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Intel's director of tablet division Europe Kevin O'Donovan has told Fudzilla that the company is working to get its Oak Trail tablets out soon.
Oak Trail is the next generation Atom that will fit tablets just fine, and of course at some point there will be a netbook version of the same thing. Fujitsu is the first company to have an Oak Trail tablet, and many others will follow. For the time being the OS of choice for Fujitsu is Windows 7, but Intel supports Android 2.3 and 3.0. Android devices might come later, but it is up to Intel partners to announce such devices.
The MeeGo version comes later this year when things get ready. Battery life should be significantly better on Oak Trail based tablets and of course they can play full 1080p HD content.
So, Intel has something to fight the ARM crowd, but we are not sure about wide adoption of these devices. They might have a chance with the right price, but most tablets in 2011 will run ARM based CPUs.


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Last July, our colleagues at Doctor Web detected a Trojan backdoor on Google Play. Such discoveries are not exactly an everyday occurrence, but they’re hardly unheard of — researchers do find Trojans on Google Play, sometimes hundreds at a time.
This Trojan, however, was surprisingly sophisticated for malware found on Google Play, so our experts decided to dig deeper. They conducted their own investigation and found that the malware is part of a malicious campaign (which we dubbed PhantomLance) that’s been ongoing since the end of 2015.
What PhantomLance can do
Our experts detected several versions of PhantomLance. Despite their increasing complexity and the differences in time of appearance , they are fairly similar in terms of capabilities.
The main objective of PhantomLance is to harvest confidential information from the victim’s device. The malware is able to supply its handlers with location data, call logs, text messages, lists of installed apps, and full information about the infected smartphone. What’s more, its functionality can be expanded at any moment simply by loading additional modules from the C&C server.
Google Play is the malware’s main distribution platform. It’s also been found in third-party repositories, but for the most part they are only mirrors of the official Google app store.
We can say for sure that apps infected with a version of the Trojan started appearing in the store in the summer of 2018. The malware was found hiding in utilities for changing fonts, removing ads, system cleanup, and so on.
Apps containing PhantomLance have all since been removed from Google Play, of course, but copies can still be found in mirrors. Ironically, some of these mirror repositories state that the installation package was downloaded directly from Google Play, and is thus said to be definitely virus-free.
How did the cybercriminals manage to sneak their toy into Google’s official store? First, for added authenticity, the attackers created a profile of each developer on GitHub. These profiles contained only some sort of license agreement. Nevertheless, having a profile on GitHub apparently lends developers respectability.
Second, the apps that PhantomLance’s creators initially uploaded to the store were not malicious. The first versions of the programs did not contain any suspicious features, and therefore they passed Google Play’s checks with flying colors. Only some time later, with updates, did the apps acquire malicious features.
Judging by the geography of its spread, as well as the presence of Vietnamese versions of malicious apps in online stores, we believe the top targets of PhantomLance creators were users from Vietnam.
Moreover, our experts detected a number of characteristics linking PhantomLance with the OceanLotus group, which is responsible for creating a range of malware also aimed at users from Vietnam.
The set of OceanLotus malware tools previously analyzed includes a family of macOS backdoors, a family of Windows backdoors, and a set of Android Trojans, whose activity was spotted in 2014–2017. Our experts came to the conclusion that PhantomLance succeeded the abovementioned Android Trojans starting in 2016.
How to guard against PhantomLance
One of the tips we often repeat in posts about Android malware is “Install apps only from Google Play.” But PhantomLance demonstrates yet again that malware can sometimes hoodwink even the Internet giants.
Google takes great pains to keep its app store clean (otherwise we’d run into suspicious software far more often), but the company’s capabilities are not unlimited, and attackers are inventive. Therefore, the mere fact that an app is on Google Play is no guarantee of its safety. Always consider other factors:
- Give preference to apps from trusted developers.
- Pay attention to app ratings and user reviews.
- Look carefully at the permissions an app requests, and don’t hesitate to refuse if you think it’s being greedy. For example, a weather app probably doesn’t need access to your contacts and messages, and likewise a photo filter doesn’t need to know your location.
- Scan the apps you install on your Android device with a reliable security solution.
For more technical information about PhantomLance, see our experts’ detailed report on Securelist.

domain: news


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MINNEAPOLIS — Buffalo Wild Wings has closed its tab with the Coca-Cola Co. PepsiCo, Inc. has become the beverage provider at the sports bar and grill.
Beginning in early 2014, the chain will serve PepsiCo's soft drinks and non-carbonated beverages in its more than 975 locations in the United States. The roll-out is expected to be completed system-wide by the spring. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
“What attracted us to PepsiCo is their extensive beverage and food portfolio,” said Sally Smith, chief executive officer of Buffalo Wild Wings. “We see this as a very powerful partnership in several ways. For starters, we’ll be bringing dynamic beverage brands to our restaurants, including options that our guests have been asking for, like Mountain Dew. We were also drawn to the marketing and promotional strength a partnership with PepsiCo creates, as it aligns well with our guests. Their NFL sponsorship and relationships with additional sports, entertainment and pop culture icons will enhance our guest experience in the future.”
The agreement includes Tropicana juices and lemonades and Lipton teas. Additionally, such PepsiCo snack brands as Doritos, Fritos, Tostitos and Ruffles may appear on the restaurant menu.“This partnership between PepsiCo and Buffalo Wild Wings is a natural fit,” said Indra Nooyi, chairman and chief executive officer of PepsiCo. “We see tremendous opportunities to leverage PepsiCo’s diverse food and beverage portfolio in ways that benefit both companies through exciting new innovations, unique consumer engagement programs, and powerful brand activations tied to sports and entertainment. We greatly appreciate the opportunity to partner with Buffalo Wild Wings, an impressive and growing company that has a bright future ahead.”


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Over the last year, the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) and the Central Bank of United Arab Emirates (CBUAE) have partnered in a collaborate pilot initiative to research and experiment the use of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) for central banks.
Their vision was to discover whether DLT could “reimagine” the settlement of cross-border payments between the neighbouring Middle-East nations with the implementation of a “dual-issued digital currency.”
Their findings, released today in a 93-page report, confirm their initial optimism in the technology stating that cross-border payments are “technically viable” and that it is “possible to design a distributed payment system that offers the two countries significant improvement over centralized payment systems in terms of architectural resilience.”
“The name Aber was selected because, as the Arabic word, for ‘crossing boundaries’, it both captures the cross-border nature of the project as well as our hope that it would also cross boundaries in terms of the use of the technology.”
Alongside the aspect of currency transaction, the two central banks also wanted to gain an insight into the resilience of the technology in areas such as privacy, decentralisation, supply clarity and currency data.
“The performance objectives that were originally set for the project were exceeded, proving that DLT technologies could. offer high levels of performance whilst not compromising safety or privacy.”
Some areas which commented on that need more investigation and experiment in the future were: the impact of interest rates and domestic implementation between states.
Upon announcement of the proof-of-concept pilot last year, their public statement emphasised the growing international development of digital currencies and the importance of first-mover advantage in the field:
“The two countries do not only aspire to be the forerunners in the application of modern technologies, but also in their adaptation, development and delivery to the world. Hence, the two countries embarked on carrying out the experiment of issuing a common digital currency for use across borders to carry out remittances.”
The transparent, candid nature of this project alone is a welcome appearance in this ecosystem. Add in the promising results for the integration of a digital remittance infrastructure and you have a genuine lesson of technology for other countries, central banks and companies to learn, educate and develop from.


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Apple WWDC 2012: all the stories
WWDC 2012 – MacBook and Mac Pro hardware refresh
But there was no mention of the 17in MacBook Pro – the big daddy of the line has been discontinued. Perhaps the steadfast efforts of Ultrabooks have pushed Apple to compete on that playing field with more strict rules for portability.
Sneaking out without a mention in the keynote was a refreshed version of the Mac Pro, getting the new Intel treatment in a 12-core i7 packing tower that can manage up to a staggering 64GB of RAM.
WWDC 2012 – Accessories
Apple slipped a couple of new accessories in under the radar, launching a new iPad Smart Case that provides all-round protection for your slate. Also launching at WWDC were new Thunderbolt accessories in the form of a Thunderbolt to Firewire 700 adaptor, and a Firewire to Ethernet adaptor.


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It`s 11 p.m. Do you know where your website is?
According to the leading online marketing specialist, brokers whose websites don`t come up on Page 1 of a search engine scan of their keywords are off the grid.
“It’s incredibly important to be on Page 1,” Ben Mofetta, co-founder of Core Marketing Strategies, told MortgageBrokerNews.ca. “The fact is 60 per cent of click-throughs go to the top three websites on a search engine search, and 99 per cent go to those on Page 1 of a search.
“If you’re on page 2 or beyond, you’re competing for 1 per cent of prospective clients using those search terms.”
That may be bad news for 99 per cent of mortgage brokers, who despite their own search engine optimization efforts haven’t yet been to make the Front Page for homebuyers searching the web and using the key words each broker has identified.
Even those who have made it to the top of the pack may find it difficult to stay there, said Mofetta, a marketing veteran and speaker at the IMBA conference last month.
”You constantly have to work at staying there,” he said. “But, you then become the target for other brokers who want to get high up on the first page, too.”
One B.C. broker alleges that he attracted some of that unwanted attention.
“It’s very frustrating and aggravating, and how I should go about taking care of this?” said Vancouver broker Mike Averbach, of Averbach Mortgages Averbach. “It’s infringing on my gains and my search engine marketing.”
Earlier this year, he found another brokerage had encoded his name on a blog webpage entirely unrelated to him or his brokerage. A Google search for his name yields a hit for that competitor’s site.
Averbach's competitor told MortgageBrokerNews.ca that someone else constructed the webpage and was unaware of the tag.
Averbach had been using search engine optimization (SEO) since 2007 and regularly checks the company’s placement in organic search results by using the computers of friends. Those computers don’t have search histories that would influence results.
Averbach is concerned that another competitor may also be using his name to drum up Internet leads.
That second competitor's Google ad pops up with a search for “Mike Averbach.”
“People using my name to gain rankings in Google – what do you do about that?” he said.


