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Chinese netizens reject H&M olive branch in Xinjiang cotton feud
Swedish retailer commits to 'regaining the trust and confidence' of shoppers
Some Chinese internet users have called for a boycott of H&M while landlords have forced a number of outlets to shut.
HONG KONG -- Chinese social media users dismissed a move by Swedish retailer H&M Group on Wednesday to quiet a furor over past comments on forced labor in a minority region.
In a statement released separately from its financial results, H&M said it was working with its local team to "do everything we can to manage the current challenges and find a way forward."
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In just 72 hours, over 10,000 of you emailed shadow Defra Secretary Steve Reed in response to his...Read more
The Countryside Alliance is excited to announce the four businesses shortlisted to become the first Game Champion in the history of the Countryside Alliance Awards.
At a time when everyone is talking about boosting the game meat market, the Countryside Alliance have introduced the award to honour excellence in promoting and marketing game to the general public. The Countryside Alliance Awards, also known as the Rural Oscars, are the most prestigious and well-supported of all rural business prizes. This year the Alliance has received over 11,000 nominations and has chosen four businesses from across the Butcher and Rural Pub categories who we think are worthy of the title Game Champion.
Having passed the judging criteria with full marks, the four businesses shortlisted are:
- Vicars Game, Berkshire - "Game is at the heart of this business which has grown from humble beginnings to now ensuring that game in the surrounding countryside area has a strong market. The quality and diversity of their products has attracted the attention of local customers as well as the London restaurant market."
- Kings Arms, Rutland - "The Kings Arms is known for its game and is the go to place for the surrounding area. They supply themselves with as much game as possible throughout the year and the issue of conservation is high on their agenda so support initiatives to tackle invasive species like grey squirrels with the RSST (Red Squirrel Survival Trust).
- Sutton Gamekeeper, Cheshire - "Game is what defines this pub and James has created something unique that not only promotes the use of game in cooking, but all of the additional benefits it provides to local businesses, land owners and people."
- Blagdon Farm Shop, Northumberland – "Their dedication to game is incredible. With nine local people stalking for them providing them with venison and birds from seven shoots they are ensuring this rural community with fantastic local game but they are also putting their money behind this commitment and created a bird processing plant and are the only independent game processor in Northumberland.
Awards Director, Sarah Lee, said: "For years the Countryside Alliance has been honouring businesses that are at the forefront of processing and selling game, and as the game meat market has become so important to our members and supporters we decided this year we would choose the very best example from our thousands of nominees to be crowned Game Champion. All of our regional winners from every category will be invited to Parliament on the 25th April, where we will be announcing our national winners and naming our first Game Champion."

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The late president’s book describes the vision of Nintendo Japan Kyoto Sony Switch Hollywood
The late Nintendo president, Satoru Iwata, oversaw the video game maker’s global growth as Super Mario and Pokemon became household names.
âAsk Iwataâ was published after her death from cancer in 2015 at the age of 55. This month, VIZ Media is releasing the English translation of the book, which was released in Japanese in 2019.
âOn my business card, I am the president of a company. In my mind, I’m a game developer. But in my heart I’m a gamer, âsaid Iwata, one of the many quotes that stand out from the book.
Throughout the book, Iwata describes her vision for Nintendo Co., which was to provide entertainment that everyone in the family could enjoy, regardless of their age, gender, and gaming skills. The Culture company that he encouraged encouraged individual game makers, showing that he was one of them at heart.
Iwata was a generation younger than the avant-garde of the leaders in Japanese manufacturing who captured global attention: Soichiro Honda, founder of the automaker that bears his name; Momofuku Ando, ââinventor of the instant noodle; Akio Morita, who threw Sony into a repair shop amid the bombed-out rubble.
Nintendo, based in Kyoto, began making traditional Japanese playing cards, but switched, when Iwata took over in 2002, to video games with offerings such as the Wii console and the Nintendo DS handheld console, as well. as games on cell phones.
The company’s performance has seen its ups and downs like a Super Mario roller coaster ride, but has performed well lately as people stuck at home due to the pandemic have turned to gaming. Profits for the nine months through December doubled from the previous year to nearly 377 billion yen ($ 3.4 billion).
This good fortune might not last as normal operations resume with the rollout of vaccines, a change that may dampen sales to the casual game users who make up Nintendo gamers, rather than the mainstream gamers that rival consoles tend to attract. .
The hoped-for end of the pandemic is likely to coincide, analysts say, with a spike in the so-called “lifecycle,” or consumer appeal duration, of Nintendo console offerings like the Switch. Questions also remain about Nintendo’s ability to monetize in the growing mobile gaming industry.
Consoles could continue to evolve, like those with virtual reality, analysts say. Nintendo also owns intellectual property, driving lucrative businesses such as merchandising and theme parks.
All of these businesses flourished under Iwata’s presidency.
Kenshu Kikuzawa, professor of business administration at Keio University, believes that the strengths of Japanese companies come from its traditional practices such as lifetime employment and seniority pay increases, which still characterize large Japanese companies, including Nintendo.
This in turn breeds employee loyalty, which Kikuzawa says is important in the creative work that drives Nintendo.
Japanese companies should stay Japanese, do what they do best, handcrafted, Kikuzawa said, just like Iwata ran Nintendo.
âNintendo is in many ways a very old-fashioned Japanese company,â he said. âAt the end of the day, Nintendo employees really love Nintendo. Loyalty to the company is fierce.
This type of emotional engagement allows a business to overcome hardship, even during times of financial loss, as employees hang on and work hard for a turnaround, he said.
Iwata showed talent for programming in his youth. He worked part-time at the Japanese laboratory HAL, known for the âKirbyâ games and collaborated with Nintendo, before graduating from the prestigious Tokyo Institute of Technology. He first created games for Nintendo Famicom machines, which came out in the 1980s.
Iwata was promoted to head of HAL before taking the helm of Nintendo. His colleagues say he was a good listener, interviewing everyone in the company twice a year, trying to be fair and respectful.
“My plan was to be a sounding board and get a feel for what was going on, but when I sat down with each person individually I was blown away by everything I was learning,” wrote Iwata.
Shigesato Itoi, writer, actor and creator of Nintendo’s âEarthBoundâ game series, featured reviews of Iwata’s book on his personal website and deeply admired it.
âI never saw him blame anyone or say bad things about anyone,â said Itoi, who had known Iwata for 25 years, and said he loved her like a younger brother.
Instead of big Hollywood-style battles, Japan excels in more peaceful blockbusters like Nintendo’s âAnimal Crossing,â Itoi said. He compared the game, which simulates life in a village, to children playing at home.
âIt wasn’t exactly something that many experts in the gaming industry expected the world to enjoy,â he said. “What Japan has to offer still has great potential.”
Iwata sought to appeal to people who had never played games before and those who played them before quitting, said Kensuke Yabe, a professor in the School of Global Studies at Chukyo University.
âHe had a great instinct about what was going on on the pitch. To maximize their appeal, he made sure the Nintendo consoles were designed for the living room, âYabe said.
When the Wii first came out, Iwata insisted that the controller be called “remote,” a more colloquial term referring to televisions, rather than “controller.” He liked games to learn English, go out with a dog and cook.
âA video game is great when you can have fun just by watching someone play,â Iwata wrote.
Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter https://twitter.com/yurikageyama


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When Google bought the advertising network DoubleClick in 2007, Google founder Sergey Brin said that privacy would be the company’s “number one priority when we contemplate new kinds of advertising products.”
And, for nearly a decade, Google did in fact keep DoubleClick’s massive database of web-browsing records separate by default from the names and other personally identifiable information Google has collected from Gmail and its other login accounts.
The change is enabled by default for new Google accounts. Existing users were prompted to opt-in to the change this summer.
The practical result of the change is that the DoubleClick ads that follow people around on the web may now be customized to them based on the keywords they used in their Gmail. It also means that Google could now, if it wished to, build a complete portrait of a user by name, based on everything they write in email, every website they visit and the searches they conduct.
The move is a sea change for Google and a further blow to the online ad industry’s longstanding contention that web tracking is mostly anonymous. In recent years, Facebook, offline data brokers and others have increasingly sought to combine their troves of web tracking data with people’s real names. But until this summer, Google held the line.
“The fact that DoubleClick data wasn’t being regularly connected to personally identifiable information was a really significant last stand,” said Paul Ohm, faculty director of the Center on Privacy and Technology at Georgetown Law.
“It was a border wall between being watched everywhere and maintaining a tiny semblance of privacy,” he said. “That wall has just fallen.”
“We updated our ads system, and the associated user controls, to match the way people use Google today: across many different devices,” Faville wrote. She added that the change “is 100% optional–if users do not opt-in to these changes, their Google experience will remain unchanged.” (Read Google’s entire statement.)
Existing Google users were prompted to opt-into the new tracking this summer through a request with titles such as “Some new features for your Google account.”
The “new features” received little scrutiny at the time. Wired wrote that it “gives you more granular control over how ads work across devices.” In a personal tech column, the New York Times also described the change as “new controls for the types of advertisements you see around the web.”
Connecting web browsing habits to personally identifiable information has long been controversial.
Read more here: www.propublica.org/article/google-has-quietly-dropped-ban-on-personally-identifiable-web-tracking


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Cell phone contracts versus landlines
Published 7:00 am Thursday, February 26, 2015
Cell phones are the new telegraph as their availability and popularity have prompted many to cancel their landline service.
For many, there is no need to have a cell phone and a landline, especially for those whose network provides them with excellent cellular coverage no matter where they go.
Cell phones also provide options that landlines can’t offer. When was the last time you checked your social media account, email account or read the latest news using a landline phone?
However, unlike landlines, securing a cell phone for the most part means choosing a plan, signing a contract, and selecting a device, many of which can cost hundreds of dollars. What you may not know is that the phones actually cost more if you purchase it without a contract. Cell phone companies subsidize the difference because they have a period of time to recoup the expense.
So, while you may chose a high-end device capable of providing all the newest applications with the best resolution, you are still paying a lot of money every month just to use your device. Plans can cost upwards of $100 a month for one line, or more if additional lines are added.
But another option to a long term contact is gaining ground, prepaid plans. Prepaid plans can be a method of saving money on your monthly bills.
There are a couple of caveats however. First and foremost, the devices offered under these plans may not be as advanced as the newest iPhone or Android device. However, increasing numbers of prepaid providers are upping their game in that department.
Another con to a prepaid plan is remembering to purchase more minutes each and every month.
However, as these plans become more popular it’s expected that the small hitches associated with a prepaid plan may be resolved. Choices in the marketplace, free enterprise at work.


