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Forza Motorsport developer Turn 10 appears to be gearing up for a Natal-powered project.
Evolution of Turn 10's magnificent racer.
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Evolution of Turn 10's magnificent racer.
Digital Foundry has already taken a look at core aspects of the technology powering Forza Motorsport 3 in the initial demo tech breakdown, but in this feature we're expanding our analysis of the game to cover both its past and its potential future.
Microsoft has told Eurogamer there is nothing to announce regarding a third Forza Motorsport game.
Microsoft has significantly lowered the price of many popular DLC bundles on Xbox Live as part of a special promotion called Extended Play Download Days.
Everyone likes cars. Even the greens have got their favourites, made of regenerative braking systems, Atkinson cycle engines, old yoghurt pots and bits of rhubarb. And it seems that videogames about cars are just as susceptible to a bit of the old premium downloadable content as anything. Not at all surprised by this, we decided to take a spin round some of it so you don't get run over by poor value. Rev your feeble metaphors and join us.
Project Gotham Racing 4
Challenge Pack - FREE
Turn 10 will add a baker's dozen of fresh cars to Forza Motorsport 2 this Wednesday.
Every now and then, someone pops out of the woodwork to complain that the games industry isn't innovative any more. This is clearly nonsense. Certainly, publishers might have an ongoing love affair with barely distinguishable sequels and a herd mentality that makes sheep look strong-willed, but consider this - year after year, the industry invents new and previously unheard-of ways to make you part with your cash. If that's not innovation, what is?
Download Content (DLC) is a new arrival in the exciting field of wallet-stripping, and the Xbox 360 is on the vanguard. Many Xbox 360 games have content available for download sometime after launch, allowing you to hand over a few measly Microsoft points for access to new maps, models, missions and the likes. It's a great idea in theory, obviously - who doesn't want to extend the life of their favourite game a bit? In practice, though, there's some suspicion about it. Nobody wants to find themselves paying extra money for content that should have been in the game in the first place.
Hence these DLC roundup features, where we'll be looking at the bits and bobs that have made their way onto Xbox Live - and, soon, PSN - in the past few months, and checking out what's worth whipping your card out for, and what deserves to sit, dusty and unloved, in the digital dustbins out the back of the Marketplace.
VRX Industries has created a wonderfully senseless arcade machine for us to poke fun at.
As promised, Turn 10 and Microsoft have released a downloadable new track for Forza Motorsport 2 along with a bundle of new cars, including the legendary [picks one at random] Lamborghini Gallardo.
Turn 10 has said to expect new premium downloadable content for Forza Motorsport 2 on 7th December.
The Internet has finally discovered what Steven Gerrard has known all along: that complaining loudly as you walk past someone does change their mind and get you what you want.
Forza Motorsport 2's first downloadable race-track will go live tomorrow, 26th October, developer Turn 10 has said.
A free new content pack for Forza 2 is now available to download from Xbox Live.
Developer Turn 10 has released a new patch for Forza 2 on Xbox Live.
We don't normally write these up, because if you're the sort of person who wants to play Barbie Horse Adventure with Marilyn Manson then it's probably best you do go off somewhere else to find that information, but even we were intrigued when Microsoft told us that Sir Stirling Moss - him of 74 Formula One Grand Prix races fame - will be competing against Xbox Live players in Forza Motorsport 2 on Thursday 28th June as part of its "Game With Fame" campaign.
Microsoft's Forza Motorsport 2 continues to outpace the competition, GamesIndustry.biz is reporting, remaining at number one in the UK All Formats charts despite a 34 per cent drop in sales.
Forza Motorsport 2 has raced straight into first place in the all-formats software chart, becoming the third fastest-selling Xbox 360 title released so far, GamesIndustry.biz is reporting.
For today's release of Forza Motorsport 2 we're bringing you two reviews. "Why two reviews?" you logically ask. Well, because the original was that rarest of rare beasts: a driving simulator that appealed to the everyman, appealing to driving game fans regardless of whether they preferred arcade racers like Burnout, Riiiiidge Racer and Need For Speed, or the more serious out-and-out simulations like Gran Turismo or Grand Prix Legends.
And with that in mind we decided the best way was to seek out reviewers who would be approaching Forza 2 from two polar opposite - but equally relevant - angles. So, in the petrol head camp, we have Luke Albiges offering his considered opinion, while in the quick-fix, instant thrill camp we have Simon Parkin's thoughts on the matter. Will it live up to the hype? Will Forza 2 live up to the lofty expectations and deliver the ultimate console racing sim or will Turn 10's obsession for simulated racing perfection prove to be a big fat yawn? Read on...
Eurogamer TV is hosting two exclusive in-game trailers for Forza 2 this afternoon, captured by our very own cameraman.
The demo version of Forza Motorsport 2 has popped up on Xbox Live Marketplace as promised by admins on the game's official forum, who posted last night. "That's what we've been told," we were, er, told.
Microsoft's preview event at the Raceway Docklands allowed Eurogamer to get its hands on Forza Motorsport 2. First though, there was an opportunity to sit down with the series Game Director, Dan Greenawalt.
The night before going to see Forza Motorsport 2 I ran nine miles. It was fairly tough. But not, as I was to discover, as tough as the all-over body and cardio-vascular workout you get from driving for 20 minutes round the UK's biggest indoor karting track, which is where Microsoft decided to show off the game to a bunch of games journalists. Fortunately, Forza 2 is rather more forgiving, in spite of its hardcore simulation credentials. In fact, speaking in one of the raceway's swanky corporate-hospitality meeting rooms, Game Director Dan Greenawalt declares: "The goal of this game is to really turn gamers into car lovers and turn car lovers into gamers and create a really big community that gets excited about games and excited about cars."
Microsoft has finally confirmed that Forza Motorsport 2 will be released on 8th June.
That was the message from retail earlier this week, although this is the first time that Microsoft has officially confirmed the game's European release date.
The Xbox 360-exclusive racer features more than 300 cars, improved customisation systems and of course a host of online racing options. If you thought Forza 1 was impressively put together, this might turn your head.
Retail sources claim that Forza Motorsport 2 will be racing into shops and sitting quietly on the shelf until you pick it up, go over to the till and give the funny man some money on 8th June in Europe.
Microsoft has revealed the final section of the monstrous list of cars that make up Forza Motorsport 2.
Microsoft has confirmed reports that a Forza Motorsport 2 demo will appear on Xbox Live Marketplace fairly soon. "The rumours this week of a downloadable demo are true and the details on timing will be confirmed in the coming weeks," the publisher said in a statement.
As is now tradition, the company revealed a number of new cars going into the game, which is due out next month, and this time it's the turn of "Aftermarket Tuner Car Classics". See below for a full list of those, and scour the official website for more details on each if you fancy.
You can also start looking forward to our hands-on coverage of the ambitious racer, with playable code expected at the office within a similar timeframe to the demo. We're already fighting over the steering wheel. Well, I say fighting - there's really no contest.
We already know that Forza Motorsport 2 is due out next month, but now we're told to expect a demo version within the next few weeks.
As Forza 2 speeds realistically towards the development finish line, Turn 10 has taken a bit more time out to tell us about the line-up of 300+ real-world cars that you'll be able to get your hands on.
Microsoft has revealed that Forza 2 will feature a new Livery Editor that will let you add your own personal touch to cars through logos, decals and unique paint schemes.
Microsoft's Forza PR machine cranked into overdrive this week, with the launch of a revamped official website.
The site's latest update leads with a gigantic list of the European production cars that will make it into the game, from manufacturers including Audi, Bentley, Aston Martin, McLaren, Koenigsegg, Lotus, and TVR. Go see.
Elsewhere on the site, you'll be able to log in with your Xbox Live Gamertag and "check out a personalized homepage summarizing your online racing statistics, auctions, and tournaments."
Forza Motorsport 2 is to get its own four-part "live action mini series" on U.S. channel SPEED TV later this month, it has emerged.
Forza Motorsport 2 is due out here in May as well as the US, Microsoft said today, and we now know a bit more about the cars you'll be driving, too.
Wire up your wireless racing wheels and perform other necessary preparatory tasks: Forza Motorsport 2 is due out in May.
Forza Motorsport 2 is now up and running at 60 frames per second on Xbox 360 according to developer Turn 10.
Xbox 360 titles Forza Motorsport 2, Crackdown, Shadowrun and Too Human are now down for release before the end of June 2007, Peter Moore has admitted.
It's been a great year for announcements from Microsoft, but it's arguably been its quietest ever year for first party games. And to make matters worse, Forza Motorsport 2 recently slipped out of its tentative December release slot to Q1 2007. But all the headline-grabbing announcements at X06 succeeded in taking the spotlight off such trifling matters, and ensured that Turn 10's game could make a low profile public playable debut.
Microsoft's Tokyo Game Show demonstration of Forza Motorsport 2 has quietly confirmed speculation that the game won't be out until the first quarter of 2007.
Producers in Japan are reportedly saying the code's about 60 percent finished.
That's a bit of a shame then, and probably won't do sales of the Wireless Racing Wheel, due out this Christmas, any favours.
Despite Forza 2's release date changing to "winter" during Microsoft's recent Games Convention press conference, with a top executive refusing to guarantee a pre-Christmas debut for the Xbox 360 racer, our sister site GamesIndustry.biz has learned that the US giant is still briefing retail that it is aiming for December 8 in Europe.
Microsoft has released a video of Forza Motorsport 2's developers talking through the trailer used to announce the game during E3.
Showing on Eurogamer TV right now, the video features art director John Wendl and game director Dan Greenawalt walking through the 90-second preview and explaining how it relates to the game the developer's aiming to ship this Christmas on Xbox 360.
During the video Wendl and Greenawalt discuss how they decided to show the car being pulled apart - with textures and other elements removed until it's just the broad-stroke design lines upon which the car is based, in an attempt to tug on the viewer's "car lust".
Dan Greenawalt, lead designer on Xbox 360 racer Forza Motorsport, has revealed all sorts of interesting info about the game - including the fact that it'll feature a Project Gotham Racing-style TV mode.
It's all thanks to a new partnership between Forza developer Turn 10 and Bizarre, the studio behind the PGR series. Speaking in an interview with XboxWorld, Greenawalt said: "We are constantly redefining what it means to be an online racing game. However, we are also sharing technology. This means we are able to leverage the power of both teams."
With Forza Motorsport TV, "You won't just be watching a bunch of Ferraris racing together - you'll be watching completely customised Ferraris racing in a simulation environment... Paint schemes and physics mastery add to the excitement and diversity of the telecasts."
Microsoft's Forza Motorsport 2 development team is gearing up for the game's Christmas release on Xbox 360 - and the game's website reveals that much of what we saw at E3, contrary to public perception, was in fact using in-game assets.


