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Spotify and eight companies and associations wrote a letter to the executive vice-president of the European Commission calling Apple a harmful, anti-competitive and monopolistic company that must be regulated through “urgent action”.
The letter, signed by the CEOs and heads of Basecamp, Deezer, Proton, Schibsted, Spotify, the European Publishers Council (EPC), France Digitale and News Media Europe, was sent to the EU’s Margrethe Vestager. The letter calls on the EU to take regulatory action and close an investigation launched by Spotify against Apple’s app distribution practices.
The group claims that Apple’s App Store has been holding back their business and constantly hampering their growth due to the platform’s rules and its “capricious changes to terms and conditions.”
For years, Apple has imposed unfair restrictions on our businesses. These restrictions hold back our development and harm European consumers. They include tying the App Store to Apple’s own payment system, with its exorbitant commissions for app developers; creating artificial barriers that prevent our companies from communicating freely with our customers; restrictions on the developer’s access to the data of its own users; and capricious changes to terms and conditions. Apple benefits from a monopoly position over its mobile ecosystem and extracts exorbitant rents from app developers who have no choice but to stay in the App Store to reach European consumers.
“The time has come for urgent EU action to stop Apple’s abusive behavior,” the letter said, citing the recently adopted Digital Markets Act (DMA) and calling for its swift implementation. “The EU has an opportunity to take the lead, but it must act quickly because every day is a loss for innovation and for the benefit of European consumers,” it continued.
In April 2021, the EU published the Commission’s statement of objections against Apple, outlining its findings following an investigation into the unfair practices of the App Store. In a statement, the EU said Apple had “abused its dominant position to distribute music streaming apps through its App Store” and objected to “the mandatory use of Apple’s own in-app purchase mechanism imposed on music streaming app developers to distribute their apps .” The group of companies now claims that these alleged irregularities have been experienced by “countless other app providers”, not just music streaming apps.
We are therefore calling for a speedy decision in the competition case against Apple for its illegal, anti-competitive behavior involving music streaming services. Many of the anti-competitive behaviors described in the Commission’s Statement of Objections against Apple are felt not only by music streaming services but also by countless other app providers seeking to offer goods and services through the iOS App Store. That statement of objections is almost two years old, and the abuses and harm to consumers will continue until a remedy is implemented. In addition to the specific case of the App Store, EU authorities urgently need to consider Apple’s abusive behavior in other areas, such as publishing, web software, communications and markets.
Apple has been repeatedly accused of unfair and anti-competitive business practices in its App Store, and Spotify is one of the loudest critics. In October, Spotify issued a press release accusing Apple of undermining “the ability of Spotify and other developers to deliver a seamless user experience” and said the restrictions “harm both creators and consumers alike.”
While Spotify has been vocal about its disapproval of Apple’s App Store, the streaming music service has ignored widespread requests to add HomePod support to its app, despite many of its competitors doing so. As a result, some Spotify users have switched to other platforms, such as Apple Music. In an independent blog post on its website this week, Spotify said: “Apple has been enabled by a lack of decisive action by regulators, who continue to be hesitant, even in the face of overwhelming support.”


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Business owner claims town centre has moved to trading estates as new warehouse opens
- Credit: Archant
A business owner has said town centres are in a state of flux as he opened his first warehouse, giving his internet firm a Norfolk home.
Hassan Mhamood, 33, grew up in Thetford and has now opened Best Beds Direct in Stephenson Way.
For the past six months he has been running the company online but now - bucking a trend of customers moving online - has opened his first store selling beds and mattresses.
He said: "Customers are trickling in but the company has been running online for the past six months shipping nationally.
"At the moment 99pc is online but the idea behind the new store is having somewhere to store and display products while having an office."
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Despite the new premises, Mr Mhamood, who grew up on the Ladies Estate, says he has seen shoppers move away from the town centre.
He added: "I couldn't tell you the last time I went into the town centre and it's a shame. With the town growing, with the retail park and the new homes, this side of the town [south] is the most active.
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"This pattern isn't just in Thetford it is in every market town. On the trading estate there is a man who sells carpets and another unit where people get their eyebrows done and their haircut, these would have been in the town centre but are now here.
"People don't mind having to drive to somewhere and there are people who still don't like buying stuff blind online."
Mr Mhamood's store is located behind the former Multiyork Factory. The company, which had stores in Norwich, Ipswich and Mellis, in Suffolk, filed for bankruptcy in September 2017.
"My little brother was made redundant from there," Mr Mhamood said. "Everyone in the town knows someone who has worked there and I have customers come in and tell me their sorrow story.
"There is an emotional connection to the place, it's like a haunted playground.
"I remember when I was a kid and would walk into the town centre and go to the green grocers and Woolworths but now times have changed, it's not the same place anymore, the world is a different place."

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Urian B., Tech Times
Apple could set to pay a whopping $100 million to developers. As of the moment, it is still a proposal and is reportedly being poised to be approved by the judge in the particular case.
Apple Proposes $100 Million Settlement
According to the story by AppleInsider, Apple’s currently proposed $100 million settlement along with developers is now poised to be approved by the ruling judge in the particular case. It was noted that this includes a loosening of the App Store’s “anti-steering” provisions.
Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, the US District Judge, recently told lawyers that she actually anticipates preliminary approval of the said settlement. In a certain video call, she then stated that as it would stand, it currently seems to her that it is a fair and good settlement, as per Courthouse News.
Funds from $250 to $30,000
The settlement would then create a whopping $100 million Small Developer Assistance Funds to issue funds from $250 up to $30,000. This will be paid to a class of developers that are making just less than $1 million within the App Store.
It was noted that it would also lock in Apple’s reduced 15% small business commission directly on the app and certain in-app purchases for a full three years. In addition, the peace offering towards developers also “clarifies” that the developers can still contact customers through email or some other contact information regarding purchases made outside of the App Store.
Apple Alternate Payment Methods
Apple’s own guidelines would previously prohibit advertising some alternative payment methods. Certain Apple attorneys noted that the company had promised to issue a full annual transparency report.
The report would give developers more information regarding search queries, results, and some other data to help aid app discovery. The case reportedly dates all the way back to 2019.
App Store Fee is ‘Profit Killing’
This was when a group of developers decided to file a class-action lawsuit directly against Apple. This alleged that the $99-a-year App Store fee is actually “profit killing” and also taking issue with the whole $0.99 pricing increments.
Apple previously announced the settlement on August 27, 2021. The company stated that the concessions were a response to certain concerns coming from the developer community. These complaints have been well heard of over 2021 and is finally concluding.
Read Also: Apple Wins Lawsuit in France Over iOS 14 Privacy Concerns
Apple Files Appeal
The suit is said to be legally unrelated to Epic vs. Apple despite being covered from the same ground. As of the moment, developers are currently still barred from advertising other payment methods within certain apps until the Judge’s own orders come directly into effect for the ruling, as an example.
Apple, however, has appealed and also filed for a stay on the particular decision. If the stay were not granted, the injunction regarding anti-steering would be taking effect on December 9, 2021.
Related Article: Apple Vs. Masimo: New Lawsuit Asks FTC To Ban Watch Series 6-Claiming Pulse Oximetry Feature Bypasses Its Patents
This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Urian B.
ⓒ 2021 Techbyandroid.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.


