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2013 has been a mixed year for retail in the Indian market with multiple factors working in favour of and against the business prospects.
Economic growth had slowed to 5% for 2012-13 (as per advance estimates by The Central Statistics Office, Government of India), down from 9.3% in 2011. The ray of hope is that the growth rate is expected to rebound to 6.8% in 2013-14. Spiralling inflation, with prices of some basic vegetables shooting up almost eight to ten times, distracted the consumers from discretionary spending. The year hardly saw irrational expansions by retail businesses as they primarily focused on bottom line performance.
While the Government of India liberalised Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policy in retail in September 2012, international investors have been slow to respond and sizeable foreign investments have been announced only recently at the end of 2013.
The political environment also took unexpected turn with the success of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) at the Delhi Assembly Elections held towards the end of the year. This may augur in a new era of politics driven by performance and results but in the short term it could restrict market access for international multi-brand retailers, as the AAP has declared their opposition to investment from foreign multi-brand retailers.
So is India still a strategic market for international fashion brands to look at?
FDI Policy – Clarifications and Impact
India’s Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policy has come a long way with foreign investments now being allowed in multiple sectors including retail, telecom, aviation, defence and so on. The Indian government is now exploring the possibility of allowing FDI in sectors such as railways and construction.
The year 2006 was a significant year for international brands in fashion and lifestyle space as the Government of India allowed up to 51 per cent foreign direct investment in the newly-defined category of “Single Brand retail”. In September 2012 the Indian Government liberalised the retail FDI policy to allow foreign investment up to 100 per cent in single brand operations and up to 51 per cent in multi-brand retail albeit with certain conditions related to the ownership of the brand, mandatory domestic sourcing norms for both single-brand and multi-brand retailers and additionally certain investment parameters for the backend operations of the multi-brand retail business. The idea was to attract foreign investment in retail trading a part of which could flow into improving the supply chain while providing Indian businesses access to global designs, technologies and management practices.
Large Investments in the Pipeline
The investments flowed in slowly initially. Some of these have looked at converting existing operations, such as Decathlon Sports which was present in India through a 100% owned subsidiary in cash and carry business. The brand is converting its cash and carry business in India to fully-owned single brand retailing business.
But there have been some significant moves as well. A record breaking FDI proposal in single brand retail is the Swedish furniture brand IKEA’s, that had to apply three times since December 2012 before its’ proposed investment of €1.5 billion (Rs. 101 billion) received the nod from the Government. However, the proposal is reportedly still in the works, as Ikea looks to structure the business to comply with the laws of the land. And as the year came to a close the Government cleared Swedish clothing brand Hennes and Mauritz’s (H&M) US$ 115 million (Rs.7.2 billion) investment proposal. According to news reports the brand had already begun blocking real estate with the goal of launching its stores in India at the soonest.
While the initial response to the relaxation of FDI policy spelt positive inflow for single brand retail, there was no new investment forthcoming in multi-brand retail. The existing foreign multi-brand retailers present in India through the cash and carry format showed a marked lack of interest in switching to a retail business model. On the other hand Walmart, the only foreign multi-brand retailer having access to a network of retail stores through its wholesale joint venture Indian partner, Bharti Enterprises Ltd., ended its five year long relationship and has restricted itself to the wholesale business. Though the company cited that it was disheartened by complicated regulations, it was also caught up in its own corruption investigation as well as allegations that it had violated foreign investment norms. The sole bright spot was the world’s fourth largest global retailer Tesco proposing and getting approval for a US$ 115 million investment into the multi-brand retail business of its partner, the Tata Group. At the time of writing the precise scope of this investment remains unclear.
If you want the full paper please send us an email with your full name, company name and designation to services[at]thirdeyesight[dot]in.


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A Sanford man paid for a $30 infant car seat and walked out of a Wal-Mart with computer equipment worth hundreds of times that much, Port Orange Police said Tuesday.
Kevin Lee Engelkens, 30, was arrested after a short foot chase Monday when he was caught in the act and also faces charges for a Feb. 5 theft from the sale store, Detective Capt. Frank Surmaczewicz said.
Engelkens faces a charge of grand theft from the Feb. 5 incident and and grand theft, resisting an officer without violence and resisting a store merchant in the recovery of property from Monday’s arrest. He was also arrested on a warrant charging him with violating child support.
Police were called to the store Monday by an employee who was trying to stop a theft, Surmaczewicz said. When Engelkens saw officers, he ran, but was caught by police Detective Joseph Swetz and a store employee.

domain: news


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Microsoft has had to hit pause on its rollout of the Windows 10 October 2018 update.
The update to Windows 10 version 1809 was seemingly going rather smoothly until last week some users reported that files were missing.
Actually, scratch that, missing implies they can be found. Users are reporting that their files located in the Documents folder are gone. Some users have restored their system to a previous version of Windows only to find that the files are still gone.
The affected platforms are:
- Windows 10, version 1809
- Windows Server, version 1809
- Windows 10 IoT Core, version 1809
- Windows 10 Enterprise LTSC 2019
- Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2019
- Windows Server 2019
As a result, the rollout of the October update has been paused but what if you diligently check for, and install updates?
Microsoft has advised that users who have already updated and believe they have an issue after installing the update should minimise use of the device and contact Microsoft support directly.
You can find the customer support number for your specific region here.
The minimising use of a device might point to possible recovery but Microsoft doesn’t appear to be making promises in that regard so don’t hold your breath.
What is most bizarre about this situation is that Forbes reports Windows Insiders told Microsoft about this months ago. If this is true what then is the point of the Windows Insider programme which allows select users to test updates to Windows before it is rolled out en masse.
For those that have not yet updated to Windows 10 version 1809 there is no need for you to take any action.
Microsoft has said it will alert customers when it starts the update rollout once again.[Source – Microsoft]


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Interprovincial trade barriers are responsible for major losses to the Canadian economy. Whether it’s the direct hit on businesses or the way extra costs get passed on to consumers, it’s a complicated and costly issue and our governments are responsible for it.
There are many misconceptions surrounding the issue including the idea that Alberta is the only province that suffers from interprovincial trade barriers.
That misconception is fuelled by the recent controversy surrounding the NDP implementing an unconstitutional tax and grant program on beer.
Watch as I run through the four categories these barriers fall into and provide some examples of each across the country.
I’m just scratching the surface here. In some provinces there are trade deals that cut other regions out, some have warehousing systems that are more advantageous, and some take measures to completely keep imported beer from crossing their borders.
Not only is it a complicated issue but it’s also a Canada-wide problem.
If you want to see change, please stop by BeerFreedom.ca. Let our governments know that trade barriers within our own country are absolutely unacceptable.
Not only do we deserve free trade within our own country, it’s our constitutional right under Section 121.


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While there’s a lot about our current leadership that I — and plenty of other people — are dissatisfied with, it takes a lot to make me utter the above sentence. Now that the government has decided to hit my pocketbook, I feel no shame in saying it.
In a cowardly, last-minute move on the last day of business before midterm elections, Congressional Republicans slipped a measure into an important port security bill to ban banking transactions related to internet gambling. A similar bill had already passed the House in July, but instead of getting a fair hearing in the Senate, our own Senator Bill Frist slipped the measure into a bill that was guaranteed to pass. Thanks, asshole.
Social conservatives such as Frist like to drone on about how online gambling “hurts families and children.” (groan) But in reality, Congress’ short-sighted ban has done more financial damage than online gaming ever could. The collective stock price and revenue of an entire multi-billion dollar international industry has declined by at least half, virtually overnight. Nice move for a party that prides itself as the friend of big business. Perhaps the gaming industry should have been more astute about lining the pockets of Republican legislators.
If Congress truly had legitimate concerns about online gambling, prohibition was not the way to fix it. The online gaming industry was practically begging to be regulated. Now, online poker (at least in the US) will be underground and still unregulated. Determined players will still find a way to play, despite the ban.
It’s unclear what effect this ban will actually have on internet gambling. The bill bans credit card and banking transactions for online poker rooms and casinos, but credit card companies have banned gambling transactions for years. The vast majority of US players use third-party transfer services such as NetTeller and FirePay. Unless banks place a blanket ban on all transactions from these companies, the ban will be almost fruitless.
There’s an glaring hypocrisy to the online gaming ban. The original bill carved out exceptions for online lotteries, horse betting and fantasy sports. Many states — including districts whose legislators voted for the ban — make significant revenue from local gambling operations, including state lotteries (”a tax on stupidity,” said Voltaire), casinos and racetracks. A regulated online gambling industry could have produced millions of dollars in tax revenue, but online gambling income is now, for all intents and purposes, illegal.
Not to mention that a US online gambling ban violates free trade agreements. In an as-yet-unresolved dispute with the tiny island nation of Antigua, the World Trade Organization has ruled that the US can not ban online gambling. Other nations that headquarter online gaming companies, such as the UK, will likely join in the fray in the coming months.
And finally, Congress is going against the American people on this one. Recent polls by the Wall Street Journal and CNBC showed that 85-90% of Americans support regulation of the online gaming industry.
The online gaming ban was the only major measure added to the port security bill. Measures that were rejected include:
- Billions for rail and transit security
- Lifting the cap on federal airport screeners
- Tightening security at courthouses and increased penalties for attacking a judge
I guess going after internet poker players was more important than all these frivilous measures.


