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PUBG Corp. has been struggling a bit with the Xbox One launch of, well, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds , with the actual launch being somewhat of a disaster, even considering the game’s status as a Game Preview joint. That said, the developer is continuing to work hard on getting the game where it needs to be. It has released another update featuring a long list of technical improvements.
Obviously, performance improvements are the star of the show, and this PUBG update notes FPS improvements on both client and server sides. The update also alleges PhysX performance adjustments and optimization for unspecified visual effects. A couple of bugs are also addressed, including known crashes and a problem with the UI caused by multiple players looting a single source.
The update also introduces some gameplay changes to PUBG on Xbox One. Players can now adjust their aim acceleration in-game and analog acceleration has been added to parachuting, and when exiting the plane. FPP Solo matchmaking has been made available in certain regions, and weapon damage against vehicles has also been increased.


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LONDON, March 30 (Reuters) - Credit Suisse has hired Patrick Porritt of Bank of America Merrill Lynch as a vice chairman of its Financial Institutions Group (FIG), according to an internal memo seen by Reuters on Wednesday.
Porritt, who formerly headed up FIG for BAML’s Asia Pacific region, will sit in the Swiss lender’s investment banking and capital markets division when he joins the London office from Singapore in April.
A spokeswoman for Credit Suisse confirmed the contents of the memo.
Credit Suisse has been on something of a recruiting drive lately. It has hired Lazard’s global head of retail Jeffrey Cohen, who will become a vice chairman in its retail and consumer products division, based in New York.
The bank has also promoted its EMEA head of asset management, Hamish Summerfield, to head up global asset management within its FIG coverage. (Reporting by Freya Berry; Editing by Ruth Pitchford)
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

domain: news


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Australians are spending less time talking on their mobile phones and downloading substantially more data than they were even a year ago, according to Australia’s competition regulator, the ACCC.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has welcomed the Federal Government’s commitment to the adoption of key recommendations from its Digital Platforms Inquiry, saying they address its main competition and consumer priorities, including concerns about privacy and the use of data.
Optus has been hit with a $6.4 million fine by Australia’s competitition regulator for making misleading claims about home Internet disconnections to consumers.
ARM == more spectre bugs == no updates for planned obsolete devices like phones.
That is no laptop. But a malware device like phones. There is a thing called ethernet and a secure EdgeRouter[…]
No idea. Democracies are only for honest governments, everything else including most businesses and families is a dictatorship. The only[…]
I think Stan & ITWire are sensitive about anything that criticizes the CCP & Huawei.
Tachyon did you notice any pattern as to why? My brothers comments were deleted 4 times in the last 6months[…]


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for the rest.Juul: Taking Academic Corruption to a New Level
The e-cigarette company bought an entire issue of a scholarly journal, with all the articles written by authors on its payroll, to ‘prove’ that its product has a public benefit.
For years, I’ve followed the story of Juul, which came out of nowhere to control nearly the entire market for e-cigarettes. Altria, maker of Marlboros, purchased 35 percent of Juul in late 2018, valuing it at the same level as Target, Delta Airlines, and the Ford Motor Company at the time.
Juul’s dominance dissipated around the time that over a thousand people contracted a mysterious vaping-related sickness in the fall of 2019, and state and federal regulators started to investigate the company’s blatantly obvious marketing to teenagers. Within weeks, Walmart stopped stocking e-cigarettes, television ads for the product came down, cities and states banned sales, and Juul eliminated the flavored vape pods that were most clearly designed to attract young people. Juul’s market share in e-cigarettes shriveled from around 75 percent to 42 percent.
Now the company is in a fight for survival. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will soon decide whether to allow Juul to continue selling its products in the U.S. At issue is whether the public-health benefit for converting cigarette smokers to vaping outweighs introducing an entirely new generation to nicotine addiction. The decision will be made by early September.
Juul is spending millions in lobbying and persuasion to get the FDA’s green light to continue operations. But a Tuesday New York Times article on the subject contained a fascinating nugget midway through, which could be described as a buried lede (journalese for putting the most explosive part of a story in the middle of the piece). Juul, the Times reports, “paid $51,000 to have the entire May/June issue of the American Journal of Health Behavior devoted to publishing 11 studies funded by the company offering evidence that Juul products help smokers quit.”
We are the Borg.
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Illuminating the season takes loyal support
For more than 20 years, Shady Brook Farm in Yardley has put on one of the biggest, most impressive light shows in the region — and they’re still going strong, thanks to the sponsors who help make it happen each year.
On display now through January 10, 2016, you can experience the dazzling two mile light show from your car or an open air wagon ride.
“I’ve taken my kids through the place many times,” says Marc Gold, an owner of Gutter Doctor in Southampton and a Light Show sponsor. “It’s an entertaining display. This is our second year sponsoring. It’s good for business.
Gold has been in the gutter business (installing, cleaning, and protecting) for nearly 40 years. The growing family business — his son Brandon will be joining the company when he graduates from college this year — services 20,000 gutters a year in the Tri-State area, with eight crews working seven days a week. In addition to gutter work, Gutter Doctor also does roofing and siding.
Always looking to expand throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, Gutter Doctor is an active sponsor in the area. “We also do a lot with Penn State, Golf Classics, and we were a Flyers sponsor last year,” Gold says.
Percey Naranjo, managing founder of Performance Spine and Sports Medicine in Newtown, is a Light Show sponsor for the third year. “It’s a great opportunity to share in the celebration that a landmark organization like Shady Brook Farm has been able to achieve,” he says. “The response and visibility we have received from sponsoring the show is fantastic.”
Performance Spine and Sports Medicine (aka PSSM), which also has locations in Bordentown and Lawrenceville, N.J., is a nonsurgical orthopedic practice that focuses on using conservative treatments before sending a patient to surgery.
“We believe that surgery should be your last option,” Naranjo says. “We provide top tier physicians, physical therapist, chiropractors, and an acupuncturist, and support their continued educations so they remain on the forefront.”
Naranjo takes pride in PSSM’s state-of-the-art offices, inviting atmosphere, and hassle-free customer service, which includes the assurance that you will get a live person on the line when you call.
Shady Brook Farm couldn’t make its annual Light Show happen without local businesses like Gutter Doctor and PSSM.
For more information about Gutter Doctor, visit gutterdoctorservices.com.
To learn more about PSSM, visit pssmwellness.com.
The Shady Brook Light Show will be open every night from 5 to 10 p.m., through January 10, 2016. The cost is $25 per car, $30 for a mini-bus or RV; $12 per person for tractor-drawn wagon rides (weather permitting). Multipasses are available. Santa will be in the greenhouse to visit with kids on selected dates — for more information, see shadybrookfarm.com/holiday-light-show/.


