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Just in time for summer, Consumer Reports is out with their test of sunscreen.
It’s a new twist on an old tale, and Disney’s Maleficent definitely doesn’t disappoint.
Summer construction season is kicking off and it could mean delays for many drivers.
The Dormont Pool’s open and under new management, but not everyone’s happy.
With the Memorial Day weekend underway, the unofficial start of summer has local pool owners getting their outdoor oasis together.
With the holiday weekend here, a lot of us will be firing up the grill.
With pool season kicking off this weekend, experts say it’s a good time to remind everyone about sun safety.
The ticks are out, hear what you can do to prevent Lyme disease.
Multicolored umbrellas added a splash of brightness to rain soaked Market Square, as the Thursday Farmers Market opened its 10th season.
Looking for something to do this summer, Visit Pittsburgh has got your back.
Lots of people from our area will head to the beach this summer, and it’s not too late.
Kennywood opens May 3, and you’ll notice some changes this year, including one that could save you money.
Fans of I.C. Light and Iron City Beer will be all smiles this baseball season when heading to a Pirates game.
You’ll soon have a new choice of soft drink when heading to PNC Park this season.
With the temperature set to soar into the mid-80s on Wednesday, Pittsburgh is opening four cooling centers to the public.


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Al Baraka Islamic Bank in Bahrain has procured digital banking services from Layer, a digital banking platform provider, to aid in the boost of digital transformation and facilitate superior access to a broader range of financial services for its consumers.
Al Baraka Islamic Bank collaborates with Layer
Layer is a digital transformation portal that allows large fiscal institutions to swiftly transform their consumer and backend digital practices.
This new-fangled collaboration will witness the Dublin-based Layer including an excess of 80,000 consumers on its portal. Via this new-fangled collaboration with Layer, Al Baraka Islamic Bank focuses on meeting the consumers’ sprouting banking needs by delivering easy access to seamless banking transactions and an array of products and services devoid of any physical visit to a bank’s branch.
Within 7 days of its preliminary release, the Al Baraka Islamic Bank application emerged as one of the most downloaded applications in the Bahrain Apple Application store. As the quarterly-phase rollout continued, the application will be inclusive of digital consumer onboarding, easy and fast transfer and payment facilities, alongside cards and account managing. Additionally, Layer and Al Baraka Islamic Bank’s digital application will also be inclusive of qualitative features like homepage customization, payment shortcuts, multiple account login, and several other features.
Layer’s patented portal lies on the foundation of traditional core systems to allow banks to deliver to consumers a mix of conventional and neo-bank capacities. Al Baraka Islamic Bank has instigated those services available on the Layer portal to deliver end-to-end digitalization of its banking services, transported via a new-fangled website and mobile application.
Layer’s goal is to enhance financial inclusion and digital renovation processes throughout the globe via noteworthy client relationships. The digital banking portal facilitates banking services to more than 25 million customers.
Smartphone utilization amongst customers in the Middle East has been maturing steadily. The number of smartphone operators in the area almost doubled, from 86 million in 2014 to an appraised 174 million in 2019. Notwithstanding this essential growth curve, further research unveils that up to 48% of the Arab youth has never utilized digital banking systems.

domain: news


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Gary Gerbino will join Seabourn Cruise Line as its new vice president of marketing effective Jan. 15. The position is a newly created post following the line's recent agreement to build two new ships for delivery in 2009 and 2010. Gerbino, who previously oversaw CLIA's external communications as vice president at M. Silver Associates, will be responsible for all consumer and trade marketing efforts for the Americas, including advertising and collateral development.
Seabourn Adds New Marketing VP
Read more on:


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More than 400 guests from the U.K. preschool sector gathered at The Dorchester Hotel in London, Nov. 10, to honor the winners of this year’s Progressive Preschool Awards.
John Lewis is now featuring the Wish You Were Here product range from artist Tina Crawford.
FremantleMedia Kids & Family Entertainment is pushing Tree Fu Tom this fall and winter with new episodes and a retail campaign in the U.K.
British retailer John Lewis will host a Mario-themed Nintendo event in London featuring the voice actor who plays Mario.
©2017 UBM. All rights reserved. A UBM Company.


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Hanho Industrial goes global in car parts production with overseas plants
For nearly 20 years, the South Korean vehicle parts manufacturer has been serving the world with the best products, services and prices
[Country Business Reports interviews and articles by Discovery Reports www.discoveryreports.com]
In the automotive industry, A-class auto parts provide a tremendous boost to the overall quality of vehicles. Little wonder Hanho Industrial continues to receive approving nods from the likes of General Motors, Hyundai and Kia. For nearly 20 years, the South Korean vehicle parts manufacturer has been serving the world with the best products, services and prices.
Known in the industry for its expertise in forging and machining, Hanho is also internationally recognised for offering superior powertrain parts to original equipment manufacturers and tier 1 suppliers in Asia, Europe and North America.
“What drives Hanho Industrial to success is our passionate team that always aims to achieve more,” says CEO David Kang.
The company overtakes the competition by manufacturing products with zero defects, and offering these products at relatively lower prices. By investing in innovative technology that saves costs, Hanho is able to rely on its smart factory in Yeongchon, South Korea, that houses almost 90 per cent automated machines.
Hanho further marks its strategic move by driving some of its production outside South Korea. It is seeking a joint venture with a Chinese company to give better prices and quality to customers. Hanho is also planning to grow the business in China with local customers through its own plant in the country.
With the presence of its plants in South Korea and China and its offices in the United States and Germany, Hanho provides reliable services to its customers around the world. Its dedicated sales support offers ease of communication and efficient assistance to its international clientele.
Looking forward, Hanho is in a positive track amid favourable market forecasts in India, China and countries in Southeast Asia. By 2021, sales demand in Southeast Asia will drive the production line to produce 5.9 million units, while sales demand in China will drive 350 million to 500 million units by 2023.


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Small businesses in South Derbyshire can apply for new COVID-19 grants
Small businesses with premises in South Derbyshire that were not eligible for one of the original COVID-19 business grants may now be able to apply for a grant under a new discretionary scheme.
South Derbyshire District Council has received approximately £710,000 in funding to award grants that will typically range from £500 to £10,000 to small businesses with ongoing fixed property-related costs that were not able to apply for one of the original COVID-19 business grants because they do not pay, or are not liable for business rates.
Businesses that may be eligible include:
- Businesses that pay rates within their rent/service charge These include businesses in properties where the landlord pays the business rates, or businesses within wider rated areas such as marinas, garden centres, salons, former mill buildings and industrial estates.
- Bed and breakfasts/self-catered units that pay Council Tax. These businesses must have relevant licences/registrations in place.
- Regular market traders with fixed premises costs. This does not include occasional traders at events and fayres etc.
- Charities that claim mandatory charity rate relief. Charities that would be eligible for Small Business Rate Relief (i.e. charities with a single premise, with a rateable value of under £14,999) if they did not claim mandatory charity rate relief.
Any business that has received a grant under the original COVID-19 business grants scheme may not apply.
Councillor Martyn Ford, South Derbyshire District Council’s leader said:
“We are committed to helping local businesses who have suffered hardship as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and I’d encourage eligible businesses to apply for the grants which are available.
“To be eligible for a discretionary grant, businesses must be small, under 50 employees, and must also be able to demonstrate they have seen a significant drop in income due to coronavirus restriction measures. Please make your application as soon as possible.”
In order that as many businesses as possible receive support, business owners that are eligible for the COVID-19 Self-Employment Support Scheme will not be prioritised.
Any businesses who think they may be eligible should visit www.southderbyshire.gov.uk/discretionarybusinessgrants where they can download the eligibility criteria and find out more information.
Applications will be assessed in mid-June, and payments should be paid from late June/early July.
4 June 2020


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Nearly half of Stoughton’s shoplifting charges in 2018 issued at Kohl's
STOUGHTON — Police charged two Brockton women with shoplifting from Kohl’s on Tuesday, marking the sixth time this month that officers have apprehended suspects accused of stealing from the department store.
In a recent interview with The Enterprise, Lt. John Bonney said that with nearly a week left to go, November has been the busiest month on record for shoplifting incidents at Kohl’s.
Since January, 26 people have been charged with shoplifting from the Kohl’s at 501 Technology Center Drive, a shocking 47 percent of all shoplifting charges issued by Stoughton police this year.
Those numbers could spike even further, according to Bonney, who said the weeks leading up to Christmas typically see a substantial increase in property crime.
“Their loss prevention (team) there is phenomenal,” Bonney said of Kohl’s earlier this month, shortly after helping apprehend a boyfriend and girlfriend who were accused of stealing around $100 worth of merchandise from the department store.
The next day, police say they caught a pair of women from Taunton and Brockton stealing around $200 worth of property from Kohl’s, which employs its own security staff but still outsources more incidents than any other store to the Stoughton police.
A member of Kohl’s loss prevention staff declined to comment Friday when contacted by The Enterprise.
Tuesday marked the latest in a string of charges stemming from incidents at the department store.
At around 12:40 p.m., police responded to a call from the store’s loss prevention department alleging that two women stole $482 worth of clothing and fled in a vehicle that was described to police.
Bonney said as police approached the vehicle at a nearby apartment complex, they could see baby clothing draped over a fence, and more merchandise flung over a ledge into a marsh below.
Two women, ages 22 and 30, were charged with shoplifting by asportation. Police also charged the younger woman with withholding evidence from a criminal proceeding.
Staff writer Ben Berke can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.org. Follow him on Twitter @Enterprise_Ben.


