text:
Adriano Zumbo’s businesses placed into voluntary administration, with debts reportedly as high as $10 million
Thursday, August 2, 2018/
Famous celebrity pastry chef Adriano Zumbo’s businesses are reportedly facing a $10 million debt to creditors after three of his sweets-serving companies have entered voluntary administration.
The companies, 611 Pty Ltd, Mel611 Pty Ltd and I’m So Fancy Pty Ltd had administrators DW Advisory appointed on July 22. The first two companies operate eight Zumbo confectionery and pastry shops, where the last company was behind a tea room that reportedly shut down a year ago.
According to the company’s website, Zumbo operates just eight stores across Melbourne and Sydney.
Administrator Justin Holzman told SmartCompany the stores will continue to trade throughout the administration process, and at this point it was too early to determine the reason for the companies’ collapse.
“We have been investigating the affairs of the companies and we will be reporting to creditors in two weeks as to the outcome of the investigation”, he says.
“We are hopeful of there being a restructuring proposal by way of a deed of company arrangement that we intend to provide to creditors in late-August.”
Fairfax reports creditors were told at a creditor meeting yesterday the companies had an outstanding debt of around $10 million, however, those debts could reportedly be offset by the companies’ assets, which are estimated to be valued around $8 million.
Holzman would not confirm the $10 million amount to a point, but said it would be “fair to say the exposure is about that amount”.
The chef, dubbed the “sweet assassin”, “the Dark Lord of the Pastry Kitchen” and “Lord Voldecake”, among other nicknames, is best known for his extravagant and difficult dessert dishes.
Along with his range of high-end patisseries, Zumbo rose to prominence thanks to a continued set of appearances on Channel Ten’s Masterchef, including the famous season one croquembouche challenge, an iconic episode of Australian television.
The chef has also starred in his own TV show, Zumbo’s Just Desserts, and a Netflix-produced cooking show called Sugar Rush.
Zumbo has not acknowledged the collapse on social media as of yet, with his most recent post being a recipe for Vanilla Custard Flan.
“One of my faves, so simple but so tasty,” he said.
SmartCompany contacted Zumbo’s businesses, but did not received a response prior to publication.
|Passionate about the state of Australian small business? Join the Smarts Collective and be a part of the conversation.|
Feel the churn: How to bounce back after losing staff and clients Sue Parker DARE Group founder
“Motivation is a feeling, commitment is a mindset”: Why you should start investing in yourself right now Lisa Stephenson Who Am I Projects founder
How to call your team into action with a winning presentation Emma Bannister Presentation Studio founder
The link between diet and mental health — and how to eat your way to wellbeing Kate Save Be Fit Food co-founder
From interactive videos to AI: The five marketing trends that will dominate 2019 Warwick Boulter Collaboro co-founder
Australia is leading the legaltech revolution, but what does this mean for lawyers, firms and clients? Jodie Baker Xakia founder
Why a video news release needs to be part of your PR strategy Leisa Goddard Adoni Media managing director
Want to catch more customers? Here's how to create a super sales funnel Jovana Vujnic Bumper Leads founder


text:
US venture capitalists seek policies favouring startups
US venture capital firms investing in India are expecting the Union Budget 2023 to support the growth and development of the startup ecosystem in the country, according to a top investor. According to Arun Kumar, managing partner of Celesta Capital, the venture capitalists want to capitalise on Indian talent and invest in them.
“As a US-based venture capital firm investing in India, we are keenly interested in policies and initiatives that will support the growth and development of the startup ecosystem in the country,” Kumar said. “Signals and allocations in the Budget that further the growth of new ventures based on innovation and entrepreneurship would be particularly welcome,” Kumar said.
“We are eager to see in the Budget, the government’s continued commitment to fostering a business-friendly environment that encourages foreign investment and supports the growth of new and emerging companies, including in the deep-tech space,” he said.
The geopolitical scenario and the pandemic induced the need to diversify supply chain sources and present India with an opportunity to enhance its participation as a trusted node in global value chains, he said.
“Such an aspiration would call for policies that make it easy and cost-effective to both import and export in such a way that the efficiency of supply chains can be enhanced, boosting the competitiveness of Indian manufacturing,” said Kumar.

domain: news


text:
As the rumour mill continues to suggest that another PS5 live-stream event could be in the pipeline, we're now starting to see some HUGE predictions about what could be announced in the stream.
Respected website NotebookCheck and prolific leaker Robert Serrano have both shared some rumours that originated on 4chan, although both of those sources did describe the leak as 'unproven'. As ever with these sorts of things, you should take this latest wave of PS5 rumours with a huge pinch of salt.
READ MORE:Will the PS5 heed the advice of Pornhub?
While we wait for the chance to grab a DualSense controller for ourselves, though, it is quite fun to look at these rumours...
What do the PS5 rumours say?
Take a look at the embedded Tweet below and you'll see that this particular 4chan user has gone all out with the massive predictions.
According to these posts, a trailer for a new Silent Hill game will be shared during the next PS5 event, alongside confirmation that God Of War 2 is on the way. And apparently a Metal Gear Solid collection for PS5 will be revealed as well.
Given that the director of the previous God Of War game recently shut down some of the rumours surrounding his next project, it's hard to put much stock in these rumours. But, of course, you never know what's true until something actually happens.
Other possibilities mentioned in this leak include Days Gone 2 being announced, some PlayStation-tinged Fortnite skins being revealed, and a game called Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft And Wizardry being unveiled.
Given that the upcoming Harry Potter game is owned by Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment, a company which is rumoured to be in talks with Microsoft right now about a potential takeover, once again we have reason to doubt this particular leak.
READ MORE:Sony reveals 'ready for PS5' televisions
When will we find out if the PS5 leaks accurate?
Rumours had previously suggested that the next PS5 event would occur on the 6th of August at 9pm BST. However, since then, Sony has revealed that it is hosting a music-focused live stream on that particular day.
As it stands, then, Sony has NOT confirmed when its next PS5 live stream will be taking place. We'll be sure to let you know as soon as we find out, though.
Until then, we'll keep hoping that there is some truth to these rumours. After all, who wouldn't want a bunch more PS5 games to be confirmed? Anything to keep the hype alive is welcome right now, although you could argue that the PS5 price and PS5 release date are more pressing concerns...
READ MORE:New PS5 patent could be a game-changer


text:
Technically Turmeric market is under fresh selling as market has witnessed gain in open interest by 0.24% to settled at 10450 while prices down 44 rupees.
Now NCDEX Turmeric is getting support at 5844 and below same could see a test of 5792 levels, and resistance is now likely to be seen at 5946, a move above could see prices testing 5996.
Turmeric yesterday settled up by 0.84% at 5748 on reports of a decrease in Turmeric sown area for the marketing year 2021 across Nizamabad and Marathwada regions.
The overall decrease in sowing area can be between 15-20% as timely monsoons and lower price realizations for Turmeric over the past few years have made the farmer shift to Cotton, Soybean.
While most of the trade is for immediate use due to uncertainty in the market, Stockiest have started active gradually due to factors like decreasing sowing area and increasing demand in the wake of COVID.
As per market feedback, majority of the stock is with farmers across major cultivation centers. Farmers have been holding back some good quality turmeric with them and the traders are expecting that the farmers will bring the same after September when second turmeric season begins.
Improved demand from overseas buyers is seen given the relaxation in lockdown restrictions has led to some pickup in demand from Bangladesh. Demand from West Asian countries has also risen amid easing of lockdown restrictions. India exported 1.37 lakh tonnes Turmeric in 2019- 20 (April- March) a decrease of around 1.16% from the same period of last year.
–Turmeric trading range for the day is 5690-5798.
–Turmeric prices traded higher on reports of a decrease in Turmeric sown area cross Nizamabad and Marathwada regions.
–The overall decrease in sowing area can be between 15-20% as timely monsoons and lower price realizations for Turmeric
–While most of the trade is for immediate use due to uncertainty in the market
–In Nizamabad, a major spot market in AP, the price ended at 5515 Rupees gained 10 Rupees.


text:
Aside from the battle for who makes the first ever market ready foldable smartphone, Chinse tech giant- Huawei and its Korean rival are in a fierce race for who could kick-start what might become one of the industry leading trend in the coming Year 219 – the infinity O like display.
Although it was earlier rumored that Huawei could be the first to release a phone with a pinhole camera, while Samsung could take the second slot, Lenovo out of nowhere scheduled the launch of its Lenovo Z5s smartphone for December 6th, which is days before Huawei’s and Samsung’s scheduled date for the release of the Nova 4 and Galaxy A8s with a similar pinhole camera.
Gizchina News of the week
You will recall that news about the Honor View V20 starting flying around recently. That device as per the teaser released earlier is launching in Paris on January 22. However, reports say the device could be nothing but a rebadged Huawei Nova 4 meant for the other markets outside China.
Other than a few hands-on images that surfaced a few hours ago, there aren’t actually any concrete leaks that point to what we should expect of the Huawei Nova 4, however, a user agent profile posted on Huawei website recently suggests the Huawei Honor View 20 will come with a 2310×1080 screen resolution, and it will run Android 9 Pie with EMUI 9 on top.


text:
A modern vibrant home overlooking the La Gorce Country Club golf course in Miami Beach is asking just under $3.5 million, a sizable reduction from its initial ask of just under $4 million in February.
“Villa Yola” was constructed in 2015 and was designed by architect Eduardo Pardo-Fernandez, per the listing. Among the 3,250-square-foot home’s array of features is a fantastic 1,600-square-foot rooftop deck with a jacuzzi, summer kitchen, and lounge area overlooking the pool and golf course. Additionally, there are four bedrooms, six bathrooms, Lutron lighting, high-end appliances, a fire pit by the pool, and an open free-flowing interior.
The listing states the furniture is available as well and the property last sold for $1 million in 2013.