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Microsoft and Yahoo Dec. 4 said they have finalized a deal that would enable Microsoft Bing to power Yahoo search.
“Microsoft and Yahoo believe that this deal will create a sustainable and more compelling alternative in search that can provide consumers, advertisers and publishers [with] real choice, better value and more innovation,” the companies said in a brief statement.
The search engine rivals announced their intent to join forces against market leader Google July 29 with a 10-year pact to let Microsoft’s Bing search and advertising platform propel Yahoo’s search results.
Yahoo will retain its search interface and receive 88 percent of traffic acquisition costs for the first five years of the deal, and 93 percent in the second leg. The deal is oriented toward desktop search advertising and does not extend to Yahoo’s core display and mobile ad businesses, which are strong.
Microsoft and Yahoo were supposed to consummate this “Microhoo” deal by Oct. 27, but the companies delayed signing it to finalize details.
The deal is a valiant effort to challenge Google, which has a 65 percent U.S. search market share and 70 percent worldwide market share that easily outstrip those of Yahoo, Microsoft, Ask and other players in the market–combined.
Together, Microsoft and Yahoo would command 28 percent of the market. Bing has made solid gains since launching in June, growing from 8.4 to 9.9 percent since its launch, according to ComScore.
Yahoo meanwhile has slipped to 18 percent, prompting financial analysts such as Broadpoint AmTech’s Ben Schachter to question the company’s long-term viability in search.
“Yahoo has ceded share in each of the last nine months, clearly a trend, and a worrisome one at that,” Schachter wrote in a Nov. 17 research note. “With both Google and Microsoft taking share from Yahoo, it is difficult to pinpoint the reason for the recent share loss acceleration, but Yahoo must find a way to stabilize its share loss or all the effort spent negotiating terms of the search deal will be the least of its worries.”
Supported by Microsoft, the question may be moot. However, the Department of Justice is scrutinizing the Microhoo deal, even though groups such as the Association of National Advertisers have asked the DOJ to approve it because the ANA believes it is good for the online advertising market.
“Yahoo and Microsoft welcome the broad support the deal has received from key players in the advertising industry and remain hopeful that the closing of the transaction can occur in early 2010,” the companies concluded in their statement.
The Microhoo consummation comes just days before Google is to host a search event at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, Calif., and days after Bing made a bang with significant enhancements to Bing Maps, chiefly replacing the older AJAX mapping technology with the Microsoft Silverlight plug-in.


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Feb. 2 (Bloomberg) -- McDonald’s Corp., the world’s largest restaurant chain, is tapping the debt market for $750 million in a two-part offering as low yields accelerate U.S. bond sales.
McDonald’s is selling $500 million of 30-year notes that may yield 80 basis points more than similar-maturity Treasuries, according to a person familiar with the deal. The firm is also offering $250 million of 2.625 percent 10-year notes that may pay a spread of 52 basis points, said the person, who declined to be identified because the offering is private. Oak Brook, Illinois-based McDonald’s sold $500 million of the debt on Sept. 27, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The notes traded yesterday at 101.6 cents on the dollar to yield 2.45 percent, a 61 basis-point spread, according to Trace, the bond-price reporting system of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.
Yields on investment-grade corporate bonds in the U.S. have fallen to 3.56 percent from 3.97 percent at the time of the September sale and are close to the record 3.503 percent reached Aug. 9, according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch index data.
McDonald’s is looking to tap the debt market after its Jan. 24 forecast of a drop in profit this year because of currency fluctuations. It follows investment-grade bond sales of $15.2 billion yesterday, including issues from International Business Machines Corp. and Procter & Gamble Co.
The sale is being managed by Bank of America Corp., Citigroup Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc. McDonald’s has $966 million of bonds maturing this year, Bloomberg data show.
The restaurant chain is rated A2 by Moody’s Investors Service and an equivalent A by Standard & Poor’s.
--Editors: Mitchell Martin, Dennis Fitzgerald
To contact the reporter on this story: Sridhar Natarajan in New York at firstname.lastname@example.org;
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Alan Goldstein at email@example.com


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Tesla meets Model 3 target, bemoans China tariffs
Tesla Motors said Tuesday it was accelerating plans to open a Shanghai factory in light of the ongoing US-China trade fight, saying new tariffs put its vehicles at a disadvantage on the Chinese market.
The electric automaker, which has been shaken by CEO Elon Musk's recent antics and legal woes, also announced it had met a key auto production target.
The company said the higher deliveries came despite a 40 percent tariff imposed by Beijing on US cars.
The difficult economics make for "a challenging competitive environment, given that China is by far the largest market for electric vehicles," Tesla said in a statement.
"To address this issue, we are accelerating construction of our Shanghai factory."
Tesla unveiled plans for the Shanghai factory in July. Musk said at the time he hoped the plant would be "completed very soon."
Tesla reported total third-quarter deliveries of 83,500, up from 26,137 in the year-ago period. Production of Tesla's Model 3 vehicles came in at 53,239, in line with the company's forecast and a number closely watched by Wall Street.
The report came three days after Musk reached a settlement with US securities regulators over fraud allegations connected to Musk's claims about a short-lived effort to take the company private.
The settlement required Musk to step down as chairman and pay a $20 million fine but he was permitted to remain chief executive.
Shares of Tesla fell 1.5 percent to $306.00 in late-morning trading.
© 2018 AFP


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Nanosys’ Quantum Dot technology is an unqualified success story with over 10 million LCD TVs shipped since launching in 2013. This major commercial adoption milestone is just the beginning for Quantum Dots.
In this talk, Jason Hartlove, CEO of Quantum Dot leader Nanosys, shares his vision for the next phase of Quantum Dot growth - including future display applications and a look at how the unique light emitting properties of Nanosys Quantum Dot technology will begin to change a diverse array of industries such as lighting, agriculture, and sensors over the next decade.
Technology executive with over 30 years of experience across all major functional areas including product development, R&D, team building, strategy and business operations.
Currently CEO at Nanosys, the world’s leading manufacturer of Quantum Dot technology for displays.
Led Nanosys to pioneer a new industry around Quantum Dot technology and built a manufacturing ecosystem to bring the technology to the display market at scale. Today, Nanosys maintains a nearly 100% market share for materials used in these ultra-bright displays with lifelike colors sold by companies including Samsung, Vizio, Hisense, TCL, Acer, Asus and HP.
Proven track record of turning emerging technologies into successful commercial products. Co-inventor of one of the most ubiquitous technology products of the last 20 years, the billion-selling optical mouse. Previously led product development at Hewlett Packard, ran Agilent’s 3,000-employee Malaysia-based manufacturing operation, and set MagnaChip Semiconductor on a path to a successful IPO.


