text:
In May 2018, the European Union (EU) enacted the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), a sweeping overhaul of the EU’s data privacy laws that reshaped the way organizations across the region and globe approach data privacy. In two previous blogs—The Aftershock of GDPR, Part 1 and Tokenization + Security-as-a-Service, Part 2—we provided an overview of the regulatory framework and a description of how tokenization and security-as-a-service (SECaaS) can help organizations meet the new requirements.
As we approach the one-year anniversary of GDPR’s establishment, we’re reflecting on how it has affected global businesses and their customers, the challenges it has posed, and key takeaways for organizations seeking to thrive under the new regulations.
A European law with global reach
One of the most significant impacts of the new privacy law is its global reach. GDPR applies not only to European companies, but to any organization storing European residents’ data. As such, it has altered privacy expectations for nearly all global and multinational companies.
That contributes to the complexity of GDPR compliance: companies with customers around the world must not only meet its requirements but harmonize compliance with regulatory regimes, including PCI DSS, HIPAA HITRUST, and other national and international privacy laws. The goal is a unified framework that ensures compliance with all requirements.
During a recent webinar on this topic, Armor conducted a poll of participants to gauge the global reach of companies represented. We found that of those companies, 82% have global customers vs. just 5% who only obtain data for U.S. residents, while 13% noted they are not sure where their customers reside.
A struggle to meet new compliance requirements
Despite the complexity—and many others—not all organizations devote resources to this kind of holistic compliance effort. We found that 30% have a full department dedicated to GDPR compliance and another 35% have dedicated personnel to assist in-house counsel with compliance. Approximately 35% said they’ve only done the minimum to comply and hope they won’t have to do more. With everyone scattered across the board, there lies the problem within the transition.
The cost of compliance can be substantial. There have already been more than 59,000 data breaches under GDPR, costing companies $114 billion in 2018 and an estimated $125 billion in 2019. Furthermore, 91 companies have been fined for failing to comply with GDPR, including well-known and respected companies like Facebook, Equifax, Google, and Uber. These fines show that no one is too small or too big to come under fire and that regulators are taking the privacy of its citizens seriously.
Organizations know it’s in their best interests to comply, but a variety of obstacles hold them back. Our poll determined that some of the greatest challenges companies face in creating a security-focused organization include security skill shortages (50%), lack of leadership buy-in (38%), stubborn end-user adoption (25%), difficulty finding the right partners (21%), and cost (46%). With significant fines, and no exemptions, it begs the question, “Can your business afford and survive a security breach?”
Adapting to a new definition of personal data
One key element of GDPR expands the definition of personal data to include not just standard contact information like name, address, phone number, and email, but evolving categories like biometric data, IP addresses, and geo-location. Organizations seeking compliance need to either reduce the amount of personally identifiable data that can be breached or implement appropriate technical and organizational measures that will ensure the protection of personally identifiable data. With the expansion of the definition of PII, and considering the number of devices owned and used on a daily basis by an individual or within a single household, this can be a very daunting task. By pseudonymizing and anonymizing data, they can reduce their risk and that of their customers and other stakeholders.
Several sections in the GDPR concern pseudonymization, including:
Article 6: Lawfulness of processing
If you are a data controller who has a valid reason—other than consent from the data subject—for the processing of his or her personal data “for a purpose other than that for which the personal data have been collected,” Article 6(4)(e) obligates you to use “appropriate safeguards, which may include encryption or pseudonymization.”
Article 17: Right to erasure
Article 17 allows a data subject to request that a controller deletes his or her personal data in its entirety. Under Article 12(2), pseudonymization of data may provide some relief regarding Article 17 compliance.
Article 25: Data protection by design and default
The GDPR requires “data protection by design and by default.” Article 25(1) specifically obligates controllers to “…implement appropriate technical and organizational measures, such as pseudonymization.”
Article 32: Security of processing
Article 32(1) obligates controllers as well as processors to “implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to ensure a level of security appropriate to the risk,” including pseudonymization of personal data.
Article 33: Notification of a personal data breach to a supervisory authority
The GDPR specifies new requirements for notification in the event of a breach of personal data. Under Article 33(1), a controller is required to notify supervisory authorities of a breach within 72 hours unless “the personal data breach is unlikely to result in a risk to the rights and freedoms of natural persons.”
Article 34: Communication of a personal data breach to the data subject
Similarly, Article 34(1) stipulates that data subjects must be notified “when the personal data breach is likely to result in a high risk to the rights and freedoms of natural persons…”
As discussed in our previous blog, tokenization can help organizations meet these new requirements for protecting personal data. Tokenization is the process of replacing sensitive data with non-sensitive data known as tokens. It also can be used for the pseudonymization of data, making it an effective security and compliance measure that’s especially valuable for meeting GDPR requirements and protecting sensitive data sets.
SECaaS can streamline and augment the benefits of tokenization, giving organizations flexibility, automation, orchestration, and visibility in managing data privacy risks within a cloud-based environment.
Key takeaways for 2019
We’ve learned a great deal in the first year of GDPR implementation, but the situation is still evolving. As we embark on the framework’s second year, here are some key takeaways for global organizations striving to comply.
- GDPR is not going away. More and stricter variations are likely in the years to come.
- Consent and access are KEY. The law is applicable where the consumer resides, not where business is conducted.
- Regulations will get more complicated. If you can get a handle on GDPR, other country and state laws that follow will be easier to grasp and understand.
- Organizations need a data-centric strategy that will protect consumers’ data.
- Multiple departments, including legal and compliance, will need to work together to implement regulations across organizations.
- Starting sooner rather than later on documentation and pseudonymization is the key to business survival.
- The stakes are high. Sixty percent of small businesses fail within 6 months of a breach. Even survivors require significant monetary investments in brand reputation.
- The combination of pseudonymization and data security is a long-term solution among increasing regulations.
- The best approach is a top-down strategy that integrates risk management and cybersecurity into the business strategic plan. Ensure all business leaders, decision makers, and IT teams are reaching toward the same goal.
Keeping up with an evolving regulatory environment
Today’s threats are real, and stringent compliance obligations, such as GDPR and PCI DSS, penalize organizations for not protecting themselves. By combining tokenization and SECaaS for a complete security solution, customers of Armor and TokenEx can safely meet multiple compliance obligations and keep up with the ever-shifting cybersecurity and regulatory landscapes.
For more information on how TokenEx and Armor can help you meet GDPR standards, download the “GDPR and the Future of Privacy” ebook here.


text:
The sixth Great Indian Travel Bazaar GITB, an international tourism mart, will be organized from April 14-16, 2013 at BM Birla Convention Centre, Jaipur.
Great Indian Travel Bazaar is one of the biggest India’s leading exhibitions for the travel & tourism industry. It provides an annual opportunity for organizations from India & abroad to showcase their products & services to a large cross section of the travel trade and consumers across major markets in India.
GITB began in 2008 with 160 buyers from 35 countries with over 2,000 pre-fixed meetings. By 2011, the mart had grown to 230 buyers (FTOs) from 55 countries with over 7,000 pre-fixed B2B meetings. Compared to previous year, about six to eight more countries would be participating this time. This would in a big way open newer avenues for the properties in Rajasthan.
File images of GITB 2012
The mart this year would host about 270 companies and the figure on pre-fixed B2B (business to business) meetings is accepted to reach beyond 9,000 that were conducted previous year, as per official sources. Compared to previous year, about six to eight more countries would be participating this time.
The Department of Tourism, Government of Rajasthan, the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), are co-organizing the sixth Great Indian Travel Bazaar ’13