text:
Prime Day Shopping and Spending By the Numbers (2023)
Whenever Amazon Prime Day happens in the summer, it’s guaranteed to be one of the biggest shopping (and savings!) events of the year.
In fact, Prime Day has overtaken Labor Day as the primary late summer retail event and is a huge draw for shoppers, with 96% of Prime members saying they’ve either shopped Prime Day in the past or are interested in shopping it this year. That’s according to our survey of more than 1,000 U.S. residents, in which we asked shoppers how they plan to spend their money this summer. See survey methodology.
But after a year of contending with inflation, shoppers plan to tighten their Prime Day budgets this year — for the second year in a row.
Consumers Ready to Shop Prime Day, but Plan to Spend Less
Amazon Prime Day is for Prime members only — but most Americans do have a Prime membership (63% do, according to our survey, roughly the same as the 65% who did last year).
Current Prime members or not, U.S. consumers are intrigued by Prime Day. Among Amazon Prime account holders, 96% say they’ve shopped Prime Day in the past or say they are interested in shopping it for the first time this year. Among non-Prime members, more than one-third (35%) say they haven’t shopped Prime Day in the past but are interested in shopping it this year.
However, our survey also shows that Prime Day shopping carts will be a little lighter this year. The average Prime Day shopper plans to spend $250 on Prime Day (and other retailers’ simultaneous sales) this year, down from $388 in 2022 and from $594 in 2021.
This may point to stressed budgets due to inflation and is in line with the findings in another recent RetailMeNot survey, in which shoppers told us they plan to cut back on discretionary spending.
That said, planned spending is different from the actual spending that happens when deals start flying. Prime Day has been growing in terms of dollars spent every year since its inception, including last year, when consumers told us they planned to dial their spending back.
And indeed, there’s still a lot of hype around Prime Day and around Amazon specifically. Of that planned $250 spend, consumers plan to drop most of it ($150) at Amazon (down from $233 last year) and $100 at other retailers offering their own promotions during Prime Day (down from $155 last year). Plus, among shoppers planning to make a purchase on Prime Day, over half (53%) of Prime members say they will wait until Prime Day to make their biggest purchases of the year, compared to 34% of non-Prime members.
What Shoppers Plan to Buy on Prime Day
Prime Day’s mid-summer placement makes it ideal for finding early back-to-school deals. Of those who plan to shop for back-to-school this year, 76% of Prime members say they plan to shop for school items during Prime Day and related sales, compared to 42% of non-Prime members.
The dominant Prime Day category, however, is tech: 59% of Prime Day shoppers will be shopping for electronics. Just like last year, we see clothing (likely influenced by back-to-school shopping needs) and electronics dominate Prime Day 2023 shopping lists.
Purchases planned for Prime Day:
- All electronics (aggregate category): 59%
- Clothing, shoes and apparel: 49%
- Beauty and skincare supplies: 24%
- Bedding, linens and towels: 24%
- Headphones: 23%
- Home decor: 22%
- Kitchen appliances and bakeware (e.g. Keurig, Instant Pot): 19%
- Laptops or computers: 18%
- Amazon electronics, (e.g. Kindle, Echo/Alexa, Fire TV): 18%
- Books, e-books & audiobooks: 18%
- Tablets or e-readers: 16%
- Video games/consoles: 15%
- Smart speakers: 14%
- TVs: 14%
- Smart home products (e.g. Roomba, Nest, Ring, Wemo): 12%
Prime Day Retail Trends
Is Prime Day worth shopping even if your budget is tight? That depends on what you’re looking for. Over the past several years, Prime Day has consistently demonstrated that it’s a mid-year Black Friday when it comes to tech. Amazon’s Prime Day pricing has consistently matched (or even beaten) the most recent Black Friday’s prices on key items (smart home speakers, tablets, smart security tech and robot vacuums). We expect this to happen again. Amazon has a track record to maintain of offering lowest-of-the-year pricing on popular tech products during Prime Day, especially its own products. We suggest putting Prime Day on your calendar if you’re shopping for:
- Echo devices (speakers and screens)
- Ring doorbells
- Amazon Fire tablets
- Pressure cookers
- iRobot and Shark vacuums
- Wireless headphones
However, the advantages of shopping on Prime Day have been less clear-cut when it comes to clothing — we often see the retailer offering very specific deals on very specific items (one color might be on sale, while another is at full price, for example). TVs also have a mixed track record, and we typically see a wider variety of sets on sale during Black Friday — and the biggest discounts offered on only a limited number of sets.
It’s also important for shoppers to remember that Amazon Prime Day won’t be the only sale in town. Plenty of retailers (in fact, practically all major ones) promote sales around Prime Day. Timing varies among the competitors, with some kicking off their sales just before Prime Day, some running their sales a few days after and many offering deals right on top of Prime Day. So suffice it to say that shoppers can expect a wave of sales the week of Amazon Prime Day.
RetailMeNot Prime Day Shopping Tips to Save the Most
Prime Day can be overwhelming, so use these tips to cut through the noise to the best deals:
- Do some pre-shopping prep work: Add desired items to your cart beforehand to make sure you get everything you’ve had your eye on and monitor any price changes to the items in your cart. This also lets you check out swiftly and not miss out on deals. If the idea of accidentally checking out with items you didn’t mean to stresses you out, use Amazon’s wish list feature to organize the products you want, so that you can quickly add them to your cart if they go on sale.
- Look for pre-Prime Day deals: Prime Day is the main event, but expect some pre-show deals. Amazon has been known to offer credits to use on Prime Day when you spend a certain amount right before Prime Day.
- Utilize price tracking: Price trackers are the easiest way to monitor just how good a deal really is, especially for big-ticket items. By adding an Amazon price-tracking browser extension like camelcamelcamel or keepa, you’ll be able to easily monitor the prices of your most-wanted products as well as get price-drop alerts so that you never miss a deal.
- Install RetailMeNot Deal Finder browser extension: Prime Day or not, installing an automatic savings tracker like RetailMeNot’s Deal Finder is the easiest way to save each and every time you check out. It finds and automatically enters promo codes for you. While Amazon rarely offers promo codes (instead opting for direct price cuts on specific items and on-site coupons that you have to clip directly from Amazon), plenty of its competitors do. So, if you’re not a Prime member, or if you find a better price at another retailer, you don’t have to hunt down the promo code that gets you an even better price.
Plus, when comparing prices across retailers during Prime day, consider RetailMeNot’s cash back program. If Amazon has the same price as another retailer, but that retailer is offering, say, 5% cash back — that other retailer’s offer may be the better deal! Check out our cash back offers.
- Download the Amazon app: Tap the “heart” icon on the items you want, and you’ll get push alerts when those items go on sale. That way, you can snag deals on the go.
- Turn on one-click ordering: If you’re like the many shoppers who wait for Prime Day to purchase big-ticket items like TVs, laptops and other tech, turn on one-click shopping to ensure a quick checkout.
- Ask your smart speaker for help: Amazon has been known to offer shoppers exclusive deals (or early access) if they shop via an Echo device.
Ziff Davis Shopping Shopper Survey: BTS, Prime Day and Summer Occasions. Among Adults 18+ who are retail shoppers: N=1,000 with a subgroup of Adults 18+ who are parents of school-aged children (N=569) and a subgroup among Adults 18+ who are RMN Users: (N=200). Field dates: April 10 to 21, 2023.


text:
A typical sales web page through the Silk that is original Road now reconstructed; the site sells illegal drugs, weapons, and much more.
Just one month following the FBI seized and shut straight down Silk Road online website known as the Amazon.com of drugs, weapons and worse it’s back. Yup, into the annals of criminal history, that one has to be up there in the chutzpah department; it’s just like the capabilities behind the site are totally thumbing their collective noses at U.S. federal authorities.
Are Bitcoins and Silk Path Founders Aligned?
Also more shocking, brand new allegations connect Silk Road’s founder Ross William Ulbricht aka Dread Pirate Roberts until his FBI takedown final month to the still publicly unidentified initial creator of Bitcoins, the digital currency exclusively utilized to pay for illegal items and services on the old and now brand new site.
The allegations stumbled on light after two Israeli boffins one a cryptographer readied a soon-to-be-published paper that claims that the FBI seizure in fact just got their hands on about 22 percent of the $80 million in commissions Ulbricht’s web site had garnered from sales of an estimated $1.2 billion; sales on everything which range from assault weapons to illegal narcotics of any kind and even for hit men services for hire.
Dorit Ron and Adi Shamir are the two researchers who have brought these allegations to light, incorporating which th (more…)


text:
Packers announce perks for fans participating in Green and Gold Fridays
GREEN BAY, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Green Bay Packers fans throughout Wisconsin and beyond are once again asked to wear green and gold clothing to work, school and the community on Fridays throughout the season.
Again this year, Green and Gold Fridays will have perks for fans. Those wearing Packers apparel on Fridays during the season can visit participating Wisconsin CITGO locations to receive a free small coffee, no purchase necessary. To redeem the free coffee, fans can download the Club CITGO app and check in while at a CITGO station. As an added bonus, they can also check in on the app to receive a free green and gold beanie, limited to one hat per customer, while supplies last.
Additionally, fans wearing green and gold on Fridays this season can also visit participating Wisconsin Qdoba restaurants to get a free order of chips and queso with the purchase of any entrée.
Fans are invited to share photos of themselves and fellow fans dressed in green and gold on Fridays through social media by using the hashtag #GGFriday.