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Ticketmaster UK have been fined £1.25 million by the Information Commissioners Office after a data breach which affected the Ticketmaster website in 2018. The cyber attack meant that the details of up to nine million customers could have been accessed and stolen.
Following the security breach, over 60,000 Barclays customers were victims of fraud. Online bank Monzo had to re-issue more than 6,000 cards after reports of suspicious activity.
The report released by the ICO says that despite warnings from multiple banking groups, ticketmaster took more than 9 weeks to start monitoring the activity on its payments pages. Monzo, Barclaycard, American Express and the Commonwealth Bank of Australia had all reportedly warned Ticketmaster of suspicious activity.
Deputy Commissioner at the ICO, James Dipple-Johnstone, said “Ticketmaster should have done more to reduce the risk of a cyber-attack. Its failure to do so meant that millions of people in the UK and Europe were exposed to potential fraud.”
Ticketmaster have said that they will appeal the decision given. In a statement released by the company, they said “Ticketmaster takes fans’ data privacy and trust very seriously. Since Inbenta Technologies was breached in 2018, we have offered our full cooperation to the ICO. We plan to appeal today’s announcement.”


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The energy generated is said to be enough Advanced battery technology power LEDs and Bluetooth radios, meaning it could one day power wearable devices like smartwatches and fitness trackers.
Batteries made from these electrodes could deliver enough power to propel large delivery vans or garbage trucks, for example, without the batteries being too heavy to be practical.
Systems such as Advanced battery technology electrification use two batteries — one lithium-ion and the other lead-acid — to do what each does best. This high-density paste optimizes porosity development in the active material utilizing the active material more effectively, resulting in sustained battery performance over a longer period of time.
Operating at PSOC on a regular basis can quickly diminish the overall life of a battery, which results in frequent and costly battery replacements. These distributors, strategically selected by ABAT, will sell a combined minimum of 13, vehicles in three categories of eco-friendly cleaning vehicles, senior scooters and leisure vehicles in three years with estimated revenue of more than million RMB.
This high-density paste optimizes porosity development in the active material utilizing the active material more effectively, resulting in sustained battery performance over a longer period of time.
Comment While smartphones, smarthomes and even smart wearables are growing ever more advanced, they're still limited by power. These new batteries will use sodium, one of the most common materials on the planet rather than rare lithium — and they'll be up to seven times more efficient than conventional batteries.
In fact these batteries were tested recharging overtimes in three months and showed no degradation at all. The panel highlighted two such opportunities. To drive down costs, battery makers are turning to applications other than electric vehicles and the grid to get new technologies off the ground, applications such as microelectronics, power tools, and race cars.
In hybrids, the goal is to supplement the gasoline engine, allowing it to run at its most efficient. The future smartphones of Energy harvested from the device owner You could be the source of power for your next device, if research into TENGs comes to fruition.
Jiangsu Duke New Energy Automobile is a high tech company that specializes in research and development, design and manufacture of its Supercar branded electric sports cars.
The result is a battery that can operate at super capacitor levels to completely charge or discharge in just seven minutes - making it ideal for cars.
Advanced Battery Technologies was de-listed as publicly traded on December 30,because the company failed to remain current in its SEC required financial filings, such as forms Q and K. One hydrogen cell will provide five full charges of a mobile phone 25Wh capacity per cell. Together Alpha Plus Paste with T2 Technology increase both sustained capacity and total overall ampere-hours, resulting in more operating power for your application.
Safer, faster charging of current Lithium-ion batteries Scientists at WMG at the University of Warwick have developed a new technology that allows current Lithium-ion batteries to be charged up to five times faster that current recommended limits.
Power is turned into sound waves, inaudible to humans and animals, which are transmitted and then converted back to power upon reaching the device.
ABAT has been putting out some really explosive press in November after months of silence; on November 3 they said they plan to become fully reporting. The result is a battery that can charge 50 times faster than current batteries and discharge even slower than current supercapacitors.
The smartphone was built using a principle called the piezoelectric effect.
Safer, cheaper batteries could be on their way! Operating at PSOC on a regular basis can quickly diminish the overall life of a battery, which results in frequent and costly battery replacements.
Even if problems with batteries are overcome in the lab, these technologies face obstacles to being commercialized. These transmitters can be attached to walls, or made into decorative art, to beam power to smartphones and laptops.
Thankfully, universities are getting involved. The parties must be ready for trial by December 1, The phone will work with direct sunlight as well as standard lights, in the same way regular solar panels.The Battery Technology Show will showcase the latest advances in advanced battery manufacturing and technology and will bring together professionals from across the industry.
News and Information for the Battery Industry Worldwide. Advanced Battery Technology. Jun 29, · A Guide to Recent Battery Advances the technology has recently attracted large amounts of government funding and interest from companies such as IBM.
In theory, such batteries could store Author: Kevin Bullis. For robotics.
Heavy equipment. Industrial deep cycle batteries. Our lithium ion batteries are safe, advanced battery technology with dependable energy.
Advanced Technology As the energy needs of our customers continue to evolve, so do Trojan batteries. Our engineers are working continually to improve our products, and provide even greater battery performance for the equipment Trojan batteries power.
Cordless industrial cleaning machines with advanced battery technology. Cordless industrial cleaning machines are becoming ‘must-have’ equipment for numerous facilities in hospitality, healthcare and education sectors.Download


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BOSTON-Dunkin’ Donuts has retired its famous pitchman of 15 years and is now plotting a fresh approach.
Fred the Baker, a.k.a. 73-year-old actor Michael Vale, last week publicly revealed his decision. The announcement followed a parade staged by Dunkin’ Donuts and its recently hired public relations agency, Cone Communications in Boston.
Vale, crowned “Dunkin’ Donuts’ Diplomat,” will continue to work for the company in a public relations capacity and in support of charitable causes. “Wherever you find a doughnut, I won’t be far behind,” Vale promised, to the laughter of the crowd.
Asked how the company plans to build on its success with Fred, Dunkin’ Donuts retail concepts officer Will Kussell admitted, “It’s always a challenge. Michael will continue to act as the company’s ambassador in a public relations capacity, but we felt it was the right time [to retire Fred] because business has never been better.” Same-store sales were up 10 percent last year, he said.
A new campaign, to break withing the next 30-45 days, will “turn the camera around,” according to Dunkin’ Donuts vice president of marketing Eddie Binder, and show what the brand means to customers.
Binder added that it “wouldn’t be implausible for Fred to make a cameo appearance in future commercials.”
Two 30-second TV spots created by Messner Vetere Berger McNamee Schmetterer/Euro RSCG in New York and commemorating Fred’s decision made their debut on a large screen set up in Boston’s Copley Square.
One ad, titled “Press Conference,” announces the retirement and the company’s plan to give out free doughnuts at Dunkin’ Donuts stores nationwide today.
Another spot, titled “Tribute,” features the same celebrities from earlier ads showing Fred seeking advice on whether he should retire. In the new execution, which began airing last week, Mary Lou Retton, Bob Dole and Sugar Ray Leonard wish Fred a happy retirement. The spot is scheduled to run through the end of this week.
Randolph, Mass.-based Dunkin’ Donuts, a unit of Allied Domecq, has more than 4,700 locations throughout the U.S. and in 35 countries.
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June 14, 2016
Challenging Behaviour – Fintech Finance interviews Luke Reynolds
Fintech Finance – a leading provider of financial services news and information – has launched a new printed magazine for executives in financial services organisations.
For the inaugural magazine edition, Fintech Finance spoke to Luke Reynolds, Featurespace Fraud Director, about how the ARIC engine is protecting organisations in banking, payments, card issuing, insurance and gaming from new fraud attacks in real-time. Reynolds explains how the machine learning ARIC engine detects anomalies in individual behaviour to revolutionise the way that businesses combat fraud and security threats.
The article explores how understanding individual behaviour is crucial for financial organisations who want to protect their customers from fraud. At the same time, genuine customers are able to transact without adding friction to the customer experience. The ARIC engine’s unique Adaptive Behavioural Analytics enables businesses to understand the normal behaviour of their customers and spot the exact moment at which that behaviour changes.
Read the full article in the Fintech Finance magazine.


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Microsoft is doing its fair share of teasers and appetizers for the Friday launch of its next-gen console. This time, the pre-release fever is coming in the form of its SmartGlass app that is now being made available on all supported mobile platforms, which happily includes Android.
SmartGlass for the Xbox One is fundamentally an app that turns your smartphone or tablet into a companion or extension of the Xbox One console, not unlike a similar app released last week by Sony for its PlayStation 4. In some ways, both apps tout the same features such as acting as a remote control for the TV and the Xbox One as well as transforming the mobile device into a second-screen. So far, only a limited number of games and apps have been announced to take advantage of this feature, which includes Star Trek Into Darkness, Fast & Furious 6, Dead Rising 3, Just Dance 2014, Battlefield 4, Internet Explorer, and Machinima.
Of course, the SmartGlass app is almost practically useless without an Xbox One, but Microsoft is suggesting a few ways would-be owners can prepare for the launch. For one, the app will already let users search for for games online, in the highly unlikely case that they still don’t have a game in mind for the console. They can also pretty up their Xbox Live dashboard as well as connect with friends and other gamers who are also eagerly waiting for the console to arrive.
The Xbox One SmartGlass app is available for free and can be downloaded from Google Play Store via the link below. Xbox 360 owners should take note that this app is different from the older SmartGlass app for the Xbox 360 and should be downloaded separately.