domain: news


text:
How to avoid Facebook contest cloning scamsMay 16, 2021
Boostly UK highlights Facebook cloning scams targeting small businesses using online content to grow their audience.
Facebook has refused to remove scams targeting honest, struggling, small businesses such as holiday accommodation operators.
Scammers are increasingly targeting businesses running Facebook competitions to build their audience, Boostly shows.
Hospitality community leader Mark Simpson was inundated with pleas for help from businesses who had their pages cloned on Facebook. Scam pages were set up to message competition entrants of the original, genuine business to tell them they had won a competition and had to give a deposit or their credit card details in order to claim the ‘prize’ (usually a couple of nights accommodation).
Facebook runs the most sophisticated technology in the world but this evidence suggests they fail to use it to prevent scammers from inundating the platform to take advantage of businesses building their audience. When fraudulent and illegal activity is reported, Facebook gives a standard response:
We’ve reviewed the profile reported and found that it isn’t pretending to be you and doesn’t go against our Community Standards.
If you think we should take another look, please reply to this message and let us know.
For more information about our policies, please read the Facebook Community Standards: https://www.facebook.com/communitystandards
But the cloning scam clearly goes against Facebook’s guidelines for pages.
Joanne Carroll ran a competition on 16th April to win one night’s stay at Winchcombe Farm with a distillery tour and a bottle of rum as prizes in collaboration with another business. Just four days later, they found out a fictitious account impersonated their page and Joanne posted to warn customers and competition entrants of the scam:
“Police seemed unconcerned. Action Fraud told us to fill in a form, but we haven’t heard back since. Had about 70 messages and calls from followers alerting us that a new clone page directed people to a website which asked for their bank details. Facebook only took the page down after we appealed!!” Joanne Caroll, Winchcombe Farm
Small businesses seem to have nowhere to turn.
Boostly CEO Mark Simpson was made aware of a huge influx of fraudulent activity when he ran the ‘Get Booked Up’ Challenge on Facebook (March 2021).
“We take accommodation hosts through an intense week utilising Facebook to get thousands of new eyes on their business,” says Mark Simpson. “Hosts ran a legitimate Facebook competition as part of the challenge, giving their followers a chance to win a short holiday.”
Boostly CEO Mark Simpson expected a couple of cases to follow and prepared to advise businesses if it happened, but the sheer volume of scams from Facebook competitions in the March challenge was ‘shocking’:
“It’s really sophisticated, it’s all automated. It’s an absolutely shocking operation.” Mark Simpson, Boostly
“What’s even worse is that Facebook fails to prevent it. I was shocked it was allowed to happen, and Facebook did nothing in some cases,” says Mark Simpson. “Better rules and verification are needed to prevent this kind of scam in the first place.”
Holiday accommodation businesses targeted:
- Eileen Pratt, Old Ginn House Inn: We were targeted (November 2020). The other profile had a slightly different name and logo, but most people wouldn’t notice the difference. I followed the Facebook profile and it changed a couple of times. A number of people reported the profile, but Facebook said it didn’t contravene their rules.
- Georgina Bearman, Sea Croft Bed, Breakfast and Bar: People reported my competition post had been scammed and people received messages saying they had won. Had to reply to all concerned explaining the winner had already been picked some days ago and it wasn’t them!
“It discredits us as a business! We have worked hard to build what we have, so it makes me think twice about using Facebook for business.” – Georgina Bearman, Sea Croft Bed, Breakfast and Bar.
- Charlotte Lovelock, Rock Cottage nr Padstow ran a competition to win a 2-night stay & a Cornish Cream Tea:
- Claudia Hodgson, Cheverton Farm Holidays: I began to get dozens of messages from people saying they had been messaged saying they had won and asking for card details.
“Horrendous! So stressful. I didn’t know what was happening! It feels terrible”. Claudia Hodgson, Cheverton Farm Holidays
- Emma Louise Khan, Riviera Guesthouse Whitby: “Ours was scammed and we had so many people report it to Facebook. Every single time, they told us that it didn’t contravene their rules. They made about 4 different clone pages and took all our posts and photos and shared them onto the scam pages so it looked real then started messaging guests from our page and taking money. It caused us an awful lot of admin during the week we ran it”. [See: Press Kit]
“In all honesty, it’s put us off Facebook competitions. The last thing we want is our guests scammed. It doesn’t make our business look hugely professional when there are about 5 pages with similar names and photos of our faces.” Emma Khan, Riviera Guesthouse Whitby
Facebook is failing businesses trying to recover from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. But while illegal, fraudulent scammers get away with no repercussions, Facebook is disproportionately banning business owners for harmless content.
In the last month:
- A warning was given for posting a youtube link for a helpful website tutorial.
- 24-hour ban given for calling someone “an absolute potato”.
- 30-day ban given for a non-violent image of a recorded historic fact.
“Facebook should upgrade their security instead of picking on words in our posts to penalise us.” Tereza Szalai, Foxy Fitness personal trainer.
Social SOS director Meredith Hicks manages Facebook competitions for small businesses: “Businesses are really struggling with this. Food and Hospitality businesses everywhere experience this and it causes huge issues. I’ve received a lot of messages from obvious scammers.”
“Sadly, Facebook has made it hard now to actually get anything done about fake accounts,” she says. “Business owners ask customers to support and help; they post on the real business page asking customers to be careful, and we warn people to never give out credit card details.”
Catherine Knibbs, Trauma Adult Psychotherapist and Online Harms and Cybertrauma Advisor, says: “Cybercriminals targeting competition entrants pose as businesses to entice the ‘winners’ by hacking into their joy rather than their fear. In doing so they target people who ‘win a small break’, who are desperate to get away post lockdown.”
“A double blow for small businesses as they have their online page copied – they also have to explain to people that they did not win, have been scammed and hope that the targeted ‘winner’ hasn’t given their details to cybercriminals. But why should this responsibility fall to the business, why is Facebook not removing cloned accounts? Why is Facebook not creating a business account process where unverified accounts can be deleted to protect users?”
Mark Simpson explains the latest tactics used by scammers in this Linkedin video and advises small businesses to follow this process:
- Report the scam to Facebook.
- Comment on the competition post to warn entrants.
- Write a new post to inform followers.
Grab a free guide on how to grow your stream or podcast from scratch. Or perhaps a guide on creating your social media content?


text:
Something to watch for (?)
The press release says :
The next step in social media has finally arrived, and it is YouGetIt.com.
« Websites like flickr.com, YouTube.com, Craigslist.com, Joost.com, and any other hot Web 2.0 property are all very limited, » says William Mobley, CEO of Web2Corp. « They’re social media, yes, but they only deal with one aspect of media. flickr.com is a photo site, YouTube does video, and eBay is auctions and sales. You don’t have convergence, you don’t have synergy of content. (…) »
We’ve moved beyond Web 2.0 and are launching Web 2.1. We’re finally beginning to approach what Tim O’Reilly calls the « Semantic Web ». The Internet’s about to be revolutionized, and we’re starting by inviting media, major tech writers, and bloggers to come see what the next big thing is. »
Yawn. I swear, everything is _the next best thing_
Methinks I’m getting cynical in my old age.


text:
The FTSE 100 group yesterday said five-month profits had dropped nearly one-third on sales up just 2 per cent.
In the US, profits were down 40 per cent after sales dived 10 per cent.
Shares in Wolseley, which runs a string of building materials distributors including Plumb Center in the UK and Ferguson in the US, fell 26.5p to 689.5p. They have more than halved in value during the past year.
The number of houses being built annually in the US is running below1million for the first time since the Second World War, and falling consumer confidence has also hit the repairs and improvement market.
Finance director Steve Webster said: “There is no light at the end of the tunnel. The big question now is whether the US will go into recession or not.”
He added that consumer sentiment in the UK and Europe was taking a turn for the worse as people worried about the downturn on the other side of the Atlantic.


text:
ARK Investment Management exchange-traded funds (ETF) purchased 237,675 shares in crypto exchange Coinbase (COIN) as the stock retreated amid fallout from the near-collapse of rival FTX.
ARK, led by Cathie Woods, purchased over 400,000 shares in Coinbase earlier this week.
The majority of the recent purchases were bought in ARK’s Innovation ETF, with additional shares in its Next Generation Internet ETF and the Fintech Innovation ETF, according to company disclosures.
Coinbase said this week it has minimal exposure to FTX, with just $15 million on deposit there to facilitate business operations and customer trades. Further, Coinbase said it has no exposure to FTX's token FTT – which plunged about 80% Tuesday – and no exposure to FTXs' sister company, Alameda Research.
“While COIN has minimal exposure to FTX, before there is enough evidence that the contagion risk is contained, the pressure on crypto prices will likely weigh on COIN,” Oppenheimer analyst Owen Lau told clients in a research note Thursday morning. The firm lowered its price target to $89 from $107, maintaining an outperform stock rating.
Coinbase shares slumped about 22% this week through Wednesday. They rose 12% to $51.50 in early trading Thursday.
The leader in news and information on cryptocurrency, digital assets and the future of money, CoinDesk is a media outlet that strives for the highest journalistic standards and abides by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk is an independent operating subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, which invests in cryptocurrencies and blockchain startups. As part of their compensation, certain CoinDesk employees, including editorial employees, may receive exposure to DCG equity in the form of stock appreciation rights, which vest over a multi-year period. CoinDesk journalists are not allowed to purchase stock outright in DCG.
Learn more about Consensus 2023, CoinDesk’s longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.


text:
In line with previous rumours, a Samsung official has now confirmed that the company will unveil the next generation Galaxy Note device and the long-rumoured Galaxy Gear smart watch at an event on September 4.
Samsung's executive Vice-President of Mobile Business, Lee Young-hee in an interview with The Korea Times has said that both the devices will see the light of the day on September 4. Lee confirmed that Samsung's smart watch will run Android and won't feature a flexible display. However, Lee declined to comment on other details related to both the devices.
The event is two days before the IFA conference kicks off in Berlin, Germany, the event where the original Galaxy Note and its successor have been unveiled in past years.
The rumoured specifications of the alleged Galaxy Gear smart watch include a 1.5GHz dual-core Samsung Exynos 4212 processor with 1GB of RAM. It will reportedly feature a 1.67-inch AMOLED display that will feature a resolution of 320x320 pixels. It is likely to include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and NFC. Some reports also claimed that Samsung's first wearable device, the Galaxy Gear would come in multiple colour options.
The Samsung Galaxy Note III is rumoured to sport a 5.68-inch full-HD Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 1080x1920 pixels. It is likely to be powered by a quad-core Snapdragon 800/ Exynos octa-core processor with 3GB of RAM. Some reports pointed out that the lowest storage capacity that the Galaxy Note III will ship with, will be 32GB. It is rumoured to boast of a 13-megapixel rear camera, a 3,200mAh battery, and run Android 4.3 Jelly Bean.
It was also reported that Samsung may start shipping its next generation Galaxy Note device from September and the Galaxy Gear smart watch from October.