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This announcement follows the Prime Minister’s 4-day economy-focused tour last week, where he welcomed the creation of 10,000 jobs from Vodafone, Accenture and Birmingham Airport.
The Prime Minister said:
Supporting business, creating jobs and cutting taxes are all part of our long-term economic plan. Yesterday, our tax reforms cut income tax for 26 million people and will help businesses to create jobs. I am delighted that Asda is continuing to invest heavily in the UK, creating another 12,000 jobs that will give people financial security for the future.
He also met some of the 26 million hard-working people who had their taxes cut overnight on Sunday, as well as small business owners who will now benefit from up to £2,000 cash back on their National Insurance Contributions.
Before the store visit, the Prime Minister hosted Doug McMillon, President and CEO of Walmart, and Andy Clarke, CEO of Asda, in Downing Street to discuss Asda’s wider investment in the UK. The Prime Minister emphatically welcomed the fact that Asda had already created 100,000 jobs and said it was an encouraging sign of the recovering economy that they were able to create 12,000 more.
Mr McMillon said:
It has been a pleasure to meet with the Prime Minister today and reaffirm Walmart’s commitment to investing in the UK. We know that the UK is a great place to do business and since Walmart acquired Asda 15 years ago we have been able to invest £8 billion in the UK economy – creating over 100,000 jobs, opening 342 new Asda stores and bringing lower prices to millions of customers.
A seismic shift in the structure of the retail market is underway – not just in the UK – but right across the world. Asda recognised the change in its market and took early action to develop and implement a strategy that will see it grow – creating more new jobs and bringing real value to more customers in the UK.


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Arriving this September.
When Ark: Survival Evolved made its debut on the Nintendo Switch back in 2018, it was released in a pretty rough state. There was a range of technical issues and there were also some substantial slowdown issues.
Fortunately, the team at Studio Wildcard are looking to turn the situation around with Ark: Ultimate Survivor Edition – a ‘complete revamp’ of the game from a new port specialist, supposedly rebuilding the game’s code in Unreal Engine 4 and enhancing the functionality, graphics and optimisation.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com


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Former Twilio’s Data Protection Officer and Director, Global Privacy Governance Robin Andruss has joined Skyflow as Chief Privacy Officer. She will oversee the company’s privacy and data protection commitments for enterprises, fintech, and healthcare organizations.
With changes in privacy laws, data-sharing agreements and security recommendations by the U.S. and EU governments, organizations of all sizes are navigating an ever-evolving landscape. In her new role as Chief Privacy Officer, Andruss will be helping users understand the implications of the Global Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), etc., on their privacy posture.
In addition to engaging with the privacy community on privacy by design, and evangelizing the vault architecture, Andruss will lead participation at industry events like IAPP and help frame public policy and laws that impact data privacy and sharing.
Andruss has held senior-level privacy positions at Google, Yahoo, and TrustArc. She has experience building, leading, and scaling all aspects of a privacy program and understands global governmental privacy policies and legislation, including GDPR, CCPA, Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), etc. In addition to her professional roles, Andruss has also served as a faculty member of the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) and is a startup advisory board member.
Andruss brings deep policy expertise and is dedicated to solving the world’s data privacy challenges. Andruss says she is excited to lead data privacy and data protection efforts at Skyflow. “I’m passionate about all areas of privacy; learning about customer problems to help them be successful, whiteboarding the data flows of a new product or system, educating and developing internal champions around privacy, building further partnerships within the industry, and sharing thought leadership pieces,” Andruss says.


