenges and opportunities ahead for Wisconsin’s dairy industry and the nomination of Sonny Perdue for Agriculture Secretary.
Last week, the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation and the American Farm Bureau Federation announced their support for the DAIRY PRIDE Act, joining the dozens of dairy farmers and processors who have announced their strong support for the reform. Senator Baldwin’s DAIRY PRIDE Act is also supported by the Wisconsin Farmers Union, National Farmers Union, Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association, National Milk Producers Federation, Midwest Dairy Coalition, Wisconsin Dairy Products Association, International Dairy Foods Association, The Cooperative Network and the Dairy Business Milk Marketing Cooperative, Bongards Creameries, Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery, First District Association, Dairy Business Association, Dairy Business Milk Marketing Cooperative, FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative, Mid-west Dairymen's Company, Scenic Central Milk Producers, Brothers Smidel Farms, Associated Milk Producers Inc., Tin Valley Farms, and Vision Aire Farms.
Senator Baldwin’s DAIRY PRIDE Act stands up for Wisconsin dairy farmers by combating the unfair practice of mislabeling non-dairy products. Current Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations define dairy products as being from dairy animals. Although existing federal regulation are clear, the FDA has not enforced these labeling regulations and the mislabeling of products has increased rapidly. This hurts dairy farmers who work tirelessly to ensure their Made in Wisconsin dairy products meet FDA standards and provide the public with nutritious food. It has also led to the proliferation of mislabeled alternative products that contain a range of ingredients and nutrients that are often not equivalent to the nutrition content of dairy products.
The DAIRY PRIDE Act would require the FDA to issue guidance for nationwide enforcement of mislabeled imitation dairy products within 90 days and require the FDA to report to Congress two years after enactment to hold the agency accountable for this update in their enforcement obligations.
An online version of the letter is available here.


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More proof that Indians can’t get enough of their cellphone
If you needed more proof that we are a mobile obsessed nation then a recent survey by Vuclip of its users by Millward Brown should put these doubts to rest.
The study revealed that Vuclip’s more than 20 million mobile video consumers in India are largely trending towards mobile devices as their go-to source for content. 81% of metro and 87% of non-metro survey participants identified mobile phones as a preferred medium. Moreover, 80% of Vuclip’s consumers report watching videos on their mobile devices at least once every two or three days, with more than half opting to watch daily.
The study polled over 500 respondents across locales and demographics in India from the Vuclip user base. 58% of the participants were from metros; 42% were from non-metros. The greatest number of respondents, 83%, came from the age group of 18-34, demonstrating tremendous affinity among youth audiences for the mobile medium.
Among those surveyed, 77% males dominated the viewership, while women formed 23% of the viewers. Among the metros, Delhi and Mumbai led the chart with 20% and 14% users respectively. A large portion of Vuclip users – 42% -- also came from non-metros, and Northern non-metros led the way here too.
Mobile phone brands
People surveyed were mostly users of Nokia and Samsung. In metros, Samsung led the leader board while Nokia rules in non-metros. Indian brands Micromax and Spice came in third behind Nokia and Samsung in metros.
Mobile phones in the price range of Rs 4,000-8000 are popular among metro users – 34% surveyed, while the price range of Rs 1,000-4000 is preferred among non-metro users – 44%.
Clearly telecos need to keep pace with the heavy adoption of mobile usage in the country as the bulk of users across metros (58%) and non-metros (73%) are still reliant on 2G connection for their data consumption. 3G users – metros (24%) and non-metros (19%) form a minority.
Video consumption pattern
Predictably mobiles trump laptops and tablets in this sphere as well. 81% in metros and 87% Vuclip users in non-metros consume video on their cell phones.
However, this habit may also be bordering on addiction, with 56% metro users and 60% non-metro users watching videos on their handsets on a daily basis. A majority of these viewers also spend more than 5 mins watching the video.
Most users prefer viewing videos at home – metros and non-metros have an equal number here – 72%. However, in non-metros video consumption on mobile phone is also resulting in drop of productivity levels at work as 32% viewers watch videos at work. Metros fare better here – only 12% watch videos at work.
Movie, music, lifestyle, TV shows and entertainment – are the most consumed form of content by Vuclip users.
While mobile phone continues its upward trend, tablets have not shown a similar trajectory. So will the toss up finally be between your cell and your laptop? Only time will tell. At least for the moment, mobile phone is on top, and Vuclip is among the many businesses that is happy. “The data speaks volumes for the fact that in a very short time, mobile phones have garnered an undisputed dominance in terms of content consumption. For a majority of Indian consumers, it’s the only screen, and no doubt, the demand for mobile video will be pushed to new heights in the days to come,” says Vuclip COO Arun Prakash.
Headed by Nickhil Jakatdar, Vuclip delivers content on mobile. Founded in 2007 with headquarters in Milipitas, California, Vuclip has offices in New Delhi, Mumbai, Singapore, Dubai, Beijing and Ottawa. The company raised a series D funding round of $13 million in 2012 and has seen good growth over the years. With a global user base of more than 120 million monthly users and over one million videos from more than 150 content partners, Vuclip serves up four billion minutes of un-buffered video a month to mobile users around the world


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For Saab owners who want to upgrade the radio, Crux Interfacing Solutions has released a radio replacement kit for the Saab 9-3 and 9-5 models.
Crux’s SWRSB-58 retains the radio’s factory features while allowing for a new aftermarket radio.
It is compatible with Saab vehicles for years ranging from 1999 till 2009.
Crux’s GM Interfaces already cover the remaining 9-7X Saab model.
The SWRSB-58 has a suggested retail price of $189.
For more information visit www.cruxinterfacing.com


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Global Collaborative Robot Market: Overview This report offers strategic analysis of the global collaborative robot market, and the market growth forecast for the period 2016 to 2024. The scope of the ...
The global collaborative robots market is expected to reach USD 6.77 billion by 2025, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The growing interest of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), ...
“According to Stratistics MRC, the Global Collaborative Robots Market is accounted for $101 million in 2015 and is expected to reach $2502 million by 2022 growing at a CAGR of 58.2% during the forecast ...