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Cambrex Corporation invested US$ 3 million to expand its facility in Milan for research and development of sterile active pharmaceutical ingredients for use in generic drugs.
Rockville, MD -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/15/2019 -- Intensifying competition in the healthcare industry is prompting pharmaceutical companies to substantially reduce the time required for the production of Sterile Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients Market. Both leading and emerging companies are increasingly joining hands with contract development manufacturing organizations (CDMOs) to ramp up production of novel active pharmaceutical ingredients. The practice is gaining traction as it is providing pharmaceutical companies access to novel technology and aiding them in boosting manufacturing of drugs.
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Sterile active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) or active ingredients are the biologically and chemically active component of drugs that produce the intended effects in the body. Active ingredients are used along with excipients which are chemically inactive substances that aid in the delivery of the medication system to the body.
Active ingredients are manufactured in a sterile environment in the absence of the presence of any contaminants as it could significantly impact the physiochemical nature of the compounds.
Furthermore, partnerships with CDMOs shields pharmaceutical companies from the potential risks in the market while paving a way for them to enter emerging markets. The array of benefits offered by the practice is making it increasingly popular in the healthcare industry and aiding in accelerating the production of active pharmaceutical ingredients. With the demand for specialty medication on the rise, an increasing number of pharmaceutical companies are leveraging partnerships with CDMOs for production of new and improved sterile active pharmaceutical ingredients. The trend is expected to fuel sterile active pharmaceutical ingredients market growth.
Patent Expirations Fuelling Production of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients
The accelerating rate of patent expirations is estimated to cause intense competition in the healthcare industry which is expected to propel the growth of active pharmaceutical ingredients market. Leading players operating in the active pharmaceutical ingredients market are increasingly investing in the research and development of novel agents for use in medication to prevent a slump in their revenues. The factor is estimated to pave the way to lucrative opportunities in the sterile active pharmaceutical ingredients market. Additionally, infrastructure development supporting research and development is likely to uphold sterile active pharmaceutical ingredients growth.
To know more about the Sterile Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients Market Visit the link- https://www.factmr.com/report/3289/sterile-active-pharmaceutical-ingredients-market
Technological breakthroughs in the development of powdered dispensing systems which aid in accelerating clinical trials while substantially reducing the cost incurred during the process is one of the vital factors expected to propel sterile active pharmaceuticals growth.
Sustainability to Become a Key Focus in API Production
With large scale production of sterile active pharmaceutical ingredients on the rise, the sustainability of the manufacturing process is increasingly being scrutinized by both consumers and administrative authorities. API production generates substantial volumes of hazardous solvent which can enter the environment and negatively impact human health. Growing concerns surrounding management of this hazardous waste and growing pressure by governmental organizations to address the issue is prompting manufacturers in the sterile active pharmaceuticals market to streamline their production.
Manufacturers are focusing on the use of efficient catalyzers to accelerate production while keeping waste generation to a minimum. For instance, Pfizer re-engineered the manufacturing process of a nuerontin at its Singapore facility to achieve greater efficiency and reduce the adverse environmental impact of the process.
Stringent Regulations to Dampen Sterile Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients Market Growth
Regulatory authorities around the world are continuously issuing stringent guidelines on the production of sterile pharmaceutical ingredients. Intensifying inspections and strengthening collaborations between authorities around the world to keep a stringent check on sterile active pharmaceutical ingredients production through strategic alliances with CDMOs is expected to pose a daunting challenge for manufacturers. The US Food and Drug Administration issued new guidelines highlighting the good practices to be followed in active pharmaceutical production.
In addition, the authority set up a new guideline according to which manufacturers are required to take an approval before altering the drug production process in place. Similarly, the European Medicines Agency in association with other international partners released a detailed report titled "International API inspection programme report for 2011-2016" in 2018 enlisting the need to intensify inspections of active pharmaceutical ingredients production sites.
Sterile Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients – Competitive Landscape
Banking on the burgeoning demand for generic drugs owing to the accelerating rate of patent expirations, Cambrex Corporation invested US$ 3 million to expand its facility in Milan for research and development of sterile active pharmaceutical ingredients for use in generic drugs.
The pervasive trend of increasing collaboration between pharmaceutical companies received yet another boost after Lonza, a leading CDMO in the sterile active pharmaceuticals market, announced expanding its capacity for the development of highly potent API (HPAPI) to support antibody drug conjugate (ADC) manufacturing for an undisclosed biopharmaceutical company.
GlaxoSmithKline inaugurated a new facility worth US$ 70 million for expanding the production of API for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The company plans to prevent a slump in the sales with this expansion after the patent for its blockbuster drug Advair expired.
Intensifying development of assistive tools for enhancing and accelerating sterile active pharmaceutical production witnessed another development when BOC Sciences launched a cost-effective and novel technique for impurity synthesis in API. The company aims to help sterile active pharmaceutical ingredients producers in identifying impurities in early stages and streamline the drug discovery process.
Other leading players operating in the sterile active pharmaceutical ingredients market include Pfizer Inc., BASF SE, Dr. Reddy's Laboratories Ltd., ALLERGAN, Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.
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How VAPEXPO Moscow 2015 was held?
On December 4-5, guests of VAPEXPO Moscow 2015 have enjoyed a unique event, dedicated to vaping industry. Investors and businesspeople have learned about the new niche of potentially successful business. It is an important step for the vaping industry in the country. Undoubtedly, more and more people will turn to electronic cigarettes thanks to such events.
Guests got acquainted with exhibitors’ products and enjoyed a varied show program. Check how successful was VAPE EXPO Moscow 2015 Conference – watch our video report.
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Consumption patterns of Gen-Z and millennials vary greatly from older generations in China, says branding expert Arnold Ma in the Jing Daily. “They are more focused on themselves and less so on the collective. There are lots of opportunities [for luxury brands] here,” says Arnold Ma.
This trend reinforces how local Gen Zers and Millennials are very different from their previous generations. Social media has contributed massively to the spread of these niche trends, and people now express their unique personalities online through their one-of-a-kind creations. Arnold Ma, the founder of the marketing agency Qumin, said, “They are more focused on themselves and less so on the collective. There are lots of opportunities [for luxury brands] here.”
He continued, stating that brands could leverage “the trend of self-expression and the Creator Economy by asking consumers to create their own interpretation of a brand logo or asset.”
Are you looking for more branding experts at the China Speakers Bureau? Do check out this list.


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Current Australian Manufacturing Supply Issues… and Mitigation
The pandemic has impacted Australian manufacturing in several ways, most notably with major supply chain issues leading to shipping delays, soaring transport costs and a significant shortage of – and subsequent price leap in – parts and raw materials.
This of course has a flow-on effect to customers in terms of pricing, potential project delays and final production costs… but the news isn’t completely dire. Whilst customers are currently feeling the impact of this disruption, Romar Engineering is working to help mitigate problems over the long term.
In the interim, we explain here just what’s happening, why supply chains are being impacted so severely and how we plan to leverage our expertise to help mitigate supply chain issues in the future – with technology, expert design for manufacture and robust, globally oriented manufacturing solutions.
Major supply chain disruptions
Currently, every industry around the globe is feeling the impact of supply chain disruptions. Through the pandemic, port closures became commonplace, often at short notice – and the fallout was widespread.
Not only did it lead to long container queues, the flow on effects included major perishable stock losses, sudden unavailability of parts and materials, staffing shortages, soaring costs – some raw materials have tripled in price – and a severe lack of shipping containers or any suitable transport.
Here in Australia, soaring shipping costs have hit importers and exporters hard, with cargo container hire doubling and sometimes almost tripling in price.
International ports that have closed through the pandemic have also faced huge financial losses leading to job cuts, a lack of maintenance and a halt in further shipping production.
With no new containers and current shipping still facing delays of weeks or sometimes months entering and exiting China and the US, it’s led to severe losses across multiple sectors.
Underlying supply chain problems
While the pandemic has directly and severely hampered supply chains, some suggest it has merely highlighted underlying issues, including reliance on just-in-time delivery and low supplier diversity.
There was a further illustration of the fragility of our international supply chains in March, when the Ever Given container ship became wedged in the Suez Canal for six days, blocking hundreds of ships behind it. With roughly 15 percent of world’s shipping traffic transiting the canal, Lloyd’s List estimated that the blockage disrupted US$9 billion worth of goods daily.
The recent 26th Annual Third-Party Logistics Study, by Japanese company NTT Data, incorporated data and interviews from almost 350 companies. It uncovered critical issues faced by logistics managers worldwide due to the pandemic and highlighted existing problems with widespread reliance on long supply chains and vulnerabilities in sourcing strategies.
The report’s key recommendations to limit potential future disruptions included the adoption of technology to streamline processes and supply chains. It suggested increased use of smart technology such as 3D printing and IoT data analytics will assist by creating more agile supply chains, and by providing logistics and manufacturing managers with increased visibility, control and manoeuvrability at each stage of the chain.
Mitigating supply chain issues
At Romar, we are already working to help mitigate supply chain issues. We have invested in technology including niche 3D printers and Industry 4.0 manufacturing to streamline processes – and provide customers with enhanced, on-time manufacturing solutions.
Whilst there is no way to control global material and shipping prices, one way to assuage these costs is with tailored design for manufacture.
At Romar, our team of engineers and materials experts can provide full analysis of your design, factoring in requirements including functionality, durability, aesthetics and consistency of performance.
Using techniques such as finite element analysis, we can modify designs for enhanced performance whilst simultaneously looking at ways to decrease material wastage without losing structural integrity.
Effective and thorough analysis through the design for manufacture stage increases cost-efficiency at every subsequent stage of production plus end-product performance.
Providing quality, turnkey solutions
As the pandemic has clearly illustrated, reliance on long supply chains can be hugely damaging for local businesses.
COVID-19 has also shown the importance of local manufacturing solutions that are internationally competitive.
By choosing an Australian manufacturer, you can help shorten supply chains, save costs on inbound and outbound deliveries and avoid lengthy production delays.
A fully local supply chain is also the best way to ensure your project meets Australian safety and quality standards, and as a turnkey manufacturer, we can oversee every stage of production – including materials selection, design for manufacture, commercial manufacture and logistics – to ensure you have an efficient and cost-effective project.
Outstanding Australian manufacturing
Romar has worked hard during the pandemic to consistently provide robust and cost-effective solutions for our customers.
We have a world-class engineering team, and niche and wide-ranging capability across areas including advanced manufacturing, medical device manufacturing, silicone products, elastomers, precision molding and additive manufacturing.
To discuss how we can help you through and beyond the pandemic, please contact us.