text:
Now, according to a new report published by Check Point Research today and shared with The Hacker News, hackers are exploiting the COVID-19 outbreak to spread their own infections, including registering malicious Coronavirus-related domains and selling discounted off-the-shelf malware in the dark web.
Staying Secure in the Time of COVID-19
It’s amply clear that these attacks exploit coronavirus fears and people’s hunger for information about the outbreak. Given the impact on the security of businesses and individuals alike, it’s essential to avoid falling victim to online scams and practice good digital hygiene:
- Businesses should ensure that secure remote access technologies are in place and configured correctly, including the use of multi-factor authentication, so that employees can conduct business just as securely from home.
- Individuals should keep away from using unauthorized personal devices for work, and ensure “personal devices will need to have the same level of security as a company-owned device, and you will also need to consider the privacy implications of employee-owned devices connecting to a business network.”
- Watch out for emails and files received from unknown senders. Most importantly, check a sender’s email address for authenticity, don’t open unknown attachments or click on suspicious links, and avoid emails that ask them to share sensitive data such as account passwords or bank information.
- Use trusted sources, such as legitimate government websites — for up-to-date, fact-based information about COVID-19.
See full article


text:
Browser Warning: Just not on this promotional
HSBC (English: Hong Kong & Shanghai Banking Corporation, Typical Chinese: 香港上海 滙豐 銀銀; Simplified Chinese: 香港 上海 汇丰 银银) is a British international banking group present in 84 countries as well as regions as well as gathering 60 million consumers. Its head workplace is in London in Canary Wharf’s enterprise zone.
Its background returns to the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Firm, a financial institution established in Hong Kong by Scottish Thomas Sutherland to finance trade in the Far East in 1865 and, originally, opium trafficking. Prior to relocating his head office in London in 1993 (prior to the retrocession of Hong Kong to the People’s Republic of China in 1997), the financial institution was based in Hong Kong. She was a time the 4th banking team in the world after Citigroup, Financial Institution of America and also the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China. It is, according to the Global Forbes 2000 the sixth worldwide company as well as is just one of the 29 systemic financial institutions in 2014. In 2015, it has 266,000 employees. HSBC remains to take into consideration the UK as well as Hong Kong as its Home Markets ( Residential Markets ).
On September 25, 2009, the Group announced that its Director-General will clear up in Hong Kong on February 1, 2010. The head workplace continues to be in London.
Bank with particularly sulfurous background, HSBC has been on a regular basis associated with various political-financial retractions (mass tax evasion, terrorist funding, deforestation, cash laundering from medicine trafficking, etc.), and also has actually been the topic. Several convictions or tests still in progression, for example in Mexico where she financed the cartels of the drug.
June 19, 2022, HSBC introduces its retail financial institution in France for the benefit of My Money Team subsidiary of the American Marauder Fund Cerberus Funding Monitoring.
- Google, Bing and more in the browser: Advertising can also be fraud
- Fraud on online banking on Google and more: That can happen
- Online Banking: How to protect yourself from fraud for search engines
- Key Logger apps avoid: help these tips
Who currently uses search engines on the Internet, should look closely. Scammers do their way here. They have apart from bank customers.
Dortmund — who gives ways in search engines, will also be confronted with advertising there and again. The supreme hits are often marked advertisements that were intentionally and against the payment of fees there. Consumers should be careful, because behind some stuck scammers.
Google, Bing and more in the browser: Advertising can also be fraud
Advertising does not only appear at the market leader Google, but also with Bing and other search engines. It is not always about the most sensible link to the respective search request — and often they are not even trustworthy.
Who clicks on the links and not noticed the marking as an ad, may end up on a website that was not searched for. Frequently, websites are also similar to the well-known online banking portals. And they can be dangerous (read more news about digital at online banking).
Fraud on online banking on Google and more: That can happen
As the consumer Center NRW reports, users can be damaged in several ways. Often, the fraudulent pages suggest that access to the user is locked for the user and to unlock a specified telephone number for unlocking.
Under the corresponding number, so the consumer center, fraudsters could query important personal data. With these fraudsters could later plunder the actual bank account. It’s not the first time that banks fall into sights of cheats: most recently different stitches circulated via mail.
With another fraud mesh on one of the fake websites, there is specified that consumers now need a special app to continue using online banking. But these are not the official programs of the respective bank, but about so-called keyloggers.
Online Banking: How to protect yourself from fraud for search engines
These apps can read the data that types consumers in your smartph1. These include access data and passwords. Other apps can read the user’s address book and send it to the contacts in bulk spam. Similar to a fraud, which currently circulates at WhatsApp.
But how can one protect oneself from the fraud mesh? The consumer center advises to always tap the correct address bar in the browser for sensitive websites such as online banking. That means: whoever has to transfer something online or wants to view his account balance should not search for the bank by search engine and do not click on the links.
If you do not know the exact address for online banking, you still have to search by search engine. For the hits, you should definitely pay attention to terms, such as display, advertising or the like and do not click on the corresponding links.
Key Logger apps avoid: help these tips
But you should also protect yourself from the fraudulent apps. Apps should only be installed from official applications such as the Google Play Store or the Apple Store. If a website urges to install an app, it’s usually dangerous (read more warnings at online banking).
Many smartphones have a security function through which apps can not be installed by website. Many fraudulent pages provide instructions on how to handle this function. Such requests should urgently be ignored.
Category list picture: © Andrew Matthews / DPA, Collage: online banking
Leave a Reply


text:
Kohl's Corp. rose$. 71 or 1.2 percent, to $59.14. Macy's Inc. rose $1.21 or 2.1 percent, to $58.83. Nordstrom rose$. 57 or. 8 percent, to $71.61.» Read More
Stronger growth in U.S. chain store sales is proof of robust consumer spending in the U.S., says Jharonne Martis, director of research at Thomson Reuters.
Shares of the company, which operates Sears department stores and the Kmart discount chain, fell 7 percent in premarket trading. The retailer operated 1,980 Sears and Kmart stores in the United States as of February.
May 22- Sears Holdings Corp posted a bigger loss for the first quarter as the struggling retailer failed to arrest the fall in sales despite offering heavy discounts to woo shoppers. The company, which operates Sears department stores and the Kmart discount chain, said revenue fell 6.8 percent to $7.88 billion.
May 15- Department store operator J.C. Penney Co Inc reported a 6.3 percent rise in first-quarter sales, helped by strong sales of household goods and men's and women's apparel. J.C. Penney shares rose 15 percent to $9.67 in after-hours trading on Thursday.
*Sears Holdings says it may put Sears Canada up for sale. May 14- Sears Holdings Corp said on Wednesday that it was considering the sale of its 51 percent stake in Sears Canada Inc, a move that could mean all of the Canadian department store operator goes up for sale.
May 14- Department store operator Macy's Inc said business was picking up after severe winter weather resulted in weaker-than-expected sales in the first quarter, allowing the company to stick to its full-year profit forecast. Macy's, which also owns the high-end Bloomingdale's chain, reaffirmed its earnings forecast of $4.40- $4.50 per share for the year.
May 14- Macy's Inc reported a 1.7 percent decline in quarterly sales as a severe winter across parts of the United States deterred shoppers from visiting its department stores. The company, which also owns the high-end Bloomingdale's chain, said revenue fell to $6.28 billion in the first quarter ended May 3 from $6.39 billion, a year earlier.
May 14- Sears Holdings Corp said it was looking to sell its 51 percent stake in Sears Canada Inc and could even put the whole Canadian department store operator up for sale. Shares of Sears Holdings, controlled by hedge fund billionaire Eddie Lampert, rose 8 percent to $46.48 in premarket trading.
After two years of declining sales, J.C. Penney is reducing some high-profile brands introduced by former CEO Ron Johnson and reviving old labels.
Department store chain J.C. Penney becomes "just another retailer" after third-quarter earnings, CNBC's Jim Cramer said.
JC Penny saw its stock price jump Friday after a Wall Street analyst upgraded his sales outlook for the long struggling department store.
JC Penney shares tumbled to their lowest in nearly 13 years after a Goldman Sachs report projected slow sales and liquidity trouble.
If you have followed the J.C. Penney's media soap opera, you know the "Bill Ackman TV trade" is a losing one, said retail analyst Stacey Widlitz.
Investors will be scanning retail earnings reports, due out over the next few weeks, for the lessons they hold about the back-to-school shopping season, the second-busiest retail period.
Despite signs the consumer may be starting to pull back, discount stores and home retailers remain attractive investment opportunities, says one analyst.
Is the worst finally over for beleaguered department store JC Penney?
Online shopping offers a safe and comfortable respite from unruly crowds, but many people who have gifts shipped to them have the packages left at their doorsteps, and these parcels prove irresistible to thieves.
How remodeling has helped boost these companies’ bottom line.