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Everyone likes nice things. So when NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang pulled the very first SHIELD production unit out of its rakish carrying case at NVIDIA’s quarterly internal company meeting, he couldn’t help chuckling.
The gleaming black device – with its console-style controls, a high-definition 5-inch screen that folds up like the lid of a jewel-box, and the world’s fastest mobile chip, Tegra 4 – was put together by gaming fanatics.
SHIELD had just reached ‘p-release’ – meaning it was ready for production, Jen-Hsun told the hundreds of assembled NVIDIANs and thousands watching the stream. “All of the buttons are exquisite,” said Jen-Hsun, who has never been afraid to grab a controller to join engineers in pickup sessions of “Borderlands 2,” as he handled the device.
SHIELD is unlike anything else on the market. Its compact body is packed with features: HDMI and micro-USB ports, an SD Card reader, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, a bass reflex sound system, dual analog sticks, a chunky D-Pad, twin triggers and shoulder buttons… and it would sell for less than a premium tablet or an unlocked smartphone.
Yet it’s built to slip into a gamer’s digital life in an instant. “It’s pure Android,” Jen-Hsun said. “When you get it you’re going to turn it on and you’re going to type in your account information – and all of a sudden all the books, the music and the games you’ve purchased on your phone or your Nexus tablet — it just shows up.”
Now it’s time for SHIELD to do the same. This is the tale of the final day before SHIELD hit ‘p-release.’ And an example of how inches are just as vital to innovation as great bounds forward. Deals had been struck with Newegg, GameStop, Micro Center and Canada Computers to get SHIELD into gamer’s hands in June. It was time for NVIDIA’s manufacturing, customer service, marketing, and software teams to deliver.
If there’s a mission control for SHIELD, it’s in the conference room in Santa Clara where Brant – a lean, gray-haired Navy veteran – meets with 10-laptop equipped members of the ‘quick turn’ manufacturing team he leads every day at 2 o’clock.
On the white board this afternoon: a detailed schedule outlining the steps that need to be completed over the next two weeks to move SHIELD from prototype to mass production.
Glance at the board and you’ll see what’s up next: a small run of 220 units.
“Status?” Brant asks.
“We should be able to start system assembly early next week and then finish up the system testing by the end of the week,” one NVIDIAN tells him.
“We’ll probably wait for the whole run to come out to start HOT (hands-on-testing),” another adds.
“Start testing them as you get them,” Brant tells him, paper coffee cup in hand.
SHIELD only needs 10 minutes of the group’s time today.
It’s just a week until NVIDIA starts taking pre-orders for SHIELD, and Brant is about to fly out to visit the contract manufacturer assembling SHIELD.
One of the quick-turn team’s key “deliverables”: 100 pages of assembly instructions. The device’s many moving parts — the clamshell screen, triggers, directional pad, and buttons — mean assembly is more complex than bolting together a PC or tablet.
Every detail is covered, including how long each SHIELD will be charged so a gamer can pick it up and play with it the moment it’s unboxed. Everything on the new device will feel familiar, from the device’s Android software, to its thumbsticks and triggers.
Pure Android, Harder Than It Looks
Making SHIELD simple to pick up and play wasn’t easy, explains David, a quiet, intense software engineer with more than a decade of experience sorting through knotting technical problems.
David latest task: checking to make sure the software NVIDIA built to help users navigate SHIELD’s screen using the console-style controls built into the device works as expected. It’s a slick addition to Android that took nearly a dozen engineers to get just right.
“This is something I think about more than ever, because it really resonates with me,” says David. It’s his job to seamlessly meld functionality that doesn’t exist on any other Android device with Google’s Android software. “It really grabs me and makes me want to think about it.”
SHIELD’s ‘Pure Android,’ software means it will work with apps and content consumers already use on their tablets and smartphones. Yet pouring Android into a device with thumbsticks and triggers meant NVIDIA has had to do plenty of work to get the look, and feel, just right.
And that’s just a tiny portion of the work done by NVIDIA’s software engineers to perfect everything from the device’s battery management to the look and feel of what appears on the screen.
David is also performing last-minute checks to make sure NVIDIA’s Android game store — TegraZone, launched in 2011 — is ready to deal with new customers. Hit a button built into the device and you’ll be able to access a store stocked with software tuned for Tegra devices. It’s yet another piece built years before that should fall into place once SHIELD launches.
At Your Service
If something goes wrong once SHIELD ships, it will be up to NVIDIA customer care specialists like Josh to help fix it. Veteran technical support engineers like him aren’t the kind of people you find in call centers. But cruise the halls of NVIDIA’s headquarters and you can already find them toiling away.
Josh works behind a triple monitor setup surrounded by empty cans of sugar-free Red Bull. Behind him: an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 hangs out from the open chassis of a PC. On the shelf nearby, there’s a stack of five more graphics cards. His cube looks more like a scene from the “Matrix” than “Office Space.” Not a headset in site.
Josh’s boss, Peter, explains that it’s up to Josh and a group of other support specialists at NVIDIA’s headquarters to know how everything works, how it can go wrong and how it can be fixed. A passionate gamer like the rest of his staff, the NVIDIA veteran has made a career of building customer-support organizations and will often jump on a call or live chat session to help the most irate customers. “If they’re passionate, I know they care,” Peter says. “I like that.”
While NVIDIA doesn’t sell the graphics cards built using NVIDIA’s chips, Peter’s team fields a wide variety of support requests from customers who may not even know the cards they’ve purchased are built by another company. All that customer feedback gets analyzed and dedicated program managers on Peter’s team help turn all that customer feedback into product enhancements.
To be sure, preparing for SHIELD means NVIDIA will need to step up its front-line efforts. Peter says he’s already in-sourced NVIDIA’s front-line customer service, building a team of support specialists in Bangalore and Santa Clara who will staff a 24-hour support system built into a variety of channels such as knowledgebases, web forms, live chat and forums.
Next step: hiring more people like Josh – enthusiasts able to troubleshoot the most complex problems. That will be critical when working with Android devices, where software, hardware, and services from a huge array of different vendors come together to create challenges that can’t always be worked out with a simple reboot.
What Doesn’t It Do?
One of the biggest challenges would be explaining everything SHIELD does. The evening before Jen-Hsun would announce ‘p-release,’ — NVIDIA’s marketing team huddled to talk about what to show a group of writers visiting campus for a hands-on with the final product.
Just sorting through the list of Android games that would run on the device took an hour. Thirty games to be loaded onto SHIELD, along with full library of music, and a pair of movies — “Thor,” and “Iron Man” — to be put on an SD card and plugged into SHIELD’s SD card reader.
How do you pitch a device that does everything?
Ninety minutes later, the room began to smell of over-caffeinated marketing staff. And the suggestions kept coming. Brand new gaming devices usually launch with a slim lineup of titles. With SHIELD NVIDIA’s marketers were whittling down the possibilities with a machete.
Put Facebook on it, one NVIDIAN suggested.
Twitter, another added.
Don’t forget Yelp, another insisted.
SHIELD would work with just about any Android app.
How about the client for the AR.Parrot Drone? Let the bloggers race quadrocopters around NVIDIA’s campus.
Just three days after “p-release,” the bloggers arrived to try out the final production version of SHIELD for the first time. Writers tried out some of our favorite games and movies, paired off against NVIDIA staff in multiplayer games of “Shadowgun: Dead Zone. Some even took SHIELD and the AR.Parrot drone out for a spin at NVIDIA’s campus, sending the drone zooming around the main quad.
The result was perhaps the clearest illustration of why we built SHIELD. “If you’re really looking to take your brain for a spin, you’ve got to try Shield with the Parrot AR Drone,” wrote Android Central editor-in-chief Phil Nickinson “It’s a ridiculous amount of fun.”
They had a blast. We think you will, too.


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A very successful inauguration of the World Gaming Expo in Monaco confirmed Igor Gamba’s attention to organize this important event on a yearly basis. The 2018 edition of the World Gaming Expo is scheduled for beginning of December 2018.
Gaming industry from 4 continents meet for the very first time on December 6, 7 and 8 in Monte – Carlo at the lavish exhibition venue – Grimaldi Forum. The inaugural edition was small compared to the gigantic plans Igor Gamba, the founder and CEO of the WGE, has for the future editions but nevertheless the event is considered a huge success as it joined the gaming industry exhibitors, conference speakers, visitors and media from all over the world.
The doors of Grimaldi forum opened on Wednesday when Exhibitors from 14 countries presented their glamorous stands. Some were very impressive, even outshined Las Vegas, as you will have the chance to see in the photos. Already on this first day celebrities joined the WGE exhibitors and visitors. Patrik Antonius, the biggest winner in history of on-line poker and the 2017 WGE guests of honor was accompanied by Hassan N’Dam, 3 times world champion in middle weight boxing, Maro Engel the E-formula pilot with other local sports and entertainment personalities. The celebs were hanging out in the WGE stylishly-furnished VIP lounge sponsored by Espresso Games. Yes “Espresso”, but nothing to do with coffee as the newly re-emerged Italian gaming company with this playful name provides solutions for on-line and land based gaming.
Many Monaco based gaming professionals, including numerous SBM members were there as soon as the doors to the expo opened to visitors. Already on the first day, the WGE team counted visitors from more than 30 different countries and the numbers kept raising through the following days. Without a doubt the most visited part of the exhibition ground during this first day was the open-space conference area where conferences and panels were chaired by incredibly entertaining veteran in the gaming industry Steve Donoughue. WGE team made sure to include the FB fans and shared these exciting debates on FB live stream.
Selected invitees including Monaco government representatives, local casinos, gaming industry trend setters, celebrities, local and international press and friends joined the WGE exhibitors at another iconic Monaco location, Café de Paris, for the Opening Ceremony Gala Evening. This was announced to be the highlight of the WGE 2017 social events and it certainly lived up to the expectations. For next year’s edition the WGE team is planning an even bigger event so make sure to secure your tickets well in advance.
Thursday was the most important day for the WGE exhibitors and they were all feverously lined up to create as many new business alliances as possible, as it is the common practice during such 3-day trade shows. Core conference speakers were also scheduled on this “central” day accompanied and announced by the WGE conference host Steve Donoughue. Moreover, in the midst of this busy and very active day the WGE guest of honor Patrik Antonius and some other VIP guests reunited for a friendly game of poker. Who would you place your bets on: the world champion of on-line
poker, the world champion in boxing or on the world champion in formula? Surprisingly, the outcome was not so obvious, and the friendly game certainly showed how passionate for being the winner these athletes are.
The WGE trade-show is generally set to go on for 3 days as any important gaming event, however with a slight twist and the invitation to open the 3rd day to non-professional or semi-professional gaming enthusiasts. This year’s 3rd day entry was complimentary thus WGE attracted a large number of fans to peek-in before exhibitors left Monaco for a deserved relaxing weekend.
This year’s WGE without a doubt managed to prove its international importance by hosting;
– exhibitors from 14 different countries (Europe, Asia and US)
– conference speakers from 11 different countries (Europe, Asia, US and Africa)
– participants of the WGE from 69 different countries
– local and international media with over 40 pre- and post-media coverages, interviews etc.
The post-event feedback from visitors and exhibitors is especially positive and requesting more of the same when it comes to conferences. Everyone loved Steve Donoughue spicy jokes and loaded questions. Most intriguing and compelling was the fireside style interview with the 2017 WGE key-note speaker Charles Gillespie. Thus, the WGE team is already gathering and preparing an even bigger pallet of important international speakers and trend driving topics for the 2018 expo.
Igor Gamba and the WGE team were proud to inaugurate this 1st edition of the World Gaming Expo and hope it to become another iconic yearly event in Monaco. The team is especially grateful and thankful to everyone who believed in this expo from the early days, will continue to always strive to do the best and make it even bigger with every year to come. This way the participants of the 2017 expo will be able to one day proudly say: “I took part in the very first World Gaming Expo edition, I was there from the start”.
World Gaming Expo is about opportunities. It is about bringing the gaming industry to the place where it all started, so new bigger and greater things can begin. What better place than Monaco for the gaming industry to join on an annual basis and plan for the optimistic future. This invitation from Igor Gamba and the WGE team goes out to both land-based and on-line gaming but especially for any industry leaders, innovative trend setters and to the ones who want to make a notable imprint in the world of gaming.
Comparing to other world shows that today represent an important milestone on every gaming company calendar; the WGE team sees this inaugural edition’s outcome as an optimistic beginning that looks very promising for the future editions of the WGE. We must keep in mind it was only the first edition and that WGE will continue growing and always doing the best for all WGE partners and clients.