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JAPAN: Toyota could offer larger US sales incentives if price war continues to escalate - report
Toyota on Monday said it could offer bigger sales incentives in the US market this year if a price war continued to escalate in the sluggish car market, Reuters reported. "We expect overall car demand in the United States to exceed 16 million units this year but still fall well short of last year's level (of 16.8 million)," Toyota president Fujio Cho told a news conference, according to Reuters.
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Thurs, July 16 at 1:00 PM ET / 10 AM PTSponsored by: TripActions
Thurs, July 23 at 11am ET / 8am PTSponsored By: American Express Global Business Travel
Tues, June 30 at 11am ET / 8am PTSponsored in part by: Cvent and The Inception Company
Virtual Event - July 29, 2020
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Filter in or out as many as 200 cities, as well as hotel and car rental class and meals of the day and watch as the per-diem calculator automatically adjusts per diems to your program. Drill down into cost breakdowns and export the results.
In addition to the typical deluge of vendor announcements and recognition for winners of its awards, graduates of its professional education programsand electees to its board, the National Business Travel Association here at its annual convention and expo last week made plenty of its own news. It announced an overall name change, an acquisition of one corporate travel conference and plans to launch two more. It also debuted various new components, conference innovations and industry reports. The 2010 version of North America's largest managed travel forum also embraced mobile technology and hosted to 5,800 delegates (including 1,200 buyers) who seemed more upbeat and less defensive than last year.
The name change will see the world's largest travel management organization next year become the Global Business Travel Association. "Our association must shift its thinking," according to NBTA president Craig Banikowski, and transform "from being a national organization to being a truly global business group that gives you seamless access to best-in-class resources, information and the global network you need."
NBTA also acquired "full ownership" of The Masters Program, a conference for which it had been a longtime partner. The association plans to "transform" the annual event held in Washington "into a global thought-leadership forum for C-level and senior executives and a think tank for the travel industry." According to executive director Mike McCormick, NBTA is committed to "investing to create an even higher level of programming."
NBTA also announced two entirely new conferences, including GovTravDC 2011. Furnished by the association's Government Travel Group and designed for federal government travel management professionals, the event is scheduled for June 1-2 in Washington. NBTA also conveyed plans for its inaugural Sports TravelConference, set for July 12-13 in Indianapolis, to address "travel professionals working in athletics at all levels and across all sports."
NBTA's annual convention and exposition in 2012 is scheduled for August in Denver.
Not Just Your Annual Awards, Votes And Certifications ...
New this year in Houston was a conference app for mobile devices and "innovation" awards highlighting mobile tools. Sponsored by BCD Travel and made by QuickMobile, the app provided schedules, speaker bios, attendee messaging and lots of other information. The NBTA/ Wall Street Journalinnovation award for business travel, as selected by a panel of judges, went to WorldMate's Live Mobile Travel Software, which "tracks every trip and sends real-time alerts about itinerary updates and changes, including flight delays and cancellations," according to NBTA.
Other innovation award winners as decided by popular voteincluded Continental Airlines for its mobile boarding pass and TripIt's Travel Organizer.
In other developments, NBTA highlighted the first-ever graduating class of its Strategic Meetings Management Certificationprogram. Twenty-nine travel and meetings professionals earned the SMMC designation, "denoting excellence in the theory and practice of Strategic Meetings Management."
Meanwhile, the NBTA Foundation and meetings technology provider StarCite detailed "a new model" for strategic meetings management programs, meant to help companies determine their level of SMMP status and next steps in program development. The model is based on "a successful framework for software development created at Carnegie Mellon University" and provides best practices, benchmarking and case studies.
New reports issued in conjunction with the convention included a study on taxation for car rentals, hotel stays and meals in the 50 largest U.S. cities. According to the NBTA Foundation's research findings, travelers to Boston and Portland, Ore., face the highest "discriminatory" travel taxesin the United States, above $21 per day. Orange County, Calif., levies the lowest discriminatory tax total on travel services, $2.19 on average per day, followed by eight other California cities. McCormick told delegates that Congress "must" pass a federal bill "to stop incessant travel taxation, specifically car rental taxes that are used to create new revenue sources for the pet projects of the state and local politicians."
According to another study issued by the NBTA Foundation, business travel spending around the world "will reach $896 billion in 2010, up 6.2 percent from the recessionary low of $844 billion in 2009." By 2014, spending is expected to hit $1.2 trillion. Growth in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East will outpace North America and Europe, according to the NBTA Foundation's report.
Also, NBTA issued a paper on traveler tracking and risk management solutions and previewed another on how to measure the effectiveness of managed hotel programs.
... And Plenty Of The Usual Awards, Votes And Certifications
Getting In On The ACTE
As NBTA was doing its thing, the Association of Corporate Travel Executives took the opportunity to make a few of its own announcements during a press conference in Houston last week. ACTE said it reached a deal with Business Travel Market in which ACTE becomes "the exclusive provider of educational content" for BTM's U.K. conference and BTM "will exclusively manage the execution of the soon-to-be transformed TransACTE program." According to BTM, its 2011 conference in London will attract "around 3,000 non-hosted corporates, agencies and suppliers from every sector of the business travel and meeting industries [and] up to 500 VIP hosted buyers."
ACTE also announced that its spring conference would be held April 10-12 at the Marriott Marquis Times Square in New York City. Executive director Ron DiLeo claimed, "Our industry needs new material, and ACTE is going to lead that charge."
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Tiffany is arguably the most iconic name in the history of jewelry. Everyone knows about the Tiffany blue boxes and Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Last year, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, a massive luxury goods conglomerate that owns several prominent brands, announced plans to buy the famed jewelry company. Last week, however, LVMH pulled out of the deal.
In November 2019, LVMH announced plans to purchase Tiffany’s with promises to restore the luxury jeweler to its former glory. The deal was for a staggering $16.7 billion dollars. Had it gone through, would have been the largest transaction ever in the luxury sector. The Tiffany purchase would have allowed LVMH to further expand into the luxury market. The French conglomerate already owns a multitude of luxury brands like Dior, Givenchy, Dom Pérignon, and Bulgari. The aqcuistion of Tiffany would have allowed LVMH to further expand its scope in the luxury market. It also would give the French conglomerate control of an iconic and highly recognizable piece of American culture.
While negotiations were reportedly tense, it seemed the two companies had come to an agreement. That is until last week when it all unraveled, with gusto. Last Wednesday LVMH said that due to the pandemic, as well as a request from the French government to delay the closing of the deal, the company is pulling out of the deal.
The company said in a statement that it could no longer go through with the deal in its current iteration, in part because of the “threat of taxes on French products formulated by the United States.” This is in reference to President Donald Trump’s decision to put a tax on luxury goods coming into the United States from France last year. Because of this threat, the French government asked the company to delay the closing of the deal to January 6, 2021. In addition, jewelry sales have taken a serious hit because of the pandemic. This sales decrease makes spending billions on a luxury jewelry brand a less desireable prospect.
In response, Tiffany sued the luxury conglomerate in an effort to force the deal to continue. This leaves Tiffany in an uncomfortably vulnerable position. If their undoubtedly expensive lawsuit is successful, the deal may still go through, although it may no longer be for the full $16 billion. The alternative is that Tiffany & Co. remains a stand-alone company, as it has for its entire 183 year history. The problem with that is it leaves the company looking for a new buyer or forced to operate as is in a climate that is not exactly ideal for a luxury jewelry brand.