text:
By — Shyamal Sinha
Secretary, Tourism & Culture, UT Ladakh, K. Mehboob Ali Khan, chaired a meeting regarding the Tourism event ‘Rejuvenating Tourism: Another Day in Nirvana in Leh-Ladakh’ which is scheduled to be held from 25-29 August.
Ladakh’s Department of Tourism will organise an event next week for promoting domestic tourism in Leh, the capital city of the Union territory, with a focus on aspects of adventure, spirituality, culture, among other themes, officials said on Tuesday.
The event will be organised by the Ministry of Tourism in collaboration with the Department of Tourism, Ladakh; Tribal Co-operative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI).
Ali informed that the objective of the programme is to promote Leh (Ladakh) under domestic tourism with a focus on aspects of adventure, spirituality, tranquillity, natural beauty, culture and film tourism.
Further, he said the event aims to provide indigenous product knowledge to the industry, stakeholders and also to provide a platform to the local stakeholders for interaction with the tour operators and buyers from the rest of the country.
The event will include activities like exhibition, panel discussion, and technical tours to showcase new tourism facilities and tourism products of Ladakh, he said.
The Land of High Passes, Ladakh, the newly created Union Territory in India (previously a part of Jammu & Kashmir), boasts a landscape that can leave you with your jaws dropped. It is a place where the landscape changes dramatically; it is truly astonishing to see the mountains, snow, cold desert, alpine meadows and lakes at a short distance from each other. Tourism in Ladakh is an absolute delight for nature lovers as well as adventurers.
Adorned with the lofty barren mountains, Ladakh is home to some of the highest motorable passes like Khardung La (5359 m), Marsimik La (5582 m), and Chang La (5360 m), and alpine lakes like Pangong Tso (4350 m) and Tso Moriri (4522 m). Ladakh is further divided into three regions – Leh, Nubra, and Zanskar, and each region has several places to see.
Ladakh is majorly popular amongst the adventurers who feel welcomed by the number of adrenaline rushing activities offered here. The union territory is amongst the top trekking destinations in India with amazing and unmatched treks like the popular Frozen River Trek/Chadar Trek. Ladakh also has opportunities for mountaineering, motor biking, mountain biking, white water rafting and more.
While reviewing the arrangements, the Tourism Secretary directed the officers concerned to make all necessary arrangements to make the event successful.
sourced – PTI


text:
It wasn’t so long ago that a fingerprint scanner could be found only in a handful of the most high-end and consequently expensive phones. As a result, very few users could enjoy this option. Today basically all flagship devices are equipped with a fingerprint scanner and it’s slowly making its way to lower tiers of the market becoming available to a much wider audience. The cheapest phone featuring fingerprint sensor was just launched in China by ZTE and it’s priced under $100.
ZTE Blade A1 sub-$100 hone with fingerprint scanner
To be more exact, the device, called Blade A1, will sell for CNY 599 which is approximately $94. No matter how hard you look, you won’t be able to find another smartphone that costs that little and comes with a fingerprint scanner. The company seems to be very proud of the scanner and boasts that it’s capable of unlocking the phone in just 0.3 seconds. Unlike most manufacturers which embed the sensor in home button on the front, ZTE opted to place it on the back panel.
Besides the fingerprint scanner, which is obviously the phone’s main selling point, the Blade A1 comes with a pretty standard set of specs for its price range. The handset’s screen measures 5 inches diagonally and offers 720p resolution, and its 64-bit quad-core MediaTek MT6735 processor clocked at 1.3GHz is paired with 2GB of RAM. Moreover, there is 16GB of internal memory expandable up to 128GB, a 13-megapixel rear and generous 8-megapixel front cameras both with LED flash, LTE connectivity, dual-SIM support and a 2,800 mAh battery. The phone will ship with Android 5.1 Lollipop with ZTE’s MiFavor 3.2 on top.
At first glance the Blade A1 resembles the iPhone 5C, but at second glance not so much. The phone measures 142 x 70.2 x 8.9mm and is dressed in glossy plastic available in Smart White, Vibrant Yellow, Dream Green, Cool Blue, and Space Grey.
The handset will go on sale in China on December 11th and will be offered by one of the country’s largest online retailers, JD.com. Interested users can already place reservations to make sure there will be among the first to get their hands on the device. ZTE didn’t reveal whether the phone will arrive to markets other than China, but since a few members of the Blade family could be purchased in Europe in the past, it’s possible that the A1 won’t be exclusive to China.


text:
For the last four decades, March 15th has marked World Consumer Rights Day - a campaign to raise global awareness about the needs and rights of consumers. Driven by Consumers International and accredited by the United Nations, World Consumer Rights Day is an opportunity to raise awareness for the respect and protection of all consumers, and to protest social injustices and market abuses.
Consumers are concerned about their digital rights
In an increasingly digitized world, consumers are more concerned about their digital rights than ever before. It’s estimated that more than 20% of retail sales will come from eCommerce in 2023 (rising to nearly 25% in 2026), illustrating the magnitude of digital transactions.
It’s not only consumers and retailers taking notice of this trend, of course. The rise in cyber incidents coupled with the increase in digital privacy regulation enactments worldwide has thrust data protection into the front of the mind of consumers. 21% of consumers stopped using the company that suffered a data breach, of whom 42% requested they delete their information.
Privacy and data protection are not the only things consumers expect from a retailer. They also demand exemplary customer experience, and most are not shy about taking their business elsewhere if their expectations go unmet.
How can retailers rise to meet these demands?
In a saturated market, businesses must work hard to find the sweet spot, balancing customer experience, cyber security, and compliance. Strengthening customer loyalty means offering a seamless shopping and transaction experience, high levels of data security, and staying abreast of regulatory measures in global and local markets.
Meeting modern needs requires a modern solution, and retailers must build simple, lawful, and highly-customized experiences. This is particularly true as more digital-native shoppers and challenger brands dominate the space.
Retailers need to get creative and implement practices to safeguard their customers and protect themselves from cyber threats. According to Thales Consumer Digital Trust Index 2022, 54% of consumers believe companies should be forced into mandatory data protection controls.
In response to these evolving trends, today’s top retailers rely on Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) as a key strategic initiative to create long-term value.
Why is CIAM key to protecting consumers’ rights?
When it comes to security, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. While no business is immune to the requirement for data privacy and robust security, all organizations have different needs, challenges, variables, and applicable regulations.
CIAM is a well-established branch of the IAM field designed to meet the needs of consumer-facing organizations. Businesses that serve digital consumers and buyers differ from the traditional workforce or business-to-employee (B2E) dynamics as they must collect, verify, transmit, authorize, and store information on a variety of end users across many domains.
Consumer user information is often submitted from questionable or unverifiable sources and collected for various purposes. eCommerce businesses may use end-user information to:
- authorize a transaction
- design marketing campaigns
- meet anti-money laundering (AML) regulatory compliance requirements
- create and store user accounts
- and more
CIAM systems must also meet the unique need to store millions of identities and process large batches of daily transactions. With the 2018 EU GDPR enactment, merchants are required to collect clear consent from site visitors based on truthful disclosure of what data will be collected and how it will be used. Available CIAM solutions offer this capability along with dashboards to allow consumers to manage their information-sharing decisions.
Not limited to eCommerce, of course, CIAM platforms are used by non-profit and for-profit organizations. Some government agencies also leverage CIAM capabilities for government-to-citizen (G2C) identity management. While for-profit businesses may collect information related to transactions and marketing data, non-profits leverage CIAM for secure management of donor, volunteer, and service recipient information. Government agencies rely on CIAM to manage critical citizen identity information for the purposes of payments (taxes, fees, fines), registration (licenses, services), managing applications through approval cycles, and other requirements.
Improving the consumer user experience
Often a primary driver for deploying or upgrading CIAM solutions is the desire (or need) to improve the consumer experience. As business-to-consumer (B2C) interactions increasingly rely on digitized or automated processes, consumers are asked to do more in order to reap the benefits. Creating accounts and passwords is now a natural step in the ordering process and a sensible one when it comes to storing information on order history or for use on future transactions.
Creating accounts can be daunting for many end users who are grateful for sites offering smooth registration processes, seamless logins, and even options to sign in with social media or other sites (Google, for example) credentials. Alternative signup options reduce the account management burden for consumers and increase their satisfaction with a business.
So as a reminder on World Consumer Rights Day and in a digital-first era, keeping end users and their information safe is paramount and should not come at the expense of user experience. Businesses don’t need to choose between security and simplification, thanks to CIAM.
To learn more about CIAM in retail, read the OneWelcome eBook “CIAM in retail: how brands can build shopping experiences that last.”


text:
Taxi-hailing service Uber on Thursday introduced a complete international revamp of its app, including a slew of latest options to assist riders go wherever effortlessly. Uber stated its redesigned app has been made personalized to the person preferences of every rider, providing easy accessibility to all companies, constant experiences, and easy flows by means of the reserving course of.
With the redesigned homescreen, the corporate stated the brand new Uber app makes it approach simpler to guide rides, considering probably the most most well-liked locations and merchandise for every rider.
The redesigned homescreen, extra personalization and a brand new approach of monitoring rides are a few of the options added to the redesigned app.
The corporate in a press release stated the homescreen has been simplified to assist riders guide journeys extra simply, with fewer faucets, proper from the get-go. The brand new app additionally encompasses a ‘Providers’ tab as a one-stop store to search out all product choices accessible to riders of their metropolis – from a close-by Moto to Auto, Intercity, Leases, Reserve, Join and extra. The brand new ‘Exercise Hub’ helps preserve observe of the previous and upcoming rides multi functional place.
The corporate stated the app can even share customized suggestions for methods to plan journey and save, based mostly on how every rider makes use of Uber. For example, if a rider sometimes makes use of Uber Auto, it’s going to seemingly be the primary choice they see; and the app can even recommend different inexpensive choices.
With Stay Actions on the lock display, the corporate stated riders can simply observe the dwell progress of their trip and obtain crucial updates like car particulars, the most recent estimated time of arrival (ETA) data, and journey standing — on the lock display with out To put in the app.
This characteristic is being rolled out for iOS units, and can be accessible on Android units quickly.
Riders might want to guarantee their machine is updated with the most recent accessible software program, it stated.
Nitish Bhushan, Director for Central Operations, Uber India and South Asia, stated, “We’ve at all times labored to supply mobility with few faucets on the app for riders on the Uber platform. Seeing how fast-paced our lives are getting, we perceive the necessity to have the ability to navigate by means of apps in seconds.”
He stated the corporate is introducing the redesigned Uber app to assist customers navigate extra effortlessly to make sure every rider sees an app designed for his or her particular wants, with their frequented routes and most well-liked merchandise displaying proper on the prime.
For particulars on the most recent launches and information from Samsung, Xiaomi, Realme, OnePlus, Oppo and different corporations on the Cell World Congress in Barcelona, go to our MWC 2023 hub.