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Without a doubt, Google makes some gorgeous Android phones and so expectations are high as the internet giant releases their second version of their branded smartphone, the ‘Nexus S.’ Officially going on sale Thursday in Best Buys nation-wide, the company hopes to avoid the fate of their last device, the hugely sexy ‘Nexus One’ that wowed Android fans with its design and specs, but failed to sell in sufficient volumes.
The new Nexus S certainly looks impressive. Running Android 2.3 (a.k.a. Gingerbread) makes this the first smartphone to run the Android OS’s latest iteration. Additionally, the device sports a 1 GHz Cortex A8 processor, 16GB of flash memory, front- and rear-facing cameras as well as a contoured and curved 4-inch Super AMOLED screen.
The Nexus S is also the first device to support Near Field Communication (NFC), which will allow apps to communicate with other NFC devices in close proximity. Many mobile analysts expect pay-by-phone apps to be built around this technology, which could allow consumers to pay for physical goods by simply touching their phone to a compatible payment device in stores.
Unlike the previous Nexus, the new model will be carried in Best Buy stores as well as Best Buy Mobile stores. Google certainly learned their lesson from the last time around, in that most smartphone consumers really need to feel and touch different models to determine what works best for them.
The Nexus One never appeared in retail stores, instead relying on online sales via a special Google web site or via T-Mobile, Google’s carrier of choice. Speaking of T-Mobile, the new model is not available via AT&T or Verizon, which is quite a disappointment but not entirely unexpected.
Interested in more details? Be sure to hit up the official Google Nexus S site here, and let us know in the comments section whether the new Nexus S might lure you away from your current smartphone.


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Press Releases • Sep 29, 2017 12:52 BST
The Borders Railway has landed a top tourism award from the British Guild of Travel Writers.
Press Releases • Nov 29, 2016 10:30 GMT
Unique shopping experience to be discovered on Borders Railway
Press Releases • Sep 09, 2016 11:51 BST
Over a million passenger journeys have been made on the Borders Railway since it officially opened 12 months ago today (September 9).
Press Releases • Jun 14, 2016 11:39 BST
Press Releases • May 31, 2016 11:18 BST
The Borders Railway Blueprint partnership, which seeks to maximise economic benefits from the new Borders Railway, today welcomed the Scottish Government announcement that passenger numbers have exceeded original estimates by almost a quarter in the first six months.


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Senior management at Instacart, the exclusive online ordering and delivery service for Whole Foods, learned that Amazon was buying the supermarket chain via the same announcement as everyone else, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The fate of Instacart became a frequently asked question in the wake of the deal's announcement, as industry watchers pondered how Amazon would integrate Whole Foods into its own online commerce and delivery infrastructure. Some wondered if Instacart's Whole Foods partnership was in jeopardy.
But Instacart spoke with Whole Foods soon after the deal was announced, and the retailer re-affirmed its commitment to the contract — a five year deal that has about four years left, the source said. Amazon did not respond to a request for comment.
While Instacart may be best known for its close partnership with Whole Foods — some stores have dedicated checkout lanes and lockers for use by Instacart delivery staff — it gets less than 10% of its revenue from Whole Foods orders, the source said, without going into further detail on the figure.
A spokesperson for Whole Foods declined to comment. The company is also an investor in Instacart — meaning that once the deal is completed, Amazon will own a stake in the delivery service.
In Silicon Valley, Amazon's entry into the brick-and-mortar grocery business was accepted as another sign of the company's relentless march into the heart of the retail industry. But the fate of the Valley's own would-be food industry disrupters was also a subject of debate. Will Amazon eat them all?
"If you don't think of this as a wakeup call, I'm sorry, your lunch is going to be stolen," said Venky Ganesan, a venture capitalist at Menlo Ventures who has invested in Munchery, a meal delivery startup.
"It's not just Instacart, I think this affects people like Postmates and Doordash. It even affects people in the food prep space, like Blue Apron," he said.
"Think about it. Blue Apron — what do they do? They package a set of ingredients and send it to you. Well, Whole Foods has all the items, and Amazon knows how to ship. They can ship it same-day to you."
Delivery startups are hoping that the Amazon deal will show other major food retailers the importance of setting up online ordering and delivery systems. The sale "is further validation that the grocery industry is moving online," said Bill Smith, the founder of Shipt, another delivery startup.
If that transition accelerates due to Amazon's involvement, it could be good news for Instacart, which works as the delivery partner for more than 100 other businesses, including a number of grocers.
The startup has "been telling brick-and-mortar stores that Amazon is coming for years," said the source familiar with the company. "Guess what? They’re here."
- William Alden and Caroline O'Donovan contributed to this article


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As we all know, Google doesn't spend any money in advertising, but relies on word-of-mouth instead to get the message out. However, Google forgoes potential money by "buying" some adwords on its own search engine. For instance, type in "e-mail" and the first paid result links to Gmail. There are lots of other fun tests, such as searching for "web search" (no Google ad), and "news" (Google News is the first paid result).
Surprisingly, this internal subsidization extends to what I would believe to be a lucrative keyword: "VOIP", which stands for Voice-Over-Internet-Protocol, or making phone calls over the internet. Google Talk, which is a very modest VOIP tool that I use right now, is listed 6th in the paid results on the right-hand side. I suspect that this real estate is worth quite a bit, which means that Google is investing a lot of money in the service beyond the costs to develop the application.
While recently I stated that eBay vastly overpaid for Skype, a more full-service VOIP application, Google's internal subsidization of its Google Talk product puts the Skype investment in context. Google is willing to spend a lot of money to expand in the VOIP business, which is some measure of its ambitions in the area.


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Microsoft is aimed at providing help to public sectors and other bodes to deal with sensitive data at their best. The American company has introduced a few of its data Centres for cloud-computing in the United Kingdom for the first time. The data centres opened in the kingdom is said to be a productive gesture of the company and Microsoft claims these are running smoothly.
Opened in Durham, Cardiff and London, these data centres are meant to boost the sales of Microsoft’s online services to the sectors handling sensitive data. Luckily, there are many organizations such as a NHS trust and the Defence Ministry that are willing to adopt the Internet powered products and services.
According to Mike Stone who has been serving the Defence Ministry as the chief information officer for a couple of years, they approached Microsoft two years back and gave them idea to open local facilities in the U.K. He said they were using software that hadn’t been updated in years. Even the applications in used by the MOD were prior to 2003.
Mr. Stone said he took the view that they were providing unhealthy services for purpose. And the idea they came up with was meant to offer a unique capability that can completely exploit the power of the cloud computing and mobility. However, after Microsoft has opened its data Centres in the region, they are more capable in working on documents collaboratively. Moreover, the MOD now understands more about the ways it is working, and he is sure they would be able to see how much time teams spend in meetings, sending e-mails or on the telephone conversation.
The MOD is looking forward to save money after it has adopted cloud services by Microsoft. Initially, the 230,000 employees at the organization won’t be allowed to accumulate “classified” documents on Azure. However, these restrictions are expected to be relaxed after some time, Mr. Stone added.
Though Microsoft opened its first UK based data centres in 2016, the company’s management had already disclosed last year they were going to set up data centres in the country. In addition, its Azure services are locally offered allowing customers to store data and to give them relieve from processing tasks.
These centres only charge the customers for what services they are using. Moreover, they offer their clients an opportunity to easily amend their requirements even at short notice. This offers a considerably cheaper service than what they pay to maintain their own computer servers. They can also get a hybrid approach to deal with the purpose. However, it also involves a risk that anything going wrong can cause problems for lots of organizations without further ado.
In addition, the data centres in the U.K demonstrate the American company is now able to provide online Office 365 and its productive apps with no need of sending data out of the country. The suite of Office 365 comes with an access to the latest versions of Microsoft’s apps and the company hopes it will give surety to the clients that their data is safe.


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Lincolnshire Co-op saw a dip in overall sales and profit in the first six months of the new financial year, despite a rise in sales at food stores and travel branches.
The half-year recordings, which ran between September last year and March 2013, saw like-for-like sales up 1%, with total sales £140.7 million, and group trading surplus was £8.5 million.
Compared to the same period last year, Lincolnshire Co-op has seen a fall in profits from £9.13 million to £8.2 million.
In overall sales within the Society, sales dipped by 0.8%, due to Holland Brothers Jaguar on Outer Circle Road, being taken up by Marshalls, meaning the Co-op no longer benefits from each sale.
Despite the small dip, Lincolnshire Co-op’s Chief Executive Ursula Lidbetter is positive about the figures.
She said: “Times are tough for any retailer and we’ve worked very hard to maintain a good performance in these challenging times.
“We have also felt the impact of rising pension costs this half-year, plus more significant cuts in the price we are paid for dispensing prescriptions and the numerous services our post offices provide.
“With all that to contend with, we are still profitable and have seen some strong performances in areas like travel, food and pharmacy.
“What sets us apart is our local approach. People know that when they spend their hard-earned money with Lincolnshire Co-op it will come back to them as dividend, go to local contractors, suppliers and producers, our 2,700 local staff, or in the case of the Community Champions pot, will go towards a good cause making a real difference in their area.”
Travel saw a large rise of 11.3% within the company’s 12 branches, partly due to full ABTA bonding and ATOL accreditation.
The Co-op’s food sector went up 2.4%, with the help of three new county store openings and six new Love Local products going on sale, such as Lymn Bank cracked black pepper cheese and St Botolph’s Pure Apple Juice.
Sales of the whole Love Local range has risen by 9%, with the Co-op’s bakers, Gadsby’s rising 17%.
Co-op pharmacy saw a rise in prescriptions issued at 2.25%. Some pharmacies are currently undergoing transformations to become “Healthy Living” pharmacies, to help both GPs and teach communities about living a good lifestyle.
Due to the fair sales of the past six months, the 2,700 Co-op Society staff received 70% of a weekly wage, which can be spent in a Co-op store.