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India bitcoin demand continues to rise the shortage of cash reserves to promote bitcoin increased demand
Some members of the India government recently made some negative statement on India bitcoin, but did not slow down the demand for India bitcoin encryption currency.
At the same time, the relevant agencies in India a person in charge of the investigation committee to investigate the composition of India bitcoin real situation in India, and will launch a India bitcoin report within three months.
In the Commission set up a few days after the India bitcoin start-up companies have formed an alliance, the main work is the alliance with India officials to discuss the India bitcoin problem.
The newly established India bitcoin startups alliance name “India digital assets and the blockchain foundation, including the key to bitcoin for start-up companies, such as Zebpay, Unocoin, Coinsecure and Searchtrade.
“We asked the India investigation committee to give us a chance to witness the India bitcoin, and demonstrate the benefits of this technology to other citizens in India.”
“Financial inclusion, cheap international remittance, tracking block chain network value flow, and the potential of India as a financial center, is the main advantage of using bitcoin virtual currency.”
The current India cash reserve shortage in the India economy market once again cast a shadow, so as to promote the India bitcoin’s performance is very good. For digital currency like bitcoin, but also a great market demand. The first week of April, the P2P website Localbitcoins bitcoin turnover of 20 million India rupees, or about $300 thousand. In addition, India bitcoin exchange bitcoin price gap at present than most of the global average of $50.
In addition, as in Chinese, bitcoin traders and fans in India bitcoin transactions do well. According to a recent India Times article, India bitcoin is becoming attractive encryption currency, because it can not be any license can be used for the transfer of funds around the world.
Coinsecure exchange CTOBensonSamuel and founder of India found that customers are using bitcoin trading arbitrage.
“A lady once from our exchange to buy a few hours to sell it to another exchange customers. This is because all the different different trading price of bitcoin.”
Because of the shortage of cash reserves raged in India, many citizens found a safe haven and valuable assets storage by India bitcoin. Now most Indians will bitcoin as asset classes, is waiting for the government to be regarded as the legal form of payment, like Japan’s recent initiatives.


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Hyundai has been quite a powerpack in the small car space, and with the success of the Santro and Santro Xing in the early part of Hyundai's entry into India, followed by the i10 and most recently the i20, Hyundai have done terrifically in this space.
The biggest challenge for Hyundai however has been its lack of presence in the A-segment. Currently ruled by Maruti Suzuki with its 800 and Alto and to an extent by General Motors with the Chevrolet Beat, there have been no significant cars in this segment for a long while, except for the Alto K10 that was launched in mid-2010.
The Eon, however could change things and don't be surprised if more players show interest in this segment, post-Eon.
Ready for launch in the next few weeks, the Eon is based on the Santro platform and uses a lot of components from both the Santro and i10. Developed and built at a cost of US $ 350-400 mn, the Eon will be the cheapest car in Hyundai's range. A lot of its development took place in India at Hyundai's research and engineering facility in Hyderabad.


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The US Bureau of Economic Analysis issued rankings showing Columbia as the fastest growing economy in Missouri.
The results are based on Columbia metro area’s GDP which represents the total amount of goods and services produced in the area. It ranked 97th out of 381 metropolitan areas in the United States, beating Missouri’s largest cities Kansas City and St Louis. Kansas City ranked 122nd while St Louis was 186th.
This illustrates the well-being of the economy in the Columbia area, which is in part due to local businesses. David Maxwell, the owner of the new Bread Basket Café, said, “I think our business is growing, and I think our customers are happy. There are always things to work on, but overall I think we’re doing OK.”
Regional Economic Development, Inc.’s Executive Vice President Bernie Andrews says that such good results were not surprising.
“Columbia has been a pretty stable economy over the year, with MU being the economic driver," Andrews said. "And then our health care is a very strong segment of the economy, and so that keeps us stable. And then we had some new companies coming to the market like IBM.”
Columbia Chamber of Commerce President Matt McCormick said he hopes that such good economic results will give incentives to new businesses to come to Columbia and create new jobs. He said he “also hopes to attract local businesses, take the businesses that are currently here and continue to grow them."
"As you know, we’re becoming quite the place to have entrepreneurial growth," McCormick said. "That’s one of the big missions.”
McCormick said these results are due to a good mixture between local businesses, higher education and health care. He expects even better results for this year with good reports received from businesses since the beginning of the year.
According to a Bureau of Economic Analysis press statement, Columbia’s GDP rose 4.8 percent to reach $7.1 billion last year, up from $6.7 billion the previous year.