text:
Did you miss a session from GamesBeat Summit Next 2022? All sessions are now available for viewing in our on-demand library. Click here to start watching.
Apple’s music streaming service Apple Music unexpectedly arrived on Amazon Echo speakers just in time for the 2018 holiday season. Now it appears to be coming to Google’s speakers and smart displays, though the specifics are somewhat ambiguous.
Google’s support for Apple Music was revealed in a new update to the Google Home app, version 2.9.118, which included the service within the list of “more music services” that Google Assistant will play from. The app allowed users to tap on Apple Music to select it as the default music service provider, but the integrated “link account” button wasn’t functional, unlike the app’s adjacent options for Pandora, Deezer, and Spotify.
At last count, Apple’s service had over 50 million subscribers, a number the company is apparently trying to grow by supporting rival devices. To that end, Apple and Amazon announced a deal to bring Apple Music to Echo last November 30, promising that the feature would become available to users during the week of December 17. Echo speakers actually began to support the feature on December 14, enabling users — after signing into their Apple Music accounts in the Alexa app — to ask Alexa to play Apple’s Beats 1 radio, playlists, individual songs, and other content.
Like Amazon’s Echo speakers, Google’s lineup of audio products offers a considerably wider range of price and performance than Apple’s sole smart speaker, HomePod. A tiny Home Mini starts at $49, with the larger Home priced at $129, the screened Home Hub at $149, and the powerful Home Max at $399, though each is frequently discounted. Recent estimates list Google as the number two seller of smart speakers behind Amazon, with the two companies collectively enjoying over 65 percent market share compared with Apple’s roughly 4 percent.
Updated at 10:07 a.m. and 10:43 a.m. Pacific: Following publication of our article, a Google spokesperson offered the following statement regarding the addition of Apple Music to the Google Home app.
Apple Music is currently only available for Google Assistant users on mobile phones. We have nothing to announce regarding updates to Google Home.
Improbably, the company yanked the Apple Music link section from the Google Home application — at least for the time being. Only Pandora, Deezer, and Spotify remain as competing alternatives to Google’s own YouTube Music and Google Play Music.
However, Apple Music both appears and works in the iOS app Google Assistant, where it was added in late 2017. Google Assistant displays Apple Music a little differently than Google Home did. First, it appears under a separate section titled “services with limited availability,” rather than under the “more music services” section.
Second, instead of displaying the “link” icon, Assistant has an on-off switch, which when flipped to “on” (and given permission) automatically signs the app into your Apple Music subscription. The same dialog box also apparently permits access to your device’s “music and video activity, and your media library.”
It’s hard to believe that Google would have just accidentally added a competitor’s music service to its device-focused Google Home app, so stay tuned — hopefully these rivals will be making beautiful music together soon.
VentureBeat's mission is to be a digital town square for technical decision-makers to gain knowledge about transformative enterprise technology and transact. Discover our Briefings.


text:
MGA Entertainment sweetened its licensee list for Yummi-Land, adding five new partners. Kids Headquarters will create fashion apparel and swimwear; Franco will manufacture bedding, all bath towels/d?cor, beach towels and blankets, throws, and pillow sets. In addition, Franco will be responsible for decorative pillows, sand chairs, outdoor mats, and vinyl placemats. Saramax will bring a line of nightgowns, nightshirts, short and long pajamas, and robes; Mead will keep the girls of Yummi-Land on track with a new line of calendars, while Deco Pac will create DecoSets, Edible Images, DecoPics/DecoPlacs/Rings, PhotoCake Images, and PhotoCake Frames.
Subscribe and receive the latest news from the industry.
Join 62,000+ members. Yes, it’s completely free.


text:
(Press Release) Budri, an Italian stone inlay company, is preparing to launch its marble eyewear line this fall.
The company announced this project in 2014 with its first prototype. Now, after two years of research that resulted in the in-house development of a specific production technology, Budri is ready to launch an exclusive collection on the international market in the fall that will be made available in selected stores starting in December.
Budri is known for its classical architectural projects to more modern installations, collaborating with top names in design and architecture such as Patricia Urquiola.
The Latest Orbit Headlines
- 1-800 Contacts to Expand Into Rx Glasses with Acquisition
- Report: Luxottica-Essilor Deal to Get 'Unconditional' Approval in Europe
- Solar Eclipse Burns Crescent Shape Into Woman's Eye
- New Optometry School to Open Within 5 Years, Enroll 70 Students
- Eye Doctor Could Spend Decades in Prison for $100M Medicare Fraud


text:
This competition has now closed!
Thank you to all the wonderful shoppers and Market community who took the time to vote for their favourite Queen Vic Market traders.
The winning traders will be announced on Monday 5 November at the Queen Vic Market Trader Ball.
Congratulations to the winners of the $200 Market vouchers:
- Ilana Rose – postcode 3056
- Chris Giri – postcode 3087
- Felicia Teleuca – postcode 3000


text:
6 October 2023
Taylor Leabourn, a 28-year-old produce lead, won the 2023 Young Grower national title in Pukekohe on Thursday (5 October).
4 October 2023
Circular economy is a big buzz word at the moment, encapsulating a new way of doing business where we design our waste and reuse resources wherever possible.
19 September 2023
A passion for horticulture and community is the driving force behind TomatoesNZ's newest board member, Jungeun (Jiny) Kim.
15 September 2023
Horticulture New Zealand welcomes the National Party’s Primary Sector Growth Plan which includes provisions to make fruit and vegetable growing a permitted activity.
Horticulture New Zealand welcomes the National Party’s Primary Sector Growth Plan which includes provisions to make water storage on farmland a permitted activity.
13 September 2023
HortNZ is supporting growers to deliver Good Agriculture Practice (GAP) freshwater farm plans through the Growing Change project.
A decision to move back to her hometown and plant avocados four years ago has been the start of a big growth journey for Te Puke's Libby McKenzie.
30 August 2023
The landscape for our growers is changing. Market access requirements, pest and disease resistance, consumer demand and regulatory shifts are all factors that impact the way they grow our food.
17 August 2023
The horticulture industry is celebrating the news that the Natural and Build Environment Act (NBA) will support commercial fruit and vegetable growing in New Zealand.
T&G Global's supply & continuous improvement technician, Jan Buter, was awarded Hawke's Bay's Young Fruit Grower award at a gala dinner in Hastings last Friday.


text:
- A new study disclosed substantial misalignment in between regulation corporations and corporate customers.
- The two sides perceive crucial difficulties like client challenges, efficient tech use, and pricing differently.
- Effective communication can support push value for each get-togethers and boost doing work relations.
- Go to the Business enterprise part of Insider for a lot more tales.
You can find a important gap amongst how legislation companies and their corporate consumers understand important troubles that can fundamentally affect enterprise relations, finds a survey on lawful pricing and undertaking administration, introduced Monday.
The gaps in perception require essential difficulties like powerful use of knowledge and technology, knowing client problems, and pricing and billing. Although both equally sides discover price in performing with their counterparts, these gaps can diminish some of that benefit, creating inefficiencies and friction in the operating partnership.
For illustration, when 94% of lawyers at regulation companies mentioned their firms make a potent hard work to comprehend their clients’ difficulties, only 57% of in-dwelling lawyers agreed.
This misalignment implies that clients imagine that their expectations are not getting achieved, maybe in big part due to the elevated uncertainty close to regulatory improvements and effects of the pandemic. In accordance to the survey, very poor communication may be the crucial perpetrator: only about a third of regulation corporations and a third of their corporate customers explained that you can find an exchange of handy feedback.
“There is a ton of possibility right here for legislation corporations and their customers to determine out how to get the job done far better alongside one another,” claimed Christopher Ende, a person of the Legal Price Network’s co-founders and chief value officer at the regulation agency Goulston & Storrs.
Far more than 70 of the Am Law 200 firms responded to the survey, which was done by the lawful consulting firm Blickstein Group and the Authorized Benefit Community, a group of legal industry experts aimed at speaking about lawful innovation that consists of legal professionals from Perkins Coie and Paul Hastings. Intapp, a company administration system, also collaborated in the survey.
Law companies and their clients are measuring worth otherwise
Although metrics and info are getting touted as essential approaches of measuring worth in the authorized market, the analyze discovered a marked difference in what legislation companies and their consumers are assessing effectiveness and benefit.
Legislation corporations are concentrating on earnings and other fiscal metrics, whilst organizations are concentrated on company-oriented information, this sort of as speed and efficiency.
The disparity in metrics can adversely affect how every single celebration perceives the benefit of regulation firms’ function.
“Measuring value is much more of an art than science,” said Ende. In the legal sector, that value is often distilled into regardless of whether the expenses paid out by shoppers is commensurate with the service supplied.
The analyze uncovered, having said that, that almost 3-fourths of firms reported their associates offer more worth for every dollar than their associates, who are billed at reduce premiums. By distinction, only 40% of corporate customers agreed, suggesting they may perhaps be getting far more bang for their buck if they have been to hire far more associates than associates.
There’s also a gap in how efficiently firms are using technology
Legislation firms are being pushed by clients to adopt extra know-how that can theoretically enable boost effectiveness and minimize charges. The analyze, nonetheless, also found that though 83% of law firms imagine they’re leveraging technologies to deliver authorized providers more proficiently and charge-efficiently, only 52% of organizations concurred.
“It can be a continue to-evolving landscape, and technological innovation in and of by itself is just not likely to magically, significantly enhance associations concerning law firms and their shoppers,” claimed Ende.
Yet again, interaction can support bridge that gap. According to Ende, by having effective conversations about the forms of systems readily available, the most helpful way to deploy them in a way that drives worth on the two finishes, and the finest way to selling price that perform, legislation corporations and company consumers can find a option that is helpful to both sides.