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Data General Corp will think long and hard before it decides whether to commit to using the IBM AIX-on-Merced kernel, which will be the basis of Santa Cruz Operation Inc’s future 64-bit UnixWare operating system. DG’s plan had been to supersede its DG/UX Unix with a UnixWare based on SCO’s 64-bit implementation of Unix SVR4, but is reconsidering its position in light of SCO’s alignment around AIX. DG, one of the companies which put its hand in its pocket to support SCO’s enterprise development efforts, observes there’s plenty of 64-bit support already built into DG/UX and that Merced systems are still a long way off. In the meantime, it’s not yet ready to reveal which technology it will use as the basis of future eight-way Windows NT servers. It had been OEMing defunct Axil Computers’ eight-ways as its high-end AV8600 box until the launch of the four-way AV8700 rackmount at Comdex this week. A DG spokesperson didn’t know whether the company had made a decision about which of the handful of eight- way Intel server technologies it would use but said AV8700 users would be able to upgrade to eight-way boxes early next year. DG has rights to Axil’s IP – said to extend to 16-ways – as part its license.
This article is from the CBROnline archive: some formatting and images may not be present.
CBR Online legacy content.


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Temtem took the world by storm late in January when the game launched into Early Access. Since then, the game has been played by many, and the team behind it has some exciting news to share. Temtem has officially sold over 500,000 copies since release! This is a huge milestone for a game like this, and we congratulate the teams at Humble Bundle and Crema for their achievement. To celebrate, the team has gathered some interesting stats about the game achieved so far. The stats are as follows:
-The Skunch temtem has caused 36,569 knockouts
-1,418,519 temtem have been born or bred by players
-Max has one-hit players 369,035 different times
-Sofia has knocked out players 233,155 times
-5.42% of players own the Luna Temtem (32,171 total Lunas)
-The most picked Temtem competitively is Kinu, while the most banned is Volarend
Overall some pretty interesting stats for players. This isn’t all that was revealed, though, as developer Crema plans to release a roadmap soon. This roadmap will detail all that’s planned for the Early Access phase leading up to the full release next year. We don’t know what will be included in the game’s full release, but we’ll update you once Crema reveals the full roadmap.
Haven’t heard about Temtem before? It’s a creature collecting MMORPG developed by Crema and published by Humble Bundle. In the game, you explore an expansive world, either solo or with your friends, and collect different temtem. With those temtem, you battle, trade, and collect all the temtems in a world that’s being constantly developed and expanded. The game is currently available on PC through Steam, but the game will release on Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PS4 in the future. If the game intrigues you, you can also read our review of the game here.
Have you been playing Temtem now that it’s in Early Access? Were you part of any of those stats? Let us know, and stay tuned at The Nerd Stash for all your news, reviews, and more.


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NEW YORK — Oakley Inc. and J. Jill Group Inc. now share an unflattering distinction — both firms reduced their fourth-quarter outlooks late last week and got beaten up on Wall Street because of it.
This story first appeared in the December 9, 2002 issue of WWD. Subscribe Today.
Soft sunglass sales at Oakley and a charge to restructure the firm’s European operations incited investors to drive down shares of the firm $2.17, or 17.7 percent, to $10.12 Friday on the New York Stock Exchange. The news was made public after the market closed on Thursday. The firm’s stock has over the last year traded as low as $8.87.
Shares of J. Jill lost more than a quarter of their value a day earlier, when it revealed that sales for the quarter were not reacting as expected to promotions and direct mailings. Its bet on sweaters also failed to pan out.
Foothill Ranch, Calif.-based Oakley is now looking for its fourth-quarter results to range from break-even to earnings of 1 cent a diluted share, translating to about 3 cents before restructuring charges. Oakley had previously predicted EPS of 10 cents.
The firm’s sales for the period are now expected to come in around $100 million. This makes for an 11 percent increase versus the year-ago period, but is 9 percent below prior projections.
“While we are receiving favorable spring footwear and apparel bookings and remain confident in our product diversification strategies over the long term, sunglass sales in the United States, Europe and South Pacific region have been softer than expected in the fourth quarter,” said chief operating officer Link Newcomb.
Oakley gave several reasons for the weakness, but first and foremost blamed soft consumer spending and weak retail conditions that pulled down sales in its primary category.
Additionally, deliveries of summer sunglass introductions to retailers were delayed, resulting in fewer turns during the summer selling season and a decreased level of reorders going into the holidays. Foot Locker is also reducing the number of doors carrying Oakley sunglasses next year.
Newcomb added that his firm “underestimated the negative impact that Sunglass Hut’s return to our business may be having” on other retailers, compared with a year ago when Sunglass Hut was not purchasing Oakley products.
Also, the firm’s board approved plans to restructure Oakley’s European operations with significant changes to the regional sales and distribution organization. Accordingly, relationships with several outside sales agents will be modified or terminated, while the firm’s warehousing and distribution functions in the region will be rationalized.
The region’s annual sales over the past five years have grown more than 130 percent to about $110 million and Newcomb said the restructuring would clear the way for future growth. “We expect payback in the form of increased European net sales and reduced operating expenses to be fully achieved within approximately 12 to 18 months.” More immediately, the restructuring will effect a charge of about 2 to 3 cents a diluted share during the fourth quarter.
Wells Fargo Securities analyst Jennifer Black, in research notes, agreed that Oakley’s diversification strategy should eventually lessen the impact of the difficult sunglass business. Sunglasses represent about 70 percent of the firm’s sales, she said, while new product categories grew by 48 percent in the second quarter and 15.5 percent in the third.
“In the near term, as Oakley continues to be highly reliant on its sunglass business and as it moves out of Foot Locker, the company, once again, becomes more dependent on the Sunglass Hut chain.
“Although the new businesses are currently less profitable than the core sunglass business, we believe in time their contribution to both sales and margins should become more meaningful and should enable the company to weather the occasional trip in the sunglass business.”
Black also said that Oakley was a potential buy-out candidate. “We would not be surprised to see the company’s chief executive officer, Jim Jannard, who now owns over 60 percent of the company, buy back the minority interest,” she said.
Quincy, Mass.-based retailer J. Jill gave its fourth-quarter expectations a haircut. The firm is now looking for profits of 25 to 30 cents a diluted share for the period. This compared with Wall Street’s expectations of 42 cents a share and year-ago earnings of 37 cents.
On Thursday, shares of the firm lost 28.2 percent of their value, or $6.49 each. The stock slid 50 cents, or 3 percent, in Nasdaq trading Friday to close at $16.02. In the last 52 weeks, shares of the firm have sold for as low as $12.
“Unfortunately, sales for our historically predictable Best Seller catalog, which began to mail in early November, were significantly below plan,” said president and chief executive Gordon Cooke, in a statement. “In addition, as a result of prior successes, we also increased our investment in our traditionally strong sweater classification, which ultimately ran against this year’s fashion trends and resulted in lost sales in both the direct and retail segments.”
The company is now looking for quarterly sales of $102 million to $107.5 million, versus $91.7 million a year ago.
Cooke noted: “We recognize that we have some short-term issues to work through and we are dedicated to getting the business back on track.” However, the holiday catalog, which was mailed after the Best Seller book outperformed expectations in its third drop and fiscal 2002 is still expected to finish with record sales and earnings.