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McMurdo has today unveiled its new range of AIS products at METS (Marine Equipment Trade Show) taking place in Amsterdam. Expanding its portfolio of AIS technologies, the new range includes the Smartfind M5 AIS Class A Transponder, the Smartfind M10 AIS Class B Transponder, the Smartfind M15 AIS Receiver and the Smartfind M15S AIS Receiver with VHF splitter. The new range is now on display on the Orolia stand, number 03.405, together with the full range of McMurdo safety products including the new R5 GMDSS VHF handheld Radio and Fast Find 220 Personal Locator Beacon.
McMurdo has achieved MED Wheel Mark certification for its Smartfind S5 AIS SART (Automatic Identification System Search and Rescue Transmitter).
The Wheel Mark (Mark of Conformity) is the European regulatory marking for all marine equipment as defined in the Marine Equipment Directive 96/98/EC, which ensures a uniform application of international instruments, including IMO Conventions, Resolutions and international testing standards.
McMurdo Marine Systems will exhibit the Oceania Marine Tracking Buoy System at the Shipbuilding, Machinery & Marine Technology International Trade Fair taking place in Hamburg, Germany from 4th – 7th September 2012.
McMurdo is launching its new R5 GMDSS VHF handheld Radio at the Shipbuilding, Machinery & Marine Technology International Trade Fair taking place in Hamburg, Germany from 4th – 7th September 2012. The R5 will be on display on the McMurdo stand, number B6.121, together with McMurdo’s full range of marine safety products including EPIRBs, SARTs, PLBs, NAVTEX and VHF Radios.


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Antique Polish books sold off in Chicago
PR dla Zagranicy
Thousands of duplicate copies of books have been put up for sale at Chicago's Polish Museum in America which is looking to fund the upkeep of its library.
The museum, which is home to many priceless antique books, put up for sale literature that was mainly printed in Poland and taken to the US by migrants.
They included decades-old titles by some of Poland most venerated poets.
Małgorzata Kot, the museum's director said that Poles do not like to let go of books. But when when they must, they should go to people who will love them.
The institution, a non profit funded by donors, is the Polish diaspora's answer to a national museum.
Its library's oldest book dates back to 1508.


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Facebook, the famous social media is reportedly working on developing a smart speaker that will feature a 15-inch touch screen. The product is expected to be launched by 2018.
Google and Apple have also released their exclusive speakers namely Google home and HomePod. According to a report by Digitimes published on Tuesday with reference to the sources, the product will be designed and manufactured by Building 8 department of Pegatron, a Taiwanese electronics manufacturing company.
Echo show also reported that the 15 inch touch screen panel of Facebook’s smart speaker will be supplied by LG display and will be equipped with magnesium-aluminum alloy chassis.
It is rumored that Pegatron has already begun its small-scale production at China plants. According to the media reports, it is expected to reach worldwide market value of $5.5 billion by 2022.
The smart speaker market was expected to reach $5.5 billion by 2022 while worldwide. Around 5.9 million units of smart speakers have been shipped by the year 2016 among which 4.2 million were shipped by the fourth quarter of 2016.


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Gaming stocks Zynga Inc. (NASDAQ:ZNGA), Glu Mobile (NASDAQ:GLUU) and Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATVI) are all up big in 2020
Keith Schaefer, Investing Whisperer | May 29, 2020 | SmallCapPower: Stock prices for gaming companies are soaring in 2020. Zynga Inc. (NASDAQ:ZNGA), Glu Mobile (NASDAQ:GLUU) and Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATVI) are all up big in 2020 despite the stock markets struggles.
(The following article was originally published on investingwhisperer.com)
No question that COVID-19 has been good for the gaming business. Since February, gaming analytics company AppsFlyer says that usage and revenue are up 35% for the industry.
You can literally see the 35% surge in the stock charts of these companies.
But this is not a short-term COVID-19 trade. The gaming industry was also growing quickly coming into 2020 BEFORE the pandemic. It will continue growing quickly once COVID-19 is gone.
Gaming is huge. According to Microsoft there are already 2 billion gamers worldwide. If Microsoft and Google are in your market, you know it is a big growth opportunity.
Americans now spend more time on their mobile devices than they do watching TV—an average of 3 hours and 43 minutes each day on their smartphones, feature phones and tablets this year.
Apps are the new prime time, and games have grabbed the lion’s share.
The data is convincing.
Analytics company SensorTower, is estimating that app spending overall will grow about 15% CAGR to 2024 to about $171 billion. They expect mobile gaming specifically to be roughly $98 billion of that, or 57% of total gross revenue.
That means that every company in the gaming industry will have a 15% annualized tailwind driving revenues and earnings—for years! Invest with big tailwinds.
GlobalData’s report projects even high growth—that the industry will hit $300 billion by 2025.
Whatever the exact number ends up—you get the picture. This industry is growing extremely fast.
That means mobile gaming stocks are a GREAT place to be now. They will increase revenues and profits at a rate that is multiples more than GDP growth. (The perfect Millennials trade!)
And I think I have found one right at the investor sweet spot–where their games are moving fast up the charts at Android and Apple downloads.
That means revenue is soaring as well! They are on track to more than triple revenue Year-over-Year–and one of the reasons is because they are monetizing their players 4-5X more than the industry average.
And it’s trading at one-third recent M&A take-outs. The reason for this dis-connect is simple—the company has not been public for very long. No analyst coverage. No quarterly conference calls yet.
5X Better Than The Industry On The Most Important Measure
The single most important acronym in the gaming business is ARPDAU.
This is what drives value for gaming companies.
ARPDAU = Average Revenue Per Daily Active User
This is the #1 KPI (Key Performance Indicator) in gaming. It is the average amount of money each individual user generated while using your app within a certain 24-hour time period.
This is what determines how profitable a game is. Average ARPDAU for the mobile gaming industry—in the “casual” or “idle” sector is roughly 9 cents a day, according to GameAnalytics.com
Management says their average ARPDAU is now more than FIVE TIMES–5X–500% better!
That means that its games are 5X more profitable than the average competitor. Part of the reason for that is that two of their newer games are stunningly successful.
It follows naturally from their business plan. This company’s main focus is on counter-culture gamers.
Think surfers, LGBTQ, hippies, street culture…whatever.
These are folks who are proud to live life a little differently and feel part of their own special tribe. These groups of people are passionate about their lifestyle. As gamers, these passionate people are much better generators of revenue—5X better….the data proves it.
The main counterculture niche that this company has focused on is—cannabis. The results speak for themselves with the 5X industry norm ARPDAU.
This niche approach is not new for this recently-listed pubco. They have been successfully designing and launching games as a private company for a decade.
The return on investment for designing, building and operating games that have 5X the normal ARPDAU is exceptional. Historically the all-in cost of a game for this team is $700,000. The average total revenue that this $700,000 investment returns is $30 million over a 3 year growth cycle.
Now that is some kind of math.
The company’s newest game was just launched in April 2020 and will start hitting the financial results this quarter. History says that counter culture games have good longevity—as this company is still getting revenue from games developed in 2011.
But this industry is growing so rapidly–and this team is so good–they’re finding that new games are now on track to generate an entire legacy game’s revenue–in just their first year!
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Jammu, Jan 12 (PTI) The Jammu and Kashmir administration has directed its departments, public sector undertakings and aided institutions to procure certain goods and services produced and provided by micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
The list of goods earmarked by the government contains 358 goods, a move aimed at boosting the economic activities of small entrepreneurs, an official spokesman said on Sunday.
Quoting the instructions circulated by the finance department, he said the government has directed all the administrative secretaries and heads of departments to strictly adhere to the guidelines.
It has also asked them to direct all the line departments to comply with the instruction, the spokesman said.
Industrial, handloom or handicraft items included in the list are automobile headlights, buckets, shoes, coir items, diesel engines up to 15 HP, domestic electric appliances, enamel and glass wares, garments, hand pumps, RCC pipes and poles, sanitary fittings, steel Almirahs, taps, transistor radios (up to 3 band), water tanks (up to 15,000 litres), Jute furniture and woollen and silk carpe items, the spokesman said.
He said the step has been taken in line with the public procurement policy notified by the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. PTI TAS HRS