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If so, you're not alone.
Rosenworcel is also a supporter of net neutrality. Below, we answer the simple questions that media often doesn't.
Net neutrality is the principle that internet providers treat all web traffic equally, and it's pretty much how the internet has worked since its creation.
The order further seeks to "preempt" U.S. state and local governments from enacting regulations that would supersede the federal government, preventing states from crafting their own rules to protect consumers.
What does this mean? The new proposal adds four reporting categories to this list: blocking, throttling, affiliated prioritization and paid prioritization.
The ISPs also can not discriminate either for or against certain content providers, under net neutrality rules.
Harold Feld of the consumer group Public Knowledge said the plan "puts broadband subscribers at the mercy of local cable companies whose "innovations" have more to do with gouging consumers and crushing competition than with providing new services". That option allows the user to use more data on Snapchat (while still keeping the base 1GB to use any way they want) and pay only €31 per month instead of paying €70 for the bigger data package.
Net neutrality refers to the type of data and does not directly relate to the messages within that data.
Pradyuman murder case: Ashok was grief-stricken, deadened to confess, alleges family
Chopra was present in court on Monday during the bail hearing, and claimed police and school authorities had framed Kumar. Also on Tuesday, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) summoned a relative of bus conductor Ashok Kumar on Tuesday .
The rules barred broadband providers from blocking or slowing down access to content or charging consumers more for certain content. ISPs would not be allowed to prioritize or disfavor political content, by, for instance, slowing down or charging more for content associated with a particular political party or ideology.
As for Cuban's claim that net neutrality puts the president in charge of the Internet (at least, the American Internet), this appears to be a ploy to change the minds of net neutrality advocates who dislike Trump.
The Canadian commitment to net neutrality has been similarly endorsed at the regulatory level.
In a Wall Street Journal editorial published Tuesday, Mr. Pai cited a report by a nonprofit think tank, the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation, that said investment by the dozen largest ISPs fell about 2 percent from 2015 to 2016, to $61 billion. To the extent that our approach relying on transparency requirements, consumer protection laws, and antitrust laws does not address all concerns, we find that any remaining unaddressed harms are small relative to the costs of implementing more heavyhanded regulation. They point to the principle that ISPs should have no say in how a customer uses their access to the internet. They could also create "zero rating" plans that offer free sponsored content, influencing what people of limited means can access. Moreover, Canadian law features clear safeguards against unjust discrimination, undue preferences or controlling the content of communications. As of now, for $8.72 per month, a customer can buy unlimited access from the company. The Chinese government is extremely intolerant of criticisms against the government, and any content that they find offensive gets censored from the internet. Educational and training videos are often now available on the internet for free, and people argue this can help narrow the education gap.
In addition to making the false assertion that Portugal has no net neutrality, Congressman Khanna is pointing to an example that has nothing to do with net neutrality. What separates the Canadian net-neutrality approach from the USA direction is that consumers and creators - not telecom companies or internet service providers (ISPs) - are in control when it comes to internet usage.
First, some people argue that there should be minimal government regulation of industries like tech in general.
The free market will prevail, and sort itself out. This information must be presented in an easily accessible space, such as on the company's website. Moreover, Canadian internet services hoping to attract USA customers may face demands for payments to have their content delivered on the fast track.
The dispute over net neutrality has been the subject of several court battles, with backers arguing strong rules are needed to guard against powerful broadband firms like Comcast and AT&T acting as "gatekeepers" that can punish rivals.


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According to the signed agreement disclosed, the state of Georgia and local governments are giving 1.8 billion dollars in tax breaks and several other incentives to Hyundai Motor Group in exchange for the automobile company building its first plant in the United States for electric vehicles near Savannah.
The deal calls for Hyundai to invest 5.5 billion dollars in Hyundai’s Georgia plant and hire 8,100 workers. It is the largest economic development deal in the history of the state and comes just after Georgia has closed another major deal with electric vehicle producer ‘Rivian’ to build a factory in the state.
Pat Wilson, economic development commissioner of Georgia, said not only do these generations solidify their spot at the vanguard of the electric vehicle transition, but they also ensure that thousands of people across the state will possibly benefit from jobs of the future.
Governor Brian Kemp and Hyundai announced the deal in May 2022 with a champagne toast at the sprawling 2,900 acre project site in Bryan County. Hyundai is planning to start construction on the plant in 2023 and start producing around 300,000 vehicles per year in 2025, and the new factory will also produce vehicle batteries.
The 1.8 billion in incentives is easily the biggest subsidy package a state of the US has ever promised for an automobile plant.
Writing is a medium to express feelings and convey facts. A creative mind never rests in peace and this amazing platform gives me the freedom to write about what I like most.
I’ve been a writer/blogger for the last twelve years and have covered technology-related topics. However, I also have considerable years of experience in writing for various domains – Technology, Beauty, Fashion, Pharmaceutical, human psychology etc. Technology is my forte.
I’ve handled many interesting projects. Writing is my passion. As an author, I’ve learned a lot in my long journey of penning down my thoughts!


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Dual SIM dispute highlights flaws in India’s patent process
Mumbai: A series of decisions by India’s courts and patent tribunal on a patent granted in 2008 by the Chennai patent office for a dual SIM (subscriber identity module) mobile phone has once again highlighted gaps in the patent process in the country, escalating a debate about transparency in patent offices.
The case, which pits patent-holder S. Ramkumar, a Madurai-based electronics engineer, against mobile phone companies and importers, came to a head last week when the Madras high court passed an interim order, staying a decision by the Intellectual Properties Appellate Board (Ipab) to set aside the operation of the patent while it decided its validity.
Patent experts said they were surprised that Ipab passed an interim order instead of deciding the patent’s validity. The Madras high court set aside the order on the grounds that Ipab does not have powers to suspend a patent.
The court had earlier also stayed orders by the Mumbai and Chennai customs commissioners, that there had been no infringement of the patent by mobile phone importers, on the grounds that such a decision was outside their jurisdiction.
The patent grant caught India’s mobile phone industry unawares, particularly when Ramkumar sought to stop the manufacture of such phones in the country, as well as the seizure of any imported consignments.
Following his application to customs authorities across the country asking them to seize such phones under Intellectual Property Rights (imported goods) Enforcement Rules, several consignments were held back at Mumbai, Chennai and New Delhi airports.
Mobile phone manufacturers and importers, including Samsung Electronics India Pvt. Ltd, Spice Mobiles Ltd and Hansum India Ltd among others, argue that the patent was granted despite the technology having been in the public domain.
The dual SIM card was originally invented and patented by Siemens AG in the 1990s, and at least six similar technologies with incremental innovations have been used in the industry worldwide since, they add.
A former official at the Chennai patent office, who was familiar with the examination process of the patent, said the application was initially turned down over concerns about novelty, and lack of adequate disclosure. “Later the applications was resubmitted with some changes and was examined by people with no domain knowledge," he told Mint on condition of anonymity.
Mint couldn’t independently verify this person’s claim.
However, Chennai-based BFS Legal, a law firm that is representing Ramkumar, said all the claims in the patent have been adequately disclosed and that the technology is novel and certainlydifferent from other known ones.
“The technology that has been patented is a multiple SIM card mobile phone enabled with a simultaneous and parallel communication capability, which is new and invented by Ramkumar," said a lawyer with BFS Legal.
“Having perused Ramkumar’s patent, I am of the personal view that he has not sufficiently disclosed his alleged invention," said Shamnad Basheer, professor of intellectual property law at the University of National Juridical Sciences in Kolkata. “In fact, this very ground was taken up in the revocation petitions filed against Ramkumar’s patent before Ipab."