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A recent motion in the class action lawsuit between Bruce Pickens and defendants Mercedes-Benz, Daimler AG, Saint-Gobain Sekurit (Saint Gobain), and Napleton Autowerks of Indiana, Inc. (Napleton Autowerks) seeks to put this case to rest. Defendants Napleton Autowerks recently filed a motion to dismiss Pickens’ first amended complaint or, to have all of his allegations stricken. Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) filed a similar motion to dismiss following Napleton Autowerks’ motion.
In the class action suit, Pickens alleged the German luxury auto manufacturer is at fault for misrepresenting the safety of its vehicles and states spontaneous sunroof breakage as a main factor. He also alleges Mercedes-Benz engaged in “the practice of misrepresenting the safety of the vehicles,” which resulted in harm to vehicle owners and passengers.
“Napleton also moves to dismiss plaintiff’s express warranty claims because the warranty’s unambiguous language states that MBUSA issued it—not Napleton. Napleton further moves to dismiss plaintiff’s strict liability claims because the plaintiff alleges he purchased a used car and used car dealers cannot be held strictly liable under Illinois law,” a portion of Napleton Autowerks’ motion reads.
The complaint alleges that the defendants failed to adequately warn against the negative effects and risks associated with Mercedes-Benz’s vehicles. According to Pickens the defendants failed to provide any warnings regarding the potential sunroof breakage.
According to Pickens, he owns a 2015 Mercedes-Benz ML350, which was being driven by his sister, Jawanna Tallie, on March 3, 2020 when the sunroof suddenly exploded. He states the spontaneous breakage occurred while his sister was driving 55 miles per hour on a highway on a sunny day. Tallie stated she heard something like a shotgun blast, which caused her to pull over to check the outside of the vehicle. She then was unable to find any external damage, but when she reentered the vehicle, glass allegedly fell onto her as the sunroof caved in.
The class action complaint alleges large panoramic sunroofs require exact engineering as well as precise strengthening and attachment of the glass. Mercedes allegedly failed to meet the required standards according to owners who claim the sunroofs cracked, shattered or exploded, according to the class action complaint.
According to Pickens, customers say they were dangerously distracted when the sunroofs exploded, yet Mercedes-Benz allegedly refuses to recall the vehicles. In addition, after receiving multiple complaints from Mercedes-Benz owners the automaker allegedly offers $250 to $500 as good faith gestures as long as the customers agree not to sue. According to the class action complaint, replacing the panoramic sunroof can cost up to $2,000, but Pickens claims he was quoted a price of $9,000 to replace his sunroof.
Look to a future edition of glassBYTEs for more information on this suit.


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Digital Money Cambodia: The Cambodian Government is ready to issue their own cryptocurrency Entapay. They have also banned the cryptocurrency transactions which creates a state of confusion among cryptocurrency entrepreneurs. Men Sam An, Cambodia’s Deputy Prime Minister, recently announced the launch of Entapay, a cryptocurrency.
Entapay is a government supported, multi-functional digital currency payment system consisting of storage management, trading, exchange and offline transactions in Cambodia. It can be viewed as a decentralized Alipay application based on blockchain technology. The digital money Entapay was announced as the Crypto of Canadian Government as it is inspired by Venezuela’s newly-released cryptocurrency, the Petro.
About Government Cryptocurrency Entapay
Entapay derives its name from the Quantum Mechanical Phenomenon of Quantum Entanglement, which features secure encryption and transmission of information. As a multi-functional payment system, Entapay removes the inconvenience of managing multi-digital currencies, the laborious process of trading, and insufficient physical trading sites. Entapay will provide off-line exchange services for other cryptocurrencies. Entapay will replace VISA as the mainstream payment method.
Because of this Cryptocurrency Entrepreneurs suffer a lot as all the crypto transactions were banned in the country. The National Bank of Cambodia has been reluctant to support cryptocurrency, according to Mean, the lead developer of the Khmer Crypto Foundation. So the Government felt that it is a good sign as the national bank is ready to use the blockchain technology. It is hoped that the inconvenience among the crypto traders will be soon solved.


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Court dismisses Frank Lloyd Wright furniture suit
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Home products giant SC Johnson reached a settlement with a California man in a dispute over ownership of a desk and chair designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, but the private terms of the deal mean it's not clear who will end up with the distinctive and valuable furniture.
SC Johnson, which is based south of Milwaukee in Racine, sued Sotheby's auction house and Thomas Figge, of California, after the auction house listed the furniture for sale in 2013.
Wright designed SC Johnson's Administration Building in the 1930s and created furnishings for it. The desk made of enameled steel and American black walnut has horizontal "speed" lines that give it a distinctive, streamlined look, according to court documents. It is painted a deep red and has rounded drawers that swing outward in a cascade. The blue upholstery on the accompanying chair indicates it was used in the company's records department, the documents said.
The chair and desk were among multiple copies produced for SC Johnson. The company said in its lawsuit that it hasn't sold or loaned any items designed by Wright except in a few, well-documented cases to museums. It said it had no record of a gift to the people named in the ownership history provided by Sotheby's, believed the items rightfully belonged to SC Johnson and wanted them returned.
Court documents show the lawsuit was dismissed Oct. 8 because a settlement had been reached. The terms weren't disclosed.
John Cahill, a lawyer representing Figge, said Tuesday in an email that the settlement was confidential and declined to comment on it. Figge bought the furniture in 2002 from a previous owner, according to court documents.
Representatives for Sotheby's and SC Johnson did not immediately return messages inquiring about the settlement.


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One intriguing prediction made by several pundits for 2009 is that the worldwide distribution for phones running Google’s Android mobile operating system could actually surpass that of iPhone. That hypothesis may be getting a considerable boost, as a handset is reportedly in the works to be launched on China Mobile.
Called the “OPhone,” the handset is being manufacturer by Lenovo Mobile, and is expected to launch “in the first quarter” according to Reuters. With more than 300 million subscribers, China Mobile is the world’s largest carrier, and in turn, becomes the biggest potential market for applications developed for Android.
Meanwhile, Apple was reportedly in talks with China Mobile late last year regarding iPhone distribution in the country, but no deal has been reached as of yet. Being first to China and its enormous mobile population is clearly a huge opportunity for everyone involved, from the carriers, to the manufacturers, to the developers that build applications for mobile.
Google is yet to launch paid apps for its mobile platform, though that too is reportedly coming very soon. Combined with access to the Chinese market, it might just make the Android optimists’ projections come to pass.


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April 9 may seem like a random spring day, but for Target, it’s the day Victoria Beckham descends on the mass retailer.
According to Vogue, Beckham’s long-awaited collaboration with Target will finally launch on April 9 at Target and on victoriabeckham.com, treating customers to a modern, yet whimsical collection of both child and adult clothing.
While Beckham is most known for her upscale designs for her self-named fashion label, Glamour reports that this collaboration will make high style available to shoppers of all budgets, with prices starting at $6 and capping at $70 and ” most items falling below the $40 mark.”
Though the line features ’60s-inspired florals and playful patterns, each piece in the collaboration offers tailored, fitted pieces that look much more expensive than their price tags admit. Take, for example, the Black Daisy Peplum Top: with oversized flowers strewn about the top, the bold floral doesn’t overtake the top’s structure, which has a clearly defined waist and bust that will only create shape and curves.
Comprised of over 150 pieces, Beckham told Vogue that the accessibility of her clothing has been a chief concern for her and her brand. “It has always been important to me that my designs reach women all over the world,” she said. “I think it’s great [and] it’s a collection that women everywhere can enjoy.”
If this collection is calling your name, you can start staking out the pieces you’ll want to purchase by skimming Target’s preview of the line here.


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China says it has banned Tripadvisor from mobile app stores in the country as the government embarks on a fresh bid to “clean up” the internet.
In a statement this week, the Cyberspace Administration of China said it has removed 105 apps it considers to be “illegal,” including that of the US travel giant which features reviews of hotels and holiday destinations, CNN Business reports.
Most of the platforms belong to Chinese firms and it was not immediately clear why Tripadvisor was caught up in the crackdown. The Massachusetts-based company said in a statement that it was “not in a position to comment at this time”.
According to Beijing, the removals are intended to save the people from content related to illegal activity including obscenity, pornography, prostitution, violence, fraud and gambling.
Chinese internet users have lived behind the so-called “Great Firewall” for years. American social media networks, such as Facebook and Twitter have long been blocked by Beijing.
The US and China have increasingly clashed over technology. Recently, the Trump administration threatened to ban short-form video app TikTok if it is not sold by its Chinese parent company ByteDance. Those negotiations are still ongoing.
China also takes a hard line on restricting online content even if the platforms are homegrown and popular. Regulators blocked Toutiao, a news aggregation site from iOS and Android app stores because of pornographic and vulgar content on its feeds. At that time the app was ByteDance’s most popular.
The next day, regulators ordered ByteDance to permanently shut down Neihan Duanzi, a social media platform where users were known to share crude content. Beijing urged the company to “learn a lesson and weed out similar video content”.
American hotel group Marriott’s app was blocked when Beijing discovered the company listed Hong Kong and Macao as individual countries instead of regions of China.