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Internet service provider (ISP) Breathe has launched a new broadband deal offering three months free service to new consumers.
The up to 24Mb broadband deal, which is described by the firm as being "truly unlimited", is ordinarily priced at £11.99 per month.
For this, households can download as much data as they want each month, and enjoy unlimited evening and weekend telephone calls.
The three months free offer alone enables subscribers to save £35.97 during the first segment of their 18-month minimum contract.
Subscribers are not required to take a BT landline with the broadband deal, meaning they can choose which phone provider to go with.
However, a £29.99 minimum contract does apply when customers register to receive Breathe broadband services.
The ISP – which has also just revamped its website – claims to offer "fuss-free broadband" which is supported by "great customer service".

domain: news


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P&G generated net sales of €60.2bn ($71bn) for 2020 fiscal, up 5% on the previous year, driven by a 10% rise in its health care division; a 7% rise in fabric and home care; a 4% rise in beauty and 3% increase in baby, feminine and family care. Net sales across its grooming division dipped 2%.
In the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2020, net sales across P&G rose 4% to €15bn ($17.7bn), driven by increased demand for household cleaning, personal health and cleansing products, as well as “strong innovation programs”, the company said. Net sales in fabric and home care rose 11%; were up 3% in baby, feminine and family care; and sat steady for beauty. However, Q4 net sales dipped 1% in health care and 5% in grooming.
P&G ‘to come out stronger’ after COVID-19
David Taylor, chairman, president and CEO of P&G, said the company had delivered “strong, balanced sales and profit results”.
“…We expect to grow through this crisis and come out even stronger on the other side,” Taylor said.
He told investors on the company’s earnings call last week that P&G would achieve this by raising the bar on “all aspects of superiority”, such as product, packaging, consumer communication, retail execution and overall value.
“Superior offerings, science-based products delivered with superior packaging drive market growth, which in turn drives share, sales and profit growth. This creates a winning proposition for all concerned.”
Jon Moeller, company vice chairman, COO and CFO, agreed: “We will continue to face significant challenges, and perhaps a higher degree of uncertainty than any of us have ever faced, but we believe that current consumer dynamics are integrated in mutually reinforcing strategies, and our focus on a few immediate priorities positions us very well for the future.”
P&G issued a fiscal 2021 guidance of 1-3% all-in sales growth on the previous fiscal year and organic sales growth of 2-4%.
Beauty, hair care, grooming results mixed
In Q4, P&G reported mixed results across its divisions and within each business unit. Beauty, for example, continued to be dragged down by a double-digit decline in its super-premium brand SK-II because of pandemic related travel disruption. This was partially offset by volume increases in personal cleansing and an organic sales rise in hair care.
Within grooming, organic sales in shave care decreased due to reduced frequencies in shaving in certain markets due to COVID-19, P&G said, but organic sales of grooming appliances increased.
In health care, sales of oral care products declined amid retail closures but personal health care organic sales increased.
And within P&G’s baby, feminine and family care unit, sales rose due to an increase in organic sales of feminine care products. Organic sales of baby care products, however, were down.
Recent analysis from CosmeticsDesign-Europe has showed that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has also created a mixed bag of results among the big brands in beauty and personal care.


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OZESL would like to welcome Foodworks Estella to the growing ESL family, this is the first supermarket in Australia to utilise the Pricer 4 colour Labels.
Part of the Reddrop Group, Foodworks Estella is a brand new store located in the northern suburbs of Wagga Wagga, this area has been lacking a supermarket for many years now with many shoppers flocking to the store on 26.09.23 for the opening.
Congratulations to the Reddrop Group for adding another great looking store to the fleet.
The team entire operations team at Reddrop led by Lincoln Wymer were a pleasure to work with to enable the successful implementation of ESL into the store. OZESL look forward to continuing this partnership in the future.


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National Retail Systems Inc., a provider of logistics services to U.S. retailers, pharmaceutical companies and consumer goods manufacturers, announced that the company has received certification from the Transported Asset Protection for full compliance with TAPA’s new Trucking Security Requirements (TSR 2012) program.
The SGS Group, a global provider of inspection, verification, testing and certification services, performed the certification audit. According to TAPA guidelines, SGS TSR 2012 certifications are awarded following two separate audits of a company’s security operations related to policy/procedures and actual practice, including a physical inspection of the company’s truck fleet.
NRS operates a 200-acre distribution campus in Secaucus, N.J.; more than 1.2 million square feet of automated distribution center space in Los Angeles; a 140,000-square-foot high-speed transload center three miles from the Port of Savannah, Ga.; and dozens of trucking terminals nationwide moving more than 1 billion pounds of consumer products per year.
“This is further validation of the industry-leading processes and technology we have implemented at NRS to ensure our customers can move their products in a secure end-to-end network,” says John Tabor, NRS director of corporate security. “The threat of cargo crime is only increasing, and we are taking every measure possible to safeguard our company and our customers, while working with law enforcement nationwide to stop the threat.”
TSR 2012 has been established to ensure the safe and secure transportation of any TAPA member’s assets throughout the world by specifying the minimum acceptable standards for security throughout the supply chain. TSR 2012 outlines the process and specification for carriers to achieve compliance for their trucking operations. It is the intention of TAPA members to select carriers that meet or exceed TSR 2012 compliance requirements.
“Cargo theft is a multibillion dollar problem worldwide, and according to crime statistics, an average of 85 percent of all major cargo thefts occur during road transportation,” says Alan Spear, chairman of TAPA Americas. “TAPA believes that TSR certifications will result in members seeing a continued reduction in crime involving vehicles worldwide.”
“NRS ownership has invested significant capital in our security program to ensure the safe movement of our clients’ shipments,” Tabor says. “Our loss history, or lack thereof, is testament to that commitment. Working with TAPA, we can verify to prospective clients through this certification that we are industry-best.”


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AutoGuide News Blog
The AutoGuide News Blog is your source for breaking stories from the auto industry. Delivering news immediately, the AutoGuide Blog is constantly updated with the latest information, photos and video from manufacturers, auto shows, the aftermarket and professional racing.
The Walking Dead Hyundai Veloster Zombie Survival Machine has made its debut at the 2013 San Diego Comic Con, featuring a plethora of modifications to survive the apocalypse.
Following up on last year’s custom Elantra Coupe Zombie Survival Machine, Hyundai has once again teamed up with Future US and The Walking Dead to create a Veloster Zombie Survival Machine for this year’s San Diego Comic-Con.


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Mukesh Ambani Profile
|Full Name:||Mukesh Ambani - Contact Mukesh Ambani|
Mukesh Ambani News
DAWN.comIndia's richest man Mukesh Ambani shakes up telecoms market
Norwegian multinational Telenor recently became the latest to quit India and analysts expect other brands will disappear as intense price wars sparked by tycoon Mukesh Ambani mean thinning profit margins. ?Most of the smaller players will find it ...
Mukesh Ambani And Jio's Effect On Younger Brother Anil
Telecom tribunal refuses to stay Reliance Jio's free promotional offer
Local Press Co
No stay on Jio free offer; TDSAT asks Trai for re-examination
Business Standard Hindustan Times all 154 news articles »
Economic Timesnifty: Mukesh Ambani's wealth soared 43% since Nifty's previous ...
Data showed that lifted by RIL's shares, the Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance group witnessed a Rs 1.28 lakh cr jump in its market value during the two-year period.
and more »
- Mukesh Ambani, Anand Mahindra to speak on 'The Great Disruption' at India Today Conclave 2017 - India Today
India TodayMukesh Ambani, Anand Mahindra to speak on 'The Great Disruption' at India Today Conclave 2017
You will have Reliance Industries Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani speak on 'Why Technology Will Change India' at the Conclave 2017. Godrej Group Chairman Adi Godrej and HDFC Chairman Deepak Parekh will have a conversation on ...
and more »
The EconomistMukesh Ambani has made the business world's most aggressive bet
One such figure is Mukesh Ambani, India's richest man. In September 2016 he placed one of the biggest business bets in the world by launching Jio, a mobile-telecoms network that allows India's masses to access data on an unprecedented scale. In the ...
YourStory.comWell Done, Mukesh Ambani. Now Double It
Well done, Mukesh Ambani. In just 170 days, the richest Indian has signed up 100 million customers for his fourth-generation mobile service. That growth, bruising rivals and triggering a wave of industry consolidation, was explosive but predictable ...
I faced multiple business failures but never gave up: Mukesh Ambani
Mukesh Ambani announces launch of Reliance Jio Prime, members to get unlimited benefits at Rs 303 per month ...
Free voice calls across networks for Jio users: Mukesh Ambani
Economic Times Hindustan Times- BloombergQuint all 662 news articles »
Economic TimesNote ban hits cash stash of 11 billionaires, Mukesh Ambani still richest
"In addition to his aggressive plans for his oil business, Mukesh Ambani is now focusing on his new telecom venture, Jio, which has acquired more than 100 crore customers in less than 6 months," the report said. "This aggressive price war has dragged ...
Note ban hits billionaire club; Mukesh Ambani richest Indian
Mukesh Ambani richest Indian, Patanjali's Balakrishna ranks 28th in new survey
India loses 11 billionaires after note ban, Mukesh Ambani still richest: Hurun report
Livemint Hindustan Times- ???? - www.hurun.net all 92 news articles »
Economic TimesMukesh Ambani said to cut future tax bill with Reliance revamp
Ambani's plan to revamp his stake in the nations second most-valuable company, by transferring shares between entities affiliated with his family, is aimed at ...
and more »
Forbes IndiaMukesh Ambani: Data is the new oil; Trump blessing in disguise for India
The ascendancy of Donald Trump to the US presidency may be a ?blessing in disguise? for India, as the domestic information technology (IT) sector will now focus on solving problems faced by Indians, according to Mukesh Ambani, India's richest ...
Data is new oil for 4th industrial revolution: Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani
India's richest man calls Donald Trump ?a blessing in disguise for India?
Data revolution, Trump, entrepreneurship: What Mukesh Ambani had to say about these at the NASSCOM summit
Moneycontrol.com Economic Times- News18 all 124 news articles »
Economic TimesView: Mukesh Ambani's Jio should make an even bigger bet -- Buy Paytm
By Tim Culpan Reliance Industries reached another milestone this week with its Jio Payments Bank getting the go-ahead to begin operations, Mint reported Thursday. A venture with State Bank of India, the financial services startup is to be launched by ...
Reliance Jio should make an even bigger bet, like buying Paytm
Reliance Jio increases data benefits for non-Prime users, launches new Prime plans
ETTelecom.com all 252 news articles »
Businessinsider IndiaMukesh Ambani: Mukesh Ambani knows what millennials want ...
Ambani depends on kids Isha and Akash to help him stay connected to his young employee base.
Mukesh Ambani knows what the millennials want. Here's how ...
Businessinsider India all 2 news articles »