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|Day Low/High||184.54 / 186.85|
|52 Wk Low/High||84.11 / 186.75|
RH has reported preliminary fourth quarter results at the high end of its previous guidance.
RH (NYSE:RH) today announced unaudited preliminary financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal 2016.
RH (NYSE:RH) today announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a $300 million common share repurchase program.
KeyBanc analysts see improvement this year for the luxury home goods retailer.
Here are Wednesday's top research calls, including upgrades for Acorda and Restoration Hardware, a price target increase for Humana and a price target cut for Merck.
The securities litigation law firm of Brower Piven, A Professional Corporation, announces that a class action lawsuit has been commenced in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California on behalf...
Former United States Securities and Exchange Commission attorney Willie Briscoe, founder of The Briscoe Law Firm, PLLC, announces that a federal class action lawsuit has been filed in the United States District Court for...
It could be a tough road ahead for the luxury home goods retailer.
Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF") and KSF partner, the former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C.
Here's a technical look at how to trade stocks that are rising with unusual volume.
The home decor retailer was initiated with a 'buy' rating at Loop Capital today, while RH and Williams-Sonoma received 'hold' ratings.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was the clear winner of this week, sealing fresh record closes for five days in a row.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average roared to new records on Friday and ended with weekly gains for the fifth time in a row.
Stocks are on track to close at fresh records on Friday as the health care sector makes a comeback after a bruising week.
Shares of Restoration Hardware were plummeting by 16% to $32.67 during afternoon trading on Friday after the company cut its full-year guidance.
Stocks move higher on Friday, trading at records, as the health care sector makes a comeback after a bruising week.
U.S. stocks gained steam as the Dow Jones Industrial Average inches closer to 20,000.
The luxury home furnishings retailer continues to struggle and its fourth-quarter guidance supports Oppenheimer's cautious, near-term stance on the stock.
Stock futures move slightly higher on Friday, setting Wall Street to open at record highs after Thursday's session continued the markets' winning streak.
The rally seems to have more legs as Asia wonders about the future of South Korea's president.
Restoration Hardware reported adjusted earnings of $0.20 a share, beating Wall Street's projection of $0.16. But it is lowering its full year guidance.
The high-end home furnishings retailer slashed its full-year forecast and gave a downbeat outlook for the holiday quarter.
RH (Restoration Hardware Holdings, Inc. - NYSE: RH) has launched its third quarter fiscal 2016 video presentation, which highlights the Company's continued evolution and recent performance, on the RH Investor Relations...
RH (Restoration Hardware Holdings, Inc. - NYSE:RH) today announced financial results for the third quarter ended October 29, 2016.
The stock has been cut in half this year despite a market that's up double digits.
On Thursday, December 8, investors await a key policy decision from the European Central Bank.
Shares of Restoration Hardware are still down big for 2016, but insider buying has given investors confidence ahead of earnings, Cramer said.
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Loews Hotels optimistic about Atlanta outlook
- Giannina Smith
- Contributing writer
Despite the recent economic blow endured by the hospitality industry, Atlanta continues to succeed in attracting big-name hotel brands to its streets.
As Loews Atlanta Hotel becomes the newest property to debut on the Atlanta skyline, Loews Hotels’ CEO and chairman, Jonathan M. Tisch, weighs in on what this addition means to the Loews brand and to Atlanta.
“When you look at the national footprint of our properties, clearly we were missing a couple of gateway cities, and now with the opening of Loews Atlanta Hotel, we feel that we are represented in one of the most dynamic cities in the country and we can look north and west where we’d also like to be in Boston, Chicago and San Francisco,” said Tisch, who is also co-chairman of the board and a member of the office of the president of Loews Corp., Loews Hotels’ parent company.
Situated along Peachtree Street, the new hotel anchors Daniel Corp. and Selig Enterprises Inc.’s mixed-use development, 12th & Midtown, which features 725,000 square feet of class A office space, 60,000 square feet of retail and 52 luxury residences.
The first new-build hotel for the Loews Hotel chain in more than five years, the 414-room hotel is also Loews’ first Georgia property.
“The vision started with the Selig organization and Daniel Corp. and we were thrilled that they asked us to be their partner and to be such an integral part of a mixed-use development,” Tisch said.
Touting the company slogan, he said, “Value is the new luxury. Fortunately we deliver both.”
The Loews Atlanta Hotel hopes to offer patrons value and luxury in one.
Featuring 414 guest rooms including 44 suites, the property also includes an exhale spa and fitness center along with Loews Hotels’ signature restaurant and bar, eleven and Bar eleven.
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3-Hour Diet or 3 Meals a Day?
Experts debate how often we should eat for weight loss
By Elaine Magee, MPH, RD, LD
Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD
To eat three meals a day or to eat six small meals a day: that is the question. If you have heard about or read Jorge Cruise's new book, The 3-Hour Diet, you would bet the answer is the latter. But many nutrition researchers out there say, "not so fast!"
Cruise's plan boasts a three-point approach: eat breakfast within one hour of rising, eat every three hours, and stop eating three hours before bedtime. He says this ritualized way of eating increases BMR (baseline metabolic rate), increases energy levels, and decreases appetite, among other things. While many nutrition experts agree that when it comes to weight loss irregular eating patterns and skipped meals can mean trouble for most of us, there isn't anything close to a consensus on whether we are metabolically better off eating three regular meals a day or spreading that out into five or six smaller meals.
Bonnie Liebman, nutrition director of CSPI (Center for Science in the Public Interest) would like to see the studies Cruise used to formulate his 3 Hour Diet. "If there are any good studies proving his point, they certainly aren't well established," says Liebman.


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Doha Festival City, a famed shopping destination in Qatar, has won “Best Shopping Destination – Qatar” award for the year 2021. The felicitation ceremony will be held at the Palm Jumeirah – Waldorf Astoria in early 2022 in Dubai.
The Global Brand Awards is an annual event held by Global Brands Magazine (GBM), an international publication headquartered in the UK. The award aims to recognise global brands achieving excellence in performance across a broad range of sectors while keeping its readers updated on key trends surrounding the branding world. Doha Festival City was evaluated based on customer service, satisfaction, digital innovation, strategic relationships and new business development.
Commenting on Doha Festival City winning the awards, Shiv Kumar (CEO) of Global Brands magazine said, “Not only a great place to shop, Doha Festival City is a thriving hub of the Qatar community and has created thousands of jobs for its citizens. What set Doha Festival City apart from its competitors was its innovative Bon Appetit Marketing campaign, an example of ingenious integrated marketing that other malls worldwide should take note of.”
Commenting on winning the award, Robert Hall (General Manager) said “We are incredibly honoured to receive such valuable recognition from two prestigious industry awards. At Doha Festival City, we are passionate about providing unique experiences for our guests and supporting the community of Qatar. We are proud for being recognized for our exceptional achievements, as well as for the innovation in our marketing and social media approach.”
About Doha Festival City
Doha Festival City is Qatar’s only choice for fashion, dining and entertainment. Bringing several firsts to Doha, this incomparable Mall – is one of the largest such developments in the Middle East, offering almost a quarter of a million sq.mts. of leasable space, providing something for everyone, and creating exceptional and memorable experiences with every visit.
About Global Brands Magazine (England)
Global Brands Magazine (GBM) has been at the forefront, bringing news, views and opinions on brands shaping the future of their industry. The UK-based magazine provides its readers with the latest news and information on ‘best-in-class brands across the globe. Each year, GBM develops a series of awards for companies that stood out, having a unique vision, exceptional service, innovative solutions and consumer-centric products among their industry leaders.
About Global Brand Awards
Global Brand Awards honours brands for their excellence in performance and rewards companies across different sectors for the quality of their services. The Brand Awards highlight accomplishments of organisations that have performed remarkably well in finance, education, hospitality, automotive, lifestyle, education, real estate, technology and several more. Global Brand Awards recognise vital players who progress towards excellence by providing a platform to acknowledge their efforts. In addition, GBM strives to create awareness concerning the significance of such organisations and rewards them for their notable efforts with the ultimate global recognition.