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Event date: November 1 – 2, 2016 Crowne Plaza, Palo Alto
The creators of the Jetsons should have been paid for a lot more than just cartooning. Hanna-Barbera’s pre-apollo era sitcom imagined a future that looks alot like our gadget-filled present.Although we don’t have flying cars or self-propelling space suits, technologies today are making our home smarter and more [...]
Jetsons-style smart homes were once a pipe dream for consumers, however they are now slowly becoming a reality across the world.
With diminishing fossil fuel reserves, a rising global population, strong economic growth in developing countries and major concerns about our environment, controlling electricity consumption has become a serious and extremely challenging issue.
Active Assisted Living
Elderly people represent an ever-growing proportion of the population. By 2025, there will be 820 million people aged 65 and older globally. The shift in demographics towards an ageing population will make it impossible to keep everyone who needs care in hospital. Fortunately, advanced bio‑monitoring systems and remote monitoring technologies make it easier [...]
Connected safety and security systems and devices with remote monitoring capabilities are expanding their share of the global smart home market. A survey in the UK in July 2015 identified security as the second most important of five key drivers for the connected home, after smart energy. The BI Intelligence research company estimates that by 2019 home security systems will account for 38% [...]
ComfyLight – the smart security light and CES 2016 Innovation Awards Honouree – announced that it will launch its Kickstarter campaign with the aim of raising 50,000 Euros. The new and unique home security solution comes in the form of an LED lamp with the goal to actively protect homes from burglars.
Smart Homes were one of the main topics at this year’s CES. Manufacturers like Samsung presented a wide range of new products and solutions such as the intelligent ‘Family Hub Refrigerator’, whilst other organisations like the ULE Alliance or the DSP Group announced new partnerships.
As Baby Boomers age, the need for adult care and assisted living continues to grow. As of February 2015, 8.4 million people in the U.S. receive support annually from five main long-term care service options: home health agencies, nursing homes, hospices, residential care communities, and adult day service centers. Outside these facilities, 43.5 million family and informal caregivers [...]
Ever since the Jetsons conjured up a smart home utopia 60 years ago there has been hype around devices that can make our home lives easier. Today that hype is beginning to turn into consumer support with research recently commissioned by Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) showing that almost half (46%) of consumers believe smart home devices will become mainstream within five years. [...]
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"Launching a new car brand is not for the faint-hearted"
LYNK & CO announced last week its plans for future-looking mobility - and Graham Hope found it very interesting
THE launch of an all-new car brand is always interesting. But I found last week’s global introduction of LYNK & CO – Chinese giant Geely’s project that aims to take the connected car concept to a new level – especially fascinating, not least because of the honesty of all involved.
Firstly, Conghui An, president and CEO of the Geely Auto Group, tacitly admitted: “Many will say the world does not need another auto brand.”
Then Brit Peter Horbury, executive vice president of Geely Design, confessed that creating the all-new brand was “incredibly challenging”. Starting with, literally, a blank piece of paper was, he continued, “daunting, but also liberating”. The brand’s SUV, the 01 is, to these eyes at least, a credible start.
And then, of course, there is the fact that Geely’s involvement will conjure up mainly negative preconceptions for some buyers on account of its Chinese heritage. LYNK & CO vice-president Alain Visser tackled this head on, saying: “We think that this may be one of the biggest potential hurdles. There is a perception of lack of quality with Chinese cars, and even of fake products. That’s why our link with Volvo [another Geely brand] is so important.”
The fact LYNK & CO has gone to such lengths to develop the car in Sweden and give it a European look, when half its sales will be in China, says a lot about how Chinese cars are seen in their home market. I’ll be curious to see if this bold approach works.
What does it all mean for Brits? Well, an innovative sales model – with opportunities for sharing, leasing and subscriptions for urban users – is arguably of more interest than the car itself. “We’re selling mobility, not cars,” is how Visser put it. With recent data showing London is set to become a 10million megacity by 2024, LYNK & CO’s arrival could be quite timely. You can bet the industry will be watching with interest.
Do you think LYNK & CO will succeed? Let us know in the comments below...


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The Nigeria Customs Service has confirmed the 4 companies that have been given the CBN emergency approval to imports 262,000 tons of maize into Nigeria.
The companies are Wacot Limited, Chi farms Limited, Crown Flour Mills Limited and Premier Feeds Company Limited.
This was disclosed in a memo with reference number: NCS/T&T/I&E/021/S.93/VOL on Thursday evening signed by the Deputy Comptroller General, T.M ISA and seen by Nairametrics.
The letter said, “in line with the government’s policy on food security, sufficiency and striking a balance between food imports and local production capacities to meet anticipated shortfall, the Central Bank of Nigeria has granted approval for the underlisted companies to import maize in the quantities stated below”.
The memo also noted the banks to conduct the transactions with, the names of the companies, and the quantity each company is approved to import.
Wacot Limited, approved to import 60,000 tons , conducting half of the approved capacity with Citi Bank and Titan Trust Bank respectively.
Chi Farms Limited will import 60,000 tons of maize banking with Titan Trust Limited.
Crown Flour Mills, with the lowest capacity approval, would import 22,000 tons via Coronation Bank.
Premier Feeds Company Limited got the highest capacity approval at 120,000 tons and will bank with Zenith Bank for the transaction.
The Nigeria Customs Service warned that only the above 4 companies are allowed to import maize into the country and the exercise would run strictly from August to October.
On Thursday, President Muhammadu Buhari had announced the Federal government’s plan to release 30,000 tons of maize from the national reserves to animal feed producers to deal with the high cost of poultry production after the ban on maize imports.
“We are very mindful of the challenge of high food prices, at a time when the economy is already in a slowdown caused by the global coronavirus situation, and are doing everything in our power to bring down the prices of food items across the country,” Buhari said.


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Manufacturing activity in the central Atlantic region expanded in April for the seventh straight month but at a more temperate pace than a month ago, according to the Richmond Fed's latest survey. All broad indicators — including shipments, new orders and employment — continued to grow but at a rate below March's pace. Other indicators were mixed. Fifth District contacts reported that capacity utilization continued to grow more slowly, while backlogs turned slightly negative. Vendor delivery times edged higher and raw materials inventories grew at a somewhat higher rate.
This is the third regional manufacturing survey to show a drop in its latest reading. While this is only one month of data, the breadth of the data (the number of regions showing a drop) is concerning. I'm assuming that some of this is the result of the supply chain problems caused by Japan, but I'm also thinking we're starting to see the effects of China's continued effort to slow its economy through a combination of higher interest rates and reserve requirements, along with other rate increases from Asian and South American countries.
Manufacturing has been a driver of the current expansion, making these readings that much more concerning.


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Australian table grape and citrus growers have welcomed the reopening of trade with Vietnam, which has been shut down since January.
On Thursday, the Federal Government announced Vietnam was now satisfied Australian produce met the higher biosecurity protocols it was seeking from the Australian industry.
It also announced Australia had opened the door to Vietnamese lychee imports.
Vietnam is the second most valuable market for the Australian table grape industry, and this year growers missed out completely, according to the Australian Table Grape Association's CEO Jeff Scott.
"We traditionally export just over $32 million worth of table grapes to Vietnam, and exports generally are a $40 million market," he said.
"So to lose $32 million did have a significant impact on our exports last season."
While Vietnam sourced grapes from other southern hemisphere producers, Australian growers were forced to put extra tonnes into other markets, and try to sell domestically.
But Mr Scott said the Vietnamese importers had been understanding throughout the trade ban, and exports should resume smoothly next season.
The timing of the ban was devastating for table grape producers, but its lifting is just in time for Australia's citrus growers, who are harvesting at the moment.
Citrus Australia market access manager David Daniels said the industry would still be able to access the Vietnamese market this year.
"It has come at a very opportune time for us and the Department of Agriculture has negotiated a very workable protocol for us," he said.
Both industry officials say they have been pleased with the Federal Government's handling of the issue.


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“There really weren't a lot of [Asian-fusion] options around the Lakewood area, so when the owners decided to open there, they changed the name to Jia Asian Bistro [for that specific location],” Crawford said.
Jia Asian Bistro offers authentic Southern Chinese food based on recipes in the Szechwan region, according to its website. The new Lakewood location offers a similar menu to its Preston Road location. It serves an Asian fusion mix, including Chinese food, Thai food and sushi on its menu. Crawford said the area did not have many Thai restaurants to offer residents, and that prompted the owners to include it in their menu.
The new restaurant across from the Lakeview mall offers both a casual and formal dining experience. The main dining room offers space for 65 people total, excluding the patio. The restaurant offers private parties, reservations and walk-ins. It is open from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. daily. 214-216-4542. www.jiamodernchinese.com/index.html


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Twitter has rolled out a new feature for all the creators out there with Super Followers where it allows users to host spaces that can only be joined by followers who have paid or super followers. These new exclusive Spaces feature targets Super Followers, who until now, had only one advantage over regular followers and that is – ‘exclusive tweets‘. But, now they will also have a dedicated place that only Super Followers can attend, allowing creators to host a smaller, more personal Space.
Twitter- Super Follower only Spaces
Twitter’s rolling out a new subscriber-only element to help creators build their in-app communities, with Super Follower only Spaces that is now available for selected creators that offer subscriptions. This new feature is Twitter Spaces + Super Follows smashed together.
introducing Super Follows Spaces 🤝 a new way to get even more connected with your Super Followers— Super Follows (@SuperFollows) May 17, 2022
rolling out now to all Super Follows creators pic.twitter.com/sX2fuGfiX8
Also Read: Amreen Gill’s Punjabi Dance with a Hip-Hop twist!
As you can see in the screenshot below, the new ‘Super Followers-only Spaces‘ can be easily differentiated as they have a different color palette for the link, with a note at the top that it’s a ‘Super Followers only’ broadcast. That could be a good way to help build your subscriber base, as the exclusive Spaces can only see the preview, and also keep a close watch on who is tuning in, which would result in a strong enticement and give opportunities for them to sign up.
Users that want Super Follows can sign themselves for set a monthly subscription where the cost would be between $2.99 and $9.99 a month, with Twitter taking a small percentage of each transaction. And It’s reasonably low-cost if you have followers that are highly engaged in what you have to say already.
Super Follower Spaces plays a major part as it lures creators to maximize their subscribers on Twitter. Giving the subscribers a new option to “offer an extra layer of conversation to their biggest supporters”.
Creators can start a Super-Follows-only Space by selecting the “Only Super Followers can join” button when they start a new Space. This Space will be visible to all the creator’s followers but they will not be able to actress it unless they subscribe.
‘Super Follows-only Spaces’ is available on both iOS and Android. Super Followers can attend these exclusive spaces and partake in conversations with other like-minded followers. You can also access a Super Space-only Followers event via a browser but you cannot say anything.
An embedded Twitter video from the official account showcases how it works. Creators can create a Twitter space and then select the option to host it only for their Super Followers. It gives them a better medium to connect with the audience that loves and relates to them. Although Twitter creators are surely excited about the new feature, some believe that Twitter Spaces doesn’t have that charm. In addition, one user even suggested hosting a Discord server over ‘Super Follows-only Spaces.’