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Two business people who set up a notorious property industry marketing services company called Cream Club, have been disqualified as company directors for eight years following enforcement action by the Insolvency Service.
Craig and Claire Cook set up Cream Worldwide in 2010 after buying the name from a failed publishing company. At the high point of its business activities, Cream Club employed some 80 staff at its headquarters in St Ives, Cambridgeshire.
The company was wound up in 2014 but the brand rose from the ashes as ‘Cabec Ltd trading as Cream Club’. A year later that also entered administration, but re-appeared once more as Cream Club Ltd in 2015. This company only lasted a few months and in January 2016 it also went into administration.
The ‘club’ distributed its products via a network of estate agents who signed up to become members, giving them rights to distribute its marketing services in their local area.
The Insolvency Service subsequently looked into the administration of Cabec Limited trading as Cream Club and found that the Cooks had both failed “to ensure that Cabec Limited (“Cabec”) made full and timely payments to its employees, which resulted in Cabec failing to comply with the National Minimum Wage Act 1998 and trading to the detriment of its employees from at least 1 July 2014 until Administration on 5 May 2015″.
Further investigation uncovered the details of Cabec Ltd trading as Cream Club’s financial meltdown. This included how employees were owed near £69,000 in unpaid national minimum wage income, while the company also owed unpaid wage arrears of £330,624 and various debts owed to HMRC, loan companies and trade debtors totalling £400,000.


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Jon Russell was Asia Editor for The Next Web from 2011 to 2014. Originally from the UK, he lives in Bangkok, Thailand. You can find him on T Jon Russell was Asia Editor for The Next Web from 2011 to 2014. Originally from the UK, he lives in Bangkok, Thailand. You can find him on Twitter, Angel List, LinkedIn.
Ookbee, the Thailand-based e-publishing startup, has continued its growth across Southeast Asia after landing a partnership with Singapore Press Holdings (SPH), as E27 reports.
Ookbee claims that its content store has a dominant 85 percent share of Thailand’s e-publishing market, and it is moving outwards after extending its business into Vietnam and Malaysia last year. The deal with Singapore Press Holdings will not only see the company leap into Singapore but it will boost its presence in other markets too, Ookbee founder Natavudh Pungcharoenpong tells me via email.
“We will offer SPH titles in other countries where we are strong, like Thailand and Malaysia as well.”
SPH is a veritable media giant. Print is its core business and, to give an idea of its size, the group publishes 18 newspapers and more than 100 magazines across Southeast Asia; it claims a cumulative daily readership of 2.92 million. Ookbee is, of course, not focused on print and the deal will see more than 100 of SPH’s digital magazines come to the Ookbee store, while it will also develop a dedicated SPH app to house the content.
The rollout is a staged one and an initial 31 magazines will come to Ookbee in Feburary before the rest follow a month later.
Interestingly, the partnership could see Ookbee relocate its headquarters to Singapore in a move that could give it a more suitable base from which to build a regional business. Singapore has a number of advantages over Bangkok, and other locations in Southeast Asia, due to travel options, its business laws, the local investor community, and more.
Pungcharoenpong tells E27:
With this partnership, we plan to set up a branch office or relocate our headquarters to Singapore. We were considering doing that last year but since we didn’t have any operations here, we decided not to.
I recently said that Southeast Asia is the world’s most exciting location for startups and this deal represents a lot of my optimism. The last twelve months has seen more businesses thinking regionally — as Ookbee is — and getting out of their domestic markets to grow pan-Southeast Asian businesses, rather than staying in the comfort zone and dominating their native countries.
Ookbee is one of Thailand’s most notable startups right now. The company recently raised $2 million in funding to fuel its expansion and as it goes regional it is likely to attract the attention of investors and suitors from other markets, and Singapore in particular.
Pungcharoenpong is keeping quiet on the next steps but, with SPH on board, the company may be able to lean on its influential new partner when entering new countries. That’s sure to give it a helping hand with its continued growth.
Two-year-old Ookbee says that the content it has created serves more than 1.5 million users. As of September, that figure was growing at a rate of 5,000 per day.
Headline image via ROSLAN RAHMAN/Staff
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April Fool’s day has just ended. While the day comes once a year, it held a more important status since it came after the year of pandemic. People needed to have a good laugh about something.
Celebrating the day like every year, many brands decided to jump in and one-up each other. Multiple brands launched their fake products and services on the day. And while some were clever enough to understand the trick, there were many who got convinced pretty easily.
Asia’s largest home service provider, Urban Company, had an interesting way to fool people. The brand took a dig on all those who have been having a real struggle in getting up on time for your early morning zoom calls. Urban Company’s new #AlarmAtHome service was said to send a trained professional to wake you up from your sleep, no matter what.
Our new #AlarmAtHome service for those who take their sleeping a little more seriously! 😴
Wherever you are, we promise we’ll wake you up to a great day!
Toh apne time ka karo sahi use, #UrbanCompany karo choose!
Don't forget to use the promo code "AbTohUthJa" for 50% off! 😎 pic.twitter.com/n2RSNdFMLO
— Urban Company (@urbancompany_UC) April 1, 2021
Ola‘s Co-founder & CEO, Bhavish Aggarwal dedicatedly implemented the April fool’s prank with a video advert of the so-called Ola AirPro, a fully autonomous electric flying car. The company released an official launch announcement of the said car. And well! We have to say, they did fool us for a second there.
Excited to unveil the world’s first and only fully autonomous electric flying car. The Ola AirPro. Ab har family bharegi udaan. Test flights now at https://t.co/UbwKCwikg1 #OlaAirPro #TheFutureIsHere @Olacabs @OlaElectric pic.twitter.com/dy31ZS8FQ8
— Bhavish Aggarwal (@bhash) April 1, 2021
In order to engage its customers, Volkswagen decided to up the April Fool’s game and change the brand name itself. The automobile brand announced the launch of Voltswagen which is ‘similar to Volkswagen, but with a renewed focus on electric driving.’
We know, 66 is an unusual age to change your name, but we’ve always been young at heart. Introducing Voltswagen. Similar to Volkswagen, but with a renewed focus on electric driving. Starting with our all-new, all-electric SUV the ID.4 – available today. #Voltswagen #ID4 pic.twitter.com/pKQKlZDCQ7
— Volkswagen (@VW) March 30, 2021
Talk about being futuristic! Flipkart fooled us all in the most unexpected way. The brand claimed that they will now accept Bitcoins as a mode of payment.
The future is here. We now accept Bitcoin as a convenient mode of payment. Update your app now. pic.twitter.com/l3MlY2qwRd
— Flipkart (@Flipkart) March 31, 2021
Keventers had built up the prank for days by marketing their not-so-real, Bhang-flavored milkshake. It was only on April’s fool day that the brand revealed that prank on its Instagram handle and boy were we disappointed.
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BANGKOK – The Office of Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) has announced Royal Thai Police seized almost six tonnes of compressed cannabis in two linked raids in Ayutthaya and Pathum Thani, and arrested one man.
ONCB secretary-general Pongsapat Pongcharoen said on Wednesday morning that on Saturday police arrested Niran Kotangka, 35, a resident of Nakhon Panom, with one tonne of cannabis hidden in a load of gravel on an 18-wheel truck in Ayutthaya’s Wang Noi district, reported in the Bangkok Post
Mr Niran allegedly confessed he was being paid 100,000 baht to deliver the cannabis to Pathum Thani.
The NCB said the case was part of a sting operation in which police agents tried to purchase the cannabis for 4,500 baht a kilogramme from a Lao dealer. It was believed the cannabis was destined for export to the Netherlands.
Pol Gen Pongsapat said the operation then expanded to the search of a warehouse in Pathum Thani’s Lam Luk Ka district.
Pol Maj Gen Sermkid Sithichaiyakant, commander of Ayutthaya police, said that at the warehouse police found a total of 4.689 tonnes of cannibis in compressed one-kilogramme blocks hidden in corrugated carboard boxes and covered with clothes. Packaging equipment was also seized from the warehouse.
Initial investigations revealed that Sirisak Boonsiri, 47, had been renting the warehouse for about four months. He was not there. The warehouse is used by Boonsiri Packaging Limited Partnership, a packaging business.
The police went to Mr Sirisak’s house in Lam Luk Ka district where only his wife was at home. She denied any knowledge of the cannabis but admitted that her husband had worked for a packaging business for the past two years.
The police said they were trying to track down Mr Sirisak and his gang.
Based on the price negotiated in the sting operation, 4,500 baht a kilo, the total value of the seized cannabis is around 25.6 million baht, but it would be worth a lot more overseas.


