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EXPORTS of Philippine goods grew at its fastest pace in more than two years in December, narrowing the country’s trade deficit to a six-month low amid a continued decline in imports, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported on Tuesday.
Preliminary PSA data showed the value of merchandise exports picked up by 21.4% annually to $5.74 billion in December — the fastest since July 2017’s 21.9% — compared to a revised 12.2% year-on-year decline to $4.73 billion recorded in December 2018.
December export figures drove the full-year tally to $70.33 billion, up 1.5% from the $69.31 billion in 2018’s comparable 12 months and surpassing the one percent growth target set by the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) for 2019.
Meanwhile, merchandise imports were valued at $8.22 billion in December, down 7.6% from $8.90 billion in the same month in 2018. Imports have been declining for nine straight months since April.
The import bill for 2019 amounted to $107.37 billion, down 4.8% from the $112.84 billion and falling short of the DBCC’s two-percent target set for the year.
This caused the trade-in-goods deficit in December to end at $2.48 billion from $4.17 billion in the same month in 2018. This was the lowest trade gap since June 2019’s $2.37-billion shortfall.
Cumulatively, the trade deficit reached $37.05 billion last year, smaller than the $43.53-billion gap in January-December 2018.
By commodity group, exports of manufactured goods — which accounted for 84% of the total overseas sales — grew by 19.2% to $4.82 billion. Exports of electronic products, which made up around 60% of total merchandise exports in December, rose 24.9% year-on-year to $3.44 billion. Semiconductors, which made up 76.8% of electronics, grew 31.8% to $2.64 billion.
Similarly, exports of petroleum products grew by 278.2% to $24.85 million, followed by those of mineral products (+80.2% to $365.03 million), forest products (+32.8% to $25.24 million), and agro-based products (+21.5% to $419.39 million).
On the other hand, declines were observed in the import of raw materials and intermediate goods (-19.9% to $2.62 billion), capital goods (-2.2% to $2.92 billion), and consumer goods (-1.8% to $1.37 billion). Among these commodity groups, only the imports of mineral fuels, lubricant and related materials grew, expanding by 6.5% to $1.26 billion during the period.
“The December 2019 export performance came from a low base back in the same period of 2018. This, however, also indicates a potential pick-up of exports, as trade perception improved with the potential signing of a US-China ‘phase one’ trade deal back in October 2019. This uptick is also consistent with manufacturing production growth improvements registered in January 2020,” UnionBank of the Philippines, Inc. Chief Economist Ruben Carlo O. Asuncion said in an e-mail.
“On the other hand, December 2019 import performance continued to be sluggish with a very slight improvement month-on-month. Note that imports have been challenged since December 2018 with its initial negative annual growth. This was aggravated by the non-passage of the 2019 budget that forced infrastructure spending to contend with a re-enacted budget,” he added, noting that infrastructure spending has fueled much of the growth in imports previously.
OUTLOOK FOR 2020
Economists expect exports to pick up and imports to recover this year, but also noted risks to this outlook.
Mr. Asuncion said the country’s export performance this year is “well anticipated to recover” as the phase one trade deal signed between the US and China last month is seen to help improve global trade sentiment.
“However, with the recent outbreak of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in the heart of China’s manufacturing hub and its various consequences (such as the Hubei Province lockdown, factory closures, tighter seaports and airports, etc.), trade with China… will be challenged until the virus outbreak is largely contained,” Mr. Asuncion said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Asuncion said merchandise imports are expected to “bounce back strong” given the timely passage of this year’s national budget and the approval of the extension of the 2019 budget’s validity until the end of 2020.
This assessment was shared by Security Bank Corp. Chief Economist Robert Dan J. Roces in a separate e-mail: “Recovery should take place faster as the fiscal budget for 2020 and 2019 operate simultaneously. Raw materials linked to construction activities will nudge the import side, while the electronics sector should see increased orders for exports on catch up activities.”
He said the trade gap for the first quarter of 2020 could be “substantially smaller… on the back of supply chain disruptions from the 2019-nCoV epidemic to reflect a general slowdown in activity.”
“The recent 25-basis-point cut by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas will also continue revitalizing investment activity that bodes well for capital goods imports and consumer durables,” Mr. Roces added.
Meanwhile, in a research note on Tuesday, Nomura Holdings, Inc. Chief ASEAN Economist Euben Paracuelles said he expects the country’s current account deficit to widen to 3.2% of gross domestic product this year from last year’s estimate of 1.2% despite the surprise narrowing in the trade-in-goods deficit in December.
“Our forecast remains underpinned by stronger domestic demand, particularly higher investment spending which, in turn, is led by a further roll-out of public infrastructure projects. This has been a key driver of import demand in recent years,” Mr. Paracuelles said.
Mr. Paracuelles also noted the pickup in electronic exports in December. “However, we believe that the coronavirus outbreak is throwing a spanner in the works and making the recovery of the electronics sector less certain.”
In a statement from the National Economic and Development Authority, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia on Tuesday stressed the need for the government to step up efforts against downside risks posed by health- and climate-related hazards that could affect the country’s trade sector.
“The impact of the novel coronavirus could escalate if plant closures related to the production of automotive and electronic parts negatively affect the country’s exports receipts as this accounts for about a third of the country’s outward shipments to China,” Mr. Pernia was quoted in the statement as saying. — Jobo E. Hernandez


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Grimes says she 'finally' has Covid and is 'weirdly enjoying' it.
The Canadian singer, real name Clare Boucher, took to Instagram to reveal that she had contracted the deadly disease but was doing ok.
Writing on Instagram, the 32-year-old shared the SZA song 'Good Days' and told her fans about her condition.
She said: "Finally got COVID but weirdly enjoying the DayQuil fever dream 2021."
At the time of writing, it was unclear whether or not her husband Elon Musk or their child X Æ A-12 had also contracted the virus.
But at least Grimes should be able to afford the best care possible after Musk became the richest person in the world.
The Tesla boss recently overtook Jeff Bezos as the wealthiest person on the planet.
The SpaceX CEO is now worth a stonking £138 billion ($188bn), pipping Amazon's Bezos to the post by a mere billion, according to Bloomberg's Billionaire Index.
Thanks to an increase in Tesla's share price on Thursday (7 January), Musk pushed past Bezos.
Reacting to the news on Twitter, the billionaire entrepreneur simply responded: "How strange. Well back to work."
Musk is pioneering space exploration, hoping to begin commercial travel outside the earth's atmosphere.
This is on top of his hugely successful electric car company Tesla, and it was announced last month that Musk's company was worth more than the seven other leading car manufacturers combined.
While Musk has made his billions from innovation in technology, Bezos has built the world's most profitable delivery company. What started out as an online bookseller became an e-commerce and multimedia giant.
It comes after Musk overtook Bill Gates as the second richest person in the world back in November last year.
At the time, the SpaceX CEO saw his fortune rise to $127.9bn (£95.8bn) pushing Gates, Microsoft co-founder, from second place.
Reporting on the change, Bloomberg claimed the move was thanks to a 6.58 percent rise in Tesla's shares, accounting for a $7.2bn increase.
Due in large part to the global coronavirus pandemic, and more of us relying on the platform than ever, Bezos has seen his net worth soar over the past year.
But it wasn't just about making money for Bezos.
The 56-year-old recently announced he was making a $10bn (£7.6bn) donation to help fight climate change.
Sharing news of his philanthropy, Bezos took to Instagram to explains why he was doing it.
Featured Image Credit: Instagram/Grimes
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A little more than a week ago, YouTube suffered a 10-minute outage. For a site that sees about 1bn unique visitors per month and about 100 hours of video uploaded every minute, 10 minutes of downtime affects a lot of users, not to mention the myriad of websites embedding its videos to support their own content.
Canada-based networking company Sandvine’s latest Global Internet Phenomena report – a half-yearly analysis of global internet traffic – tells us that YouTube accounts for 18.6pc of downstream traffic during peak periods in North America and, coupled with streaming service Netflix, accounts for more than half of the overall downstream traffic on fixed networks in this region.
This is not just a North American phenomenon. In the Asia-Pacific region, video accounts for 50pc of peak downstream traffic, and, in the UK and Ireland, Netflix already accounts for one-fifth of traffic on certain fixed networks in less than half the time it took to reach this milestone in the US.
Where there’s online traffic, there’s money to be made, and two Irish start-ups are poised to capitalise on the growing need to supply online video content for this voracious audience.
The video internet
“We’re predicting a rise of the ‘video internet’,” said Emily Duffy, marketing executive at VideoElephant. “The same way photos became mandatory on the internet, video is now becoming the new staple of online publishing.”
The analysts agree. Citrix ByteMobile forecasts that video will account for 55pc of all consumer internet traffic by 2016, while Cisco puts the figure at 69pc by 2017.
Dublin-based VideoElephant is prepared to fill any gaps in the video-led internet by aggregating content from top producers like AFP, Newsy, and Press Association, and licensing it to publishers who can then make money through pre-roll video advertising around this content.
These aren’t the embedded user-generated videos populating the internet through YouTube, they’re professionally produced videos to meet the standards of web publishers and news organisations finding it difficult to produce content of their own.
The VideoElephant website
Fast, flexible communication
Gráinne Barron, CEO and founder of ViddyAd, the ESB Spark of Genius Award-winning start-up that helps businesses create online video advertising in double-quick time, notes the reasons behind this shift from user-generated video to more polished content.
Firstly, it’s easier for companies to monetise videos they own. Secondly, it offers brands a captivating platform to compete for users’ attention. “There’s so much information coming at people, they don’t have time to read as much any more,” said Barron. “[Video] increases comprehension, and you can communicate a lot more, a lot faster, so it’s a no-brainer.”
Barron sees a natural evolution from text-based content, to an image-focused medium and, now, a video-led internet. What’s more, video advertising offers faster turnarounds and more flexibility than one might initially think.
In the past week, some schoolchildren in Florida made a video about the Typhoon Haiyan disaster in the Philippines. It was quickly produced using the ViddyAd platform and shared across the internet along with the company’s watermark, resulting in a surge in uptake of the service. This is just one small example of the power of viral content, even if your means of production are limited.
Barron also highlights the fact that video can be published, reworked and republished “in a matter of seconds”, meaning content managers can react to what’s topical and target markets more effectively.
Looking to the future, she envisages that video’s use will stretch far beyond even the confines of the internet. Instead of gluing posters to outdoor hoardings, advertisers will deliver video ads to connected video screens around the world. This movement is already showing promise in Asia, and Taiwan-based Digitimes Research estimates the global digital signage will be worth about US$25.4bn this year.
Gráinne Barron, CEO and founder of ViddyAd, making a pitch at the Dublin Web Summit 2013, where Viddyad won the Spark of Genius Award 2013. Photo by Daryl Fitzsimons
The benefits of adding video to a website have been well monitored. Research reports cite, at varying degrees, increases in time spent on the website and purchase intent when video content is included. What’s more, video content improves search rankings as the top search engines now index video and push these results to the front page.
It’s not just online publishers that need to start thinking about video; it’s any business trying to promote itself in the online space.
“It’s essential,” said Duffy. “There’s no excuse almost, at this stage; if you don’t have a product video on your website, you’re lagging behind.”
The key to online video content is to tell a story that drives engagement. Brands getting this right are Red Bull, Puma, Tipp-Ex and the Dollar Shave Club, though not every business can afford to make viral videos to match these brands, and that’s where third-party services and content come in handy.
According to both Duffy and Barron, people are now expecting video to appear in online content, and businesses need to recognise that to keep up.
A version of this article appeared in The Sunday Times on 24 November
Videographer image via Shutterstock


