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#restaurantsuniteSD — December 11
Make a date to visit a fun restaurant…and help provide meals for San Diegans facing hunger
Restaurants Unite Against Hunger is a new event during our Month of a Million Meals campaign that brings restaurants together on one day to fight hunger, make a difference in the community, and lead the way for local businesses to support their neighbors.
On Tuesday, December 11, restaurants, breweries, bakeries, and other eateries across San Diego will be donating 5% of all food and beverage sales to the fight against hunger in San Diego. Get your grub on while visiting one of the restaurants below!
Official Restaurant Partners
- 102 HUB
- Amici’s Ristobar
- Bread and Cie
- Death By Tequila
- Fish Bone Kitchen
- French Oven
- Naked Cafe
- Notorious Burgers
- Small Bar
- Snooze in Del Mar
- Social Tap
Please visit the restaurant of your choice on December 11th, or even better, treat yourself and friends and family to breakfast, lunch, and dinner out on December 11, and know that besides sampling some of San Diego’s finest fare, you’ll be helping to provide holiday meals to people struggling with food insecurity.
Month of a Million Meals is an annual campaign to raise meals for the 1 in 8 people in San Diego who are at risk of hunger. Last year, we raised more than 4 million meals! The campaign is supported by a partnership between Feeding San Diego and the E.W. Scripps Company in San Diego, that includes ABC10, MeTV, 10news.com, and thousands of generous San Diegans.
The campaign benefits nearly half a million people who experience hunger every day in San Diego County. Every dollar raised helps provide four nutritious meals to our neighbors in need.
If your restaurant would like to partner with us on Restaurants Unite Against Hunger, please contact Charina.
Senior Partnerships Manager


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| Oct 28, 2011
| 4:34 PM
If you live near a tourist attraction in the U.S., you might want to practice your Mandarin and Portuguese. International travel to the U.S. is expected to grow by 5% to 6% each year over the next five years, with......
| Jul 8, 2011
| 2:07 PM
James Edgar "Jamie" Byron Sr., a former businessman and mayor who was a member of a political family with deep roots in Western Maryland, died July 2 of heart failure at his home in Shepherdstown, W.Va.
The former Williamsport and Hagerstown resident was...
| Feb 23, 2011
| 5:42 PM
Where did the money go? That's what officials at Seattle Public Schools are trying to figure out. Approximately $1.8 million dollars was spent on contract work that was never done or didn't benefit the school district. A criminal investigation is...
| Feb 25, 2011
| 8:52 PM
Controversy is brewing at Seattle Public Schools ever since investigations revealed that $1.8 million dollars was spent but it wasn't going to the district.In a statement released by Seattle School Board President Steve Sundquist Friday, it says, "I'm...
| Jan 17, 2011
Workers at the Anchor Blue store in the Glendale Galleria were busy Friday advertising 30%, 40% and 50% discounts on racks full of jeans, jackets and belts. A sign hanging in the center of the store encouraged customers to ask about acquiring fixtures and...
| Feb 7, 2012
| 8:12 PM
Computer Friends of OASIS
The OASIS Senior Center's Computer Friends, a club which helps seniors learn computer basics, meets at 1 p.m. the second Wednesday of each month at the Oasis Senior Center, 801 Narcissus Ave., Corona del Mar. The...
| Jan 19, 2012
| 9:34 PM
COSTA MESA — To the crashing of cymbals and beating of drums, a brilliantly adorned troupe of Lion Dancers at South Coast Plaza on Thursday heralded the arrival of the Year of the Dragon.
The shopping center was kicking off its 13-day celebration...
| Aug 6, 2011
| 11:45 AM
Retailers are banking on Maryland shoppers packing stores beginning Aug. 14 to take advantage of a temporary rollback of the 6 percent state sales tax.
But what's good for consumers and retailers will come at a cost to the state, which expects to lose as...
| Sep 2, 2011
| 5:24 PM
Despite a wine making tradition that pre-dates California's by hundreds of years, Virginia has only recently earned itself a seat at the big table of international vintners.
For many years, Virginia's winemaking reputation elicited little excitement...
| Oct 28, 2011
| 6:57 PM
Governor Mitch Daniels joined Tochigi Governor Tomikazu Fukuda, the chairman of the Tochigi Legislature and other Japanese dignitaries Friday for a tree planting ceremony on the southeast lawn of the statehouse in honor of Indiana's relationship with...
| Apr 22, 2012
Women make considerably less money than men in Maryland: 83 cents to the dollar, according to a study released last week.
Windsor Mill resident Alison Assanah-Carroll was not surprised by the finding from the National Partnership for Women & Families,...

domain: news


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By Davit Kirakosyan
Needham & Company has a new EV analyst who took over coverage of Tesla (NASDAQ:) and upgraded the shares to Hold from Underperform and launched coverage on three other EV stocks – Fisker (Buy), Rivian (Hold), and Lucid (Underperform).
Tesla was upgraded to hold from underperform. The analyst mentioned the following potential catalysts that could drive the stock higher: (1) renewed federal tax credit eligibility under the Inflation Reduction Act, (2) potential credit rating upgrade to IG by YE, (3) the first deliveries of the Cybertruck in 2023, (4) expansion of the charging network and improved utilization, and (5) gross margin improvement driven by 4680 cells.
The analyst initiated coverage on Fisker Inc (NYSE:) with a buy rating and a $12 price target, noting that the company is entering the EV market with SUVs that feature cutting-edge technology at an affordable price (starting price below $40,000 for the Fisker Ocean), which opens a vast opportunity set for the company. According to the analyst, the company’s business model and skateboard design should allow it to launch more models sooner and gain market share. Despite these positive attributes, the stock trades at a discount to its peers.
Rivian Automotive Inc (NASDAQ:) was initiated at a hold rating. While the company is in a solid position, the analyst believes the competition will get intense, profitability is still far out, manufacturing challenges remain, and the company will require additional capital in 2024 and beyond.
Lucid Group Inc (NASDAQ:) was initiated at underperform rating. While the Lucid Air is the epitome of luxury in EV sedans and is attractively priced relative to its competition, the analyst said that profitability is far out in the future, production has been slow to ramp, several key company officers have left recently, software in the vehicles needs work, and he believes it will need more capital by Q1/23. According to the analyst, the recent high-profile departures could mean more delays in ramping delivery.


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In anticipation of the competitive advantages it will likely gain as a result of the conclusion of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations, Vietnam is fast becoming an attractive destination for foreign investment.
Vietnam stands to gain significantly from the TPP’s considerable plans for tariff and duty reduction. Most experts forecast that Vietnam’s garment export industry is soon to balloon in growth, especially following the conclusion of the TPP which is expected to conclude in the proximate future. Vietnam has been a central seat of controversy for nations embroiled in TPP negotiations, especially regarding the “yarn forward rule” of origin. The U.S.-proposed rule stipulates that any garment must be made of either fabric or yarn supplied by the U.S. or any signatory TPP nations to be eligible for duty free benefits when shipped back to the U.S. For obvious reasons, many importers have strenuously objected to the rule. Conversely, many American textile producers declaim that it is absolutely necessary for them to remain competitive in the future.
Foreign firms have been queuing up to position themselves within Vietnam in preparation for a post-TPP business climate. According to Saigon Online, the Jiangsu Yulun Textile Group of China just received a license to build a $68 million textile plant near Hanoi. Also, Sheico, a Taiwanese corporation, has announced plans to construct $50 million factory for the manufacturing of apparel. And China-based Shenzou International, which produced athletic apparel for brands like Nike and Adidas, just pledged $140 million to build a massive factory in Ho Chi Minh City. Footwear promises to be a huge part of Vietnam’s economy. According to the Vietnam Leather and Footwear Association (LEFASO), footwear exports totaled $8.4 billion in 2013, a 15 percent improvement in comparison to 2012. The U.S. is the primary importer of Vietnamese footwear, taking in $2.62 billion worth of shoes and sneakers. With respect to both leather and footwear, the U.S. accounts for 33.6% of Vietnam’s exports.
The textile and garment industries are central to Vietnam’s economy. Last year, its more than 4,000 companies earned in excess of $20 billion, accounting for about 15 percent of its GDP. In 2013, it exported more than $700 million worth of the goods, according to the Vinatex.
In addition to the TPP, Vietnam is also in the process of negotiating a sweeping free trade agreement with the European Union (E.U.) which will radically usher in market liberalization, eliminating tariffs on more than 90 percent of its goods and reducing high duties on its imports. The E.U. is Vietnam’s largest export market and second largest trading partner. Vietnam is the E.U.’s fifth largest trading partner, reaching $30 billion in bilateral trade in 2012.
Vietnam’s exports jumped an impressive 15.4%, defying the global trend toward slackening demand. According to the HSBC study, the garment and textile sectors are disproportionately responsible for that growth. Vietnam’s exports are expected to leap another 20 percent in 2014 on the strength of surging demand from both the U.S. and the E.U., which account for 18 percent and 14 percent of its exports, respectively.
As Western demand continues to balloon, especially with respect to the garment industry, orders will increase while inventories shrivel, making it likely that output will be forced to rise to meet the new levels of demand. The HSBC Purchasing Managers’ Index, an important bellwether of future growth, demonstrated a considerable increase in Vietnam’s manufacturing output for the month of December, achieving the highest level since April of 2011.
Currently, very few of Vietnam’s garment manufacturers are financially well-heeled enough to invest heavily in their own yarn and textile facilities so, at least in the short-term, the bulk of the country’s capital expansion will be fueled by foreign firms.