text:
A European company named KA Design wanted to redefine the swastika as a “symbol of peace.” But their plan hit some obvious roadblocks.
The company released a line of clothing with rainbow-coloured swastikas, in an effort to reclaim the meaning of peace and prosperity the symbol held before Adolf Hitler adopted it as a logo for his regime.
According to the Holocaust Memorial Museum, the symbol comes from a Hindu and Buddhist concept “svastika,” which stands for good fortune and prosperity. But since the Second World War, the symbol has been synonymous with anti-Semitism, and hatred.
KA Designs hoped to change that, the company explained in a Facebook video posted in July.
“The swastika is 5,000 years old, it’s a symbol of peace,” the video’s text reads. “It’s a symbol of love, it’s a symbol of life.”
“But one day, Nazism, they took the swastika and rotated it by 45 degrees, and turned it into hatred, and turned it into fear, and turned it into racism.”
The company hoped to de-stigmatize the symbol, and claimed, “The swastika is coming back.”
Its T-shirts, hoodies and sweaters were posted on TeeSpring.com, an online hub for designers to sell their clothing.
WATCH: Swastikas reportedly found on walls at York University
The apparel quickly drew criticism online.
“This is a terrible idea,” one Facebook user named Isaac Vineburg wrote in the comments section of the video. Another user named David Suurland accused the company of “incredibly poor taste put to use for commercial gain.”
The clothing was also slammed by Jewish groups.
“It is obscene and disgusting that Teespring would seek to profit of this in the name of art, trying to turn this irredeemable Nazi symbol of hate and murder, into a symbol of ‘love and peace’,” the Israel Jewish Congress wrote on Facebook Saturday.
Amid the criticism, the products had seemingly been removed from TeeSpring by Monday.
KA Design posted a message on Facebook — along with a photo of a swastika — saying its mission had failed.
“Hatred and Nazism have won. We brought out the worst in people,” the post read. “We forgive everyone. And we hope to be forgiven.”
It added that “all the hate” should be directed to them, and not TeeSpring.


text:
Fast fashion brand Zara has opened its biggest store in the world on the Coolsingel in Rotterdam, according to Dutch media reports. The shop in the former C&A building, runs over five floors and covers 9,000 square metres. It carries the complete Zara range, from cosmetics to sportswear and homeware.
The move is part of parent company Inditex’s strategy to cut costs by increasing the size of stores and cutting back on their number, the Financial Times reported earlier.
Worldwide, the company has 5,745 stores, down 625 on a year ago. For example, stores have recently gone in Apeldoorn and Amersfoort, the AD said earlier this week.
Inditex is also owner of the Pull & Bear, Massimo Dutti, Bershka and Stradivarius brand names.
Dutch News has contacted the company to find out if the branch really is the biggest in the world.
Thank you for donating to DutchNews.nl.
We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day.Make a donation


text:
- Subscribe NowLimited Time Offer
Investors picking Google over Apple
Send this to a friend
Google Inc. has emerged as a favorite among investors in tech companies, beating out even Apple Inc. in terms of which company’s stock is most preferred, according to a report from Bloomberg Businessweek.
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), though still the stock market’s most valuable company, has seen its shares tumble 20 percent over the past year, according to the report. At the same time, shares of Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) have climbed 35 percent.
“The changing fortunes illustrate the power and predictability of the advertising market compared with the volatility of consumer electronics,” the Businessweek report states.
Apple, the Cupertino, Calif.-based iPhone maker, trails Internet and software giant Google in price-to-earnings ratio, projected earnings growth and profit growth over the past four quarters, but it still remains out front in market value and total profits.
However, some analysts are predicting that Apple might boost its dividend by as much as 56 percent — a departure from Warren Buffett’s advice to buy back shares instead of trying to put constant upward pressure on the stock price. That promise of a bigger payout, coupled with the company’s anticipated releases of a more robust Apple TV product and a wearable, watch-like device, may propel Apple’s stock favorability upward again.
Jen Wilson coordinates the Charlotte Business Journal's online operations and social-media efforts, chronicles local events for CBJ Seen and takes photographs.
If you are commenting using a Facebook account, your profile information may be displayed with your comment depending on your privacy settings. By leaving the 'Post to Facebook' box selected, your comment will be published to your Facebook profile in addition to the space below.
- Most popular
- Operations at Philip Morris site could grow to 6,000 employees
- Chris Daughtry sells N.C. estate for $2.3M
- Bissell looking at starting two new office buildings in 2015
- Portman Holdings plans to start construction on uptown office tower
- Publix could debut new small prototype store in Charlotte
- PHOTOS: SkyHouse apartment tower hits halfway point with topping out
- NASCAR’s Kevin Harvick sells N.C. land for $3.2M
- SPX to split into two companies by late next year
- Michael Jordan: 'Everybody's smiling right now'
- Legion Brewing signs lease in Plaza-Midwood, plans to open next year
Work For: ChannelAdvisor ChannelAdvisor | Morrisville, NC
Full-Time Teller Piedmont Advantage Credit Union | Charlotte, NC
Branch Supervisor Piedmont Advantage CU | Charlotte, NC
Insurance Agency Owner Brightway Insurance | Georgia, North Carolina, Texas
Director of Engineering & Environmental Services Durham County, NC | Durham, NC


text:
Advanced Card Systems has received NFC Forum certification for its ACR1252U USB NFC reader. “It is another ACS milestone and a proof of our R&D efforts devoted to NFC technology,” says the company’s Gilbert Leung. Engineering samples will be available at the end of 2013.
- Cartamundi to develop flexible NFC tags
- 30% of US shoppers to use mobile payments this holiday season
- Drop offers beacon-based payments
- Square eyes global expansion
- Saatchi & Saatchi designs beacon loyalty rewards for Japan’s TenTen Technologies


text:
Maybe it’s time to start paying for ad-free services. At least if you use Spotify.
The online music streaming service reportedly has fallen victim to serving malware-laden ads. Even scarier is that some of the ads did not require information to be added for the virus to hack a system. A bid would pop up in the default browser and immediately begin to compromise the software.
Users of several different computer brands experienced the ad popping up on their screen, including Linux, Windows, and Mac users, according to Engadget.
Spotify put out a public statement today in regards to the issue:
A small number of users have experienced a problem with questionable website pop ups in their default browsers as a result of an isolated issue with an ad on our free tier. We have now identified the source of the problem and have shut it down. We will continue to monitor the situation.


text:
Luxury styling mobile game DREST and Copenhagen Fashion Week (CPHFW) are joining forces in a first of its kind week-long collaboration that will allow all fashion lovers to discover and interact with the world-renowned event – no matter where they are!
Through a series of in-game challenges, DREST will celebrate some of the best Nordic talent, spotlighting the brands and designers of CPHFW, an event known as the leading fashion week in the sustainability field.
The collaboration will include Daily Style and Brand Focused challenges. Daily Style challenges will bring players into the heart of CPHFW and ask them to style their avatars for different occasions – from attending the hottest catwalk show, to being hosted at an exclusive dinner with influencers and being street-style ready. Brand Focused challenges will highlight brands showing as part of CPHFW, including Ganni, Remain and Stine Goya, giving players the opportunity to learn their stories, and use their hero products to style their avatars. DREST will also introduce two bespoke iconic Danish backgrounds for players to place their avatars in once they have completed their styling challenges.
The challenges will be available in-game from Monday 7th August to Saturday 12th August 2023.
Lucy Yeomans, Founder & Co-Chair DREST said: “We are delighted to work with Copenhagen Fashion Week to bring the excitement and buzz of the event to a digital audience. Fashion Weeks are one of the fashion industry’s biggest highlights, and being able to share experiences such as this with our style-obsessed players, so they can really be a part of these exclusive events, is what DREST is all about. CPHFW is a great fit for DREST as it’s fun, playful, energetic but with a sustainability message at its core- values we wholeheartedly share. I cannot wait to see how everyone styles their avatars using our selection of Nordic brands!”
Cecilie Thorsmark, CEO CPHFW commented: “Here at Copenhagen Fashion Week we are always exploring ways to bring the incredible talent of our Nordic fashion community to a wider audience through special partnerships, collaborations and activations. I am excited about the prospects and potential that partnering with DREST will offer, as it will open us into new territory – that of the gaming sphere – and in turn open new doors for opportunity to foster connections in the digital realm. DREST works with some of the most respected and recognisable brands in the world: we are proud to be the first partner for DREST of a collaboration of this kind and look forward to exploring how we can build more bridges between the digital and gaming world and Copenhagen Fashion Week.”
In addition to the in-game activity, DREST will take part in the Copenhagen Fashion Week Talk Series with Vogue Business that provides an opportunity to dig deeper into wider issues facing fashion. The talks are open to the public. Jennifer Dickinson, VP Brand and Content, will represent DREST to discuss Cultivating Digital Communities in Fashion, exploring how digital platforms and the metaverses can connect, inspire and educate within fashion alongside Charlene Prempeh, Founder of A Vibe Called Tech; Benjamin Wymer, Director, Global Brand Experience, Snap Inc. and Lucy Maguire, Senior Trends Editor, Vogue Business. More information can be found here.
DREST is the mobile gaming company that opens up the often exclusive worlds of luxury fashion, beauty and lifestyle to everyone, everywhere. Holding the elements of metaverse at its core and taking exclusive real-world events to offer players the chance to improve and exhibit their styling talent using the latest luxury fashion and beauty collections, DREST is the ultimate fashion playground, a unique space where brands, talent and institutions can connect with audiences keen to discover, experience and be part of a creative community.


text:
Money management app Chip has closed the biggest ever equity crowdfund on Crowdcube, raising £11.5 million from 12,954 investors.
As part of the record-breaking round, Chip raised £1 million in under 10 minutes and hit £8.6+ million in under 48 hours. Off the back of the crowdfund, the company added 6,500 new investors, growing its shareholder community to over 23,000.
In the past year, Chip has grown revenues by 500% and achieved positive growth margins for the first time in August 2021. New product launches, such as easy access savings accounts and investment funds have attracted 400,000 customers, swelling average user balances to £2,961.03 in September 2021.
Simon Rabin, CEO and Founder of Chip, comments: “This is a huge validation of the strong position Chip is in, and our ambitions to build the next fintech unicorn.
“We have massive plans for the next 12 months. From a product perspective, we’re looking at more market-leading savings accounts, more investment funds, and more automatic investing. We also have aggressive growth plans, across several marketing channels, as we aim to increase our user base further.”