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A woman who stole a 'tester' bottle of perfume from Farmers in Hastings has been ordered to pay its full retail price, despite her lawyer's protests.
Flaxmere woman Renee Valentine, 29, was ordered by Judge Tony Adeane in the Hastings District Court on Wednesday to pay $100 in reparation to the store as a result of the October 28 theft.
Valentine's perfume bottle theft was only discovered two weeks later, when she went into the same store in an apparent attempt to raid the store again.
On November 10, Valentine picked up baby monitor and carried it around the store before picking up a black nappy bag, removing the paper packaging and placing the monitor inside.
Unbeknown to Valentine, her movements were being monitored by store staff via CCTV who approached her and arranged to hold the monitor and bag until she was ready to pay for them.
She told staff she would pay for the items, but left the store empty-handed.
Store security approached her outside where she became verbally abusive and walked away.
She was located by police later and the perfume from her previous visit was found in her bag. It was not able to be resold.
Judge Adeane sentenced her to 12 months' intensive supervision with full reparation of all items, including the perfume, and toiletries taken from Hastings New World in August, a total payment of $300.
Defence counsel Jerome Webby said the reparation sought was too high, because the tester bottle of perfume wouldn't have been able to be resold even if Valentine hadn't taken it.
Adeane declined Webby's request, labelling Valentine a "practised shoplifter" who had previous convictions.
"If you walk into a shop planning on pinching something you'll be going to jail," he said.
Farmers did not respond to multiple requests for comment about the case, and its policy around 'tester' bottle thefts.


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For Immediate Release
State of Minnesota
New State Tourism Director Aims to Move Minnesota into Top 10 Travel Destination
Explore Minnesota director and Governor Walz addressed tourism industry today during annual state tourism conference
ST. PAUL, Minn. (March 1, 2022) – Explore Minnesota, the state's tourism promotion office, kicked off its annual statewide conference today with remarks by Governor Tim Walz and Explore Minnesota director Lauren Bennett McGinty. Addressing hundreds of representatives from around the state, they shared a travel industry outlook for 2022 and new forward-thinking tourism strategies to rebound from $12 billion in travel spending losses since January 2020.
"Tourism businesses have faced tremendous challenges throughout the pandemic – yet they have remained steadfast in helping Minnesotans and visitors enjoy the beauty of our state," said Governor Tim Walz. "As Minnesota's tourism economy takes strong steps toward recovering, I look forward to working with Minnesota's tourism industry to continue working to make Minnesota a top travel destination."
Explore Minnesota also shared highlights from its annual report. Since the onset of the pandemic, Explore Minnesota has supported hundreds of Minnesota communities with more than $3 million in tourism crisis and recovery grants. The state's tourism businesses are recovering from pandemic impacts at different rates by sector and region. Some sectors, such as business travel, have been slower to recover, but according to a recent Minnesota tourism and hospitality industry survey, 39% of leisure travel businesses reported they were at or above pre-pandemic business levels, and demand for personal travel is expected to remain high in 2022.
"While we don't anticipate a complete return to pre-pandemic levels until late 2023 or early 2024, we are working our way back and anticipate stronger travel volume in 2022," said Lauren Bennett McGinty, state tourism director, Explore Minnesota. "Minnesota is a unique, four-season destination, and we have a major opportunity moving forward to position the state as a top 10 travel destination. After nearly two years of pandemic constraints, Explore Minnesota is ready to execute a new strategic direction to attract travelers from our state, around the country and across the globe who are eager to get back out, explore, and reconnect with the people and places they care about most."
Explore Minnesota Dreams Up New Strategies to Lure Visitors to the State
Set to debut this spring, Explore Minnesota's new summer marketing campaign, "Dream State," invites travelers to revisit the magic of travel again as the world continues to recover from the pandemic. The all-new marketing effort will convey a mystical view of some of the state's most popular attractions, targeting travelers from traditional markets like Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Colorado. New in 2022, Explore Minnesota will expand its reach further east and west in Missouri, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Montana, Wyoming and Utah. Some key markets include St. Louis, Chicago, Omaha, Denver, Milwaukee, Winnipeg and Thunder Bay. Explore Minnesota will also implement a new strategic direction, start diving back into national travel trade show opportunities, work to reintroduce international marketing tactics, and continue to expand its marketing footprint.
"The last two years have been challenging, but demand for travel is on the rise. While we can't forecast anything specific, we can be confident that we have a lot of exciting events like the 2022 NCAA Women's Final Four, 2022 MLS All-Star Game and 3M Open, and plenty of great ideas in place to build a bigger, bolder and brighter future for Minnesota's tourism industry," added Bennett McGinty.
About the Explore Minnesota Tourism Conference
The 2022 state tourism industry conference took place at the Sheraton Minneapolis West and included remarks from U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, as well as keynote speeches from local and national thought leaders, including Adam Sacks with Tourism Economics and Minnesota Gophers Head Football Coach P.J. Fleck. The annual conference aims to engage attendees with inspiring sessions about marketing, communications, destination development, and diversity, equity and inclusion and more. The one-day conference featured both in-person and virtual learnings for representatives of visitors bureaus and other tourism organizations; hotels, resorts and campgrounds; and a variety of attractions, such as museums, parks, zoos, malls and historic sites.
For more details about the Explore Minnesota Tourism Conference, including remarks and session recordings, visit exploreminnesota.com/conference.
About Explore Minnesota
As the state's tourism promotion office, Explore Minnesota works to inspire consumers and facilitate travel to and within Minnesota while pursuing an entrepreneurial approach and leveraging the state's tourism investment with increased involvement by the private sector. A council of tourism industry representatives connects Explore Minnesota with tourism businesses and organizations throughout the state. Tourism is a key sector of the state's economy, historically generating $1.0 billion in state sales tax on $16.6 billion in leisure and hospitality sales and employing nearly 275,000 workers in Minnesota's leisure and hospitality businesses.
Visit exploreminnesota.com, and share your sights with @exploreminn on Twitter, or @exploreminnesota on Instagram and Facebook, using #OnlyinMN.


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With its high price of 6,999 yuan ($974), and no major updates from the previous generation in terms of configuration and appearance, the iPhone 14 Plus has set records for the fastest price reductions in China, arousing lively discussion. National Business Daily learned from domestic e-commerce platforms that the price of the iPhone 14 Plus is generally about 500 yuan cheaper than on the official website, while the price of the standard iPhone 14 is generally about 200 yuan cheaper.
According to a report released by SellCell, the iPhone 14 series has not performed well in terms of value preservation. Specifically, the iPhone 14 Plus has the highest depreciation rate at 38.6%. In 2021, the depreciation rate of the iPhone 13 was only 18.2%.
On October 7, the iPhone 14 Plus was officially opened for sales in China. Shortly after that, it encountered price reductions on third-party sales channels, where it was about 400 yuan cheaper than on Apple’s official website. A similar situation occurred with the iPhone 14. On September 18, news that “scalpers are willing to sell iPhone 14 by paying 100 yuan extra” was a trending topic discussion on Chinese social media.
Apple’s official website shows that the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus are in stock, and consumers can directly pick up the goods at the store, or choose the delivery service. At present, pre-order figures of the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus are not ideal, while the Pro version continues to sell well.
Affected by these developments, the price/performance ratio of the Apple 13 series is becoming more outstanding. The latest research report from Counterpoint Research shows that after the launch of the iPhone 14 series, the price of refurbished or used iPhone 13 series has increased by an average of 11%, especially the prices of the Pro and Pro Max versions.
According to CITIC Securities, the amount of iPhone 14, 14 Plus, 14 Pro, and 14 Pro Max reservations accounted for 13%, 6%, 45% and 37% respectively, based on statistics of Apple stores in JD.com.
National Business Daily quoted a senior analyst at IDC China as saying that the sales of the iPhone 14 this time are far inferior to the iPhone 13 in the same period last year, mainly because upgradea are less important and not very attractive to users, and Apple has adjusted its follow-up production plan and will provide more Pro versions.
Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst at TF International Securities recently wrote on social media, “iPhone 14 Pro Max accounts for about 60% of the total order increase of Pro models, benefiting iPhone ASP/product mix for the fourth quarter this year. I think this result will encourage Apple to create more differentiation between iPhone 15 Pro Max and 15 Pro to raise 15 Pro Max shipments and enhance the iPhone product mix.”