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As Slush Singapore 2017 draws closer, it is time for us to look back at last year’s event to see how it has impacted the many startups that took part. This week, we had the opportunity to interview Smartly and TBWA to gain further insight into their experience at Slush Singapore 2016.
Smartly is a startup that was part of the 45 companies picked for Slush Singapore 2016. Out of that, TBWA chose six startups to have one-to-one mentorships with, in which, Smartly had the opportunity to be further mentored in their marketing efforts as a startup – which is an essential aspect to any business, as it’s the best way to get the story and brand out for the business.
“No startup today has thought to have a strong marketing advisor on their startup. Nobody has thought of that. Marketing guys and branding guys should be on the advisory board and it was a selling point for us. We had a very good story of how we got out at the beginning but we did not know how to tell or sell it for others to understand. TBWA made us understand how important it was. In today’s world you can have the best product but if you don’t have the branding or marketing, then it’s nothing.” – Smartly
As a partner of Slush Singapore 2016, TBWA had the opportunity to tap into their existing expertise to truly value add to startups.
“Going through the pitch decks of the top 45 companies was really interesting and the experience that we had at Slush Singapore 2016 has allowed us to learn the angles as to how we can give back to the ecosystem.” -TBWA
It was only after the conference where the magic happened. Inspired by the one-on-one coaching before the Top45 pitching, TBWA and Smartly linked up for private coaching on branding.
From their deeper engagement with Smartly, they realised the value that they could provide to early stage startups, which inspired the founding of TBWA\Brand Accelerator – a six-month long program where startups get to work with the top minds at TBWA to develop their brand story. At the end of the program, startups walk away with a brand book detailing every aspect of the startups brand – from logos, pitch decks, taglines, phrases, corporate colours, and the list continues.
This program was born out of a pilot test they ran with Smartly. “Their pitch deck and ideas did not really match with their branding and marketing efforts which was one of the reasons why we wanted to get them onboard this pilot programme. By getting them on board, it was also some sort of validation to the next generations of this programme.” – TBWA


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Soon, Amazon customers will finally pay sales tax. While that may seem to be a victory against Amazon’s aggressive rent-seeking, it isn’t. The company is accepting the taxes on its terms. In fact, the national law compelling Amazon to pay sales tax will help it save money as it builds warehouses.
Even as the federal government executes major cutbacks, it’s giving huge subsidies in the form of tax breaks to industry, a fact legislators rarely acknowledge. The Boston Globe recently published a thorough and eye-popping report detailing the nature and extent of these breaks. A must-read.
The New York Times recently editorialized on the problem of fake drugs but failed to mention a core reason for the problem: a patent system that keeps drug prices beyond the reach of people who need them, even for drugs developed with taxpayer money.


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Techno mobile has won a court case against the other mobile maker, Geotel. Techno mobile had filed a charge to a court in Addis accusing Geotel of copying its T340 and T341 mobile phone models.
The charge document filed by Techno mobile said that the Goetel’s G340 and G341 mobile phones have copied the cover and outside features of T340 and T341 mobile phones. Techno mobile have claimed a loss due to the copying of its designs.
The court in its today’s ruling has found Geotel mobile to be guilty.


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By Rachel Tashjian
Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, had been on top of the world.
It was October 2022, and the rapper and designer had just modelled in Balenciaga's Spring 2023 show, spun his acrimonious split from Gap as a creative triumph and was about to stage a much-anticipated last-minute show at Paris Fashion Week.
Ye may have been in the midst of a divorce, yet he and Kim Kardashian seemed, at least publicly, to be on amicable terms.
All of that disappeared nearly overnight when he appeared at his Paris show wearing a "White Lives Matter" T-shirt.
He gave disturbing interviews filled with anti-Semitic vitriol. Within the month, his investment bank JPMorgan Chase, his talent agency CAA, and Balenciaga all cut ties with him. He was confident adidas would not do the same.
"I could say anti-Semitic things, and adidas can't drop me," Ye said on the podcast ‘Drink Champs.’ Within a week of that interview, adidas released a new clutch of Yeezys, and they sold out.
But his comments had consequences. The brand announced several days later that it would no longer work with Ye and that it would stop selling and producing Yeezy shoes. Adidas estimated that it would lose nearly a quarter of a billion dollars in profits in 2022.
Adidas was left with a huge inventory of shoes - representing about $1.3-billion worth of revenue. There were conversations about destroying them, giving them away or removing the Yeezy branding.
Instead, adidas did what so many sneakerheads before have done: It put the shoes on ice.
In May, it announced that it would begin selling them again, releasing a selection of bestsellers, several in previously unreleased colourways, on June 1, including the Yeezy 350 and 500 sneakers, as well as the Foam Runner slip-ons and Slides. It promised to donate a portion of the proceeds to charity.
In a Thursday earnings call, adidas CEO Bjorn Gulden, who joined the company in January from Puma, said that drop had raked in more than 400-million euros in sales, 110 million of which were donated to charitable organisations, including the Anti-Defamation League and the Philonise and Keeta Floyd Institute for Social Change, founded by family members of George Floyd.
Gulden said the company had also worked with businessman and sports team owner Robert Kraft to find appropriate charitable outlets - including his own, the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism - and emphasised that there was much "uncertainty" around each of the drops, and that it wanted to deploy them "carefully."
In an interview, Gulden said the charitable donation is not calculated by percentage but is based on conversations around what would be an appropriate reparation.
Gulden declined to comment on how much Ye is making from the sale but said adidas is honouring its remaining legal obligations following the end of their contract.
The designer and rapper received a portion of the revenue as a part of his contract. (Forbes estimated in 2020 that his cut might be about 11 percent.)
Another drop of shoes appeared the week of the earnings call: a similar mix of Boosts plus Foam Runners and Slides, sold through adidas's own channels and through wholesale partners such as British streetwear store End and sneaker retailer Extra Butter. Adidas will continue to release the shoes, though Gulden declined to specify how many shoes were left.
Moral absolution has become an essential component of consumerism in 2023 - touting the green qualities of a product, or the race or gender of the object's creator, to comfort a shopper.
Brands that buck this trend are the subject of intense backlash.
Late last year, consumers filmed themselves burning their Balenciaga gear when the brand released a pair of advertisements, one showing children with what appeared to be fetish gear and another with a document referring to a child pornography ruling, which led online conspiracy theorists to infer that it was endorsing child trafficking. Balenciaga is still struggling to bounce back from the scandal.
What makes Yeezy different? Are shoppers just too exhausted to keep up with it all? Or did Ye just make really great shoes?
No one in the sneaker world was surprised that adidas began selling Yeezys again.
The partnership that Ye formed with adidas was revolutionary.
Ten years ago, the artist was at the peak of his rap career, and he was outspoken about his outsize influence on fashion but continued exclusion from its inner sanctum.
The sneakers he produced with adidas, and the accompanying runway shows he staged with artist Vanessa Beecroft, still look in keeping with 2023's aesthetics from a product perspective, with shapewear styled as outerwear under thick jersey pieces and utility vests.
Less advanced, and maybe a hint of Ye's more recent interviews, was his and Beecroft's bizarre decision to arrange and dress their models based on skin tone.
These were early hints, before Virgil Abloh transformed Louis Vuitton and sweatpants became the global uniform, that sneakers and T-shirts could drive the runway conversation.
"They look futuristic," said Mike Sykes, who writes the footwear newsletter ‘The Kicks You Wear.’ "They offer an aesthetic that you don't get with any other sneaker."
And they gave adidas an edge over rival Nike, which had worked with Ye to create the much-coveted Air Yeezy in 2009. (And whose Roshe Run is considered to be a predecessor to Ye's best-selling Boost 350 with adidas.)
Although his influence at other brands he worked with, such as Balenciaga and Gap, was palpable, adidas was proof that Ye, who had been increasingly erratic in his creative output, could have sustained success and influence.
Since adidas ended their relationship, it has struggled to find a replacement for Yeezy, financially or emotionally.
Adidas representatives frequently mention the potential of their partnership with Fear of God designer Jerry Lorenzo.
Its Samba sneakers have skyrocketed in popularity over the past year, and an ongoing collaboration with British designer Grace Wales Bonner is admired among those for whom Instagram is fashion's front row.