text:
COGNAC, France—Global demand for cognac is booming, and Hennessy, which controls half of all production of the brown liquor, is scrambling to keep drinkers sated.
Hennessy, part of the Paris-based luxury conglomerate LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA, is struggling with capacity constraints here in the Cognac region of southwestern France. It can’t bottle enough of the stuff, and it is trying to persuade vineyard owners to cultivate more grapes. This year, a springtime frost also hit supply.
Shortages have so far been limited mostly to the U.S., one of the brand’s biggest markets.
Trending at WSJ.com:


text:
Uncover Tech Insights - October 2-6
Weekly market stock moves
Most impactful news of the week
Next month, Microsoft is set to introduce its first artificial intelligence (AI) chip at its annual developers' conference, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter. This marks the culmination of years of effort and could reduce Microsoft's dependence on Nvidia-designed AI chips, which have been in high demand and short supply. Microsoft's chip is designed for data center servers that train and run large language models, such as the software underpinning conversational AI features like OpenAI's ChatGPT.
Amazon has taken a significant step toward its satellite-internet venture, which could become a competitor to SpaceX and other similar projects. On Friday, two prototype Amazon satellites were successfully launched into orbit via a rocket from a Florida launchpad. This mission aims to demonstrate the satellite's performance in space while testing various systems. Amazon unveiled its satellite network plan, Project Kuiper, in 2019, with a commitment to invest $10 billion in its development. The company has received regulatory approval to deploy over 3,200 satellites gradually.
During the Made by Google event, Google unveiled Assistant with Bard, an AI-enhanced assistant that leverages generative AI to provide personalized assistance to users. This new assistant is capable of helping with tasks such as trip planning, email inbox searches, and grocery list creation. It integrates with existing Google apps like Gmail and Docs to assist in finding and summarizing information. Users can interact with the tool through text, voice, or images, and it retains key features of Assistant, such as sending text messages.
Three months ago, Threads, Meta Platforms' response to Twitter, enjoyed immense popularity, with 100 million users signing up within days. However, usage has sharply declined since then, leading Meta employees to seek ways to rekindle interest in the app. A key focus is encouraging creators to post more frequently to enhance the content that could retain users. In the coming month, Instagram, the creator of Threads, will conduct multiple focus groups with creators to gather insights on how to make the app more appealing. Instagram's partnerships department, responsible for non-advertising deals with media entities and creators, is working towards onboarding new creators to Threads and retaining existing ones.
In an effort to address European Union rules that may limit its ability to deliver personalized ads without user consent, Meta Platforms has proposed monthly subscription fees of nearly $14 for Instagram and nearly $17 for Instagram plus Facebook on desktop, excluding ads. The company aims to charge European users who decline to permit their digital activity for ad targeting purposes. Meta presented this proposal to privacy regulators in Ireland and digital-competition regulators in Brussels during meetings in September. The plan has also been shared with other EU privacy regulators for their input. This move reflects Meta's strategy to navigate evolving EU regulations while preserving its primary revenue source.
Microsoft is reportedly aiming to finalize its proposed $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard next week, with October 13th targeted as the potential closing date. However, the actual closing date still depends on the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which previously blocked Microsoft's deal. Microsoft restructured the deal to transfer cloud gaming rights for existing and new Activision Blizzard games to Ubisoft, which garnered preliminary approval from the CMA in late September. Once the CMA's concerns are addressed, Microsoft can officially announce the acquisition's completion.
Tesla produced 430,488 vehicles in the third quarter of 2023, marking a 10% decrease from the previous quarter. However, this figure represents a 25% year-over-year increase for the company. Tesla attributed the sequential drop in production to planned downtimes for factory upgrades. CEO Elon Musk explained during an earnings call that these "summer shutdowns" were necessary for implementing product upgrades, including the refreshed Model 3 and Model Y recently introduced in the Chinese market.
ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, is planning to purchase at least $300 million worth of stock from current and former U.S. employees. This buyback deal values the privately-held company at $223.5 billion, marking a 26% decrease from a similar offer made a year ago. Current and former employees interested in selling their shares must notify the company by the end of October. ByteDance is offering to buy shares from current employees with less than two years of tenure at a rate of $160 per share, resulting in the $223.5 billion overall valuation. Former employees who were laid off also qualify for this valuation.
Google altered its advertising auction formula in 2017, resulting in a 15% increase in prices and likely generating billions of dollars in additional revenue, according to an economist testifying on behalf of the US Justice Department in the antitrust case against the company. Michael Whinston, an MIT economics professor, revealed that Google adjusted its approach to selling text ads under "Project Momiji" with the aim of raising prices for the highest bidders. Search ads account for over 60% of Google's total revenue, surpassing $100 billion in 2020. The company has consistently experienced double-digit search ad revenue growth since 2012.
An early-stage startup backed by Bill Gates's private office is launching a chatbot called Pix. This chatbot offers personalized recommendations for books, movies, TV shows, and podcasts. Pix runs on OpenAI's natural language processing technology and will learn users' preferences over time. The service will be offered to users for free. The startup plans to leverage its 600 million consumer data points to differentiate its media recommendation platform from existing one-size-fits-all chatbots. Unlike recommendation software within streaming services, Pix will suggest content across platforms to users who interact with it through text, email, or its app.
Adobe is set to unveil a new AI-powered photo editing tool at the Adobe Max event. This tool, known as the "object-aware editing engine" or Project Stardust, can automatically identify individual objects in regular photographs, making it easier to manipulate and edit them without prior editing experience. While similar to Google's Magic Editor, Adobe's offering is expected to be more powerful. The tool can automatically select objects in an image, making it easier to move and change them as if they had been separated using traditional editing tools like Photoshop's lasso tool. This innovation could simplify photo editing for a broader audience.
Principal at a Large Digital Agency shares his view on Meta , Google and the performance they are seeing right now:
Meta has been outperforming in the last two quarters. There are multiple reasons for this:
Advertisers are getting more data/visibility back with SKAN 4.0. giving back visibility from 7-day to 28-day look-back.
Advertisers are moving from brand to performance advertising
Reels has gained a lot of content in the last few months, and TikTok spending has slowed because of brand-safe concerns, Reels profiting from it.
In the expert's opinion, Reels still has 18 months to become more ubiquitous and fully grow out.
Click-to-message is giving advertisers the ability to retarget that customer, which is very valuable.
In the expert's opinion, click-to-message can become a big point of differentiation for Meta to expand its power and position.
Former Microsoft CTO shares his view on the company and the cloud industry in general:
The expert thinks Microsoft could do a better job at integrating and supporting the third-party ISV (independent software vendor) ecosystem. Microsoft instead pushes their own first-party products, which the expert thinks could be a double-edged sword. He believes Amazon AWS has the cleanest model for partners.
When the expert was running the ISV team, the volume of ISVs that had their first market offering in Azure was less than 2%. Even those that were the vast majority were because their clients didn’t want to be at AWS or GCP because they were a competitor.
The expert thinks most enterprise customers are multi-cloud/hybrid. They don’t want to 100% at one cloud provider because they are worried about vendor lock-in and what it means for pricing, performance stability, etc.
In the expert’s opinion, Microsoft has never been that good at digital native companies vs AWS or Google.
Snowflake and many other data management/consumption companies are at risk because of hyperscalers moving into their turf. Microsoft Fabric is one example of a possible threat for Snowflake.
Thanks for reading Uncover Tech Insights! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.
Thank you for reading our fourth edition of the weekly newsletter. We would really appreciate it if you could share it with someone you know who would be interested in tech investing news. Organic, and especially word of mouth, is the main way our newsletter will grow. We will always put quality before quantity.
Source: the expert interviews are found on Alphasense, a platform specialized for expert interviews and other investment data.
Nothing contained in this website and newsletter should be understood as investment or financial advice. All investment strategies and investments involve the risk of loss. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Everything written and expressed in this newsletter is only the writer's opinion and should not be considered investment advice. Before investing in anything, know your risk profile and if needed, consult a professional. Nothing on this site should ever be considered advice, research, or an invitation to buy or sell any securities.