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Las Vegas Man Tells Owners of Lost Sprint Phones to "Get Off My Lawn"
January 15, 2013 10:14 AM
comment(s) - last by
"I don't care about these technology pets they have."
It's no fun being Wayne Dobson. Dobson isn't famous; he is a normal guy who lives in a home in northern Las Vegas. The problem is that a glitch with wireless carrier Sprint in the area sends a lot of people that use an app to find their lost smartphone to his front door.
According to the 59-year-old man, over the past two years, he has had multiple people show up at his door at all hours of the day and night demanding that he return their lost phone.
"It's very difficult to say, 'I don't have your phone,' in any other way other than, 'I don't have your phone,'" Dobson said.
The police have been sent to Dobson's home twice by mistake on domestic violence calls. The problem has become so persistent that Dobson has posted signs on the front door telling people he doesn't have their phone and to call the police.
The issue that keeps sending people to Dobson's door appears to be limited to some owners of Sprint mobile phones. Sprint officials have said they are researching the problem at this time.
"It's a hell of a problem," Dobson said. "It would be nice to be able to get a good night's sleep."
Dobson said the first time this happened was in 2011 at around midnight on weekend with an upset couple banging on his door demanding their phone back. Dobson and the couple ended up calling the police.
Dobson told the police, "I just said, 'I don't know these people; I don't go where they go.' I'm 59 years old. I don't care about these technology pets they have."
Las Vegas Review-Journal
This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled
Do you have a "technology pet" ?
1/15/2013 2:24:58 PM
Like the "Tamagotchi" of the late 90's, are the smartphones of today the new versions. Well lets see;
A 'health meter' menu, - Battery meter
A food menu, - instagram photos of food
A 'play' icon, - Smartphone games/music
A 'toilet' icon - Reboot, tweak settings
A 'discipline' icon, - Preset alarms
A 'medicine' icon, - updates/patches
A 'lights' icon, - Camera/flash
An 'attention' icon, - Facebook/twitter app.
The similarity is there, with me seeing so many people walking/sitting heads down, fingers twiddling on these little technology boxes. They have become this generation's Tamagotchis :D
So like in the old days, people came looking for their cats and dogs, now they come looking for their 'technology pets'
"There is a single light of science, and to brighten it anywhere is to brighten it everywhere." -- Isaac Asimov
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Nextbit Robin 'cloud phone' is going on sale at Amazon
It will be available for $299 for a week.
Nextbit Robin review: This ambitious 'cloud phone' is beautiful but flawed
What do you get when a team of Android all-stars build their dream device?
Nextbit's cloud-savvy smartphone ships on February 16th
The Robin will arrive a bit later than planned for some customers, but it's otherwise on track.
Nextbit's 'cloud first' smartphone is up for pre-order
Want your next smartphone to stand out from the crowd? Nextbit's Robin will do just that. The...
Nextbit's cloud-friendly phone is heading to Sprint, too
After adding Verizon to its list of carriers last week, Nextbit announced today that its Robin pho...
An early look at Nextbit's 'cloud first' Robin smartphone
Nextbit wanted to celebrate the launch of its debut smartphone today at a party in San Francisco,...


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Taxi booking app goCatch has just raised $5 million in capital investment to help it compete in the Australian taxi booking market.
Since launching three years ago goCatch has signed up more than 30,000 drivers and has about 280,000 users.
CEO Ned Moorfield said the investment will be used to develop the product further as it attempts to capture a larger market share of the $5.4 billion Australian taxi market.
“goCatch is breaking apart the Cabcharge ‘Network Model’ and redefining how the industry works,” he said.
“There are more than 200 million taxi rides every year across Australia and goCatch is well placed to take further market share from the incumbent.”
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Samsung has released a video that compares the battery life of all the major flagship smartphones – and you’ll never be able to guess which phone came out on top.
Unsurprisingly, the test carried out by Samsung, found that the smartphone with the best battery life was Samsung’s very own Galaxy S7, followed closely by the Galaxy S7 Edge, which both overcame rival devices from LG, HTC, Huawei and Apple.
The findings, which should probably be taken with a giant pinch of salt found that the battery on a Samsung Galaxy S7 is able to keep going for 10 hours 59 minutes, while the S7 Edge had 10 hours and 30 minutes battery life.
The batteries on the two Samsung devices outlasted its rivals by some distance, according the to the video uploaded to YouTube by Samsung Deutschland.
The nearest rival was the iPhone 6S which lasted 8 hours and 13 minutes, although still someway short of the Samsung smartphones.
In fourth place was the HTC 10 which lasted exactly 8 hours, with the Sony Xperia following just behind at 7 hours and 17 minutes.
Samsung hasn’t actually offered any real details about the requirements of the test, other than to say all the smartphones featured were “tested on equal terms”.
The release of the battery test video comes as the Korean tech giant is about to launch its latest flagship smartphone – the Galaxy Note 7 on August 2nd.
The Note 7 is set to be Samsung’s most powerful smartphone ever and will feature the trademark S Pen, as well as a rumoured Exynos 8893 processor alongside 4GB of RAM.
Images leaked earlier this month claim the device will be available in a choice of black, silver and blue


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Simplot eventually anted up $16 million. He and his family currently control 17 percent of Micron, and he has been an aggressive promoter of its shares, to the dismay of some analysts.
''Jack Simplot is not your usual venture capitalist - methodical, careful, slow,'' says Parkinson. ''When we were building our first chip-making facility in the desert, he used to call me up and say, 'Joe, get those bulldozers going out there or I'll start them myself come Monday.' ''
Micron's first product, a dynamic random-access memory chip, was a home run - smaller and faster than any D-RAM on the market - and, for a time, life at Micron was very good. Then, in the mid-80's, the Japanese attempted to seize the market. ''They dropped the price of a chip to 40 cents and they kept it there for two years,'' says Simplot. ''It must have cost them billions, but they near killed us.''
Struggling to survive, Micron laid off nearly half of its employees and consolidated its manufacturing operations. At the same time, the company expanded research and development, resulting in two new product lines.
By 1989, with the Government monitoring prices in the chip market, Micron was immensely profitable and fully booked. It was also one of only three surviving commercial D-RAM makers in the country, along with Texas Instruments and Motorola. ''With their new expansion, they could be pushing $1 billion in revenues in a few years,'' says Richard Whittington, an analyst with Prudential-Bache Securities. ''Right now, Micron is probably the most profitable industrial company in America. They're also more profitable than any Japanese maker of memory chips. For this little Podunk company to go toe to toe with the Japanese in an area that the Japanese dominate is a pretty remarkable story.''
From a purely Idaho point of view, it should be noted that Micron, a single company, makes more money than the state's entire sheep industry, a vital component of the regional economy. But in Idaho, many things have begun to change.
The burning question is whether yet another generation of mavericks will continue to shape Boise's future. ''There are going to be some funerals around here in a few years,'' says Boise State's John Keiser. ''It'll be interesting to see what happens then. Jack Simplot, Joe Albertson - this is very much their town.''