text:
Kylie Jenner came out of hiding and posed for a photo at the Kardashian Christmas party. Did she finally reveal her baby bump? Find out here!
Kylie Jenner, 20, finally showed up at the Kardashian Christmas party in some posed photos with sis Khloe Kardashian, 33, after weeks of hiding from social media. Khloe posted the pics on her Instagram but unfortunately, it didn’t show Kylie’s bump! The brunette beauty was wearing a black leather jacket with her hair down in the snaps, but the photos cut off right above her stomach area. The anticipation for her bump reveal has been more intense than ever, especially after Khloe confirmed her own pregnancy last week, but Kylie’s been really clever at hiding any evidence that she’s expecting. Check out pics of Kylie hiding her bump here!
This is the second set of snaps Kylie posed for this Christmas. The first one that had fans reeling over no bump featured Kylie posing with Khloe while wearing matching Christmas pajamas and using fun bunny Snapchat filters. There was also a fun video added to the story that featured the Kardashian kids and many speculated that Kylie and her bump were standing off to the side in it.
All eyes have been on Kylie after the final Kardashian/Jenner Christmas card photo didn’t confirm her pregnancy like many fans were hoping. In fact, Kylie and brother Rob Kardashian, 30, didn’t appear in the any of the 25 card photos. All of this just leads us to continue wondering exactly when and how Kylie will confirm the big news. Will it be on her social media? Or an upcoming episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians? Only time will tell, of course, but we hope it’s soon!
HollywoodLifers, do you hope Kylie shows off her bump soon? Tell us here!


text:
Experts are saying farmers and ethanol producers aren't responsible for recent increases in the cost of groceries. Purdue University agriculture economist Corinne Alexander says food inflation will average between 4% and 4.5% this year. Normal food inflation is about 2.5%. But, Iowa State University agriculture economist Chad Hart says the cost of our food is related to the cost of corn, soybeans and wheat and cattle but also the cost of oil, gas, diesel and unrest in other parts of the world.
Hart points out we are entering that world where folks are getting squeezed and they want an explanation for it. Rick Tolman, chief executive of the National Corn Growers Association, says his group has already begun to hear complaints aimed at farmers that are similar to those expressed in 2006 and 2007. Tolman says the criticism is unfounded.
Scott Faber, a spokesman for the Grocery Manufacturers Association, says some products are much more sensitive to increases in corn prices, including meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products. For some products, he says you see it fairly quickly and see an equally quick decrease and for other products the lag time is longer. In 2008 farmers received an average of 11.6 cents per dollar. The rest of the food dollar goes to processing, packaging, transportation, retail trade and food service.


text:
The record-breaking backlog of cargo ships off the coast of Southern California doesn’t only make it harder to find furniture, children’s toys, or pet food in stores across the country. According to California regulators, this is also leading to an increase in dirty exhaust fumes that threaten the health of vulnerable communities nearby.
Dozens of ships run their secondary diesel engines when they anchor or drift near the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the ninth busiest marine resort in the world. The stalemate first emerged last fall following Covid-related supply chain disruptions and, now that the holiday shopping season is approaching, is only getting worse.
âIf you go down into the harbor you can see the ships going out for several miles and you can see the emissions coming out of their stacks,â said Taylor Thomas, co-executive director of East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice. The organization works in East Los Angeles, Southeast Los Angeles, and the Greater Long Beach area, primarily in areas where black and Hispanic populations are exposed to industrial pollution and experience higher rates of asthma. Thomas herself lives in West Long Beach, about a mile and a half from the harbor.
(Not too far along the Orange County coast, a massive oil spill is choking beaches and wildlife after an oil pipeline leaked late last week.)
Experts say traffic jams along California’s southern coast and at other major ports across the country could be more than just a pandemic-era incident. Retail imports and e-commerce sales in the United States are expected to skyrocket in the coming years, and emissions from ships, heavy trucks, trains and port equipment are expected to increase in tandem, as long as all of these engines will continue to burn fossil fuels.
“This should not necessarily be seen as a temporary problem” but rather as a long-term challenge, said Sam Pournazeri, who heads the mobile sources analysis arm at California Air Resources Council, or CARB, in Sacramento. “We really need to think about cleaning up the ports and going zero emissions across the freight industry where possible to avoid these kinds of air quality issues.”
As of Tuesday, 63 container ships were anchored a few miles off the coast of Los Angeles and Long Beach, compared to a pre-Covid average of around a single vessel, said Captain Kit Louttit, who monitors port traffic for the Southern California Maritime Stock Exchange. As of mid-September, no less than 73 container ships were waiting to enter the port. Ships stuck in limbo run their small auxiliary engines to keep lights on, power communications equipment, and cool refrigerated shipping containers. Ships burn low sulfur diesel fuel, which is cleaner than âheavy fuel oilâ ships use at sea, but still contributes to air pollution.
From October 2020 to March 2021, when supply chain bottlenecks caused major first aid, container ships near Los Angeles and Long Beach caused a huge increase in emissions of carcinogenic particles and smog-forming nitrogen oxides, which can damage the lungs and trigger asthma symptoms, according to the state’s resource council. On land, emissions from heavy goods vehicles and locomotives has also increased significantly on the same section that the ports handled more than 50% more freight than in 2019, before the pandemic struck.
The agency has not counted emissions due to port congestion in recent months. But, given that twice as many container ships are idling today as at the highest point in the spring, overall pollution has likely doubled as well, Pournazeri said. And the bottleneck isn’t going to go away anytime soon. Port of California officials said supply chain issues, worker shortages and limited warehouse space could hamper container shipping until next summer.
Increasing pollution from area ports will make it harder for Southern California to comply with federal air quality rules, including a deadline 2023 to reduce smog-producing emissions, according to CARB. It will also ensure that people living in neighborhoods close to ports are continually exposed to harmful contaminants. In the communities where the East Yard group is organized, residents are already experiencing higher incidences heart and lung disease, cancer, reproductive health issues and skin conditions from smog and ozone from highways and ports, Thomas said
Without recent efforts by regulators, pollution from the ongoing congestion would likely be even worse, said Bonnie Soriano, CARB’s branch head for the freight business. State and federal agencies, as well as port operators, have worked to reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from the maritime transport of goods. California requires ocean-going vessels to switch to low-sulfur fuel within approximately 28 miles of the coast. And containers, cruise ships, and other types of ships must shut off their auxiliary engines and plug into shore power – or use emission control technologies – once they dock.
From next year, the agency will start evaluating how to reduce emissions from anchored ships. This could involve the deployment of barges mounted with fuel cells, to which idling ships could plug in, or the use of systems that capture and clean exhaust gases from ships in the bay.
Proposal to charge freighters for pollution makes waves
Yet getting ocean freighters to shift away from fossil fuels entirely requires a global effort, as ships operate in many different countries.
A container ship full of T-shirts, electronics or household appliances must be able to use the same fuel when it leaves, for example, Taiwan as when it arrives in California, Singapore and the Netherlands. The International Maritime Organization, the United Nations agency that regulates the world’s fleet, has adopted policies to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and reduce the fuel consumption of ocean-going vessels. But massive investments are needed to develop not only new types of vessel technology, but also to build the infrastructure necessary for the production and distribution of alternative fuels, Soriano said.
With this in mind, Ocean Conservancy recently sketched out a plan for the creation of a zero-emission shipping lane between five major ports on the west coast of North America, including Los Angeles and Long Beach. Each location could harness renewable energy resources to produce hydrogen, a carbon-free fuel that can directly power some ships and port equipment, or be used to create other fuels like green ammonia and methanol. The idea is to create a regional market that can serve as a model on a global scale.
âThere is an opportunity to influence and drive decarbonization in other areas just through the example that [the U.S. and Canada] will be in place, âsaid Victor Martinez of Ricardo Energy & Environment, a consulting firm that produced the Ocean Conservancy report.
Other environmental groups are working to clean up shipping by putting pressure on the biggest users of gas-guzzling cargo ships: big retailers like Amazon, Walmart, and IKEA. A recent report commissioned by Pacific Environment and Stand.earth found that importing some 3.8 million sea containers of freight on gas-guzzling freighters generated as much carbon dioxide emissions as three coal-fired power plants. The groups are urging the retail giants to pledge to use zero-emission ships by the decade.
Thomas said building renewable energy projects and alternative fuel infrastructure for freighters could create more jobs in East Yard communities, which have higher rates unemployment. âThere are ways for us to create a new world that is built on jobs and industries that don’t produce damage,â she said.


text:
Susunia Hill(Search results - 1)
IndiaApr 9, 2020, 8:30 AM IST
After Amazon, Australia wildfire, forest fire in India’s Susunia Hill
After Amazon wildfire, forest fire in Susunia Hill grabbed attention triggering concern. On Tuesday night, the hill caught fire. The fire engine rushed to control the situation.