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This year has marked a busy year for the creative minds at Alpha Industries. They have been unleashing a ton of unique collaborations, pairing up with the likes of BAPE, Undefeated and more for some outstanding new style all year. Today they are back with yet another collaboration, this time for a revamped version of their classic MA-1 Bomber Jacket.
Alpha Industries has paired up with Les Benjamins for a brand new take on their iconic bomber, providing a striking new look for the cooler seasons of the year. The MA-1 gets a clean olive green color scheme that finds the “Les Benjamins” logo subtly embroidered for a straightforward and effective appeal. The design is both stylish and functional, adding a nice piece to your winter wear this season. The collaboration is set to release December 1 and will be available exclusively from Les Benjamins’ official site; don’t miss out!


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With this award, the holding company for maritime machinery has now been placed amongst the top 5% of companies across the globe for sustainability and within the top 3% of manufacturing companies.
EcoVadis scored Liebherr-MCCtec in four key areas: environment, labour and human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement.
“Responsibility and care for the environment has always been a key component of Liebherr philosophy. We have been part of our respective communities for many decades, and we have always cared for our local environment. Today, we carry that responsibility with us, but as part of the global supply chain, we have a global responsibility,” said Tatjana Grissemann, Corporate Responsibility Manager for Liebherr-MCCtec.
The Liebherr Group stated, “As an international company with well over 48,000 employees, the Liebherr Group bears a great responsibility for society and environment. This is why the family-run Liebherr Group has also set itself a clear goal by anchoring the issue of sustainability in its core values.”
This is demonstrated in the group’s battery-powered series of construction equipment, including hybrid and electric powered sustainable products which aim to give its customers the power to choose environmentally sustainable products.
“Our recent success is not the end, merely a step along the way. We will continue to do better; we endeavour to improve. We have mapped out a future pathway and are working to embed a culture of assuming responsibility towards the environment and people at all levels of the company – from employees to management,” continued Grissemann.
“We have refreshed and expanded our Corporate Responsibility Policy taking into account our long-term strategic goals including defining targets for quantifiable KPIs across emissions, energy, and employee health. Furthermore, as part of the Liebherr Group we look forward to participating in a group-wide sustainability report, a further commitment to the future of our planet and to more transparency across our supply chains.”
Liebherr Container Cranes Ltd. has also recently secured a contract to supply Ship-to-Shore (STS) and Rubber-Tyred Gantry (RTG) cranes to the Port of Duqm in Oman. The delivery of four STS and 12 RTG cranes is set to be completed in late 2022.


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Sonoco Adds New Composite Can Plant in Mexico
HARTSVILLE, S.C., June 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Sonoco (NYSE: SON), a $2.6 billion global packaging company based in Hartsville, S.C., has recently opened a new manufacturing operation in Delicias, Chihuahua, Mexico, it was announced by Peter C. Browning, president and chief executive officer.
The 20,000-square-foot facility, which represents an investment of nearly one million dollars, will produce composite paperboard canisters for Mead Johnson, a Bristol-Myers Squibb Company. Mead Johnson plans to package powdered infant formulas, powdered nutritional products and powdered chocolate beverage for Mexico and other Latin American countries in these user-friendly canisters. Sonoco currently has seven locations in Mexico producing a wide range of consumer and industrial packaging for Latin American markets.
"Since entering the Mexican market with Sonoco de Mexico in 1950, Sonoco has considered Latin America a good opportunity, representing a very strong, growing market for our industrial and consumer packaging products. Mexico is an important part of our overall strategy," says Raymond McGowan, group vice president responsible for Sonoco's global consumer products operations. "We are pleased to be part of Mead Johnson's expansion, and this plant is typical of our plan for future growth in Latin America," added McGowan.
Sonoco's Delicias plant features one production line capable of making 401, 502 and 603 diameter canisters. This flexibility will allow Sonoco to produce canisters in a wide range of sizes capable of accommodating a broad range of food and non-food products. While Mead Johnson will command all of the plant's initial capacity, Sonoco plans to install additional lines as customers are secured. The Delicias plant will employ 25 to 30 employees.
In addition to composite canisters, Sonoco produces tubes, cores, paperboard and protective corner posts in its Mexican operations.
Celebrating 100 years of global packaging, Sonoco produces a broad line of industrial and consumer packaging and is the world's largest producer of composite paperboard canisters. Sonoco's 16,500 team members serve customers from 275 locations in 32 countries.
Web site: http: //www.sonoco.com
Company News On-Call: http: //www.prnewswire.com/comp/805487.html or fax, 800-758-5804, ext. 805487
CONTACT: Allan V. Cecil, Vice President of Sonoco, 843-383-7524