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News Briefs for May 23, 2018May 23, 2018
•Bordeaux’s 2017 en primeur campaign continues to churn forward, gaining some momentum this week with the release of Château Lynch-Bages. The château is a familiar name to American consumers, many of whom are likely to be cheered by the release at EU75 ex-négoce, which translates to a U.S. retail offering of about $107, or $1,284 a case. That’s down 18% from the 2016’s release price and well below the 2015’s current average retail price of $142 at leading U.S. retailers. Wine Spectator has more on the ongoing 2017 Bordeaux futures campaign.
•In June, Islay single malt Port Askaig is set to launch two new expressions in the U.S. Port Askaig 8-year-old, a permanent addition to the brand portfolio, is a 45.8%-abv Scotch aged in refill American oak barrels and will retail for a suggested price of $65. The company is also set to release a 14-year-old Bourbon Cask matured whisky, which is bottled at 45.8%-abv and will retail for $100. Pork Askaig 14-year-old is a limited release and only 420 bottles will be available for the U.S. market. The whiskies are currently available in 17 states through importer ImpEx Beverage’s distributor partners.
•Rutherford, California-based Round Pond Estate has partnered with Young’s Market Co. in the Alaska, Oregon, and Washington markets. Round Pond Estate produces boutique wines, primarily Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc, from its 366 acres of vineyards in Napa’s Rutherford appellation. The wines are available in limited quantities nationwide. Young’s also handles Round Pond Estate’s wines in Arizona and Wyoming.Subscribe to Shanken News Daily’s Email Newsletter, delivered to your inbox each morning.


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Lamborghini unveiled its latest version of the Gallardo at an exclusive Beverly Hills party.
The LP 550-2 Spyder is rear-wheel-drive, instead of all-wheel drive like most Lamborghinis. That gives the car a more traditional sports car feel. It's powered by a 550 horsepower V10 engine and can go from a 0 to 60 in about four seconds.
These cars, SUVs and trucks hold their value better than any others in their categories, according to Kelley Blue Book.
|Supersonic jet promises N.Y. To L.A. in 2.5 hours|
|Frozen's Elsa and Anna teach girls to code|
|How to become wealthy: It's simpler than most 'experts' say|
|Drone pilot wanted: Starting salary $100,000|
|OPEC oil cut unlikely|


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Bondly Announces INO for New Metaverse Project, Metaprints
16th December, 2021 - NFT powerhouse Bondly today announced details for the launch of its new metaverse concept, Metaprints. The launch will see the sale of the first ‘Genesis’ Metaprints NFTs through a series of INO (initial NFT offerings), with each Genesis Metaprint representing a major established technology or blockchain brand.
Bondly, part of the Animoca Brands family, created Metaprints in response to the increasing challenge for established brands entering the metaverse space who have to navigate a growing number of platforms and complex ecosystems. Metaprints works with brands to create a ‘blueprint’ for metaverses, and through its network of creators will enable brands to create bespoke assets across multiple metaverse platforms at once. This is possible thanks to its unique relationship with major established metaverse platforms including The Sandbox and Decentraland, with many more to be announced.
The innovative Create-to-Earn model established by Metaprints will see retail buyers rewarded for facilitating the creation of Genesis Metaprint blueprints, with a percentage of all future asset sales from that brand across metaverse platforms being turned into rewards distributed quarterly to holders of the NFT.
10 well-established brands have already signed up to participate in Metaprints and will be announced this week on the Metaprints channels.
“Metaprints is the gateway for brands to accelerate their presence in multiple metaverses, and drive mainstream adoption” said Harry Liu, Metaprints CEO. “With metaverses becoming increasingly attractive for mainstream consumer brands our solution is uniquely positioned to drive this new phase of adoption.”
The Metaprints INO will take place from 20th December 2021 on Solanium, Chainboost by ChainGuardians, DuckDAO, ScaleSwap, Mask, ZENDIT by MANTRA DAO, and the Bondly Launchpad.
Metaprints is a service provided by Bondly that acts as the gateway for brands to accelerate their presence in numerous metaverse ecosystems in one simple step. Metaprints has a unique network of the biggest metaverse projects in the space that allows it to facilitate the creation and curation of branded assets across multiple platforms through one partnership.
Metaprints Genesis NFTs are branded asset ‘blueprints’ sold to buyers to facilitate the creation of the 3D assets required in the metaverse platforms by some of the best animation specialists. Creators and brands also receive a share of future revenue for assets created, ensuring everyone through the chain benefits from the model.
The Metaprints INO, featuring 10 well-known brands, will be taking place in December 2021. Follow the project community channels for more information.
Bondly, part of the Animoca Brands family, is at the forefront of developing new technologies to make blockchain utilization for NFTs and crypto currencies safer, more efficient and truly decentralized. One of the few end-to-end NFT platforms in the market, Bondly executes every step of the process to bring authenticated digital-first goods to market in categories including music, entertainment, gaming and collectibles, with a suite of products and services designed to support the entire blockchain ecosystem.
About Animoca Brands
Animoca Brands, a Deloitte Tech Fast winner that is ranked in the Financial Times list of High Growth Companies Asia-Pacific 2021, is a leader in digital entertainment, blockchain, and gamification. It develops and publishes a broad portfolio of products including the REVV token and SAND token; original games including The Sandbox, Crazy Kings, and Crazy Defense Heroes; and products utilizing popular intellectual properties including Formula 1®, Disney, WWE, Power Rangers, MotoGP™, and Doraemon. The company has multiple subsidiaries, including The Sandbox, Blowfish Studios, Quidd, GAMEE, nWay, Pixowl, Bondly, and Lympo. Animoca Brands has a growing portfolio of more than 100 investments in NFT-related companies and decentralized projects that are contributing to building the open metaverse, including Axie Infinity, OpenSea, Dapper Labs (NBA Top Shot), Bitski, Harmony, Alien Worlds, Star Atlas, and others. For more information visit www.animocabrands.com or follow on Twitter or Facebook.


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Zero Hedge reports:
In today’s Art Cashin Comments there is a stunning admission by none other than the CEO of Walmart on what modern day bread lines look like. To wit:
Profits And Baby Formula – Our pal, Rich Yamarone, over at Bloomberg picked up an eye-opening statement made by the Wal-Mart CEO last week.
I don’t need to tell you that our customer remains challenged…You need not go farther than one of our stores on midnight at the end of the month. And it’s real interesting to watch, about 11 p.m. customers start to come in and shop, fill their grocery basket with basic items – baby formula, milk, bread, eggs – and continue to shop and mill about the store until midnight when government electronic benefits cards get activated, and then the checkout starts and occurs. And our sales for those first few hours on the first of the month are substantially and significantly higher.
Talk about shopping only for necessities. The mid-night trip for baby formula says it all.


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Notpla and Just Eat Takeaway Give Takeout Customers A Better Carryout Box Made From Seaweed
by Bill McCool on 04/06/2022 | 4 Minute Read
“Finally, a box that is truly made to biodegrade.”
That’s the copy you’ll find on Just Eat Takeaway’s carryout packaging. Plastic gets crossed out, and seaweed is checked off, a nod to the innovative material used for the to-go containers.
We don’t need to remind you of the single-use smorgasbord that is restaurant takeaway packaging. All you need to do is order your favorite go-to fried treat, and the next thing you know you’re looking at a plastic bag holding a brown paper bag filled with a plastic tub full of delicious eats and some plastic spoons and forks. Or maybe you got one of those cardboard boxes lined with a plastic coating that’s impossible to recycle. Either way, it’s not even close to ideal.
Worst still are the eye-opening numbers behind single-use plastics in the restaurant industry. According to a recent study, the most common pieces of trash found in our oceans are single-use bags, plastic bottles, food wrappers, food containers, and plastic cutlery.
The recent collaboration between sustainable packaging startup Notpla, the makers of Ooho, and global online food ordering service Just Eat Takeaway offers consumers a roadmap to break free of conventional single-use plastics. The to-go packaging gets made with a liner using seaweed, and it's just as greaseproof and water-resistant as it was before. Essentially, it's the same takeout container but home compostable and recyclable.
Better still, it can degrade in just 29 days.
While both companies have been trialing the seaweed-coated packaging for the past couple of years, it's becoming more of an everyday presence to their regular customers as it expands across European markets. We spoke with Notpla commercial director Tristan Kaye about the origins of their collaboration with Just Eat Takeaway and what the future has in store for seaweed takeout containers.
(This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.)
What kickstarted the partnership with Just Eat Takeaway?
Just Eat Takeaway (JET) understands the packaging challenges existing in the takeaway and delivery sector better than most. On the one hand, a business like theirs relies on food being packed for delivery. On the other hand, that creates a significant waste problem. And it’s one that only grows as JET (and the wider delivery market) grows too.
JET has some really bold aspirations for its sustainability agenda. So we started working together many years ago to explore how we might support in creating a viable alternative to plastic takeaway food packaging.
We took our Ooho—our main product at that time—and then adapted the technology to replace the hidden plastic and other bio-plastic coatings that line cardboard food containers. These coatings typically render the cardboard non-recyclable or can only be treated in specific waste management facilities, the likes of which we don’t really have in the UK. Even more insidiously, a range of so-called "environmentally friendly" packaging can potentially contain PFAs (per-or Polyfluoroalkyl substances), otherwise known as "forever chemicals."
Having run several smaller-scale trials with JET over the past year, we’re now very proud to have launched the first seaweed coating for cardboard packaging.
This is a more large-scale launch of the seaweed takeaway box. Where is it available to consumers now?
Our first trial of Notpla x JET takeaway boxes ran in the UK a couple of years ago, with another expanded pilot in 2021. The major launch began with the UK market and has since rolled out to Thuisbezorgd in The Netherlands and Lieferando in Germany. JET plan to continue adding more European markets throughout 2022, with wider regions around JET’s 26 global markets starting in 2023.
Why was the takeout sector such a priority for Notpla?
We’re focusing solely on addressing the single-use packaging problem—those packaging applications where the product is in the consumers’ hands for minutes but persists in our natural environment for hundreds of years.
In the UK, an estimated 500 million plastic takeaway boxes get used each year. This area is a classic example of where packaging typically gets used only once, so it felt right for us to focus on developing a viable alternative. While many of those are touted, we’ve found that not all is as it seems. There’s a lot of greenwashing going on—it’s leaving consumers confused. That didn’t feel right to us.
The wonderful feedback we’ve heard from restaurants using our packaging supports the proposition that consumers really do want positive change. It makes us feel really proud when we see our coated boxes in the wild. We have little competitions around our office to see who can photograph our boxes in use.