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Two decades ago, two Cal State Fullerton students, Ted Vu ’02 (finance) and Scott Nguyen ’04 (entertainment art/animation), visited the first boba tea shops in Orange County. Boba tea had just made its way from Taiwan to Southern California, and lines of customers were snaking out the doors of these boba tea shops. Vu and Nguyen sensed an opportunity.
“We decided at that moment, we would start a tea company focusing on a wide variety of creative drinks and delivering an exceptional customer experience,” says Vu.
At 22 years old, with no business experience or financial credit, the high school buddies turned business partners wrote their plan as part of a writing course at Cal State Fullerton that would result in the opening of their first Tastea beverage store in Garden Grove on Sept. 15, 2001.
“We immediately started looking for a location, but every landlord turned us down,” Vu recalls. “We finally found a landlord who was so impressed by our business plan that he decided to give us a chance. However, no banks would approve us for a business loan so we took out private loans with our cars as collateral. With a lease secured and capital in hand, we opened our first location.”
Adapting to Challenges and Staying Relevant
Vu and Nguyen are no strangers to adapting to external challenges in getting their business off the ground and thriving.
Their initial grand opening day was the Saturday after 9/11, when the last thing on many Orange County residents’ minds was trying out a new beverage business.
The pair opened their second location at The Block in Orange in 2007, just before the Great Recession. The downturn resulted in a huge financial loss and eventual closure of the location.
And, like all food service businesses, Vu and Nguyen have had to adapt to the coronavirus pandemic.
Thankfully, Tastea, which now has 23 stores, including franchise locations, began investing in an online ordering app in 2019. That was just in time for the pandemic closures that began in March 2020. Contactless delivery and the installation of pickup windows at physical stores provided a lifeline through COVID-19 in the last year.
Nguyen and Vu encourage aspiring entrepreneurs to be innovative, but also to learn from the successes and failures of others.
“Get out there and do it. Not all ideas will work, but you just need one that will,” says Nguyen.
Says Vu, “Learn as much as you can and never stop learning. We continue to look at what our competitors do better than us and how we can improve. It’s how Tastea has remained relevant with the times.”
Read more about Tastea in the spring/summer 2021 edition of Titan Magazine.


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Enexra, which has developed a technology that can make solar cells less costly to manufacture, spent much of 2008 - and its $100,000 in angel funding - honing its product and continuing to expand its tech platform. Its technology allows for more efficient use of silicon in solar cells, and can also be used to improve the effectiveness of LEDs, flash drives, and semiconductors. But before the company can build it first manufacturing plant, it must find investors - and hopefully, some of those federal funds aimed at green technology development
"In a year or so we hope to capture the next big wave of renewable energy," says co-founder Christian Pfeffer.
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News and Articles About Outdoor advertising
Rob Whitehead, president and co-owner of Olympic Signs, talks about the sign industry and business insights.
'Only a real New Yorker can pull this off,' the airline teased on bus-shelter ads across the city.
The search giant is the first company in the world to rent out the football field-sized screen -- with a tenure that will last throughout the ever-critical holiday shopping season.
Outdoor billboard advertising is nothing new, today's top marketers are innovating they way they use experiential marketing to tell their brand stories.
Outlandish promotions are a staple at the annual convergence of interactive and web enthusiasts in Austin. Here are the highlights from this year's festival.
© 2017 Entrepreneur Media, Inc.


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Up until now in its 22 year history, E3 has only ever been open to members of the games industry, including those working in the games press. This year, for the first time ever, E3 will be open to the public. 15,000 public tickets go on sale on February 13th for anyone who has always wanted to attend the largest games industry event on the planet.
Early bird tickets sell for $150, but after those are gone you’ll need to pay the full price of $250 if you wish to attend. The tickets give attendees access to the show floor and panels, including the opening press conferences from companies such as Sony, Microsoft, and Ubisoft.
While the panels at E3 are interesting, at least from a developer point of view, the show floor is where the real action happens at the event. Developers set up consoles where attendees can play their games and get information from the people making them. For many this situation is a dream, being able to play content for their favourite games before they’re released, making them the envy of their friends and thousands of other people around the world.
The ESA has partnered with The Game Awards host Geoff Keighly, and will be giving attendees special benefits at their events programme. The ESA’s Senior VP of Communications Rich Taylor said that last year they received overwhelmingly positive responses from public attendees to E3 2016, resulting in the decision to open the conference to the public this year.
E3 received 65 billion media impressions last year, which is incredible for a week-long event. For as long as I’ve been interested in video games I’ve been tuning in until the early hours of the morning. Every year developers bring new and interesting projects to the table for the press, and public, to see for the very first time. Being able to see these games in person, and play them, would be a extremally exciting event for most of the gamers.
Usually there are a number of leaks in the weeks just before E3, which partially build up excitement for these games, and partially damages the press conference for the larger companies which were hoping to reveal them on the opening night. Should any games get leaked prior to this year’s show, it will surely only serve to make the event even more exciting for the public when they eventually enter the doors.


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September 18, 2015 |
NEW DELHI: India has taken the final decision to ban all animal testing of soaps and detergents, with an environment ministry committee taking the view in a meeting held late last month. Pushed actively by minister and animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi , the testing ban will soon be notified by the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP) and the commerce ministry. The decision on the animal testing ban was taken at a meeting of the Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CPCSEA)
September 14, 2015 |
KOLKATA: A leading body of plant and equipment manufacturers has sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention to withdraw a recent draft order proposing mandatory standards in making of stainless steel flat products. The Process Plant and Machinery Association of India (PPMAI), which counts the likes of Larsen & Toubro, Godrej , Thermax and Praj Industries among its members, said in a letter that the draft quality control order will discourage investment in key manufacturing sectors as quality rules under the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)
September 11, 2015 |
NEW DELHI: Indian environment management practitioners lack awareness about systems and tools to quantify greenhouse gas emissions even as climate changes are likely to impact agriculture in hilly and coastal areas, the Bureau of Indian Standards said today. "The projected changes such as increase in temperature and melting of glaciers are likely to influence agriculture in the hill and coastal areas. There is lack of awareness amongst the Indian environment management practitioners about the systems and tools to quantify greenhouse gas emissions and life cycle assessments," BIS said in a statement.
September 1, 2015 |
NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Urban Development has launched a Smart National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) model to enable seamless travel by different metros and other transportation systems across the country besides being used for shopping as well. Urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu has approved the 'EMV Open Loop Card with stored value' for this initiative. The government had earlier tied a similar model but had not succeeded. After than Naidu had set up a committee chaired by the additional secretary in the urban development ministry to find an inter-operable mobility card that can be used across different transport systems in the country and which can also be used as a credit/debit card as well.
August 27, 2015 |
NEW DELHI: Car sales are set to resume in Assam after the Gauhati High Court allowed the sale of vehicles that meet prescribed crash test and emission norms in the country, reversing an earlier ruling and bringing relief to carmakers including Maruti Suzuki India and Hyundai Motor India. "There cannot be any prohibition restricting registration and sale of four-wheelers with a mass of up to 1,500 kg and quadricycles that have undergone the crash and emission tests conforming to the requirements and standards set by the Bureau of Indian Standards ...and vehicles which have been certified by the statutory authority," the court said in an order on Wednesday.
August 13, 2015 |
MUMBAI: The Metal Containers Manufacturers Association (MCMA) today said the central government should review the proposed steel and steel products Quality Control Order which is likely to hit the trade severely. Under the proposed Steel and Steel Products (Quality Control) Order , 2015, government is set to bring several steel products under a mandatory Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) registration. "We have urged the government not to implement the proposed steel and steel products quality control order as it will jeopardise the quality of supplies, cost of production and make thousands of steel manufacturers sick," Federation of Associations of Maharashtra president Mohan Gurnani told reporters here.
August 13, 2015 |
NEW DELHI: The Bureau of Indian Standards' (BIS) quality control order on tin plates issued in April will affect India's metal packaging industry of around Rs 5,000 crore. The Draft Steel Quality Control order includes 'Cold Reduced Electrolytic Tinplate', an import component used in packing baby food, milk power, mango pulp, coffee among other edible and non edible items. Industry body Metal Container Manufacturers Association (MCMA) feels that the order, which will come into force by next month, needs to be reviewed as it will impact the metal packaging industry, which employs over a lakh people.
August 12, 2015 |
NEW DELHI: The government has proposed to issue quality control orders for three stainless steel products and 15 non-alloy steel products, which have a direct bearing on human health, Parliament was informed today. So far, the government has notified 15 steel products under two steel quality control orders, Minister of State for Steel Vishnu Deo Sai said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha. "Further, the government has proposed to notify two more quality control orders covering additional 16 non-alloy steel products and three stainless steel products, respectively," he added.
August 6, 2015 |
NEW DELHI: Food companies have said the product approval system should be restricted to new ingredients and novel items that don't have a history of safe use while criticising the functioning of the sector's regulators, saying it paved the way for an "inspector raj". The firms voiced concerns at a meeting last week called by the health secretary. It is learnt the meeting was called at the PMO's behest to resolve the "crisis" on product approvals sparked by the Maggi ban. It is understood the ministry of food processing, PMO and other ministries want issues related to food safety and standards to be resolved at the earliest.
August 5, 2015 |
NEW DELHI: The National Green Tribunal has directed the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) to convene a meeting of various stakeholders and propose a scheme for environment-friendly disposal of e-waste. A bench headed by Justice U D Salvi directed MOEF along with Central Pollution Control Board and Bureau of Indian Standards to hold a meeting within two weeks. "MoEF shall be the convener of the meeting and shall inform the concerned parties about the date and venue of the meeting at the earliest preferably within two weeks," the bench said.