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The article below is sourced from Reuters Wire Service. The views and opinions expressed in this story are those of the Reuters Wire Service and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of NADA.
Toyota Motor Corp said on Thursday that global sales hit a record for the month of February as it bounced back from severe pandemic-induced parts shortages, adding that worldwide production also increased for a second straight month.
Japan's biggest automaker said in a statement, however, that shortages of parts continue to be a problem. During the pandemic, it fared better than most car makers in managing supply chains, but even so ended up cutting monthly production targets repeatedly last year.
Last month, its global sales jumped 10.3% to 773,271 vehicles, driven by a blistering 53.2% climb in domestic sales. That compares with a particularly weak February last year when sales sharply declined due to a lack of semiconductors.
It said worldwide production of Toyota-branded vehicles rose 2% to 755,839, slightly ahead of its goal of 750,000. The increase comes after an 8.8% jump in January.
Domestic production continued to show a strong recovery, climbing 11.2% in February after a 30.1% surge in January.
(Reporting by Satoshi Sugiyama; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)
For more stories like this, bookmark www.NADAheadlines.org as a favorite in the browser of your choice and subscribe to our newsletter here:


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Oswego Village Trustee Pam Parr told a gathering of Oswego residents Tuesday evening that a proposal for an optional checkout bag tax would be presented to the village board at their July 18 meeting as a way to help cut down on waste.
Parr made the announcement during a village-sponsored Community Conversations meeting held at Prairie Point Elementary School.
“People are sick of it [bag waste],” Parr said.
The solution that Parr said the board would be “actively” talking about at the July 18 meeting is an optional checkout bag tax, similar to the one used in Chicago.
The optional tax would be 7-10 cents per plastic bag, and would not apply to reusable bags that can be purchased from stores, or brought from home. Paper bags would possibly be excluded, as the material is biodegradable. The tax would be on the bag distributors, who would have the option of passing it on to consumers. Some stores that provide bags for sale give a few cents back on a purchase to customers.
“I usually don’t get excited about a tax, but this one has a real benefit,” Parr said.
According to data she presented, in a town the size of Oswego, 16.5 million plastic shopping bags are used each year. A significant portion of those bags end up littering parking lots, ditches and other areas.
Parr referenced a similar tax that went into effect in Chicago on Feb. 1 of this year. The city implemented a 7-cent tax on paper and plastic bags, after stores tried to get around a previous ordinance by using thicker bags. Implementing the tax in stores was left up to retailers, and the city’s tax does not apply to items purchased with food stamps.
A recent report released about the impact of the tax found that in the first three months, plastic bag use dropped in Chicago by 47 percent. The city also announced that it is anticipating $1 million in revenue, instead of the projected $9 million.
If a similar tax is accepted for Oswego, Parr says that it would not be a revenue generator, as the purpose would be to cut down on waste and help the environment.
“If this works the way it’s supposed to, it won’t generate any revenue, but it will solve the problem,” Parr said.
When asked about the “flip side” of the tax – driving customers to other towns to do their shopping – Parr emphasized the “optional” nature of the tax, saying that customers could bring their own bags to shop.
“We have not found yet a downside,” Parr said. “There’s a huge cost to plastic bags that are littered everywhere.”
Information is still being pulled together, in order to discuss the potential tax at the July 18 meeting.


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Mojang’s Minecraft Pocket Edition for Android devices has just received a new update that brings new features and fixes some of the bugs affecting the previous version.
With update 0.7.4, Minecraft players will be able to ignite creepers using flint and steel. In addition, the game has been added support for connecting to external servers, which was one of the most demanded features by fans of Mojang’s indie title.
Last but not least, the latest update brings lots of bug fixes that were affecting previous versions of the game. Unfortunately, no details on what’s been fixed have been unveiled yet.
The new Minecraft Pocket Edition 0.7.4 is now available for purchase for $5.99/€4.49 via Google Play Store and it should be fully compatible with all devices running Android 2.1 and up.


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updated 04:30 pm EST, Mon November 30, 2009
Move likely publicity stunt
Apple has rejected an app advertising the Motorola Droid, according to reports. Called iDroid, the app has only one function, which is to imitate the glowing red eye of the Droid while linking to promotional material. Its developer is noted to be Swavv Apps, which has otherwise produced only two other titles, Beer Pong and Spin the Bottle.
Unlike some other more prominent rejections, the iDroid case is believed to be clear-cut, since the app promotes the iPhone's chief rival amongst American smartphones. App Store rules also block any software with limited or non-existent functionality. iDroid may thus be a simple attempt at gaining publicity, much in the way that groups like PETA rely on controversy from banned TV ads.


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Boxpark Founder Guests At Business Club Lunch9 October 2018
The club held our first Business Club Lunch of the season last Thursday at Selhurst Park and Roger Wade, Founder and CEO of Boxpark, was as our guest speaker.
Boxpark Founder To Attend Business Club Networking Lunch18 September 2018
Boxpark’s Founder and CEO, Roger Wade, joins us for our first Business Club Lunch of the season, sponsored by Good Till, on Thursday 4th October, 12noo-3pm, as the entrepreneur describes how he...
Final Business Lunch Of Season Is A Winner1 May 2018
The club held our final Business Club Lunch of the season last Thursday at Selhurst Park and were delighted to welcome Michael O’Dell, Managing Director and Team Manager of Team Dignitas Ltd, as our...
Business Club Lunch: Michael O’Dell8 February 2018
The Club is delighted to announce that the final Business Club lunch of the season at Selhurst Park will take place on Thursday 26th April 2018.
Business Club Lunch: Thursday 8th February 20189 January 2018
The club is delighted to announce we will be holding our first Business Club Lunch of 2018 at Selhurst Park on Thursday 8th February.
Ed Warner Guests At Business Club Lunch8 December 2017
On Thursday the club held the Christmas Business Club Lunch at Selhurst Park Stadium and were delighted to welcome Ed Warner as special guest.
Business Club Lunch: Ed Warner10 October 2017
The club are delighted to announce we will be holding our Christmas Business Club Lunch on Thursday 7th December 2017 at Selhurst Park Stadium.
Business Club Lunch: Steve Yewman24 September 2017
The latest CPFC Business Club Lunch took place in Speroni’s Restaurant at the end of last week as an engaging presentation and Q&A session was given by our special guest, Steve Yewman, Development...
Business Club Lunch: Steve Yewman16 August 2017
The club's next Business Club Lunch, sponsored by Pearroc Limited, will take place on Thursday 21st September 2017 with the Development Director at Westfield , Steve Yewman as guest speaker.


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March 19 (Bloomberg) -- Ukraine plans to extend an agreement with traders to coordinate grain exports in the marketing year which starts July 1, agriculture researcher UkrAgroConsult said.
The Agriculture Ministry and grain exporters agreed to monitor outbound shipments and the domestic grain balance for a one-year period after a 29 percent decline in the wheat harvest due to drought last year.
A new agreement with traders will give the Agriculture Ministry “the reins to control the market,” the Kiev-based researcher UkrAgroConsult said in e-mailed statement today.
The researcher estimates Ukraine’s 2013 grain harvest at 53 million tons or 15 percent more than last year.
The Agriculture Ministry said grain traders also want to extend the agreement, according to a statement on the government’s website.
Volodymyr Klymenko, the head of the Ukrainian Grain Association, wasn’t immediately avaliable to comment when contacted by Bloomberg today.
To contact the reporter on this story: Kateryna Choursina in Kiev at firstname.lastname@example.org
To contact the editor responsible for this story: James M. Gomez at email@example.com


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South Africa’s paper recovery stood at 68.5% with 1.2 million tonnes of recyclable paper products diverted from landfill during 2019, according to Anele Sololo, general manager of RecyclePaperZA, the paper recycling association of South Africa. Among the most recycled paper-based items in 2019 were cardboard boxes at 71%, while office paper recovery and beverage cartons sat at 16% and 10% respectively.
“Although the paper recovery rate was slightly down on 2018, the same tonnage was diverted from landfill,” Sololo said in a statement, adding that percentage drop could also be attributed to companies holding stocks of paper products and paper for recycling or waste traders awaiting better export opportunities. There was also an increase in export sales of packaged agricultural and non-agricultural products in 2019, which meant that less packaging – around 280 000 tonnes – was available for domestic recovery and recycling, according to RecyclePaperZA.
Lockdown effects: The association added that the COVID-19 pandemic, lockdown and a slowed economy have resulted in reduced availability of used white paper, newspapers and cardboard boxes. “Contrary to late last year, when the market was in a cycle of oversupply, we are now experiencing reduced supply and increased demand for paper fiber,” Sololo noted. She added that with fewer physical newspapers in circulation during lockdown, there was less of this grade available for use in moulded fiber products. “Sadly, we have also seen a number of magazine titles closing down,” Sololo said, adding that now as the economy is opening up, the sector hopes that the supply-demand ratio will even out, in particular in the e-commerce market.