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It seems that every day there is a new article or new platform claiming the blockchain will revolutionize the music industry. There are at least 20 companies developing ways to write write music metadata into the blockchain. The Open Music Initiative has brought together over 120 companies trying to find new solutions to the current problems that plague the music value chain. DDEX has also been leading the way in interoperability standards since 2006.
Unfortunately, many of the problems aren’t technical; they are business related. They will require artists to take the initiative if they expect change, regardless of the technology used.
Blockchain is an exciting topic. When Bitcoin started gaining traction as a viable alternative to fiat currencies, everyone started looking at the blockchain as a potential framework for disrupting other industries. Over US $1 billion has been invested into blockchain related companies as of the first quarter of 2016. It’s a gold rush not seen since the first Internet boom. With this much investment being made, it’s very tempting to find a way to apply blockchain as a solution to a problem. When you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
One of the first problems everyone would like to solve is the music industry’s metadata problem. The lack of a central global registry of rights has wreaked havoc on the value chain. Various organizations have made noble efforts to clean up their databases, yet that data remains behind walled gardens. Previous efforts to create one registry accessible by all have failed miserably. Many think blockchain will provide a framework that will succeed where others have failed.
Private databases are not inherently bad, and the blockchain is not always better
It is said that the blockchain is an ideal solution because it’s decentralized, transparent, and inherently works for untrusted parties. Unfortunately, these can also be weaknesses, depending on who you ask.
- Trust: Private centralized databases can provide accountability. Blockchain is inherently trustless and depends on reputation and consensus to provide trust. A private company can provide trust through indemnification, assurance, and accountability.
- Cost: Providing group consensus of transactions can be expensive. Private databases can process transactions much cheaper.
- Speed: Private databases can process transactions faster because they do not require consensus.
- Transparency: Private databases are not inherently more or less transparent. Private databases can provide any level of transparency. Transparency is provided based on the demands of the voluntary participants.
- Speed of innovation: Open source frameworks are developed by consensus. While this provides stability and transparency into the code, it is very slow to develop. As the user base grows, it becomes even more difficult to implement change because of the many competing interests. For example, the Bitcoin blockchain has been unable to fix the issue of block size limits for almost 2 years. A private database can provide more effective solutions much more quickly. There are many companies today offering the same capabilities the blockchain promises in private networks.
This is not to say blockchains don’t have some value. They do. But in some cases a better solution with fewer tradeoffs can be implemented in private databases. The ideal is probably in the middle: using existing private databases as pegged sidechains to a blockchain, where two parties can agree to expose some data to mutual benefit and to reduce transaction costs. Figuring out what that data is will be the key determinant of success of many current efforts. However, we should not assume that there is a single solution to the problem. There are many ways to approach the problem technically once you have agreement from everyone to participate.
It’s a business problem, not technical problem
Creating a database is not that difficult. We have many private databases that are extremely powerful and easy to deploy. Performance rights organizations (PROs) like ASCAP and BMI, and companies such as Kobalt and SoundExchange, already manage much of this data. Labels and publishers all have databases of rights ownership. However, all of these organizations lack public APIs to access the data. There are plenty of companies ready and willing to organize this data if there were access to it. So the question remains: why does this data still reside behind walled gardens?
The first reason that comes to mind is control. Maintaining control over the data is these companies’ raison d’etre. If you were to decentralize the data that these companies control, then we would eliminate some of the value they provide. It is, by definition and design, the disruption that the blockchain solutions promise. Asking them to participate in a system that disrupts their own businesses is like asking a central bank to participate in Bitcoin. They wouldn’t unless they knew for sure the potential benefits exceeded the potential losses.
Bitcoin was able to get initial traction because it originally promised anonymity and the ability to skirt the the traditional banking system in order to conduct illegal transactions such as money laundering, tax evasion, and the trade of illegal goods. Once the anonymity of Bitcoin was greatly reduced by regulation, its value diminished greatly. Luckily it managed to get a critical mass of users and get stability.
If you were to try to launch the Bitcoin blockchain today with the participation of the banks, it would never happen. It still provides value for certain types of transactions and uses, but its value to consumers for anonymous transactions has been diminished sharply. It also provided an alternative to private and central banks. However, most people still prefer to exchange financial data through their banks (private networks) than with Bitcoin. Banks provide certain capabilities that Bitcoin cannot, and now they are starting to look at ways to use blockchains to their advantage.
The lesson here is that Bitcoin gained traction because it presented a huge value to end users, so they had incentives to participate despite the lack of participation of the existing value chain. The incumbent companies only saw its potential value instead of a threat later on.
What’s in it for me?
So, what incentives would get people to participate in a disruptive technology? It depends on whom you ask. For labels and publishers, the larger they are, the more they benefit from the current chaos. There has to be a pretty compelling, proven, and quantifiable case that exceeds the current benefits and the costs involved in participating in a new system. A few use cases are compelling:
- Verifiable rights tokens: This is similar to DRM. However, it is not intended to restrict access, but instead to ensure that licensees (i.e., other businesses) are properly tracking and paying according to their licensing agreements. This scheme would also serve as a whitelist of content for service providers looking to avoid content takedown requests. I estimate this could generate $1-2 billion in previously unattributed revenue.
- Smart licensing contracts: Smart contracts would enable rightsholders to monetize their existing catalogs far more than than they currently do through manual content licensing. Based on my analysis, I estimate that $5-7 billion dollars in additional revenue can generated through license automation and pricing optimization. This includes user generated content, games, apps, mashups, DJ mixes, sync rights, and other social platforms.
- Rights registries: A system that allowed rights holders to directly claim their rights and keep data updated and accurate would allow PROs, labels, and service providers the ability to pay more accurately and effectively, thus allowing them to focus on their core functions of collecting from licensees, marketing, and monetization.
Unfortunately, as compelling as these use cases are, they are not enough until you can prove and quantify them. So, how do you prove the use cases? Much like individuals did with Bitcoin, artists will have to lead the way.
Looking to service providers
Service providers such as Apple, Pandora, Spotify, and YouTube could potentially move things forward. After multiple class action lawsuits for failure to pay royalties, Spotify has committed to doing more to solve some of these problems. YouTube has made some progress with content ID but its platform remains fraught with unlicensed content.
However, like other established players, service providers’ interests are not completely aligned with artists. Despite the lawsuits, they have minimal incentives to invest resources into something that would bring them little benefit. YouTube draws a massive audience, not because of its licensed content but because of its unlicensed content. Policing it more aggressively or ensuring that it pays the proper rightsholders first would reduce its content and its user base. YouTube will do enough to placate the major rightsholders only where it’s more cost effective than litigation.
Cutting out the middlemen
For independent artists, the case is even more compelling. They control all their rights at the moment of creation. Rights are the only things that allow them to fight back. Artists willing and able to keep control of their rights would have a lot more leverage when dealing with labels and publishers. Just as the Internet took away the labels’ leverage by reducing distribution costs, rights management platforms — whether private or decentralized — have the ability to reduce licensing costs, increase exposure, and increase licensing revenue. They would also provide greater transparency and reduce ‘breakage’. Inevitably, labels and publishers will see the new value created by artists who are moving the industry forward.
Blockchain still holds promise as a potentially disrupting technology. Yet we must be wary of talking about it like it’s a magic bullet. Disruption does not depend on the technology alone. It requires a critical mass of users to do things differently than the way it’s always been done. There are many companies and technologies out there trying to do things differently. Artists and creators are the ones with the most to gain, and they need to support these efforts by trying new tools with the potential to disrupt.
Daniel Anders is the founder and CEO of ClearTracks, a rights management and rights clearing market platform for labels, publishers, and independent artists. They use smart contracts to optimize licensing transactions. More information can be found at https://www.cleartracks.com/register.
Quite a few technical errors in this. Most glaringly is calling the bitcoin currency anonymous. It’s not and never has been, it’s pseudo-anonymous. Regulation has nothing to do with it.
Incorrect. Anonymity is possible but in practice it’s difficult to preserve. However, that misses the point entirely. It was the PERCEPTION of anonymity that mattered and the author is correct in the sense regulation and government intervention changed that perception.
The main problem with block chain being used with music for end users is all they’d have to do is rip the audio via internal recording or drag and dropping the file to a wave editor and bouncing the track ultimately erasing any meta data.
It’a purpose is best suited for labels pros and licensing, and like the article said , why would they change to that? They wouldn’t. Block chain will not change a thing.
Never underestimate the power of free music.


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Today, Creative Fabrica, a marketplace for digital files including print-on-demand components, typefaces, and images, announced the release of its own generative AI tool. Three million ideas have been sparked by the Creative Fabrica community in the last three weeks using a feature called CF Spark, and over half a million have been shared by the Creative Fabrica community.
According to Creative Fabrica, their system is the first generative AI that also enables artists to generate money by allowing them to upload their generative AI files for paid usage by other members of the community.
Creative Fabrica, backed by Felix Capital, FJ Labs, and Peak Capital, has an agreement with Stable Diffusion, Stability AI’s image-generating AI system, and is negotiating a relationship with OpenAI to include Dalle 2 into its ecosystem. The API for Dreamstudio is also used by CF Spark. According to Roemie Hillenaar, chief executive officer of Creative Fabrica, this combination provides consumers with more options and more stylistic diversity.
Hillenaar of Creative Spark told TechCrunch that development on CF Spark began before Stable Diffusion was made available to the public.
When we saw that DALLE and MidJourney were welcoming more beta users, we made a calculated risk that OpenAI (the company behind DALLE) would soon release their API. When we started developing the product, we assumed that the API would be ready by the end of the year, as was originally planned,” he said. During this time, however, Stability AI published Stable Diffusion as open source software, which paved the way for Creative Fabrica to expeditiously launch the new product alongside CF Spark.
Entering a prompt into CF Spark will create four photos from which the designer may choose one to add to their page. Users of Creative Fabrica may contribute their own versions of AI-generated artwork, as well as re-prompt the pictures to make new ones (for example, a T-shirt).
Free of charge, CF Spark may be used by any of Creative Fabrica’s four million users. Its collection includes about six million different typefaces and illustrations.


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Team Meat bringing The Binding Of Isaac to PS Vita?
Following yesterday's news about Nintendo blocking The Binding of Isaac from a 3DS release due to its religious content, Team Meat has said it was turning to Playstation platforms for a console release. Could we see the game come to PS Vita?
(3DS, Nintendo, PS Vita, PS3, Team Meat, The Binding of Isaac)
Tipsed by: Vinc360


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Marissa Mayer is sitting atop a cash mountain of over $US12 billion at Yahoo, in part fueled by the recent sales of a big chunk of its Alibaba holding. What she does with the loot will determine if the optimism and sense of renewal (and, frankly, the fawning and sycophancy) that attended her arrival in 2012 was justified.
The release of Yahoo’s Q3 results today revealed just how important the company’s Alibaba investment was. The $US6.7 billion profit was driven almost entirely by the divestment. The underlying result was more of the same: a tepid performance at the headline and signs of encouragement amongst the tea leaves if you look long and hard enough. (Mobile, for instance, returned $US200 million in revenue.)
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And, unlike rivals Google and Facebook, Yahoo is not reliant on a single overwhelming idea to make money — its revenues are split roughly between search and display. That is important, particularly as display takes on more of the intent and discovery characteristics of traditional search thanks to advances in technology from companies like Criteo and Adroll.
For the time being, though, the markets remain unimpressed. A sum of the parts analysis recently valued the business at less than its remaining holding in Alibaba — in other words it valued the core business at less than zero.
As to the numbers, the company posted revenues of $US1.15 billion, up one per cent on last year and comfortably beating expectations. Excluding the Alibaba sale, net income was $US297 million, or 52 cents a share. (The profits balloon to $US6.78 billion when one-off factors are included.)
In terms of financial highlights, the company reported the following points
- GAAP display revenue was $US447 million for the third quarter of 2014, a five per cent decrease compared to $US470 million for the third quarter of 2013;
- Display revenue ex-TAC was $US396 million for the third quarter of 2014, a six per cent decrease compared to $US421 million for the third quarter of 2013;
- The number of Ads Sold increased approximately 24 per cent compared to the third quarter of 2013;
- Price-per-Ad decreased approximately 24 per cent compared to the third quarter of 2013.
- GAAP search revenue was $US452 million for the third quarter of 2014, a four per cent increase compared to $US435 million for the third quarter of 2013;
- Search revenue ex-TAC was $US450 million for the third quarter of 2014, a six per cent increase compared to $US426 million for the third quarter of 2013;
- The number of Paid Clicks was flat compared to the third quarter of 2013;
- Price-per-Click increased approximately 17 per cent compared to the third quarter of 2013.
In a statement accompanying the results, Mayer highlighted the growing strength of the company’s mobile business. “I am also pleased to report today that our revenue in mobile is now material. In Q3, we saw mobile revenues in excess of $US200 million on a GAAP basis. Further, we estimate that our gross revenues in mobile will exceed $US1.2 billion in revenue this year. We have invested deeply in mobile and we are seeing those investments pay off. Not only are our mobile products attracting praise and engagement from users and industry awards, they are generating meaningful revenue for Yahoo.”