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LG may announce a quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) phone during Mobile World Congress next month. Pocketnow recently leaked an image and details on the X3, which also reportedly offers a large 4.7-inch 1280 x 720-pixel resolution display, an 8-megapixel camera, a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera for video chat, NFC, a huge 2,000 mAh battery and possible support for HSPA 21Mbps or 4G LTE networks. The X3 will no doubt have stiff competition at the show; Samsung is also expected to announce its quad-core powered Galaxy S III smartphone. BGR will be reporting live from Mobile World Congress, so we’ll be sure to bring you all the details if and when the X3 makes an appearance. More →
China-based Huawei on Tuesday announced several new smart devices including the IDEOS X3 Android-powered smartphone and the IDEOS X7 Slim Android tablet. The IDEOS X3 will run Android 2.3 Gingerbread and feature a 3.2-inch HVGA touchscreen display along with what Huawei is calling the thinnest case among 3.2-inch display-toting smartphones currently on the market. The phone will launch with SOFTBANK MOBILE in Japan this spring, and availability in other markets has not yet been discussed. The IDEOS S7 Slim is a 7-inch tablet that will feature the Android 2.2 Froyo operating system, Wi-Fi, integrated 3G, 720p HD video playback and a case that is only 12.5mm thick. Most notably, perhaps, the S7 Slim tablet will launch this April and will retail for less than $300. Hit the break for the full press release from Huawei. More →
It looks like Chinese electronics manufacturer Huawei will be bringing two new pieces of hardware to MWC next week. Via the company’s official Flickr account, images of both a new tablet and smartphone have emerged: the IDEOS X3 and the S7 Slim. The specs for both devices are still unknown, although what we can see from the images is that both will feature a front-facing camera and run the Android operating system. We won’t have to wait more than a few days to find out exactly what these two devices are made of — and if they’ll show up Stateside or not. Hit the jump to see an additional picture of the S7. More →
It looks like Fido’s corporate security team isn’t having its best month because someone aptly nicknamed “FidoMarketing” has leaked the details of its Q2 handset and price plans. There’s not a heck of a lot of exciting things here, although the BlackBerry Pearl 9100 is listed and is apparently coming very soon:
- BlackBerry Pearl 9100 – May 4th
- LG GW300 – April 13th
- Nokia 3710 – May 18th
- Nokia X3 – May 18th
- Novatel Wireless MC988DF – May (singled out for being 28.8Mbps, a sign of things to come to Fido/Rogers no doubt)
- Sony Ericsson Aspen – June
In terms of plans, Fido is still struggling to find its identity. It has really cheap handsets, yet the plans that go along with them are pretty mediocre for Canadian standards. FidoUNO, Fido’s UMA service, will be decommissioned as of June 1st, but a new CarryOver Minutes plan (not available to City Fido or corporate customers) will be introduced which allows one to accumulate rollover minutes over 6 moths. Data plans will also get a bit of a change with news plans with the introduction of Wireless Internet Options. Basically what it all boils down to according to the documents is this:
- $15 – Unlimited Email and IM
- $15 – 100MB/100MB BIS
- $25 – 500MB/500MB BIS
- $30 – 1GB/1GB BIS
- $40 – 2GB/2GB BIS
- $40 – 3GB
- $50 – 5GB
- $50 – 15GB [sic]
- $80 – 8GB
- $150 – 15GB
Be honest, people. What are you thinking? More →
Back in July we fought back drool while watching a leaked video of the custom UI overlay Sony Ericsson has prepared for the soon to be official XPERIA X3. Today, we’re repeating the process all over again as yet another UI video has surfaced, this time dealing specifically with the media player. Looking wonderfully polished, well thought out and seemingly liberally borrowing styling cues from Microsoft’s Zune HD, the overall hotness cannot be denied. Yes, indeed, we cannot wait to get some hands on time with the XPERIA X3 so we can pit it against Motorola’s DROID. Hit the jump to check out the video.
Thanks to everyone that sent this in!
Not interested in Windows Mobile-powered XPERIA X2 that should lift off in January? How does the simultaneous January launch of the Android-powered XPERIA X3 sound? Don’t bet on it actually happening, but rumor has it the X3 may launch in January, side-by-side with its Microsoft-powered cousin. Odd that Sony would announce the X2, keep quiet on the X3, and then launch them both at the same time. Appropriately, we’re extremely skeptical at best. Of course we would love nothing more than to see the X3 hit the streets as soon as possible though, so we’ll go ahead and cross out fingers just in case. Two high-profile Sony Ericsson smartphone releases in the same month would be a hell of a way to kick off 2010, that’s for sure.
News flash: Nokia managed to keep a pair of handsets a secret leading up to official announcements at Nokia World! Alongside the oft-talked about N97 Mini, two previously unknown music-centric devices, the X3 and X6, became official — but we’ll get to them in a moment. The N97 Mini, as we’re sure most of you know by now, can be summed up pretty quickly: Slightly smaller than the N97, tilting 3.2-inch resistive touchscreen display, sliding QWERTY keypad, 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss lens and dual-LED flash, Wi-Fi, aGPS, 8GB of internal memory with microSDHC and UMTS/HSPA connectivity. Not great, not bad, but we’re also not too sure exactly who would take it over the N97, which is already free on contract in many countries.
As we said before, the X6’s announcement came as a total surprise — one that is actually quite nice. It’s a full-touchscreen (capacitive) candy bar that can pump out tunes from its 32GB of internal memory for up to 35 hours. It runs S60 5th of course; shame it isn’t Maemo-powered. Beyond that you’re looking at a 5 megapixel camera with a Zeiss lens and a dual-LED flash and as far as connectivity goes, the X6 has that lovable trifecta of HSPA, Wi-Fi and aGPS. The X3 is the alphanumeric slidin’ baby cousin of X6 that runs on S40 and has a 2.2-inch QVGA display, 3.2 megapixel camera, 46MB of internal memory, FM tuner and quad-band EDGE. Both the X3 and X6 will ship in Q4 for 115€ ($163 USD) and 450€ ($640 USD). As for the N97 Mini, it will be released next month for 450€ ($640 USD). Hit the jump for videos of each of these three handsets and let us know what you think.
Gotta love Expansys. The shameless online retailer known for posting pre-order availability of handsets well before any official announcement has struck again. This time around, Expansys has revealed that the oh-so-sexy Android-rocking Sony Ericsson Rachael will apparently be launched under the Xperia brand as the Xperia X3. Xperia X2? What Xperia X2? Hit the jump for the full specs as listed by Expansys:


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An anonymous tip off complete with photographic evidence has surfaced on Saturday, pointing to a new version of the Macbook Air that will come with a 13.3-inch chassis instead of the 11.6-inch version previously stated.
Engadget, whom the source contacted, says that the new design ditches the drop-down side ports based on the fact that it uses a long black hinge. Other claimed features include USB ports, Displayport and a SD Card reader.
This particular prototype, which can be traced back to April 2010 according to Apple Insider, also sports a Core 2 Duo SL9400 processor. We'd expect it to come with the same unibody design plus the single mouse button that comes standard with Macbooks.
There are also rumours that there will be two versions of the MBA including a smaller one with a 11.6-inch screen and a smaller pricetag.
The bigger version is likely to have a bigger battery (and up to four battery compartments) and there are rumours that there will be a new SSD card-based storage that will allow Apple to shrink the size of the MBA even more.
All this is tied to an event to be held next Wednesday by Apple entitled, "Back to Mac" where the new Macbook Air laptops are expected to be launched.


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Made in America has announced the lineup for this year's two-day festival, with Travis Scott and Cardi B headlining.
Curated by Jay-Z and held over Labor Day weekend (Aug. 31-Sept. 1) at Philadelphia's Benjamin Franklin Parkway, the fest will also feature Juice WRLD, Lizzo, Kaskade, Lil Uzi Vert, James Blake, Anderson .Paak, Kaytranada, Rosalía, Jorja Smith, Bazzi, Gucci Mane, Pink Sweat$ and more.
Also on the lineup this year are Tierra Whack, Jacob Banks, Freddie Gibbs, Hippie Sabotage, SG Lewis, MadeinTYO, Dababy, Megan Thee Stallion, Buddy, Elephante, Phantoms, Charly Bliss and others.
Tickets are on sale now and it's worth noting this year's charity partner is the ACLU of Pennsylvania, with a portion of proceeds from the 2019 fest going toward The REFORM Alliance.
See the full lineup here.


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A Brit biz masquerading as Google to "sell" a free business listing service has wound up in the High Court.
Manchester-based Movette falsely represented itself as Google when selling its service to manage the online "Google My Business" listings of its customers.
The company was incorporated in September 2013 and charged a fee of between £199 and £249 for a 12-month contract. The company’s financial records showed it received fees totalling £537,000.
An investigation by the Insolvency Service found Movette had been the subject of a significant volume of complaints to regulatory bodies such as Action Fraud and Trading Standards during its two-and-a-half year trading history.
The probe revealed the company had falsely stated that customers would lose their existing services from Google if payment was not made.
A number of people have previously complained about Movette's fraudulent activity on company review site Trust Pilot.
"I was relentless pursued by this company and eventually paid the bill of nearly £300. I am gutted that I caved in," wrote one.
Another wrote: "Last year I received a call from 'Google' saying they have been looking after my site for a year (which they hadn't) and now was time to pay the yearly fee."
Colin Cronin, investigation supervisor with the Insolvency Service, said: "Movette used deceptive methods to persuade customers to sign up for its service, including stating or implying that it represented or was connected to Google.
"The company then made it difficult for customers to extract themselves from rolling contracts and used debt collection methods which were coercive and intimidatory."
He said the IS is urging any business which is contacted by cold-call and invited to sign up for a Google My Business listing to make full enquiries into the service being offered before entering into any agreement.
"Google My Business is, in fact, a free service which allows businesses to enter and update information with the intention of marketing themselves to users of the search engine." ®


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Argentina and Barcelona soccer great Lionel Messi has signed an endorsement deal with the Mengniu Group.
Under the terms of the agreement, the five-time Ballons d'Or winner will serve as a brand ambassador for the Chinese dairy products manufacturer, adding to his partnerships with Huawei, Gatorade and a life-long deal with Adidas.
Mengniu agreed a deal in December to become an official sponsor of the 2018 Fifa World Cup in Russia, when it will serve as the official drinkable yoghurt and pre-packaged ice cream of the national team tournament, and will also be listed as the competition’s official milk and powdered milk.
27 of the company’s products will have the right to conduct marketing campaigns related to the World Cup, and Mengniu has announced that it intends to spend RMB2 billion (US$300 million) on marketing campaigns centring on the event.
According to the Red Card 2018: China Digital Football Awards study by sports consultancy Mailman, which analyses European soccer’s digital performance in China, Messi has overtaken Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo to become the most influential player online in the country. After relaunching his Chinese social media channels in May last year, Messi accumulated over one million new followers in 2017.
Messi claimed two goals on Saturday when Barcelona thrashed Girona 6-1, extending his lead as top goal-scorer in La Liga this season to two ahead of teammate Luis Suárez. Messi will be hoping to guide Argentina to glory this summer when he makes his fourth World Cup appearance in Russia.