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The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has directed a shoe outlet in Sector 17 to pay Rs 5,000 as compensation after it was found guilty of deficiency in services for failing to exchange a pair of shoes.
While passing the order,the forum ruled,The tendency on part of the shopkeepers not to refund the amount is so deep-rooted that no improvement is being made in their mindset to take into consideration the interest of the consumers,who are the backbone of their income, said the forum.
The forum has also directed the Reebok shoe outlet to refund Rs 1,797 besides Rs 1,100 as costs of litigation and the compensation.
Complainant Harpreet Kanwar,a resident of Sector 44,had purchased a pair of shoes from the outlet. On reaching home she discovered that a different-sized shoe was placed in the box.
This was reported to the shoe outlet,which asked the complainant to come after a few days and exchange the pair as the one she had selected was reportedly out of stock.
It was averred by the complainant that she visited the shop a number of times but in vain. Moreover,she was also not issued an exchange slip.
In its reply,a representative of the outlet said that Kanwar had purchased a pair of shoes of her own choice for Rs 1,797 during a summer sale,which was packed in her presence.
It was also denied that their employee had replaced the shoe or box. It was,however,admitted that when the complainant visited the store to exchange the shoe,she was told it was not available.
It was added that the complainant was requested to take back the amount of Rs 1,797,which she refused flatly.
The forum said that the contention of the outlet that they were ready to refund the amount but she refused to accept the same is devoid of merit.
It cannot be believed that the complainant was not willing to take back the amount of Rs 1,797 for which the shoes were purchased, said the forum.
The forum added that an exchange slip was also not issued so that the shoes may be returned as and when they receive the stock from the manufacturer.
The store officials delayed the matter for about eight months and ultimately the complainant filed the present complaint. Her contention is that besides the amount being retained which she was entitled to be refunded immediately,she has been deprived of morning walks for which she had purchased the shoes and secondly,her weight increased and her health deteriorated due to which she was felt mentally and physically harassed, the forum said.


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|Updated: 9/26/2013 12:25 pm
||Published: 9/26/2013 12:18 pm
A possible government shutdown could affect you in some unique ways, but it depends on which services you use.
We found out the mail will still be delivered, but you won’t be able to get a passport or VISA. As it turns out, buying some firearms could all be affected.
“You really can’t complain to the federal government,” Dave Saye with the USSA Shooting Academy says.
Even without a government shutdown, Saye tells FOX231 some firearms sales are already being affected due to delays.
“The NFA transfers, for example if you want to buy a legally registered machine gun, that process has gone from a transfer of about 90 days to anywhere from 9 months to a year.”
We’re learning other NFA items, including short-barreled shot guns and short-barreled rifles, are included in those delays that could grow with a shutdown.
And those delays, we discovered, can be very costly for dealers who can sell some guns for up to $20,000.
Saye says, “We get a 50% down payment on the gun and then the other 50% when the transfer is approved and that can take up to a year.”
But FOX23 found out your standard handgun sales won’t be affected and here’s why: the instant background checks done for those must continue to be done.
“Those employees are considered critical duty, just like air traffic controllers,” Saye explained. “They’re going to be there no matter what, that’s considered something that has to be in place.”
But once you get a gun, if you’re looking to get a permit to open or conceal carry, a government could stand in your way. Without anyone to run the background checks to approve the permits, that process could take a while.


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Google has announced that is shaking up how its suite of apps are distributed through Android in Europe.
The story so far
Way back in May 2015, the European Commission (EC) formally accused Google of using its dominance to bias search results, which was the result of a four-year investigation into the matter. Simultaneously, the EC revealed it was launching another probe into Android regarding the way it reportedly forced smartphone and tablet manufacturers to bundle some Google apps, including Gmail, Google Search, and Google Play, on Android phones. Europe filed formal antitrust objections against Google and Android in April 2016.
Google has long argued that manufacturers are free to do as they please with Android — and it is correct, because Android is released under an open source license. As we’ve seen, Amazon has used a forked version of Android on its Kindle Fire tablets through which it sets its own default apps. But doing so limits Amazon’s access to certain native Google apps, such as YouTube. In short, if a manufacturer wants to use Android and preinstall the aforementioned Google apps, it must use the whole suite — it can’t cherry-pick which ones it uses. If it wants to include Google Maps, Gmail, and YouTube, it has to include Google Play, Chrome, and Google Search as default too. This is what Europe deemed to be anti-competitive, and it is the exact same complaint that Google eventually lost out in Russia about.
An exclusive invite-only evening of insights and networking, designed for senior enterprise executives overseeing data stacks and strategies.
Fast forward to today, and Google has finally unveiled its solution to Europe’s complaints while it appeals its gargantuan fine: a new licensing model for manufacturers who wish to distribute phones and tablets in the European Economic Area (EEA) with its apps installed. For the record, the EEA constitutes European Union (EU) countries and a handful of other markets such as Iceland.
Starting from October 29, 2018, Google said it will now allow manufacturers to distribute Google apps on forked versions of Android in the EEA.
“We’re updating the compatibility agreements with mobile device makers that set out how Android is used to develop smartphones and tablets,” noted Hiroshi Lockheimer, Google’s senior vice president for platforms and ecosystems, in a blog post. “Going forward, Android partners wishing to distribute Google apps may also build non-compatible, or forked, smartphones and tablets for the European Economic Area.”
However, this will come at a cost. Google will now separate Google Search and Chrome from its other suite of apps, such as Maps, YouTube, Gmail and the Google Play store, and offer separate licenses for each “bundle” which it will charge for. However, it seems that manufacturers who do sign up to preinstall Google services such as Play, Gmail, Maps, and YouTube will be able to install Google Search and Chrome for free.
This fundamentally changes how Android can be distributed in Europe, as it gives manufacturers more options in terms of the default apps they install — they can make Bing and Firefox the default search engine and browser if they like, and still gain access to Google’s suite of apps, including the Google Play store. But they will have to pay for the privilege — how much is not clear, though.
Ultimately, this model is all about regaining revenue they may lose from no longer having as many Google Search and Chrome installations.
“Since the pre-installation of Google Search and Chrome together with our other apps helped us fund the development and free distribution of Android, we will introduce a new paid licensing agreement for smartphones and tablets shipped into the EEA,” Lockheimer added.
The theory always was that Europe could lead the way on Android’s great unbundling, and today’s news certainly indicates that is the case. But it is also worth noting that Google services are hugely popular, and many manufacturers likely won’t want to mess too much with the state-of-play on Android. But it does give them more freedom to monetize by developing their own app stores, for example, or securing more lucrative deals with other third-party players.
“We’ll be working closely with our Android partners in the coming weeks and months to transition to the new agreements,” Lockheimer continued. “And of course, we remain deeply committed to continued innovation for the Android ecosystem.”
VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact. Discover our Briefings.


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Global Chip shortages is now a big concern for many big companies. This shortage may shortly make some unanticipated associates in Japan. As per the report of Reuters, Nikkei sources privilege Sony and TSMC are seeing the joint manufacture of semiconductor workshop in Japan’s western Kumamoto Prefecture. TSMC would have mainstream control, as per the insiders, but the plant would function on Sony land near that firm’s image sensor workshop. According to a report, the Japanese government would seem to cover up to half of the $7 billion investment.
The joint workshop of Sony and TSMC for chip shortages
The workshop would efficiently deliver advanced chips for cars, cameras and several other purposes. Consequently, car parts giant Denso is hypothetically engrossed in this project. If the project moves onward, the workshop will be up and successively working by 2024. TSMC and Sony have deteriorated to comment, although TSMC formerly said it was vigorously analysing plans for an effort like this.
There is no such surprise as a joint workshop. Some experienced analysts presume the universal chip scarcity to last until 2023, which is why the demand also doesn’t proliferate earlier than expected. Though this will definitely help TSMC, SONY, and other large Japanese tech industries bounce back from the enormous chips shortage, not to declare superior steadiness. It could also assist as a verge-japan, TSMC and Sony wouldn’t have to concern about China-US rigidities frightening manufacturing in Taiwan.
The upcoming factory might be fully functional at the right time. Significantly associated and semi-autonomous cars should be more conventional by 2024, and there is no secret that cameras play a decisive role even in affordable smartphones. A brand new workshop could be vital to keeping these technologies on track.