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Visionary Retailer: Phil Markert Drives Transformation At Vons, Albertsons, PavilionsNovember 27, 2019
For nearly four decades, Phil Markert has been a part of the Vons grocery chain fabric. He began at the entry level, bagging groceries at a Southern California-based Vons, but eventually would rise to enter the company’s executive ranks. Today Vons is under the Albertsons umbrella, following the 2015 Safeway-Albertsons merger, and Markert is now director of liquor for all Vons, Albertsons, and Pavilions locations across Southern California—a grocery empire spanning 354 stores in all, with total beverage alcohol revenues estimated at $850 million by Market Watch magazine.
Markert, who was recently named a 2019 Market Watch Leader, has fine-tuned the company’s wine and spirits program in recent years, increasing the number of stores with wine stewards, incorporating a more rigorous training curriculum for staff, and tailoring selections based on local preferences. “We’ve created a one-stop shop for food, wine, spirits, beer, home goods, and much more,” he says. “We’ve taken our selection up another level by listening to our customers and catering to each neighborhood’s needs, and we’ve dug deeper into fine spirits, taking our high-end wine approach to the spirits sphere.”
Best-selling wines company-wide currently include Justin Cabernet Sauvignon ($40 a 750-ml.), La Crema Chardonnay ($23), and Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc ($20). Canned offerings like House Wine, Wine by Joe, and Dark Horse are also driving sales. The company’s own brands are likewise aligning with national trends. Private-labels across Vons, Albertsons, and Pavilions stores are retail priced from $4 for a 375-ml. can of Outspoken rosé to $26 for a 750-ml. of Signature Reserve Series Chardonnay.
The entire spirits category is on fire, Markert notes. “Spirits are going to lead the industry over the next decade, and whisk(e)y is definitely on trend,” he says. “Tequila, particularly in this market, is also hot right now. Elsewhere, we’re seeing a movement toward low-alcohol, no-alcohol, low-carb, and low-sugar—consumers are health-conscious, and spirits are starting to play into that.” Across all stores, such labels as Ketel One Botanical Peach & Orange Blossom vodka ($29 a 750-ml.) and Prairie Organic vodka ($24) have embodied that ethos and been popular with consumers.
Markert has made the upscale Pavilions stores a special point of focus. In 2017, the company launched an upgraded “Pavilions 2.0” concept, which is gradually being implemented across the chain. The revamped Pavilions stores carry a vast selection, averaging 2,500 wine SKUs, 1,000 spirits SKUs, and 900 beer SKUs per location. Spirits offerings geared toward Pavilions stores include The Macallan Rare Cask single malt Scotch ($384 a 750-ml.) and Casa Dragones Joven Tequila ($342), while numerous luxury wines and Champagnes are also offered, among them Caymus Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon ($127) and vintage Dom Pérignon Champagne.
“We’ve differentiated Pavilions from Albertsons and Vons not only through enhancement of the liquor department, but also of all of the other departments—customers will see a much greater selection of organic, natural products, improved floral selections, and more,” Markert says.
The company is currently in the process of remodeling all its Pavilions locations into Pavilion 2.0 storefronts; as of August, 11 of the 26 locations had undergone renovations, with many more set to follow over the next three years. New stores will also join the crop of remodeled locations, as the umbrella company looks to build its upscale fleet. Market Watch has more on the transformation of the beverage alcohol category at Vons, Albertsons, and Pavilions on its website.—Julia HigginsSubscribe to Shanken News Daily’s Email Newsletter, delivered to your inbox each morning.


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Kerala restarts houseboat service to boost tourism in the midst of Covid-19
All boat services in Kerala's Kumarakom were banned for over a year due to the Covid-19 limitations
The tourism industry in Kerala is booming, thanks to the return of houseboats after a long hiatus owing to the Covid-19 illness and shutdown.
"The Covid-19 restrictions stopped all boat services in Kumarakom for almost a year, now all are back for Christmas and New Year tourism season", said a boat owner.
"Houseboat tourism restarted after a long time in Kottayam as Covid-19 situation has improved after the pandemic but footfall isn't high. 70 per cent of tourists are from Kerala while the rest 30 per cent are from other states", said Sreekumar another houseboat owner. "I hope that the Omicron situation would be over soon and the tourism business will bounce back", Sreekumar added.
According to him, more Omicron infections resulted in a drop in bookings for houseboats in January. With the tourists, the houseboat owners adhere to all Covid-19 protocols. Following the outbreak, some houseboat owners regretted the lack of foreign guests in Kerala.


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Foster City, Calif. — EchoStar’s Sling Media unit said Wednesday that ViXS Systems has agreed to collaborate on Sling Media’s new network transcoder, a plug-and-play, stand-alone Slingbox targeted for cable multi-system operators and multichannel video programming distributors.
The network transcoder incorporates Sling technology running a ViXS XCode 5190 chipset, which performs up to Quad HD to HD transcoding for delivery of four independent video feeds, live or recorded, to four separate mobile devices.
Sling said the transcoder is designed to seamlessly integrate with new and existing cable set-top boxes and will deliver a true TV-anywhere experience across popular CE devices, meaning service subscribers with the new equipment will be able to access video content from the set-top decoder on multiple devices inside and outside the home.
Sling said the network transcoder has already begun shipping and is currently being deployed by multiple cable MSOs and other channel partners in the United States.
The network transcoder will offer the same Sling experience enjoyed by users of Slingbox products, including the recently introduced Slingbox M1 and SlingTV, while adding new features designed for large-scale deployment through MSOs and MVPDs, the company said.
Using the ViXS XCode 5190 chipset, the network transcoder delivers up to HD-quality video of a customer’s TV shows and recordings to a wide variety of Slingplayer-enabled mobile devices including PC/Mac desktops and laptops, tablets and phones.
“Deploying Sling technology is one of the best ways for operators to extend the entire living room TV experience anywhere and our retail Slingbox products have long been a leader in this space. We are pleased to again be working with our long-time partner, ViXS, to deliver this solution to MSOs and MVPDs who are looking to add more value to their current customer offerings,” stated Michael Hawkey, Sling Media senior VP and general manager. “The Sling Media network transcoder provides a seamless way to integrate Sling technology for new and existing customers, further enhancing cable and telco TV offerings by extending the entertainment experience beyond the living room TV.”


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In a groundbreaking move, the European Pharmacopoeia (Ph. Eur.) Commission has taken a significant step forward in the standardisation of medical cannabis by releasing the long-awaited monograph for Cannabis flower (3028). The preview of this monograph in October 2023 sparked considerable interest within the medical cannabis industry. Building on this excitement, the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & Healthcare (EDQM) has now made available two essential standards: Cannabis flower for system suitability HRS and cannabidiol for cannabis CRS.
New EDQM cannabis standards
The newly adopted monograph on Cannabis flower (3028) includes a crucial standard for system suitability – Cannabis flower for system suitability HRS. This standard will now occur under the catalogue code Y0002440. It sets the benchmark for the quality and performance of cannabis flower in various analytical methods. It provides a comprehensive guide for laboratories to ensure the reliability and reproducibility of analytical results related to cannabis flower.
In addition to the Cannabis flower for system suitability HRS, the EDQM has introduced another pivotal standard – cannabidiol for cannabis CRS. It is dentified by the catalogue code Y0002422. This standard focuses specifically on cannabidiol. The inclusion of this standard acknowledges the growing importance of CBD in medical applications and highlights the need for standardised testing methodologies.
Benefits of standards adoption
The newly released standards bring a multitude of benefits to the medical cannabis industry. These standards serve as a cornerstone for ensuring the consistency in testing. It offers a uniform basis that guarantees reliable and consistent results across diverse laboratories.
Furthermore, they enable manufacturers to implement stringent quality control measures that assure the purity and potency of medical cannabis products. In these terms, adherence to the standards becomes instrumental. It is helping companies meet regulatory requirements and enhancing acceptance and trust within the medical cannabis sector. Lastly, the emphasis on standardisation plays a pivotal role in fostering Research Advancements, providing a shared language and methodology that not only facilitates collaboration among researchers and institutions but also encourages more extensive and reliable research endeavours in the field.
Implications for the medical cannabis industry
Overall, the medical cannabis sector has reached a major turning point with the release of these guidelines. This move towards consistency is expected to enhance the credibility of medical cannabis products, facilitate research, and ensure patient safety.
The industry may expect positive movement towards improved quality, consistency, and reliability in medical cannabis products as more businesses and laboratories adopt these standards. This advancement benefits those who are responsible for the cultivation and testing of medical cannabis as well as those who seek to further research and safeguard the health of patients who depend on these therapeutic goods.