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Fortnite teams up with Jordan brand for new Downtown Drop LTM
Fortnite's latest collaboration is a bit different for the insanely popular battle royale.
Season 9 brought Fortnite players John Wick-inspired skins, map locations, and challenges. Before that, there was the Avengers: Endgame crossover, complete with a Thanos-themed battle royale with Infinity Stone power-ups.
But this time, Fortnite isn't teaming up with a blockbuster movie or a superhero. This time, Epic's insanely successful title is teaming up with Jordan, the world's biggest sportswear brand.
Just in time for the NBA Finals on May 30, the Fortnite x Jordan event introduces the new Downtown Drop Limited-Time Mode. Players will maneuver through a downtown area inspired by Brooklyn, completing challenges that unlock cosmetics like the Back Board Back Bling, along with the Grind and Clutch outfits.
This LTM has players lauching off "massive jumps" and grinding "down city streets" to collect coins. The YouTube video that announced this mode reminded some viewers of the game Subway Surfers, an endless runner mobile game. This had players conflicted. Some noted that they felt like the game was selling out and trying anything to stay relevant, while other fans thought it simply looked like a good time.
While this is the first time that Fortnite has presented an NBA-inspired mode, it isn't the first time the game has incorporated sports into a new update. For the Super Bowl earlier this year, the battle royale featured football-themed cosmetics and in-game activities. Tyler "Ninja" Blevins was also featured in a Super Bowl ad in which Payton Manning infamously called him a "video game master."
Visual Stories around the web
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SypherPK begs Epic Games to slow down Fortnite crossovers
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Fornite 9.30 brings back Pump Shotgun, begins 14 Days of Summer
Apex Legends battle pass, price point, release date confirmed
First sale at Epic Games store botched, users locked for buying games
Report says Twitch streamers earn $50K per hour for paid streams
Ninja takes out Tfue in Fortnite World Cup qualifiers, then loses
Tfue suing FaZe Clan for exploitative contract and lost sponsors
More pro Fortnite players caught cheating during World Cup qualifier
Baller and Drum Gun nerfed, new assault rifle added in Fortnite patch
Ninja refuses to eat on stream during Ramadan to support Muslim fans
Data miners uncover possible John Wick challenges coming in Season 9
Fortnite Season 9 will introduce slipstreams and new Neo Tilted area
Fortnite volcano erupts destructively, wipes out Tilted Towers
Ninja weighs in on XXiF cheating in Fortnite World Cup Qualifier
Epic Games adds new item to Fortnite before World Cup qualifiers
Epic Games buys out Rocket League creator, will pull game off Steam
Fortnite pro Animal claims building bug cost him a spot in World Cup


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The eagerly awaited Tizen OS has been pushed back once again, with the first Tizen smartphone, the Samsung Z, delayed just days before its expected launch.
With the Tizen running Samsung Z having previously been confirmed for a Russian release this month ahead of a global rollout later in the year, the Korean manufacturer has now pushed back the phone and operating system’s arrival.
According to reports from The Wall Street Journal,
Although Samsung has yet to announce an updated Samsung Z release date, the manufacturer has suggested that the first Tizen phone will land as soon as it can ensure Tizen users are offered “the fullest portfolio of applications.”
Tizen is a new Linux-based operating system designed to reduce Samsung’s reliance on Google’s Android OS. At present the software has been used to power just a couple of peripheral devices, including the Samsung Gear 2 smartwatch.
While the Samsung Z launch was cancelled at the last minute, the Galaxy S5 maker still held a Tizen developer meeting in Moscow, with around 150 attendees.
Highlighting the app gaps Samsung still needs to bridge with its Tizen platform, speaking at the event, Samsung Russia executive Dmitry Anosov told the half empty room of developers: “The most obvious advantage [of developing for the Tizen phone] is that you’ll be at the top in a half empty store on a decent premium device.”
Read More: Samsung Galaxy S6 release date


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LAS VEGAS - Jan. 9, 2017 - PRLog -- CES 2017 – Virtual reality (VR) has emerged as a powerful new platform for storytelling. Advancements in technology are delivering immersive new capabilities for VR and advertising and brand managers are eyeing VR to bolster audience engagement and propel their stories. Higher screen resolutions and faster GPUs are intersecting to enable robust VR mediums that advertisers and brands across industries can use to propel their brand and their customer relationships.
"VR is an interesting medium to be working in. It has been around for a few decades but it's recently had a big resurgence, probably because the screens and accelerometers and phones and GPUs all got faster. Suddenly all of these different technologies are coming together to enable VR in new ways," says Angus Kneale, Chief Creative Officer, the Mill, a VFX and creative content studio that is headquartered in London and is a Technicolor company.
"But this time around, what brands are realizing is that with the VR experience, the way you can connect with the audience is so powerful. VR creates a unique emotive connection with the audience," Kneale says.
He points to a recent project The Mill completed for The Guardian called 6x9 about social environments in the United States. "We recently did a project for The Guardian newspaper called 6x9, which was more of a documentary awareness program about what it is like to be in solitary confinement in US prisons. This project taught us so much in terms of the power of VR and what you can actually use it for."
While we are still in the formative days for VR, the technology is rapidly getting better and cheaper, allowing more consumers to have access. As this momentum gathers, says Kneale, VR's penetration will grow, and in turn advertisers and brand managers will begin using VR as part of their campaigns, to connect with customers, and to build brands.
"What's tricky is the storytelling," Kneale says. People have been telling stories in a similar fashion for hundreds of years, but "VR is slightly different because you're actually putting yourself in the shoes of another person. You have to be respectful of a person's VR experience because they're kind of taking you inside their head a little bit. It's definitely a much more powerful medium that people are still coming to grips with how to use."
In addition, VR encompasses multiple mediums that require different skillsets. Kneale says The Mill is working to develop all the different VR mediums because they are all relevant to different types of markets and different types of customers.
You can hear more from Kneale about VR, and how organizations across industries are capitalizing on it to more closely connect and engage with customers and build brands, by listening to the entire interview here:
Journalists and analysts are free to pull quotes from this Q&A feature with attribution in media and market reports. For more details and context, contact:
323 817 7547
Photos: (Click photo to enlarge)
Read Full Story - The Mill's Angus Kneale On How Virtual Reality Ignites Immersive Storytelling For Advertising And Brands Across Industries | More news from this source
Press release distribution by PRLog
The Mill's Angus Kneale On How Virtual Reality Ignites Immersive Storytelling For Advertising And Brands Across Industries
January 09, 2017 at 13:01 PM EST


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Devolver Digital and Dennaton Games' forthcoming title Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number made headlines yesterday after the Australian Classification Board made the decision to refuse the game classification, effectivel... read
Housemarque's arcade shooter Resogun was the first PlayStation 4 game I played and, a year later, I still think that was the right choice; someone had to save those humans and it might as well have been me. Did they all survi... read
Last week, South Korea's ratings authority pulled the plug on Facebook games in the country, effectively disabling everything from Candy Crush Saga to FarmVille until they receive an official GRAC rating.
The move reportedly ... read
Reading ERSB rating information summaries is always a dryly humorous experience; the folks over at the Examiner have dug up the rating information on Ubisoft's much-delayed Watch Dogs and it makes for some interesting reading... read
Back in the day, we used to regularly post ESRB rating summaries that were humorous in their dry delivery or were otherwise notable. The listing for Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes has sparked discussion for its "Sexual Vio... read
Over at IGN, three reports have been obtained detailing the difficulties Ubisoft had with securing a ratings classification for South Park: The Stick of Truth by the Australian Classifications Board, before finally ... read
The Entertainment Software Rating Board's iconic black-and-white ratings are getting a new design this year, Polygon reports. They're actually effective as of now, but these things can take time to roll out properly. Why the ... read
The Australian Classification Board has refused to classify open-world zombie survival title State of Decay which means, regrettably, the Xbox Live Arcade game cannot be sold in the region in its current form.
[Update: Kotaku has obtained a report from the Classification Board which spells out the specifics of the decision -- an Alien Anal Probe weapon and "alien narcotics" -- and led to this fine sentence: "In the Board’s op... read
An Australian Classification Board listing for a "modified" version of Deus Ex: Human Revolution was spotted recently, possibly pointing to either a new edition with downloadable content packed in or, as suggested by CVG, a W... read
Obviously the Atelier series of RPGs isn't for everyone, these adorable tales of magical anime heroines a few steps removed from the "burly men with assault rifles" narrative most gamers are familiar with. That being said, th... read
It was a good day when Australia's R18+ rating was passed for videogames, paving the way for adults to purchase games that might have previously either been edited for content or refused classification. Of all the games that ... read
Nintendo Life is reporting that Rayman has just been rated by PEGI for the 3DS Virtual Console. But this isn't your regular ol' Rayman; this is the Game Boy Color version of the game, which oddly mixes both Rayman 1 and 2 int... read
I know three things about Oklahoma. It's the name of a musical, it's a state in a country across the pond and now it's somewhere that needs to be protected from the evils of videogame violence! Oklahoma shit eater lawmaker, S... read
The details are still in the works, but a press release today lets us know that the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) and wireless association CTIA have come together to create a mobile videogame rating system. ... read
Way back in the heady days of 2009, the idea of mobile games' being classified in Australia reared its head. In 2011, the possibility of ratings for mobile and online games is becoming very real. But today, the Federal Minist... read
It must be hard for publishers trying to keep a lid on certain upcoming releases when, a lot of the time, the game is simply dropped into the public consciousness via classification rating. Or perhaps these regular leaks are ... read
This one almost slipped by us, but if you ask me, shirtless mustachioed not-Marios are a timeless commodity.
To help parents make appropriate, informed buying decisions when it comes to games, a few short videos about the su... read
I know, I know; the long-running saga of the R18+ rating in Australia has had more false dawns than I care to remember -- but it looks like there has finally been an agreement reached to bring Australian's classification syst... read
Surely I'm not the only one who forgot I Am Alive was still in existence? We've heard nothing about it from Ubisoft in recent months, which wouldn't be such a big deal had E3 not just taken place.
A listing on the Australian ... read
The Entertainment Software Rating Board has just posted the ratings breakdown of games published in 2010. As you can see in the chart above, a little more than half of all games received the all-ages rating, while games rated... read
Time to bust into a celebratory performance of Waltzing Matilda, Australia. It appears that you will finally, finally be getting an adults-only rating for your videogames. This will end years of children being able to get th... read
This one isn't super solid, but a rating from a classification board is a bit better than a rumor. Kind of.
The Australian Classification Board had a listing for Grand Theft Auto: Vice City pop up yesterday. In the listing it... read
The concept of a multiplayer-focused Castlevania game proved to be difficult for a lot of you to accept when rumors of Castlevania: Harmony of Despair started circulating. But, if the OFLC's recent listing for the game is any... read
Crikey and other stereotypical Australian things to say! It looks like most Australians actually want to play mature games. Who knew!? After a recent poll of public opinion conducted by the Australian government 98 percent of... read
The OFLC and Electronic Arts sure are getting sneaky, listing unannounced titles using codenames, leaving us grasping at speculative straws.Australia's ratings board recently filed a rating for the mega-publisher's "Project R... read
In the United Kingdom, the Pan-European Game Information, or PEGI, is going to be the only game in town. A bill passed Parliament yesterday that would make PEGI the one and only games classification system for games in the UK... read
EB Games of Australia wants to fight the good fight! The company is supporting the campaign for introducing an R18+ classification for videogames in Australia. All 364 EB Games stores in the country are throwing up signs like... read
Last week we informed you that the FCC was planning to recommend a possible unified rating system for gaming, television and cell phones. This system was being looked into after a report was to be given on Aug. 31. It's now p... read