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In his new role, Krieger will have the responsibility of building on the successes of Ford Group Philippines to further drive sales and market shares for Ford and Mazda vehicle nameplates onto new heights. This includes leveraging ASEAN regional assets and resources, overseeing the successful implementation of product programs, and driving the efficiencies of Ford's manufacturing operations.
"Randy's proven leadership and experience in the Asia region will be instrumental in helping continue to grow our business in the Philippines," said Peter Fleet, president, Ford ASEAN. "The Philippines is an important and vibrant market for Ford in the Asia Pacific and Africa region, and Randy will lead the continued implementation of our One Ford plan to deliver world-class Ford products and services to Philippine consumers, including the upcoming launch of Ford Fiesta."
As president of Ford Japan since 2006, Krieger has driven the successful restructuring of the operations and helped solidify Ford's domestic market position. Prior to his Japan posting, Krieger served as vice president of Marketing, Sales and Service at Changan Ford in Chongqing, China, where he played a central role in helping drive sales of Ford brand vehicles six-fold over a 30-month period. During this time, Changan Ford dealers increased from 26 to 150, and awareness of the Ford brand more than doubled.
Krieger joined Ford in 1986, and in addition to his postings in Asia Pacific, he has served in both Ford's North America and European operations in marketing, finance, and dealer operations roles. He is a graduate of the University of Mississippi, USA, and has a MBA in finance from the University of Memphis, Tennessee.
Rick Baker, who has served as president of FGP since 2007, has been appointed deputy general manager of Changan Ford Mazda Automobile (CFMA) in China, effective June 1.
During his time with FGP, Baker has been key in implementing the ONE Ford plan in the Philippines, during which time the company has delivered record sales as well as expanded its successful export program of Ford and Mazda vehicles to markets across the Asia region.
Baker began his career with Ford in 1977, and throughout his 30-year career he has made significant contributions in a variety of roles, including leading Ford operations in Indonesia, senior management roles in South Africa, Ford Japan and Ford Lio Ho in Taiwan, as well as serving as marketing manager for Ford's regional Asia-Pacific operations.


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BI’s Article search uses Boolean search capabilities. If you are not familiar with these principles, here are some quick tips.
To search specifically for more than one word, put the search term in quotation marks. For example, “workers compensation”. This will limit your search to that combination of words.
To search for a combination of terms, use quotations and the & symbol. For example, “hurricane” & “loss”.
A recent policy statement from the Federal Trade Commission on the collection of biometric information, such as fingerprints and retina scans, will put a national spotlight on the issue, which will likely lead to more litigation and regulatory action, experts say.
Previously, the focus of biometric liability concerns has largely been confined to exposures in Illinois, where the state’s 2008 Biometric Information Privacy Act has led to thousands of lawsuits against businesses and two state Supreme Court decisions.
Other states including Washington and Texas as well as cities such as New York, Baltimore and Portland, Oregon, have enacted biometric legislation, but the Illinois law, which permits a private right of action, remains the most stringent.
The policy statement issued by the FTC last month says the collection and use of biometric information may violate Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act, which bars unfair and deceptive acts and practices that affect commerce, and that it plans to scrutinize its use.
The FTC said the increased use of biometric information by companies raises significant consumer privacy and data concerns and creates the potential for bias and discrimination.
Observers say the statement extends what is considered biometric information beyond the parameters of BIPA to include, for instance, photos, which are explicitly not considered biometric under the Illinois law.
“It’s a useful document,” said Fredric D. Bellamy, a member of Dickinson Wright PLLC in Phoenix. The gist of it is to tell businesses to think harder about whether and how to use biometric data, he said.
Observers say they are worried, however, about what the policy statement means for employers.
The FTC is concerned with a broader set of biometrics than BIPA, which focuses on adequate releases or waivers and primarily warns about false claims associated with the unfair use of the information, said David E. Morrison, a principal with Goldberg Kohn Ltd. in Chicago.
The agency’s interest in the issue may lead to more robust enforcement actions throughout the United States, he said.
Kirk J. Nahra, co-chair, big data practice, with Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP in Washington, said in comparable situations where the agency has released policy statements, the FTC has subsequently issued notices of settlements.
After about 50 uncontested such cases, the agency will say “That’s the law,” and when challenged courts will essentially agree, he said.
Justin O. Kay, a partner with Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP in Chicago, said he is concerned about the ambiguity the policy introduces into compliance, pointing to its statement about requiring a “holistic assessment” of biometric data’s impact and functionality before its deployment.
The statement could open the door to new theories of what is unfair or deceptive in the collection and use of biometric data, he said.
Experts recommend approaching the issue of using biometric information cautiously.
Companies have an ongoing obligation to examine data collection processes and mitigate any potential risk, said Cobun Zweifel-Keegan, managing director of the Portsmouth, New Hampshire-based International Association of Privacy Professionals.
The first step is to “see if you really need” the biometric data and, if so, be sure any statements made “are absolutely true,” said Jenny L. Colgate, a member of Rothwell, Figg, Ernst & Manbeck P.C. in Washington.
Companies should be sure they have documentation on the claims they are marketing about technology designed to collect biometric data, said Tatiana Rice, senior counsel at think tank The Future of Privacy Forum in Washington.


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Created: January 08, 2021 06:30 PM
(ABC 6 News) - Distilleries that produced hand sanitizer during the pandemic were originally notified by the FDA they would be forced to pay a fee of over $14,000, but that has since been rescinded.
For businesses like Harmony Spirits, turning to hand sanitizer was a win-win situation. It allowed them to continue to sell a product while the distillery's doors were closed and also gave them a chance to help people get access to something that was hard to find: hand sanitizer.
"It was pretty happening in April and March with the sanitizer business and that was pretty much it. We had kind of a two month boom where we had a lot of activity and it was hard to find containers," Harmony Spirits' Jim Simpson said.
But when the FDA started telling small distilleries they would be facing a fee over $14,000, it was confusing. The distilleries were helping.
However, the fees have been waived, which is a financial relief for small business owners. Now that hand sanitizer is not as scarce, Harmony Spirits is looking forward to the day they can open without limits and get back to what they're truly passionate about.
"That's not our thing here. We're here to make fantastic spirits, not hand cleaner. We were glad to help in a tight spot but definitely not what we want to be doing on a regular basis," Simpson said.
Copyright 2021 - KAAL-TV, LLC A Hubbard Broadcasting Company


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PayPal, the venerable payment platform of more than 192 million users, has just made it easier to part with your hard-earned dollars. On Thursday, the firm announced integration with Apple’s Siri voice assistant on iOS, allowing overeager iPhone and iPad owners to send money to their friends via voice.
It’s quite intuitive. You can request money from that fickle roommate who always seems to disappear come rent time by getting Siri’s attention — “Hey Siri” — followed by a simple command: “request $50 from Bob using PayPal.” Conversely, you can send some spending money to your second cousin whose birthday you forgot by saying, for example, “send $50 to Julia using PayPal.” Your context doesn’t even have to be that perfect — as long as you include the word “PayPal” in your command and the payer or payee inhabits your contact list, Siri will handle slang and shorthand without complaint. “PayPal John $5” and “Pass Alan $11 with PayPal” will work just as well as the more formal commands.
And recipients needn’t use PayPal. When you send them cash, they’ll receive an email with links to login to an existing account or create a new one. Once they click either and attach a bank account, they’ll have the option of withdrawing the funds.
The new feature is rolling out to users in more than 30 countries, PayPal said, including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, and the United States. The list of supported languages includes French, Dutch, English, Finnish, Cantonese, Hebrew, Malay, Arabic, German, Italian, and Arabic.
The new Siri integration comes as mobile transactions grow. PayPal said that, last year, it processed $41 billion in peer-to-peer payments. And it expects that number to grow: in December of this year alone, it’s projecting more than 17 million PayPal users will send funds to and request money from one another.
PayPal is not the first money-transferring app to support Siri. Square Cash and Monzo, a U.K. bank, actually beat it to the punch.
And PayPal is far from the first to tap Siri. As part of iOS 10, the latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system, the iPhone maker introduced third-party Siri integration. It works with six categories of applications — ride booking (e.g., Uber), messaging (Vine), photo search (Google Photos), workouts (Fitbit), VoIP calling (Skype), and payments — and it operates seamlessly, for the most part. Siri takes care of the heavy lifting where speech is concerned, handling voice recognition and the interpretation of verbalized queries. And it provides a means for apps to reply to responses with a rich user interface: WeChat, for example, shows an inline preview of the message you’re about to send.
Taking advantage of PayPal’s new integration is as easy as updating to the latest version of the iOS app.
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Founded within Twitter in 2013 and “ short image”, Vine was once very popular all over the world. Afterwards, he could not agree with the content producers within his body and left them. lost in the dusty pages of historyVine’s seat is occupied by Instagram and TikTok these days.
Dom Hoffman, who came up with the idea of Vine and can be called the founder of Vine, announced that he is working on a new project. But this project is a little different from the previous ones.
NFT video games
Hoffman, using Blockchain technology NFTs is planning to make video games. Pacman
Hoffman, who plans to produce NFT cartridges for classic games such as and Asteroid, plans to run these cartridges and make them playable through a software to be installed on the computer.
Supdrive for the Blockchain game console. On Discord channel, explaining that these game cartridges will be sold as NFT and “ finite number” will be produced. Although the founder of Vine initially plans to sell cartridges for known games, in the long run it will only be console specific said that he wanted to produce games and that he had started the necessary studies in this regard.
Hoffman also divided the owners of this Blockchain console into cadres, just like in Pokemon games. The reason for the formation of these groups consisting of red, green and blue colors is different. Users in each squad can play games on their NFT cartridges. will play in different states and will try to earn points for their squad. Users who have already joined different teams are on Reddit. they have already started to talk to each other.
When the games will be released, how many will be sold and their prices are currently unknown.