text:
Consumer Sentiment Rises in November on Improved Economic Outlook
By Rodrigo Campo
U.S. consumer sentiment rose in November as wealthier Americans' outlook on the economy improved, a survey released Wednesday showed.
The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan's final reading on the overall index on consumer sentiment measured 75.1 for November, up from a final reading of 73.2 in October and above the median forecast of 73.5 among economists polled by Reuters.
"While rising stock prices and low interest rates will favor holiday sales of upper-end consumers, lower income households were still more concerned about job gains," %VIRTUAL-article-sponsoredlinks%survey director Richard Curtin said in a statement.
The preliminary November reading of the overall index was reported at 72.0 earlier this month.
The survey's barometer of current economic conditions fell to 88.0 in November from 89.9 in October. The final figure was higher than the preliminary November reading of 87.2 but came in below a forecast of 89.0.
The survey's gauge of consumer expectations rose to 66.8 from 62.5 in October, slightly above an expected 66.2.
The one-year inflation expectation fell to 2.9 percent from 3.1 percent, while the survey's five-to-10-year inflation outlook stood at 2.9 percent, unchanged from last month.


text:
The article about plans by Vietnamese carmaker VinFast to build a $4 billion manufacturing plant in Chatham County cited insights from Assistant Professor of Economics Tonmoy Islam.
New this week that a Vietnamese carmaker has plans to build a $4 billion manufacturing operations in Chatham County generated speculation about the impact of the project on the region, with Assistant Professor of Economics Tonmoy Islam offering his insights to the Triangle Business Journal.
VinFast announced on Tuesday that is plans to invest $4 billion in the operation and hire 7,500 workers during the next five years, with North Carolina approving an incentives package for the project of $854 million. Reporter Lauren Ohnesorge talked with Islam to get his take on how the project could ripple through the state.
Islam noted that the number of workers supported by the VinFast plant is much greater than those who work directly in assembling the vehicles. “Building a car requires so many tiny components,” Islam told Ohnesorge.
He pointed to the impact of the BMW plant in Spartanburg, S.C., which has a much broader economic output in the upstate region of the state than just the plant. “When BMW opened their plant … a number of suppliers also decided to open their factories there,” Islam said.
Read the entire article here. The article was also published in the Triad Business Journal and the Charlotte Business Journal.


text:
ALSO READHundreds of liquor, illegal meat shops shut in Jharkhand Subway Finance And Investment Company reports standalone net loss of Rs 0.01 crore in the September 2016 quarter U.S. Fed could end reinvestment policy this year, Fed's Bullard says Global stocks little changed, U.S. dollar near 14-year peak in thin trading December hike may get U.S. rates to neutral setting, Fed's Bullard says
(Reuters) - U.S. sandwich chain Subway Restaurants said on Thursday it shut 359 restaurants in the United States last year, amid stiff competition in a highly fragmented fast-food industry.
Subway, owned by Doctor's Associates Inc, is the world's largest fast-food chain by number of restaurants. It had 26,744 locations operating in the United States at the end of 2016.
"We will continue to relocate some shops to better locations and look for new sites - both traditional and non-traditional," the company said in an e-mailed statement.
Subway said its U.S. sales fell 1.7 percent to $11.3 billion last year, while international sales climbed 3.7 percent to $5.8 billion, reflecting a focus on overseas growth.
Subway rival McDonald's has also reduced the number of its U.S. locations in recent years, as it seeks to cut costs by franchising out more restaurants.
Milford, Connecticut-based Subway is 100 percent franchised.
Subway on Wednesday named former McDonald's Corp
U.S. restaurants have faced lacklustre demand in recent months as more people choose to cook at home amid lower grocery prices.
Minimum wage increases have also hit restaurant chains, forcing them to hike menu prices in response.
(Reporting by Karina Dsouza in Bengaluru; Editing by Sai Sachin Ravikumar)
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)


text:
A Taco Bell wedding ranks high on the meter of weird wedding locations, but it is by no means the only fast food joint to witness nuptials. There are other fast food wedding venues and wedding reception locales where couples said their vows.
Taco Bell Wedding
WRCB TV reports that Paul and Caragh Brook spent a whopping $200 on a marriage ceremony held at their favorite Taco Bell in Normal, Illinois. Having met via a dating service with the bride living in Australia and the groom residing in the U.S., finding a wedding location was the least of the obstacles they needed to overcome. The wedding reception was immediately following.
McDonald’s Wedding Locations
Of course, three years earlier, a couple dismissed all other wedding locations in favor of the McDonald’s where they meet. WKYC reports that Tyree and Trisha Henderson of Fairborn, Ohio chose to say their vows at the McDonald’s where they met “behind the counter.”
In 2002, Brits Andrew Smith and Judy Foulkes decided to hold a wedding reception at their local McDonald’s. The BBC reported that both were on their second marriages, and as such the couple did not want to go through the rigmarole of a full fledged sit down wedding reception. Having said their vows at the registrar’s office, the couple and their guests stood in line at McDonald’s and placed their orders.
Cut Rate Wedding Ideas “In” for Post Modern Couples
The Taco Bell wedding — and also the McDonald’s wedding venue and wedding reception locale — underscore a change in wedding ideas. The price tag is a compelling reason for looking to a fast food wedding reception as opposed to a sit down meal, but perhaps the fact that the majority of second and third weddings end in divorces, may also play a role.
The Divorce Rate site suggests that 60% of second marriages and 73% of third marriages end in divorce. This is distinct from the 50% of first marriages that end in divorce. Although the numbers may give rise to squabbling and interpretation, the facts bear out that more couples separate and divorce than live happily ever after.
Could it be that this has led to a disenchantment with the once in a lifetime party which, if playing the Vegas odds, could see a repeat in five to 10 years from now with a new main supporting role and cast of players acting as guests?
Sources: http://www.wrcbtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=9655209; http://www.wkyc.com/news/watercooler/watercooler_article.aspx?storyid=48558; http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/2176038.stm; http://www.divorcerate.org/


text:
Parimatch, will launch an NFT collection as part of 100 Creators on Binance NFT Marketplace featuring an old Parimatch’s platform as the first lot. The tokens will be auctioned on the platform as part of the “100 creators” campaign, timed to coincide with the launch of the Binance NFT marketplace. The official marketplace launch date is June 24.
Technological evolution continues to change the world, business approaches, brands. Parimatch has auctioned an old platform to showcase its transformation. NFT will anchor this platform as their starting point for growth. On this platform in the early 2000’s, Parimatch began its expansion, so this lot is very symbolic for the brand. Given the rapid changes, it is very important to remember and see the place where everything originated.
All money received from the auction will be donated to the Parimatch Foundation to support projects for implementing the company’s corporate social responsibility.
“We are excited to announce Parimatch’s NFT collection on the Binance NFT marketplace. Parimatch Collectibles are a symbol of nostalgia and an indicator of the transformation of entertainment in the technological age. This is an exceptional way to capture the starting point of our product and showcase how the world has been digitalized. And more is yet to come.” said Ivan Liashenko, CMO Parimatch.
Binance NFT will launch on June 24, prioritising optimal user experience, minimal fees, high liquidity and high-value NFTs. The Binance NFT Marketplace will share the same account system as Binance.com. Existing Binance users will be able to access the NFT marketplace and trade with their current Binance accounts. New users will simply have to register on Binance.com to create or trade on the Binance NFT platform.
Powered by WPeMatico


text:
MOSCOW, February 17 (Itar-Tass) —— Average retail prices continue decreasing at Russia’s filling stations, the Energy Ministry’s press service said on Friday.
According to the Central Supervision Department of the Fuel-and-Energy Industry, vertically integrated oil companies established their prices for gasoline of the most popular brand Regular-92 at 26.31 roubles per litre (USD 1 = RUB 29.99), which is nine kopecks less than as of December 31, 2011, the press service.
Besides, the gasoline price of the Premium-95 brand went down by seven kopecks to 28.23 roubles per litre, the press service said, adding that prices of winterised diesel fuel amounted to 27.93 roubles per litre, or four kopecks less than at the end of last year.
Independent gasoline retailers sold Regular-92 fuel at 26.77 roubles per litre (or 33 kopecks less), Premium-95 for 28.70 roubles per litre (or 31 kopecks less) and the winterized diesel fuel – for 28.64 roubles per litre (four kopecks less), the press service said.
As of February 15, average prices of the major brands of fuel at the oil refineries decreased too, as against December 31, 2011, the press service said.
For instance, the average prices of the Regular-92 gasoline decreased by 986 roubles over the period under review and amounted to 25,646 roubles per tonne, the press service said, adding that prices of Premium-95 gasoline went down by 233 roubles to 27,837 roubles per tonne and prices of winterized diesel fuel dropped by 557 roubles to 28,630 roubles per tonne.
Moreover, the press service reported the decline of prices for several sorts of petroleum products at the enterprises of the Fuel and Oil Product Supplies Committee as compared to December 31.
At such facilities, the prices of Regular-92 gasoline slid down by 1,296 roubles to 29,189 roubles per tonne, the Premium-95 prices dropped by 1,451 roubles to 31,367 roubles per tonne and prices of the winterized diesel fuel shrank by 774 roubles to 31,454 roubles per tonne, the press service said.
In addition, the press service pointed out to the hike of the production and supplies of the high-octane sorts of gasoline on the domestic market. Planned maintenance and preventive repairs of technological equipment at the Russian oil refineries have being held fully and in compliance with a schedule coordinated with the Energy Ministry.
There were no reports about emergency shutdown of equipment at Russia’s oil refineries in the period from February 9 to February 16, the press service said.