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Flipkart Big Billion Days Sale: Apple iPhone XR, iPhone SE up for grabs with up to Rs 7501 discount
Flipkart Big Billion Days Sale: It’s that time of the year again! The Flipkart Big Billions Days sale is back and here is your chance to get exciting deals and offers across categories. As always, the biggest attraction of the sale will be smartphones.
Flipkart Big Billion Days Sale: It’s that time of the year again! The Flipkart Big Billions Days sale is back and here is your chance to get exciting deals and offers across categories. As always, the biggest attraction of the sale will be smartphones. Several mid-range and premium smartphones will be up for sale with huge discounts during the Flipkart Big Billion Days Sale.
Among others, the customers will have a chance to get their hands on Apple iPhones for an attractive price. Two affordable Apple iPhones – iPhone XR and iPhone SE – both popular among customers will be available with discounts during the sale.
The Apple iPhone XR which has been one of the most sold iPhone for the last few years will be sold at Rs 44,999 against the original price of Rs 52,500. This makes you eligible for discount of Rs 7501. Meanwhile, the recently launched Apple iPhone SE will be up for grabs for Rs 35,999. The smartphone was launched in India at Rs 42,500 and comes with the same chipset used on the Apple iPhone 11 Pro.
Apart from this, the customers can also avail 10 per cent additional discounts on State Bank of India credit cards. They can also get No Cost EMI on both the iPhones.
Meanwhile, the e-commerce giant has announced that it will help generate over 70,000 direct and lakhs of indirect seasonal jobs as the country gears up for the upcoming festive season. While creating direct job opportunities across Flipkart's supply chain, that include delivery executives, pickers, packers and sorters, there will also be additional indirect jobs created at Flipkart's seller partner locations and kiranas.
This will be further supplemented by job creation in ancillary industries including vendor locations, and freight partners, as the entire ecosystem scales up for the festive season. The expansion and strengthening of the supply chain will help create a robust system enabling millions of new e-commerce users to shop online seamlessly as lakhs of ecosystem players gear up for the festive season.
Get Latest Business News, Stock Market Updates and Videos; Check your tax outgo through Income Tax Calculator and save money through our Personal Finance coverage. Check Business Breaking News Live on Zee Business Twitter and Facebook. Subscribe on YouTube.


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Felicity Jones & Ashley Madekwe: Burberry Prorsum Show!
Felicity Jones is stylish as can be at the Burberry Prorsum show during London Fashion Week AW14 held at Kensington Gardens on Monday (February 17) in London, England.
The 30-year-old actress was joined at the event by Ashley Madekwe.
Earlier in the day, Ashley looked gorgeous in light pink at the Whistles London Fashion Week presentation held at 33 Fitzroy Place.
“Soft pink @thisiswhistles jumpsuit for the #whistlesaw14 presentation 💕” Ashley tweeted, and added later, “So excited for my first burberry show #LFW”
FYI: Ashley is wearing Shamballa Jewels at the Whistles show.


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Malls Embracing Fitness Centers to Attract Customers
November 28, 2017 | James Sprow | Blue Vault
The Wall Street Journal reports that mall owners have changed attitudes toward fitness centers, amid closures of hundreds of retail stores, declining foot traffic, and increasing vacancies. The growth of the fitness center industry, with their ability to draw higher-income customers, has transformed the traditional gym from a hangout for teenage weightlifters to full-service health clubs that can actually replace anchor tenants and cater to clients who tend to shop and eat at other stores before or after their workouts.
According to the article, Phillips Edison & Company, a sponsor of three nontraded REITs focusing on grocery-anchored shopping centers, has gyms in 44% of its more than 340 centers. CEO Jeff Edison says that in the mid-1990s the company had just a few centers with gyms because tenants viewed the typical gym-goers negatively. Not anymore.
The fitness industry is booming. More than 57 million people belonged to a health club last year, or 19.3% of the U.S. population and memberships have increased 26% since 2009, according to IHRSA. Consumer spending at fitness centers grew 3.7% in the third quarter over last year, according to Atlanta-based spending-data firm Cardlytics. This compares to spending on apparel at brick-and-mortar stores which rose only 0.5%.
Kimco, which owns 507 mostly grocery-anchored shopping centers, found that after LA Fitness gyms were opened in two shopping centers in Connecticut and New York, nine neighboring tenants saw rent increases of 15 to 20% and six existing tenants had sales increases of 30% or more in the year after the gym opened.
According to the WSJ, owners of grocery-anchored shopping centers see fitness as a way to fend off competition from Amazon, whose recent acquisition of Whole Foods heralded its entry into the fresh-food sales arena.
I had no idea this service existed. I could have used it years ago! Great presentation and service!


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Qatari Sheikh First Owner of the Priciest Lebanese-Made Supercarإقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Sheikh Jawaan bin Hamad al-Thani, the son of Qatar's Emir, will be the first to own the priciest car in the world, the new Lebanese-designed Lykan Hypersport that was unveiled at the third Qatar International Motor Show.
Sheikh Jawaan chose black as the color for his new $3.5 million acquisition, that cultivated the title of the most expensive new car in the world, formally held by the Bugatti Veyron Super Sports.
Only seven LykanHypersport cars will be created this year.
Lebanese firm W Motors designed the supercar that features diamond-encrusted lights and potential buyers can sit back and enjoy the car's leather interior that is stitched with gold.
Despite its huge cost, the car is not as fast as the Veyron but the motor has an impressive 750 horsepower engine, reports added.
While the LykanHypersport does 0-60mph in 2.7 seconds, the Veyron does it in 2.5 seconds.
The car, first imagined by designer Ralph Debbas, who previously worked with Aston Martin, has taken six years to design.


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On November 18th, in a white and refined setting reflecting the new store’s atmosphere, Holdal Abou Adal Group unveiled the new Cadrans flagship store in Dbaye.
Cadrans is no stranger to the region; on the contrary, it is more of a return to the roots as the Maison of Haute Horlogerie’s history actually started in Dbaye.
This move aims at getting Cadrans closer to its Metn and North regions’ customer base, keen on prestigious watchmaking and jewelry brands.
Besides Dbaye inauguration, several flagship stores openings are imminent for the exclusive premium house brands’ in Foch Street in Beirut Central District.
Despite the country’s difficult situation, 2015 is set to be a landmark year for Cadrans.