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VAT will be increased again at the beginning of 2021. There is no need in either the Ministry of Finance or the Ministry of Economics to extend the VAT reduction.
On July 1, the federal government had reduced the value added tax from 19 to 16 percent and 7 to 5 percent. The aim was to achieve a short-term boost in demand for the economy in the Corona crisis, as many companies passed the price advantage on to consumers.
However, experts had already warned in advance that experience has shown that the effect on companies is small. In return, the reduction for the state budget is an expensive matter. A total of 20 billion euros less tax money was calculated for the six months.
Indeed, the lowering appears to have little effect. The reason: During the crisis, Germans preferred to save instead of buying expensive. In the last six months, the savings rate among Germans has doubled. “So far, the effects of the VAT reduction have been less pronounced,” said GfK consumer expert Rolf Bürkl to “Handelsblatt” at the end of October.
You see it that way in the Ministry of Economic Affairs, too. With the exception of a few associations who are even cautious about extending the reduction, this is currently not a popular demand.


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Amazon has expressed interest in buying BJ’s Wholesale Club, according to a report in the New York Post.
The newspaper, quoting unnamed sources, said that the warehouse chain, which has 214 stores in 15 states, has been put up for sale by owners CVC Capital Partners and Leonard Green & Partners, which took the company private in 2011. Amazon, which has been expanding into brick-and-mortar, is among the bidders kicking the tires, the report said.
The report added that buying BJ’s could help Amazon find warehouse space for its Amazon Fresh delivery service, as well as give it a boost in the appliance and furniture sectors.
(Image courtesy of BJ’s Wholesale Club)Follow JCK on Instagram: @jckmagazine
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Follow JCK on Facebook: @jckmagazine


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Google has announced today that Google Play Games will be getting support for multiplayer gaming cross-platform with iOS devices. This means that developers on Android that also make iOS games and have multiplayer gameplay can now mesh the two platforms and their player bases together.
These changes comes with a new update to the SDK for game developers to use. Interestingly enough, this cross-platform support is also available for web-based games as well (think Games for Chrome). The support for multiplayer gameplay spans across both turn-based and real-time multiplayer and Unity3D has also updated their plug-in for easier use with these new changes.
On the flip side of things, depending on how you look at this next part of the update, Google has added Virtual Gifts as well, sort of like Facebook has. Once added to a game, users will be able to send other players in their network of friends in-game gifts. If you like this sort of thing, then you should be happy. If you don’t and find it annoying, then this news isn’t the greatest. Friends in your network will also be able to find you through a new search option and will be able to invite you directly into multiplayer games.
These changes are now available for developers to start using through the new Google Play Games cross-platform SDK.
Website Referenced: Android Developer’s Blog


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Increasing numbers of people with incapacitating health issues are taking legal medicinal cannabis oil to ease their pain.
The Cannabis Trades Association UK says there are 250,000 users of cannabidiol (CBD) - double the 125,000 recorded a year ago.
Health food chain Holland & Barrett was the first shop to start stocking the supplement a month ago, contributing to a surge in demand.
With less than 0.2 per cent of the psychoactive tetrahydrocannabinol, CBD is legal in the UK as it does not produce a "high".
It is not addictive and is used to ease the symptoms of multiple sclerosis , joint pain, anxiety and depression, as well as a range of other conditions.
Holland & Barrett said: "We have been surprised at the success and popularity of CBD oil since its launch.
"We are constantly looking to bring new and innovative products to market that help our customers. It is great to see in this instance that we can help with the demand."
The firm behind Jacob Hooy CBD+ Oil, which is on sale at Holland & Barrett and involves placing two or three drops of the oil onto the buyer’s tongue each day, is bringing out four new cannabis oil products next month due its growing popularity.
MediPen, a research facility based in Pontprennau, Cardiff, is currently running a course of clinical trials into the medicinal benefits of cannabis.
Managing director Jordan Owen claims the growth in sales of cannabis oil is just the start of breaking down the stigma surrounding the use of cannabinoid-based products.
He said: "As the UK’s leading consumer cannabinoid biotechnology company, we’ve been on a mission over the last three years to break down the negative connotations surrounding cannabis and raise awareness surrounding the positive attributes of the plant.
"We feel this has been achieved with considerable success as we’ve created an industry in which legal non-psychoactive cannabinoid-based products have flourished and will continue to grow exponentially."


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Email Service MailChimp to Block ICO, Crypto Marketing
Email distribution automator MailChimp will bar marketing campaigns for cryptocurrencies and initial coin offerings next month. In an email sent to a MailChimp customer and obtained by CoinDesk, the company said that it will no longer allow its service to be used for campaigns because they are "too frequently associated with scams, fraud, phishing, and potentially misleading business practices." The policy change will take effect on April 30, according to the email. "We made this decision to update our Acceptable Use Policy in order to protect the millions of businesses that use MailChimp for their marketing," the email added. The company also made a point to note that "we recognize blockchain technology is in its infancy and has tremendous potential." The prohibition is reflected in the firm's acceptable use policy, which was updated March 29. "…we cannot allow businesses involved in any aspect of the sale, transaction, exchange, storage, marketing or production of cryptocurrencies,…