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Held annually for over forty years, the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is where tech companies come to launch their latest innovations. This year’s show took place at the beginning of the month in Las Vegas, and the biggest brands in the business were there to display their products. Among these companies was Sharp Electronics Corporation with their AQUOS Crystal smart phone. The AQUOS Crystal, Sharp’s newest smart phone, has been selected as the recipient of a CES Innovation Award – an award only given for groundbreaking designs and cutting edge technology. The AQUOS Crystal provides a unique smart phone experience. With a five-inch screen and a borderless display, users can indulge in their smartphone like never before. This device includes unique features such as a camera that brightens both the subject and the background, improving nighttime shots, and a direct wave receiver, making phone calls easier to hear in loud environments.
To learn more about Sharp’s AQUOS Crystal, watch our commercial:


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Created by Business China Singapore in 2010, the FutureChina Global Forum (FCGF) was inaugurated by Singapore’s Founding Prime Minister and our Founding Patron, the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew. The past 11 editions of FCGF have provided an international platform for business leaders and experts around the world to share their experiences and analysis of the new trends and forces driving China’s evolution to become one of the world’s largest economies.
For the first time, FCGF will be held virtually from 15 to 17 September 2020 (Tuesday to Thursday). We are honoured to have Mr Heng Swee Keat, Deputy Prime Minister, Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies and Minister for Finance, Mr Chan Chun Sing, Minister for Trade and Industry and Dr Koh Poh Koon, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Health as our Guest-of-Honour of the Forum, comprising of virtual forum, virtual exhibition, exclusive closed-door discussion and the virtual networking.
The theme for the FCGF Special Virtual Edition 2020 is “A Resilient Future: Post-Pandemic Transformation & Opportunities in China and ASEAN” (坚韧的未来：后疫情时期中国与亚细安的转型和契机). The forum will focus on the trends, growth opportunities and lessons drawn from China and ASEAN. Through the Forum, participants will gain a sharper understanding of the latest developments and better anticipation of emerging trends that will position regional companies in capturing business opportunities in post pandemic recovery.
The outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is for the time being the most significant black swan of 2020 apart from the increased tensions between the US and China. The impact of the coronavirus has shrunk China’s first-quarter growth by 6.8%. The overall impact is likely to lower the Chinese real GDP growth rate in 2020 to an approximate of 5% . Various economic research teams have already cut their forecasts for 2020 by 0.2 to 0.8 percentage points. The outbreak is a severe test to the economic and political resilience in China in which economic performance is increasingly equivalent to political performance.
The Chinese economy is bouncing back after the new outbreak is contained with a rise in the activity in the Q3/Q4 of 2020 due to policy measures the expected increase in consumption spending (with a significant increase in retail sales).The disturbance to industrial production could be more severe due to a drag caused by the prolonged production shutdowns. These create significant supply outages and disruptions to the internal and external logistics networks and trade flows.
In post-Covid-19 era, the companies should be positioned to anticipate the post pandemic growth of China and China’s changing relations with ASEAN, Upon recovery, it is expected that China’s coastal regions will be among the first regions to recover economically with changed supply chain and logistic trade flow.
On the other hand, ASEAN countries are also strengthening linkages to better facilitate the movement of goods, develop trade services and reduce investment barriers. This vision for economic integration is shared by all ASEAN member states that aims to significantly increase ASEAN’s attractiveness as a business and investment destination. The ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) is one such example of how the 10 ASEAN members have committed to strengthening linkages and deepening economic integration. Today, 99% of goods traded between ASEAN member states are tariff-free. Another example of cooperation is the ASEAN Comprehensive Investment Agreement, which has also helped to provide more transparency, protection and recourse to investors from fellow ASEAN states. That being said, regional integration among ASEAN’s 10 member states is still a work in progress. There remains disparity among the various economies – from the openness to foreign investments to the types of regulations governing businesses to cultural differences.
The FutureChina Global Forum (FCGF) 2020 will focus on the trends, trade flow shifts, growth opportunities and lessons drawn following the COVID-19 outbreak. Singapore is strategically positioned as ASEAN and China’s international gateway, economic hub and centre of innovation respectively. As a long-standing partner of China, Singapore has much to offer in catalysing growth, connecting and facilitating collaboration between China and ASEAN. Through FCGF, participants will gain insights to the China and ASEAN’s present and future development as well as appreciate the strategic role that Singapore plays.
This highly anticipated forum will feature a strong line-up of esteemed speakers. Through their insightful sharing, participants will gain a sharper and most up-to-date understanding of both regions’ developments and emerging opportunities. The event is expected to attract over 500 distinguished business leaders, public personalities, leading experts and thought leaders from Singapore, China and the region.


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Very pleased to be heading to Monaco this week where I'll be moderating a panel on the changing valuation of digital video with Alphabird CEO Chase Norlin, Videology CEO Scott Ferber, Josh Mortensen MD and founder of Denmark's GlibHippo and René Rechtman/CEO, of London's Goviral & SVP International AOL Advertising Group.
In addition to moderating, we will be producing many exclusive video interviews with the event's speakers and attendees.
We are very pleased that AOL On has sponsored our coverage of the Monaco Media Forum.
A few weeks back in our newsroom, we interviewed Spencer Reiss, program director of the conference. He gives an overview of the conference and this year's program.


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After experiencing a 2-day slump during which the price of most cryptocurrencies including bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple, and Bitcoin Cash declined significantly, the cryptocurrency market has started to recover.
Major Cryptocurrencies Surge in Value
Cryptocurrencies in the top 20 rankings of the global cryptocurrency market have recorded large gains over the past few hours. Ripple in particular demonstrated a staggering 48 percent increase in value, while bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Cardano, and Litecoin have risen in the range of 15 percent to 35 percent.
Although major cryptocurrencies are still down significantly from their all-time highs, bitcoin, Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash, and Ripple have all kept their “psychological thresholds.” Bitcoin has rebounded above the $10,000 mark, Ether recovered past $1,000, and Ripple did not decline below the $1 mark.
It is highly unlikely that fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD) from the South Korean and Chinese cryptocurrency markets caused the recent correction, given its magnitude and the size of both markets. But, a reasonable explanation is the closure of bitcoin future contracts on January 17, and whales or institutional investors in the traditional finance market dumping cryptocurrencies like bitcoin to cash out their short contracts.
Over the past 12 months, Ripple has surged by 330-fold, Ether by 130-fold, and bitcoin by 19-fold, with minor corrections. It is also possible that the sudden increase of cryptocurrencies without a major drop in value led to a large correction to occur.
Previously, Ethereum creators Vitalik Buterin and Charles Hoskinson questioned the value of most cryptocurrencies in the market, given that tokens without products and users have obtained multi-billion dollar valuations within a short period of time.
With the recent correction in mind, public blockchains and cryptocurrencies within the global market will need to prove their potential and justify their market valuations by obtaining actual active user bases and useful products. Otherwise, even in a bull market like the cryptocurrency market, another major correction is inevitable.
Where Does Bitcoin and Ethereum Go Next?
In late 2017, billionaire investor Mike Novogratz predicted the price of bitcoin to achieve the $40,000 mark and Ether to surpass $1,500. If the cryptocurrency market can recover to its previous levels before January 16, when bitcoin and Ethereum were at $14,000 and $1,300 respectively, the cryptocurrency market would be in a better position to initiate stronger rallies without weak hands and speculators.
Earlier this week, during an interview with QZ, Constantin Papadimitriou, president of Pundi X, stated that the adoption of bitcoin, Ethereum, and other cryptocurrencies is rapidly increasing in India despite the government’s crackdown on the market. Consequently, the government has started to reconsider its policies and possibly regulate its cryptocurrency market, although no regulations have been finalized as of yet.
Increasing adoption of cryptocurrencies by large remittance markets like India and the Philippines will allow the global cryptocurrency market and blockchains within it to increase further in value. Major financial institutions such as Japan’s largest bank Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, better known as UFG, and South Korea’s second largest commercial bank Shinhan Bank have also started the development of cryptocurrency exchanges and wallet platforms.
Featured image from Shutterstock.
Last modified: March 4, 2021 5:03 PM


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Nokia is trying to convince firms with a high proportion of mobile workers that supporting both fixed and mobile infrastructure is unnecessary, and often more expensive than supporting a single system.
When an enterprise has both fixed and mobile telephones, the amount of expensive inter-network traffic is often unnecessarily high, according to the mobile giant, and costs more than calling within one type of network.
The sectors where Nokia claims it has a good case include advertising, finance, healthcare, retail and wholesale, transport, media, utilities, manufacturing and public administration, where a high proportion of staff use mobile phones as much as landlines.
In addition to call cost-saving opportunities, further savings opportunities arise from being able to minimise or even remove capital and operational expenditure related to private branch exchanges (PBXs), the company said.
"What we're saying to IT managers is analyse the cost of your PBX, stop thinking of it as part of the building," Mikko Seppäläinen, head of mobile business voice at Nokia Networks, told vnunet.com.
Nokia argued that this analysis would show more inter-network internal calls than might be expected. Under some circumstances, it might even be simpler just to equip the workforce with mobile telephones.
And the fact that fixed-to-fixed internal calling is in some cases free of charge is given too much emphasis. In an organisation that has both fixed and mobile telephones, the proportion of fixed-to-fixed internal traffic is often surprisingly small, the company said.
When 61 per cent of staff have mobiles, Nokia's studies suggest, it becomes less expensive to move to mobile-only for voice.
But Nokia's attempts to convince businesses to swap from fixed lines to mobiles may not be compelling yet, especially without mobile operators cutting call costs.
And the analysis fails to consider the benefits of network convergence and VoIP.
"I accept the dual infrastructure argument would make some savings, but carriers like BT are offering exceptional deals at the moment and I can't see how mobile-to-mobile could be cheaper than fixed-to-fixed," said Keith Humphreys, managing consultant at EuroLAN Research.
A better idea might be Wi-Fi-enabled mobile handsets that combined with VoIP networks, he added.
Nokia believes much cheaper mobile calls are possible if operators are willing, and says enterprises negotiate tariffs with service providers.
"The mobile operator/service provider has a great degree of control over the total case and whether cost savings can indeed be realised in enterprises," its report states.
"Clear win-win potential exists in many cases. Mobile operators and enterprises can negotiate tariffs that both are profitable to the mobile operator and enable the enterprise to save costs by migrating traffic to mobile."
But while Nokia admits that per-minute tariffs have a decisive impact on whether enterprises should migrate traffic to mobile, it is difficult to imagine them slashing prices.
Earlier this month, a new report from analyst The Yankee Group again urged operators to forget about aggressively targeting fixed line operators. "Mobile cannot compete with fixed on price or performance, especially for data," it said.
Analyst Ovum also predicted that price differentials will remain.
"Mobile prices are typically two to four times higher than fixed. Both mobile and fixed prices will continue to fall. But we think the ratio between them will remain significant," said Julian Hewitt, chief analyst at Ovum.
Ovum acknowledged that 3G could bring prices down a lot faster. But Hewitt added: "On balance, we don't believe this will happen. It's not in the interests of the mobile operators to reduce prices rapidly and destroy their margins."
And with hefty 3G licences to pay, operators seem more interested in revenue optimisation and bringing more data content services to market rather than landline displacement.
So without more aggressive pricing from the operators, Nokia's case begins to unravel.
The operator may have the technology for fixed-to-mobile substitution, but with VoIP a favoured option within enterprises it may have a battle on its hands even to convince operators to offer businesses the choice.
Moon's dark side is mountainous, rugged and never visible from the Earth
The groundwater basins in some areas of Tehran have been damaged irreversibly
This is the first time that any spacecraft on Mars has recorded air vibrations on the planet
Arctic sea ice is thickening at a faster rate during winter, thus slowing down long-term decline: NASA
But, the seasonal ice growth could only delay the demise of the Arctic ice cap for a few more decades