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If you've ever tried to conduct a customer service transaction through one of the automated virtual agents many companies have deployed, you no doubt have had trouble being understood. But a new technology is applying artificial intelligence to the problem in the hopes that agents capable of adapting as they go will make a big difference in consumer satisfaction.
The new technology, from San Francisco's, one of the leading developers of white-label virtual-agent software, is called Rapid Adapt, and it is designed as an adaptive system that can learn from each customer interaction.
Until now, much of the iterative improvements that enterprise customers could hope for from VirtuOz's technology had to be manually applied. But with Rapid Adapt, the company is aiming to give its clients tools that can essentially train themselves based on interactions with customers over the phone.
As a result, the company said Friday, it can now take just hours to apply new learning instead of the weeks that were required in the past.
Rapid Adapt is based on a feature called AutoLearn, VirtuOz said, which automatically analyzes conversations between customers on the phone and the virtual agent. The goal is to find those customers' true intent, and then offer human administrators one of a small number of choices for how to proceed, based on the phone customer's needs and requests.
As it goes through more and more interactions, VirtuOz said, a virtual agent deployed with Rapid Adapt technology learns how it should respond to an increasing number of user questions or requests, and it fine-tunes its ability to interpret what those users want. As a result, the company said, each time a human customer interacts with one of the virtual agents, the digital system is making the experience better for the next person.
VirtuOz is taking its AutoLearn technology and applying it specifically to a new application known as Voice of the Customer. This system is designed not just to analyze conversations for customers' true needs, but also to look for trends in what customers are asking for in a bid to understand what types of issues are becoming more or less prevalent among customers.
VirtuOz, which holds as clients companies such as eBay, H&R Block, and L'Oreal, hopes to roll out the new version of its technology sometime this summer.


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Market is warming up again and there is a buzz “what’s next from BSNL???” and how hard this “next “is going to hit the market statistics? Yes…you are right. BSNL is walking the red carpet again. Do you remember the last time it walked? It was when; it launched its tablet and acclaimed recorded 1 lakh bookings in first 3 days. So what’s the next milestone in BSNL’s journey of success??? [Read more...]
In one of its revolutionizing steps that can revolutionize the Indian telecom market as India’s very own BSNLl launched its BSNL champion smart phone in collaboration with India based smartphone makers champion.This is a great step from BSNL which is continuously trying to revive its fortune.
The new series will come under the catchy name: BSNL Champion. These Smartphones will soon hit the market as revealed on the official website and are expected to pick not only great numbers in terms of pre bookings and sales but also great words of appreciation on fabulous Smartphone experience. So big players, watch out. BSNL has rolled it sleeves.
The BSNL champion trendy 531 boosts of a 5.3 inches screen and is fuelled by 1.2Ghz quad core processor which provides the user with amazing faster speed.It runs on Android’s 4.2 platform and has a powerful battery of 3200mAh which gives it a very good battery backup. Also in a promotional offer BSNL is giving 500mb of data every month for every cellphone buyer. [Read more...]
Another result of the grandiose collaboration is a phone called BSNL PentaBharat PF300 or Bharat phone in low end segment. The collaboration between state-owned BSNL and Noida –based Pantel Technologies has served the Indian tablet market meticulously and has accorded various gadgets to different segment of mobile and smart computing. This ultra-slim feature phone addresses the semi-urban and rural people that define common Indian.
Politics and Smartphone. What possible connection they can have??? I mean…they are like apples and oranges. But this is the thing that is special about 2014 election. This election will not only take place in cities, towns and metros, but on facebook, twitter and numerous social media platform as well. It has “Youth” in its every agenda, every phase and every win or defeat. Did I just sound like a youth neta??? No offence…I didn’t mean to. But this is what I see these days in newspaper. And obviously, what can be the best way to hit the young generation other than smart technology!!! [Read more...]
We have listed below few of the common Frequently asked question about the BSNL Android Phones.
1) How many BSNL phone are there : Two one is launched with Champion India company and other to be launched with Pental corporation. Earlier in collaboration with Pantel, BNSL penta tablets has been released that tablet was a huge success in the market .
2) Is the BSNL smartphone running on Android : Yes, both the smartphone will be supported by latest Android version. [Read more...]


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Saturday, 15 September 2018
Friday, 14 September 2018
भारत के माननीय उपराष्ट्रपति श्री एम वैंकैया नायडु ने अपने कर कमलो से श्री बी बी सिंह, अध्यक्ष एवं प्रबंध निदेशक, एमएसटीसी लि. को राजभाषा कीर्ति पुरस्कार के तहत प्रथम पुरस्कार प्रदान किया है। यह पुरस्कार वितरण समारोह 14 सितम्बर, 2018 को 09:30 बजे प्लेनरी हाल विज्ञान भवन, नई दिल्ली में आयोजित किया गया है।
‘’एमएसटीसी लिमिटेड’’ को वर्ष 2017-18 के दौरान राजभाषा नीति के श्रेष्ठ कार्यान्वयन के लिए राजभाषा कीर्ति पुरस्कारों की सार्वजनिक क्षेत्र के उपक्रमों की श्रेणी के अंतर्गत ‘ग’ क्षेत्र में प्रथम पुरस्कार के लिए राजभाषा विभाग, गृह मंत्रालय, भारत सरकार द्वारा चुना गया है।
Thursday, 6 September 2018
Hon’ble Minister of State (Steel) Sri Vishnu Deo Sai inaugurated the workshop on “Unlocking value through e-Commerce & Supporting Agri-Horti sector through e-RaKAM” organised by MSTC Ltd. in collaboration with NERAMAC.
Speaking at the workshop, Hon’ble Minister stated that the North-East Region is endowed with climatic condition that favors growth of niche variety of fruits, vegetables, timber, spices and other produce but the growers do not have any direct market access for their produces to mainland of India and are compelled to be exploited by middle men leading to a very pitiable situation for them. The pitiable condition of farmers is also aggravated due to the lack of proper logistic supports in the region.
Hon’ble Minister appreciated the efforts taken by MSTC’s that are in sync with the “Look East” and “Act East” policies of the Government of India. Hon’ble Minister also stated that MSTC has taken many steps with a view to benefit the farmers which will subsequently benefit the entire North East Region. MSTC, NERAMAC, CRWC and other stakeholders including NABARD, FPOs, etc. are working together for overall development of the Agri-horti Eco- System in the North-East Region.
The Hon’ble Minister further stated that the above ecosystem will not only improve the financial status of the growers but also prevent the crops from colossal wastage and make niche products available to the rest of the country and abroad. This collaborative effort may play an important role as envisaged in the Government Policy for the development of the North-East Region.
In order to provide direct market access to the growers of the North-East region and also for effective co-ordination and required services amongst the above agencies, MSTC and CRWC has recently launched e-RAKAM portal (e-Rashtriya Kisan Agri Mandi), which will be a nodal point to cater to the needs of all the sister states of the North-East.
E-RAKAM portal is an excellent initiative that connects farmers from small villages to the biggest markets of the world through Internet & appropriate logistics.
The Hon’ble Minister hailed MSTC’s effort for supporting Government initiatives promoting the digital drive & transparency in economy through e-commerce and advised that MSTC can extend its e-commerce services comprising of auction, procurement, e-sale and exclusive portals for handicrafts and other niche products for the entire state of Manipur.