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It was no easy task to set up an ecommerce store and deliver a digital strategy for Oakley in Indonesia especially when the consignment stores perceive the digital team as competition to sales revenues.
The challenges are plenty from Internet issues in the country to a lack of trust among local consumers in online payment as there isn’t a clear law to protect customers from frauds. There are also many fake products and parallel imports.
Elisabeth Winiartati, digital communications and ecommerce manager from Oakley Indonesia explained that when she headed the digital team in 2010, there were also several challenges internally from a lack of digital knowledge to the challenge of integrating online with offline sales, budget, and product allocation as well as lack of support from headquarters.
Despite the challenges, today its online store brings in sales that are equivalent to revenues of three consignment stores combined in the country, she noted.
Among the actions the team took to address the challenges range from educating employees, creating digital strategies that align with marketing communications, and allocating more budget for digital advertising and activation.
Oakley Indonesia started Facebook marketing in 2010 by appointing a social media coordinator to manage its page but converted the executive to serve as a customer service rep to save cost, Winiartati pointed out.
When posting content on Facebook, she advised to provide “infotaining content” to customers that will engage and not annoy them such as brand ambassador stories or surfing trends in Bali.
In this two-minute interview, Winiartati talks about how she gets buy-in from her boss to invest in digital tools and resources, including advice on how marketers could do social media marketing in Indonesia.
According to data gathered for the report,‘Communications Infrastructure: The Backbone of Digital,’ 88% of IT professionals and 61% of marketers ranked their company’s current communication infrastructure as 'cutting-edge' or 'good.'
President Trump's digital savvy isn't limited to social media. As it turns out, the Trump Organization owns thousands of domain names, possibly even more than 10,000.
Silicon Valley loves fancy job titles. It’s just something we do, and software and technology lend themselves to it. But it’s not always helpful.
Social media has developed into an effective component of digital strategy, but measuring its performance is still a challenge. How will analytics affect social media in 2017?


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Recently, there have been reports by many Coinbase customers about some unusual transactions taking place on their accounts. Some of these unauthorized transactions were so extreme that it depleted the users’ bank accounts, resulting in hefty overdraft fees.
For the past few days, the Coinbase subreddit has been filled with threads like these:
These were the complaints by the customers of Coinbase, who have been facing pressing issues such as missing wires, unreleased bitcoin, and disabled accounts.
“My bank account went from very comfortable to negatives balance, not to mention extra $5 charges, and overdraft fees,” one user wrote. “As a result my rent check bounced, and my bank went further into negative for a NSF charge for $25. My landlord is not a nice person and is on my CASE and I have nothing to offer him. I am FREAKING OUT.”
This issue came right after Coinbase launched their new platform called “Coinbase Commerce”, a new service that enables merchants to accept multiple cryptocurrencies directly into a user-controlled wallet.
When reached out to get some further information about the fiasco, a representative for Coinbase, Stephanie Kendall, said the company was unable to comment on the complaints.
Why This Happened?
Throughout the last year, the demand for cryptocurrency exchange platforms has increased exponentially along with the price of cryptocurrencies themselves. Kraken, the third-largest exchange in the world, suffered an outage earlier this year that was supposed to take two hours but ended up lasting two days as it upgraded its system.
Thus, as Coinbase adds more and more users to its platform, there is an increasingly higher chance for glitches to happen:
— Alistair Milne (@alistairmilne) November 2, 2017
Today, Coinbase came out with a statement clarifying this issue. According to Coinbase, the issue was a problem related to their credit card processing rails, and can be traced back to Visa. Specifically, it’s the result of Visa reversing and recharging past charges in wake of a decision to classify Coinbase transactions as “cash advances”. Though phone class he users could today without warning Visa (but not MasterCard or any other card network) reversed and recharged some transactions that occurred between January 22nd and February 11th, in order to classify them under the new MCC.
Referenced Article(s): TechCrunch


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If the Indian and Pakistani governments clear the investment and joint ventures obstacles between the two countries, then you could soon see the world’s most low-priced car cruising down Pakistani roads.
According to recent reports, Pakistani business house, the International Multi Group of Companies who deal in film imports and edible oil, among others, have expressed interest in bringing Tata Group vehicles, including their CNG buses and the Nano to Pakistan.
The global chairman of IMGC, Amjad Rashid, said on Wednesday that they already had a letter of intent with Tata, as they were interested in the company’s CNG buses. They are also interested in bringing the Tata Nano to India later on, if the various trade policy restrictions between Pakistan and India are removed.
The plans of the IMGC to bring Tata’s CNG buses to Pakistan were put on hold following the trade policy restrictions in Pakistan which allows import of limited vehicles to the country, making it compulsory for most of the imported vehicles to be CKD units. It is not just the Pakistani government, however which had trade policy restrictions; the Reserve Bank of India also forbids investments and joint ventures with Pakistan.
Rashid added that he had raised these concerns with Rahul Khullar, the commerce secretary for India, when he visited Islamabad in April for talks with his Pakistani counterpart. Khullar had then promised that these restrictions would be removed. Rashid further added that his group, having an annual $200mn turnover is interested in bringing the Nano to Pakistani markets.
According to Khullar, their ultimate objective is to bring the Nano to Pakistan. They have already prepared a letter of intent, and once the roadblocks are removed they would soon import Tata’s CNG buses and later on the Nano to Pakistan.
IMGC, which is one of Pakistan’s largest edible oil manufacturer also has other interests concerning collaboration with Tata, in sectors like technology. Apart from manufacturing edible oil, they are also Pakistan’s largest Indian film importer.
According to Rashid, they brought 30 different Indian films to Pakistan last year and have already signed to bring in 15 films for 2011. They are also in the process of closing a deal concerning digital film technology, which will eliminate the need to import film prints, as they can be imported in digital files.
A delegation from Tata group had been to Pakistan two years back to hold meetings with many leaders and senior officials which included the Commerce and Industry Secretaries as well the Chief Minister of Punjab, Shahbaz Sharif. The delegation had then expressed their interest in donating some of their CNG buses to Pakistan.
Tata however backed out of these business ventures, following the terror attacks in Mumbai in 2008, when militants targeted iconic Mumbai locations including the Tata owned Taj Mahal and Palace Hotel. With the recent peace process between India-Pakistan resuming, many business proposals which were in the offing between the two countries have resumed.
Rashid was present among the many Pakistani businessmen who took part in the meetings held during the visit of commerce secretary, Khullar to Pakistan for discussing the various ways to expand their trade cooperation, which includes permission for investments and joint ventures.
Traders from Pakistan are looking at India as an important market for their products which include textiles and cement, whereas India is viewed as a low cost provider of technology as well as products like Nano, which priced at Rs. 1 lakh is the cheapest car in the world, launched in 2008.