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May 5, 2010 – CA, Inc. announced significant updates to its family of backup and recovery products, including a new snapshot product with block-level incremental data capture and a rebranding of its XOsoft line.
ARCserve D2D, CA’s new image-based disk-to-disk backup solution, gives the company a leg up on its most direct competitor, Symantec, say analysts.
“ARCserve and Symantec Backup Exec go head-to-head in this area, and it’s always a feature-battle war,” says Dave Russell, research vice president of storage technologies and strategies for Gartner. “This D2D product is a differentiator that Symantec doesn’t have an answer for right now. Additionally, wrapping XOsoft around this ARCserve umbrella also provides a differentiator.”
ARCserve D2D provides rapid recovery for Windows disk-based servers, Windows platforms and Microsoft applications, according to the company release. CA’s new backup technology includes block-level infinite incremental backup, protection for virtual servers, bare metal recovery to dissimilar hardware, high-frequency backups, Web 2.0 interface and end-user search and restore.
“This product is meant to be more on the small system, single server or personal computer level,” says Russell. “It’s meant to be something that’s easy to use – no configuration or fancy parameters. Backing up is as simple as pressing a button that says ‘backup.’”
Lauren Whitehouse, Senior Analyst for Enterprise Strategy Group, Inc. describes CA’s appeal to the SMB market and new style of backup and recovery as a bit of a twist for the market, appealing to the industry’s increasing comfort with disk-based storage. “Now that people are getting comfortable with disk, you have more capabilities, including snapshots, which capture the whole stack and are able to recover information so much more quickly.”
Companies are increasingly using disk backup and holding the data for longer period of time, says Whitehouse citing an April Enterprise Strategy Group research report (“Data Protection Market Trends, April 2010”). “In 2008, 66 percent of businesses kept data on disk for a week before transferring it to tape. Today, the majority keep it for a month to six months,” she said. “Eighty percent have disk assisted backup somewhere in the data process.”
Additional enhancements to CA’s ARCserve family of products include major releases of CA ARCserve Backup, CA ARCserve Replication and CA ARCserve High Availability.
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TikTok user Nathan ‘Doggface’ Apodaca will auction off his viral ‘Fleetwood Mac’ video as an NFT on Friday.
The 23-second TikTok video features Apodaca riding on his longboard drinking Ocean Spray while Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” plays.
When it was first posted, the video quickly gained views and popularity, gaining 600,000 shares on TikTok alone. Mick Fleetwood even made his own version of the video after seeing it online.
There are a few key differences between the viral video and NFT, however.
As Apodaca doesn’t own the Fleetwood Mac song’s rights or labeling for Ocean Spray, the NFT will only have the original audio of him skating, and the bottle’s label blurred out.
As a result, this means that whoever buys the token is essentially purchasing the raw footage.
In the TMZ report, Apodaca says he’s going to use the money he raises from the sale to buy his parents a house and set up an event space in his hometown.
Popular NFT Sales Bring in High Bids
While half a million dollars might seem like a lot for a video clip, NFT sales have been seeing incredible numbers since the beginning of the year.
In addition, new avenues for NFTs. While the majority are digital artworks, others include exclusive music pieces, whole albums or even live concerts.
Recently, pop artist Queen George announced the concert will be exclusively for her NFT holders. This is the first time live concert tickets have ever been sold as tokens.
Even infamous celebrities are finding buyers. Ja Rule, the rapper and promoter of the Fyre Festival, is turning his failure into profit, for instance.
He is selling an oil painting he completed, which features a flame with the word “fyre” over it. It already has a valuation of $600,000.


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In many corners of Wall Street, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has become a good, but slightly dull, stock because of the sheer amount of cash and controversy it takes to get a $900 billion behemoth moving.
That’s why this week’s seven-percent surge and slide feels so unreal. One day’s rally created $50 billion in wealth for shareholders, while the subsequent plunge took all that money away plus another $30 billion.
And it’s all about conflicting takes on the company’s role in a shifting global landscape. Never forget that while Americans love the Apple experience, this company remains export-oriented and, even more, relies on imports to keep the iPhones circulating.
The Fed Was Our Friend
I should have known it was going to be a wild week when I went in to do a media segment prepared, as requested, to talk about the Fed and the rate cut, only to end up talking about emerging markets when I went on the air.
A more relaxed Fed posture was a great thing for Apple, not because CEO Tim Cook really worries about interest rates, but because the company does 60 percent of its business overseas. With other central banks letting rates drift below zero, the hawkish Fed contributed to what always was a painfully strong dollar for U.S. exporters. Early in the 2Q19 earnings cycle, half of all S&P 500 companies warned that exchange rates were choking their ability to compete.
As far as they can see, the trade war isn’t really the problem. Even adding up all the complaints about the Fed, China and tariffs still doesn’t come close to the weight of a dollar that’s too strong.
Apple mentioned “foreign exchange” six times in the conference call. The U.S. dollar apparently cost them $1.5 billion in revenue and was going to present another $1 billion in top-line drag in the current quarter.
That’s why the stock initially rallied to $219 a share. I was convinced exporters were going to get a break. And then, of course, those emerging markets bit back, erasing all the gains while the dollar jumped to a two-year high.
Evidently, an escalating trade environment outweighs currency relief. Easier local pricing doesn’t provide much competitive help when your products could be banned at any time in China, which is still one of Apple’s key markets.
But that’s in the hands of the negotiators. I’m more interested in factoring out the export market and focusing on the piece of the puzzle Tim Cook actually can control — where he buys components to get the most bang for his strong buck.
I like Taiwan Semiconductor Mfg. Co. Ltd. (NYSE:TSM) here. The company makes the microprocessors embedded in all iPhones since 2016.
And, surprise, it’s not based in mainland China. Tariffs don’t apply here. Apple’s supply dollar stretches farther beyond the threat of government barriers on either side.
As long as that’s the case, TSM has a friend for life. It reported solid 2Q19 numbers as the new iPhone manufacturing season gets underway. That’s likely to continue.
Unfortunately, I’m not convinced the strength flows both ways. While Apple pulls components from 67 factories across Taiwan, that’s really cold comfort when mainland suppliers still outnumber their island counterparts by a ratio of nearly 6 to 1.
Even so, it’s good to see at least one stock somewhere in the world remains a net beneficiary of all the cross currents roiling the market right now. Now it’s time for Tim Cook to step up and shift more supply lines to Taiwan, Japan, Korea and even back to the U.S.A.
Cook may no longer run the kind of disruptive company GameChangers subscribers have come to know and love, but at least he can cover his vulnerability while waiting for the export environment to improve.
CANNABIS CORNER: THE PROOF IS IN THE NUMBERS
Never mind compliance failures and executive meltdowns elsewhere: today proved that well-run cannabis companies still have what it takes to keep the cash flowing through the storms.
I haven’t talked about Aphria Inc. (NYSE:APHA) much here because it isn’t as popular as the headline-cultivating companies like Aurora Cannabis Inc. (NYSE:ACB), Tilray Inc. (NASDAQ:TLRY) and Cronos Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CRON).
And it definitely isn’t facing the same regulatory nightmare as CannTrust Holdings Inc. (NYSE:CTST), which sank another 2 percent this week and dragged the mood around the group down with it.
APHA stuck to its comfort zone supplying the relatively mature medical marijuana channel, leaving a lot of the more volatile recreational opportunities to other growers.
As a result, sales only expanded 630 percent in the recent quarter to $54 million. I was hoping for another $7 million, but realistically speaking for a company that was only booking $2 million a month in revenue a year ago, this is still a fantastic number.
The shortfall (such as it is) looks like a temporary glitch. Management says the business should generate as much as $525 million next year, roughly in line with my forecast. In 18 months, we’ll be looking at an annualized run rate of $750 million.
These are the huge growth numbers that drew me to this theme in the first place, finally playing out in real time and not just hypothetical projections. And while I was braced for a loss of $0.02 per share, Aphria gave us a $0.16 profit.
Forget the scandals and second-guessing around other companies. Aphria kept its nose clean, and shareholders are reaping the rewards now. Regulators even say the company packages the highest-quality products in the business.
Management, for their part, sees unlicensed pirates as their biggest real competitors for the buttoned-down medicinal market. Sooner or later, those rivals will get shut down.
Is it any wonder this stock is up over 30 percent today, pulling the group up in its wake? Aphria is back up for the week when the rest of Big Cannabis is struggling or in free fall.
And I have to admit, I’m so fond of this stock because it was the only Big Cannabis stock I’ve seen fit to add to the Turbo Trader Marijuana Millionaire Portfolio. The others just didn’t make the grade.
There’s good reason for that. Since subscribers got their first look at Aphria, it’s made money. Over that same time period, ACB and TLRY are down about 15 percent. CGC has lost 26 percent. Even the S&P 500 is down.
We know a winner when we see it. I expect it to get even better from here.