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TOKYO: Japanese digital currency exchange Coincheck suspended deposits and withdrawals after record-breaking $534 million theft through a hack was discovered.
Hackers penetrated the Coincheck network accessible through internet called “hot wallet”. The network breach came in at 02:57 AM Japan Time on Friday, (10:57 PM Pakistan time on Thursday).
A Coincheck statement informed that the breach was discovered around 8 hours later. Coincheck is currently assessing the loss while trading only in Bitcoin. Transactions in all other currencies remain suspended until further notice.
The company also stated that they have traced the digital footprint of this hack and will be pursuing the case. They stated that all in power will be done to compensate the affected.
Coincheck chief operating officer Yusuke Otsuka speaking in a presser revealed that 532 million NEMs were sent from Coincheck account. NEMs are currently the 10th largest crypto-currency used in the cybersphere.
World Record of Digital Currency Theft
MtGox was the largest hack since 2014 until the latest NEMs theft. Tokyo based digital currency exchange had lost US dollar 400 million. The current hack now holds the world record for the largest digital currency theft in the history.
Japanese Law on Digital Currency Theft
A system was introduced in Japan after 2014 MtGox hack to keep digital currency exchanges in check. Experts are of the view that now that the digital world echoes of another large-scale hack, the response from Japanese regulatory authorities might adopt a stricter policy. The only hurdle in the say is a high level of trade in crypto-currencies within the country.
What is Digital Currency Exchange?
A digital currency exchange or a crypto-currency exchange is a marketplace allowing trade between virtual currencies such as Bitcoin and conventional money such as United States Dollar (USD). The companies are allowed trading in all directions such as conversion from; Bitcoin to USD, USD to Bitcoin, Bitcoin to other crypto-currencies and vice versa.
Where do NEM and Choincheck stand?
NEM is the 10 largest crypto-currency currently at the rate of 1.05 NEM for 1 USD. The currency stands stable after the hack. Choincheck on the other hand yet to determine its loss after the incident. Located in Tokyo Coincheck had 71 employees until August 2017.


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You suffer an online attack and your data is compromised; it’s pretty bad. Maybe you didn’t have the proper precautions, and you get fined too. That isn’t exactly a whole heap of fun. But – and I hate to bear bad news of a Monday – the worst part of a cyber attack, argues Information Commissioner Christopher Graham, is the bit that comes after that; because a good reputation is priceless, hard to build up, and very easy to lose.
Businesses should probably listen up, because this man has got the power – he can hit them with a fine of up to £500,000 if they step outside UK data protection laws. A couple of weeks ago he told BBC 5 Live’s Breakfast programme that the real damage of a breach is done to a brand’s image, so they must make sure they’re protecting themselves, and their customers’ data: “[Online data breaches are] going to go on and on and on until businesses wake up and realise that personal information is not their play thing.”
He explains: “It’s our information, it needs to be protected and the brands that get it wrong will trash their reputation – that’s the real threat for the eBay’s and the Sony’s of this world… [Civil monetary penalties are] not the real hit. The real hit is reputation, the real hit is the brand.”
His comments follow eBay’s massive attack last week; which was was pretty embarrassing, took them ages to rectify, and forced them to email all their customers telling them to change their passwords. Aw-kward. Graham said there wouldn’t be any decision about penalising eBay until a full investigation takes place; but he’s mentioned Sony’s £250,000 fine, so that’s not looking unlikely in this instance too.
A recent IBM survey looked at over 2,300 business continuity specialists and IT security practitioners, spanning 20 industries and 37 countries. Participants were asked to look at a list of six common threats and six common categories of costs. Human error came out as the number one most likely common threat, but reputation and brand damage was identified as the ‘single largest potential cost’. And it’s not surprising. With the eruption of social media, and the increasing demand for transparency, nowadays there’s nowhere for a bad reputation to hide. And whilst that’s fine for rock stars, it’s a killer for businesses.
Part of the problem is lack of awareness; the study also found that around two-thirds of those surveyed reckoned their leaders didn’t realise that disruptions could cause knock-on damage to their reputation and brand image.
But even worse, is that sometimes when businesses do realise the consequences, it stops them reporting breaches. A report by the Office of Cyber Security and Information Assurance (OCSIA), looking more closely at the cost of cyber crime in the UK, found that the “potential for reputational damage is inhibiting the reporting of cyber crime”. Labour shadow defence secretary Vernon Coaker is trying to stop this, and called for the next strategic review of defence policy to put more focus on the growing threats of cyber-crime. This would also mean that businesses that are victims of cyber-crime have to disclose breaches; providing the opportunity to learn from the mistakes of others, and helping customers to know where they stand.
So, leave bad reputations to the rock stars, and keep yours intact by having a strong security strategy (even if only because ALLITERATION!). If you have any worries about the security of your solution with UKFast, give us a call on 0208 045 4945 or contact your account manager.


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State Police Ask For Help Identifying Walmart Shoplifting Suspect
The New Jersey State Police are asking for your help.
In Cumberland County police are asking for help in identifying a man who is suspected to have shoplift from a local Walmart.
The Walmart in question is located in Upper Deerfield Township and the occurrence happened on Sunday afternoon April 15th.
The suspect was captured on video camera footage from the Walmart and was seen placing numerous items into a shopping bag. Police say the footage then captured him leaving the Walmart without paying for any of the items.
The State Police have described the suspect as a white or Hispanic male, wearing a red hooded sweatshirt and a black coat on top.
If you or someone you know have any information on this you can call State Police Bridgetown at 856-451-0101.
More from SoJO:


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The 10-year battle between Connecticut's two largest companies over a $336 billion portion of the commercial jet market will heat up in mid-July.
At the Farnborough International Airshow starting July 9 in the United Kingdom, Fairfield-based General Electric and Hartford-based United Technologies Corp. will announce the orders for their next generation of engine for the most popular commercial airplane.
"It is an interesting battle," said William Storey, president of Virginia aerospace intelligence firm Teal Group. "It is where the majority of the engine dollars will be for the next 30 years."
Both GE Aviation and UTC subsidiary Pratt & Whitney of East Hartford have developed new engines for narrowbody airplanes — single-aisle aircraft that comprise the bulk of airlines' fleets. GE and Pratt's engines are touted to save at least 15 percent on fuel costs, but the two companies must fight for customers to prove their engine is the better of the two options.
Between 2012 and 2021, GE, Pratt and their partners will split $336 billion in expected new engine orders. Over the entire generation of this engine — expected to expire around 2030 — the market potential is $500 billion.
"There's a lot of money there," Storey said. "The players make out pretty good in all the scenarios."
Pratt's engine in this battle is a version of its much celebrated geared turbofan, called the PurePower commercially. The technology offers aerodynamic improvements, where a smaller core is needed to provide thrust. The company claims the engine will produce double-digit reductions in fuel use and environmental emissions, as well as a 50 percent noise reduction.
GE's engine is the latest version of its LEAP technology. The engine offers a split between aerodynamic and thermodynamic improvements, where a smaller core provides thrust while offering a more efficient compressor to burn less fuel. The Fairfield company claims this engine will provide reductions of 15 percent fuel use, 50 percent in environmental emissions, and 10-15 percent in noise reductions.
"Performance is no good if you don't deliver it," said Bill Brown, marketing general manager for CFM, which is GE's partnership in the LEAP technology. "People talk about performance, but reliability is what matters."
Over the life of this generation of engine, the market is expected to need between 20,000-30,000 new narrowbody planes, leaving possibly 60,000 engines up for grabs.
The majority of narrowbodies sold will be made close to evenly between Boeing of Seattle and Airbus of France, said Storey. Other airplane manufacturers will take the remainder of the market, such as Bombardier of Canada, Irkut of Russia, and Comac of China.
GE already won an early part of the battle as Boeing agreed to make the LEAP the only engine available for its 737MAX narrowbody. The LEAP also is the sole source engine for the Comac narrowbody plane.
"That is the first win," Brown said. "Can you convince an experienced airframer that you have the best engine?"
GE has racked up 2,470 engine orders on those two agreements with Boeing and Comac, selling their engines to customers such as American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and Air China.
Pratt's PurePower is the sole source engine for Bombardier and Irkut narrowbodies. The East Hartford company has racked up more than 1,500 engine orders from these two contracts.
The bulk of the fight will be over the Airbus narrowbody, the A320neo. Airbus is letting its customers choose the engine, leaving Pratt and GE to go directly to the airlines to sell the PurePower and LEAP.
"If both engines meet their performance targets, they will split that market 50/50," Storey said.
GE has secured 1,156 engine orders for the A320neo, compared to Pratt's 976.
For every engine sold for the Airbus A320neo, GE splits the proceeds evenly with its partner, French engine designer Snecma, as it does with every LEAP sale. Pratt will keep 59 percent of its A320neo engine sales while giving 23 percent to Japan Aero Engines Corp. and 18 percent to German manufacturer MTU Aero Engines AG.
At Farnborough starting July 9, both GE and Pratt will make announcements regarding sales of their narrowbody engines. The deals have been in the works for several months, but Farnborough is where the companies make the announcements. Each year's major airshow flips between Farnborough and Paris; last year Paris yielded several billion dollars in engine contract announcements.
"Farnborough is definitely really important to us," said Katy Padgett, spokeswoman for Pratt. "It is a consolidated time period to have a lot of meaningful conversations."
Pratt will have a leg up because its engine is expected to be in-service by fall 2015 while GE's engine won't be ready for service until 2016.
With this head start, Pratt has more testing completed and can provide potential customers with more proof the technology will fulfill its fuel, environmental and noise promises, Padgett said.
"We have real engines that are performing the way we are expecting them to perform," Padgett said. "We have the advantage of having all that test data."
The market sees GE as having a bigger technological challenge to reach their performance promises with the thermodynamic and aerodynamic improvements, Storey said. If GE can't meet its performance promises on the Boeing 737MAX, then the market for the A320neo will slide toward Pratt.
GE sees the extra time as a chance for further testing of its engine, Brown said. Pratt won't drastically outsell GE in the first six months in a battle that will last a generation.
"It gives us more time to bring the engine out and finesse it," said CFM spokeswoman Jamie Jewell.
GE has put out 10 variations of the LEAP engine for the last 20 years, giving the Fairfield company an opportunity to build on its past technology to perfect it for the future, Brown said.
"The success of the LEAP engine is not determined as much as what will happen by 2016, but by what you have done in the 15 years before it," Brown said.
Despite the appearance that Pratt and GE are having a huge battle for A320neo engine orders, the companies will both make out over the next 10 years, even if one ends up with a lopsided 60 percent of the $336 billion pot.
"It is more of a friendly rivalry, and colleagues in an industry we are both pretty successful," Brown said.