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Out-of-balance inventory that might have amounted to a minor stumble back in the 20th century could now be catastrophic, if not fatal.
Aera Technology Announces the General Release of Its Cognitive Operating System™ at Global Customer Summit.
Increased agility in times of disruption key to supply chain decisions
Aera Technology provides the tools to turn your data into actionable insights, across processes
The recent Covid crisis and other calamities exposed a lack of nimbleness in supply chain networks. Can artificial intelligence make things right?
The business world has changed dramatically with the advent of the digital era.
Companies that optimize how they use automation tools can relieve pressure on teams.
Despite investments in technology and personnel, the ongoing quest for Australian businesses to see, measure and improve what’s happening across the supply chain remains elusive.
The current crisis should be focusing corporate attention on future risk management and continuity programs based on data, but will the lesson be learned?
Supply chains need to turn to cognitive technology to make better, quicker decisions. Such technological readiness is essential for agility - which, in turn, is essential for building strong industries and a strong economy
CPG companies invest billions each year in trade promotions.
Merck Healthcare has implemented cognitive automation technology from Aera Technology to drive a digital transformation of its supply chain operations.
Automation as self-driving glass box - Aera's Fred Laluyaux on the firm's Cognitive Operating System platform play
Cognitive software provider Aera Technology has announced the launch of its new Cognitive Operating System.
Aera's Cognitive Operating System understands how a business works, so it can make real recommendations on how to improve performance and can act in real time.
New Advancements to Accelerate Adoption of Aera's Self-Driving Enterprise™ Technology
Why executives must look beyond modernization toward AI, machine learning and other emergent technologies that are already starting to shape next-generation enterprises.
The CIO of Merck Healthcare, Alessandro da Luca, talks about how his organisation has automated its supply chain using machine learning software from Aera.
For decades, enterprise systems vendors have promised legacy businesses virtual omniscience—decision-making informed by real-time, comprehensive views of their organizations’ activities and relevant external factors. This holy grail has eluded large established organizations, with their complex agglomerations of systems.
Is voice a novel trend or does it have the power to transform business processes and operations? The answer is yes. But, when it comes to digital transformation, voice is merely the front end to a back-end integration of single purpose or multi-disciplinary systems and data. Voice is solely a user interface; it isn’t the where the intelligence or integration happens. That’s an entirely new layer of technology.
As digital natives continue to push the boundaries of convenience, traditional brick-and-mortar retailers have turned to omnichannel fulfillment as a mechanism to meet rising consumer expectations.
Businesses have to do more than digitally transform. Executives have to split efforts into modernization and innovation. They have to invest in innovative operational infrastructure, models and expertise that’s capable of competing against a new breed of digital native competitors.
Cognitive automation and artificial intelligence are core parts of the innovation strategy for many organizations. In this episode, we explore the impact of cognitive automation in the enterprise and share key lessons that you must understand in applications such as supply chain management and pricing and promotions for product distribution.
Pharmaceutical company Merck KGaA enlisted AI startup Aera Technology to help boost its decision-making through predictive and prescriptive modeling.
End-to-end visibility across the supply chain has become the Holy Grail for leadership teams. That goal is now within reach, as AI-powered cognitive automation is introduced into complex global supply chains.
From AI to ML to IoT, the new crop of supply chain technologies support a world where companies can use the past to predict the future.
Aera CEO Fred Laluyaux discusses artificial intelligence (AI), automation and the future of work.
Words cannot do justice to what Aera has. If you ever get the chance to see how they integrate data from internal (e.g., ERP), sensor and external data sources together and apply ML, process automation, workflow, exception handling, etc. to supply chain and other problems, do it. It’s amazing.
Read how companies can automate operational decisions, augment their impact and ensure they are acted on quickly.
Aera CEO Fred Laluyaux and Dr. David Bray, Executive Director of the People-Centered Internet discuss augmented intelligence.
Aera raises $80m and reveals big brand endorsements for its intelligent automation platform to speed large-scale supply chain demand planning.
Investment to accelerate Aera's leadership in Self-Driving Enterprise™ technology.
Aera secured $80 million in a new round led by DJF, a growth VC firm with investments in such startups as Twilio and Box.
Aera Technology landed $80 million in funding and plans to scale up its marketing muscle for its "Self-Driving Enterprise" catalog of artificial intelligence (AI) tools for supply chain decisions.
Aera Technology Inc. announced that it has raised $80 million in new funding to flesh out its vision for analytics.
Part 2 of the conversation with Kevin Syslo, and Joe Boggio from Capgemini's Applied Innovation Exchange in San Francisco, and Frederic Laluyaux, CEO of Aera Technology on how complexity can actually be a business advantage.
Learn how Aera Technology is making a real difference in the supply chain at Johnson & Johnson. The article also discusses how robotic decision automation is becoming a reality.
Aera believes its AI-based platform can support pharma companies through normal supply chain challenges, as well as manage larger disruption issues, such as Brexit. The company’s chief marketing officer, Ram Krishnan, explains how and why AI can support pharma companies in these respects.
For large corporations, supply chains define the word ‘complex’. Huge functional teams, immense spans of control, ever-increasing volumes of data, not to mention a massive reliance on partners, macroeconomic conditions, and ever-evolving consumer expectations. Despite this complexity, modern supply chains are incredibly adept at delivering results and providing a critical link between corporate strategy and the end consumer. Kevin Syslo, and Joe Boggio from Capgemini's Applied Innovation Exchange in San Francisco, and Frederic Laluyaux, CEO of Aera Technologies discuss how this complexity can actually be a business advantage in part 1.
Aera Client Partner, Fred Fontes, outlines the challenges of artificial intelligence adoption, and how companies can unlock its potential for their enterprise.
Suppliers are scrambling to meet Walmart’s tighter standards for delivery performance — and they can expect the giant retailer to keep raising the bar.
Achieving true end-to-end supply chain visibility relies largely on digitally connecting things and data as a first step. Robust, secure cloud technology combined with artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies are working together to develop next-gen supply chains with a host of features and capabilities.
Aera President and CEO Frederic Laluyaux joins hosts Ray Wang and Vala Afshar to discuss cognitive automation, artificial intelligence (AI) and how large companies are adapting to meet consumer demands.
Aera's CMO Ram Krishnan outlines how artificial intelligence (AI) can inform and augment executive business decision making.
How can systems evolve to allow prescriptive suggestions for resolving near real time problems? In other words, how can we build a self-driving supply chain? And how do we make use of machine learning to make sure the system gets better and better over time? It is not a simple question.
“I rarely write about technology from a single company. But I was impressed by what I saw and heard. If you like jargon, then we are getting close to having cognitive automation for a self-driving supply chain. If not, this is a cool solution that helps to bridge planning and execution.”
Business is becoming automated at every level. Not just in terms of physical automation in manufacturing and engineering plants with their sensors and Internet of Things (IoT) connections, but at a deeper strategic planning and operational level driven by software intelligence.
Aera CEO Laluyaux - AI, self-driving and why it's time to stop being excited by old enterprise software 'innovation'
A catch-up with Fred Laluyaux, CEO of Aera, covers a lot of ground.
In our AI-driven future, machines will take over data collection and number-crunching chores traditionally handled by planners. This scenario goes a step further with a cognitive operating system. This uses AI to think and learn over time and deliver specific recommendations to optimize supply chain operations.
Silicon Valley-based Aera Technology says that it has developed the first “cognitive operating system” that gives enterprise users new insights and recommended actions to improve their business performance.
Business intelligence software vendor Aera is both a new organisation and a seasoned one at the same time.
Digital transformation has become a critical imperative to address the weak link of ATP/CTP in the pharma supply chain.
Laluyaux discussed how organisations are already embracing cognitive automation to transform their business operations allowing these companies to reduce working capital, improve efficiency and service levels to clients, and accelerate innovation.
Pour Fred Laluyaux, CEO de Aera Technology, l'IA aura intégré l'entreprise de demain de façon à réécrire les processus créatifs pour mieux faire rayonner l'intelligence collective des collaborateurs.
After the self-driving car, welcome the self-driving enterprise – and all its pyramid organization implications
A self-driving enterprise with its own Cognitive Operating System – a big picture vision of organizational change from Aera CEO Fred Laluyaux.
Supply chain has come a long way from its spreadsheet-driven days of the past, especially in the pharmaceutical industry. Software and cloud-based systems help power the productivity of our pharma supply chains every day, and 2018 is looking even brighter.
AI has emerged as a hot topic in supply chain management to handle precisely this challenge. Innovative organizations are applying artificial intelligence and machine learning against vast sets of supply chain data to unearth insights into problems and performance that are effectively beyond the reach of even the most skilled planning professionals. A common question I hear is,“How do we get started?” I’d like to offer three suggestions.
Over the years, organizations have deployed an array of transactional and analytic systems for supply chain operations. While gains have been made, supply chains remain far from the ideal of real-time visibility and data-driven decisions that define the supply chain of the future.
The global pharmaceutical market has long passed the $1 trillion mark and is projected to grow at 6.3 percent CAGR through 2022. Pharma supply chains are complex, highly regulated, and reach a customer base rivaled by few. The increased access to copious amounts of data and the rise of data-driven technologies — including artificial intelligence, IoT, and cognitive computing— are transforming capabilities to manage this massive network of manufacturers, distributors, pharmacies, and patients.
As the chief people officer at Aera Technology, I’m in charge of building out our global workforce. Interestingly, when it comes to AI in business, distinctly different roles — say, in development and customer-facing positions — share similarities when it comes to seeing the potential of using AI to improve an organization.
Think of it as the conversation shifting from pain to gain. Unanimously, these businesses seem to believe in the concept of transformation, using artificial intelligence and extending human intelligence. The new focus is not on the data but on the system that distributes executive intelligence.
The cognitive operating system provides the computing connectivity. Laluyaux said that Aera’s system crawls transactional systems, like Google crawls websites. In some cases, their system has to crawl 54 different ERPs at one company, which is not unusual.
What is cognitive technology? Fred Laluyaux, CEO of Aera Technology, tells CXOTalk about AI, machine learning, and the self-driving enterprise that brings data from multiple systems to make decision-making faster and more reliable.
“When you’re a first-time CEO, you’re trying to be Mr Perfect, and that doesn’t necessarily work. People don’t expect you to be perfect. They expect you to lead. They expect you to make fast decisions. They expect you to assume your responsibilities. It’s something that’s a bit hard to understand when you’re coming into the job for the first time.”
This episode provided great insights on data, AI, analytics and turning data into decisions. Aera Technology’s CEO Frederic Laluyaux explained how Aera’s cognitive technology enables the self-driving enterprise and shared his views on big opportunities in AI and machine learning and what’s real beyond the hype.
Let’s face it – most companies are still grappling with automating transactional workflows. But the team at Aera is pushing ahead into cognitive automation, putting pressure on stale ERP models as they go.
Using Aera’s software, Merck KGaA was able to increase its level of service of pharmaceuticals to hospitals from around 97% to 99.9%, De Luca says – a big difference in its reputation for reliability. "Voice capability is part of the promise, says investor Jon Sakoda, but Aera’s greater opportunity is for its cognitive tools to gradually expand into more and more workflows beyond the supply chain."
“We are talking about a new era, applying Internet scale technology to the problems facing the enterprise,” said Fred Laluyaux. Just as a self-driving car uses sensors to recognize, analyze and react to the environment outside, Laluyaux said an AI-based self-driving enterprise would look at all things happening outside the organizations, like transactions and the supply chain, and take action.
Leveraging the company’s operating system, cognitive software like Aera can learn how the business works from the inside and the outside, making real-time recommendations, predicting business outcomes and enabling autonomous actions.
Chatbots, machine learning and fraud detection are real, and excitement is building for algorithms that can forecast better than humans. But true AI remains a slippery concept.
Diginomica heralds the rise of Aera and the need for the Self-Driving Enterprise. "Most ERP systems are stuck in the past or are improving incrementally. The next wave of productivity savings for businesses will likely come from technology vendors you’ve never heard of. They’ll come from firms unfettered by traditional ERP transaction processing systems. They’ll come with a different business viewpoint and solve very different problems. It’s all these differences that will make this new productivity wave come to life."
Globalive Chairman Anthony Lacavera sits down with Aera's CEO Fred Laluyaux Aera to talk about cognitive automation, artificial intelligence, and how Aera offers proactive suggestions for improving outcomes and making better decisions.
"We bring all of the data of an enterprise into the cloud and analyze it, looking for opportunities and risks that can be brought to the attention of our customers and then we learn from the decisions that they make about what to do about the situations."
The offering essentially combines capabilities from the world of data visualization software and chatbots, an approach that could go a long way towards setting Aera apart in the highly competitive business intelligence segment.
Imagine you could take the ideas behind self-driving technology - technology that works in real-time and is always-on, that internalizes its surroundings and that distills data instantly to solve complex problems - and apply it to the enterprise. Welcome to the Self-Driving Enterprise.
By using Aera, companies should be able to move from automating their transaction processing and move towards automating their decision making, according to Fred Laluyaux, the startup’s CEO.
Aera’s platform acts as the company’s brain, continuously scanning internal and external information.
Leveraging Aera, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt Germany is developing a self-driving supply chain to respond to market opportunities faster and serve patients and customers better. Aera predicts demand and recommends optimal production and product routing, measures business performance in real-time and proactively alerts users to risk and opportunities.