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Wal-Mart Brazil acquires Bompreco
March 1, 2004,
SAO PAULO, Brazil — Wal-Mart Brazil is acquiring Bompreco, a retail chain in northeastern Brazil with 118 units comprised of hypermarkets, supermarkets and mini-markets, said Vincent Trius, president of Wal-Mart Brazil.
Bompreco, formerly owned by Ahold, has more than 20,000 employees, who will become part of Wal-Mart Brazil.
With the acquisition, Wal-Mart Brazil will operate 143 units in the country, including 13 Wal-Mart Supercenters, 10 Sam’s Clubs, two Wal-Mart Todo Dias and the 118 Bompreco hypermarkets, supermarkets and mini-markets.
Trius said Wal-Mart Brazil will remain in its current home office in Sao Paulo, but will retain Bompreco’s headquarters in Recife as its regional base of operations.
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The Countdown to the ICON Honors Continues featuring Christophe Pourny


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The government has no plan as of now to bring back the control raj and re-introduce a release order mechanism to control sugar sales by mills, food minister Ram Vilas Paswan said on Monday. Some media reports recently suggested that the food ministry was mulling such a move to tame rising sugar prices.
The government had in 2012 announced the sugar sector “decontrol” by scrapping the release order mechanism through which it used to dictate how much of sugar a mill could sell in a month. It had also abolished the levy system, which mandated that mills would sell 10% of their production to the government at heavily subsidised rates.
Listing out the measures taken by the government to help mills clear cane arrears owed to farmers — including two subsidised loan packages — in times of a crash in sugar prices, Paswan also said the government recently initiated measures to control the price rise in sugar. “We have taken various steps, no curb on mills’ sales, as of now,” he said at the Idea Exchange programme of the Indian Express Group.
In June, the government imposed a 20% duty on exports of sugar to keep domestic supplies steady. The government has taken a raft of measures in recent weeks to curb a rise in sugar prices, including suspending an earlier order for the compulsory sugar exports of 3.2 million tonne and capping the amount of sugar that dealers and traders can pile up at 500 tonne across states, except Kolkata.


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TOKYO (AP) -- Toyota Motor Corp. said Friday that for now it is sticking with plans to open its new Mississippi plant in 2010 despite media reports that Japan's top automaker is mulling a delay.
"As we said during our second-quarter financial results announcement, as an emergency profit improvement measure, we are reviewing all future production projects," said Toyota spokesman Paul Nolasco. "However, no decisions have been made yet."
The Nikkei financial daily reported Friday that eroding North American sales had forced Toyota to consider postponing the start of production to 2011 or later.
Earlier this month, Toyota said its net profit for the July-September quarter plunged 69 percent. The car maker also downgraded its full-year profit forecast to 550 billion yen ($5.5 billion) -- about a third of last year's result.
Executive Vice President Mitsuo Kinoshita said after the earnings release that the company had convened an "Emergency Profit Improvement Committee" to cut costs and maximize revenues. Toyota is also assessing its manufacturing operations by "re-examining aspects such as the timing and scale of new projects," he said.
The Blue Springs, Mississippi, facility is slated to make the popular Prius hybrid amid strong demand for fuel-efficient models. Toyota had initially looked to build the Highlander sport utility vehicle at the plant but altered its plans in July as part of a restructuring of its North American manufacturing operations.
Shares of Toyota rose 3.9 percent to 3,200 yen on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Friday, in line with broader market gains.


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NEW YORK — "Konvicted," a new CD from Akon, promised to be one of the year's big sellers when it appeared in record stores last month. Buoyed by two of the hottest singles in the country, Akon, a silky-voiced R&B singer, even had the most-viewed page among major label acts on MySpace.com.
Sure enough, the album opened big, but in a way that reflected the tenuous transitional state of the record business. "Konvicted" sold more than 283,000 copies in its first week — enough to start at No.2 on the Billboard chart. On top of that were the album's two singles, which at digital music services like iTunes together sold more than 244,000 copies that week. And a week later, snippets of the same songs captured two of the top three spots on a new chart tracking sales of ring tones, selling 269,000 of them combined.
Akon's music illustrates the new definition of a hit in pop music — instead of racking up sales of half a million CDs or more in the first week, it arrives with solid if less impressive sales, but with several revenue streams.
And this is an example of the business model that the retrenching music industry is embracing as sales of the CD, its mainstay product for two decades, slowly decay.
As a result, the big record companies, whose fortunes are still overwhelmingly tied to CD sales, are taking a far more expansive view of how to carve out pieces of the music economy, which by some estimates runs as high as $75 billion, including recording sales, music publishing, concert ticket and merchandise sales, and other sources of revenue.Continue reading the main story
Lately, the major labels have in effect tried to move into the talent management business by demanding that new artists seeking record contracts give their label a cut of concert earnings or T-shirt and merchandise revenue — areas that had once been outside the labels' bailiwick.
"They're all starting to ask for the same things," said Theo Sedlmayr, an entertainment lawyer based in New York who represents acts like 50 Cent.
There has also been a scramble to squeeze revenue from other unconventional sources, including amateur videos posted to YouTube that incorporate copyrighted songs. Universal Music threatened to withhold its huge music catalog from Microsoft's new digital music service unless it received a royalty of more than $1 on each sale of the technology giant's Zune portable music player.
The labels are hoping that these moves will help put the industry back on track after a slide in overall sales in five of the last six years.
Album sales are down almost 5 percent this year, with some holiday sales still to be made and tabulated, according to Nielsen SoundScan data. Sales at digital music services like iTunes continue to rise, but the pace of the increase has slowed compared with last year.
Still, if every 10 individual tracks sold online are counted as albums, overall recorded music sales are off only about 0.7 percent for 2006. While that is far better than last year's 4 percent drop, it is a decline from early summer, when overall sales were running ahead of 2005.
All that indicates how sales of downloaded individual songs are eroding the underpinnings of the CD and remixing the industry's economics. More and more, music companies are looking toward sales of bite-size units — individual songs typically sell for 99 cents — instead of full albums that may cost $15 at record shops. Barring a late surge in CD sales, more digital tracks than CDs will be sold in the United States for the first time this year.
Sales of digital singles and ring tones now represent "more than a Band-Aid," said Steve Rifkind, president of the SRC record label, which released Akon's album through a partnership with Universal, a Vivendi company and the industry's largest label.
Yet digital song sales are not fueling a recovery as quickly as some thought — in fact, sales have been sputtering. After rising 150 percent last year, sales of digital downloads have increased less than half as much this year.
Analysts note that shifting toward a mostly digital — and potentially more profitable — business remains tough.
The industry's decline has been spurred by a series of factors, like illicit file-sharing online, CD burning, high prices, and competition from products like DVDs and video games. Many retailers and music executives also attribute the industry's sluggishness to a lack of talent.
But as album sales drop, the major labels are adopting strategies to squeeze more revenue, though that could mean settling for $2.50 ring tones instead of CDs priced at six times that. Indeed, acts with towering singles regularly generate more money from downloads or ring-tone sales than from their comparatively slow-selling CDs these days — as the rapper Jibbs did with "Chain Hang Low."
Rifkind said, "I find myself, when I'm signing a record deal now, asking, 'Can this sell as a ring tone?'"
And ring tones, which have been projected to generate $600 million in nationwide sales this year, are only part of the puzzle. Many executives are now betting that even more money can be generated with a wider range of individual products tied to the same recording, especially in digitally advanced markets.
Yet the industry as a whole still remains uncertain — and in the meantime must try to promote digital sales at the same time that it seeks to preserve the CD and brick-and-mortar retail shops.
Joe Nardone Jr., owner of the Gallery of Sound chain, with 10 stores in northeastern Pennsylvania, said the industry must consider lowering CD prices to help retailers compete with Apple's iTunes service, where full-length digital albums typically sell for $9.99. That is less than his wholesale cost for CDs. Sales at his chain are running about 9 percent behind 2005, he said.
"Everybody's still hoping for the best," Nardone said. "But the best ain't what it used to be."Continue reading the main story


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Bangladesh's digital service exports are estimated to decline, ranging from 29 per cent to 44 per cent, depending upon the severity of restrictions and retaliatory measures on Cross-border Data Flow (CBDF), said a study.
The quality of the services can be negatively impacted if such restrictions are imposed, resulting in the increase in operational costs for local service providers, it said.
The findings of the study were shared by the Research and Policy Integration for Development (RAPID) at a webinar, titled 'Digital Exports and Cross Border Data Flows: The Bangladesh Perspective', on Tuesday.
The study looked into the impact of CBDF restrictions on the digital service exports of Bangladesh and its implications on the potential growth of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector, cross border free flow of data, compliance costs on businesses, non-tariff barriers, and policy alternatives, among other unintended consequences.
However, in contrast to the findings of the RAPID's study, some stakeholders opined at the virtual event that CBDF restrictions could ensure data privacy and security.
Dr M Abu Eusuf, executive director of RAPID and also a professor of the University of Dhaka, moderated the event.
Dr Shagufta Gupta, Digital Trade Economist, made the keynote presentation at the webinar.
The presentation was followed by a panel discussion where stakeholders of the ICT sector expressed their views.
Raisul Kabir, co-founder and CEO of the software company Brainstation-23, emphasised that it was necessary to take a cautious approach while considering data localisation provisions.
He also stressed the importance of building the competitiveness of local firms to embrace the new-generation challenges unfolding on the digital trade landscape.
Mr Kabir also mentioned that there was a great opportunity for the cloud storage service in Bangladesh.
Though the National Data Centre is playing a significant role in this regard, the sector should strategically position itself to learn from the cloud services offered by Amazon and Microsoft, he added.
Tawhidur Rahman, senior technical specialist of the Bangladesh Computer Council, said that the upcoming provisions on data localisation were being adopted in a manner so that interests of the nation were served.
AKM Ahmedul Islam Babu, managing director and CEO of TechKnowGram Limited, said preserving data security should be a priority to build a brand image.
Building on this brand image, the country can attract more investors in the ICT sector to drive the growth and generate productive employment, he observed.
Mahfuz Rahman, a tech entrepreneur and general secretary of the Bangladesh Freelancer Development Society, said that Bangladesh was at a nascent stage with great potential.
He suggested conducting studies on the impact of businesses carefully.
Speaking on the occasion, Doulot Akter Mala, senior correspondent at The Financial Express, said it was important to carefully draft the privacy laws, ensure proper infrastructure and develop productive human resources, in order to become a leader in digital exports.
Md Akhtaruzzaman Adnan, assistant professor of the University of Asia Pacific, underscored the importance of producing competent graduates, with proper training on data privacy and security that will be critical to support the industry and drive digital exports.
In the discussion, Enamul Hafiz Latifee, joint secretary (Research Fellow) of the Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services, said that restrictions tended to discourage Foreign Direct Investment.
It is important to learn from the experiences of the countries that are leading digital exports and also have a good reputation on protecting data, he suggested.
Addressing the virtual event, Dr Mahfuz Kabir, research director of the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies, said through some effective policy action, the potential of the ICT industry could be unleashed more.
Data security must not be compromised and a forward-looking policy approach is of prime importance to boost digital exports, in order to outpace the global champions of digital trade, he proposed.
Md Jillur Rahman, assistant professor of economics at Jagannath University and also Research Fellow of RAPID, highlighted that Bangladesh ICT sector had the potential to drive exports in the post-LDC era.
In this context, it is imperative that Bangladesh take an economically pragmatic approach while adopting any data localisation policy, Mr Rahman added.