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- Former farmers market could reopen as store, restaurants Updated: Aug-23-15 11:47 am
ELKHART, Indiana - A distinctive red, barn-like structure in northern Indiana that formerly housed a large farmers market could soon be home to a department store and restaurants.
- Johnson City farmers markets no longer just a niche movement Updated: Aug-22-15 11:16 am
JOHNSON CITY, Tennessee - Nearly every area community has its own farmers market or some gathering place where local produce growers can collect and sell products made or cultivated with their own two hands.
- Federal effort helps develop farmers market in mid-Michigan Updated: Aug-18-15 6:37 am
MOUNT PLEASANT, Michigan - A federal effort to support Native American communities has helped develop a farmers market in mid-Michigan.
- Food banks, pantries find new ways to feed more people Updated: Aug-11-15 3:13 pm
Charles Scott is shopping for groceries at a Philadelphia food pantry, busily clicking away at a computer to select his choices of onions, tomatoes and frozen corn.
- North Dakota Farmers Market Day set at Capitol on Wednesday Updated: Aug-04-15 2:28 am
BISMARCK, North Dakota - It's National Farmers Market Week, and everything from beef to veggies to honey is going on sale at the state Capitol in Bismarck.
- NC farmers markets part of USDA promotion of fresh foods Updated: Aug-02-15 4:04 am
RALEIGH, North Carolina - It's a season of produce bounty at farmers markets, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture says they play an important role in North Carolina's farm-to-table food network.
- US Surgeon General Murthy to visit Detroit's Eastern Market Updated: Aug-01-15 4:05 am
DETROIT - Surgeon General Vivek Murthy is scheduled to visit Detroit's Eastern Market as part of National Farmers Market Week.


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Currencyfair Secured $ 35 Million Investment From Merger With Australian Company
Currencyfair, the Dublin-based fintech company, has received a $ 35 million (€ 30 million) investment from UK financial services giant Standard Chartered.
The investment was agreed upon in Currencyfair’s merger with Australian fintech firm Assembly Payments, announced in April.
Company registrar files released last week revealed details of the deal. They showed Standard Chartered made the $ 35 million investment, while companies such as Dax Ventures and Kima Ventures also received shares.
In a blog post published by Currencyfair in April, the Dublin-based fintech company said it would merge with Assembly Payments “following a strategic investment from Standard Chartered Ventures.” Financial details of any investment made by Standard Chartered, which partially owns Assembly Payments, were not disclosed.
Paul Byrne, president and CEO of CurrencyFair, who will lead the new business, said the merger was a “natural development” for the company at the time of the announcement. The number of employees will increase from 85 to 160. It also plans to grow to over 450 people over the next four years.
CurrencyFair, founded in 2010 by Brett Meyers, provides a money exchange platform for consumers and businesses to help them avoid large fees for exchanging foreign currencies.
Assembly Payments was founded in Melbourne in 2013. It helps customers automate payment workflows and reduce the complexity of running a business. Standard Chartered invested in it in 2020.


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NEW ZEALAND: NZMP secures US skim milk export deal
NZMP, the ingredients subsidiary of the giant New Zealand Dairy Board, announced this week that it has signed a deal to secure distribution rights for the bulk of skim milk powder exports from the US.
The export agreement was finalised with Dairy America, a marketing company that controls around 70% of the total US skim milk powder exports.
In 1999/2000, sales of skim milk powder in New Zealand amounted to NZ$509.5m (US$223.3m).
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Live Cd and Dvd of Megadeth’s “Countdown to Extinction” Set for Release
"Countdown To Extinction: Live" will be released on the 24th of September, featuring a recording of the band's performance at the Fox Theater in Los Angeles back in December of last year.
You might recall that the same "Countdown To Extinction 20th Anniversary Tour" ripped through the Hub City. That's basically what you'll get with the new live album.
That 20 year old album ended up going double platinum in the early nineties, becoming one of Megadeth's best and most successful albums.
Check out the live album when it hits stores later in September.


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| BCG director K. James V. Abraham in Calcutta on Tuesday. Picture by Rash Behari Das
Calcutta, Nov. 18: The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) sees 30-40 million BPO jobs being created in India by 2020. BCG’s estimates are based on a survey conducted by the global consulting major for the Planning Commission of India.
“By conservative estimates, 30 million BPO jobs could be created in India by 2020,” said BCG director K. James V. Abraham. He was speaking on strategies for success in the IT-Enabled Services (ITES) and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector at Infocom 2003, organised by Nasscom and Businessworld, an ABP Group publication.
The message from Day II at the region’s biggest IT show was: BPO holds the key to success.
“Going forward, India’s comparative advantage will be skilled work force and not cost. But that calls for creation of skills, for which India needs to set up more IITs and regional engineering colleges.,” he added. BCG expects the government to announce some concrete measures towards creation of technical skills in Budget 2004.
“Already there are signs of high-end BPO jobs being off-shored to India. GE is conducting nano-technology research in Bangalore. We expect more engineering jobs to be off-shored to India,” Abraham said.
While all the speakers during Day II, which was dedicated to ITES – BPO, emphasised that the sector will drive growth in the economy, they mentioned that Indian BPO companies must move up the value chain to realise the potential. BPO businesses won’t grow on labour cost arbitrage alone. They should improve the quality of their service to be competitive, experts said.
Resistance against off-shoring from various parts of the globe — like the ‘do-not-call’ legislation in the US and similar other legislations in Australia – was referred. “As many as 53 million Americans registered themselves under the ‘do-not-call’ list in just two weeks — that’s about a fifth of the US population. It shows people’s annoyance at being called three to four times a week by telemarketing companies,” said Chris Luxford, director Asia Pacific of Nortel Networks. Purely telemarketing outfits will suffer, but off-shoring of business processes will not be affected by the proposed legislation, he added.
Rajiv Lochan and Yash Gupta of McKinsey presented the findings of a study by the consultancy major’s research institute and quantified the gains from offshoring to the developed world.
K. Pandia Rajan of Ma Foi explained how new opportunities are created in the field of human resource offshoring.
With the scope of off-shore business broadening, from mere data entry and collection to complex knowledge-based transactions, Indian companies must also start delivering these services, said Avinash Vashistha, managing director, neoIT.
But limiting offshoring only to IT and ITES will mean missing an opportunity. “With retail chains like Wal-Mart and Gap sourcing from India, the scope is wide for firms to make the best of it,” Tata Telecom vice-president Raman Mahajan said.