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An unnamed wealthy – very wealthy – Singaporean has made a purchase of a car he cannot even drive in his home country.
But what is driving anyway, when the car is obviously meant for display, to be presented in front of other gawking and silently seething car enthusiasts.
Mr. Wealthy, otherwise currently known only as PL, was presented with his custom-made expensive toy by Bugatti’s president himself reports Yahoo Singapore News. It was done at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance show in California. Oh, if you readers are wondering where the name PL suddenly arise from, those are the initials laser cut into the grille design.
Of course that is not the only customized part of this Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse ‘1 of 1’ special edition model, which PL has paid more than 3 million Singapore dollars for.
Here’s a short list of PL’s other customisations:
1. A huge Bugatti logo painted in black on the underside of the rear spoiler – the spoiler rises up once the car hit speeds of over 180km/h.
2. A sketch of the classic Bugatti Type 35 race car is customized into the lid of the centre storage box, which is located between the seats.
3. A unique paint-job that is reminiscent of the black and yellow “Yellow Top” cabs that used to frequent Singaporean roads.
However, no matter how sweet PL’s ride is, he is still not allowed to cruise the island country’s highways with it.
Singapore has a law against cars that are meant to be driven on the wrong side of the road (that will be the right lane at this Southeast Asian side of the world), so Mr.PL-super-wealthy’s new car is not allowed to be registered in the country.
Again, who drives a toy anyway? Go put those wheels on display now.
Photo Credit: Bugatti


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Toshiba has announced that it will begin mass producing silicon-based white LEDs in October 2012 on a 200-mm line at Kaga Toshiba Electronics Co. Azurro Semiconductors, another silicon-based LED maker, has installed a Veeco Instruments metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) system to build LEDs and other power semiconductors.
Toshiba and Bridgelux
Toshiba will manufacture phosphor-converted white LEDs using gallium-nitride-on-silicon (GaN-on-Si) technology developed by partner Bridgelux. By using a silicon wafer rather than the more typical sapphire wafer, Toshiba can take advantage of automated production tools for the back end of the LED manufacturing process that have been long proven in the broad IC industry, and in turn reduce component costs.
The fact that Toshiba will focus on 200-mm (8-in) wafers is also significant. Larger wafers mean more LED chips per wafer and potentially lower costs, although to date no one has fully proven such a manufacturing line with acceptable yields. Most sapphire-based LED production has been done on 2- and 4-in wafers although the industry has rapidly moved to 6-in wafers over the past year.
The production line will depend on "the combination of Bridgelux’s crystal growth and LED chip structure and Toshiba’s advanced silicon process and manufacturing technology," according to Toshiba. The company said it had manufactured a prototype chip with maximum radiometric output of 614 mW, and presumably judges that performance suitable for production components.
Bridgelux announced last year that it had produced GaN-on-Si LEDs in the lab with an efficacy of 150 lm/W in cool white. The company said it was working on making the process and recipe stable and transferrable.
In May of this year, Bridgelux announced that Toshiba had invested an unspecified amount in Bridgelux. At that time, Bridgelux had first mentioned the 614-mW performance level achieved with a drive current of 350 mW and a forward voltage of 3.1V.
Azzurro taps Veeco
Last week we covered an announcement of funding that Azzurro Semiconductors received to further develop its GaN-on-Si technology and extend it to 200-mm wafers, and subsequently Veeco Instruments announced that Azzurro has installed a Veeco TurboDisc K465i MOCVD system that's used to grow the epitaxial layer on wafers for LEDs and other power semiconductors.
"Our technology provides high-quality, crack-free GaN layers on 150-mm standard silicon wafers with very good crystal quality and extremely low bow values. We chose Veeco's K465i to produce these high efficiency GaN-on-Si stacks because of its performance, process stability, and high throughput," said Markus Sickmoller, vice president of operations at Azzurro. "We believe our GaN-on-Si technology will trigger a new wave of highly efficient and cost-optimized components for the LED and power semiconductor industry."
"The power electronics device market is forecasted by Yole Developpement to be $25B by 2015, and GaN has the ability to make devices with higher efficiency and switching speed than traditional Si devices. Further, LEDs made with GaN-on-Si technology will enable lower LED costs," said Jeff Hawthorne, Veeco's senior vice president of MOCVD. "We anticipate that the demand for MOCVD tools for these GaN-on-Si applications will grow as technology moves from R&D into production. Veeco's K465i systems offer key advantages for GaN-on-Si production, including low particle count and excellent yields, and we're looking forward to continuing to support Azzurro's growing GaN-on-Si business."