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For Walking Cradles, size always matters.
The Fenton, Mo.-based brand has been serving the niche size-and-width market since 1991, and its role has become increasingly vital for today’s consumer.
“It’s getting harder for this customer to find shoes since so many [brands] are cutting their equipment and inventory costs,” said Lisa Schmitz, creative director of the company, formerly named Mark Lemp Footwear.
The firm rebranded two years ago to attract younger customers with more contemporary styles, including the fall ’18 Metro Collection of urban casuals inspired by the athleisure trend.
Walking Cradles’ collection of women’s looks comprises over 70 size-and-width combinations, with prices ranging from $99 to $250.
Schmitz said the company’s goal is to encourage 20-somethings to wear properly fitting shoes to avoid foot problems as they age.
To get the word out, Walking Cradles has stepped up its marketing initiatives, with a focus on social media. “We’ve found the majority of our [current] customers are active on Facebook, but younger ones are on Instagram and Twitter,” said Schmitz.
The brand also plans to expand on its current campaign, “It’s a Matter of Fit,” which features everyday women with a range of foot sizes. Those ads now appear on banners, posters and local TV spots, in partnership with independent retailers.
The company works with a network of traditional brick-and-mortar stores, including Globe Shoes in Paramus, N.J., Cartan’s in Fort Worth, Texas, and Tops for Shoes in Asheville, N.C., but also relies on online shopping for its selection and convenience. Some of its digital partners include Zappos.com, Shoes.com and Belk.com.
“While we still have a lot of small independents, they don’t bring in the whole breadth of our line,” said Schmitz.
The distribution strategy has paid off. According to Schmitz, the company expects to experience low-double-digit increases beginning with spring ’18, compared with spring ’17.
Are Your Kids Wearing Shoes That Are Too Small?
7 Trend-Driven Athleisure Styles in Wide Widths
These Fall Wide-Width Ankle Boots Are Comfortable and Fashionable


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|Environmental, ethical, sustainable - products, services and news|
Car protest continuesWednesday 19 January 2005
US environmental campaigners have entered the fourth day of an extraordinary protest against Ford, over the attempted recovery of electric vehicles leased by the company. EV owners Dave and Heather Bernikoff-Raboy, Bill Korthoff and a host of pro-environment, human rights, medical and renewable energy groups are urging Ford to allow them to purchase their leased Ranger EV trucks - in line with original contract arrangements – in the face of the company attempting to end the leases.
The campaigners are holding a round-the-clock ‘car-sit’ at Downtown Ford in Sacramento.
“I am outraged by the termination of Ford’s electric vehicle program,” said Heather Bernikoff-Raboy. “The technology is practical and available now. Over my three and half years of driving an all-electric pickup truck, at least one hundred people asked me, ‘Where can I get one?’. And that’s just from one person driving one EV truck.”
“If Ford were serious about breaking America’s oil addiction, it wouldn’t be trashing its fleet of zero-emission, zero-oil electric pickup trucks,” added Jason Mark, a clean car campaigner representing the human rights group Global Exchange. “Ford needs to make a u-turn and restart its electric vehicle program.”
The protest follows significant campaigning against the company in America during 2004.
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Often on the creative end of some great videographic works concerning the biking world, Rapha
Amid a recent flood of scandal and accusation, the cycling industry has taken extra precautions
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Rapha highlight aspects of its Spring/Summer 2011 collection with a short video documenting
This video follows five Rapha riders as the cyclists prepare for the Paris-Roubaix races. Held


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Want to see your card design on EZ-Link card? EZ-Link Pte Ltd, DAS and NAC announced the launch of the ‘My Journey, My Home’ card design art competition..
Want to tell the world your story, who you really are? There is contest for it. Organized by Yahoo, the Yahoo Fast Flicks contest has a YOLO theme and if you..
CapitaLand and National Geographic Channel are on their 5th year holding this photography competition. This year, it is ” Building People” Photography..
A team of Nanyang Technological University (NTU) students launched the “Let’s Not Forget About E-Waste” campaign to raise awareness on the importance of..
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All gamers, Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) gaming competition is here in Singapore at SITEX 2013. To catch a glimpse of the action or cheer the teams, do visit..


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An additional 24 jobs will be created through 2014, which would double the full-time staff in three years, company president and CEO Dana Mecum said in a press release announcing the move.
Mecum said he also expects a “substantial” increase in the number of part-time jobs because of growth in the number of cars sold at auction and the number of auctions scheduled each year.
The company, founded in 1988, claims the title of the largest collector car auction in the world based on the number of cars offered and sold. In 2011, Mecum Auctions was the largest collector car auction in America by total dollar volume. The company had auction sales of approximately $175 million last year.
Mecum Auctions is moving into the former Spiegelhoff’s Pick ‘n Save at 445 S. Main St. on the village’s south side. Plans for the $26.5 million project call for the purchase and extensive renovation of the existing site including a 50,000-square-foot addition.
The facility will serve as the new corporate headquarters for the company including a museum/gallery, office space, a display area, operations space, storage facilities and a state-of-the-art auction center that also will provide a facility for other group events.
The move to Walworth is the result of a sales increase of 250 percent over the last four years, and the company outgrew its Illinois location, Mecum said in the release.
So, why did Mecum choose Walworth?
“It is close not only to Milwaukee and Chicago but also is near Madison and Rockford,” he said. “It has good access from several international airports as well as the Interstate highway system.
“And the welcome we received from not only the village of Walworth but the Walworth County community in general made us feel great,” Mecum said.
The village provided Mecum with bonding to finance the project. The village board approved two resolutions.
The first issued bonds not to exceed $26.5 million.
The second resolution waived public bidding requirements. The resolution said compliance with the requirements “may impair the prompt and efficient completion of the project.” Mecum said requiring the bidding process could prohibit the use of the “best suited” contractors for the project.
Mecum Auctions’ attorney, John Maier Jr., said the company will pay off the bonds and they “will not ever be an obligation of the village of Walworth.” Walworth Clerk Donna Schut confirmed that the village has no liability and pointed to language in one of the resolutions.
“The bonds shall never constitute an indebtedness of the municipality,” the resolution states.
The village board adopted the bonding and bidding resolutions Feb. 13.
Here are some highlights of Mecum Auctions:
- Dana Mecum, president and CEO, started in the car business in 1969 with the purchase of a vintage Corvette.
- Dana’s father was the largest fleet dealer in the world in the 1960s.
- Mecum Auctions was founded in 1988.
- Mecum Auctions is now the largest collector car auction in the world based on number of cars offered and number of cars sold.
- Mecum Auctions is the largest car collector auction in America based on total dollar volume of about $175 million in 2011.
- Mecum Auctions sales grew from approximately $70 million to $175 million in four years. A major factor in the company’s recent growth is Mecum’s national television show, “Muscle Cars and More” on Discovery Network’s Velocity channel.
- Mecum has approximately 300,000 subscribers on its Mecum Infonet.
- The Mecum website, mecum.com, has more than 90 million page views a year.
- Mecum had 10 auctions in 2011. Eight were televised nationally.
- Mecum has 36 full-time and 200 part-time employees.