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You know a highly-anticipated phone is nearing release when the company that's making it takes it upon itself to leak the device as well. That seems to be exactly what's happened in the Pixel 4a's case, as 9to5Google has published a render that's apparently come fresh right from the Google Store.
- Google Pixel 4a: Release date, price, specs and leaks
- The best Android phones at every price and size
- Plus: OnePlus Nord vs Google Pixel 4a: How they compare
It's not clear where this picture exists on the Google Store site — it may have been quietly removed — and no link was provided in 9to5Google's post. That said, this clearly looks like a typical Google product render, and matches up with every image of the Pixel 4a we've seen thus far. You'll note the phone's square-yet-single-lens camera patch, Pixel Imprint capacitive fingerprint sensor and hole-punch front-facing camera. Interestingly, this Just Black colorway has a mint power key, which offers a nice, traditional Pixel design touch.
The latest line on the Pixel 4a's availability is that it will announced August 3. That's according to a tweet from Jon Prosser or Front Page Tech, who has been following the Pixel 4a through all its false starts and delayed reveals over the past several months. Of course, it's possible that date slides as well — we'll know for sure in a few weeks.
Pixel 4a has slipped again 🤦🏼♂Announcement was supposed to be happening July 13 (Monday), but just got bumped. What we can see in the system now is announcement happening on August 3 🧐The mystery continues...July 10, 2020
In any case, Google will want to get the Pixel 4a out there as soon as possible. Apple unleashed the second-generation iPhone SE back in April, and the upcoming baby Pixel was expected to follow quickly on the heels of Apple's bargain of an iPhone. However, Mountain View was forced to pump the brakes on its launch, likely because of complications from the ongoing global pandemic.
In fact, 9to5Google's Stephen Hall noted on Twitter that the May 12 date on the render you see above is evidence Google originally planned to reveal the Pixel 4a during its cancelled Google I/O developer conference.
As a result of all Google's delays, the iPhone SE has been largely unchallenged in the sub-$400 midrange phone space through the spring and summer thus far, all the while Google has discontinued the Pixel 3a and OnePlus is gearing up to launch its OnePlus Nord around the world (though, critically, not in North America.)
Everything we know about the Pixel 4a suggests it could end up a fantastic midrange handset, just like its predecessor. It won't equal the iPhone SE's performance, of course, given that it will lack a flagship processor on the level of Apple's A13 Bionic. However, its camera should be every bit as good, if not better, and the Pixel 4a's design generally looks more with the times. In fact, some rumors have claimed Google will even offer the device at a $50 discount compared to last year's model, for $349 instead of $399.
The rumored specs of the Google Pixel 4a include a 5.8-inch OLED display, a Snapdragon 730 processor, 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. You should not expect 5G connectivity, but Google may launch a Google Pixel 4a 5G at a later date.
We can't wait to finally get our hands on the Pixel 4a and see how it stacks up against the most affordable iPhone, as well as whatever OnePlus is cooking up. It shouldn't be long now.


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Several major retail stores are under the gun over some of the toys they’re illegally selling in New York, officials announced Thursday.
The state’s attorney general, Eric Schneiderman, sent cease and desist letters to Wal-Mart, Amazon.com, K-Mart, Sears and ToyArsenal.com telling the retailers the toy guns they’re selling online to New Yorkers are too realistic.
According to state law, toy guns are prohibited if they come in realistic colors like black, blue, silver or aluminum, unless a non-removable, one-inch-wide orange strip runs down both sides and the front end of the barrel, the attorney general’s office said.
“When toy guns are mistaken for real guns there can be tragic consequences,” Schneiderman said.
An investigation into the toy gun sales revealed that at least one store, a K-Mart in suburban Rochester, sold the banned toys on premises.


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Agility Robotics is putting Digit — a two-legged robot that can lift 40-pound packages — on the market. And Ford Motor is the first customer.
Ford, which has been involved in a research project with the robotics startup since last year, said Sunday night ahead of CES 2020 in Las Vegas that it will receive the first two robots off the production line. Ford has been testing how Digit and self-driving vehicles might work together to solve what CTO Ken Washington has called the last-50-feet problem, those final steps from the curb to the door.
Neither company is discussing what Digit costs.
Making Digit available for sale is a milestone for Agility, which spun out of Oregon State University’s Dynamic Robotics Laboratory in late 2015 with an aim to commercialize research on bipedal locomotion. The company introduced its ostrich-inspired Cassie robot in 2017 as a bipedal research platform. Digit, which added an upper torso, arms, sensors and additional computing power to the Cassie design, was introduced in spring 2019. Since then, Agility has refined the design, including more advanced feet that allow Digit to balance on one foot or carefully navigate obstacles, and new sensors to perceive and map the world for robot navigation.
“As online retailing continues growing, we believe robots will help our commercial customers build stronger businesses by making deliveries more efficient and affordable for all of us,” Washington said in a statement. “We learned a lot this year working with Agility, now we can accelerate our exploratory work with commercial Digit robots.”
While Ford is looking at how Digit can help support self-driving cars deliver packages to people, the robot has other applications as well, such as inside warehouses, the company said.


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MILLIONS of motorists have been warned about a major change in the way they pay for parking – does this affect you?
Municipal payment terminals have already been abandoned in some areas in the past.
And further changes could soon bring more than two million motorists live in areas without parking meters.
Brighton and Hove The city council will reportedly remove its parking meters on May 31, while the London Borough of Bromley will do the same in early April.
The cost of updating all machines in Bromleyfor example, would cost £1 million.
Harrow finished dumping all of its machines in January and Enfield plans to have all meters gone by early April.
While Westminster City Council has run out of payment and display machines since 2019.
Other boroughs that have had some machines removed include Richmond, Merton and Barking and Dagenham.
Elsewhere, half a dozen councils confirmed their meter readings had been cut – with further cuts being made in Ealing.
The West London council had 196 machines in 2016, but by the end of this year it will be down to 60.
Municipalities are reportedly scrapping traditional pay and display machines as cell phone operators shut down the 3G data networks that power the meters, according to The times.
While East Suffolk Council says it has cut its gauges from 126 to 96 to “reduce carbon emissions associated with cash collection”.
Spokesmen for many town halls said motorists can still pay for their tickets in cash through the ‘Paypoint’ system in shops.
Apps such as RingGo and PayByPhone allow drivers to communicate card details over the phone.
However, they may also charge additional fees of up to 30 pence per hour.
But municipalities are blaming the cost of switching to 4G from the meters as cellular carriers prepare to shut down their 3G networks.
Both Vodafone and EE will completely switch off their respective 3G networks by the end of 2023, while Three will shut down in 2024.
One benefit of using a smartphone app is that it often gives users the option to add extra time to their stay without having to rush back to their vehicle.
There are up to 30 different smartphone apps currently used to pay for parking, including ParkMe, Parkopedia, Just Park, and PayByPhone.
But these numerous providers usually all require users to key in both their contact details and car details – which takes a lot longer than simply inserting coins or a debit card into a machine.


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Blockthrough wins Adweek Readers’ Choice Award (2021)
Blockthrough is proud to announce that after a multi-week voting process, Adweek has declared Blockthrough a winner of the 2021 Readers’ Choice Best of Tech Partner Award, under the category Best in Ad Blocking (Ad Recovery) Solutions. This is the third year in which Adweek asked its readers to recognize the top providers in marketing and advertising by voting for them.
Some other ad tech companies that were also named winners alongside Blockthrough under other award categories include The Trade Desk, Pubmatic, Magnite/SpotX, Moat by Oracle, AdColony, Criteo, and Lotame. This is the second win in a month for Blockthrough since it was named on the 2021 AdExchanger Programmatic Power Player list earlier this month.
It’s great to receive this recognition from Adweek. A big focus area for us is being able to deliver an ad experience that is light and non-intrusive, and ultimately one that users are comfortable with. We can’t imagine a bigger endorsement than achieving this win by the power of the readers’ vote.— Trevor Thomas, VP of Revenue at Blockthrough
Blockthrough’s mission is to enable publishers and advertisers to build flourishing, sustainable businesses by delivering advertising experiences that respect user choice. It provides a lightweight, Acceptable Ads experience to opted-in users of ad blocking technology, using filtering technology that’s built on Prebid.js. Since 2018, Blockthrough has helped its publishing clients successfully recover over $50M in otherwise-blocked revenue. The company’s management is comprised of ad tech veterans like Matt Kendall, co-creator of Prebid.js, and its board of advisors includes industry luminaries like Ari Paparo, Paul Bannister, Scott Messer, and Heather Carver.
About Readers’ Choice Best of Tech Awards
Adweek, the leading weekly trade publication covering the business of advertising, launched the inaugural Readers’ Choice: Best of Tech Awards in 2019. The awards recognize the top advertising and marketing technology providers by putting the power in the hands of our community and offering readers a say in who should rise to the top.


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Government-Owned Marijuana Businesses are the Most Profitable in Canada
According to research conducted by MJBizDaily, government-owned cannabis businesses in Canada are the most profitable. Various levels of the Canadian government own the companies. Simultaneously, cannabis companies in the private sector have seen cumulative losses of over $12.5 billion. This data shows that even larger marijuana companies in Canada have yet to become profitable. The company showing the highest profits thus far is the Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS). According to Ontario’s fiscal projection, OCS is expected to see earnings around roughly $200 million for three years ending in March 2022. OCS is owned by the province and is the cannabis wholesaler for the 1,600 marijuana retail locations throughout Ontario.
Missouri Democrats Won’t Support a Recreational Cannabis Measure
While the majority of Democrats in Missouri support cannabis legalization, the same cannot be said for the ballot initiative that is to appear on the state’s ballot in November. The state’s Democratic Party Committee expressed their concerns about the wording of Amendment 3 in a news release. They said the wording of the legalization measure “may negatively impact minorities, people of color, and low-income earning Missourians”. According to a local newspaper, the party is divided on two key areas of the initiative. First, businesses with current medical marijuana licenses would be the first to receive adult-use licensing, and the limited licensing is an issue for some key Democrats. Second, the language of Amendment 3 does not clearly outline the process for criminal record expungement for those with low-level cannabis offenses. The concern is the lack of clarity will cause confusion and lead to issues for those that need this expungement.
NY Recreational Cannabis Supplier Licenses Will Be Delayed
New York cannabis regulators have anticipated getting their state’s legal market online later this year or early next year. However, the program launch will likely not happen until well into 2023. The state’s Office of Cannabis Management will not accept new applications for adult-use marijuana businesses until the middle of 2023. Those hoping to gain access to the nascent industry were hopeful that the cultivation and processing application window for marijuana businesses would open this fall. New York is expected to be one of the largest state-legal cannabis markets in the U.S., and this delay is a significant setback.