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Romanian IT company Bittnet Group has announced that it will organize, on April 29, a completely electronic, online general shareholder’s meeting (GSM), for the first time in Romania.
The company’s initiative comes in response to the governmental measures aimed at limiting the spread of the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak.
During the GSM, investors will vote, among other things, on the distribution of dividends in the form of free shares following the capitalization of profits from previous years worth over RON 8 million (EUR 1.7 mln).
As a result, every shareholder will get 7 new shares for every 10 shares held. Bittnet Group, a company founded by local entrepreneurs Mihai and Cristian Logofatu, has reached a market capitalization of RON 91.8 mln (EUR 19 mln).


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Tourism in Solomon Islands is on the rise
The South Pacific country has registered sharp arrival increase during 2016, with more Asian and international visits especially in the first three quarters of the year.
The Solomon Islands National Statistics Office has recently released registered data according to which 16.381 international tourists have visited the country in the first 9 months of this year. The figures indicate a 4.5 per cent increase when compared to 2015.
From the total number of foreign visitors, 41 per cent were from Australia, 10 per cent from US, 8.8 per cent from Fiji and 3.7 per cent were from New Zealand. The Asian market nevertheless has registered the highest increase, as arrivals went up by 22.4 per cent during 2016. According to Jo Tuamoto, the CEO of The Solomon Islands Visitors Bureau, the growth can be easily explained if considering the island nation’s participation in travel events in Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and South Korea.
Moreover, experts anticipate a better forecast for next year. According to local tourism operator Gregory Para, in terms of cruise tourism industry, Solomon Islands will have a great 2017. 12 cruise ships are expected to bring consistent foreign currency to the local economy.
“Although cruise ships only made brief stop-overs, it sets a foundation whereby more people will visit later to stay longer. The cruise boats brings tourist to take a glimpse of our beautiful country, after which they can return and or market us to their friends,” he commented. -Source: www.travelwires.com