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Oslo, 9 February 2017: Yara International ASA delivered weaker fourth-quarter results compared with a year earlier. EBITDA excluding special items was 29% lower, as higher deliveries and lower energy costs were more than offset by lower fertilizer prices. Yara's board will propose to the Annual General Meeting a dividend payment of NOK 10 per share for 2016.
"Yara reports a weaker result than a year earlier, reflecting lower fertilizer prices as the global nitrogen price floor was tested during the quarter. But our operational performance improved significantly, with fertilizer sales and production up 15% and 11% respectively," said Svein Tore Holsether, President and Chief Executive Officer of Yara.
"The whole Yara organization is working hard to further improve operations, to deliver on the Yara improvement program which we have announced earlier. The program has already delivered approximately USD 25 million of EBITDA improvement in 2016, and will deliver at least USD 500 million of annual EBITDA improvement within 2020," said Holsether.
Yara reports fourth-quarter net income after non-controlling interests of negative NOK 333 million (NOK 1.22 per share), compared with a positive NOK 434 million (NOK 1.58 per share) a year earlier. Excluding net foreign exchange loss and special items, the result was NOK 1.66 per share compared with NOK 3.97 per share in fourth quarter 2015. Fourth-quarter EBITDA excluding special items was NOK 2,474 million compared with NOK 3,508 million a year earlier.
Deliveries of Yara-produced fertilizer including blends were 15% higher than in fourth quarter 2015. In addition, improved reliability and fewer turnarounds in Yara's production plants have enabled higher deliveries compared with a year earlier.
Adjusted for the divestment of the CO2 business, Industrial deliveries were 13% higher than a year earlier with growth for all products.
Yara's margins were significantly lower compared with a year earlier for both commodity upgrading margins and nitrate premiums. Yara's average realized urea and nitrate prices decreased 25% and 28% respectively, while realized NPK prices decreased by around 10%. Yara's average global gas costs were 17% lower than a year ago.
The global farm margin outlook and incentives for fertilizer application remains supportive overall, and while grain prices are lower, prices for several key crops like sugar, coffee and oils are higher than a year ago.
In Europe, higher nitrogen prices globally have contributed to a positive price and volume momentum for nitrates, and Yara first-quarter European nitrate deliveries are ahead of the same period last year.
As communicated earlier, Yara has established a corporate program to drive and coordinate existing and new improvement initiatives. The Yara Improvement program will deliver at least USD 500 million of annual EBITDA improvement by 2020, of which an estimated USD 150 million will be realized in 2017.
Yara is executing significant expansion activity, and based on today's market prices these are expected to generate approximately NOK 6 per share of incremental earnings by 2020 when fully operational.
Link to report and presentation:
Link to webcast 9 February at 09:30 CET:
Thor Giæver, Investor Relations
Office: (+47) 24 15 72 95
Cellular: (+47) 48 07 53 56
Esben Tuman, Media Relations
Office: (+47) 24 15 70 26
Cellular: (+47) 90 50 84 00
Yara's knowledge, products and solutions grow farmers', distributors' and industrial customers' businesses profitably and responsibly, while protecting the earth's resources, food and environment.
Our fertilizers, crop nutrition programs and technologies increase yields, improve product quality and reduce the environmental impact of agricultural practices. Our industrial and environmental solutions improve air quality by reducing emissions from industry and transportation, and serve as key ingredients in the production of a wide range of goods. We foster a culture that promotes the safety of our employees, contractors and societies.
Founded in 1905 to solve emerging famine in Europe, today Yara has a worldwide presence with more than 16,000 employees and sales to more than 150 countries.
This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.
This announcement is distributed by Nasdaq Corporate Solutions on behalf of Nasdaq Corporate Solutions clients.
The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.
Source: Yara International ASA via Globenewswire


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Vietnam's Fintech Market Set to Hit US$18 Billion by 2024, Predicts Industry Experts
Fintech Industry in Southeast Asia Flourishes Amid COVID-19 Pandemic, with Strong Regulatory Support and Increased Bank Adoption
The fintech industry in Southeast Asia has seen unprecedented growth as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact the world. Fintech services have become increasingly popular, and the region’s adoption of the technology has surpassed expectations. Regulatory bodies in most countries in the region have played a crucial role in promoting fintech adoption, with digital payments, digital wallets, and digital financial services leading the way. While Singapore currently leads in financing volume, other countries are quickly catching up. To stay relevant in the industry, banks have also started integrating more fintech solutions in their offerings. Fintech is expected to play a significant role in reducing the unbanked population in Southeast Asia, which currently stands at around 50%. Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam have the highest number of unbanked individuals in the region, but fintech services are expanding their reach to cater to this market. The region’s fintech industry is poised for even greater growth in the coming years, particularly with the emergence of digital banking as a catalyst for innovation.
The Vietnamese fintech industry is on a rapid upward trajectory, with the sector experiencing robust growth in recent years. Despite facing stiff competition from neighboring countries and high barriers to entry, Vietnam’s fintech market is predicted to reach a staggering $18 billion by 2024, making it one of the most promising fintech markets in Southeast Asia.
The e-wallets, online loans, and e-money segment are currently the top performers in the country’s fintech industry, accounting for a significant portion of venture investments. In fact, 93% of all such investments in Vietnam are made in this segment. Although the number of fintech companies in the country has grown by an impressive 84.5% since 2016, the number of newly-launched start-ups per year has dwindled from 11 to just 2, indicating a consolidation trend.
Furthermore, the number of fintech users in Vietnam has soared by 152.8% since 2016, with 29.5 million new users added to the fold. This means that almost every Vietnamese citizen uses at least one fintech service every second, showcasing the strong demand for digital services such as transactions, payments, and wallets among the population.
The Vietnamese government has recognized the potential of the fintech industry and is expected to ramp up its involvement in the sector. Favorable legislation is being introduced to promote financial technologies, and the regulatory sandbox and legal framework for digital assets and cryptocurrencies are also set to undergo further development. These initiatives bode well for the future of Vietnam’s fintech industry and its continued growth.
Overall, Vietnam’s young and promising fintech market has seen its valuation soar from $0.7 billion in 2016 to $4.5 billion at present. With the current trend continuing, the country’s fintech market is poised to hit the $18 billion mark, which is an impressive feat and a testament to the region’s growing adoption of financial technology.
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Reinfeldt Calls Krona Sell-Off Export Relief as Traders ExitSaleha Mohsin
Sweden’s Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt said a krona slump that’s spooked traders has brought relief to exporters in the largest Nordic economy after the government ruled out tampering with the exchange rate.
The Swedish krona and Norway’s krone suffered a sell-off last week that continued through Monday amid signals from the U.S. Federal Reserve it will scale back stimulus. Sweden’s krona fell 1.9 percent against the euro in the week through June 21, and this week reached its lowest per euro since June 18, 2012. Against the dollar, the krona sank as much as 2 percent on Monday to its lowest since November.
“For many parts of our export industry this is a relief because the currency has gone very strong,” Reinfeldt said yesterday in an interview outside Oslo. “We must see over time if this is something that has come to stay, it’s too early to say.”
The sell-off marks a reversal of the krona’s popularity earlier this year, when Sweden’s AAA rating attracted investors eager to escape the debt crisis in southern Europe. A 31 percent krona appreciation from the end of 2008 through the middle of March this year prompted Finance Minister Anders Borg to warn the currency’s strength may warrant some concern. Central bank Governor Stefan Ingves also said earlier this year the krona’s strength was in part to blame for below-target inflation.
“We should just reflect that the krona is at market price, we do not try to intervene,” Reinfeldt said. “We used to have an economy, export-oriented, that depreciated our currency. In the latest years we have a strong currency and a structural change in our industry, so for some part of our export industry the strong krona has an impact, if it goes down a little bit it’s easing their economic links, especially towards Europe.”
Borg said yesterday he welcomed the krona’s decline amid “problems in the world economy,” in an interview with Bloomberg Television.
The krona gained 0.1 percent to 8.7724 per euro as of 12:14 p.m. in Stockholm. It slipped 0.2 percent against the dollar to 6.7292.
“From a Swedish perspective we note that nothing from the fundamental side has changed since last week,” Tina Mortensen, an economist at Citigroup Inc. in London, said in a note to clients.
Almost 70 percent of exporters in the largest Nordic economy said the krona’s strength at the end of May was hurting their business, according to a survey published Monday by the state-owned export lender, SEK. Half of Sweden’s economy comes from exports, of which about 70 percent are destined for Europe.
Trade Minister Ewa Bjoerling has repeatedly urged Sweden’s exporters to reduce their reliance on Europe, arguing it would make the country less vulnerable to economic shocks. She says she wants manufacturers to target buyers in China, India and Brazil.
The krona’s strength through May contributed to keeping inflation well below the central bank’s 2 percent target. Headline consumer prices fell 0.2 percent in May, after dropping 0.5 percent in April, according to Statistics Sweden. Unemployment eased to 7.9 percent in May from 8.3 percent in April, higher than in neighboring Norway and Denmark, according to the office.


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Posted: Oct. 23, 2012, 12:20 p.m. EDT
A better pooper scooper was what caught the eyes of Petsmart buyers who roamed the aisles at SuperZoo on Sept. 12 in Las Vegas.
A 10-minute presentation the next day in a conference room at Mandalay Bay Convention Center was what earned the inventors of PoogoStick a deal with Petsmart to stock the pet waste product at the Phoenix-based retail giant’s more than 1,200 stores in 2013.
The Buhagiar brothers—Josh, 31, Jason, 27, and Jordan, 29—perfected the device over six years, most recently in a West Sacramento, Calif., garage.
From left, Jenna, Jason, Jordan and Josh Buhagiar with PoogoStick, which will show up on Petsmart shelves in 2013.
"Giving up was never an option for us,” Jordan said. "After a dozen prototypes and countless hours of work, we came up with what we knew was a completely innovative product.”
The brothers and Jordan’s wife, Jenna, displayed PoogoStick as a SuperZoo exhibitor. On the second day of the show they were among 26 attendees who received a gold ticket to pitch their products to Petsmart executives.
"When we got the golden ticket, we knew that no matter what the result of our presentation, just being able to present our dream to Petsmart was a prize in itself,” Jordan said.
The campaign, called Innovation Station, was a first for Petsmart, said Laurie Taylor, vice president of the company’s dog and cat hard goods division.
"We designed Innovation Station to help us identify great products and send a message to the industry that Petsmart’s doors are open to creative suppliers of all sizes,” Taylor said. "The product and vendor selected is one example of the initiative’s success.”
The Buhagiars will receive guidance on packaging, pricing, product development and sourcing as well as Petsmart-funded marketing. A select number of other finalists may receive in-store and Web placement in 2013 along with marketing support, Petsmart noted.
PoogoStick, which won third place in SuperZoo's Best New Products Awards
, is designed to work on dog and cat waste. The device slides under the waste and pushes it into an accompanying pan, Petsmart reported. An optional bag may be used for cleaner disposal.<HOME>
Industry Professional Site: Comments from non-industry professionals will be removed.