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SARAS Ajeevika mela began Yesterday on 10th October and will continue till 23rd of October in India Gate lawns and will be formally inaugurated by Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Rural Development Minister on October 12, 2019. This initiative aims to unite the women Self Help Groups (SHGs) under one plan of action and help them to connect with Bulk buyers. Here the women of Self Help Groups will display their products for sale, will get to know about the market demands and choices at the other ends of value chain.
This SARAS Mela is an initiative which was taken up for the first time by Ministry of Rural Development in financial year 1999- 2000. Now this fair is held jointly by Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), Government of India.Rural Development Ministry’s marketing arm organises this mela.
This year around 500 SHGs will participate and display their products at SARAS mela. Handlooms, Handicraft, jewellery & home décor and Natural food products are the broad categories under which products will be showcased. There will be some dance performances also by the SHGs and the mela will conclude with a food fest where characteristic food and dishes from all parts of country will be stalled.
Trivia from the news:
performing arts and the states:
Chendamelam is a drum ensemble from Kerala
Ghoomar from Rajasthan
Cheraw (Bamboo dance) from Mizoram and
Gidda from Punjab
Handloom and states of Origin:
Kalamkari from Andhra Pradesh, , Kosa sarees made in Chhattisgarh, IIkal sarees from Karnataka, Chanderi of Madhya Pradesh, Tasar silk from Odisha, Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu, Pochampalli of Telangana, Baluchari sarees from West Bengal.
Topics: trade fairs
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German exports increased to 117.2 billion euros in October, despite global trade tensions, the Federal Statistics Office in Germany announced.
Exports rose by 8.5 per cent during the same month in 2017. Imports had risen by 11.3 per cent to 98.9 billion euros. The head of Germany’s BGA trade association, said that the October figure was also a significant improvement on September.
For the first 10 months of the year German exports rose by 4.1 per cent to 1,105.3 billion euros compared with the same period in 2017. Imports rose by 6.6 per cent to 912.8 billion euros.


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Amazon announced an offer to buy San Francisco-based health company One Medical, which would be its third-largest acquisition to date (Picture:REX)
The global retail giant has not revealed any plans for the company and it is not clear whether it plans to maintain it as a separate company or integrate it into a larger healthcare platform.
“We think healthcare is high on the list of experiences to be reinvented,” said Amazon Health Services SVP Neil Lindsay.
Making an appointment, waiting weeks or even months to be seen, taking time off from work, driving to a clinic, finding a parking space, waiting in the waiting room and then the exam room for what can often be a rushed few minutes with a doctor , and then go to a pharmacy again – we see a lot of opportunities to both improve the quality of the experience and give people back valuable time in their days.”
One Medical attracted major investors in Silicon Valley, including Google’s parent company Alphabet (Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
One Medical isn’t Amazon’s first step into healthcare, but it’s by far the largest investment in the industry. The company previously bought online mail order pharmacy PillPack for just under $1 billion in 2018.
In 2019, the company also piloted a program called Amazon Care, which offers live virtual sessions with doctors and other healthcare professionals through an app.
Amazon Care has not attracted big name customers outside of other Amazon-owned companies. One Medical offers similar services to employers, but is much larger with nearly 8,500 clients.
One Medical was founded in 2007 as a chain of primary care clinics in San Francisco. It sees it as its mission to “transform healthcare for all through our people-centered, technology-driven model,” according to its IPO.
The company previously made headlines for: attract big investors in 2018. It received $350 million in funding from the Carlyle Group, a large multinational private equity firm, as well as backing from Google’s parent company Alphabet.
One Medical went public in January 2020, offering 17.5 million shares at $14 a share.
Since its IPO, it has faced criticism from customers.
At the beginning of 2021 it is reportedly letting ineligible customers skip the coronavirus vaccine queue, sparking a congressional investigation.
One Medical also charged some customers for coronavirus vaccines, according to a report form The edge. The company blames this on a ‘billing system bug’.
Also in 2021 a data breach reported by sure naira hundreds of customer email addresses uncovered.
Amazon has made headlines in recent years with other major acquisitions. In 2017, the supermarket chain bought Whole Foods for $13.7 billion and in March 2022 closed a deal to buy movie studio MGM for $8.45 billion.
If this offer goes through, One Medical will become the online retailer’s third-largest acquisition to date.
Contact our news team by emailing firstname.lastname@example.org.
For more such stories, check out our news page.


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Nashville-Davidson, Tennessee 2021-04-26 19:15:43 –
Nashville, Tennessee (WTVF) —A pandemic executive order to allow alcoholic beverages to be taken home if the bill passes the legislature could soon continue as state law.
When the COVID-19 shutdown first began and bars and restaurants closed the doors to customers, Governor Bill Lee signed an order permitting legal take-out drinks to be purchased in Tennessee. ..
This rule helped many facilities that had no other way to make money. It was especially beneficial for Midnight Oil. Owner Nate Bagby said the building’s design makes it easy to serve drinks through the front window, even though the pizza joint and bar have just opened.
“When we were able to sell takeaway drinks, we were mistakenly in the perfect situation of a very walkable neighborhood,” says Bagby. “Many people like to go out and walk their dogs or strollers. They get up and get a drink, get to work, and maybe get up and get another dog. I was able to.”
Bagby said he believes accessibility has helped make the bar more popular.
After that, the restaurant reopened and the business improved, but Bagby remembers early on that he wanted to go out for a drink in Tennessee.
A state legislature bill could legalize the next two-year practice in which it will be revisited.
Republican Rep. Bob Ramsey of Maryville said he believes this will continue to help some of the state’s small bars earn more, even after the pandemic is over.
“People are still afraid to travel, afraid to travel, afraid to eat out, and I think this will make a difference,” he said.
Alcoholic drinks to-go may soon be here to stay Source link Alcoholic drinks to-go may soon be here to stay


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Keep the Exclusives Coming
With Sony and Microsoft both heading into a new generation, Nintendo’s focus needs to continue to be about bringing experiences you can only get on the Switch.
They’ve done a great job so far, and 2019 was one of the best years for exclusive we’ve seen yet, with titles like Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Luigi’s Mansion 3, and Pokemon Sword and Shield.
Now though, the big question is: can Nintendo keep up that pace? We only know about a handful of Nintendo games coming next year; Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE, Animal Crossing New Horizons, Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, and a big maybe for Metroid Prime 4.
That leaves a lot of questions leading into when Sony and Microsoft will start announcing their launch lineups. Now, more than ever, it’s important for Nintendo to have a clear schedule for players, keeping their interest on the Switch with new and exciting software.
They’ve already tapped the well with most of their big series, but if Nintendo can manage to get Breath of the Wild 2 or a new Mario game out in 2020, it’d go a long way to keeping their momentum going.


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TEXT OF STORY
Scott Jagow: What's happening in Myanmar right now is quite a story. Thousands of people took the streets calling for democracy. But the country's military snuffed out the demonstrations.
Today, a U.N. envoy pleaded with Myanmar's leaders to accept the people's demands for democracy. Last week, the U.S. imposed new economic sanctions, but some believe they're not strong enough. Amy Scott has more.
Amy Scott: The new restrictions come on top of existing sanctions that critics say are full of loopholes. Chevron's stake in a major natural gas project is exempt. And then there's the country's gem trade.
Marco Simons is U.S. legal director for Earth Rights International. He says Myanmar -- also known as Burma -- is a major producer of the world's rubies. If those gems are mined in Burma but cut in Thailand, they're not considered Burmese products.
Marco Simons: So virtually every major U.S. jewelry company is probably selling Burmese rubies, some of which benefit the Burmese government directly through government auctions of gems.
Tiffany is one exception. The company pledged a few years ago not to sell gems mined in Burma.
Simons says if the U.S. government really wanted to hurt the Myanmar regime, it would stop buying products from any company with ties to the country. He says those tactics worked in the campaign against apartheid in South Africa.
In New York, I'm Amy Scott for Marketplace.


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hotelmanagement.com.au · 13 May
Television screens replicating a resolution close to real life will hit Australia soon, and hotels are queuing to get them into rooms.
hotelmanagement.com.au · 6 May
The search giant's 'Book by Google' feature now includes Choice Hotels Asia-Pac's collection of Australasian and Oceania properties.
hotelmanagement.com.au · 11 Apr
Serviced apartment operator The Ascott Limited has selected Australian-based RMS Cloud as its Property Management System (PMS) services supplier on a
hotelmanagement.com.au · 26 Mar
Hotels across Australia are in line to benefit from new technology being developed by Expedia which gives consumers the ability to book packages acro
hotelmanagement.com.au · 14 Mar
Indigenous accommodation business Wilpena Pound Resort has released a smartphone app giving tourists visiting the Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park
hotelmanagement.com.au · 13 Feb
Satisfaction among domestic tourists in New Zealand is at a comfortable high, according to new research commissioned by Tourism Industry Aotearoa (TI
hotelmanagement.com.au · 13 Sep
Australian food rescue charity OzHarvest has partnered with Winnow – a food wastage reduction technology system designed to help chefs and F&B manage


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Native Voice, the on-demand voice services ecosystem that enables users to communicate directly by voice with their favorite brands, has closed a $14 million funding round. Investor participation includes TechNexus Venture Collaborative, Gutbrain Ventures, PBJ Capital, Signal Peak Ventures, and others. Founder and CEO John Goscha said the funds allow the startup to grow its team, add its product to more devices, and scale current efforts.
Native Voice was founded in 2020 and has seen continued growth since its inception. The platform is the bridge between your favorite brand’s voice service and the smart devices you already own, allowing consumers to use voice commands and stay in the moment.
As more smart devices hit the market, the digital voice assistant ecosystem continues to grow. An estimated 4.2 billion devices have the feature enabled as of 2020, with current estimates saying that number will reach 8.4 billion in 2024 (according to Statista). Native Voice is strategically positioned to capitalize on this growing popularity.
“Voice assistants are great but limited in what they can do. You have to wake up one assistant to open another and then take your phone out of your pocket to request a car or play a new song. Native Voice unlocks multiple voice services, like Alexa and Siri, and brands developing their own, like Spotify and Uber. Users can get more done, using only their voice,” said John Goscha.
TechNexus Venture Collaborative is committed to investing in ventures at the forefront of the audio ecosystem, those exploring the aural experience through many facets and how that experience evolves through advanced AudioTech & innovation.
“Voice services are rapidly becoming one of the fastest adopted technologies in the world, but so far have been limited by device workflows. Native Voice is filling that gap in a really innovative way by unlocking a third-party ecosystem of voice services, allowing brands to go direct to consumers. We’re really excited to support John and the Native Voice team in their growth journey,” said TechNexus analyst, Alison Hennessy.
Native Voice joins the dozens of AudioTech ventures and industry collaborators of the IMMERSE CoLab – powered by TechNexus Venture Collaborative. IMMERSE is the first global ecosystem of audio innovators and is the gateway to a global audio ecosystem that includes startups, corporations, investors, incubators, innovation labs, and more.
Read more news about Native Voice and their recent funding round on VentureBeat and PR Newswire.
In partnership with corporations & industry incumbents, who have decades of industry-leading experience, IMMERSE CoLab’s mission is to identify and explore the most important trends and opportunities defining the future of audio. Learn more about the IMMERSE CoLab here.