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- August 5, 2022 / 4 min readIn this role, Meghna will drive the global finance function at Bira 91 and will be a key partner in the strategic direction of the business and build the company for its next phase of growth.
One of the world’s fastest-growing beer brand Bira 91 has appointed Meghna Agrawal as the Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President - Finance.
In this role, Meghna will drive the global finance function at Bira 91 and will be a key partner in the strategic direction of the business and build the company for its next phase of growth.
“I am truly excited to welcome Meghna to Bira 91. Her strong track record in leadership roles in the finance function at the largest listed alcobev player in India, as well as her experience in global markets will be valuable in steering Bira 91 in its next phase of growth as the most profitable alcobev company in India, with global quality financial processes. I look forward to a strong partnership with her as we steer the company through this exciting phase,” shared Ankur Jain, Founder, and CEO, Bira 91.
Prior to joining Bira 91, Meghna was VP - Finance at Diageo India and spent nearly a decade in various finance leadership roles in the company. Under her leadership, Diageo India went through a significant transition improving profitability, return on capital, and establishing global quality business processes.
“I am thrilled to join Bira 91. I have been an admirer of how the company has revolutionized the beer category in India and has been a leader in innovation. I look forward to working with the larger team to deliver on its ambition, fast-track growth, and create value for all stakeholders,” added Megha.
Bira 91 has been growing at an average CAGR of nearly 110% over the last decade and is now present in over 600 cities and 18 countries across the globe.
Search for top Restaurant Suppliers in your city


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Galaxy Watch 5 & Watch 5 Pro spotted in latest Samsung Health beta
Over the last few weeks, we’ve seen multiple leaks about Samsung’s upcoming Wear OS smartwatches. The leaks have revealed that Samsung will drop the ‘Classic’ branding from this year’s premium Galaxy Watch in favor of the overused ‘Pro’ moniker. We’ve also learned that the upcoming Galaxy Watch 5 Pro will feature premium materials, like sapphire glass and a titanium case. In addition, the leaks suggest that both the Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 5 Pro will pack larger batteries compared to their predecessors. Although Samsung hasn’t made anything official, the upcoming Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 5 Pro have now been spotted in the latest beta release of the Samsung Health app.
According to 9to5Google, the latest beta build of the Samsung Health app (version 6.22.0.069) includes mentions of Samsung’s upcoming Wear OS smartwatches next to placeholder images. Interestingly, the Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic also appeared in the Samsung Health app about a month ahead of the official launch last year.
The Samsung Health beta does not reveal any more information about the Galaxy Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, but the absence of a Galaxy Watch 5 Classic confirms that Samsung is sunsetting the ‘Classic’ lineup this year. This falls in line with a recent leak from GalaxyClub, which revealed three codenames for the upcoming Galaxy Watch lineup. The leak suggested that Samsung could launch three models in the Galaxy Watch 5 lineup with the codenames Heart-S, Heart-L, and Heart-Pro. Based on the latest leak, we suspect that Samsung will launch the regular Galaxy Watch 5 in two sizes (explaining the ‘M’ and ‘L’ in the codenames) and the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro in a single size option.
At the moment, we don’t have any further information about Samsung’s upcoming Wear OS smartwatches. We’ll make sure to let you know as soon as we learn more.


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New York’s governor unveiled a marijuana enterprise and product verification instrument on Thursday, with plans to put up a QR code on licensed hashish retailers and a common image label for licensed hashish merchandise.
In the meantime, New York Metropolis Mayor Eric Adams (D) held a press convention to tout enforcement actions towards unlicensed companies promoting unlawful merchandise.
With the state’s first adult-use gross sales anticipated to start earlier than the top of the yr, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) mentioned the verification system will give shoppers assurances that the businesses they patronize are official and the merchandise are examined. It may additionally additional assist the state direct shoppers away from unlicensed marijuana storefronts which have cropped up whereas regulators have labored to launch the regulated market.
“These instruments will assist to guard public well being and strengthen our means to ship the equitable hashish market our regulation envisions,” Hochul mentioned in a press launch. “We’ll proceed to work with our companions in municipalities throughout the state to implement the regulation and shutdown illicit operators who’re promoting merchandise that put New Yorkers in danger.”
Storefronts haven’t opened but for the primary spherical of leisure marijuana companies that the Hashish Management Board (CCB) authorised final month. However once they do, they are going to have a scannable QR code posted on their entrance window that can present shoppers and the area people details about the licensee.
Let’s be clear: Illicit retailers put New York’s public well being in danger and don’t reinvest into the group.
That will help you perceive the distinction between authorized dispensaries & unhealthy actors, @GovKathyHochul introduced a dispensary verification instrument. Have a look https://t.co/KRRIMGMrAz
— NYS Workplace of Hashish Administration (@nys_cannabis) December 15, 2022
A “comparable model” will likely be offered for companies that determine to make the most of supply providers, that are being licensed underneath steerage that was issued final week.
A New York Metropolis nonprofit group that obtained a retailer license says it’s planning a mushy launch on December 29 after receiving approval from a Manhattan group board and signing a lease for its storefront.
In the meantime, the governor introduced that every regulated and examined marijuana product will function a common image, distinguishing them from illicit objects which are offered within the unregulated market.
“As shops proceed to open within the first quarter of 2023, the state will even be releasing a public schooling marketing campaign known as ‘Why Purchase Authorized New York,’ which can clarify the advantages of buying authorized adult-use hashish for hashish shoppers in New York State,” the governor’s press launch says. “The marketing campaign will focus on the dangers of shopping for untested illicit merchandise, and the way these merchandise undermine the objectives of New York’s hashish regulation to construct essentially the most equitable and inclusive hashish market within the nation.”
That sounds just like a “Purchase Authorized” marketing campaign that the U.S. Hashish Council (USCC) launched final month in partnership with New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) and a sequence of main marijuana manufacturers.
“The dispensary verification instrument unveiled by Governor Hochul in the present day mixed with necessities for the common image on regulated merchandise units us off on the appropriate foot,” CCB Chair Tremaine Wright mentioned. “It’s vital that customers know and belief that the brand new, authorized hashish market provides examined merchandise and follows protocols designed to guard public well being. These efforts mixed with rigorous enforcement, will assist construct a secure, authorized market.”
Chris Alexander, govt director of the Workplace of Hashish Administration (OCM), mentioned that officers will “use each instrument obtainable to strengthen the equitable, authorized adult-use hashish market we’re constructing and the dispensary verification instrument Governor Hochul unveiled in the present day is one step in that course of.”
“Our enforcement crew has been rising its partnerships and ramping up exercise from Buffalo to New York Metropolis and can proceed to take action till these illicit shops and vehicles are shutdown,” he mentioned.
At a press briefing on Thursday, New York Metropolis’s mayor careworn that the state is not going to change into the “Wild Wild West of hashish,” and regulators will proceed to crack down on unlicensed sellers.
“It’s time the unlicensed shops cease promoting unlawful merchandise and adjust to the regulation,” Adams mentioned, touting the truth that town has seized 100,000 unlawful merchandise with a price of about $4 million. “The hashish business is a budding financial system. We wish to make it possible for we get it proper.”
Adams additionally steered that his administration can be working with lawmakers in Albany to debate methods to “tweak” the state’s legalization regulation within the 2023 legislative session, although he didn’t present any specifics about what these proposed modifications would possibly seem like.
CCB chosen the primary 36 dispensary licenses together with a bundle of guidelines for the business—a serious growth that got here simply days after officers selected 10 groups of corporations to construct out about 150 turn-key storefront amenities for the social fairness marijuana retailers to function out of as soon as the market formally launches.
Many of the newly licensed enterprise will likely be run by justice-involved individuals who’ve been disproportionately impacted by the struggle on medication, whereas others will likely be operated by nonprofit organizations which have a historical past of serving to individuals reenter society after having been incarcerated.
In the meantime, Hochul signed a invoice late final month aimed toward increasing the state’s hemp market by selling collaborative partnerships to determine extra alternatives to make the most of the crop and its derivatives for packaging, development and different functions.
Colombia’s Congress Agrees To Remaining Marijuana Legalization Invoice, Which Key Senator Expects To Be Enacted By June
Photograph courtesy of WeedPornDaily.
The put up New York Governor Unveils Marijuana Retailer QR Code Verification Instrument And Common Label For Hashish Merchandise appeared first on Marijuana Second.


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Some time ago a report arose where it was pointed out that Xbox Game Pass would have a family plan in the future. Outside this statement, more information has been known about it. Now, recently, an insider has shared more details on the date on which this new plan would be available.
According to Brad Sams, an insider that talks about everything related to Microsoft, Xbox’s family plan would be available during the autumn season this year . Unfortunately, at the moment there is no more information about a more specific date, even realizing that this could change in the future. This was what he commented:
“The family plan, the last thing I heard, was destined for a launch in autumn, around this year’s holiday. Keep in mind that things change. Many things are in moving time lines. That was the initial goal. “
Although at the moment we lack an official confirmation, or rumors that speak in detail about the price and the date of launch, these new statements support the existence of the family plan of Xbox Game Pass. Now we can only wait to listen Something more concrete.
On related topics, PLAYSTATION users would have a subscription of Xbox Game Pass only by the Activision Games. Similarly, Xbox launches strong blow against the new PS Plus.
A family plan is something that could well be a reality, and it would be focused mainly on preserving the users it has, rather than these believe more and more accounts to take advantage of the offers of this service.