text:
The President of Mexico, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, said that he’s not opposed to private companies buying Coronavirus Vaccines on Monday. They could buy and distribute to patients who want to pay for them.
Not Enough Supply
The president noted that there was limited existing supply. He warned companies not to try to buy the Coronavirus Vaccines already promised to the Mexican government.
“We do not oppose commercializing the vaccine, to companies importing it and selling it to those who can pay,” Lopez Obrador said.
“The catch is that there isn’t enough in supply in the world markets.”
“We would be opposed if the ones we have under contract were to be given to a private company, that we would not allow.”
“We would file a complaint,” he said. The medical safety commission in Mexico must approve any vaccine. According to Lopez, no company has yet applied to import vaccines privately.
Currently, the issue is already clearly in the public space, and experts have warned that fakes, frauds, and thefts may spring up amidst the public’s desperation to get a vaccine.
Mexico’s largest retailer Wal-Mart de Mexico had to issue a statement denying a photo advert that depicts a vaccine supposedly on sale for about $20.
“We want to make it clear that the information circulating on social media about a supposed supply of COVID-19 vaccine in our Mexico stores is false.”
This was a statement posted on the company’s social media account.
Moreover, Lopez faced criticism from some top officials in Mexico for handing over logistics to the military. The logistics and control of Coronavirus Vaccines purchases and distribution are in the hands of the military. In his opinion, the military is best-equipped to manage the security and refrigeration chain that some of the vaccines require.
Furthermore, Lopez promised that Coronavirus Vaccines will be freely available to everyone in Mexico. However, the country has so far received around 50,000 doses of the vaccine. To vaccinate the frontline health workers, Mexico would need 2.8 million doses.
Meanwhile, the government is backing three Coronavirus Vaccines, which are now in or entering Phase 3 trials in Mexico. It announced that Novavax Inc. would conduct part of its testing within the shores of Mexico. Two other companies have also been conducting trials in Mexico.
Distribution assisted by the military
Finally, top health officials assured the country that access to Coronavirus Vaccines would be guaranteed for everyone. However, priorities would determine the distribution. That means essentially that the military would only lend its experience. They would help with logistics to ensure vaccines are available all over the country.
The second stage of vaccine administration is expected to begin in February. Also, priority would be given to age, with those over 60 administered first.
Mexico has signed agreements with a host of providers, including Pfizer. The agreement involves tens of millions of doses.


text:
On October 24, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) threw its hat into the data security regulation ring when it announced it intends to fine two telecommunications companies $10 million for allegedly failing to safeguard the personal information of their customers.
Both TerraCom, Inc. (TerraCom) and YourTel America, Inc. (YourTel) allegedly collected customers’ personal information, including names, addresses, Social Security numbers, and driver’s licenses, and stored it on servers that were widely available on public websites online through a simple Google search. The information could be accessed by “anyone in the world” exposing their customers “to an unacceptable risk of identity theft and other serious consumer harms.”
According to the FCC, TerraCom and YourTel violated Sections 201(b) and 222(a) of the Communications Act of 1934 by:
- Failing to properly protect the confidentiality of consumers’ personal information, including names, addresses, Social Security numbers, driver’s licenses;
- Failing to employ reasonable data security practices to protect consumer information;
- Engaging in deceptive and misleading practices by representing to consumers in the companies’ privacy policies that they employed appropriate technologies to protect consumer information when they did not; and
- Engaging in unjust and unreasonable practices by not notifying consumers that their information had been compromised by a breach.
Whether the FCC’s announcement signals its intention to become yet another regulator of data security remains to be seen. But companies that collect and store customer personal information must take the initiative to ensure information is stored properly with appropriate data security safeguards in place. And safeguards are not enough. If, after investigation, a company uncovers a breach, it must timely notify customers in accordance with state law and federal regulations.
For more information about the FCC’s announcement, click here.


text:
On the surface, all seems well on the digital front, as programmatic buying becomes the norm. Yet there is a particular issue that plagues the industry today. What initially emerged as a mere industry buzzword has quickly become one of the most pressing issues facing both sides of the digital supply chain: transparency. Or, rather, the apparent lack of it, writes Emma Newman (pictured below), country manager UK, PubMatic.
As greater scrutiny is placed on transparency – be that fees, supply chain mechanics, auction dynamics, or the myriad other factors affecting programmatic trading – there is an industry desire to simplify what is a very complex ecosystem. However, there is a danger that this effort could actually have damaging commercial impacts that could dilute trust between advertisers, publishers, and their technology providers.
Hiding behind the cost debate
One factor that has led to the current opaqueness in the industry, especially around fees, has been the pressure on margins as a result of procurement departments. These departments are responsible for negotiating all contracts between agencies and brands. Although intended to be an advisor to marketing, helping to drive the value debate, their aggressive focus on costs has undermined the client-agency relationship. Delaying decisions around pitches, unfair contract terms, and the use of blind auctions have reduced margins, while increasing the pressure to somehow make them up elsewhere.
Uncovering non-transparent business practices
The Association of National Advertisers’ 2016 media transparency report highlighted some less-than-transparent business practices. The use of service agreements to claim rebates from ad-tech providers in exchange for being part of a preferred vendor list was one of the tactics uncovered. The report also revealed that media holding companies were using their own trading desks to execute buys, funnel ads through properties they own or invest in, and take a mark-up at each owned transaction.
Challenges of an increasingly complex ecosystem
The rapid fragmentation of the ad tech market, as a result of the huge growth in companies in the space, resulted in increased costs, complexity, and less transparency due to transactions across numerous intermediaries. As each player in the growing supply chain extracts its fee for the service they provided, the difference between an advertiser’s budget and what the publisher actually receives is acute. Be it an agency, DSP, exchange, SSP, data company, or any of the other myriad of ad-tech providers, marketers have little insight into how much money is actually being siphoned off for these fees. The Guardian’s oft-quoted research into its own inventory highlighted this: for every pound spent, it was only getting 30 pence, the rest going to ad-tech players – the so called ‘ad-tech tax’.
Inconsistent auctions & undisclosed fees
Within this fragmented supply chain, additional problems arise. We have a lack of transparency into how auctions operate, leaving buyers without visibility into whether auctions are being closed at first or second price. Further, some SSPs are charging buy-side fees to their advertisers, but not disclosing their rates. With a supply chain this complex and difficult to manoeuvre, it’s no surprise the door has been left open for the fraudsters to enter. All this results in brands having major questions about the value of programmatic.
Becoming a more trusted marketplace
Recognition of the issues is resulting in the industry taking action. We are seeing a rise in advertisers getting closer to their tech partners and agencies changing their business practices to accommodate this drive for greater transparency. Already Havas has launched its ‘fully transparent’ programmatic platform which displays ‘all of a client’s programmatic trading’ across a range of agency trading desks, demand-side platforms, and other intermediaries ‘in one place’. Also, Adidas now owns the contracts for most of its partnerships with demand-side platforms. Although its agency will still execute the buys, Adidas can access the vendor platforms at any time. The result is that a growing proportion of total programmatic billings could move from agencies to in-house buying groups supported by independent vendors.
Increasingly, businesses are abolishing buy-side fees to provide greater visibility into pricing models so that buyers can bid more efficiently. Further, as programmatic grows, new pricing models are emerging, providing the opportunity to license technology with a monthly fee structure, as opposed to a revenue share model. This will help increase transparency and simplify technology procurement processes, providing greater visibility and predictability to publishers. Perhaps more importantly, it will also provide a viable path forward as take rates for technology companies inevitabley come down over time, promoting choice and innovation across our industry.
Transparency is essential going forward to re-establish trust. The changes that are emerging in the industry highlight the growing maturity of the market. They are also necessary to unlock the huge potential of brand dollars moving into programmatic. Long-term success will be brought about through confidence in an industry that is putting its house in order and developing true partnerships between advertisers, publishers, and technology vendors.


text:
Aishwarya Rai & Abhishek Bachchan Get Mischievous On Screen
Aishwarya Rai & Abhishek Bachchan
One of the leading soap brands of India, Lux, has roped in Bollywood’s much-hyped couple Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai for its new ad for promoting its new soap range that has beauty oils. Even though they have shared screen space for movies, this is the first time they will be seen together in an ad.
JWT Mumbai handles the ad directed by Stephen Mead with Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy doing the background score. Fashion designer Aki Narula has designed the costumes for the couple whereas make-up has been done by Mickey Contractor.
According to Tista Sen, (executive creative director and senior vice-president at JWT India), “It’s a side of the couple that has never been seen before; it’s young, fun and in keeping with their real characters.”
Watch out for the ad which is slated to hit the screens this month!


text:
March 19, 2019
By a 67% to 21% margin, New Yorkers say that Amazon cancelling its planned second headquarters in Long Island City was bad for the city and state.
By as nearly as large a margin—61% to 30%—they’d support Amazon receiving up to $3 billion in state and city incentives to create up to 25,000 jobs if it reconsidered its decision.
Those are the top-line findings of a Siena College poll of New York State registered voters, released Monday. Although some may have cheered Amazon’s decision to bow out, “even 56% of self-described liberals think it was bad for New York,” said Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg.
Asked who bore the greatest blame, three times as many voters called Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez a villain as called her a hero. Local Queens activists, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Amazon itself also ranked among the villains in the Siena poll results.
For comments, questions or concerns, please contact Paul Bubny


text:
Australia-based casino slot machine maker Ainsworth Game Technology Ltd on Wednesday announced the resignation of Scott Clarebrough, the group’s general manager for strategy and development. The firm gave no information on the executive’s official departure day.
The company thanked Mr Clarebrough for providing leadership to a team of game designers and product development engineers. Ainsworth said it remains “well placed to deliver on an exciting pipeline of new products and opportunities”.
Ainsworth’s shares fell by as much as 14 percent on Wednesday after the announcement of Mr Clarebrough’s resignation. The company’s shares recovered in late trading and closed down nearly 11 percent at AUD2.35 (US$1.70) that day. On Thursday the shares closed flat.
Speaking to Fairfax Media, Ainsworth’s chief executive Danny Gladstone said the market had overreacted, noting Mr Clarebrough might take on an advisory role following his official departure.
In Wednesday’s filing, Ainsworth said it planned to broaden the management across its product development division “with a number of key game designers having recently been recruited”.
The plan to further strengthen Ainsworth’s U.S.-based creative team “will assist the company to build a sustainable, profitable and growing business in the large American markets,” it added.
“I have confidence that our game designers will produce exciting games for the gaming market world-wide,” said Ainsworth’s CEO in a statement.
Ainsworth last week said it was acquiring U.S.-based games manufacturer Nova Technologies LLC for a total consideration of US$38 million. In August, Ainsworth announced that profit for the 12 months ended June 30 increased by 14 percent year-on-year to AUD70.4 million.
Sep 21, 2021Macau casino gross gaming revenue (GGR) for September 13 to 19 was down 8 percent week-on-week, estimated brokerage Sanford C. Bernstein Ltd in a Monday note. It suggested the average daily rate of...
Sep 21, 2021
”The Macau government is not aiming to trivialise or drive out the junket sector, but to regulate the sector so that it would not hurt Macau’s reputation”
Alvin Chau Cheok Wa
Chief executive of privately-held VIP junket business Suncity Group