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Developer Mobius Digital has been hard at work on intergalactic exploration game Outer Wilds for several years, but a release date for the game finally appears to be in sight. More than that, it looks to be much closer than anyone expected, with publisher Annapurna Interactive coming out on Monday and saying that the game will arrive next week. To celebrate, a new launch trailer was posted just a short time ago.
Outer Wilds is confirmed to arrive on Thursday, May 30 on PC and Xbox One, with the former revealed last week as an Epic Games Store timed exclusive. However, that move is presenting some controversy. Prior to the game being picked up by Annapurna Interactive, Outer Wilds was a crowdfunded effort, having raised its $125,000 goal on Fig. Backers donated with the impression that they would receive a Steam key at the time of release. Understandably, some of those backers are a little miffed, which is currently being reflected in the launch trailer's like/dislike ratio. In an effort to make good with those people, Mobius announced in a blog post that all backers would receive Epic keys on day one and still receive their Steam keys whenever Outer Wilds reaches that platform. Whether that's enough to quell the anger from that portion of consumers remains to be seen, but that may prove unlikely.
For those unaware of what Outer Wilds is about, this is the game that sees players exploring a hand-crafted solar system. However, there's a mysterious force at work that is causing time to operate on a loop. The solar system's sun goes supernova after a short period of time, causing players to return to where they started. The object is to explore as much of the solar system as possible while also getting to the bottom of the why time is behaving in this manner.
For those interested in Outer Wilds, Shacknews got a chance to explore the cosmos back in 2018. Be sure to revisit our hands-on preview.


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Mobile companies facing chipset shortage may increase phone prices: CounterPoint report
Indian telecom giant Reliance Jio has postponed the launch of its upcoming smartphone JioPhone Next, which will now be officially launched in the country around Diwali, which is also believed to be launched by November 4. could. It is believed that this can be the cheapest 4G smartphone ever. The entry-level smartphone made in collaboration with Google was earlier scheduled to launch in the Indian market last week, but the phone's release got delayed and the company has claimed the reason for the lack of global chips.
Apart from JioPhone Next, the launch of many phones has also been postponed.
Now, a report by Counterpoint Research claims that the JioPhone Next is not the only device being hit by a severe shortage of components and delays in shipping. It added that many top smartphone makers are delaying or limiting the launch of their products in certain markets due to production issues.
Phone launch delayed due to lack of components
The delay in smartphone launch has been linked to a lack of components such as the power management integrated circuit. The rising cost of key components such as memory, processor, and logistics is also a major factor. At the same time, companies are also increasing the price of the smartphone. A prime example of this would be the Xiaomi-backed Redmi which increased the price of the Redmi Note 10 series in the Indian market by four times.
According to Counterpoint research, the year is expected to end with around 190 launches, down from over 207 launches last year. So far this year, companies have launched around 103 smartphones. It remains to be seen how many devices are launched in the fourth quarter of this year which is the prime sales period for both online and offline sales due to the festive season and accounts for almost a third of the annual sales.


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Batteries and fast charging technology on smartphones have progressed tremendously over the years, with over 100W fast charging being something relatively common these days. With that in mind, you’d be surprised that Apple, one of the largest smartphone manufacturers in the world is still selling the same 5W USB charger that ships with older generations of the iPhone (before they stopped including chargers in the box).
Thankfully, it looks like Apple may set to discontinue selling the 5W power adapter given how it has been out of stock in various countries for a while now. As reported MacRumours, the 5W USB Power Adapter is no longer available at many Apple Stores around the world.
These include countries such as Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, New Zealand, China, and Japan. However, the charger is still available in some countries including Malaysia, United States, Brazil and the United Kingdom, though this may be due to old stocks of the power adapter being still available.
As mentioned earlier, the 5W USB charger was included with almost every iPhone model up to the iPhone 11 and was shipped together with Apple Watch models up to the Apple Watch Series 6. In 2020, Apple announced that it would no longer ship the iPhone and Apple Watch with a power adapter in the box, as well as introduce a new 20W USB-C power adapter as compared to the USB-A of the classic 5W charger.
In our country, the 5W USB Power Adapter is priced at RM79 on Apple's Malaysian website which is incredibly overpriced for such a low wattage charger. For RM20 more at RM99, you can get the new 20W USB-C Power Adapter which is more compact than the classic charger thanks to its foldable pins.
Well, do take this information with a grain of salt as it’s just speculation and nothing is confirmed as of yet. If it proves to be true, we’d doubt anyone would miss the classic 5W charger.
What do you guys think? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below and stay tuned to TechNave for more trending tech news.


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THURSDAY, April 4, 2019 -- With so many heartburn medications available over the counter, it might be surprising to learn that heartburn itself isn't a health condition, but rather a symptom of something else.
First, be sure to distinguish it from indigestion, which is primarily an uncomfortable fullness after eating. With heartburn, there's a burning sensation in your chest or neck. It might feel like food is coming back up into your mouth, maybe with a bad taste.
FRIDAY, March 8, 2019 -- Crohn's disease involves inflammation of the digestive tract. But new research into its causes is focusing on fungi commonly found on the skin.
These microscopic fungi, called Malassezia restricta, are linked to dandruff. They're found in oily skin and scalp follicles, but they also end up in the gut. However, it's not known how they get there or what they do.
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 20, 2019 -- Has a high-fat meal ever left you feeling bloated and sluggish? It turns out that a heavier fat diet may keep the many bacteria that live in your digestive system from doing their best, too.
New research found that when people boosted their fat intake to 40 percent of their daily diet for six months, the number of "good" gut bacteria decreased while "unhelpful" bacteria amounts increased.


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CINCINNATI (FOX19) - FOX19 NOW technology expert Dave Hatter says scammers are gearing up for their busy season as holiday shoppers look for the best deals.
Researchers, he says, have found hundreds of thousands of fake sites set up to defraud people by imitating large retailers.
Here’s how it works: Scammers copy logos and text from the websites of major retailers. They also purchase a domain name similar to popular shopping sites.
The goal is to get shoppers to click the link to their fake website and enter login information that scammers can use to bleed your bank accounts dry.
“Now I get this bogus fishing email," Hatter explained. “It’s got a link in it and perhaps it goes to something like Amazon.com, except the ‘o’ in Amazon is replaced with a ‘0’ (zero). To the naked eye, that’s going to be very hard to see.”
Unfortunately, these fake websites cost next to nothing for scammers to set up. That makes it easy for them, with the proper know-how, to cash in on customers who aren’t tech-savvy.
“For $24—literally $24—you can go out and buy tools online," Hatter said referencing a Deloitte study, “and they say for $24 you can get maybe a $25,000 a month return on that.”
Shopping at brick-and-mortar stores is the obvious way to avoid online scams. Still, if you prefer online shopping, Hatter says people can take some simple steps to protect themselves.
He encourages shoppers to avoid clicking links sent via email, instead of asking people to type the website into the browser bar themselves. This simple step can save customers from scammers who register domain names that look like trusted websites.
“One of the really tricky ones is they’ll replace the lower-case letter ‘l’ with a ‘1’ or the ‘1’ with a lower-case ‘l’," Hatter said. “To the naked eye, it’s very hard to see that especially in that little browser window at the top.”
Anti-scam tools are useful too.
Many times, scammers are working out of the country, and the websites they’re registering aren’t as well established as the large retailers. Norton offers a safe and secure way to check on the validity of the website you’re visiting through their ‘Safe Web’ tool.