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Beowulf Blockchain Partners with Vietnam’s First Tablet Manufacturer to Improve the Lives of Farmers across Vietnam
We are happy to sign a strategic partnership with Vietnamese hardware company Xelex to jointly deploy blockchain-based agricultural tablets for farmers in order to facilitate knowledge sharing, better communication for business and healthcare access, and in the process, improve the quality of their lives.
Beowulf platform will be the main software engine of the first “made-in-Vietnam”, with Beowulf applications initially installed on 1 million devices. With the integration of Beowulf’s mining software, the tablets become practically free for farmers. Because the entire Beowulf network is underpinned by a distributed ledger that is supportive of the exchange and delivery of multiple solutions, Beowulf enables farmers to become a part of its globally distributed network of network miners and earn extra income. By sharing the spare bandwidth on the tablet, farmers can easily earn monthly income and pay off their devices without any extra costs for electricity or mining hardware.
Beowulf technology encompasses a comprehensive suite that handles various communication functions (voice, video, messaging) from front-end to back-end infrastructure, with enterprises paying per minute-of-usage; QUICKOM, a patent-pending concept which aims to replace phone numbers with scannable QR codes for improved privacy and connectivity; a decentralized distance learning platform named Victoria; and HANA, an innovative telemedicine system.
QUICKOM is an in-bound communication service that utilizes QR code technology to connect people without using clunky telephone numbers. Recipients scan the QR code they have been sent through the camera on their smartphone or find it on company social media pages, and QUICKOM initiates a phone call immediately. Now with QUICKOM integrated into the Xelex tablets, a farmer can create their own QR code and send it or share it with only the people they want to, rather than giving out a personal phone number. This gives the farmer the ability to control their own inbound calling, which can lead to a safer and more comfortable use of personal communications. For this service, Beowulf gives the farmers 1 full year free of usage, including unlimited texts and voice/video calls. Better communication means better handling of information, and as a result, better knowledge sharing to improve the quality of their lives.
While educational programs abound at universities around the country, not all people have the wherewithal, the time or even the proximity to benefit from them. Victoria, one of Beowulf’s most recent innovations, is a distance learning platform that’s designed to deliver a higher level of engagement among learners. Achieved via a range of two-way collaboration and interactive conference tools, it revolutionizes distance education with a high degree of flexibility — and has already been implemented by Vietnam National University, the most prestigious university in Vietnam. With Victoria, farmers can now get instant access to borderless knowledge in an affordable manner and at the comfort of their own house.
In an effort to facilitate healthcare access for rural areas in Vietnam, Beowulf also accommodates farmers with 1 year of free service from Hana, a comprehensive telemedicine platform that allows for on-site, personalized healthcare to patients, enabling users to discuss their health concerns and medical conditions directly with healthcare providers through a simple push of a button. For isolated farmers, accessing healthcare often requires long journeys and time away from farm work; health consults via telemedicine are the answer for minimizing travel and the associated financial costs. With Hana platform, Beowulf expects to improve healthcare access in hard-to-reach places, as well as to boost population health management in these areas.
“It is with great delight for us to be able to join the endeavor to make “made-in-Vietnam” technology products a reality on the world stage,” said Dr. William H. Nguyen, CEO and Founder of Beowulf Blockchain. “This collaborative initiative with Xelex allows us to broaden the positive impact we can have on people by enabling farmers and ranchers in Vietnam to have better communication at their fingertips and improve their quality of lives. At the heart of our work is a mission to provide accessible, affordable healthcare and education to every person in the world thus empower humankind to live smarter and healthier lives — and that is exactly what we are doing here.”
In tandem with Beowulf’s communication-related applications, farmers can significantly benefit from the tracking and verification of agricultural goods which is now made simple with Beowulf’s blockchain-based QR code solution. Farmers can now easily access the complete origin of agricultural goods simply by using their smartphones to scan a QR code on the product package. With the snap of a code, the blockchain technology provides instant insights to verify authenticity, manufacture date and source of production. The information is stored on the public blockchain to ensure clear-cut transparency, allowing for a tamper-proof supply chain history for agricultural goods while supporting the farmer’s need to know and reinforce their faith in the brands they trust.
With the launch of the new brand Xelex specializing in hardware products, Worldsoft became the first Vietnamese company to research and assemble tablets entirely in Vietnam. Their mission is to be one of the first enterprises in Vietnam to participate in producing tablets with the motto “The tablet for Vietnamese people.” Agricultural software inside Xelex tablet is currently the first software that can help farmers plan production farming, manage spending and bank loans, and trade agricultural products.
“Farmers represent a third of the workforce and account for almost 20 percent of the economy, yet very few have access to information and healthcare. Our collaboration centers around a common goal to make a real difference in agriculture while improving the condition of lives for millions of farmers,” said Nguyen Ai Huu, CEO of Worldsoft said. “We are excited that the Xelex will soon be rolled out among Beowulf’s impressive suite of comprehensive services and can help facilitate their plans to better such a significant sector of the world economy and the lives of millions of people who depend upon it,” he continued.
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Gas stations of the Gazprom Neft chain have launched a large-scale charity event called The New Year's Miracle to provide assistance to children at risk. The fundraiser targets motorists who use the services of Gazprom Neft gas stations. Two hundred roubles from every sixth gasoline purchase at any of the chain's filling stations will be donated for the needs of children at risk. At the same time, each motorist will be able to monitor the use of these funds. The money raised is meant for necessary children's medications, clothing, footwear, sports equipment, books or toys. The New Year's Miracle event will run to the end of 2010.
The large-scale relief effort, which will expand to 20 Russian regions within the next two months, has been endorsed by movie and sports stars, including the honored Artist of Russia Mikhail Boyarsky, the legendary forward of the Omsk Avangard hockey team Jaromir Jagr, and the famous Zenit striker Alexander Kerzhakov,.
The retail chain of Gazprom Neft includes nearly a thousand gas filling stations in Russia and CIS countries. With its far-flung gas station chain and favorable locations of the Omsk, Yaroslavl and Moscow oil refineries, Gazprom Neft occupies leading positions in the wholesale and retail markets of Western Siberia and central Russia.


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For fans of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (or just chocolate in general), the latest offering from Esther Price might feel like a dream.
This holiday season, 15 customers might find a golden “Esther’s Ticket” in their box of chocolates. From now through Jan. 11, Esther Price will be placing 15 tickets into their one-pound boxes of mixed, milk, and dark assorted chocolates across seven stores in the Miami Valley. Once all of the tickets are claimed, 15 customers will win the chance to tour the Esther Price factories in production and eat freshly-made chocolate on Jan. 11, 2020.
"This is just such a fun way for us to meet some of our customers and share our love for candy,” said Barbara Dressman, the district manager. “We are so excited to meet the winners who find the golden tickets and take them on a chocolate tasting tour!"
Customers will need to present their golden ticket at the start of the tour, before entering the building. Additionally, those who snag a ticket are encouraged not to post a photo of the back of their ticket, in order to avoid duplication by others. Those who inevitably receive an “Esther’s Ticket” should contact the company on social media to redeem the code on the back of their ticket.
>>LOOKING BACK: The history of Dayton’s iconic candy company, Esther Price
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German auto major Volkswagen has rolled out Polo GT Sport, which is a limited edition of its Polo GT hatchback. The Polo GT Sport is priced up to Rs 9.21 lakh.
The Polo GT Sport is offered in both petrol and diesel versions of Polo GT, Volkswagen Groups Sales India said in a statement.
The petrol variant with a 1.2 litre engine under its hood is priced at Rs 9.11 lakh, while the diesel one which draws its juice from a 1.5 litre engine is tagged Rs 9.21 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).
The Polo GT Sport sports new exterior and interior updates such as glossy black spoiler, 16-inch alloy wheels and leatherette finished seat covers, it added.
Volkswagen Groups Sales India Managing Director Thierry Lespiaucq said the Polo GT Sport edition adds to the sport quotient of the vehicle.
With the limited edition, Volkswagen is providing consumers with an option to choose a sportier variant of the Polo GT hatchback, he added.