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The South Indian Match Manufacturers‘ Association has appealed to state and central governments to halt imports of cheap Chinese-made lighters, which have entered the safety match market and plunged the industry into a crisis.
In a statement, association secretary J. Devadoss said the region is the world’s largest center for manufacturers and exporters of safety matches. The industry contributed £400m to GST and earned the equivalent of £400m in foreign exchange annually.
The manufacturing plants were largely located in arid regions and provided steady employment for a very large number of workers and played a notable role in improving their living conditions by improving their standards of education, health and hygiene.
The industry, which sold matchboxes at the lowest price of one rupee apiece, was hit by competition from Chinese-made imported lighters. Consequently, the demand for matchboxes fell and the matchboxes only worked four to five days a week.
Due to lower sales volume, the match industry failed to break even and defaulted on loan repayments.
The workers also suffered from falling incomes. If current conditions were allowed to continue, the matchstick industry and the hundreds of thousands of workers who depend on the industry would be in complete disarray, Mr Devadoss said.


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University to get Apple store run by students
COLUMBIA, SC (AP) — The University of South Carolina has announced that a store selling Apple products is coming to its campus in Columbia in early 2021 – and will be managed largely by students as part of their curriculum.
It will be the second store of its kind in the U.S. that is managed and operated by students, according to a Tuesday news release.
The store will be located in the Byrnes Building at the intersection of Sumter and College streets. It will sell a range of Apple products including laptop computers, tablets and accessories.
Faculty from the College of Hospitality, Retail, and Sport Management will help with store management, while students will manage daily operations.


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The UK Vert Series concluded the 2021 run of events with Blockless Combat at Creation Skatepark in Birmingham last weekend, Sunday 24th October. Pics here.
We are more than happy to announce that as of the 30th April 2021, Black Spell ® is a registered Trade Mark of Black Spell Limited.
The UK Vert Series stopped at Mount Hawke in Cornwall for the 4th event on the calendar on Sunday 26th September. Next and last stop, Creation Birmingham!
The Black Spell Collective is our group of brand ambassadors who represent Black Spell online and a far. Our eclectic brand family include riders, artists, photographers, musicians, makers, influencers, content creators and the like. This is Laura Harrison.
Last Sunday saw the third event in the UK Vert Series calendar go down at Spit & Sawdust in Cardiff. Photo gallery and results here.
As part of sponsoring the UK Vert Series 2021, Black Spell has created the poster for the Welsh leg of the series, Wales Rampage. Following the Skaterham and Ramp City events, this event will be help at Spit & Sawdust, the UK’s newest vert ramp, on the 29th of August. You can check out both ratio versions the poster, featuring our signature hand-drawn style here.
As the next event in the UK Vert Series calendar approaches, here’s a few of of our favourite pics from the last event at Ramp City in Blackpool, “Seaside Sessions” shot by @styzee.
It’s easy to make your own DIY skateboard wax using ingredients that you likely already have around the house. Skateboard wax can be made by using just these few things: candles, cooking oil (olive oil or vegetable oil), bee wax and paraffin and an oven or stove.
As the next event in the UK Vert Series calendar approaches, here’s just a few of of our favourite pics from last month’s Skaterham comp.
Skateboarding is alive and well. Black Spell are proudly sponsoring the UK Vert Series this year, which kicks off next month. See you in Church!


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Following up on the first wave of home video releases under the Crunchyroll/Funimation partnership last year, the next wave of releases is now available for pre-order directly from the Crunchyroll Store ahead of their scheduled July 2018 release, with a special sale underway. Hit the jump for the details.
Crunchyroll and Funimation have teamed up to release a bunch of anime series on Bluray and DVD in North America, and a new batch of titles is now available for pre-order with release dates in May and June of 2018. Hit the jump to learn more.
Crunchyroll is excited to announce another round of Funimation catalog additions today, starting with a few fan favorites! Hit the jump for the details on Escaflowne, Phantom, Rampo Kitan, and Rosario+Vampire Capu2!
Crunchyroll is excited to announce yet another wave of Funimation catalog titles that are launching on the service tonight. Hit the jump for the full list.
Crunchyroll dives deep for the latest slate of titles from Funimation, hit the jump for details.
Crunchyroll continues to add Funimation's library of titles to the catalog, and the latest batch has something for everyone, especially if you're into sexy action or sitcom hijinks. Hit the jump for details.
The swimming anime has returned -- and it's on the big screen! The third Free! Iwatobi Swim Club movie will be shown in US theaters for one night only this March, including extra content never before seen outside Japan! Hit the jump for all the latest info.
Crunchyroll continues to add more Funimation titles to its catalog of shows, and this latest wave is sure to appeal to many of starting with Guyver: The Bioboosted Armor, PSYCHO-PASS Extended Edition and [email protected]! Hit the jump for details.
Crunchyroll has added more fan favorite series from Funimation with the latest batch including Desert Punk, Kaze no Stigma, Tenchi Muyo: War on Geminar, Tenchi Muyo! Tenchi Universe, Damidaler and more Yu Yu Hakusho! Hit the jump for details.
Following up on yesterday's catalog additions Crunchyroll is excited to announce even more additions from Funimation's catalog including fan favorite Rosario +Vampire and more Sengoku BASARA. Hit the jump for the full slate.
Crunchyroll continues to add more series from the Funimation catalog, and this action-heavy series of titles is sure to have something for even the most discerning action anime fan. Hit the jump for details.
Crunchyroll is excited to announce more titles from Funimation being added to the catalog, with more Yu Yu Hakusho and Black Butler episodes being added as well as fan favorites Excel Saga and UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie rounding out tonight's additions. Hit the jump for all of the details.
Yesterday we added five new members to the Crunchyroll family! More Funimation titles have been added to the Crunchyroll anime catalogue and are available for viewing right now!
To close out the latest wave of Funimation catalog additions to Crunchyroll's library today, Solty Rei will premiere later tonight. Hit the jump for the details.
Following up on the addition of Oh Edo Rocket, Crunchyroll has added another series from Funimation to its catalog in D-Frag!.


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E-cigarettes were initially marketed as a safer alternative to cigarettes, but new data from YouGov finds that most Americans are worried about the health effects of vaping. About six in 10 (63%) Americans say they’re somewhat concerned or very concerned about the health effects of vapes.
According to the CDC, more than a dozen people have died this year due to vaping-related illnesses, while more than 1,000 others have experienced lung injuries caused by vaping.
YouGov’s data finds that almost all (90%) Americans have heard at least a little bit about vaping-related deaths in the news recently, which may impact how concerned they are about health effects of vaping.
People who vape at least a few times a month (“Frequent vapers”) are less likely than the general population to say they’re concerned about the health effects of vapes — but a majority still express worry about it. Over half (54%) of frequent vapers say they are concerned about the health effects of vaping.
Most (53%) Americans don’t believe that e-cigarettes and vapes are particularly effective when it comes to helping people quit smoking cigarettes. Those who vape frequently (40%) are four times as likely as the general population (10%) to say that vaping is a “very effective” way for people to stop smoking cigarettes.
Related: This dataset was mentioned by Digital Trends in the article Majority of Americans support vape ban, doubt it helps people quit smoking
But former cigarette smokers (those who indicated that they used to smoke cigarettes, but no longer do so) don’t tend to believe that vaping is an effective way to stop smoking cigarettes. About four in 10 (38%) former cigarette smokers say they believe vaping is “not at all effective” to help curb smoking. Another 18 percent of this group believe it’s “not very effective.”
In light of recent deaths and injuries caused by vaping, authorities are considering what to do next. The Trump administration recently announced plans to ban the sale of flavored electronic cigarettes, following a similar ban in Michigan. Massachusetts recently instituted a statewide limited ban on all vaping products -- not just flavored ones -- for four months.
Most (52%) Americans say they would support a federal ban on flavored vaping products. About three in 10 (29%) would oppose it. Frequent vapers are more split: 44 percent say they would support a federal ban on flavored vaping products while 48 percent of this group say they would oppose it.
Would a ban on flavored vaping products change how people view President Donald Trump? For most Americans (65%), the answer is no. But again, frequent vapers are split in their opinion: 26 percent would support him more than they currently do and 27 percent would support him less if he were to enact a federal ban of some kind on e-cigarettes. More than one-third (36%) of this group says their opinion of the president would be unchanged.
Majority support does exist for a ban on vaping products by states (55%) and cities (54%). Frequent vapers are also likely to support bans at the state (49%) and municipal (50%) level; though 40 percent of frequent vapers oppose a state-level ban and 42 percent oppose a municipal ban on vaping products.
YouGov also asked Americans how they feel about Walmart’s recent decision to stop selling e-cigarettes and vapes in their stores.
As a whole, Americans are more likely to say this change makes them view the brand in a more positive light (45%), while 10% say the change makes them think negatively of Walmart. Close to half (46%) of frequent vapers say they feel more positively towards the retailer as a result of this change, while about one in five (19%) feel more negatively.
See full results from this survey here.
Methodology: Total unweighted sample size was 1,227 US adults, including 134 US adults who are “frequent vapers,” meaning they vape at least a few times a month. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all US adults (ages 18+). Interviews were conducted online between September 24 - 25, 2019.