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Tim Cook in the Hall of Names at Yad Vashem. Photo: Yad Vashem
As part of his tour of the Middle East that included inaugurating Apple’s new Israeli R&D center, Tim Cook paid a visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum today. Yad Vashem has served as the Jewish people’s living memorial to the Holocaust ever since it was established in 1953, and has seen dozens of prominent leaders grace its halls.
Zane Lowe and Kanye West during emotional interview: Photo: BBC
Zane Lowe, BBC DJ and future Apple employee, sat down with Kanye West today to talk about a number of subjects, including what the rapper’s amazingly innovative company will look like when it hits his projected $1 trillion valuation.
West didn’t sound too sure about the products he’ll be selling, but he pointed to some advice he got from none other than Apple design legend Jony Ive, saying innovation is basically overrated.
Today the FCC made a historic move to protect net neutrality. By reclassifying ISPs under Title II of the Communications Act, the internet is now regulated like a utility.
“While some other countries try to control the internet, the action that we take today is an irrefutable reflection of the principle that no one, whether government or corporate, should control a free and open access to the internet,” said FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler during a packed meeting today in Washington DC.
In attendance at the meeting was Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, who called the FCC’s decision a “victory for the people.”
Apple’s invite for the Apple Watch event looks like it was designed on a spirograph, but it’s also quite lovely.
Some Apple fans have already whipped up high-res wallpapers of the invite to remind you all day every day that all the info about Jony Ive’s fabulous timepiece will be revealed on March 9th. The wallpapers come in versions for Mac, iPhone and iPad.
République Remastered is the gorgeously rebooted Mac and PC version of Seattle-based Camoflaj’s intriguing episodic stealth video game that originally came out for iPad and iPhone in December of 2013.
The development team took the opportunity to completely revamp the game within the updated game engine, Unity, moving the entire project from Unity 4 to Unity 5. By making this the first game release ever with the Unity 5 engine, they got early access to the engine in return for documenting their process.
“When Unity 5 was announced we saw our chance to make good on our two-year old promise to make a PC and Mac version of République,” writes the team on the Unity blog. “In addition to spending months completely reworking the game’s controls and UI, we knew we’d benefit from an increased wow factor on this new platform. From our dumpy office in downtown Bellevue (surrounded by industry titans like Bungie and Valve), we’ve put our heart and soul into this ambitious and at times, difficult, project.”
Check out the official game trailer below to see how they succeeded in making this already stunning game even more gorgeous.
Russian BASE jumper Valery Rozov leaves his team behind after a recent wingsuit flight from Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa. Photo: Thomas Senf / Red Bull Content Pool
Valery Rozov is running out of mountains off which to jump.
The Red-Bull-pedaling daredevil added Mount Kilimanjaro to a recent jump in a wingsuit, traveling a horizontal distance of nearly two miles in a minute-long free fall before pulling his parachute to safely land at Barranco Camp. He was greeted by several Africans, who hoisted him on their shoulders.
“The locals had heard what I was up to and were pretty impressed,” Rozov, 50, told redbull.com.
This just keeps getting higher and higher. Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac
The Nasdaq has been flirting with busting past the 5000 mark for days now, but investors are blaming one stock on holding it back: AAPL.
Apple shares have ballooned to their highest value ever over the past month. After weeks of growth, the stock’s performance has been flattish the last few days, which is a big problem for Wall Street because Apple now accounts for 10% of the Nasdaq’s index value.
Now that Frank is president, everything should be smooth sailing. Why are we even doing a third season? Photo: Netflix
Netflix’s super-political drama House of Cards returns for its third season Friday, and if the Muppet version wasn’t enough to hold you over before you watch all the new episodes in one sitting this weekend, we’re here to help.
You should check out these shows if you need a fix of shenanigans and power plays that go all the way to the top.


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Whether you believe it or not, but the cyber threat is posing real challenges for both government as well as private organizations. However, the financial institutions always remain a crucial target for the cyber hackers.
As technology is transforming, the nature and mindset of cyber-criminals are also changing. They have become shrewder and know the technical aspect of unlocking a door without even having access to its keys.
We have already witnessed one of the major cyber threats in the form of Ransomeware Attack in 2017 affecting more than two hundred thousand people globally. Therefore, bolstering the security arrangements for the banking and Fintech industry should be the topmost concern for the IT sector. According to a report published by Global Market Insights, the usage of technology would upsurge up to 22% within a span of 2017 to 2024.
Yes, one may think of various options to tighten the security screws but of late, biometrics has become a viable choice to achieve one’s end. It is ahead of its time technology that literally does not focus on passwords, PIN numbers, and lock patterns but instead identifies an individual through his physiological or behavioral trait.
This may include scanning the face, the fingerprints, iris, matching the voice sample, and handwriting etc. This makes the job quite difficult for hackers to indulge in any kind of illegal or scam activities.
The cyber experts tend to believe that security norms like passwords or PINs would soon be replaced by a more reliable and authentic process such as the biometrics. In fact, Apple has already taken a giant stride forward and introduced the Touch ID and Face ID authentication in new versions of the iPhone models. Even the Android manufacturing devices are not lacking behind and the same technology is also being initiated there too.
The banking sector is seriously pondering over implementing the biometrics to boost up the security loopholes. It’s because this technology has already made a successful mark in mobile devices and applications. So, it’s the right time to take this technique forward and offer a much secured environment to their customers.
In this fast-paced world, most of the banks are offering online banking services through websites or mobile apps. And certainly, this number is going to surge in the future. Therefore, customers are searching for more assurance and fortification when it comes to conducting online transactions. The biometrics will allow to login into one’s account quickly without the stressing of typing password and memorizing it.
According to a statistic report, the biometric authentication market is expected to reach about $24.59 billion by 2023 with around 2.6 billion biometric users worldwide. Indeed, a survey says that biometric authentication process has received a positive response from the users with 56% people trusting on the fingerprint technology.
Some of the major financial service providers such as MasterCard and Citi Treasury have already planned to integrate the biometric technology in the following year with fingerprint face detection. However, the old methods like PIN are not going anywhere and will stay to offer security.
The Reduction in Use of Passwords
As told earlier that financial institutions and organizations need to pull their socks up as they cannot merely rely on passwords and PIN numbers. No bank wants to take any change and compromise on the security front.
Tech giants such as Microsoft and Intel have already begun creating and incorporating the biometric id where the integration of biometric Single Sign-On (SSO) password management technique has become the focal point for future. It helps in securing and managing the confidential data from the hackers.
Increase in Numbers of Biometric Enabled Devices
Almost all major Smartphone Manufacturing Companies such as Google, Apple, Samsung, Lenovo, LG, Honor, HTC, and more have already implemented the biometric authentication feature in their devices.
According to Gartner, about 30% of the Smartphone devices already have this bonus facility as a robust secured system. Not to say that this figure will only hike in the future and therefore, the banking industry should take full advantage of this facility.
Other Platforms Embracing Biometric Technology
With the increment in the popularity of the biometric technology, it is no more restricted to banking apps, but has got other payment gateway integration apps on the forum as well.
One can certainly cite the example of Apple Pay, implementing the Apple Touch ID and facial recognition to identify the user. Credit goes to Apple for starting the Touch ID, which indeed has spread to the other platforms as well, specifically the banks. Some banks initiating this advanced technology include HSBC, American Express, and Tangerine.
The Option of Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
There are various other options that are strictly under the process of consideration such as the Multi-Factor Authentication or MFA. This alternative is apart from PINs and passwords, which have become vulnerable and can be targeted easily by the cyber pirates.
In this process, the two techniques of biometric authentication is combined; it may include fingerprint and iris scan. This is one of the hardest nuts to crack for the hackers and access the customer’s account details.
Biometric Identification Methods
There are two different approaches when it comes to the biometric identification methods. In the first case, you have to take the help of the built-in biometric sensors and the attaching portable biometric hardware using a USB cable.
In the second option, you can do the same using Wi-Fi connectivity. Some extensively employed techniques or methods include:
- Fingerprint Scan
Undoubtedly, the fingerprint scanning is one of the most popular and widely used biometric authentication processes. This technique is followed on several devices.
- Face ID
The facial recognition or the face ID is widely used at the bank ATMs and while conducting the transactions on mobile apps or online. However, the other factors such as lighting condition and position of the face also play a vital role in authentication.
- Iris and Retina Scan
This method has also become common especially when you are applying for any important document such as the passport. Here you would find about more than 200 unique points of data that are stored at the server database. This has also been identified as one of the most reliable biometric authentication modes.
- Voice Identification
The voice identification process biometric authentication will offer the optimal results when it is paired with some other method such as retina scan or face recognition. HSBC Bank had announced that it would be implementing this technique and customers don’t need to memorize passwords any more.
- Vein Pattern Authentication
Although Vein Pattern Authentication is one of the best methods to go for the biometric authentication, this game isn’t that easy to play. This is because it usually needs the veins of the individual’s palm, eye, or finger to unlock the system.
The biometric authentication has gained the spotlight and is regarded as security cover for the financial assets and institutions including banks for the near future. The PINs and passwords are no more secured and with the threats looming large, you need a robust tool for implantation to safeguard your hard earned money. There are different methods in the biometric authentication and so the customers can trust on it; although it is not an ideal solution.


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The kati kebab has rolled out of its original home. Nizam’s, which gave Calcutta the kati kebab roll, has been reduced to a cubby-hole counter on its door-front pavement following labour trouble. But die-hard Nizam’s fans can take heart in the fact that the management remains keen to take its kebab counters far beyond its Hogg Street hearth, from Salt Lake to either side of the Atlantic.
The vintage kebab-paratha outlet set up by Sheikh Hassan Raza in 1932 and named after his son Sheikh Nizamuddin, was shut down on August 11, when a section of employees owing allegiance to the Forward Bloc struck work following a “two-day delay” in disbursement of wages.
The Nizam’s management, which had sought an extra couple of days to garner pay packets for 16 of the 86 permanent staff citing “lax business”, has termed the sudden strike “completely illegal”. An attempt at a negotiated settlement allegedly led to “threats” from the agitating workers.
The owners have sought and obtained Section 144 so that “ingress and egress to the premises are not blocked”. But the striking staff opened up a roll counter right at the restaurant entrance on Wednesday, following which the management has decided to move court again.
The Citu faction, which has seen its ranks swell of late, has dissociated itself from the wildcat strike. “The restaurant was our sole sustenance in this city and we are worried sleepless about the future,” says 65-year-old Mohammed Nayeem, who has been rustling up rolls at Nizam’s since 1952.
The management, despite losing upwards of Rs 50,000 a day during this peak pre-Puja shopping season, would like the giant tavas to simmer again only after a legally ratified assurance of cooperation from the striking employees. Closure has led to default on dues to statutory bodies as well, but not on the growth plans.
“We have already branched out into catering, and will roll out at least 10 franchisee outlets in the city within the next two months, starting with Salt Lake. Our Delhi and Darjeeling restaurants are doing very well and plans to take the Nizam’s brand of kati kebab rolls abroad (proposals from the UK, US, Germany and Russia are on the table) remain a priority area,” says 29-year-old Mehboob ‘Bobby' Irshad, great grandson of Raza.