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While our exciting new game klaxon was going off regularly here at Nintendo Life Towers during the latest 3DS Direct, we also enjoyed receiving release dates and details for games confirmed earlier in the year. One that we were particularly pleased to hear about was Mario & Luigi: Dream Team Bros., the latest in the popular RPG series from AlphaDream. It turns out we don't have to dream too many nights away before it arrives: it lands in North America on 11th August and a month earlier in Europe, on 12th July.
We also saw more footage in the broadcast, emphasizing the important role that Luigi plays in both puzzle and action segments. There are puzzles where you manipulate the sleeping Luigi on the touch screen, while there are Pikmin-esque sections where mini-Luigi characters flood the screen and team up to help Mario progress. A closer look at the visuals also suggest that it could be a rather good-liking, vibrant title on the system.
Considering the high standard of the series so far, this is definitely one to watch. You can also check out the new extended trailer just released today, below.


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Small business owners are missing out on a potentially big piece of the action by not marketing to millennials, a key consumer demographic, according to a recently released survey.
Only 15 percent of small businesses across all industries are marketing to millennials, the survey results reveal.
As a result “the vast majority are missing out on a large and powerful segment of the consumer population,” says Manta, which released the data. The company polled 791 of it small business members to produce the report.
Targeting Millennials is difficult. The market is fragmented, for one thing, with some preferring the “yuccies” label (for Young Urban Creatives) versus the larger “hipster” Millennial group that some companies gear their marketing efforts towards.
Small business respondents offered a list of reasons why 85 percent of them are not marketing to millennials. (Manta polled 791 small business owners this past April via online survey for the results.)
Most (26 percent) say they lack the budget. Almost as many (25 percent) simply don’t believe Millennials are significant consumers.
Still, marketing products to this consumer group is well worth the effort, according to Manta, which notes that 80 percent of small business owners who do market to them see positive results.
The majority (55 percent) of businesses polled that focus on millennials do so via social media, primarily using Facebook, the dominating platform by far.
“A closer look at small business owners’ social media efforts to reach Millennials reveals that … Facebook still dominates the social network arena, with 63 percent of social communication between business owner and Millennial customer, followed by LinkedIn with 18 percent.”
Some small businesses — particularly online-based entities offering convenience services – certainly cater to Millennials in other ways, if not by marketing to them as consumers.
Considered “the most tech-savvy generation,” millennials tend to spend a lot on online services such as Uber and TaskRabbit. This is why more than half (57 percent) of small business owners have changed or are planning to change their products and services to better cater to this generation.
For those interested in learning more about millennials and how to target this overlooked generation, Manta is offering access to a free on-demand webinar featuring Millennial marketing expert Brendan Shaughnessy.
Young Professional Photo via Shutterstock
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They should market to millenials. They are the highest spending part of the market right now. Skipping them is like skipping the bigger part of the pie.
I think the article hits the concern on the head when it talks about how fragmented the Millenial audience is. You can’t have one strategy that will reach all of them and you can’t have a unique strategy for each sub-group. It’s a difficult proposition for most SMBs, but being authentic and transparent should attract Millenials because that is one thing they crave.
Robert Brady, I don’t know what generation you are from, but you do NOT HAVE to capture ALL Millenial groups – if you can get the attention of 10-25% of them, they will spread your offering by word of mouth and other social circles they have, and with each level of social notification where your business has a positive impact will in turn have positive feedback going back to the source recommending person, most likely on social media, as well as generating more forward recommendations. Then the passive impact of all the “friends” and “circles” being read by say a dozen people for each posting will generate at least one more lead… do no discount the power of social media…
I am a Generation X person, as a matter of fact, I am an older GenX’er as I am only 7 years into that “group”, and I see the potential and effect of the social media. My wife is only 2 years into GenX, and has captured the social media circled for the dog rescue operation she is involved in. In just two years she built an active Facebook chain of friends that is about 100-150 strong, and passively read by over 2000 people we don’t even know. We have donations coming in from people all over the lower 48 and even occasionally from overseas!
Just do it. Advertise to the group of GenX, GenY, Millenials, even Boomers. Use social media. You WILL see results!
Robert – I agree that the Millennial generation has many sub-segments which is why it is important to keep a balanced mix of marketing efforts. You need to leverage traditional offline media to keep your older demographics engaged but you also need to invest in some online efforts including social media marketing to attract the younger demographics such as the Millennials.
Which age period is a Millennial belonging to?


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GET THE FREE NATIONAL CYBER SECURITY APP FOR YOUR PHONE AND TABLET
THE GROUP RESPONSIBLE for knocking both Xbox Live and Playstation Network offline back in 2014 hacked thousands of cameras and used them to carry out attacks.
Lizard Squad made a name for itself after carrying out DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks, overwhelming a site with fake traffic and causing it to go down.
Such attacks use numerous computers, usually infected by malware without the owner’s knowledge, to carry out the attacks, making it next to impossible to track down the source.
Now it’s used thousands of webcams and Internet of Things (IoT) devices – everyday items like fridges and TVs that can connect to the internet – to carry out attacks for it.
When their bandwidth is combined, they have been able to launch botnet attacks as large as 400Gbs and have targeted gaming sites, government institutions, internet service providers and financial institutions.
The hacking was discovered by the security firm Arbor Networks, which has been tracking the program causing these attacks since it was released back in early 2015.
The reason why it has targeted IoT devices is because security is usually treated as an afterthought for manufacturers. Using a stripped down version of Linux leaves less room for security features and in some cases, they reuse the default password making it easier for someone to hack a device.
More devices are now including internet connectivity as a way of improving them and making them smarter. However, there have been cases where such devices have been unwittingly used for botnet attacks.
Recently, another security firm Sucuri came across a botnet consisting of more than 25,000 internet connected closed circuit TV devices which were used to carry out DDoS attacks.


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Exactly how does a specialty advertising company from American Metro Center in Hamilton fit into a story about Rupert Murdoch, News Corp., the death of a British tabloid newspaper, and a large-scale look into a corporate culture that bullies and buys off its enemies? Mostly as cautionary example.
News Corp., Murdoch’s multi-billion-dollar media empire, is the parent company of News International, the London-based publisher of News of the World, which is at the center of the scandal involving the practice of hacking the phones and computers of news sources and business competitors.
It also is the company that bought out FloorGraphics, a firm that was founded in 1996, took up office space on Vaughn Drive, and became one of Inc. magazine’s fastest growing companies by selling advertising on decals placed on the floors of supermarkets.
But shortly after FloorGraphics expanded to its new space in Hamilton, its growth slowed considerably. In a March 15, 2006, article in U.S. 1 co-founder Richard Rebh noted his company’s downturn and said bluntly what he thought of New Corp.’s business tactics.
“News America hired five of our people and dedicated $50 million to put us out of business,” he said. “They didn’t count on the fact that we would work 24 hours a day to keep going.”
He added: “News America broke into our password-protected computer systems in 2003 and stole sales information that they used, we allege, to improve their retail strategies.”
Two years prior to that article, in 2004, FloorGraphics had filed a lawsuit against News Corp. By 2009 the case was being heard in federal court in Trenton. Co-founders Richard and George Rebh claimed that News Corp.’s U.S. marketing arm, News America Marketing, hacked its systems, stole information, spread misinformation about FGI, and ultimately cost the company several of its marquee accounts, including K-Mart and Safeway, among others.
According to an online business news service, B-Net, FGI first was alerted to a problem when Smuckers contacted the company in 2004, curious as to why News America Marketing seemed to have confidential information about its business stored on FGI’s password-protected website for clients. Rebh said the problem was traced back to 2003 and that the IP address of the hacker led to News America Marketing. There reportedly were 11 separate hacking incidents.
In 2009 George Rebh stated in the federal court case that “the loss of the Safeway contract marked the beginning of the end of our company.” The company, named New Jersey Entrepreneur of the Year and Inc. Magazine’s 11th-fastest-growing company in 2003, downsized from 98 employees in New Jersey to about 25 soon after the loss of the Safeway account about a year later. In 2010 it listed 18.
Much of the testimony, heard in Trenton, came from a News Corp. whistleblower, Robert Emmel, whose presence in court spooked the News Corp. legal team so quickly that after just a few days of testimony they offered to settle by acquiring the company. News Corp. and FGI agreed to a price of $29.5 million, despite that the company posted only $1 million in annual revenues. FloorGraphics last year was renamed Entry Point Communications. It still has offices at American Metro Center. A staffer who answered the phone there confirmed that Richard Rebh was still the CEO, but he could not comment.
According to the settlement, the Rebhs are not allowed to discuss any details of the case.
The company started in 1996 when co-founder Fred Potok was working for a Montclair-based fleet graphics business, which had just come across a decal that could be protected from road hazards by a bullet-proof laminate. This laminate, less slippery than the floor itself, could make floor advertising viable, Potok realized.
Potok turned to George Rebh, a graphic artist and a Williams College alumnus, Class of 1973. For the CEO job they brought in George’s brother, Richard, who has a 1976 degree from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School, and business and law degrees from Stanford.
Because the partners positioned the floor ads as media, manufacturers could pay for the floor space, not from display budgets, but from their advertising budgets — funds that might otherwise be used for print advertising or direct mail. This represented extra income for the store. “By creating an advertising medium that could be purchased, retailers could monetize the media value of their stores,” said Rebh.
The company grew rapidly and was able, with venture capital funding, to buy a division of 3M that makes strong vinyl film for the decals. Patents were in the works on FloorGraphics’ concepts for three dimensional and electronic floor ads.
But Richard Rebh saw the future. “Our business is challenged by the fact that we compete with News America, and News America has not competed fairly,” Rebh told U.S. 1 in 2006. “We invented a great medium, and a lot of advertisers like us, but their buys get split across News America and ourselves.”
Three other anti-trust lawsuits had been filed at the same time against News America. A federal lawsuit filed by Insignia Systems is pending in Minnesota. Theme Co-op won a judgment for anti-competitive conduct in state court in California. And in a Michigan federal court Vlasis recently filed a $1.5 billion suit that could turn out to be worth more than $4 billion.
News outlets around the world, from the New York Times to Britain’s Guardian, have turned their focus to the FloorGraphics case as an example of how News Corp.’s gangster business tactics are an ensconced part of its corporate culture. A July 17 article by David Carr in the New York Times suggested that incidents like the ones involving FGI are the bedrock of the transoceanic investigation into News Corp.’s practices.
“Time and again in the United States and elsewhere, Mr. Murdoch’s News Corporation has used blunt force spending to skate past judgment, agreeing to payments to settle legal cases and, undoubtedly more important, silence its critics,” Carr writes. And counting the almost $30 million it spent to silence the founders of FGI, News Corporation “has paid out about $655 million to make embarrassing charges of corporate espionage and anti-competitive behavior go away.”
#b#Entry Point Communications#/b#, 200 American Metro Boulevard, American Metro Center, Suite 120, Hamilton 08619; 609-528-9200; fax, 609-689-0204. Richard Rebh, CEO.