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|By RealWire News Distribution||
|March 13, 2014 08:59 PM EDT||
Computop partners will showcase e-commerce solutions at Internet Retailing Expo
London, England - March 13, 2014 - Computop, a leading payment service provider (PSP), is strengthening its global position through an extended partnership with eShopWorld, a leading provider of cross border e-commerce software, and services, and Billpay, leading providers for online payment methods dedicated to key European markets. The strategic alliance aims to bring customers an integrated ecommerce, logistics and secure payment platform to support growth in international markets.
The partnership follows Computop's recent introduction of Paygate 6.0, the latest version of the company's multi-channel global payment platform which is simplifying and streamlining how merchants can conduct business both domestically and internationally, and is fully SEPA enabled in preparation for the pan-European payment harmonization initiative later this year. eShopWorld has enabled a key feature of Paygate, making a duty and tax calculation available to Computop customers, and enhancing its global logistics across its customer base.
Stephen Berry, country manager for Computop UK commented, "2014 is set to bring major international retailer expansion as brands seek to maximise opportunities in key resurgent markets, growing consumer demand for UK brands and greater awareness of the "unknown". By simplifying the complexities of operating in the international market with our partners, we can offer merchants a single platform to deliver a seamless, enhanced customer experience."
Martin Tully, Chief Operations Officer for eShopWorld said, "We share Computop's total commitment to helping retailers manage the complexity of localising international customer online sales and delivering a superb shopping experience. We've had proven success with multiple international brands and we're looking forward to building on this."
Computop, eShopWorld and Billpay will be showcasing the service on Stand B50 at Internet Retailing Expo on the 26th and 27th March. A co-hosted workshop will explore 'Simplifying the Challenges of International e- commerce'. P2PE, operating in China and how Computop's integrated Paygate 6.0 platform can support this will be a key focus.
Maximillian von Eisner, Chief Sales Officer at Billpay adds, "Partnerships like these are about putting the customer at the centre of an improved payment solution. We've been working with Computop to do just that in a number of key European markets, enabling retailers like Joules to respond to specific local preferences in a safe, easy and convenient way."
Computop is a leading global payment service provider (PSP) that provides compliant and secure e-commerce, Point of Sale (PoS), m-commerce and Mail Order and Telephone Order (MOTO), globally. The company, founded in 1997, is headquartered in Bamberg, Germany with local teams also within the US, UK and China. Computop processes transactions totalling $7+ billion per year, for over 2000 large international merchants within industries such as retail, travel and gaming. Global customers include C&A, Fossil, Metro Cash & Carry, Samsung and TUI. In order to provide a complete multichannel solution for merchants, Computop has a robust partner and global banking portfolio providing merchants with a seamless and secure transaction process.
For further information please visit: www.computop.com.
eShopWorld simplifies global e-commerce for online retailers. The company's technology and services enables online retailers to sell and deliver merchandise to shoppers all over the world. The product range includes: global checkout services, fully landed cost calculations (customs duties, taxes and shipping fees), multi-currency pricing and payment processing, online fraud protection, returns management and door-to-door delivery. The 'carrier agnostic' delivery service ensures the retailer always has access to the best carrier in each territory.
By improving the overall experience for the international shopper and ensuring it compares favorably with that of a US shopper, eShopWorld's modular platform and service has enabled some of the leading US online retailers to maximize their brand value in overseas markets. To learn more about us, please visit www.eShopWorld.com.
Billpay (www.billpay.de) is one of the leading online payment providers for the German speaking countries and since 2013 in the Netherlands. Billpay takes the risk of payment default or charge-backs and offers payment methods Invoice (Rechnung), Partial Payment (Teilzahlung) and Direct Debit/ ELV (SEPA-Lastschrift) and thus makes online-shopping safe, easy and convenient for merchants and customers. In addition to our payment solutions, Billpay offers attractive benefits to millions of customers via the exclusive Billpay VISA Card and the Billpay loyalty program. By now, Billpay is integrated in over 3.500 online-shops and many millions of customers have used Billpay's payment methods since its launch in 2009. Both the number of customers and online-merchants are growing rapidly.
For further information please contact:
Ascendant Communications, for Computop
Tel: +44 (0) 208 334 8041
E-mail: [email protected]
SYS-CON Media announced that Splunk, a provider of the leading software platform for real-time Operational Intelligence, has launched an ad campaign on Big Data Journal. Splunk software and cloud services enable organizations to search, monitor, analyze and visualize machine-generated big data coming from websites, applications, servers, networks, sensors and mobile devices. The ads focus on delivering ROI - how improved uptime delivered $6M in annual ROI, improving customer operations by minin...
Jan. 28, 2015 01:45 AM EST Reads: 3,645
In their session at @ThingsExpo, Shyam Varan Nath, Principal Architect at GE, and Ibrahim Gokcen, who leads GE's advanced IoT analytics, focused on the Internet of Things / Industrial Internet and how to make it operational for business end-users. Learn about the challenges posed by machine and sensor data and how to marry it with enterprise data. They also discussed the tips and tricks to provide the Industrial Internet as an end-user consumable service using Big Data Analytics and Industrial C...
Jan. 28, 2015 01:00 AM EST Reads: 2,703
How do APIs and IoT relate? The answer is not as simple as merely adding an API on top of a dumb device, but rather about understanding the architectural patterns for implementing an IoT fabric. There are typically two or three trends: Exposing the device to a management framework Exposing that management framework to a business centric logic Exposing that business layer and data to end users. This last trend is the IoT stack, which involves a new shift in the separation of what stuff happe...
Jan. 28, 2015 12:30 AM EST Reads: 2,885
"SOASTA built the concept of cloud testing in 2008. It's grown from rather meager beginnings to where now we are provisioning hundreds of thousands of servers on a daily basis on behalf of customers around the world to test their applications," explained Tom Lounibos, CEO of SOASTA, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at DevOps Summit, held Nov 4–6, 2014, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
Jan. 28, 2015 12:00 AM EST Reads: 2,421
Almost everyone sees the potential of Internet of Things but how can businesses truly unlock that potential. The key will be in the ability to discover business insight in the midst of an ocean of Big Data generated from billions of embedded devices via Systems of Discover. Businesses will also need to ensure that they can sustain that insight by leveraging the cloud for global reach, scale and elasticity.
Jan. 28, 2015 12:00 AM EST Reads: 3,946
The Industrial Internet revolution is now underway, enabled by connected machines and billions of devices that communicate and collaborate. The massive amounts of Big Data requiring real-time analysis is flooding legacy IT systems and giving way to cloud environments that can handle the unpredictable workloads. Yet many barriers remain until we can fully realize the opportunities and benefits from the convergence of machines and devices with Big Data and the cloud, including interoperability, ...
Jan. 27, 2015 11:45 PM EST Reads: 2,634
“The year of the cloud – we have no idea when it's really happening but we think it's happening now. For those technology providers like Zentera that are helping enterprises move to the cloud - it's been fun to watch," noted Mike Loftus, VP Product Management and Marketing at Zentera Systems, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at Cloud Expo, held Nov 4–6, 2014, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
Jan. 27, 2015 10:30 PM EST Reads: 2,014
BMC Software plans to acquire assets of CDB Software, Inc., a mainframe data management company that has developed utilities for managing IBM DB2 databases with virtually no outage. Focusing on the availability of mission-critical applications is strategic for BMC as it continues to help its customers transform IT into a competitive advantage for their business. CDB's technology complements BMC's existing mainframe data management portfolio, which includes software utilities for DB2 administrat...
Jan. 27, 2015 09:00 PM EST Reads: 798
IoT is still a vague buzzword for many people. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Mike Kavis, Vice President & Principal Cloud Architect at Cloud Technology Partners, discussed the business value of IoT that goes far beyond the general public's perception that IoT is all about wearables and home consumer services. He also discussed how IoT is perceived by investors and how venture capitalist access this space. Other topics discussed were barriers to success, what is new, what is old, and what th...
Jan. 27, 2015 06:15 PM EST Reads: 3,951
The Internet of Things (IoT) promises to evolve the way the world does business; however, understanding how to apply it to your company can be a mystery. Most people struggle with understanding the potential business uses or tend to get caught up in the technology, resulting in solutions that fail to meet even minimum business goals. In his session at @ThingsExpo, Jesse Shiah, CEO / President / Co-Founder of AgilePoint Inc., showed what is needed to leverage the IoT to transform your business. ...
Jan. 27, 2015 06:15 PM EST Reads: 3,181
"ElasticBox is an enterprise company that makes it very easy for developers and IT ops to collaborate to develop, build and deploy applications on any cloud - private, public or hybrid," stated Monish Sharma, VP of Customer Success at ElasticBox, in this SYS-CON.tv interview at DevOps Summit, held Nov 4–6, 2014, at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
Jan. 27, 2015 06:00 PM EST Reads: 2,486
Dale Kim is the Director of Industry Solutions at MapR. His background includes a variety of technical and management roles at information technology companies. While his experience includes work with relational databases, much of his career pertains to non-relational data in the areas of search, content management, and NoSQL, and includes senior roles in technical marketing, sales engineering, and support engineering. Dale holds an MBA from Santa Clara University, and a BA in Computer Science f...
Jan. 27, 2015 06:00 PM EST Reads: 3,152
Software AG and Wipro Ltd. have announced a joint solution platform for streaming analytics that provides real-time actionable intelligence for the Internet of Things (IoT) market. “The key to successfully addressing the IoT market is the ability to rapidly build and evolve apps that tap into, analyze and make smart decisions on fast, big data”, said John Bates, Global Head of Industry Solutions and CMO, Software AG. To address the huge market potential created by streaming analytics in conj...
Jan. 27, 2015 06:00 PM EST Reads: 824
The Internet of Things (IoT) is rapidly in the process of breaking from its heretofore relatively obscure enterprise applications (such as plant floor control and supply chain management) and going mainstream into the consumer space. More and more creative folks are interconnecting everyday products such as household items, mobile devices, appliances and cars, and unleashing new and imaginative scenarios. We are seeing a lot of excitement around applications in home automation, personal fitness,...
Jan. 27, 2015 06:00 PM EST Reads: 2,893
OneCloud Software has launched the OneCloud Partner Program. Responding to demand from prospective partners, the Program offers managed service providers (MSPs) and resellers the resources they need to grow their business with the OneCloud Recovery solution. OneCloud Recovery is an automated solution for disaster recovery/business continuity (DR/BC), which leverages Amazon Web Services as the disaster recovery site. “This is a tremendous opportunity with an innovative hybrid cloud-based DR pro...
Jan. 27, 2015 04:15 PM EST Reads: 619