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The Peninsula New York Hotel Façade Turns Pink for Charity
To support Breast Cancer Awareness month.
Driving relevance means driving growth. Join global brands and industry thought leaders at Brandweek, Sept. 11–14 in Miami, for actionable takeaways to better your marketing. 50% off passes ends April 10.
With its recent installation of the Pink Lotus sculpture, The Peninsula New York hotel is shining a light on breast cancer. Grimanesa Amorós, a Peruvian-born artist who lives in New York, created the large-scale lotus flower using various shades of red, white and pink LED lights.
A range of businesses are participating in efforts to inform the public about breast cancer this October, from retailers to sports teams. The luxury hotelier launched Peninsula in Pink in 2010 and has hosted the annual event at all ten of its properties in North America, Europe and Asia.


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Longboat Key Club and Resort General Manager Michael Welly said that, faced with declining tax revenues, the town of Longboat Key has two choices.
“You can cut back,” Welly said. “Or, then, they can look for new revenue sources. I volunteer. I’ll be the new revenue source.”
Welly gave an opening presentation Tuesday, Oct. 13, at the Key Club’s Islandside Redevelopment Plan Town Hall. He discussed the specifics of the project, including its impact on traffic, views of nearby condominiums and the local economy.
Following Welly’s presentation, Tom Aposporos, president of the Longboat Key, Lido Key, St. Armands Key Chamber of Commerce, moderated a panel discussion featuring Key supporters of the project.
Panelist Ed Chiles, owner of Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant & Pub, described the Key Club as a “tremendous engine for our community.” Chiles discussed businesses on Longboat Key that have closed in recent years, in part, due to the lack of tourist business. He pointed to the fact that 88% of voters approved a March 2008 referenda allowing for an additional 250 tourism units.
“People in Longboat don’t like blight, and that started motivating people,” Chiles said.
Carole Nikla, who sold group reservations for 16 years at the former Longboat Key Holiday Inn, said that Longboat Key would benefit from the proposed meeting space, because groups book year-round, often six months to three years in advance.
“The first thing they do when they check in is go to the concierge and find out where to eat and where to shop and where to play golf,” Nikla said.
Longboat Key residents Vince De Lisi, Terry Gans and Bill Kary spoke on the panel in favor of the Key Club’s plans.
Kary expressed hope that the plans could restore Longboat Key’s image to what it was when he first visited the island in the late 1980s.
“Longboat Key had an image that was second to none,” he said. “Longboat Key was the place to be, own and buy.”
Contact Robin Hartill at email@example.com.
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17 Night of Fish, Fun & Fright
6:30 pm - 9:00 pm
18 Jewels on the Bay Showhouse
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Tiny trio tours safety facilities
Commissioner Lynn Larson’s three grandchildren, Zander, 9, Zora, 8, and Zoe Ramsey, 5, got a close-up look at what Longboat Key police and firefighters do to keep residents safe earlier this month, during a tour of the police and north fire stations.
Mar Vista dollars to benefit local teen
Mar Vista Dockside Restaurant & Pub’s walls and ceiling are covered with dollar bills, signed and decorated by patrons. Every few years the restaurant removes the bills for a good cause.
'We Are The Marines'
That is how Maj. Brian Dix introduced “The Commandant’s Own” U.S. Marine Drum & Bugle Corps July 4, at Avery Fisher Hall.


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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - Vitae Distillery hosted a soft opening of its new tasting room in downtown Charlottesville.
The new space is located on Water Street near Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall. The Henry Avenue tasting room will be temporarily closed to focus on the new one.
Founder Ian Glomski says there are still a few more updates in store for the new location.
“We’re not like 100% up to where we will be in a few months. There’s still a few aesthetics to be installed. But really this is really a time for us to shake out our systems, to kind of learn what we forgot, how we have to build new systems, things of that sort,” Glomski said.
Glomski said Vitae plans on partnering with nearby restaurants to serve food in the near future.


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Moons: Investment Boom Continues in MexicoBy María Fernanda Barría | Tue, 07/27/2021 - 10:15
Moons, Mexico's dental startup, has received MX$180 million (US$9 million) from DILA Capital fund aimed to strengthen its operations in the Mexican and Colombian markets while continuing to expand its services to other Latin American countries.
The company said they plan to grow from 20 to 30 specialized clinics in Colombia and Mexico before the end of the year. The company expects to launch its services in Chile and Peru by early 2022. In addition, the company revealed that it has made an agreement with Liverpool to offer its services in some of the department stores.
The company aims to target a broader audience to make orthodontic treatments feasible for a larger public using technology and customized treatments. The cost of the brackets ranges from MX$25,000 (US$ 1,250) to MX$70,000 (US$3,500), while the price of the Moons treatment is around MX$24,000 (US$ 1200). The company indicates that the cost is just one of the advantages. Before the treatment, the patient has the option to attend one of the Moons clinics, where an intraoral scan is performed to generate the pieces in a 3D printer or start the treatment from home.
As previously reported by MBN, Latin America's entrepreneurs are experiencing a boost in operations and capital funds. Mexico is already home to two unicorns and keeps attracting both local and foreign investment funds. While opportunities for entrepreneurship keep increasing, it is critical to address the region's remaining challenges to help startups have a more significant impact.
Javier Mata, CEO and Founder of Yalo, says one reason why Mexico and Latin America are experiencing the current boom is that the region "imagines a future that does not depend on legacy technologies." Mata said the lack of digital infrastructure is the region's most significant opportunity and investors are noticing. "They are starting to notice that innovating here can be done faster and the changes that can be achieved are going to have an impact for the whole world," he pointed out.
Moreover, Google has launched a program in Mexico that is looking for promising startups to train them and make their businesses successful. The company indicates that Google for Startups Accelerator Mexico supports startups in Hispanic America focused on using AI/ML with a global mindset. All accepted startups will receive mentorship and support from the best of Google and our global mentor network in AI/ML, Cloud, UX, Android & Google Play, Web, Product Strategy, and Marketing.
The program is a three-month program focused on Seed to Series technology startups, run by Google Developers and Centraal. In addition, participants get access to the best knowledge of Google - its people, network, and advanced technologies to help build better products.


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«A new chapter»
Michel Imobersteg, longtime entrepreneur in men’s fashion and owner of “Excelsior Herrenmode” in Zurich, took over joint management of Gabrielli Uomo-Donna with Willy Gabrielli in September 2019.
They both value good brands – Canali is still the main supplier together with Scuderi – individual consultation, good services with an own tailoring workshop, and fair prices.
In June 2018, Andrés Rodrigo entered his well-deserved retirement at the age of 80. Willy Gabrielli took over the sole management of the boutique which prepared for the future under the name “Gabrielli Uomo-Donna”.


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Urban Farmers Catch New Train
March 24, 2017
The urban farming movement is taking a new twist, or rather, is on a new track. Growers are producing crops in refitted freight train cars, using hydroponics and automated systems equipment.
Each former freight car costs $85,000, not including shipping, with each “controlled environment” container producing an estimated average annual profit of $39,000. A 320-square-foot car is capable of producing roughly what a three-acre farm could, while using 95% less water than traditional farms.
Boston-based Freight Farms, the manufacturer of the equipment, says the most popular destinations for the 7.5-ton high-tech freight cars are urban areas across the country. The movement recently expanded into Arizona, where two urban farmers are growing crops in the cars.
The goal is to bring viable, space-efficient farming techniques to all climates and skill levels year-round. Quality and sustainability is enhanced, since produce travels shorter distances too.