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Washington: Partnerships between tyre companies and biotechnology firms have led to the development world’s first ‘green’ tyres made from sugar.
Though the new bio-based tyres are first produced as prototypes, motorists may be driving on them within the next few years.
The key raw materials for the ‘green’ tyres are obtained from sugar rather than petroleum or rubber trees.
The development appears in the current edition of Chemical and Engineering News (C and EN), the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, the world``s largest scientific society.
C and EN Senior Business Editor Melody M. Bomgardner explained that tight supplies and high prices for the natural rubber and synthetic rubber used to make tyres — almost 1 billion annually worldwide —are fostering the drive toward renewable, sustainable sources for raw materials.
Petroleum, for instance, is the traditional source for raw materials needed to make tyres, with a single tyre requiring almost 7 gallons of oil. But changes in oil-refining practices have reduced supplies of those raw materials.
The article describes how companies like Goodyear and Michelin have teamed up with biotechnology firms to genetically engineer microbes that produce the key raw materials for rubber from sugar.
Goodyear’s partner Genencor, for example, is making microbes that mimic rubber trees’ natural processes to make latex rubber. Goodyear has already produced prototype tyres with rubber made from sugar.
Bomgardner explained that companies hope sugar will buffer them against future shortages of natural and synthetic ingredients, with “sweet” tyres making a debut within 3-5 years.
The development has been in the current edition of Chemical and Engineering News.


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Tiffany Haddish’s inspiration for her Met Gala look was ‘pimperella’, she said on the red carpet at the annual event on May 6! Her ‘over the top’ pantsuit, by Michael Kors, consisted of 57,000 sequins!
Serena Williams always plays by her own fashion rules! The tennis star brought a sporty flare to her Met Gala look on May 6! Serena stunned in a yellow Versace dress with sheer butterflies, and she wore neon yellow Nike’s!


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Fashion Week 2012 just wrapped up, and I always love the opportunity to lose myself in the fantasy world of haute couture for just one short week. This year it was Vivienne Westwood’s steampunk-inspired collection, the ethereal draping of Carlos Miele’s clothes, the op-art, mod-inspired fashion of Marc Jacobs, and the punk-rock gypsy aesthetic of Anna Sui (always a favorite of mine) that made my heart race. Even the shoes worn by audience members this year were so unreal, that if the pictures weren’t shot by my heart, Bill Cunningham, I would have assumed they were photo-shopped. (I want five inch yellow Prada shoes with flames shooting out of them, NOW daddy!!)
But while the fashion press focused intently on the genius of these designers, as well as the important faces in the audiences that ran the gamut from Anna Winatour to Kim Kardashian (ugh), very little was mentioned about the fire in Pakistan at a textile industry that killed more than three hundred workers. Supposedly (and I’m sure more information will be revealed as the investigations move forward), the factory employers locked the doors of the factory to prevent the workers from stealing the jeans they were making. And what is even more shocking is that this factory was declared as safe by monitors working with Social Accountability International, which is a nonprofit monitoring group largely financed by corporations. And of course, despite finding a pair of Guess jeans and other brand-name labels in the wake of the fire, producers, including Guess, are denying that their jeans were made there.
Is it ironic that as I’m reading this article on the fire, which killed more than twice as many workers as the famous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in 1911, a gorgeous advertisement of a beautiful model wearing layers of bracelets and a glittery sequin top for the brand Armani flashes across the screen? The fashion industry in a nutshell—beauty and fantasy, alongside tragedy.
What this reveals is obvious: the need for more transparency in the design process, and for more sustainable labor practices. As long as those who make the clothes are not given a face, people—the designers, the fashion editors, the consumers—will continue to look the other way. A recent article in The New York Times documented the fashion industry’s “25 key players,” which included the founders of the globally-influenced retail store Opening Cermony, Vogue editor Anna Winatour, and my personal favorite, ‘I got famous for a sex tape and now my face is plastered on every freaking ad on every website that Nadia visits’ Kim Kardashian (UGH). And where are the textile workers in this list? I find this more than a little ironic considering that the haute couture industry defends its high price tags on the basis of its ‘fine’ craftsmanship and supposedly fairer labor practices (though it’s recently been revealed that the ‘made in Italy’ label is kind of a sham-those who labor in these Italian factories are often Chinese migrants exploited by their employers). Shouldn’t they be proud to reveal the names and faces of their workers who help make their dazzling shows a reality?
There are two main issues at play here. First, the fashion industry, with its reputation for glamour and beauty, doesn’t want to be bogged down with the gritty reality of the exploitative labor it employs. Many designers are considered artists, and artistry and labor politics don’t exactly mix well. Secondly, the transnational nature of the fashion industry makes it difficult to find any particular person or system entirely culpable. As the fire in Pakistan reveals, regulations are difficult to enforce in an industry that stretches across multiples nations, means of labor, and forms of presentation. Perhaps that’s why when 29 people were killed in a factory fire that produced Tommy Hilfiger clothing last year in Bangladesh, no one blinked an eye when Hilfiger himself was chosen just one month later as the fashion consultant for American Idol, giving style advice to irritated-looking contestants. After all, he couldn’t have known that his factories were shady, right? If he did … he would have done something about them, right? Sometimes, the worst crimes committed are the ones that happen when we aren’t forced to ask questions.


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Bethlehem officials approved the construction of more than 4.7 million square feet of warehouse space on former Bethlehem Steel Corp. land in the past two years.
Only 800,000 square feet of it, however, has a tenant.
And another tenant-less 677,000 square feet may be on the way.
TCNE Acquisitions, of West Conshohocken, Pa., has submitted plans to the city for a new warehouse in Lehigh Valley Industrial Park VII, along Route 412 at Commerce Center Boulevard. Like five of the six warehouses to be proposed before it on the former Steel land, it’s being planned without a tenant.
Bethlehem-based Liberty Property Trust was the first company to propose a prospective warehouse on the site. The company has completed construction on a 1.2 million-square-foot warehouse and has approvals for another 800,000-square-foot facility but has yet to line up tenants.
Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan said TCNE Acquisitions’ interest in a fifth prospective warehouse at the site shows there’s a strong market for it. The company hopes to start construction on its $35 million project in May, Callahan said.
“It’s a great vote of confidence in that site,” he said. “The market is going to dictate the supply and demand of these things.”
TCNE Acquisitions didn’t return a call for comment on this story. When TCNE met with Bethlehem officials, the company said it felt comfortable constructing the building without a tenant because the warehouse market is at about 95 percent capacity, said Darlene Heller, Bethlehem’s planning and zoning director.
Liberty’s 1.2 million-square-foot and TCNE’s 677,000-square-foot warehouses also will appeal to two entirely different-sized distributors, Callahan said. Bethlehem’s Ashley Development Corp. also has city approvals to build a 176,400-square-foot warehouse at LVIP VII, and a 1.75 million-square-foot warehouse was approved for the adjacent Majestic Realty Co. site in January.
Majestic doesn’t plan to build its warehouse until it secures a tenant, Callahan said. Majestic is home to the site’s only occupied warehouse, Crayola’s 800,000-square-foot distribution center.
Bethlehem city council candidate Stephen Melnick has raised the issue of whether Bethlehem is doing enough to attract nonwarehouse development as part of his campaign. He said while the market is obviously dictating a need for warehouse space, the city also should be working to attract manufacturers, who tend to pay more than distributors.
“From a city point of view, some effort should be made to attract other types of uses … rather than sit back and let distribution centers dictate the whole thing,” Melnick said.
Callahan contests Melnick’s statements. The LVIP VII and Majestic sites are split to have warehousing in the back and office and retail uses in the front along Route 412, Callahan said.
With Route 412 currently being widened, it doesn’t make sense that any new buildings would be proposed along the road until the project is done, Callahan said. LVIP VII has already had a wide variety of uses on its land off Emery Street, where 11 companies host 2,400 jobs, Callahan said.
“That whole site is so massive it can be a bunch of different things,” Callahan said.