text:
By Furious Francis editor-in-chief of playeressence.com
DmC Devil May Cry is one of the most controversial games to be released this generation. Thousands of enraged DmC fans, internet raged Capcom and Ninja Theory when the game was first shown. A lot has changed since then in the game, and the look of Dante. Capcom has released the DmC Demo on the Xbox 360 and PS3 for everyone to try out and it's safe to say, the game plays brilliantly. It's not perfect by any means, but it's a blast to play. Keep reading for Playeressence's hands on preview of DmC Devil May Cry, complete with my own captured footage of DmC's strengths and weaknesses.


text:
Last summer, MaharajahClub, a new online gaming company, jumped into the $12bn market after a splashy launch at London’s Hotel Russell. Three months later, the US effectively barred the 23 million Americans who gamble online from their pastime with the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. With one pen stroke, the new law, which bans online poker, sports wagering and casino games, but not state lotteries or horse racing, inked out $8m from the market.
Call it prescient or call it luck, but MaharajahClub CEO Sachin Pawa was unconcerned for good reason: his new business does not rely at all on the US market. “From day one, we never looked to the US market for customers,” he says. “We never planned to spend a penny there or take a penny from the market.” That is because MaharajahClub is only targeting south-east Asian communities around the world.
According to Mr Pawa, his website is the first to market to gamblers based on ethnicity. It has also been duly licensed by the Gaming Commission of Curacao, Netherlands Antilles, giving site users the assurance of regulatory oversight.
Trends that are coalescing now in the industry suggest that Mr Pawa may be on to something. It is not just the new legislation, although few believe that it will remain in place as it is written. More weighty factors, namely aggressive marketing of the online gaming industry by many locales to establish legitimate, regulated operations, as well as the impact that gamblers from emerging markets are expected to have, could eventually marginalise the US market. The US market was once deemed to be the low-hanging fruit of the industry and, according to one projection, is set to nearly double to $22.7bn by 2009.
The US law has been a blow to many of the gaming operators – the publicly traded ones in particular – and few can lay claim to having a wholly non-US user base, as MaharajahClub says it does.
“Clearly there has been a massive shift for public companies as evidenced in share prices,” says Bill Mummery, the head of e-gaming development in the Isle of Man’s Department of Trade & Industry. Consolidations and mergers – not always a pleasant process – are likely to lie ahead. The US law “is a major crossroads for the industry”, he says. “Yes, there will be an immediate and obvious downside, but I do believe it will have significant upside as well because the industry will be forced to realign itself to reduce its dependency on the North American market.”
Site selection is a multi-faceted process for any company and the e-gaming industry is no exception. The usual factors – the availability of an appropriate workforce, infrastructure and regulatory environment – must all be given due consideration. Consider, for instance, what would happen if an operator were to misjudge its broadband capacity needs. Some games, such as poker, are significantly more demanding of the tech infrastructure because more participants are involved and the various plays must be in real time. Because the e-gaming industry is still emerging, a mis-step in calculation is easier to make and much harder, if not impossible, to overcome.
The same reckoning applies to a site’s regulatory environment, especially as countries rush to implement new laws and regulations.
Mr Mummery and others believe that with the US momentarily out of the game, other locales – Gibraltar, Costa Rica, and Turks and Caicos Islands, to name a few – will step up efforts to position themselves as favourable operating environments for the gaming industry. “One country’s weakness is another country’s opportunity,” says Joe Gallagher, a US-based consultant who advises gaming sites on such issues.
These efforts will range from the participation of a robust financial community that is not afraid of the industry, to friendly tax treatment, to adopting industry standards aimed at making online gaming safer. For instance, some regulatory authorities around the world are starting to adopt industry association eCOGRA’s standards for safe and fair gaming. Based in London, eCOGRA, which stands for e-Commerce and Online Gaming Regulation and Assurance, was founded in 2003 and has awarded about 76 ‘Play It Safe’ seals to gaming sites that meet its criteria.
Most recently, the Philippines-based Cagayan Economic Zone Authority, through its master licensor, First Cagayan, signed up to eCOGRA’s agenda. Other regulatory agencies that have accepted the standards include Malta regulator Lotteries and Gaming Authority and the Kahnawake jurisdiction in Canada. According to the association, eCOGRA is in discussions with several other national regulators as well.
The Isle of Man is already able to boast of strong ties to London’s financial community as well as a strict probity and due diligence process for licence applicants, Mr Mummery says. Last April, new tax regulations became effective that are expected to entice more business to the locale, including e-gaming operations. A 0% corporate tax rate now applies to all online gambling and e-gaming licensed operators. The Isle of Man also issued a personal tax cap on an individual’s worldwide income of £100,000 ($197,680) per annum. Personal tax is payable at a standard rate of 10% after allowances, with a maximum higher rate of 18%.
These measures are having a cumulative affect, Mr Mummery reports, and the jurisdiction is gaining a reputing among the world’s online gaming establishments. The new law in the US did not hurt either; Mr Mummery’s office announced it has had more inquires than usual about the registration process.
Latin America is another area that has attracted a growing number of online gaming sites in recent years, many of which are former US corporate refugees, Mr Gallagher says. These firms had been willing to tolerate US regulatory influence in exchange for the “legitimacy” in the eyes of their US customers of a US-based website. In many cases, the trade-off was no longer worthwhile and sites migrated south, he says.
The new law is bound to spur such migration; US online gaming sites that want to remain in business have no choice and, best of all, they now have a rationale for an offshore location that is easily understood by American users, most of whom were irked by the new law. Indeed, Mr Gallagher believes the law was in part responsible for the anti-incumbent wave that characterised the US elections in November 2006.
He predicts that, because the law has been so widely panned, it is likely to be changed at some time, introducing the US consumer back to the market. Even if the law remains, Mr Gallagher says he believes that the financial services industry will develop a way to harvest those revenues.
Currently, the law bans credit card companies and other institutions from processing online gambling bets placed from the US, but how those prohibitions will be enforced or penalised is still unclear, leaving ample room to develop alternative channels, says Mr Gallagher.
“Maybe payment will be based on debit cards or personal cheques. But there is no way the financial community is going to walk away from this industry,” he says.


text:
SMART Global Holdings Momentum, Room To Move Higher?
SMART Global Holdings (NASDAQ: SGH) is part of the semiconductor family, a sector that has taken on the spotlight during the past few weeks; the attention to the space was drawn after NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA) reported optimistic outlooks and bullish results around its artificial intelligence departments.
As demand for chips and semiconductor remains, emphasized by NVIDIA's market and sales expansion, SMART Global is well positioned to keep riding on the momentum its stock has built by merit and association. Luckily for investors in the stock, markets are still placing further potential upside, more importantly, favoring SMART Global over other well-known competitors.
Despite posting some worrying slowdowns across net sales, accompanied by a net loss to investors, management announced a strategic branch sale which may be enough to offset these slowdowns and bring on a new payday for shareholders.
The company's decision to restructure its operations and geographical exposure will be directly accretive, on both a valuation and profitable basis, a dynamic that some analysts may have already been aware of prior to the restructure. Double-digit upside potential, and an industry-preferred spot, come together to offer investors a potential opportunity to ride another wave higher.
SMART Global posted a net sales decline of 17.1% compared to a year prior; this is, of course, without accounting for the subsequent inflation effects during the year. Gross margins did improve by an above-expectation 100 basis points, ending the quarter at an attractive 25.7% and still below the full-year 2023 guidance of 26.0%.
The improvements in gross margins, and the expectation for better ones, come from the easing of the underlying industry's supply chains disruptive 2022. Though not the focus of media today, economic surveys such as the ISM nonmanufacturing PMI index hint at a return to normal operations for the industry's suppliers.
The information industry has been steadily expanding for the past six months, breaking out from its brief contractions. Leading this expansion are supplier deliveries, gaining in efficiency and timeliness, a sign that the underlying bottlenecks in supply chains are effectively improving.
As these previous issues begin to subside, pricing environments will naturally return to their normalized ranges, boosting underlying operator's - like SMART Global - sales and gross margins. Despite these improvements in the underlying ecosystem, the slowdown in sales was enough to bring the company into net loss territory of negative $0.50 per share.
Why would shares advance by as much as 8.4% in the after-market hours of Thursday evening if the company delivered such disappointing results, digging investors into a steep loss that may have to eventually be funded by taking on debt - or worse yet, issuing common stock -? During the company's press release, SMART Global CEO Mark Adams commented, "... With the announced agreement to sell an 81% interest in SMART Brazil on June 13, we are continuing our transformation to a high-performance, high-availability enterprise solutions company...". What exactly are the expected effects of this strategic sale for the future of the stock?
Perception is All
Considering that SMART Global stock is trading at a 70.0x price-to-earnings ratio, one of the highest in the semiconductor industry, it may be a window into broader market expectations for its performance. Other names like Micron Technology (NASDAQ: MU), who recently announced their own set of quarterly results, are valued below
SMART Global at a 46.2x P/E ratio. Some may argue that this dynamic only makes SMART Global the more expensive alternative in the space. However, this may be understood as a broader willingness to overpay for every dollar of current - and future - earnings of the underlying. Why are markets valuing these earnings so highly?
The 81% sale of SMART Brazil, at the valuations agreed upon by underwriters, means a windfall of approximately $138 million, with a subsequent payment schedule of $28 million to be delivered 18 months after the sale. Subsequently, SMART Global will retain 19% of the company via options exercisable between 2027 and 2029.
These options will be valued at a strike price equal to 7.5x net income from the closest sale fiscal year, lining up another significant payday for investors. Management states that this sale will be immediately accretive to gross margins and earnings per share, as an adjusted basis can reflect the initial payout and boost valuations significantly.