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June 28 (Bloomberg) -- Business confidence in Italy declined in June to the lowest in eight months as executives became concerned about the growth outlook in the euro region’s third-biggest economy.
The manufacturing-sentiment index declined to 100.5 from a revised 101.1 in May, national statistics institute Istat said in Rome today. Economists predicted a reading of 101, according to the median of 13 estimates in a Bloomberg News survey. Istat originally reported a reading of 101.3 for May.
Employers’ association Confindustria lowered its growth forecast this month, urging Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s government to implement reforms and contain spending. The economy will expand 0.9 percent this year and 1.1 percent next, less than the 1.1 percent and 1.3 percent estimated in December 2010, Confindustria said. The new forecasts assume “credible reforms,” including of the tax system, it added.
Italy’s weak competitiveness and slow recovery from its worst slump since World War II mean the $2.3 trillion economy will lag behind euro-area growth this year, the International Monetary Fund said on June 17. As exports failed to offset weak consumer spending, gross domestic product grew 0.1 percent in the first quarter, the same as in the previous three months.
Moody’s Investors Service this month and Standard & Poor’s in May put the country’s credit ratings under review for a possible downgrade, citing growth challenges and saying government revenue and deficit targets may be not met. Italian 10-year bond yields yesterday reached the most relative to German bunds since the euro was introduced in 1999 amid concerns of a contagion from the Greek debt crisis.
Still, industrial production rose for a third month in April as exports underpinned output, and Confindustria expects a further increase in May. Italian new-car registrations expanded 3.6 percent last month on a yearly basis, while sales by Fiat SpA, Italy’s biggest manufacturer, dropped 0.9 percent, less than the 15 percent decrease in the previous month.
Consumer confidence declined in June as households turned pessimistic about the outlook for employment and economic growth, Istat said last week.
--Editors: Andrew Atkinson, Jeffrey Donovan
To contact the reporter on this story: Lorenzo Totaro in Rome at firstname.lastname@example.org.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Craig Stirling at email@example.com


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The luxurious Ritz Carlton Hotel in Manama, Bahrain will become the first hotel in the Gulf kingdom to offer kosher certified food through the help of Orthodox Union (OU) Kosher, the world’s largest kosher certification agency. It changeover will happen in November.
Following the signing of the Abraham Accords, there has been a surge in interest from Jewish business and leisure travelers from Israel, North America and Europe in visiting Bahrain.
The hotel and their new kosher kitchen which will be overseen by OU Kosher certifiers. Additionally, OU Kosher is helping the hotel identify a kosher culinary team member who will serve as a mashgiach, or kosher supervisor, when kosher meals are prepared on the premises.
“The Ritz Carlton, Bahrain prides itself on providing an elevated luxury experience for our guests at every touchpoint during their stay; in particular their dining experience. Bahrain is unique as it already has an indigenous Jewish population, and since the recent normalization of relations, we are seeing a greater interest from Jewish & Israeli travelers, and we want to be able to provide kosher food for those who prefer this option. We chose to partner with OU Kosher because they are the leading certification agency in the world and we sought their expertise in helping us navigate the needs of the kosher traveler,” said Ritz Carlton, Bahrain General Manager Bernard de Villèle.
“The Abraham Accords has opened new destinations for kosher travelers in the Gulf that have never existed before. We are honored to have been chosen by the Ritz Carlton to assist them in providing kosher cuisine for their guests,” said OU Kosher CEO Rabbi Menachem Genack. “Because of our global resources, our team is able to handle requirements for certifications anywhere in the world, including the Gulf, which is why our certification has been so sought-after in this region.”
“We laud the efforts of the Ritz Carlton Manama to offer kosher food as this will help bring in more Jewish tourists,” said head of Bahrain’s Jewish community Ebrahim Nonoo. “Partnering with the world’s leading and most universally accepted kashrut agency ensures that more Jewish tourists will choose Bahrain as their next travel destination when visiting the Gulf. Nearly a day goes by where we don’t receive a request from Jewish groups and individuals about visiting Bahrain and kosher food is one of their top questions.”
OU Kosher, the world’s largest kosher certification agency, certifies more than 1 million ingredients in 10,000 plants in more than 100 countries. The agency certifies two-thirds of all kosher-certified foods in the United States.
The Ritz Carlton Manama is a five-star luxury resort is located in the exclusive Al Seef district in Manama, Bahrain.


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Google Considers Change To Search Algorithm That Would Favor Website Encryption
Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) is considering a change to its PageRank software, which would favor websites that use encryption to protect visitors’ personal information, meaning safer sites would appear higher in search results.
While Google is reportedly still in the early stages of discussing the change, Matt Cutts, an engineer in charge of quality control for the company’s search results, said in March that he would like to see it happen sometime this year. Google’s renewed interest in encryption comes to light as the world reacts to a major Internet security flaw called Heartbleed, which makes millions of passwords across the Web vulnerable to theft.
Cutts is holding discussions within Google to make the change to its Search algorithm, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal’s Digits blog. Cutts often acts as an intermediary between Google’s Search team and Web designers, who closely monitor the company’s search policies.
Google directs the majority of the world’s search traffic, and the company often uses its search algorithms to influence Web design. Google’s Search algorithm encourages practices it considers “best” among Web developers and discourages those it deems unworthy, such as sites that load slowly or those that include malicious software that users might download. Web developers that follow the company’s best practices rank higher in Google Search results.
Encrypted data requires a software key to decode; attempts to access a website’s data would be unsuccessful without that key. Currently, websites that implement encryption can encounter difficulties with the search giant, since the practice requires a small change in a site’s Web address, or URL. Those that improperly redirect users from older, unsecure Web addresses to encrypted ones can temporarily rank lower in Search results.
Google did not respond to an email requesting comment on the proposed PageRank change.
The company is reportedly in the early stages of discussions, and any shift in Search that would favor encryption will not happen soon, the report said. Google has begun encrypting more of its services, including Gmail and Search, following the disclosure that the NSA was using security vulnerabilities found in its data centers to discretely gather intelligence.


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AI-powered soccer manager game FIFAWorldCupAILeague becomes top NFT minter on XRP Ledger
In the ever-evolving landscape of NFTs, FIFAWorldCupAILeague has emerged as a standout player on XRP Ledger. According to data from Bithomp explorer, this AI-powered soccer management game has accounted for an impressive 88.7% of all new NFTs minted on the XRPL in the past 30 days, totaling 428,000 NFTs. This achievement has solidified the game’s position as the top NFT minter on XRP Ledger, making it a focal point of interest in the community.
According to the official portal, FIFAWorldCupAILeague offers players a unique experience, allowing them to manage their own team of AI all-star soccer players using artificial intelligence. With an emphasis on strategic gameplay, managers can blend AI skills and player combinations to optimize performance in matches against teams from around the world.
Developed through a collaboration between Futureverse, a technological and cultural foundation for the open metaverse, and FIFA, the globally recognized soccer organization, FIFAWorldCupAILeague has garnered attention for its innovative approach to combining AI technology with sports gaming.
NFT on XRPL
The broader context of the XRP Ledger reveals a total of 2.11 million NFTs, with a relatively modest 156,936 active buy and sell offers. Notably, sell offers dominate the market, constituting 93.83% of all current transactions, showcasing a preference for selling rather than buying among users right now.
This surge in NFT activity, particularly driven by an AI-powered soccer simulator, highlights the growing intersection of sports, technology and blockchain. As the XRP Ledger continues to evolve as a hub for innovative projects, FIFAWorldCupAILeague stands as a prime example of the existing possibilities within the NFT space.