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The premiere of the first Alfa Romeo crossover – Stelvio – will take place in November 2016 on LA Cars Show, Auto Express reports. Earlier media assumed that public demonstration of a novelty will take place in October on the Paris Auto Show.
Development of the first crossover Alfa Romeo was conducted at least since 2014. In February 2016 the head of Fiat Chrysler Automotive concern Sergio Marchionne declared that the model will receive the name Stelvio – in honor of Stelvio’s pass in northern Italy, which is one of the most driver roads in the world.
Media quickly published espionage photos of Stelvio. Appearance of a novelty will be executed in stylistics of the Giulia sedan, which debuted in 2015. As well as Giulia, Stelvio will be constructed on the new modular Giorgio platform.
Petrol and diesel “fours”, and 510 horsepower turbocharged three-liter “six”, which equips the “loaded” version of Giulia – Quadrifoglio Verde, will enter motor scale.
The Motor Show will pass in Los Angeles from November 18 to November 27. Alfa Romeo Stelvio will go on sale in 2017.


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The Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) in Melbourne announced today that Deus Ex creator Warren Spector will travel to Australia to open the museum's Game Masters exhibition this June.
Spector will be joined by former Lionhead game designer Peter Molyneux and Double Fine's Tim Schafer at the opening of the interactive exhibition, which will showcase the work of celebrated game designers from Australia and overseas through a combination of concept art, interviews, and more than 125 playable games from the arcade era through to new releases.
Spector, Schafer, and Molyneux will take part in public programs, including education and industry programs, during their stay.
Spector made the move to video game development in the late 1980s, working on games including Ultima VI: The False Prophet (1990), Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss (1992), Ultima VII: Serpent Isle (1992), and System Shock. In 1997, Spector founded the studio Ion Storm Austin, where he worked on the critically acclaimed Deus Ex. In 2004, he created a new studio called Junction Point, which was later acquired by The Walt Disney Company and resulted in the creation of Disney Epic Mickey (2010).
ACMI's Game Masters will feature Spector alongside the creators of franchises, including Sonic the Hedgehog, Mario Brothers, The Sims, Rock Band, and The Legend of Zelda. Schafer's own exhibit during Game Masters will include playable versions of his games and concept art. The museum has also announced that it will provide fans with an opportunity to hear from Schafer in the coming months.
Game Masters will open at ACMI on June 28 and run through to October 28, 2012.


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AUGUST 15, 2007 - NICKELODEON TAKES STEP IN FIGHT AGAINST CHILDHOOD OBESITY
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representative Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, today released the following statement in response to Nickelodeon Television’s decision to restrict use, in certain circumstances, of their licensed characters on packaging of unhealthy foods. Nickelodeon’s announcement comes two days after Discovery Kids announced a decision to stop licensing its name and characters for use in connection with unhealthy food and beverage products. In June, Rep. Markey called attention to the impact of junk food marketing on childhood obesity by chairing a hearing on “Images Kids See on the Screen.”
Rep. Markey said, “I want to commend Nickelodeon President Cyma Zarghami for her letter, which indicates that Nickelodeon recognizes its responsibility to the child audience and the importance of taking steps to combat the childhood obesity epidemic. As childhood obesity is a serious public health issue, it is vital that the media companies join food and beverage marketers in adopting socially responsible marketing strategies.
“In my view, limits on the amount of junk food advertising seen on children's television, along with strong nutrition standards for food and beverage products advertised and utilized with licensed characters for such children's TV shows, will help address childhood obesity in a positive way. I look forward to reviewing the details and implementation of the additional marketing pledges regarding licensed characters Nickelodeon is making today.
“In addition, I look forward to working with Nickelodeon, as well as with other industry participants, on additional initiatives they can make in the coming weeks and months to further address childhood obesity issues.”
|FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 15, 2007
CONTACT: Jessica Schafer, 202.225.2836


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Microsoft has announced Windows 10 has passed 400 million installs and while they still have a long way to go to reach 1 billion, with Enterprise customers now starting to upgrade, the install base will continue to grow.
Microsoft is turning its Office 365 platform into not only a productivity tool but also a new security layer that can detect multiple attack vectors on your environment.
Microsoft will deliver a new feature for Edge with the Redstone 2 update in 2017 that will provide significant new protection against malicious websites for Enterprise customers.
Microsoft has announced that the general availability of Windows Server 2016 will arrive in October and that it will include the Docker Engine to Windows Server 2016 customers at no additional cost.
Microsoft announced today that it will make Adobe Marketing Cloud the preferred marketing service for its Dynamics 365 Enterprise offering. The new partnership will give customers a powerful, comprehensive marketing service for intelligent business applications, Microsoft says.
Keeping projects under control and on track is critical to the successful business. Although all businesses have projects, not every business has project managers or project management software.
Because I’m sick and have to fly again on Sunday, this edition of Short Takes focuses on a massive Microsoft stock buyback, a UK consumer watchdog that hates Windows 10, Microsoft goes green, Yahoo reveals massive hack, over half of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 users are idiots, and more.
On this episode, I cover all of the Microsoft news this week including the on-going problems with Microsoft hardware, Skype Teams, Ignite, and good riddance to an annoying pop-up.
In today’s Ask the Admin, Russell Smith explains how Shared Access Signatures (SAS) can be used to grant access to objects in storage without revealing the storage account key.
Microsoft is working on a new team collaboration application called Skype Teams; how the product will be offered and its release dates are coming into focus.
The world of Office 365 is ever-changing. This week my attention was distracted by the inability of the Admin Center to report unlicensed accounts, a Watson dump in an ActiveSync cmdlet, some interesting data about the number of Office 365 users affected by outages as revealed through an API, and more odd entries in the Audit Log. Thankfully Ignite is next week and nothing will happen.
Companies that can effectively use their data assets have a significant advantage over their competitors; Microsoft commissioned a new study that highlights the true value of digging in deep to your databases.


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The new BMW M8 Gran Coupe Concept is glorious.
The German tuner has gotten its hands on the new BMW X3 xDrive30d and has created something rather special. Set to make its debut at next weeks Geneva International Motor Show, Alpina has added some magic to the already cable BMW BMW X3 xDrive30d. Dubbed the XD3, its tuned to develop 285 kW and 770 N.m of torque from its quad-turbo (yes,… Continue reading "The New BMW Alpina XD3."
Bigger, Bolder, Better!


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The total value of transactions of listed securities on the Nigerian Stock Exchange stood at N1.183tn in the half year report, which ended on June 30, 2013.
The amount represents an increase of N673bn or 132 per cent compared to the N510.1bn recorded at the end of the first quarter, ended March 31, 2013.
The total transactions represent the aggregate purchase and sale of listed securities within a defined period.
Information obtained by our correspondent from the NSE on Friday showed that the value of N1.18tn comprised both Foreign Portfolio Investments and domestic investments.
The amount of FPIs for the year-to-date stood at N582.64bn or 49.24 per cent of the total transactions, while the domestic investments amounted to N600.70bn, representing 50.76 per cent of the total transactions conducted by local and retail investors.
As of March 2013, the FPIs accounted for 42.7 per cent of the N510.1bn worth of transactions recorded since the beginning of the year, while domestic investments represented 57.3 per cent.
This, according to market watchers, shows the growing interest of local and retail investors in the capital market, who before this year were participating minimally in the market, compared to the interest shown by foreign investors.
The Chairman, Association of Stockbroking Houses of Nigeria, Mr. Emeka Madubuike, confirmed to our correspondent that there been increased participation by local investors, who fled the market in the wake of the 2008 crisis.
He said the renewed interest in the market could be traced to the collaborative efforts of the regulators and key stakeholders aimed at sanitising the market.
Madubuike said the association, for instance, had been involved in various interactions with major stakeholders in the capital market on ways to ensure that the growing interest being shown by retail investors in the last few months was sustained.
He said, “Since stockbrokers are the frontrunners of the market and the major interface between the investors and the market, we have decided to come together to seek ways to increase investor-confidence in the market. We have been involved in various investor education schemes to allow investors to become more aware of the happenings in the market.
“We have done a lot in this regard already and we know that a lot of work still needs to be done as we want to refocus to ensure that retail investors return to the market. Already, we have seen some improvements and we hope to see more as the year progresses.”
Madubuike explained that stakeholders had been studying the situation in other markets around the world as regards the global meltdown and what such markets did to overcome the situation.
He added that such ideas could be adopted for the Nigerian market.
The President, Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers, Mr. Ariyo Olushekun, said a lot of investors were taking positions in the equities market ahead of the expected rise in the market indices.
He said, “We are pleased to note that recovery has already commenced in our market and we are sure that this recovery will be sustained. Already, you will notice that we are having significant year-to-date returns in the market.
“All indications point to the fact that we are going to see even more growth in the months ahead, and we can see this from the way that both local and foreign investors have been playing in the market in the last two years and taking advantage of the undervalued prices of major companies.”Half year: Stock Exchange transactions hit N1.183tn by ngcareers


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E-commerce behemoth Amazon has reportedly begun to draw down engineering resources in its mobile phone team, shedding jobs and re-focusing efforts on tablets and other home electronics in the wake of the Fire Phone's dismal showing. While the company has not ruled out producing another mobile phone, development of a next-generation device has been extended "indefinitely," according to the Wall Street Journal. Citing sources, the paper says that dozens of Fire Phone...
8/27/15 at 7:11am
- Kasper's Automated Slave


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Global meat prices fell by 7% year-on-year in 2016, according to the latest figures from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.
“After reaching a six-year low during March 2016, however, there was some modest recovery during the middle of the year,” commented AHDB Pork in an analysis of the FAO report.
“Prices then stagnated, dropping back 2% after reaching a peak in August. The largest price falls for the year as a whole were recorded for bovine and poultry meat, due to challenging trade and too much supply in the market. Pigmeat was less affected, due to falling supplies and strong demand from China.
“However, pork prices are likely to experience more pressure looking forward, as Chinese demand slows while abundant US supplies enter the global market.”