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Minecraft is growing more and more popular with each passing month, gaining a massive following like a snowball rolling down a hill. And with this momentum Markus Persson’s independent game is growing more powerful by the day. Which makes absolutely no sense. In an industry where gamers constantly complain about paying for downloadable content, and the thought of even mentioning the words paid demo makes many gamers cringe, Persson has managed to wrangle over a million customers into his project which just recently entered it’s beta stage all while the game looks like it came from 1987.
It’s a phenomenon, a gaming enigma that proves how far innovation will take you in an industry that is hell bent on copying itself to death.
- This article was updated on:April 17th, 2017


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Now celebrities try to co-opt this AI craze. They’re making offers with manufacturers to place AI-created duplicates of themselves into advertising and marketing campaigns—giving them extra management over their very own likenesses and extra latitude within the forms of offers they’ll make. Manufacturers, in the meantime, can use digital duplicates in methods they by no means might use the celebrities themselves—resembling altering the celebrities’ look to de-age them, having them carry out feats the actual celebrities by no means might and holding spontaneous conversations with clients.
Celebrities “receives a commission, however they don’t have to show up,” says Tom Graham, chief govt of AI startup Metaphysic. Stars simply have to spend a couple of minutes in a studio with a 3-D scanner, which may then create representations of them for numerous hours of content material.
Final yr, as an example, Puma launched a brand new product line at New York Style week with the assistance of worldwide soccer star Neymar—who appeared on the occasion as an AI-generated 3-D avatar created with the MetaHuman app, a part of Epic Video games’ Unreal Engine suite, which was initially designed to create lifelike characters for videogames. The avatar confirmed off Puma’s new fashions on-screen throughout a digital occasion coinciding with the model’s runway present.
Puma can use Neymar’s digital double in plenty of settings at some stage in its contract with the star, says Adam Petrick, Puma’s chief model officer; his likeness had beforehand appeared in a 2021 marketing campaign in recreation platform Fortnite.
Sport and cinema
Celeb partnerships with manufacturers are massive enterprise; Nike, for one, was as a consequence of pay athletes, groups and leagues $1.3 billion in endorsement offers within the fiscal yr that ended on Might 31.
In a few of these offers, celebrities have historically signed away some extent of management over their likenesses and the advertising and marketing content material created to their model companions.
However the rise of digital duplicates might completely change how celebrities take care of manufacturers. Partly, stars can seem in methods they by no means might earlier than. In 2021, Metaphysic used AI to create an approximation of former NFL star Deion Sanders, as he appeared on the evening of the 1989 NFL draft, for an advert selling Procter & Gamble’s Gillette razor model. Sanders was paid for the challenge, and consulted on it. Golf legend Jack Nicklaus just lately agreed with AI firm Soul Machines to create an AI-powered model of himself on the peak of his profession, when he was 38 years previous. Nicklaus is at the moment 83.
“In a digital sense, they’re alive: They will join emotionally; they’ll entertain; they’ll work together in actual time,” says Soul Machines CEO Greg Cross. “That is the way forward for advertising and marketing.”
In the meantime, Hollywood expertise company CAA has joined with Metaphysic, Soul Machines and different AI corporations to “totally perceive what’s occurring and provides our shoppers the very best recommendation on how they’ll use [AI] to advance their careers and the varied strategies they’ll undertake to guard themselves,” says Hilary Krane, CAA’s chief authorized officer.
Some Hollywood offers are already rising. Metaphysic, as an example, has signed on to supply AI companies for a forthcoming Robert Zemeckis movie starring Tom Hanks. (Metaphysic could also be best-known for its unofficial work involving one other film star: the viral TikTok account @DeepTomCruise, wherein an actor impersonates the movie star with the assistance of generative AI instruments. The account isn’t affiliated with Cruise, Metaphysic says; a spokeswoman for Cruise declined to remark.)
On the catwalk
Style fashions, who don’t traditionally personal the rights to their very own pictures, have additionally begun exploring methods to extra actively handle their digital identities. Supermodel Eva Herzigova in April unveiled a digital model of herself—additionally created on the Epic Video games platform—that may stroll the runway in on-line trend reveals. Possession of the digital model additionally rests together with her and her company, somewhat than with a model or a pictures studio.
“It’s an extension of her model in lots of ways in which opens up new alternatives for her to creatively have interaction with model partnerships or inventive briefs,” says Simon Windsor, co-founder and co-chief govt of digital manufacturing firm Dimension Studio, which led the challenge.
Style and sweetness manufacturers are at the moment in talks to make use of Herzigova’s digital double of their advertising and marketing campaigns, says Gavin Myall, chief govt and co-owner of Unsigned Group, the company that represents Herzigova. The facsimile, which mimics her gait and mannerisms, will quickly seem on an e-commerce website to showcase varied outfits for buyers, he says.
“It’s a extremely fascinating journey, as complicated as it’s thrilling,” says Herzigova in an emailed assertion.
Entrepreneurs additionally anticipate shoppers more and more will have the ability to work together with the digital doubles. Soul Machines has already created interactive doubles for a number of celebrities. As of final month, followers of former NBA star Carmelo Anthony might comply with his autonomous digital character on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. “Digital Melo” will reply to customers’ questions and promote the off-court actions of Anthony, who co-founded a private-equity fund after his retirement.
Japanese golf followers will quickly have the ability to work together with “Digital Jack,” the AI-driven depiction of a 38-year-old Nicklaus, by means of a partnership between Nicklaus Cos. and a Japanese golf model, says Soul Machines’ Cross. Clients ought to have the ability to go to the corporate web site to ask him—in Japanese—something about his profession or golf normally.
However the usage of open-ended large-language fashions like ChatGPT deliver new reputational dangers, says Erica Rogers, an intellectual-property lawyer at legislation agency Ward & Smith.
“From a model’s perspective, what you’re actually involved about is an absence of management” with digital celebrities that conduct AI-generated conversations, she says. “Is the profit well worth the danger?”
The algorithms powering digital variations of Anthony, Nicklaus and Okay-pop star Mark Tuan draw on lots of of hours of interviews to imitate their vocal affectations and decide how they could reply to a given query, Cross says. Soul Machines takes steps to make sure that its AI celebrities keep on-message and don’t make crude or doubtlessly offensive remarks, in response to Cross. Within the case of Jack Nicklaus, for instance, the corporate created its personal large-language mannequin somewhat than utilizing current instruments resembling ChatGPT, he says.
Figuring out authorized possession of AI-generated likenesses is one other concern, Rogers says. The tech, advertising and marketing and leisure industries should ultimately develop some type of normal verification to guard each celebrities and shoppers who could also be fooled by deepfakes, she says.
Startup Human & Digital (Hand) has been creating a so-called expertise ID, which is basically a novel string of numbers assigned to a give
n individual’s likeness, to tell apart between authentic and illegitimate makes use of, says Chief Govt Will Kreth.
In April, Graham of Metaphysic tried to handle this level by making use of for what he says could be the primary copyright for an AI-generated likeness: his personal.
“Within the subsequent couple of years, it is going to be potential for normal folks to create a photorealistic model of someone else. Our legal guidelines, rules, and many others., don’t actually accommodate this new chance,” he says. Clearer possession requirements like copyrights would enable each celebrities and common residents to extra simply file takedown requests or authorized actions if their likenesses are used with out their permission, says Graham.
And there’s, in fact, the problem of confusion. Some shoppers will inevitably mistake the digital variations of celebrities for actual pictures or movies of these people, and that reality has but to be totally addressed, says Myall of Unsigned Group.
“I believe all of it must be mentioned,” says Myall. Many individuals, he says, nonetheless view AI know-how as “a scary new world.”
Patrick Espresso is a reporter for CMO At the moment in New York. He may be reached at [email protected].


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Could Nintendo be working on a double-barrelled helping of Zelda goodness for the 3DS? Well, it's quite possible. There've been one or two rumblings about it, most notably towards the end of last year, and a new image has popped up on 4chan with what appears to hold two logo shots for a couple of new games.
The image, which you can see above, carries Japanese subtitles (火をプロフェシー and アイスをプロフェシー ) which translate as Fire Prophecy and Ice Prophecy, respectively.
Producer Eiji Aonuma revealed back in November last year that development had already begun on a new Zelda title, and it wouldn't be a direct sequel to either Spirit Tracks or Phantom Hourglass.
"We are already preparing a new game, a game in the series for the Nintendo 3DS, but don't think that it is a direct sequel to the Zelda titles released on DS. We are talking about a new game, but it takes much of what has been done on previous handhelds."
As ScrewAttack noted, it's not impossible that Nintendo are planning a double drop similar to that of Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages on the Game Boy Colour. However, naturally the image above should be taken with a certain amount of scepticism, though it'll be interesting to see what awaits us this year at E3.