text:
Xiaomi teamed up with Google to launch an Android One-based phone last year, and it looks like the collaboration wasn't a one-off. The Mi A1 turned out to be one of the best phones of 2017, and now Xiaomi is all set to launch a successor. The company has teased the launch of the next-gen model in the series, which will be dubbed the Mi A2, ahead of its official unveil. Xiaomi has a global launch event scheduled in Madrid, Spain, on July 24, and it's likely the Mi A2 will be unveiled at that event.
The teaser doesn't reveal much other than stating that fans of the Mi A1 will love the upcoming device. Like last year's Mi A1 — which was based on the Mi 5X — the Mi A2 is set to be a rebrand of the Mi 6X. As such, we're likely to see a 5.99-inch FHD+ panel, Snapdragon 660, up to 6GB of RAM, 128GB of internal storage, dual 12MP + 20MP cameras, 20MP front camera, and a 3010mAh battery.
Last year's Mi A1 turned out to be a hit with consumers because it offered great hardware based on the Android One platform, and the Mi A2 looks set to build on that foundation. That said, the Mi A1 wasn't without its faults — Xiaomi pulled the Android 8.1 Oreo update earlier this year, with the rollout resuming at the start of July.
This year, we'll likely see a Mi A2 Lite alongside the standard variant of the device. With the launch just a week away, we should know more about the Mi A2 shortly. In the meantime, what are you looking forward to seeing from the device?
WeChat ban has been blocked by U.S. District Court
The Trump administration's ban on WeChat was set to go into effect today, but a U.S. district court judge just blocked it.
These are the best games for your Android phone
We're rounding up the best games, free and premium, you should be playing today.
Digital Wellbeing has been forgotten, but we need it now more than ever
Two years ago, the digital hygiene movement was in full swing. Now, during the pandemic, the idea of using our phones less has been abandoned, but should we bring it back?
These are the best Xiaomi phones you can buy in 2020
Xiaomi is the brand to beat in the value segment, and it offers excellent phones ranging from $100 entry-level options all the way to $700 flagships. These are the best Xiaomi phones you can buy in 2020.


text:
Spanish Order ICT / 140/2019, of 14 February, which regulates the conditions for the exercise of electronic voting in the electoral process for the renewal of the plenary sessions of the Official Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Services and Navigation provides guidance for the deployment of electronic voting systems that must be auditable and audited.
In its article 9 (Audit of the electronic voting system) It indicates:
1. The electronic voting system shall have an audit and verification regime totally independent that allows to examine the processes used to gather and count the votes and recount them, in order to confirm the accuracy From the results.
2. The external audit system should, at a minimum, allow:
That the independent observers can supervise the elections without disclosing the possible result or final count.
Detect electoral fraud.
Give assurance that all votes counted are authentic and maintain the anonymity of the voter at all times.
3. This audit must assist both the testing phase of the system as a whole to the voting phase, counting and dissemination.
TCAB is a pioneer compliance assessment entity in providing audit services of electronic voting platforms.
Contact TCAB to request preliminary audits of electronic voting platforms and to support in the electoral processes that make use of this type of platforms.
TCAB is an expert in certificates and electronic signature and can assess compliance with all aspects required by the regulations.
AMETIC, the Spanish ICT Business Association has organized an informative event on the new European regulation “Cybersecurity Act”, which from June 2019 will regulate the implementation of a common European framework for the certification of “Cybersecure” ICT products and services to promote cybersecurity of online services and consumer devices.
This European regulation not only seeks to increase the confidence of users in relation to the use of connected devices, but also to strengthen the European cybersecurity industry and the European Single Market, positioning it as a reference worldwide, in line with other markets such as the United States or China. The European Union Agency for Network and Information Security (ENISA), which through this regulation will be named as the new European Agency for Cybersecurity, will coordinate and harmonize policies at European level, and will support Member States in the implementation of plans and national strategies in the fight against threats and cybersecurity attacks.
Antonio Cimorra, director of Information Technologies and Digital Agenda of AMETIC, highlighted during the opening of the session the advances that the digital transformation has introduced in society, as well as the importance of ensuring cybersecurity. He also commented on the measures that, from AMETIC, and particularly from the Cybersecurity Commission where important suppliers of this technology meet, are being developed in this field. Cimorra also highlighted the association’s support for the new European initiative.
Later, Ignacio Pina, Technical Director of the National Accreditation Entity (ENAC), explained that, “although the regulation will not be mandatory at the beginning, as far as certification is concerned, it is spected that the market will regulate itself fostering its adoption “. Pina added that “certification in itself does not generate security, but rather seeks to build trust among consumers”. In this regard, he commented that “the transition between current national certification schemes in force and the new common European framework will be gradual”. On the other hand, he stressed that “the role of the industry in defining the certification schemes that derive from this regulation, is essential for them to be aligned with market needs.”
Implications of “Cybersecurity Act”
Next, Cybersecutity focused round table was held witht the motto “How does the Cybersecurity Act impact on companies in the digital sector ?”.
Round table was presented by David González, president of the AMETIC Cybersecurity Commission and Head of Sales for Europe and North Africa of G & D. The participants were Mariano José Benito, CISO of GMV; Jesús María Alonso, Head of Consulting Spain of ATOS; Ainhoa Inza, CEO of TCAB (Trust Conformity Assessment Body), and Miguel Bañón, CEO of EPOCHE & ESPRI.
They discussed the implications of the certification regulation for the activity of companies in the digital sector, and the following steps to address in this new scenario.
In general, the participants commented that it is a very positive initiative since, despite being a voluntary regulation for the time being, it is expected that its impact on the market will increase the number of certified secure ICT products in a significant way. They also highlighted that, for Spain, it is an opportunity for consolidation at the European level in terms of cybersecurity, taking advantage of the fact that the Spanish certification ecosystem is among the best considered in Europe.
On the other hand, it has been highlighted that, since there is no penalties framework within the regulation, it is important for companies to detect the benefit of certification, such as the impact on the consumer in terms of trustworthiness. They have also commented that the objective of this initiative is that consumers “get used” to verify that those ICT products or services that they buy or consume, carry the seal of safety certification.
Finally, the presentation by the expert representative of the National Cryptological Center (CCN), an entity that currently coordinates the work of certification in cybersecurity at the national level, addressed how the new Scheme will be adopted in Spain. CCN has coincided with other speakers in the great opportunity that “Cybersecurity Act” supposes for the European and Spanish cybersecurity industry when it comes to positioning Europe in line with other markets.
AMETIC celebrates its Electoral General Assembly, on November 7, 2018 in the CEOE´s Sala José María Cuevas C/Diego de León, 50 CP. 28006 Madrid.
Trust Conformity Assessment Body presents its candidacy to represent the segment of SMEs and micro-SMEs in the AMETIC board of Directors.
Trust Conformity Assessment Body is an innovative SME security specialist that audits electronic signature systems, blockchain and security and interoperability schemes and is accredited by ENAC to evaluate qualified electronic trust service providers in the framework of the EIDAS (Regulation UE 910/2014).
The wide knowledge of technical standards and legal environment that we possess is usually useful for our clients and we think it can also be for the board of Directors of our association.
Being an SME, we know the challenges and difficulties of companies of this size, and we think that we can help to sensitize the management bodies of the association andother stakeholders on the importance of SMEs in the productive fabric of the country and on the Policies necessary for these companies to be able to develop and grow in a profitable way.
On September 18th, 2018, the sixth edition of the seminar “ENISA NCSS” on national cybersecurity strategies in Helsinki (Finland) will take place.
The event, which has been jointly organized by the Finnish Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (FICORA) and ENISA, will have as its central theme the development, implementation and evaluation of national cybersecurity strategies (NCSS, in its acronym in English).The creation of National, European and Sectorial Information Sharing and Analysis Centres (ISACs) will also be addressed.In addition, there will be various discussion forums in which representatives of the public and private sectors will be able to present their ideas on national cybersecurity strategies and will share best practices for the creation of ISACs.
Audience at ENISA NCSS
The audience that will attend this seminar are, mainly, those actors involved in the development and implementation of national cybersecurity strategies and the people involved in the creation of ISACs such as sector regulators and national supervisory authorities; legislators and national authorities; private sector and universities.
Activities at ENISA NCSS
Early in the morning, the opening ceremony will be held by the General Secretary of the Finnish Security Committee, Vesa Valtonen. Next, Pentti Olin, member of the Committee of Security, will expose the national strategy of security implemented by Finland to the assistants.
Later on, the first working session will take place, with a focus on the dissemination of the updates in the national strategies included in the NIS technical standard.Several countries, including Luxembourg, will join this session, which will be closed with a panel discussion.
In the second session, celebrated in the afternoon, the different National, European and Sectorial Information Sharing and Analysis Centres (ISACs) will be analyzed.As in the previous session, a discussion panel will take place at the end of the presentations.
If you wish to take a look at the agenda, please click here.
Practical information on ENISA NCSS
Date: September 18th, 2018
Venue: Dynamicum, Erik Palménin aukio1, Helsinki (Finland).
If you want more information about the event, click here.