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Billionaire Musk’s SpaceX Launches Satellite on Falcon 9Niamh Ring
Billionaire Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies Corp. launched a commercial satellite early today from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Falcon 9, a rocket designed by SpaceX, lifted off carrying AsiaSat 8, a communications satellite, at 4 a.m. eastern daylight time, according to a blog post from the Hawthorne, California-based company. In 2012, Falcon 9 made a delivery to the International Space Station, making SpaceX the first commercial company ever to visit the station, according to SpaceX’s website.
SpaceX, founded in 2002 by Musk who also helped found electric-car maker Tesla Motors Inc., designs, builds and launches rockets and has the goal of enabling life on other planets.
The company plans to build the world’s first commercial launchpad near Brownsville in south Texas, Governor Rick Perry’s office said this week. The state is providing $2.3 million from the Texas Enterprise Fund to bring an estimated 300 jobs to the launch site.


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WEG has signed a technology transfer agreement with Leistung Equipamentos Ltda, a manufacturer of medical hospital equipment, to produce artificial ventilators that will be used by patients tested positive for COVID-19. The contract grants WEG the licence to produce the ventilator based on the Leistung Luft-3 mechanical ventilation device.
The company will use the current structure of its factories in JaraguÃ¡ do Sul, in the state of Santa Catarina, to produce ventilators and works with the possibility of making adjustments to the project to speed up production. The plan is to immediately purchase all required components in order to produce 500 ventilators. Once the production line is installed by WEG, the company will have an estimated capacity to produce 50 ventilators per day and deliver in the second half of May.
Manfred Peter Johann, Managing Director of WEG Automation says: "We now depend on obtaining electronic and pneumatic components, many of which are imported and are currently in short supply in the market."
The implementation of the production line will follow all heath hygiene protocols and other protective measures recommended by health authorities for industries.
Learn more at www.weg.net/uk.


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Gold was bought at VND35.75 million and sold at VND35.85 million at most gold shops as of 10 am local time.
Sacombank Jewelery Company bought gold at VND35.79 million and sold at VND35.87 million as of 9:55 local time.
Meanwhile, at the same time Hanoi-based Phu Quy Jewelry purchased SJC-brand gold at VND35.77 million and sold at VND35.87 million.
Domestically, gold fetched VND670,000 a tael higher than global prices.
According to gold traders, the demand for cash usually increases by yearend as customers need to make payment and final settlement. Thus, trading on bullion market always turned muted by this time. Besides, a stable US dollar exchange rate on free market, and an unchanged global gold price also helped to maintain the rate steady.
Dollars were bought at VND21,040 and sold at VND21,080 on free market this morning, unchanged as of the previous day.
Internationally, gold changed little as US equities climbed to a two-year high, eroding the appeal of the precious metal as an alternative asset.
Gold for immediate delivery slipped as much as $0.5 an ounce to close at $1,386 an ounce on the Comex in New York.
In Asia, gold rebounded this morning. Spot gold gained $1.5 an ounce to trade at $1,387.5 an ounce as of 10 am Vietnamese time.
Information about the US’s GDP, which rose 2.6 per cent in third quarter, almost had not affected bullion market. The revised 2.6 per cent increase in gross domestic product compares with a 2.5 per cent estimate issued last month and was less than the median forecast of a 2.8 per cent, a Commerce Department report showed.
The euro exchange rate against the greenback fell to $1.3 a euro yesterday. The shared-currency lost 0.08 percent while the US Dollar Index was stable at 80.73.
Crude oil futures for February delivery emerged $0.66 a barrel, or 0.7 per cent, to close at $90.48 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
This morning, crude oil climbed to nearly $91 a barrel due to positive data on the US economy and a severe winter in the nothern hemisphere.


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Farmers in Talavadi expressed concern over vegetables procured from them at a meagre price being sold at exorbitant price to people during the total lockdown here.
Tomato, cabbage, chilly, beans, beetroot, cauliflower, chowchow, brinjal, Ivy gourd and other gourd varieties are cultivated widely by farmers in the hill. Every day, farmers take their produce to the mandis where vegetables in large quantities also arrive from Chamarajanagar in Karnataka.
The vegetables are auctioned in the evening and the successful bidder transports the produce to the wholesale markets in Erode, Coimbatore and Kerala.
Auctioned price of various vegetables a kg at the Talavadi Vegetable Commission Mandi and Traders Welfare Association on Friday evening were tomato ₹ 2.50, cabbage ₹ 3, chilly ₹ 10, beans ₹ 40 to ₹ 60, beetroot ₹ 14, chow chow ₹ 10, brinjal ₹ 10 and Ivy gourd ₹ 13. On Saturday, the price fixed for retail sales by the Department of Agricultural Marketing and Agri Business were tomato ₹ 34, brinjal ₹ 34, beans ₹ 26 to ₹ 78, chilly ₹ 25 and cabbage ₹ 15.
S. Manickam, a farmer, said the price of vegetables when reaching the end users doubled whereas the producer got a meagre price. “We sell tomatoes for less than ₹ 3 a kg whereas it is sold for ₹ 20 a kg to the consumers. The difference of ₹ 17 a kg goes to commission agents, wholesalers and retailers while the farmers suffer,” he added.
Kannaiyan Subramaniam of Talavadi Farmers Association in his social media post expressed serious concern over the crashing price of vegetables to the farmers and skyrocketing prices to the consumers.
The farmers said the issue of poor pricing was a perennial problem to them in the hills as they faced difficulty in transporting the produce to the plains and marketing it.
“The State government should purchase vegetables from us directly and sell them,” said Mr. Manickam.
Source: Read Full Article


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Devil May Cry 5 has sold over 2 million copies since its launch two weeks ago, on the 8th March. That's according to Capcom, with the company revealing the number during a GDC 2019 presentation. Certainly not Dismal, but it ain't quite Smokin' Sexy Style, either.
Still, Devil May Cry isn't necessarily going to appeal to your broader mainstream audience, and since Capcom's throwing the figure out there, the publisher must be pleased with the game's performance. As far as we're concerned, it deserves all the success that it gets.
Are you happy to see Devil May Cry 5 start off with a bang? Hit that SSS rank in the comments section below.


text: Kelly Clarkson tweeted a photo of her family’s adorably spooky Game of Thrones–themed Christmas card yesterday, and it is impressive-looking. Those kids look horrified, like they’ve just binged the whole show! But someone, quick, tell baby River that there’s a giant dragon shadow looming over the whole family. Girl looks way too excited to be there. By the way, Clarkson announced in August that she and husband Brandon Blackstock are expecting a baby boy. Will his name be Winter? Is that the Winter who is coming? Only time will tell.