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Branding is all-important in today’s advertising, and becoming a household name is the holy grail of marketing. When a company has become inserted into day-to-day language, it means that their brand has become ingrained into the social consciousness, and when people think of an object related to that brand, they think of that brand first. Building brand awareness means inserting yourself in ongoing conversations about your brand and engaging with consumers on the social media platforms where they already live.
In this week’s PRSA “Friday Five” post — an analysis of the week’s biggest public relations and business news and commentary — we explore the concept of branding and relationships. We look at how brands are engaging with consumers via social media platforms, and how building brand ambassadors can take a brand to the next level in regard to reach and influence. We look also at rising marketing trends and how one company has combined the ideas of sustainability and branding to make a positive impact on the environment.
Human interactions can alter how we perceive one another, allowing us to quickly build or compromise a relationship. The same is true for brands trying to build a relationship with consumers. Consumers are thirsty for brands to provide something more than just a product or service. They want relationships, especially amid our technologically immersed lives, where human interactions seem to be decreasing and digital interactions are increasing. JP LaFors, director of client service at gyro Denver and Forbes contributor, offers four important and transformational shifts that can either accelerate a brand’s success or cause it to remain vulnerable:
- Relationships have moved beyond product transactions to human interactions.
- Relationships between people and brands have moved beyond service transactions to personal interactions.
- Relationships between people and brands have moved beyond marketing-led transactions to user-led demand.
- Relationships between people and brands have moved beyond a structured research process to organic discovery.
Brands Are Learning to “Say Cheese” (CNNMoney)
The rise of Pinterest, Tumblr and Instagram has changed the way marketers from Whole Foods to American Airlines think about and use images to sell their products. Unlike the slow uptake by marketers of other new technologies — from early television advertising to social media — companies have been quick to jump on these image-based platforms. Brands are seeing the value in being able to tell a story through posters, banners and text. Some brand’s Pinterest and Instagram sites are a combination of brand-created and user-curated images, and that is creating a kind of branding that exists outside of the typical identities. Companies like Starbucks are increasing their level of engagement with consumers via these platforms. The correlation between tags and shares, and measurement in termsof sales, is still a reoccurring issue, though there is still no clear answer. Does 617,994 photos tagged #starbucks on Instagram equal more people coming in for Frappucinnos? At the moment, brands are seeing more value in being a part of the conversations taking place about their brands. The hope is that eventually, increase in website traffic and sales will come.
Digital PR: Finding Brand Ambassadors (Business2Community)
A recent report from the Society for Digital Agencies shows that earned media is prime. So how do brands find brand ambassadors willing to go the extra mile and spread the good news about various brand? Brand ambassadors are people or groups who already love and support your brand and would be delighted to forward your message. In most cases, they also are someone with a decent following online, either on his or her blog, Facebook, Twitter or other social news sites, such as Digg , Reddit or StumbleUpon. It’s important for brands to do a social audit and identify those who speak positively about their brands. Once you’ve recognized who your ambassadors could be, offer them exclusivity. Give them access to content no one else has. Mashable reports that Walmart goes the extra mile for the influential mommy bloggers they have identified. Not only do they give their “Walmart Moms” exclusive products and experiences, they also host a blog and YouTube channel for them. Ambassadors don’t have to have millions of fans or followers, but they do need to be passionate about your industry and be a fan of your brand. Identifying this quality in individual followers increases the influence and audience reach, which helps brands build long-term relationships with current brand ambassadors, as well as create new ones.
Rhythm New Media, a premium mobile ad network, recently conducted an analysis of mobile video advertising and found that the addition of display ads and social media features to mobile video can boost the effectiveness and engagement of a mobile marketing buy. Data collected from more than 140 campaigns from top brands showed that display ads are integrated into 88 percent of mobile video campaigns, and that’s because the combo can lift engagement. These numbers present a good outlook for marketers as mobile is becoming a substantially more capable vehicle for driving brand awareness, affinity and purchases.
Sustainability Leadership Through Branding: A Woman and a Community of 50,000 (The Huffington Post)
Huffington Post contributor Graciela Tiscareno- Sato recently interviewed KoAnn Vikoren Skrzyniarz, founder of the Sustainable Brands Conference. Vikoen Skrzyniarz’s mission is to affect positive environmental changes through the process of branding. She defines a sustainable brand as “a better brand that endures by respecting and delighting all stakeholders in both current and future generations.” She also talks about how the Sustainable Conference remains successful by getting big brands to create cross-functional teams to expand the conversation into one involving multiple stakeholders, which keeps a brand relevant to more than just the consumer. Also by connecting innovators to big brands, the brand remains current for generations to come.
Nicole Castro is the public relations associate at the Public Relations Society of America.


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The future of transport? NZ tests Cora, the world’s first self-flying electric car
The world’s first self-piloted electric flying car has been unveiled near Christchurch on New Zealand’s South Island.
Named Cora, it has been developed over the past eight years by US-based Kitty Hawk Corporation, which is said to be backed by Larry Page, Co-founder of Google.
It is being operated by New Zealand’s Zephyr Airworks and flies between 500 and 3,000ft above ground with a wingspan of 11m.
- Perth will trial electric driverless taxis from April 2018
- Government to subsidise electric vehicle leasing with $100mn investment
- Read the March edition of ANZ Business Chief magazine
Cora has a range of 100km and top speed of 180kmh, taking off and landing vertically like a helicopter, but flying like an aeroplane.
When explaining why it choose New Zealand as a testing ground, Cora said in a blog post: “New Zealand’s Central Aviation Authority (CAA) has the respect of the worldwide regulatory community. A people who embrace the future. And a dynamic economy that could serve as a springboard for Cora.
“What we didn’t know was that New Zealand was also on a quest. They had already built one of the world’s most sustainable energy ecosystems –– with 80% of the country powered by renewable energy. And now they were looking to harness the benefits of the electric mobility revolution.”
In terms of regulation, Cora has an experimental airworthiness certificate from both the New Zealand CAA and the United States Federal Aviation Administration. It is now working with NZ’s CAA on gaining further certification in order to build a commercial air taxi industry.


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November 18, 2021 2:00PM
Cloudflare Images introduces AVIF, Blur and Bundle with Stream
Full Stack Week
Two months ago we launched Cloudflare Images for everyone and we are amazed about the adoption and the feedback we received. Today we are announcing AVIF and Blur support for Cloudflare Images and give you a preview of the upcoming functionality....
September 14, 2021 1:59PM
Improve site load times and SEO with one-click support for Signed Exchanges on Google Search
Starting today, Cloudflare customers will be able to generate Signed Exchanges (SXG) for Google Search with just one click....
April 20, 2021 6:00PM
Announcing Cloudflare Images beta to simplify your image pipeline
Today, we are announcing the beta of Cloudflare Images: a simple service to store, resize, optimize, and deliver images at scale....
March 15, 2021 12:00PM
Enhancing privacy-focused Web Analytics to better meet your metrics needs
Today, we’re excited to announce the release of three of the most requested features: adding multiple websites to an account, supporting Single-page Applications (SPA) as well as showing Core Web Vitals in Web Analytics....
September 30, 2020 2:01PM
Cloudflare Radar (CN)


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SIR Tom Hunter’s West Coast Capital is involved in a sizeable acquisition in Canada that is close to reaching agreement.
West Coast is an investor in eCommera, a fast-growing electronic commerce platform for the retail industry that has been in talks to buy a business in the same sector based in Toronto. Few details have emerged except that the price paid will be in the multiple millions.
West Coast and Sir Martin Sorrell’s WPP advertising giant are the main investors in eCommera, which has customers including Brooks Brothers, House of Fraser and Jaeger.
The company is based in London and was co-founded by Andrew McGregor, a Scot, and Michael Ross in 2007. It opened its first office in the United States in 2011.
McGregor worked in marketing and general management for more than 15 years and as marketing and strategy director at British Telecom. In the latest Deloitte Fast 50 listing, eCommera was placed 24th with 845 per cent revenue growth over five years.
Its latest accounts, for the year to 31 March, 2012, show pre-tax losses rose to £4.5 million from £2.2m a year earlier on sales of £17.8m, up from £12m.
E-commerce is a key sector for Hunter, who invested heavily in retail and property in the early 2000s but lost an estimated £250m in the crash. He is largely out of retail apart from retaining a stake in House of Fraser.
He also has investments in commercial property in Germany and Poland and has taken a stake in a joint venture in a firm building high-tech offices in India. At home, one of his main focuses is the Winchburgh new town development near Edinburgh.
Hunter remains an active advocate for entrepreneurialism and last week addressed the Engage, Invest, Exploit (EIE13) investor conference in the capital. He urged start-up companies to innovate and not be afraid of failure.
Speaking to Scotland on Sunday, he also revealed that the next Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) report, due out next month, will show progress in the creation of businesses.
The current statistics show Scotland producing around 36 businesses per 10,000 of population, a figure that has barely changed in ten years despite numerous programmes designed to encourage a more entrepreneurial culture.
“I think we will get some decent news in the next GEM report,” said Hunter.
He said that he was pleased to see the various business advice agencies working in collaboration and a Scottish Government that was supporting business.
The recent Entrepreneurial Exchange conference and the EIE event both had their biggest ever attendances.


text: Even when the 'portrait' of a well-known professional athlete is disclosed without authorisation for a short period, such disclosure may already have significant consequences in the Netherlands. This follows from the judgment of the Amsterdam District Court of 25 April 2018 in the matter between the famous Formula 1 driver Max Verstappen and online supermarket chain Picnic. Picnic shared on its Facebook page a video that featured a look-alike of Verstappen. The commercial was deleted after one day but had, even in this short period, been viewed on the internet and in national media hundreds of thousands of times. The Amsterdam District Court ruled that Picnic acted unlawfully towards Verstappen by the inclusion of the look-alike in the disclosed commercial, as a result of which Picnic had to pay a compensation of €150,000 to Verstappen. Tim Wilms and Rogier de Vrey discuss this decision and examine under which circumstances the use of a portrait of a well-known athlete is considered unlawful in the Netherlands.