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Retail traders boost Kuwait shares
Kuwait Pipes Industries and Abyaar Real Estate Co gain more than nine per cent, while blue chips Boubyan Bank and National Industries Group jump 6.33 per cent and 8.33 per cent, respectively.
"In Kuwait there are a lot of retail investors splashing around," says Hashem Montasser, head of regional asset management at EFG-Hermes, adding that day traders were taking cues from a government fund set up to stabilise the market.
"That might help in the short term but you have quite a lot of investment companies in very bad shape, so people are cautious."
Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.


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The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has intensified its efforts to promote Nigerian cuisines in restaurants in key commercial centres of the world, according to an official.
Its Executive Director, Mr Olusegun Awolowo, told the News Agency of Nigerian (NAN) in Abuja on Wednesday that the council had met with stakeholders in those restaurants.
He said that the last leg of the meeting would be finalised in London and Houston.
He said the Nigeria Diaspora Export Programme was conceived by the council to track and use Nigerians in the Diaspora to leverage on them as the first export destination for the country’s goods.
“In the UK, we have more than two million Nigerians living there; they are importers of many Nigerian products particularly food products. So we see no reason why we cannot sell our foods abroad.
“What we have before is suit case exporters taking goods to Europe, some for sale, some for personal use. But that is not enough.
“Houston and London have been selected because of the high concentration of Nigerians in both cities,’’ Awolowo said.
He said the programme would create a platform to enable quick and easy penetration of products and services of Nigerian origin into the global market.
The director said it would also involve the promotion of a “standard menu” for all Nigerian restaurants in different parts of the world.
He said the first leg was Nigerian citizens abroad, explaining that there will be a warehouse where Nigerian products would be stored for people to purchase.
Awolowo said the idea would be possible in UK and Europe because of their good infrastructure and transportation system.
“Once the products are moved to one port, they can be moved everywhere,’’ he said.
He also said that Nigeria would have heritage sites in London, Houston and Atlanta.
“The Nigerian Heritage City is expected to host warehouses, Nigerian foodstuffs market, arts and crafts galleries.
“It will also host restaurants, solid minerals market, event centres, commodity exchanges, banks and financial services, recording and training studios for Hollywood and creative artistes, among other facilities,’’ he said.
Awolowo said the programme would be done through the private sector.
He added that to achieve the vision, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Foreign Affairs, had been selected as the champion to co-host the Nigerians in the Diaspora. (NAN)


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It was supposed to be a dream game for fans of strategy-role-playing games, but instead it became a disaster. Unsung Story, which crowdfunded over $660,000 in 2014, is one of the biggest Kickstarter failures of all time. Let’s zoom out and look at the whole debacle, shall we?
After a three-year debacle involving shady behavior, broken promises, and $660,126 that went nowhere, the game company Playdek has decided to call it quits on Unsung Story, passing the rights to a new company that will apparently develop and publish the game.
In early 2014, the company Playdek crowdfunded over $660,000 to make a spiritual successor to Final Fantasy Tactics alongside its creator, Yasumi Matsuno. Two and a half years later, they just can’t seem to stop breaking promises.
Unsung Story is never gonna happen, huh? After an endless string of broken promises involving the game they Kickstarted for over $660,000, the developers at Playdek said in an update today that they need to focus on other projects “for the financial strength of the company” and that they hope to get back to…
Two years after launch, Playdek’s Unsung Story remains one of the biggest Kickstarter disappointments to date, a $660,126 disaster that just keeps breaking promises. And now they’ve been MIA for three months.
In January of 2014, a company called Playdek launched a Kickstarter promising a spiritual successor to one of my favorite games, Final Fantasy Tactics. It made $660,126. I really wish I hadn’t backed it.
Back in August, mobile board and card game experts Playdek announced they'd be bringing Wizards of the Coast's award-winning Dungeons & Dragons-based board game Lords of Waterdeep to iOS. It's coming out later this month, and this is how it plays.
Wizards of the Coast has really been on top of Dungeons & Dragons' digital initiative lately. We've seen the launch of the MMO Neverwinter, the first official mobile game in DeNA's Arena of War, and now they're teaming up with card and board game masters Playdek to bring the award-winning Lords of Waterdeep to iPad.
This is Agricola, available now on iOS from Playdek Games. Based on one of German board game designer Uwe Rosenberg's finest creations, it's deep, satisfying and a little complex, but nowhere near as complex as this:
I've been wanting to play the Penny Arcade card game from Cryptozoic Entertainment for ages. At this year's San Diego Comic-Con I spent a great deal of time wandering past the Penny Arcade booth, holding the cards in my hand or casting longing glances from afar. Had Jerry and Mike noticed me there, they might have…
The card experts at Playdek prove their mastery of the mobile deck genre with an amazing port of Andrew Looney's rule-bending card game Fluxx, now available on iTunes.
Playdek, the folks dedicated to bringing amazing card-based experiences to mobile devices, is bringing the chaotic glory of Fluxx to iOS in time for Christmas, unless the rules drastically change between now and then.


text: Not long ago a leaked internal video portrayed Steve Jobs playing the iconic FDR. The video, like most of Apple’s sales force targeted media, was designed to show off that there was a better option to IBM or “Big Blue.” Along the same theme, a video was created called “Blue Busters” showing off a team of Apple II-equipped Ghostbusters. There’s nothing entirely spectacular about the official released version. But, as with everything Apple, Steve Jobs got involved and played one of the characters in an early shoot. The final, officially released version is below. We’ve had some technical difficulties embedding the video featuring Steve Jobs. To watch it, head over to the Bloomberg.com interview with former Apple employee, Craig Elliot.