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Panasonic India has launched a new smartphone in its Eluga series, dubbed as Panasonic Eluga Note. The smartphone is priced at Rs. 13,290 and will be available via offline retail stores.
The Panasonic Eluga Note flaunts a 5.5-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) IPS LTPS display and is powered by 1.3 GHz Octa-Core processor, coupled with 3GB RAM and 32GB internal memory. It has expandable memory up to 32GB with microSD slot and the smartphone runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow with company’s own FitHome UI overlaid.
The Eluga Note houses a 16-megapixel rear camera with triple LED Flash, f/1.9 aperture, 6P lens, and 1080p video recording. It also bears a 5-megapixel front-facing camera with 4P lens. The smartphone is backed by 3000 mAh battery and also sports an Infrared sensor. It measures 146×74.5×8.15mm and weighs 142g.
Connectivity options on the smartphone include 4G VoLTE, 3G, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, and GPS. The Panasonic Eluga Note will be offered in Champagne Gold color only.
“Panasonic always believes in creating a better life and a better world for our customers. Eluga Note equipped with full HD display, faster processing power and superior camera empowers the consumer to perform all their task at ease thereby making their life smarter and efficient. We are confident with ELUGA Note, will enhance our market share as an emerging smartphones brand and further strengthen our position in the price band of INR 10,000-15,000.”
– Pankaj Rana, Business Head – Mobility Division, Panasonic India.
A few weeks ago, the company also launched the P75 smartphone at Rs. 5,990.


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The UK glass and glazing industry is set to experience a period of expansion over the next two years, according to latest research from Pilkington UK.
Pilkington surveyed 318 customers across the supply chain – including fabricators, installers and architects – and found 66% plan to recruit more staff over the next two years.
The average firm is expected to create at least three jobs over this period. If replicated across the entire industry, this could result in thousands of new roles across the sector.
This predicted uplift in job creation appears to be underpinned by a forecast increase in turnover for many companies within the glass any glazing sector, with the average company forecasting growth of at least 10 percent by 2018.
The survey also suggests that companies are planning to invest in developing new products and improving their infrastructure. 37 percent indicated that they plan to develop their product range, whilst nearly 32% are planning to upgrade their premises or equipment.
Many firms are anticipating an increase in the number of new houses being built, something confirmed in last year’s Autumn Statement, in which Chancellor George Osborne announced the biggest house building initiative since the 1970s.
Almost a third of businesses said that an upturn in the construction of new homes would allow them to grow, whilst 24% cited increased investment by property owners on energy-efficiency improvements would increase growth.
Likewise, almost a quarter of participants said that the relaxation of the planning laws – a proposal introduced by the Government during the summer budget – was an important step in helping to pursue a more ambitious expansion strategy.
Pilkington UK commercial director Andy McDowell commented: “There has been no shortage of pessimistic forecasts for the performance of the glazing market in recent years, and while many firms are still operating with caution, this survey shows clear signs of growing confidence in some parts of the industry.
The commercial sector in particular is a buoyant market, with many of our customers citing healthy order books.”
When asked about the biggest obstacle currently facing their business, the increasing cost of materials was most commonly cited with more than 50 percent of respondents highlighting it as the biggest challenge in the two years ahead.
Furthermore, 33 percent of respondents commented that low spend in the domestic market as a result of a tough economic climate would be the biggest challenges, whilst 27 percent named the cost of employment as the greatest hurdle.
Other challenges included the industry’s skills shortage and the lack of spending in the commercial sector.
Overseas competition was named as a threat by just 5 percent of firms, compared to 22 percent that said domestic competition.
Andy McDowell added: “As a business we’re committed to working in partnership with our customers, helping them to achieve their growth ambitions, and this type of market intelligence ensures we are able to provide a better level of support as we have an in-depth understanding of the industry from their perspective.”
Pilkington United Kingdom Limited,
WA9 5 DZ
Phone: 01744 692000
Fax: 01744 692569
Freefoam has strong ties with contractors, architects and specifiers, thanks to its ‘The Power of Many’ approach.Posted in Articles, Building Industry News, Building Products & Structures, Cladding, Posts, Restoration & Refurbishment, Retrofit & Renovation, Roofs, Walls
Britain’s builders’ merchants sales to builders and contractors bounced back strongly in the three months May to July, as reported in July’s BMBI report.Posted in Articles, Building Associations & Institutes, Building Industry News, Building Products & Structures, Building Systems, Landscaping, news, Posts, Research & Materials Testing, Timber Buildings and Timber Products
Local authorities and housing associations can now access free guidance on self-closing devices for fire doors, as the GAI has launched a new door closer safety checklist.Posted in Access Control & Door Entry Systems, Architectural Ironmongery, Articles, Building Associations & Institutes, Building Industry News, Building Products & Structures, Doors, Health & Safety, Innovations & New Products, Publications, Security and Fire Protection
A dynamic South Coast start-up, Energy Carbon, has won the exclusive contract to distribute cutting-edge German heating technology to the UK.Posted in Articles, Building Industry News, Building Services, Heating Systems, Controls and Management, Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning - HVAC, Innovations & New Products, Sustainability & Energy Efficiency


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Baby Shop inBabyshop in
You can also personalize your product by adding a name to embroider your hat, clothing and blanket to make a unique present.
Make "Mother" Mother's Day
It turned out that the Arabian term for parenting (pronounced "Al Obuwah") is translated as "fatherhood". Reflecting the recognition of the mother's part, the Middle East retail company Babyshop and its FP7/DXB agent create a new Arabian word: Al Umobuwah. In order to attract attention, the ad features in- and out-of-store interactivity with the aim of getting the term formally recognised in the Arabian language lexicon.
Store workers thought pregnant baby wife baby shock was stole goods
There was a shock to a dark lady who was carrying twin babies when a labourer at the Staples stationer's thought her baby drawer was theft. A policeman came up to me during the deal and said that he wanted to talk to me. The watchman was shocked not to believe what the future wife said to him and to repeat his questions.
She discovered purchases in the baby shop with Carole Middleton in London.
She was discovered in a London baby shop while doing some grocery shopping together with her mom Carole Middleton, as HELLO! An expectant mom whose baby is expected in July was discovered on Thursday night at the Blue Almonds on Walton Street in the South Kensington quarter of the German capitol and bought a Muses hamper for the King's baby.
Awaiting the queen, she was dressed in her renowned brown dresses in an updos and was very relaxed during her excursion, with a marine top and denim. On line, this grandma Carole was "very lucky and enthusiastic" during her stroll. This couple spend a lot of quality browse through the shop, which specializes in tailor-made furnishings, clothes and accessoires.
"The Duchess of Cambridge had the honor of paying a visit to our shop on Walton Street," said the shopkeeper Izabela Minkiewicz. She may have been looking for inspirations for the little boy's daycare in her and Prince William's new Kensington Palace flat no. A1, which they will move into later that year.
Agitated users of Twitter said the nascent Princess was seen on the same date buying a stroller at Peter Jones in Sloane Square. In early April, April 31, Kate unveiled that she and William still "have a great deal to do" in their children's room. Kate also talked about her due date and possible baby name on her journey to Scotland.
One of the Middleton family's favourite sites for retailing therapies, Kensington is just a stone's throw from William and Kate's London home, Kensington Palace. Their last trip was not the first one that the woman was seen doing groceries in the area during her gestation. In early March, Kate was seen rummaging through the Seraphin birth license in Peter Jones at Sloane Square.
At the beginning of February she was discovered in a gap shop nearby when she was buying one of her stylish, colourful denim-styles. HI FOR EXCLUSIVE IMAGES OF KATE AND KAROLE BUYING FOR THE ROYAL CRIB!