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Smoking and other tobacco use isn't likely to die out anytime soon in the U.S., but it's edging closer in that direction. The rate of smoking among U.S. adults fell to 15 percent in 2015, according to the Centers for Disease Control and prevention.
The adult smoking rate was 17 percent in 2014, according to the CDC. The decline between 2014 and 2015 was the largest drop in the nation's smoking rate in more than 20 years.
The usual yearly drop is by a percentage point or less.
So what does this mean for America? One likely result is for is smokers and other tobacco users to take the latest in an ongoing series of financial hits. An increase in the prices of tobacco products is likely.
Tobacco producers will have fewer people using tobacco, but they still need to meet their necessary revenue levels to operate profitably. One way to accomplish that is to increase the costs of what they are selling to make up the difference.
Smokers and other tobacco users have been taking double hits for years, with both the retail costs of their products of choice and the taxes on those products increasing.
States and other taxing entities have used tobacco products as an easy way to increase tax revenue while offending the lowest number of taxpayers. Annoying 15 percent of adults with a tax hike is easier than a broader tax that would annoy a majority of people.
So what's going to happen? Some tobacco users enjoy the products so much they will be willing to pay higher prices for them.
Others might not be so willing, but they are trapped by their nicotine addictions and will continue to, pardon the pun, cough up the money for their habit.
And a few of them will combine wanting to lower their chances of dying with the financial straw that broke the camel's back - again, please pardon the pun - and give up smoking, dipping or chewing.
If tobacco habits are dwindling, the only smart thing for those who produce tobacco products and those who tax them to start thinking now about what they will do when tobacco use drops even lower.
The taxing entities should realize the tax dollars they reap from tobacco sales will continue to dwindle and someday will stop. It's up to them to plan how they will make up for the revenue loss.
The tobacco companies and growers should think about how they are going to make a living when tobacco sales have trickled down to almost nothing and eventually stop.
It's their responsibility to make the changes. They shouldn't plead for something like a government bailout when the time comes. The tobacco farmers need to plan about what other crops they might grow.
It's good news that more Americans are making healthier decisions and stopping their tobacco use.
Even so, tobacco products will still be sold for many years. But it's pretty obvious they will end at some point.
And now is the time for those who make money from them to start thinking about what they are going to do after that.


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linkedin.comNike Town, which officially opened Saturday at the Triangle Square in Costa Mesa, is the latest attempt in blending retail with street culture. It is part of a series of high-end stores opening in large urban areas across the U.S. where Nike is establishing itself in an emerging trend of urban outdoor sportswear. The Swoosh logo, which can be found on everything from golf balls to soccer jerseys, is destined to be a symbol of streetwear. It has already drawn comparisons to the branding of Apple, with the company’s desire to create a void for itself in a saturated market that is fast becoming a global phenomenon.
Nike chose Costa Mesa to open Nike Town. This is because it’s a good fit with its target demographic of young people, who are more environmentally conscious and want to shop and drink in places that aren’t surrounded by large signs. Sources familiar with the company’s demographics say that the average age of Nike’s Costa Mesa outlets are just slightly over 20 years. The highest concentration of Nike outlets is located in or near college students. According to previous employer IDS Management Consulting, a major global consulting firm, Nike relies on young people “to drive growth”.
The brand has many options to reach this group. It is now a popular choice for college students, such as frilly sports jerseys. It also has its own line of sandals, for children, men, and women. Nike’s strategy is to make use of its association with college athletes like Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan into a media strategy that extends beyond their footwear and clothing. In the case of Nike Town, this translates into young people having a place to purchase casual clothing that resonates with the sports stars they admire and respect.
Both Nike representatives and retailers praise the educational approach to marketing, especially on college campuses. Retailers are looking to target students as a market because they are the largest spenders in the school system. Students are more likely to shop at the outlets on campus if they have access to special promotions and price reductions during holidays.
Just as there is a need for Nike Town among college students, there is also a strong need in the retail sector for outlets that have an affinity for the younger generation. After all, these workers are less likely to unionize and will be open to hiring young inexperienced workers with no established work ethic. With this in mind, businesses must also do their best to recruit from underrepresented groups within society. By creating employment opportunities for underrepresented individuals and giving them a fair shot at success, companies will not only boost morale and lift their overall economy, but they will also start to develop relationships with communities that may be otherwise difficult to gain access too.
In the event you adored this short article in addition to you would want to get details with regards to vouchers and promotions on sporting goods (xabpty.com wrote) i implore you to go to the page. The Nike Town project is part of a nationwide effort by various companies to improve the way their companies treat their workers. By investing in retail outlets that appeal to the younger generation, Nike is hoping to create more good-paying jobs in areas that need it the most. Many teenagers live in neighborhoods where high crime rates, unemployment, and poverty are all too common. These individuals, just like the people who live in gated communities across the country, need a place to live, work and play. These young people can be a solution to some of America’s most difficult problems.
The Nike Town project is only one part of the changes Nike is making across the board. They are also striving to improve their manufacturing standards to continue producing high-quality goods and reduce their dependence on sweatshops. The company is also determined to find new ways to attract and keep middle class citizens in America, which is particularly important given the country’s wealth. Finding a way to attract good paying, independent workers is a challenge that faces many companies. By investing in Nike Town and other outlet locations, Nike is hoping to address this problem.
indeed.comMany young people want independent, well-paid work. Many young people want a stable job that pays a decent salary and allows them to live comfortably. High unemployment rates in major cities, coupled with the continuing problems with the global economy, have made it increasingly difficult for people to find gainful employment. In addition to offering jobs in Nike Town and other outlet locations, Nike is also hoping to create more outlet locations in high-inner-city neighborhoods. By investing in these locations, they hope to provide a bit of hope to the people of Chicago’s south side, where life seems impossible.


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- Mar 12, 2004
As noted by The APPera and backed up by reports from our readers, Verizon's corporate-owned retail stores are unloading the last of their stocks of the first-generation iPad with bargain basement prices beginning at $299.99 for the 16 GB model. The 32 GB model comes in at $399.99 with the 64 GB model at $499.99. We've heard that stores are quickly selling through their stock at these prices and so availability may be spotty and customers should be sure that they visit corporate-owned stores for the special pricing as independent Verizon stores are not participating in the offer.
Verizon stores began selling the first-generation Wi-Fi iPad in late October, typically bundling the device with a MiFi mobile hotspot but also offering iPads on their own with no MiFi or data service required. With the launch of the second-generation iPad, Apple now offers CDMA models directly compatible with Verizon's network.
Late last week, AT&T slashed prices on 3G-capable first-generation iPads to $429-$629 with the carrier's online store dropping the 64 GB model even further to $529. As of this writing, AT&T's online store only has availability of 64 GB models at the $529 price point.


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The U.S. has extended travel restrictions at its borders with Canada and Mexico for another month due to COVID-19.
The countries announced on Tuesday the borders will stay closed to nonessential travel until at least July 21.
Under the bans, essential workers, like truck drivers and health care professionals can still cross the border. Americans who are returning to the U.S. and Mexicans or Canadians who are returning to their home countries can also cross.
Politico reports some officials are concerned President Donald Trump will extend restrictions into the fall and blame spikes in cases on Mexico ahead of the U.S. presidential election. But Mexican officials haven't pushed for a reopening due to the high infection rate in the U.S., which has logged around 2 million more cases than Mexico.
Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said the goal is to protect Americans "while keeping essential trade and travel flowing as we reopen the American economy."


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Postie Plus Group Limited
Troubled New Zealand clothing retailer Postie Plus has been sold to Roan Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of South African investment company Pepkor.
An international buyer has been found for Postie Plus, after ongoing losses and lack of new capital forced the troubled New Zealand clothing retailer to call in the administrators earlier this week.
New Zealand retailer Postie Plus Group has said it expects to post a full year loss as its third quarter results were hit by autumn stock levels and issues at its distribution centre.
New Zealand-based clothing retailer Postie Plus has revealed a decline in first-quarter sales, which it blames on delays in getting stock into its stores from a new distribution centre in Auckland.
Clothing chain Postie Plus has appointed Peter Nouwens as its new chief financial officer.
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As we know that Google has only released Android L Developer Preview for its Nexus 5 and Nexus 7. However, the developers have managed to port the upcoming major Android version to a couple of non-Nexus devices from the official source code. The first non-Nexus device to receive an unofficial Android L Developer preview update […]
The dark horse from South Korea, LG Electronics have some really good phones in their offering. However like their larger competitor their UI is bloated. We are here to fix it to your liking with mods ROMs and more!
Just of recent Google had released 4.4.4 KitKat and the have gotten to work to put together an updated root method for your Nexus 4. Note : We’re not responsible if you brick your phone so follow the procedure carefully and don’t forget to take the backup of your data. Furthermore this tutorial will void […]
LG G Flex – the first ever Smartphone to feature a curved form factor and a magic backplate that heals automatically when scratched. Truly, it’s been a groundbreaking innovation in Smartphone technology that shows the upcoming future of Smartphones. It’s not only the design that the users are attracted to but also its massive hardware […]
So it has been a good few months since LG surprised us all with their innovations in the Lg G2. The exemplary battery life, OIS (Optical Image Stabilisation) Camera and the Snapdragon 800 processor were few of the things that made Lg’s 2013 flagship standout. One year has passed and now we have the successor […]
As Google promised that the official Android 4.4 Kitkat will be released sooner for the Nexus device via OTA updates. However, till today, OTAs haven’t rolled out for even a single Nexus device. But, surprisingly, the latest drivers and Factory images of Android 4.4 KRT16O for all the modern Nexus Smartphones are emerged on the Google […]
Still, you are waiting for the official Android 4.4 Kitkat update for your Google Nexus 10? That’s sad! Although, the Google will some take more weeks to release the latest update for Nexus devices. Now, it totally depends upon you that you have to wait for the official update or would you like to go […]