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It seems the Elon Musk mystique — whatever combination of wealth, carefully cultivated charm and A-plus lawyers that have helped him emerge unscathed from countless scandals — is starting to unravel.
Here’s the deal: Federal regulators just announced that Musk’s private space tourism company, SpaceX, will no longer receive nearly $900 million in subsidies that it was awarded last year because the company “failed to demonstrate that [it] could deliver” the internet service it promised.
Let’s rewind for a minute.
- Back in December, the Federal Communications Commission auctioned off $9 billion in subsidies to internet service providers as part of a plan to bring high-speed internet to rural areas that need it.
- The fact that SpaceX received one of the largest tranches of that subsidy program was controversial because the Starlink network was basically brand new and unproven.
- Starlink’s system is wildly different from traditional high-speed internet, which relies on underground fiber optic cables. Starlink, however, relies on thousands of satellites working in tandem to beam internet access to the ground.
- The FCC was essentially betting that Starlink would be camera-ready soon enough.
The bet seems to have backfired, as the FCC is yanking the subsidies back, saying that the Starlink service is “still developing technology” and that its speeds have been declining, my colleague Jackie Wattles reports.
SpaceX didn’t respond to a request to comment, as is typically the case at companies run by Musk.
Part of Elon Musk’s whole idiosyncratic-visionary-mega-billionaire persona (whether you believe in it or not) is that he runs multiple companies with lofty ambitions — like colonizing Mars, in SpaceX’s case.
Even if you find his antics — the overpromising, the troll-y tweets, the reckless corporate raiding, naming one of his kids X Æ A-12 — off-putting, you still kinda have to appreciate the audacity.
But it now seems like Musk’s bad behavior might finally be catching up to him.
In recent days, Musk sold nearly $7 billion worth of Tesla shares just in case he loses his legal battle with Twitter and is forced to buy the company, which he no longer wants. At the same time, California officials have filed a complaint alleging that Tesla lied in advertisements about its Autopilot and Full Self Driving technology (which, despite their names, are not fully autonomous).
In June, when several SpaceX employees signed a letter criticizing Musk’s behavior, the company fired at least five of the people involved. A month later, a massive SpaceX rocket prototype exploded on launch. Musk’s response to that on Twitter?
“Yeah, actually not good.”
We could say the same for Musk right about now.
NUMBER OF THE DAY: 8.5%
The inflation headline of the day was a bit rosier than expected, as the annual consumer price index reading for July came in at 8.5% — much slower than June’s 9.1%, but still historically high.
So, that’s good news and we should all take a moment to savor it. More good news: Overall prices didn’t rise at all between June and July. The last month prices didn’t rise was November 2020.
It’s not all good news, though. Prices didn’t rise for one reason, and one reason only: Energy costs, which are notoriously volatile, have tumbled. If you strip those out, prices rose in practically every other category.
Bottom line: July’s report indicates the Fed’s rate hikes may not be having their desired effect. High energy prices likely brought themselves down as demand began to dry up.
THE ITALIAN JOB
Imagine being in the room when someone at Domino’s, the most aggressively mediocre pizza purveyor on the planet, pitched the idea of getting into the Italian market.
See what we’ll do is, we’ll take our objectively inferior American pies and we’ll sell them to the very people who invented pizza and for whom food is not only a source of national pride but also, like, the fundamental underpinning of Italian cultural identity…
That’s crazy, the boss replies. So crazy it just might work…
Spoiler alert: It didn’t.
After seven years trying to make it in Italy, Domino’s has formally shut all of its locations, according to Italian media.
Domino’s had big plans when made the plunge into the Italian market in 2015, signing a 10-year franchising deal with a Milan-based company called ePizza. Together, they planned to introduce a large-scale pizza delivery service to the country, which didn’t really exist at the time.
It wasn’t an immediate disaster. By the start of 2020, ePizza was managing 23 stores in Italy and six more through a sub-franchise partner.
But it turns out Italians preferred, um, Italian pizza to the American type, with its distinctively American toppings, like pineapple.
Who could have guessed? (Apart from, like, everyone?)
Although some may attribute Domino’s failure to its brazen attempt to infiltrate pizza’s homeland, ePizza blamed its demise on competition from food delivery apps.
EPizza filed for bankruptcy in April, after it struggled to make enough sales during two years of pandemic restrictions amid “unprecedented competition” from local restaurants.
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Epsilor to Reveal its Li-Ion 6T MIL-PRF-32565C Compliant Battery for Armoured Vehicles at DSEI 2023
BEIT SHEMESH, Israel, Aug. 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Epsilor will present its COMBATT lithium-ion 6T NATO standard batteries at the upcoming DSEI exhibition which will take place in London, United Kingdom, on 12-15 September 2023.
The ELI-52526-DM and ELP-02426-M, both 6T NATO-standard batteries provide ideal solutions for armoured military vehicles as well as heavy-duty applications as they offer up to four times more energy than a standard AGM 6T Lead Acid battery.
Epsilor’s 6T batteries offer the following advantages:
- Compliant with MIL-PRF-32565C safety, BMS and communication requirements
- 1,200 to 3500 charging cycles and five-year operational life
- Drop-in replacement of Lead-Acid batteries
- Smart batteries with self-balancing and self-charging capability
- Serial and parallel interconnectivity with additional batteries supporting group operation.
The 6T battery, alongside Epsilor’s other smart military and professional batteries and chargers, will be presented at stand number 701, in Hall 4, at the ExCeL Exhibition Centre.
“DSEI 2023 is an excellent forum for Epsilor to showcase its 6T batteries,” said Epsilor’s President, Mr. Ronen Badichi. “This year Epsilor will present for the first time its Li-Ion 6T battery, ELI-52526-DM, which fully complies with the MIL-PRF-32565C standard. This battery has excellent energy density and meets all of the strict safety requirements of the standard. We are proud to offer such a solution for various defence applications, particularly armoured vehicles.”
“Epsilor has been awarded contracts to supply its 6T NATO rechargeable batteries for several armoured vehicle programs” said Merav Kolody Shubeli, Epsilor’s Director for International Marketing and Sales. “The ELI-52526-DM battery opens more opportunities for Epsilor where excellent performance and safety is mandatory. I invite you to visit our booth at DSEI and learn more about Epsilor’s 6T battery products”.


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tech2 News StaffSep 25, 2018 18:35:20 IST
In a blogpost, Cathy Edwards who is the director of engineering at Google said that it will first begin with Stories about public figures like celebrities and sports personalities. In these Stories, people will get information about them through stories which will include facts and important moments about their lives. Additionally, this format will also let users tap on articles about these figures.
Google will use artificial intelligence to create these Stories and then help them show up on the search engine.
According to Recode, Edwards in a press conference had said that Google would be “doubling down” on Stories in its search. It will reportedly announce more Stories in October.
Stories, a feature which was unique to Snapchat, has been adopted by Facebook-owned products such as Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp. These Stories have moved from being personal to a source of monetisation for these companies. It is yet to be seen if Google is able to monetise them.
It is not known if Stories will appear on desktop as well.
Stories is a part of a plethora of changes Google has brought as it comes closer to completing 20 years on the internet. It has changed the name of Google Feed to Discover and has also introduced multi-lingual support.
Find latest and upcoming tech gadgets online on Tech2 Gadgets. Get technology news, gadgets reviews & ratings. Popular gadgets including laptop, tablet and mobile specifications, features, prices, comparison.


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President Donald Trump’s former top economic advisor, Gary Cohn, said Thursday that the trade war the U.S. has been embroiled in with China could not be won and is damaging the country’s economy.
Cohn said in an interview with BBC that the tariffs imposed by Trump were affecting the cost of importing necessary product from China, hurting the administration’s plans to stimulate growth through tax cuts.
“When you build plant equipment, you’re buying steel, you’re buying aluminum, you’re buying imported products and then we put tariffs on those, so literally the tax incentive we gave you with one hand was taken away with the other hand,” said Cohn, who resigned as director as the U.S. National Economic Council after the President announced levies on aluminum and steel earlier this year.
He then continued by stressing that “everyone loses in a trade war.” Cohn noted that Trump had always believed he could straighten out trade imbalances with China by slapping tariffs, but the slowdown in the Chinese economy was inevitable even without them, the former Goldman Sachs president said.
“I think the Chinese economy was going to slow down with or without a trade war,” he said, adding that it was having “a real impact” in parts of the U.S. economy such as automobile manufacturing and farming, CNBC reports.
Cohn also commented on President Trump’s remarks that Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell “let us down” by not announcing higher rate cuts than the quarter-point reduction announced Wednesday. The former economic advisor pointed out that the central bank was an independent body and the President was not to make any attempts to influence monetary policy.
“It’s not supposed to be a political agency. And I very much believe in those separations of powers,” said Cohn, adding that Powell was doing a “very good job.”


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With a new year and a new Congress, the House of Representatives’ subcommittee covering antitrust has turned its attention to “reviving competition.” On Thursday, the first in a series of hearings was held, focusing on how to help small businesses challenge Big Tech. One very good idea kept coming up, backed by both parties. And it is one EFF also considers essential: interoperability.
This was the first hearing since the House Judiciary Committee issued its antitrust report from its investigation into the business practices of Big Tech companies. This week’s hearing was exclusively focused on how to re-enable small businesses to disrupt the dominance of Big Tech. A critical aspect of the Internet EFF calls the life cycle of competition has vanished from the Internet as small new entrants no longer seek (nor could even if they tried) to displace well-established giants, but rather seek to be acquired by them.
Strong Bipartisan Support for Interoperability
Across the committee Members of Congress appeared to agree that some means of requiring Big Tech to grant access to competitors through interoperability will be an essential piece of the competition puzzle. The need is straightforward, the larger these networks became, the more their value rose, making it harder for a new business to enter into direct competition. One expert witness, Public Knowledge’s Competition Policy Director Charlotte Slaiman, noted that these “network effects” meant that one company with double the network size as a competitor wasn’t twice as attractive, it was exponentially more attractive to users.
But even in cases where you have large competitors with sizeable networks, Big Tech companies are using their dominance in other markets as a means to push out existing competitors. One of the most powerful testimonies in favor of interoperability provided to Congress was by the CEO of Mapbox, Eric Gunderson who detailed how Google is leveraging its dominance in search to exert dominance in Google Maps. Specifically, Google through a colorful trademark “brand confusion” contract term requires developers who wish to use Google Search to only integrate their products with Google Maps. Mr. Gunderson made clear that this tying of products that really do not need to be tied together at all is not only foreclosing on market opportunities for Mapbox, but it is also forcing their existing clients to abandon doing anything that doesn’t use Google Maps outright.
The solution to this type of corporate incumbent anticompetitive behavior is not revolutionary and has deep roots in tech history. As Ranking Member Ken Buck (R-CO) stated, “interoperability is a time-honored practice in the tech industry that allows competing technologies to speak to one another so that consumers can make a choice without being locked into any one technology.” We at EFF have long agreed that interoperability will be essential to reopening the Internet market to vibrant competition and recently published a white paper laying out in detail how we can get to a more competitive future. Seeing growing consensus from Congress is encouraging, but doing it right will require careful calibration in policy.