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Since 1986, The Music & Sound Retailer has hosted the Music & Sound Awards, honoring the best manufacturers and dealers in the music industry.
This year, Village Music Wellington has been nominated, along with three other stores, in the single-store category, as Best New Music Dealer in the United States.
Village Music owners Steve and Donna Willey are attending the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) convention, Jan. 21-26 in Anaheim, Calif., where the awards will be presented.
“Whether or not we win, just being nominated for this award is an amazing honor,” Steve said. “To be recognized alongside companies like Fender, Taylor and Yamaha is an incredible commendation.”
“This proves to us that following your dreams and working hard at what you love to do will bring success,” Donna added. “We came to Wellington with a vision of sharing our love for music and providing a musical education platform for the community, and it seems that our dream is coming to fulfillment. We are profoundly grateful to this community for their trust in us and support of our business.”
Village Music Wellington opened in November 2012 and has since developed a music-lesson program serving more than 200 students, as well as a flourishing retail business.
The growth of the business has been so dramatic that plans for expansion are already in the making. The company plans to continue to grow its involvement in the community by broadening its musical education programs as well as its brand offerings.
Village Music Wellington is open from 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. The store is closed Sunday.
For more information, call (561) 798-5334 or visit www.villagemusicwellington.com.
ABOVE: Steve and Donna Willey


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An 18-year-old man has been arrested following the cyber attacks on Sony PlayStation and Microsoft Xbox systems last year.
The South East Regional Organised Crime Unit said the teenager was arrested in Merseyside in a joint British and FBI-led operation.
The teenager is being held in Southport, Merseyside, on suspicion of unauthorised access to computer material.
Microsoft is reportedly in advanced talks to buy Mojang, the maker of the hit game 'Minecraft' for $2 billion.
Minecraft is currently the number one paid for game in the Apple App Store.
Computer firm Microsoft is hurrying to fix a bug with the Internet Explorer browser after it emerged that hackers have already exploited the glitch with attacks on US companies.
Microsoft said the bug could allow hackers to take over a computer, install malicious programmes and create user accounts.
Cybersecurity firm FireEye said so far there had been "targeted attacks seemingly against U.S.-based firms, currently tied to defence and financial sectors".
Children's charity Barnado's and Microsoft have released an app to help children learn how to spot the signs of sexual exploitation.Read the full story ›
Technology giant Microsoft has confirmed changes in its data policy after it admitted scanning the Hotmail email account - which it owns and operates - of a French internet blogger to gather evidence over possible information leaks.
It was claimed a former employee had leaked confidential copies of the Windows 8 operating system before it was released to the public.
In a statement, Microsoft said in the future they will use an independent legal team to analyse whether or not they have the right to search personal accounts.
Vice president John Frank said they were "aware they needed to work to keep customer trust...and that privacy is incredibly important to us."
Microsoft has announced Bill Gates, previously chairman of the board of directors, will assume a new role on the board as founder and technology advisor, in a shake-up that will see Satya Nadella become CEO.
Microsoft said Gates, who founded the company in 1975, will devote more time to the company, supporting Nadella in shaping technology and product direction.
John Thompson, lead independent director for the board of directors, will assume the role of chairman of the board of directors and remain an independent director on the board.
Microsoft has named Satya Nadella as Chief Executive Officer effective immediately, after a five month long search to find Steve Ballmer's successor.
Nadella joined the compnay in 1992 and was charged with overseeing the company’s move to the cloud and the development of the cloud infrastructures that support Bing, Xbox, Office and other services.
“During this time of transformation, there is no better person to lead Microsoft than Satya Nadella,” said Bill Gates, Microsoft’s Founder
Nadella is the third person to lead Microsoft since Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded the company in 1975.
Technology companies have reached a deal that will allow them to tell the public in greater detail about the spying-related court orders they receive, the US Justice Department has said.
The agreement would settle demands from companies such as Google and Microsoft for more leeway to disclose data about the court orders.
Companies will now be able to disclose:
- The number of orders from the government related to criminal activity
- The number of orders from the government related to secret national security
- The number of orders from a foreign intelligence service related to secret national security
- If those orders covered just email addresses or further information
Microsoft is expected to drop the Windows 8 brand following user criticism since its high profile launch in 2012.
The operating system was tipped to secure the technology giant's place on the tablet market, but sales have been poor and customers have not responded well to its colourful tile interface and lack of many Windows staples, such as the 'Start' button.
An update, Windows 8.1, was released last year but the company is ultimately expected to scrap the brand for a new operating system, codenamed Threshold. It is expected that the replacement will simply be called Windows 9 when it is rolled out in 2015.
Respected Microsoft blogger Paul Thurrock wrote on his website: "To distance itself from the Windows 8 debacle, Microsoft is currently planning to drop the Windows 8 name and brand this next release as Windows 9. That could change, but that's the current thinking."


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Last week, news broke about Vodafone Group’s intention to exit Ghana’s telecom market to enable the service provider to re-focus on its key markets.
According to the report, the British telecommunication giant has agreed to offload 70 percent of its stake in Ghana’s operation to Africa-focused telecom company, Telecel Group, subject to regulatory approval by the Government of Ghana through the Ministry of Communications.
About the deal
Speaking to industry experts over the weekend, the deal, when successfully approved, will still have the Government of Ghana maintaining its 30 percent stake in the business.
It was also revealed that the transaction has been fully financed by Telecel.
A potential project of the sale of Towers could happen in the future to additionally develop the infrastructure of the company, as part of a bigger plan for infrastructure sharing to help commercial competitiveness in Ghana.
It is expected that Telecel Group will inject the much-needed investment into Vodafone’s operations (sources estimate that Telecel has provisioned an investment of 500 million USD), to service the service provider’s debt while providing CAPEX to support the technology development and innovation.
This would be for both mobile telephone and Fixed Broadband (FBB) services with an improved customer experience at the right price point. Network availability and reliability are important to seamless service and the investment to be provided by Telecel Group would support the network infrastructure and architecture for existing and new Vodafone Ghana customers, including consumers, corporates, government, and SMEs.
About the company taking over from Vodafone, Telecel
According to its website, Telecel is an Africa-focused telecommunication service provider and leader in the transformation of digital services.
It prides itself as a market disruptor with a wealth of experience from shareholders who have impacted the global retail industry and are poised to apply the same skills to impact positively the continent’s telecom market.
Not to mention that according to sources Telecel, in general, is close to large groups like Orange, Etisalat, Convergence Partners, Digital 9, and others of the same tier, and they sometimes work in partnership with them.
The Telecel Group operates in four different business lines within the telecom and technology industry. These include Telecel Mobile, which owns and operates several mobile operators in Africa and Europe.
Telecel Global Services provides wholesale, enterprise, and digital security services to telecom operators and enterprises worldwide, while Telecel Play is a digital platform that is digitizing mobile users’ experience.
The fourth in the business line, Africa Startup Initiative Program, supports innovative start-ups in Africa and offers them funding and guidance to the scale of which Ghanian startups have been participating and benefiting according to the latest news on the subject published recently in the media.
The Telecel Board is made up of experts in Telecom, Finance, and Digital services, with a large experience in leading positions in major companies, such as MTN, Vodafone, Orange, Google, and others; the chairman who is also the main shareholder comes from the Mulliez family, highly regarded in Europe as being the Rothchild’s of France.
Source: Nana Appiah Acquaye


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The world's biggest steel maker posted a sharp drop in 1Q net profit, announcing earnings of $11M compared with $1.069B for the same period a year ago.
Obama says people remember that Romney's stance was that Detroit should have been allowed to go through bankruptcy without taxpayer help.
U.S. chipmaker Micron Technology Inc. said Thursday it is in talks to acquire Elpida Memory Inc., which earlier this year filed for Japan's largest-ever manufacturing bankruptcy.
MSC Industrial Supply announced it has signed an agreement to create a first-of-its-kind certificate program with Tooling U, a leader in online training for the manufacturing industry.
A judge overturned a nearly $10,000 small-claims judgment against Honda that was won by a car owner who said the automaker misrepresented the gas mileage of her hybrid Civic, according to a ruling released Wednesday.
The head of the United Auto Workers union is disputing presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney's claim that he deserves credit for saving Detroit's automakers.
Nissan has broken ground on an engine plant in Decherd, Tenn., that is expected to create up to 400 jobs.
U.S. wholesalers increased their stockpiles 0.3 percent in March after seeing less growth in sales.
Boeing said it sold three 777s to Taiwan's EVA Air. The 777's list price is $298.3M, making the order for three of them worth almost $895M, though discounts are common.
Doubts about Europe's political and economic future drove prices down for a wide range of commodities Tuesday as worries persisted about future demand for everything from copper and oil to soybeans.
Rising car and truck sales have prompted Ford Motor Co. to add a week of production at 13 North American factories so the company can make another 40,000 vehicles this year.
Vehicle sales in China, the world's largest auto market, rose in April but are down for the year amid tighter credit and slower economic growth.
Toyota's quarterly profit more than quadrupled to $1.5 billion, and the automaker gave upbeat forecasts as it recovers from a sales plunge caused by the tsunami in Japan last year.
The pump and valve maker said acquisition costs helped the company swing to a loss in its first quarter, even as its newly acquired business helped boost revenue sharply.
Ford is adding 27,000 Windstar minivans from Virginia to a larger recall because the rear axles can crack and fail.
Wholesale baking company Hostess Brands Inc., has notified the state it may lay off more than 180 workers in Wisconsin as part of its plan to get out of bankruptcy.
It looks just like iRobot's Roomba vacuuming machine, except the new circular roaming vacuum cleaner from Sharp Corp. is trilingual, and even knows a hip humorous dialect.
BlackBerry maker Research in Motion Ltd. said it has hired two new senior executives, including a marketing chief, as the company looks to regain market share lost to Apple's iPhone.
The automaker said the approximately $30 million project will increase the annual assembly capacity of four-cylinder engines by more than 100,000.