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Taipei, May 14 (CNA) Hewlett-Packard Co. (HP), the world's largest personal computer vendor, launched a new lineup of thin, lightweight notebook computers in Taiwan Monday with the expectation that the category will gain more traction in the country.
In the second half of 2012, HP plans to sell five new Ultrabook models in Taiwan that will run on Intel Corp.'s new Ivy Bridge processors, while another lightweight laptop powered by AMD's Trinity processor is scheduled to hit stores in the fourth quarter.
"Taiwanese consumers have greater demand for ultra-thin and light laptops, so we will put more resources into this category," Tony Chou, vice president and general manager of HP Taiwan's personal systems group, said at a product launch ceremony.
"We expect such products to account for 25 percent of our total notebook shipments in Taiwan by the end of this year," he said.
HP's new Ultrabook lines and its AMD chipset-based "Sleekbook" will be priced as low as US$799 (NT$23,584) when they go on sale in Taiwan later this year, Chou said.
The company forecast Feb. 9 that its shipments will grow by 30 percent in Taiwan this year, thanks to better products and services. The annual shipment growth will be much higher than the 7 to 8 percent forecast for the country's overall PC market.
In the first three months of this year, HP managed to regain some of its lost momentum in the Asia-Pacific PC market, excluding Japan, although its shipments declined 13 percent from the same period of 2011, according to International Data Corp. (IDC).
China's Lenovo Group continued to outperform its rivals in the region with a 21.8 percent market share, followed by Acer Inc. at 12 percent, HP at 9.1 percent, Dell Inc. at 9 percent and Asustek Computer Inc. at 8.2 percent, IDC figures show.
(By Jeffrey Wu)


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It’s rare a story twists so soon, but here we are with an important update.
Earlier today, I gave a general comic update on what had gone on in the last month regarding the Archie Sonic comics. As said there, Sonic #291 and Sonic #294 were listed as cancelled by the publisher on PreviewsWorld’s order form.
This is actually extremely critical to note as Sonic #291 was scheduled to be the next comic released in the main series. While being cancelled by the publisher on the order form doesn’t necessarily mean the comic will never come out (there are some cases where the comic does get revived and put out much later down the line, often with a new product code), it is nonetheless not a healthy sign when so many other Sonic comic products have met the same fate, and with so many potential reasons why they’re not seeing the light of day.
However, the lack of communication from Archie may be set to change soon; Archie Sonic Online user GentlemanX got in contact with Archie’s subscription department recently, and received an interesting response to his queries. The agent made two interesting points;
- Archie plans to email all of its subscribers to Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic Universe by the end of April (and it was explicitly said to be April) to update them on what’s happening with those two comics.
- In the event that the comics were cancelled, Archie would offer either a store credit or a subscription refund (and the agent noted that they were aware that Sonic readers likely wouldn’t be interested in automatically transferring to other Archie titles).
The latter part is interesting as their usual subscription policy would not allow for a subscription refund, as quoted from their website;
All subscription cancelations will receive a credit only for purchases that can be used towards products throughout our store.
And naturally the first bullet point means that Archie may be ready to talk on the future of their tenure with Sonic the Hedgehog, after three months of silence. In light of all that’s gone down in that time, an update directly from them is much needed.
So, a potential substantial update that may finally clue us in on what’s going on with the comic? May we finally know if the comic is gone for good, or will there be another reason this has gone on so long? Whether the answer to that is good or bad, we will keep you informed throughout.
Sources: PreviewsWorld (05/2017 order form), Archie Sonic Online Forums, Archie Comics website


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SAN RAMON — From a small, startup company to an established merchant, a wide variety of businesses will be on hand Thursday at the San Ramon Business Expo.
From 2 to 6:30 p.m., San Ramon business representatives will gather at the new Dougherty Station Community Center at 17011 Bollinger Canyon Road to further establish connections, or learn how to efficiently expand their enterprises.
The City of San Ramon and the San Ramon Chamber of Commerce combined for the first time this year to create one of the largest business expos in the Tri-Valley.
Hopefully, the Expo provides all that a small-business owner would need to know and more to operate a successful business in San Ramon, Jud Walsh of the San Ramon Chamber of Commerce said.
More than 50 exhibitors will be accessible to discuss their companies and provide contacts and information.
People will be able to showcase what their business has to offer, as well as see what kind of permits, procedures and regulations they need to know to start a business, Walsh said.
The event also is sponsored by the San Ramon Business Enterprise Center, San Ramon Libraries, the U.S. Small Business Administration, and the Contra Costa Small Business Development Center.
In addition to the exhibits, three business seminars will be offered throughout the day. Jeff Eorio will give an update on the development of the Dougherty Valley section of San Ramon. Karen Frank of ANG Newspapers will speak on keys to effective marketing and a five-person panel will discuss the processes and procedures for doing business in San Ramon.
The Expo also will provide a Business Resource Center, which will offer information for obtaining permits, business licenses, and potential marketing opportunities.
Admission is $5 for chamber members and $10 for non-chamber members, and includes a barbecue dinner.
To register as an exhibitor, or more information on the San Ramon Business Expo, call the San Ramon Chamber of Commerce at (925) 242-0600.
Paul Burgarino covers San Ramon. He can be reached at (925) 416-4863 or pburgarino@angnews–


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The price of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies slid Monday after China’s central bank ordered the country’s largest banks and payment processors to take a more active role in curbing cryptocurrency trading and related activities.
The People’s Bank of China on Monday said it summoned representatives of multiple institutions—including state-owned commercial banks and Ant Group Co.’s Alipay—and told them to “strictly implement” recent notices and guidelines from authorities on curbing risks tied to bitcoin and cryptocurrency fundraising activities. It was the latest sign that Beijing is intensifying its crackdown on unregulated virtual currencies.
slipped to $32,622, down 9% from Friday, according to CoinDesk. That marked bitcoin’s lowest price at 5 p.m. ET since late January.
Ethereum, the second-biggest cryptocurrency by market value according to trading platform Kraken, lost 14% to $1,941. Dogecoin, which started as a joke in 2013 before setting the internet abuzz and shooting up in price this year, 27% to about 21 cents in its eighth consecutive daily decline.
The financial firms were also instructed to go through their systems to investigate and identify customers with accounts at virtual-currency exchanges or that trade cryptocurrencies in the over-the-counter market. In such cases, the institutions have to cut off the accounts’ ability to send or receive money for transactions, the central bank said.
Chinese authorities have stepped up a nationwide campaign against virtual currencies in recent weeks, after a powerful superregulator pledged to crack down on cryptocurrency trading and mining in the country.
The regulatory warnings followed a spike in the price of bitcoin, which traded near $65,000 in mid-April, spurred on by celebrity advocates including Tesla Inc. Chief Executive Elon Musk. It has since lost close to half its value.
Among the factors weighing on bitcoin and its peers are the prospect of greater regulatory oversight of crypto trading in the U.S. and renewed efforts by Chinese authorities to restrain the production of bitcoin by power-hungry computers.
China several years ago imposed bans on domestic cryptocurrency exchanges and digital-currency fundraisings known as initial coin offerings. Authorities also previously instructed payment providers and banks to stop providing virtual-currency trading and related services, and ordered the closing of mines.
Despite those efforts, China has remained a hotbed for cryptocurrency mining.
Up to three-quarters of the world’s supply of bitcoin has been produced in China, but the mining process devours electricity—conflicting with the government’s climate goals.
People in China have also continued to trade bitcoin and other digital currencies via peer-to-peer transactions that involve direct money transfers between accounts.
Some cryptocurrency trading platforms that operate offshore have been facilitating trades between people who want to buy bitcoin with China’s domestic currency, the yuan. In such instances, buyers have used accounts at banks or digital-payments providers to transfer money to people selling cryptocurrencies, often without disclosing the purpose of the transfers.
The PBOC on Monday warned of the risks to economic and financial stability created by virtual currencies, and the potential for the assets to be used for illegal activities. Chinese police recently arrested more than a thousand people who were suspected of using cryptocurrencies to launder ill-gotten funds.
Alipay said it would intensify efforts to monitor and investigate its accounts for cryptocurrency-related transactions, and block or remove offending users. The popular digital payments platform is used by more than one billion people in China and more than 80 million merchants.
Alipay also plans to use risk algorithm models to help detect abnormal transactions, flag suspicious activities, and restrict certain accounts from receiving money. It added that merchants that have engaged in virtual currency transactions would be blacklisted and banished from its platform.
“We reiterate that Alipay does not conduct or participate in any business activity related to virtual currencies,” its statement said.
Five banks, including
China Construction Bank Corp.
Ltd., and Industrial Bank Ltd., said in separate statements that they prohibit the use of their accounts for virtual currency transactions.
They pledged to promptly put a stop to such transactions, close bank accounts and report signs of such activities to the authorities. They also called on members of the public to report virtual currency-related transactions to the banks.
an analyst at Jefferies, said the central bank’s directive to the financial firms is aimed at cutting off payment mechanisms used by Chinese individuals and businesses involved in cryptocurrency trading and mining. She said peer-to-peer transactions, however, are difficult to track and identify because they tend to be small-scale and anonymous.
“This will make it harder [for people to trade], but it won’t be able to completely shut down this type of transactions,” Ms. Chen said. She added that some individuals could try to get around the rules by remitting funds overseas and conducting cryptocurrency transactions offshore in other currencies.
Corrections & Amplifications
Chinese police recently arrested more than a thousand people who were suspected of using cryptocurrencies to launder ill-gotten funds. An earlier version of this article incorrectly said police made thousands of arrests. It also incorrectly had reporter Chong Koh Ping’s byline as Chong Koh. (Corrected on June 21.)
Copyright ©2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8


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The @SHoResCentre in Withernsea recently launched 'SHoRes Pantry', which allows a number of food items to be purchased at a discounted price - helping to tackle food poverty and encourage healthy spending habits.
Call 01964 615190 for more info.
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It includes a link to our Member Survey 2020 and the chance to win a £100 Shopping Voucher 💸.
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Kazakhstan’s government forming a roadmap to stimulate the development of the cryptocurrency industry and blockchain technology in the country.
State authorities have reviewed proposals to address the crypto industry’s development and reconsider the state’s approach to regulating crypto operations, according to a Tuesday announcement on the website of the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan.
Officials have proposed to run crypto exchanges via a major national financial hub, the Astana International Financial Centre. The government also suggested establishing standards by which crypto exchanges can interact with local banks and clients.
The new initiative aims to provide transparency and organization for the local crypto industry. “To date, out of the whole variety of companies working in the crypto industry, […] only mining companies are part of the market in Kazakhstan,” the announcement reads.
The Republic of Kazakhstan is getting more serious about the crypto industry and digital assets. Last week, Kazakhstan’s central bank issued an official report on a possible central bank digital currency. The bank said that the digital tenge is not intended to replace either cash or cashless payments but would rather be an alternative option that would enable further development of the national payment system and reduce reliance on cash.