text:
DENVER (KDVR) — Places and events across Colorado have been nominated by USA Today for a number of holiday-themed Readers’ Choice awards.
According to USA Today, travel experts pick the top 20 in each category. Then, readers can vote once per day in each contest.
This is the second year in a row for at least one of the nominations, including best holiday market. In 2022, the Georgetown Christmas Market was voted the No. 7 best market, and the Denver Christkindlmarket was voted No. 3.
The same two made the top 20 list again.
Those weren’t the only Colorado staples that made it into the top 20 lists. In fact, most of the categories had at least one nominee in the Centennial…
All news and articles are copyrighted to the respective authors and/or News Broadcasters. RockyDailyNews.Com is an independent Online News Aggregator
Read more from original source here…


text:
30 May Australia’s Spend on Cosmetic Treatments Tops $1 Billion
Posted at 15:31h in Media Release 1,760 Comments
Australian’s are continuing to spend up on cosmetic procedures, according to figures released by the Cosmetic Physicians College of Australasia (CPCA). The estimates reveal Australian’s annual spend on minimally or non-invasive cosmetic procedures has topped the $1 billion mark for the first time.
CPCA estimates show that dermal filler injections, which can be used to add volume, sculpt and reshape the face, have seen a significant spending increase of at least 25 per cent growth during the last year. The anti-wrinkle injection market has also enjoyed an increase in popularity, up at least 14 per cent compared to the previous year.
To read more on this media release, please click here.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.


text:
In the wake of the Aurora shooting, it may come as a surprise that Californians are buying more guns than ever.
Legal gun sales are set to break the state record this year, reports the Sacramento Bee.
Despite the fact that California has some of the strictest gun control laws in the nation, the US Department of Justice predicts that Californians will purchase 725,000 rifles, pistols and shotguns in 2012, which is nearly twice the number they purchased five years ago -- when 370,628 were bought, says the SF Gate.
Sales in firearms have increased consistently in the past decade, despite drops in statistics regarding crime and economic problems, reports CBS.
Apparently, it's hard to pinpoint the reason for the surge in sales, since California state law doesn't require the tracking of reasons for gun purchases, according to the Sacramento Bee.
However, California gun laws do require the registration of handguns, and will also mandate record-keeping on rifles and shotguns sold in the state beginning in 2014, reports Voice of America. The state bans the sale of high-capacity ammunition clips and military-style assault rifles to the public. We also have a 10-day waiting period for the purchase of firearms. Furthermore, while some states do not restrict online firearms and ammunition sales, California requires that all purchases must be made through a registered dealer.
In addition to the surge in California sales, Colorado, Florida, Washington, Oregon, and Georgia have also reported increases in gun purchases since the Aurora shooting, Reporter News tells us.
RELATED ON HUFFPOST:
The Morning Email helps you start your workday with everything you need to know: breaking news, entertainment and a dash of fun. Learn more


text:
News and reviews on the most popular PPE gear.
Disposable n95 masks
Ah yes the highly sought after and hard to find n95 mask. The n95 is by far one of the most effective masks in filtering out covid 19. A study published in the Journal of Hospital Infection last month determined that N95 and N99 masks reduce a person’s risk of infection by 94 to 99 percent when exposed to a highly contaminated environment. These masks are reserved for health care workers because of their effectiveness at filtering and and creating a seal around the nose and mouth. If you can find one, count yourself lucky. There are a few n95 masks variations that made our top picks.
The first choice would be any type or brand of N95 mask. 3M is probably the most known and available but there are other brands such as Honeywell and Kimberly Clark. Unfortunately all of these brands are unavailable to the general public at this time.
The KN95 masks would be the second choice if an N95 masks can’t be found. The KN95 mask is more widely available but its effectiveness is not certified by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health or NIOSH. KN95 masks are made in China and are certified by the chinese version of NIOSH. According to the Oklahoma State Department of Health the KN95 can be used in place of the N95 masks. There are counterfeits of the KN95 so beware. If you see a KN95 mask with NIOSH stamped on it, that’s a dead giveaway that it is a fake.
When I was a kid I used to watch a comedy show called the Three Stooges. Every saturday morning I would get up early to watch a rebroadcast of this old black and white classic. In the show the characters would often practice their knuckle head impromptu karate moves on each other. One of the signature moves was to hold a Karate hand up and align it with their nose. This would prevent the attacking opponent from stabbing them in the eyes with a horizontal peace sign. If you can imagine that then you can understand the level of protection that a face shield can offer.
Face shields prevent sprayed particles from hitting the face and eyes kind of like the Three Stooges. They also prevent the wearer’s breath from being sprayed out. They are however very easy to breathe through because they offer no filtration whatsoever. According to the CDC face shields are not a substitution for a mask. That being said they do offer some protection to those around the wearer.
Cloth Masks and Surgical masks
By far the most widely used are cloth and surgical masks. There are many reasons why so many people are wearing cloth and surgical masks. The number one reason is that they are easy to find. Just about every place you go nowadays has masks for sale. The cloth masks come in many different fashions and materials.
The first choice would be surgical masks. These masks are not as good as N95 masks but if you wear them correctly they can offer some protection according to the Mayo Clinic. It should be noted that at this time the CDC recommends that surgical masks be reserved for health and frontline workers. According to the CDC cloth masks should be used by the general public.
The second choice would be cloth masks. These masks when made from 100% cotton can actually be pretty decent when used to filter out small particles according to MIT medical. There are also a wide variety of cloth masks made from other materials that allow the wearer to breath more easily. But remember the easier it is to breath through the less effective the filtration. As the masks become more flimsy and cheap they will become nothing more than a barrier to knock your exhaled breath down and away from those around you.
Turn on the news any time and you will no doubt see a hospital worker in a hazmat suit wearing a reusable full face respirator. These respirators made by 3m and Honeywell offer some of the highest levels of protection against airborne particles. There are various cartridges that can be fitted to the system offering different degrees of filtration. These types of facemasks have to be fitted by a professional to the wearer.
The respirators come in half face and full face styles. The half face style pairs well with goggles. Both styles go well with the hazmat suit for the full effect. Unless you are going into a paint booth or a house full of covid 19 patients this type of setup is really too much protection for the average person. But if you don’t mind looking like you just stepped off the set of a movie about a pandemic then this is the ultimate level of protection.
Coming soon the Daily Bleach
From easy tips on cleaning your house to the newest and latest PPE gear. Receive helpful Covid 19 life hacks in our weekly news letter.


text:
A brand new developer video log for Heroes & Generals is now available.
Taken from the all-new “Eisenhower” build of the game the new videolog shows some of the latest changes taking place in the war-room and on the battlefield, including the new matchmaking service making it easier for new players to jump straight into the action.
Heroes & Generals is a free, massive-scale WWII shooter combined with unique strategic control and is currently in closed beta. The game has recently been snapped up by Square Enix and the details of the partnership are included in the previously released press release attached.
We encourage everyone to sign up for a Beta-key at www.heroesandgenerals.com and help us make the game YOU want to play.


text:
LONDON, Sept. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The most recent update to Google.com's algorithm, which reduces the instances of single domains dominating organic results, offers better prospects for more businesses to rank; however, with almost one in five searches now displaying just seven results, integrated SEO, PR and social media agency Punch Communications says brands should seize the opportunity to dominate first page results for brand terms with associated domains, such as social networks.
The change, designed to improve "the diversity of search results in terms of different domains returned," was announced by Matt Cutts, Google's head of webspam, via Twitter on Friday, September 14. This algorithmic update effectively provides an opening for more businesses to rank on the first page of those search results that were previously being 'taken over' by a single domain, also known as site clustering.
Alongside this change, Google has also been experimenting with the number of search results displayed. In the middle of August, analysis undertaken using SEOMoz's Mozcast data* revealed that in over 18 percent of searches just seven results were returned instead of ten.
As it was more likely for site clustering to occur with brand search terms and, according to SEOMoz, the majority of the new seven-result pages are applicable to brand queries, there is a clear opportunity for brands to regain first page domination, not through multiple instance of their website domain, but with a range of domains they are affiliated with. For example, undertaking appropriate search engine optimisation activity on branded social media pages could give rise to a brand's supremacy in the rankings.
Pete Goold, specialist in integrated communication services, such as social search, and managing director of Punch, commented: "Both of these updates bring huge opportunities for businesses to rank on the first page of Google's results. On the one hand, those results no longer being dominated by just one domain means there is an open door for other companies to have valuable page one search visibility.
"Nevertheless, businesses that have just had this type of brand search term dominance in the rankings taken away from them are also being presented with a terrific chance to regain all seven ranking slots; these companies should seize the opportunity and regard having a more diverse profiling in search results as hugely positive. For example, after the brand's website, it is entirely possible to have its Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest pages and an external blog ranking; social media and search are becoming ever closer so businesses shouldn't become fixated on only having their website displayed in results and social media agencies must get search savvy, fast."
If your business is currently having discussions with SEO, social media or PR companies, find out what an integrated approach can deliver by contacting Punch on 01858 411 600 or by visiting www.punchcomms.com.
Contact - Pete Goold – 0044 1858 411 600 – email@example.com
This press release was issued through eReleases® Press Release Distribution. For more information, visit http://www.ereleases.com.
SOURCE Punch Communications