text:
The Government’s waste strategy is not working, but could be easily improved by introducing a ‘cash for containers system’ that would incentivise recycling and pay consumers 10 cents a bottle, the Green Party said today.
A report by Envision NZ shows that less than 40 per cent of beverage containers are recycled on a voluntary basis. Drink containers make up more than 45,000 tonnes of rubbish in our landfills, litter stream and waterways every year.
“The Government is sitting on its hands regarding waste reduction in New Zealand. We pride ourselves on our clean environment and reducing waste doesn’t just protect our environment for everyone to enjoy, it also helps lower our greenhouse gas emissions,” said Green Party waste spokesperson Denise Roche.
“Imagine how great it would be if our beaches and rivers were free from plastic bottles.
“We could have bottle-free beaches by incentivising recycling with refunds on drink containers, which has been proven as a successful model in other countries. The first step is to make beverage containers a priority product under the Waste Minimisation Act.
“The Government could put in place a product stewardship scheme and set a target to increase beverage container recycling from 40 to 85 per cent.
“However, National has failed to make any new priority products since they came into Government in 2008, because they have a hands off approach to waste minimisation, as they do for climate change and environmental protection.
“We should question if the nearly $7 million from the Waste Minimisation Fund allocated to deal with recycling drink containers is successful, given that they currently account for an estimated 180,000 cubic metres of waste landfill every year,” Ms Roche said.


text:
Trust and interaction key to street food success
The street food market in Latin America has become increasingly diverse, which prompted the McCann Worldgroup to research what drove consumers to eat these types of meals and snacks. The study "The Truth About The Street" shows the market is very sophisticated, client-seller relationships are key, and that locales are frequented by the public because they transcend issues of age, sex or social class. At www.freshfruitportal.com we catch up with McCann Santiago strategic planning VP Maribel Vidal, who shares her experience in the study and how the platform could be utilized by the fruit industry.
For a whole day around 2,000 people from McCann took to the streets in 24 Latin American cities, from Mexico City to Buenos Aires, observing, conversing, taking photos and recording street food experiences in different public spaces, squares and neighborhoods.
Vidal says the endeavor was intended to revive the first-person shopping experience.
"We knew that the supply was sophisticated, varied and that it was very broad," she says.
"We believe that marketing is looking at what happens in popular culture. Why? Because marketing is due to people - what people like works, and what people don't like, while I may try to sell it, doesn't."
The study reveals the majority of people in Latin America eat street food several times a week, and some even several times a day. It was found that the street food market is rich in opportunities for those who opt to take them.
Maribel says a significant amount of money is passed through the market and that's not just for functional reasons.
"It is a moment when I stop and I am with another, living with the public in a different way. It is a moment when I can speak with another."
For Maribel, people who sell food on the street have "a sensitivity to what is sold and not sold which is very interesting as a source of information".
In Latin America, 64% of people associated street food with home-cooking. In Peru, consumers rely on product quality, while in Mexico, the issue of hygiene becomes more important.
The study shows seven out of every 10 Chileans eat street food at least once a week. Meanwhile, in Argentina it is believed that homemade food is better quality.
At the regional level the street caters for all, and in all countries 'flavor' wins out over 'healthy'. Mirabel emphasizes that street food is "democratic" because it is not exclusive and anyone can consume it.
Consumers highlighted their reasons for consuming in this market as its price, speed, freshness and convenience, where sellers have to be experts in marketing, human relations and public relations, as well as sales.
Fruit sector opportunities
Vidal says if the produce industry decides to boost its presence in the street food market, a focus group with street sellers would be necessary to better understand.
"They are the ones who are going to say yes and no - as they are so sensitive as to how the business moves, they know exactly how much to buy and what they have to carry that day."
She says sellers have a good idea of where and where not to sell certain product. For example, in Chile there are areas where they know they can sell sopaipillas (pumpkin pastry), and where they can sell fresh juice, diced fruit or salads.
"There is an issue of segmentation. Imagine carts selling fruit according to the season," she suggests, where the idea would be to attract consumers who want something healthier.
"Since people already have a culture of eating on the street, because people trust what is sold on the street, you can sell anything aligned with what they like.
"There are people who could eat from the street but don’t because the supply is not there."
She says countries like her own can learn from the strong presence of fruit in Chinese street food markets, having experienced them herself during a visit to the Asian country last Southern Hemisphere autumn.
"As it was entering spring there were pineapples. The same person selling sweet potatoes was selling pineapples. He peeled it in a minute and put it on a stick with a bag. Others sold strawberries on sticks with or without candy.
"Others were more elaborate with strawberries and kiwifruit. The Chinese eat a lot of fruit and vegetables. Everything they sold was designed so that you don't stain your hands. They also prepare it there so you get to see how they peel the pineapple.
"The channels are there, the habits are there, but what has to be done is adding the supply so that all these people that could [consume]."
Photo: McCann Worldgroup


text:
Kangamiut Seafood and Oceanpick bring barramundi to Europe
Barramundi may soon be appearing more often on European dinner plates, as a new partnership bringing the popular fish to European markets gets underway.
Following an agreement reached at Seafood Expo Global 2023 in Barcelona, Danish seafood company Kangamiut Seafood has announced a strategic partnership with Sri Lankan aquaculture firm Oceanpick. The two companies will join forces to bring Oceanpick's ocean-reared barramundi to the European market using Kangamiut Seafood's established distribution networks.
Oceanpick, South Asia's largest oceanic fin-fish farm, already supplies its barramundi to markets in Australia, the United States, the Middle East, and the Maldives. The company's production sites are located in waters off Trincomalee, the world's second-largest natural harbor on Sri Lanka's north-eastern seaboard.
In a statement, Oceanpick said its farms and hatcheries are fully integrated, and certified as "Best Aquaculture Practice 4-star sustainability" operations. In 2018, the company established its own hatchery, giving it full genetic control to produce robust stock suited to the conditions of Oceanpick's ocean grow-out systems.
The result, Kangamiut Seafood told WeAreAquaculture, is "a world class quality fish that will delight European consumers with its consistent mellow flavours and smooth buttery taste."
Kangamiut Seafood has a long and successful track record in the seafood business spanning almost half a century. One of Denmark's largest seafood exporters, it supplies quality frozen seafood around the world.
The collaboration between Kangamiut and Oceanpick will, according to the partners, "strengthen both Kangamiut's and Oceanpick's position in the market." The Danish and Sri Lankan companies say they look forward to "an exciting future and to growing the uptake of barramundi in Europe".
About Kangamiut Seafood
Founded in 1975, Kangamiut Seafood A/S, is the original cornerstone of the Kangamiut Group. The Kangamiut Group is one of the largest seafood exporters in Denmark, offering a wide range of quality frozen fish and seafood including halibut, cod, haddock, pikeperch, saithe, mackerel, herring, scampi and coldwater shrimp.
Oceanpick is Sri Lanka's first ever offshore oceanic farm for finfish, rearing its fish in pristine waters off the north-east shores of Sri Lanka. The company focuses on "responsible farming" that is highly sustainable, producing high quality seafood, in addition to offering food security in traceability throughout the supply chain.


text:
Starbucks is releasing a new NFC-enabled product in Japan.
Starbucks is gearing up to launch another gadget in Japan that can be used in its stores. This time around it’s a Starbucks payment pen. Called “Starbucks Touch: The Pen,” the new hardware product is indeed a working pen. Not only can you write with it, but it has an NFC reader that connects to a digital wallet, allowing the user to pay for items at the coffee shop.
The pen features brown gel ink and FeliCa technology.
The Starbucks payment pen has a drip coffee machine-inspired design, complete with “coffee brown” gel ink, according to The Verge. The gel ink is also water resistant.
The ballpoint pen, which is embedded with contactless payment technology, was developed in cooperation with Zebra Corp. It works with FeliCa technology. This technology was originally launched in 2015 by Sony Corp. The FeliCa contactless payment chips are ubiquitous in Japan and powers Starbucks’ popular domestic card system.
The Starbucks payment pen is the fourth product to be released from the Starbucks Touch line.
This is reportedly the fourth product that the company has launched that is part of its Starbucks Touch line in Japan. Previously, both a phone case and a flask have been rolled out. The latest product to be launched is “The Hug,” which is a tiny handbag that is equipped with NFC. This product, however, was reportedly available only by lottery for a few days back in July.
Japanese consumers who wish to purchase the pen once it is released, will discover that it is available in three colors: black, silver and white.
Moreover, the pens don’t come cheap and cost 4,000 yen (roughly $37) and are preloaded with 1,000 yen (about $9). While it does seem that using a card or a phone to purchase your favorite Starbucks beverage seems more sensible, it’s likely that those interested in purchasing the pen are buying it more for the novelty than for the pen’s NFC capabilities alone.
The Starbucks payment pen will be released in Japan on September 25, 2019 and will be available to purchase at the company’s online store.


text:
Payments firm Stripe starts private beta in India
Stripe, a US-based digital payments firm, has launched an invite-only private beta in India with a limited number of companies.
Through the move, the company aims to generate feedback on the platform’s local features and its feasibility for Indian businesses.
Stripe announced plans to set up an India base last year and also hired Anand Balaji, a former Amazon executive, to lead India business.
“With Stripe Atlas, we’ve already been able to help some Indian entrepreneurs build and scale global companies. However, we believe that by operating locally in India—with the ability for Indian companies to connect their local bank accounts to Stripe and get paid out in rupees—we can help support even more businesses and more types of business models (such as local marketplaces) in the years to come,” Balaji stated.
The company said that the launch of its platform in India will enable it to offer new products, tailored for domestic firms. Over the coming few months, Stripe intends to add more subscribers to the beta in the coming few months to trial specific features.