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The doomsday prophecies began to circulate around the luxury watch business about nine months ago.
Exports of high-end timepieces from Switzerland had declined by double digits in 6 of the top 10 markets compared with the previous year; inventory from the 2008 holiday season-that-wasn’t sat beneath a layer of dust in retail showcases; and suppliers, among the hardest hit by the downturn, were forecasting a slump on par with the devastating crisis of the 1970s, when the introduction of cheap Japanese quartz watches ravaged the industry.
“We had the impression we were living on the North Pole and wondered if the sun was ever going to come out again,” said Mathias Buttet, president of BNB Concept, which makes complicated movements on behalf of brands like Hublot and Concord.
At the Baselworld luxury fair in March, gray skies mirrored the industry’s grim outlook.
“We were predicting that out of about 600 brands in Switzerland, roughly 200 would shut down,” said Joe Thompson, editor in chief of WatchTime magazine.
As it happens, reports of the trade’s demise were somewhat exaggerated. So far, only one brand, Villemont, has filed for bankruptcy, and that was in January, when the bold-faced names of haute horlogerie still believed in their own infallibility.
But the market remains bleak. Demand sharply contracted in the first nine months of 2009, with exports of Swiss timepieces plunging 26 percent worldwide, 42 percent in the United States and a whopping 59 percent in Russia, according to the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry.
“The figures now are not so positive,” acknowledged Jean-Daniel Pasche, president of the federation, in a recent interview. He said the trade had lost nearly 3,500 jobs since the start of the year — a figure that included plenty of top-level executives.
Worldwide, the American market has suffered the greatest casualties, both statistically and anecdotally. Not only have well-known personalities such as Frédéric de Narp, the head of Cartier’s North American business, departed, but some brands have also elected to maintain only a sales team in the United States, leaving the regional president position conspicuously empty.
“Swiss headquarters are having a very difficult time comprehending what’s going on in the U.S.,” Mr. Thompson said. “A decade of gains is about to be wiped out. We’re on track to hit 1999 figures.”
In certain circles, it has become fashionable to frame the crisis in Darwinian terms.
“During the bubble, the strong got stronger and the weak also got stronger, even if those brands didn’t have legitimacy,” said Thomas Mao, a management consultant based in Los Angeles and founder of the ThePuristS.com, a Web site for watch aficionados. “People forgot that the baseline over the last 10 years was unprecedented and artificial. Now the strong have gotten stronger, and the weak are starving.”
Mr. Mao says that the downturn should be seen as a prime opportunity to retire the “complication cocktails” of recent years, by which he means the watches that boast gratuitous combinations of complex features. He argues that the best future of the industry lies in making its products even more exclusive than before.
At Roger Dubuis, the chief executive Matthias Schuler has come to a similar conclusion. He said he had recently fielded calls from retailers in Scandinavia, France and North Africa, all hoping to secure an Excalibur Double Tourbillon Skeleton, available in a limited run of 28 pieces for $246,000.
“Price is not an issue,” Mr. Schuler said. “We have to have less choice, and the choice has to be more evident.”
The auction market for prestige timepieces would seem to affirm this. It has slowed, yes, but not for the obvious reasons.
“Sale totals are down on average 25 percent, not because watches are down in price but because we are finding 25 percent less property,” said Aurel Bacs, co-head of the international watch department at Christie’s in Geneva. “We at first worried the crisis would force collectors to sell off. Much to our surprise, the opposite has happened. Collectors said, ‘Where else am I going to place my money?”’
The grand unveiling of Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Hybris Mechanica 55 collection on the occasion of the 66th Venice Film Festival in September suggests that luxury watchmakers are all too happy to oblige. The trilogy includes a Gyrotourbillon, a Triptyque and a Grande Sonnerie — a chiming complication often described as the holy grail of watchmaking — and is available, en suite, for €1.8 million, or $2.7 million (make that a round €2 million to include the deluxe safe in which they are delivered).
Not every prestige brand has set its sights on the stratosphere. In May, A. Lange & Söhne presented the Lange Zeitwerk, with a mechanical jumping hour and minute display that celebrates the digital aesthetic. Currently on back-order, the timepiece — $54,500 in white, yellow or pink 18-karat gold, and $75,900 in platinum — has found, among Lange’s hyper-limited distribution network, a throng of willing buyers, said Philippe Bonay, the brand’s North America president.
Below the Zeitwerk’s price threshold, however, the market is in a state of panic. At the low- and midrange segments, retailers are still working to offload merchandise that has collected in the pipeline since 2008. In doing so, many are resorting to rampant discounting, intensifying the flood of goods to gray market outlets such as Costco and eBay.
“It’s sort of a war zone out there,” said Francois-Henry Bennahmias, president and chief executive of Audemars Piguet, North America. “It’s difficult to control all the channels of distribution.”
The Swiss are fighting back the only way they know how: by trimming their wholesale accounts and placing a greater emphasis on their own retail stores. Since June, Roger Dubuis, IWC and Audemars Piguet have opened flagship locations, in Shanghai, Hong Kong and New York, respectively.
“A flagship store can sell one watch per week and pay expenses,” said Osvaldo Patrizzi, the founder of Patrizzi & Co., an auction house specializing in timepieces. “It is also a direct way to approach the customer and guarantee to the watch manufacturer the stability of the price.”
As long as they can keep a firm grip on their merchandise, executives do not seem worried about their brands’ long-term prospects. This is particularly true for those with heavy exposure in Asia. The consensus there is that the amount of business lost during the crisis pales in comparison to what watchmakers stand to gain.
“Asia has significant growth potential,” said Philippe Léopold-Metzger, chief executive of Piaget, which will have 14 points of sale in China by the end of December. “When they see the numbers, my shareholders will think we’re going mad.”


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Dogecoin ($DOGE), the meme currency turned sixth largest crypto asset rose above $0.40 again after weeks of consolidation post reaching ATH of $0.4377. The recent price surge is believed to be fueled by the eToro support that added the meme currency for millions of its customers today. The trading app boasts of 20 million customers and has joined the growing league of platforms adding support for the meme turned digital asset.
Such wait pic.twitter.com/gMZG8byej7
— eToro (@eToro) May 3, 2021
The sixth-largest currency had a phenomenal year up until now as 2021 is proving to be the year when Doge finally sheds its meme tag amid growing real-world use cases. Doge started rising towards the end of February nearly growing by over 600% in the past couple of months. Doge was trading at $0.4197 with a 9% surge over the past 24 hours.
Dogecoin Now Bigger Than Twitter and Ford
Dogecoin is a purely community-driven decentralized asset that gained a lot of traction earlier this year during the GameStop fiasco as RobinHood halted the trade of the meme currency along with $GME and few others. It gained most of the traction last month amid rising adoption and continuous shilling from serial entrepreneur Elon Musk.
Elon Musk is the unofficial CEO of the digital asset and rightly so since he has continued hyping the meme currency to a point that he may face legal action for breaching security regulations. While being the sixth-largest digital asset hasn’t gone done well with many, Doge has continued to see a great surge in adoption from mainstream firms such as a Nissan dealership and now Mark Cuban owned Dallas Mavericks for all their merchandise. Cuban has even claimed that Doge payment has proven to be a big hit and encourage other businesses to accept Doge payment.
The growing popularity and surge in adoption over the past couple of months had not just made it the sixth-largest digital asset, in fact at its current valuation it is bigger than Twiiter Inc and the popular car manufacturer Ford.
The post Dogecoin Regains $0.40 Support as eToro Trading App Announces Doge Offering appeared first on BitcoinLinux.


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Customers will be comfortable returning to travel in their own time but many are on a “sliding scale”, says the boss of the UK’s largest tour operator.
Tui’s UK managing director Andrew Flintham said the operator’s Holiday Promise was designed to put the minds of customers in the middle of three levels of “risk appetite” at ease.
Speaking to Travel Weekly in Ibiza as the operator hosted media as part of its summer 2020 programme relaunch, he said: “We have whole range of customers with a whole range of how they perceive risk. There are some customers who have been waiting for the second they can book a holiday, and we are also going to have those customers that, at the moment, travelling is not something they want to do – and we have to respect that, whether their circumstances are medical or otherwise.
“We never want to be in a place where we are unfair to any customers. We want customers to be able to make the decision that’s right for them.
He added: “In between those two groups you have a whole load of people on a sliding scale, which is where something like our Holiday Promise really works.”
“These things are really important to people,” he said, noting that Tui’s newly-announced Covid Cover was “underpinning” the Holiday Promise, which also pledges that Tui won’t take customers to anywhere they would have to quarantine on arrival. “That’s not a holiday,” added Flintham.
He said “the other questions” Tui is getting related to what was open, be it beaches, golf facilities, spas, gyms and pools, and said the pledge promises “we won’t take you somewhere where you won’t get the holiday you paid for”.
However, he said some hotels may not have all facilities, open, for instance there will be cases where not every restaurant is open as the hotel is operating with limited capacity. But this, he said, would not constitute a material change.
Flintham said Tui’s decision not to sell Florida holidays departing this year was a “really good example” because the majority of its guests visit Disney which has limitations and restrictions.
“Disney is a dream holiday for a lot of our customers, but it’s not quite the same if Mickey Mouse is behind a screen or you can’t do the Disney dining,” he explained. “Because we can’t offer it in the way customers would expect, that’s a fundamental reason why we said we wouldn’t be happy with it.”
Flintham said the operator’s stance should protect it from customers claiming that they did not get the equivalent holiday that they paid for before the pandemic, something travel agents have flagged as a potential banana skin for companies during the restart.
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text: NEW YORK (AP) â¿¿ Stocks that moved substantially or traded heavily Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq Stock Market: NYSE Alcoa Inc., up 44 cents at $13.38 The CEO of the aluminum producer said, in a Financial Times interview, that he expects long-term demand for the metal to grow faster than supply. Humana Inc., down $1.24 at $56.81 The health insurer expects its 2011 earnings per share to fall by about a dollar from this year. Williams-Sonoma Inc., down $3.71 at $32.09 The home furnishings retailer raised its guidance because it expects ample holiday sales, but investors were expecting an even brighter outlook. Cardinal Health Inc., up $2.09 at $36.56 The drug wholesaler is buying drug distributor Kinray Inc. for $1.3 billion in a push to expand its business in the Northeast. NASDAQ Dendreon Corp., up $2.36 at $38.23 A panel of experts effectively recommended the government's Medicare program pay for the company's $93,000 prostate cancer drug, Provenge. Staples Inc., up 39 cents at $20.47 The office products retailer said lower expenses and higher revenue boosted quarterly net income by 7 percent. DryShips Inc., up 40 cents at $5.59 Third-quarter profit jumped and the shipping company said business should improve on its offshore oil rigs. SmartHeat Inc., down 65 cents at $5 The Chinese company, which makes energy-saving products, offered 5 million common shares to investors.


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According to a recent NielsenIQ study, 60% of Saudi Arabian consumers say they’re buying a greater variety of brands than they were before Covid-19. Consumers are also largely in search of their perfect brand match, with 73% of respondents feeling that if they look hard enough, they can find a brand that fits their exact needs.
These findings appeared in the Brand Balancing Act, which focuses on how inflationary pressures are changing the way small and medium brands can justify their worth and remain aligned to the core values sought by consumers. The analysis also highlighted:
“Despite being largely “unfamiliar” by respondents in terms of notoriety, small and medium brands have a great opportunity in today’s changed consumer landscape. Our data shows that price pressures and the ongoing pandemic have changed consumer needs, and their relative expectations of brands of different sizes,” said Lauren Fernandes, Global Director of Thought Leadership.
Amongst the list of reasons to buy a brand, good value for money (88%) product quality (88%) and meeting my specific dietary and health needs (88%) are of utmost importance when making their purchasing decisions. As prices continue to rise across categories, affordability is a top reason backing this trend in functional buying.
“With 48% of global respondents saying that they plan to buy more from smaller brands in the future, clearly, the small and medium sized businesses who can understand motivators for purchase in this new landscape will most likely benefit from consumers’ updated preferences,” she said.
“Today’s macroeconomic environment has created a perfect storm for small and medium-sized businesses to connect with consumers. But that same storm could shadow smaller brands before than can scale. The key will be finding the right levers, based on the right consumer data, to innovate in meaningful ways.”
J Lindeberg was started by Johan Lindeberg in 1990s with the aimSeptember 2, 2022 | By Shruthi Nair
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