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ByTTR WEEKLY -
August 30, 2018
BANGKOK, 30 August 2018: New school semesters may be looming or already underway after a long summer school break, but that doesn’t mean families are packing away their travel gear just yet.
New research from Agoda reveals seven out of 10 families globally take at least two family vacations a year.
Asian travellers taking more than twice as many family trips as their western peers (five trips a year versus two).
The Agoda ‘Family Travel Trends 2018’ survey, conducted by YouGov, found that just 18% of travellers globally take only one family holiday a year, while over 34% have taken more than five family trips in the past year.
Asia dominates this multi-holiday trend with a remarkable 77% of travellers from Thailand and 62% from the Philippines, claiming to have taken five or more family breaks in the past year. Conversely, only 7% of British travellers took more than five family trips, with the UK also most likely (34%) to take only one.
Shorter frequent vacations
A four to seven-night stay is the most popular duration for family holidays globally but there are large variances across markets.
In the UK, a four to seven-night stay made up 41% of family travel in the past year, compared to only 20% of family travel for Thais.
Instead, family vacations of more than 14 nights are taken by almost a third of Thais, but only 11% of Malaysians. Vietnamese, Malaysian and Chinese families are most likely of all travellers to take one to three-night vacations.
Asian travellers engage in more multi-generational and extended family trips
The Agoda ‘Family Travel Trends 2018’ survey also looked into who was included in family vacations and found that while 35% of global travellers have taken a holiday with grandparents, travellers from the UK and Australia are the least likely to have done so, with only 13% and 20% of travellers embarking on them respectively.
Thais (66%) and Indonesians (54%) were most likely to have included grandparents in their holiday plans. This trend is also reflected when looking at extended family members with Thais and Indonesians most likely to include siblings, cousins, aunts and uncles in their vacation plans.
It is not just family members that the Americans, British, Australians and Chinese don’t travel with, they are also the least likely travellers to go away with other groups of friends, with only 22% of Americans, 23% of Brits, 26% of Australians and 27% of Chinese having done so in the past year.
Meanwhile, almost half (48%) of travellers from the Philippines tie up with a group of friends for some of their vacations, closely followed by Vietnamese and Malaysian family travellers at 43% and 40%.
http://www.ttrweekly.com/site/2018/08/a ... s-in-asia/
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(Rachel d'Oro/Anchorage Daily News, 3 April 2011) -- Alaska Natives have established a solid foundation in the state's tourism industry, captivating visitors with their dances and songs, their art and a history as varied as the tribes themselves. Much of the cultural boom is found at cruise ship ports, Alaska's large cities and points along the state's minimal road system. But travel experts say independent travelers are increasingly venturing to isolated villages to experience life with descendants of the continent's first inhabitants on their ancient grounds, a trend that could be confirmed by a summer visitor survey planned by the Alaska Travel Industry Association. Whatever the venue, Alaska Natives represent an "authentic experience" for many travelers, said association president Ron Peck. "Yes, they come to see the beauty that is Alaska," he said. "But the truth of the matter is, as they come here, they want to be more experiential. They want to learn about these cultures."
Posted 4 April 2011; 4:21:30 PM. Permalink


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The packaging group has opened a new plant producing plastic containers and closures at its Kosamba manufacturing site.
It has also invested “a double digit million Euro amount” in new furnaces at its molded glass plant at that location, installing a Type I Borosilicate melting furnace for flint and amber glass production using cross-fired oxygen technology and an increased portion of electric heating to melt its Barium free type I glass formulation.
“With this technology, we will substantially enhance our product quality and address additional market segments,” said Stefan Rieder, global senior vice president commercial molded glass, Gerresheimer.
The company now has four facilities in India, focused on pharmaceutical primary packaging made of plastic, molded and tubular glass.
Boosting production capacity in India is part of Gerresheimer’s emerging markets growth strategy execution plans; it is addressing what it sees as the global mega trend for increasing health care access in these markets and the rising demand for vaccination.
“India is one of the strongest growing emerging markets and a core market for large global pharma companies” said Gerresheimer CEO, Dietmar Siemssen.
With plants in Europe, North and South America and Asia, the packaging firm generates annual sales of around €1.4bn. Its range includes pharmaceutical packaging and products from insulin pens, inhalers, micropumps, prefillable syringes, injection vials, ampoules, bottles, and containers for liquid and solid medications with closure and safety systems, along with cosmetics packaging.
Revenue growth on track
The company announced last month that it had delivered double-digit growth in both revenue and adjusted EBITDA in its first quarter 2022, with it increasing its revenue guidance for the full financial year.
Revenue in its plastics and devices division in Q1 came to €186m (US$193.9m), up from €155.3m in same quarter in 2021, it reported.
“Demand for plastic packaging and syringes was particularly high, while [the] contract manufacturing business also developed positively. Plastic packaging revenues additionally benefited from price increases resulting from higher resin prices being passed onto customers.”


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Univ of Calgary and JAWS to produce next generation of Internet security specialists
News | 05/04/2000 4:00 am EDT
A new million-dollar facility will open this fall in Calgary which promises a new option for companies seeking security products, interoperability testing and training. The eSecurity Innovation Centre is opening in a new University of Calgary facility, jointly funded by the university and Toronto-based JAWS Technology Inc. The project is intended to ensure a stream of fresh new grads for the security software and hardware fields, and help companies achieve global certification for next-generation products.


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NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Atlanta-based company that franchises Popeyes fried chicken restaurants has purchased the recipes for many of its dishes for $43 million from a Louisiana-based seasoning company owned by the estate of Popeyes' founder.
Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen Inc. said in a statement that the deal eliminates the $3.1 million annual royalty the company was previously scheduled to pay Diversified Foods and Seasonings until 2029.
Al Copeland Sr. founded what became the Popeyes chain in 1972 in a New Orleans suburb. He lost the company in a 1990s bankruptcy case after his ill-fated acquisition of the competing Church's chicken chain in 1989.
However, he retained the exclusive contract to supply spices to Popeyes through Diversified Foods and Seasonings. Copeland family businesses also include casual dining restaurants in the Southeast.
Copeland died in 2008.
"With the cooperation of the Copeland family, this transaction now brings important intellectual property — Popeyes' core recipes — under brand ownership for the first time in our company's history," Popeyes CEO Cheryl Bachelder said Monday evening in the news release.
Diversified Foods and Seasonings, based in Madisonville, will continue to supply Popeyes with products.
Continue reading this story on the...


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December 2021 Quarterly Results Briefing
The Company will release the December Quarterly Activities Report on Tuesday, 18 January 2022.
James Bay Feasibility Study Results
Confirming a sustainable hard-rock operation utilising hydro-power
Annual General Meeting
Annual General Meeting Announcement
September 2021 Quarterly Results
For an update on the Company’s Australian and Argentinian operations, global growth pipeline and corporate activities
International Lithium Association (ILiA) established for the ‘lithium century’
ILiA has been formed to provide a central, global voice of the global lithium industry and their stakeholders, and to promote a sustainable and a responsible future for the lithium value chain.
Unveiling of new brand and company name
On this date we unveiled the new brand and proposed company name
Merger with Galaxy implemented & FY21 financial results
The merger with Galaxy Resources Limited (Galaxy) and Orocobre Limited (Orocober) was successfully implemented on 25 August 2021 by way of a scheme of arrangement (scheme).


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Xbox reportedly offers Sony 10 year deal to keep CoD on PlayStation
Tensions have been high between Sony and Xbox over CoD’s future, if Microsoft completes its landmark purchase of Activision Blizzard, but Xbox reportedly offered Sony 10 more years od CoD on PlayStation.
Mircrosoft shocked the video game industry by announcing its intentions to acquire Activision Blizzard earlier in 2022. Activision is the publisher behind major franchise like Call of Duty and World of Warcraft, so a Microsoft deal would put CoD’s future on PlayStation in jeopardy.
PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan fired back and claimed Spencer only guaranteed Call of Duty on PlayStation for three years after the current CoD and Sony deal ends.
Microsoft reportedly offered 10-year CoD deal for PlayStation
A new report from the New York Times suggests Microsoft has not offered three, but instead ten years of CoD on PlayStation. Sony declined to comment on the new report.
Ryan previously stated about the reported three year offer, “after almost 20 years of Call of Duty on PlayStation, their proposal was inadequate on many levels and failed to take account of the impact on our gamers. We want to guarantee PlayStation gamers continue to have the highest quality Call of Duty experience, and Microsoft’s proposal undermines this principle.”
In August, Spencer revealed Call of Duty wasn’t the main reason behind the Activision deal, claiming the focus was instead on mobile and PC gaming.
Several roadblocks still stand in the way of Microsoft completing a purchase of Activision Blizzard. EU antitrust regulators started an investigation into the deal in early November, and announced it would decide by March 23, 2023 whether to clear or block the deal.
We will provide an update if Sony responds to the reported 10 year offer from Xbox.