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BANGKOK: Thailand expects its meeting, incentives, convention and exhibition (MICE) market to generate about US$2bil in revenue this year, representing a 20% growth over 2007, despite a sluggish economic climate.
Automotive giant General Motors Corp (GM) will launch its new Chevrolet Aveo Notchback and improved Chevrolet Optra by year-end to capitalise on the good demand for compact cars in the country.
WAN Zaleha Radzi jokes that her success stems from playing ignorant to her limitations.
Ogawa World Bhd shares debuted at a 40 sen, or 40%, premium against its issue price of RM1 on the main board yesterday. Executive director Louis Chong said: 'With our successful listing, we will certainly be aggressively expanding our business and brand building in Malaysia and overseas.'
Trade between Thailand and China is expected to triple from the current US$15 billion (euro12.2 billion) annually in the next four to five years as more incentives are granted to Chinese investors, the national news agency said Sunday.


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Amazon to host Prime Day in India; What about Flipkart?
- Author: Eleanor Harrison Jun 30, 2017,
Jun 30, 2017, 0:34
Not a prime member?
Select food and household items available in Prime Pantry can be bought by Prime members at a discount of upto 35%. Six latest Indian and worldwide blockbusters will be launched over six days. What good is a hundred thousand deals if you can't find one for something you actually want to buy?
Perhaps aware of its increased influence, Amazon mentioned in its announcement Wednesday that 40 percent of its "Lightning Deals" promotions on Prime Day will come from small businesses and entrepreneurs.
Are you already a Prime member?
However, Amazon also offer a free 30-day trial. All the deals will be unveiled on July 9 so Prime members can plan in advance and purchase the products accordingly.
Amazon has confirmed exclusive product launches from 30 brands, including Honor, LG.
A new study from Radial, which helps retailers strengthen their e-commerce operations, claims the gravitational pull of Prime Day has extended the peak holiday shopping season.
The Prime Day line-up for video is like this: Star Trek - Beyond on July 5, Deepwater Horizon on July 6 Baahubali: The Lost Legends Episode 9 on July 7, Sully on July 8, comedy special Haq Se Single on July 9. During the sale period, Amazon TV Fire Stick will be offered with Rs 499 cashback.
Visit amazon.com/primeday for more information about Prime Day. There will also be no minimum order value. So far we know about one official Prime Day 2017 TV deal. The BookMyShow offer gives users discount of Rs 200 or 50 percent (lower of the two) on movie tickets, with validity up to September 30. Buyers in some countries will also be rewarded with gift vouchers.
Amazon noted that several deals will start Thursday, June 29.
Walmsley suggests investors seek out an "attractive short-term opportunity" in Amazon stock over the next few days as the Prime Day announcement looms. If you're not a member, you can still participate in Amazon's biggest Prime Day yet by starting your free Prime trial anytime before or on July 11. If someone is paying $100 a year for a membership that gives them all kinds of exclusive perks, including free speedy deliveries on nearly any item, they're more likely to do all their shopping through that service. Every part of our business is working to deliver more deals for a record number of shoppers.


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Bedazzle a bra for breast cancer research
By MOLLY DAVIDSON / Staff Writer
PELHAM—October isn’t just about Halloween at Pelham’s haunted house attraction, Warehouse 31. It’s also breast cancer awareness month. On Oct. 24 and 25, Warehouse 31 is hosting Bedazzle a Bra for Breast Cancer, a fundraiser for breast cancer research.
“It’s breast cancer awareness month, I wanted to come up with something that was fun and exciting,” Warehouse 31’s Carly Burt said.
Warehouse 31 is asking everyone who stops by the haunted house on Friday, Oct. 24 and Saturday, Oct. 25 to bring by a bra decorated.
“We’re going to make a donation for each bra,” Burt said, noting proceeds from the fundraiser will benefit the Breast Cancer Research Foundation at the UAB.
Participants are encouraged to get creative with their decorations because each bra will be entered in a contest for the best-decorated bra. A winner will be chosen each night and will receive a pair of VIP tickets to Warehouse 31 for Halloween weekend.
Warehouse 31, located at 3050 Lee Street, offers two indoor attractions, a traditional haunted house and a 3-D maze experience. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and food and drinks are available for purchase. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit Warehouse31.com.


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Business 29 June 2018Dennis Wafula
Philippines remains fertile ground for crypto adoption
Despite warnings about the risks of acquisition and possession of cryptocurrencies, crypto-to-fiat trading in the Philippines remains high, according to the Philippine Star report.
In 2017, the cryptocurrency market in the Philippines experienced significant growth when the price of BTC rose to $20,000, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). However, while trading figures dropped in most markets, crypto trade in the Philippines continued in an upward trajectory despite BTC prices falling below the $6,000 mark in a decline that begun early this year.
In the first quarter of 2018, domestic crypto trading experienced a slight drop in the monthly averages. The Philippine central bank said from January to March, the conversion of crypto to Philippine peso (PHP) and other currencies reached $24.16 million, while conversion from fiat to crypto totaled $36.74 million during the first quarter period.
In comparison, BSP Deputy Governor Chuchi Fonacier said crypto to fiat conversion reached a monthly average of $24.79 million in the fourth quarter of 2017. Fiat to crypto transactions, on the other hand, amounted to $38.27 million in the last three months of 2017.
The Philippines is one of the most populous nations in the world, whose citizens are mostly “unbanked”—essentially people who do not have a bank accounts due to insufficient cash for keeping.
The country, however, has experienced a rise in virtual currency remittances as families of overseas workers started opting out of traditional remittance companies like Western Union in favor of cheaper remittance companies like Coins.ph, which makes it easier for customers to receive BTC on their phones and withdraw from a regular ATM.
Last year, the BSP issued Circular 944 aimed at helping reduce the increased number of criminal activities like money laundering and terrorism funding. Virtual currency exchanges are required to follow the guidelines in their operations. So far, the central bank has approved three companies—Rebittance Inc, Coins.ph operator Betur Inc., and more recently, Bloom Solutions Inc.—to operate virtual currency exchanges in the Philippines.
In an interview with Bloomberg TV Philippines in April, Jimmy Nguyen, the CEO of nChain Group, stated that the cryptocurrency market in the country is growing in the right direction and stands to be the most viable market for virtual currency.
Unfortunately, current limits on the BTC network and Bitcoin Core’s focus on higher fees have resulted in people in developing countries like the Philippines to return to traditional remittance companies—a problem that will soon be solved as more crypto companies start supporting Bitcoin Cash.
Note: Tokens on the Bitcoin Core (SegWit) chain are referenced as BTC coins; tokens on the Bitcoin Cash ABC chain are referenced as BCH, BCH-ABC or BAB coins.
Bitcoin Satoshi Vision (BSV) is today the only Bitcoin project that follows the original Satoshi Nakamoto whitepaper, and that follows the original Satoshi protocol and design. BSV is the only public blockchain that maintains the original vision for Bitcoin and will massively scale to become the world’s new money and enterprise blockchain.
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Nvidia wants pre-crypto bear stock sold off entirely by Q1 end
The stockpiles that built up towards the end of 2017 and 2018 have been a major drag on the firm since, which has been struggling to shift units following the collapse in cryptocurrency prices.
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North Korea dissidents turn to cryptocurrency to topple Kim Jong-un
The group, called Cheollima Civil Defense, is selling some 200,000 visas to a future free North Korea, in hopes of raising as much as $27 million selling the citizenship documents on the blockchain.
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Jared Rice has entered a guilty plea to one charge of securities fraud, but could have implicated himself in lying to investors during his time at AriseBank.