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Tesco is tapping into growing demand for diet-related foods with personalised eating plans and a new healthy food range.
Why are we talking about this now?
Tesco has revealed that it is to expand its healthy foods offer with the launch of personalised eating plans and a new food range called My Fit Lifestyle.
The range will initially be available in 50 stores in London, which will feature My Fit Lifestyle zones with products colour-coded according to five different calorie bands. Tesco said this will allow customers to easily see which products fit their personal plans.
Customers will be encouraged to sign up to the My Fit Lifestyle eating plan on Tesco.com, where they can list their goals and receive a plan to match, and choose meals to fit with their plan.
Products in the range include Moroccan chicken wholemeal flatbread, a Mediterranean graze box and all day breakfast bacon.
What are other retailers doing?
Walk into any food retailer such as Asda and Morrisons and you’re sure to find rows of products bearing labels with the terms such as low-fat, diet and no-added sugar.
Marks & Spencer offers a wide range of products targeting customers following a healthy diet, such as its Count on Us range featuring products with less than 3% fat. Last year the retailer launched a new healthy eating range called Delicious & Nutritious, featuring 11 ready meals and lunch options inspired by Middle Eastern flavours.
Recently retailers have stepped up their activities, launching new categories and new styles of dishes. In March last year Boots launched its first range of healthy evening meals under its Shapers brand, serving up dishes such as chicken tikka masala, paella and Thai chicken curry.
Alliance Boots health and beauty chief executive Alex Gourlay said at the time: “We know our customers want to feel good about what they eat and do not want to compromise between eating healthily or conveniently.”
Meanwhile, Boots rival Superdrug offers slimming products and has an exclusive tie-up with LighterLife along with selling Slimfast and Celebrity Slim.
Why are retailers targeting healthy food?
More than six out of 10 adults overweight or obese, said Mintel, and dieting has become ingrained into many Britons’ lifestyles. The majority of adults (65% of women and 44% of men) have tried to lose weight in the 12 months to September 2013, also according to Mintel, leading to many people turning to diets and buying products offering lower calories or less fat.
Brands such as Weight Watchers and Slimfast, which offer liquid replacement meals, highlight the success of the diet industry.
However, the outlook for the diet and weight-control food market over the next few years appears to be challenging.
“Despite the swathes of consumers keen to lose weight the market is plagued by a string of negative perceptions, perhaps the most damaging of these being concerns over the ingredients/artificial sweeteners they contain,” Emma Clifford, senior food and drink analyst at Mintel says in a report published last year. “While this widespread distrust lingers, the market is unlikely to reap the rewards from the growth in consumer spending.”
What is the value of the market?
The value of the diet and weight control foods market increased by 7% to £1.7bn between 2008 and 2013, according to Mintel. The research company said that was driven by rising prices and corresponds to a decline of 14% at constant 2013 prices.


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After an injunction hearing earlier this week, Judge Posner has issued his final decision on whether to throw out the Motorola v. Apple case. The result? You're (both) outta here.
Judge Posner dismissed both parties' cases with prejudice earlier this evening (meaning Apple and Moto cannot refile against one another on these issues in any other federal court). Apple will, of course, appeal.
Posner's feeling on Apple's insistent demand for an injunction against Motorola's smartphone products was summed up best by the following excerpt from the decision:
And while the patents themselves (or some of them at least) may well have considerable value, after the claims constructions by Judge Crabb and myself and after my grants of partial summary judgment only a handful of the original patent claims remain in the case; infringement of that handful may not be a source of significant injury past, present, or future.
The presiding judge in the Motorola v. Apple case in Illionois, Richard Posner, has just handed down an order dismissing all claims of both parties in the case, just as it was set to go to trial on Monday. Posner's preliminary order (he'll be writing a full decision soon, which I can't wait to read) basically says neither party was able to show that the infringement of patents by the other resulted in the production of evidence that said infringement actually caused them any harm. Read More
Update: It should come as no surprise, but Samsung has responded to Apple's attack on the Galaxy S III, saying it will "demonstrate to the court that the Galaxy S III is innovative and distinctive."
Apple and Samsung's ongoing litigation in California federal court has become something of a three-ring circus. Back in December, the presiding judge denied Apple's request for a preliminary injunction against a wide variety of Samsung products. Read More
Apple has filed a new complaint with the ITC against HTC over the same data-tapping patent that caused a substantial disruption of HTC's supply line into the United States, and resulted in delayed or stifled launches for a number of phones.
After removing the multi-option dialogue that appeared upon pressing a phone number in an email or webpage from its devices, HTC proclaimed it was clear of Apple's patent on data-tapping techniques. Read More
Update: We've received an official statement from an HTC spokesperson on the situation with US Customs, and it basically confirms what was said to the Taiwanese stock exchange. Here it is:
“Each imported HTC model must be reviewed by Customs and will be released once Customs officials have completed the inspection. Some models have gone through inspection and been released to our carrier customers. We don't have the status of each specific device model at this time, but we are working closely with Customs.
Apple is causing more mischief over in Germany today, having received an injunction from a Munich Regional Court against phone manufacturer Motorola for utilizing slide-to-unlock style lockscreen methods patented by Apple. Motorola intends to appeal the ruling. The basic point to take away is this: the court ruled that Apple's patent on the concept of moving a tracked image from left to right in order to unlock a phone is valid, and it seems likely that every slide-to-unlock implementation on Android would be infringing in their eyes. Read More
The blogosphere is currently aflutter with talk of the ITC (International Trade Commission) patent infringement decision in favor of Apple, and the resulting court order banning the import of infringing HTC devices starting April 19, 2012 (4 months from now). The ITC ruled that HTC infringed on two, relatively narrow claims in a patent related to "data tapping" that occurs at the system level in Android.
You know how your phone can automatically "see" an address or phone number on a web page or e-mail and send you to the appropriate app? Read More
In case you're unaware, Apple is in the process of suing just about everyone it competes with in the tablet/phone field. There's an abundance of irony in the entire situation - the most substantial of which I covered when Apple complained that Samsung and Motorola were anticompetitive because of their patents - but things just (at least, temporarily) took a turn for the awesome. A judge in Germany has ruled that 3G-enabled Apple products (including the iPhone, iPhone 3G, 3GS, 4, iPad 3G, and iPad 2 3G, but not specifically the iPhone 4S) infringe on a Motorola patent. Read More
If you haven't heard, Germany has pretty much become the hotspot for smartphone and tablet patent litigation. Most recently, HTC has been hitting headlines in its ongoing battle against IPCom, an intellectual property firm. IPCom claims that HTC's smartphones violate a number of its patents in the realm of 3G GSM technology. HTC says that the last time it made a phone which might have violated those patents was in 2009, and that it has since developed a workaround which does not infringe on IPCom's patents. Read More
A court in Mannheim, Germany today held a preliminary hearing in a patent dispute between Motorola Mobility and Apple Sales International (a European Apple distribution subsidiary), and it seems like Apple's on the ropes.
While the hearing didn't discuss the particular merits of Motorola's patent infringement claim against Apple, the presiding judge issued substantial blows to Apple's defense by indicating that he believed the patent-in-suit was ripe for trial. The judge also seemed to agree with Motorola's reading of that patent (also known as "construction claims") in important ways that would allow it a broader scope of applicability at trial. Read More


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Shippeo, a global leader and European specialist in real-time transportation visibility, will be exhibiting and presenting at the National Manufacturing & Supply Chain Conference & Exhibition, which takes place on the 23rd and 24th of November in Dublin. The Shippeo team can be found at booth no. M05a. On Tuesday, 23rd November at 1pm Harrisson Zavala, Strategic Account Executive at Shippeo, will speak on the Supply Chain & Logistics Stage, exploring why visibility is a cornerstone of resilient supply chains.
Following the recent and ongoing periods of disruption and crises, many industry sectors are re-evaluating their supply chains. A technology-enabled smart supply chain achieves transparency across all supply chain partners, creating a strong competitive advantage for businesses.
On Tuesday, 23rd November at 1pm, Harrisson Zavala, Strategic Account Executive at Shippeo, will be speaking at the Supply Chain & Logistics Stage. Attendees will find out:
· What’s at stake for supply chains lacking resilience
· How technology is transforming the supply chain, and why it’s such an area of focus
· How to address fragmentation and transparency issues and create a resilient supply chain
The Shippeo team helps large global organisations with complex supply chains harness the power of a multimodal visibility network to build resilience and transform supply chain operations. Clients include:
· Faurecia Seating is the global leader in automotive seating components and complete seat design and assembly.
· Krone, one of Europe’s largest trailer manufacturers
· Sappi Europe, a division of Sappi Limited, a South Africa-based leading global provider of pulp, paper, packing and sustainable wood fibre products and solutions.
· Prysmian Group, a world leader in cable manufacturing, energy solutions, and telecom cables and systems.
Harrisson Zavala said: “With ongoing supply chain disruptions, businesses have come to realise the value of real-time visibility and the need to take action and further engage in digital transformation processes. We look forward to sharing insights on designing future supply chains with embedded resilience, the challenges of operating global supply chain networks, and embracing multi-modal transportation as an integral part of future supply chains at the National Manufacturing & Supply Chain Conference & Exhibition this month.“