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The supply chain continues to be a successful vector in high-profile cyber attacks. This article provides some background and guidance on the risk of being compromised by a trusted element of your supply chain.
March 20, 2023 16:01 GMT
Microsoft warns of continued supply chain attacks leveraging service providers and product resellers
Recent nation state attacks are proving that compromising a company through vendor relationships is the new normal. Background…
October 26, 2021 19:13 GMT
July 12, 2021, SolarWinds disclosed that its Serv-U Managed File Transfer and Serv-U Secure FTP products are vulnerable to…
July 14, 2021 21:40 GMT


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BENTONVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Sam’s Club is setting aside two hours each Sunday for first responders and health care workers to shop inside its stores without the required membership, the company announced on Twitter.
Starting Sunday, April 19, Sam’s Club will implement “Hero Hours,” expanding its associate hours to include first responders and health care workers.
The retail warehouse club says membership will not be required to shop during these hours and employees will be provided masks and will practice social distancing.
“Hero Hours” will run every Sunday from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Sam’s Club says the special hours will be implemented at all stores nationwide.
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- Dayton recreation centers holding free mask giveaway


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The radical measure was one of a series he unveiled at a press conference this morning as part of French president Emmanuel Macron's plans to make France a carbon neutral country by 2050.
France has announced it will end the sale of petrol and diesel vehicles in less than 25 years.
"We announce that by 2040 the sales of cars with petrol and diesel engines will be stopped", Hulot said at the presentation of France's ecological development.
Huawei launches the beastly Honor 8 Pro in India
The back of the Honor 8 Pro is made of metal and has a matte finish while the front is an glass affair. Looking at the pricing, the Honor 8 Pro could give the recently launched OnePlus 5 run for its money.
However, Hulot failed to specify if this would mean a ban on the sale of petrol and diesel cars, and how the plan would be carried out. In his speech, Hulot said the target would impose a "heavy" burden on domestic auto makers. Diesel cars are more polluting than originally thought, and there are plans to ban or restrict them in some cities. Germany aims to put one million electric cars on the road by 2020.
The news comes against the background of the announcement made by Swedish vehicle producer Volvo, which promised to equip all new cars with electric engines beginning from 2019.
In 2016, hybrid and electric cars accounted for 3.6 percent of new cars registered in Western Europe.


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Consumers soon will no longer have to wait until 11 a.m. on Sundays to buy alcohol from large grocery stores.
Without discussion, Chicago alderman on Wednesday approved an ordinance allowing alcohol sales beginning at 8 a.m. in grocery stores sized 10,000 square feet and larger that use no more than 25 percent of their shelf space for liquor sales.
Ald. Patrick O'Connor (40th) introduced the idea in January and then modified the proposal to exclude smaller stores after pushback from colleagues.
The full text of the ordinance is available on the website of the Chicago City Clerk.


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The ongoing Hong Kong Fashion Week being held from July 8 to 11 has gathered around 1000 exhibitors from 12 countries and regions to present the latest fashion designs, international brands, garments, fabrics and accessories. To create more business opportunities for exhibitors, 91 buying missions from 42 countries and regions will visit the show, with more than 3,670 companies represented. Various themed zones have been set up to showcase the latest fashion collections from around the world.
Innovative technologies are helping to kick start a revolution in the fashion industry, and this year’s fair will focus on how high-tech ideas are being incorporated into fashion designs and business processes. Various seminars are being held as part of the fair to bring participants up to date on the latest industry trends and technological developments. One seminar will examine the upcoming trends for men’s wear, women’s wear and accessories for the autumn/winter 2020-21 season, giving industry players a clearer idea of where the business opportunities will be.
Industry leaders will examine e-commerce strategies. An influencer platform explores ways to use artificial intelligence to establish marketing plans for online influencers in a bid to increase brand affinity and facilitate sales conversion.


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Tesco has introduced a new range of frozen prepared produce of four items which it says are on-trend but tricky to prepare. These include pomegranate, watermelon, coconut and beetroot.
The retailer helps that the move will reduce waste by allowing consumers to use only what they need and keep the rest in the freezer. In the last year demand for bags of ready prepared frozen fruit slices at Tesco has soared by 35 per cent. The supermarket’s frozen smoothie range, which includes veg and fruit mixes, has seen a nearly 100 per cent increase in sales in the last 12 months.
Tesco frozen food buyer Marianne Aitken commented, “Our new frozen range is a delicious and hassle free way to help assemble that eye-catching dish.” All of the new frozen products come in easy to use re-sealable packs. The beetroot and coconut are already diced while the watermelon is in chunks and the pomegranate is seeded.
Photo Credit: Wikipedia Commons.


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Apple to fix 'beautygate' bug that made iPhone XS owner's selfies look TOO good
- iPhone XS and XS Max users reported that the camera 'smoothes' their face
- It's a result of the next-generation camera's noise reduction feature
- This can result in some blurring on the user's face, particularly in dark conditions
iPhone XS users complained about the 'beautygate' bug, reporting that the front-facing camera on the iPhone XS is making their faces appear strikingly smoother, with some claiming the photos look similar to edits applied in beauty apps like FaceTune.
The mysterious effect is also present in the iPhone XS Max, which has exactly the same front-facing camera as the iPhone XS.
Now, Apple had admitted the next iOS update will fix the flaw, and explained what caused it.
Scroll down for video
iPhone XS owner Abdul Dremali demonstrated the smoothing effect in a side-by-side comparison with the iPhone X's front-facing camera. The effect is apparent in indoor lighting
'Apple told me that iOS 12.1 will fix a bug in its smart HDR camera system that resulted in smoother-looking photos taken by the front camera on the iPhone XS and XR,' Nilay Patel wrote for The Verge.
Aple told him Smart HDR was choosing the wrong base frame for HDR processing when you took a selfie.
Instead of choosing a frame with a short shutter speed to freeze motion and preserve detail, it would sometimes choose a frame with longer shutter speed. Because the front camera does not have optical image stabilization, this resultied in a blurrier shot - that looks like smoothing on the front camera.
This is expected to be fixed in iOS 12.1, which will pick the sharpest base frame for the HDR merge when taking selfies.
Some users say it produces an undesirable effect that leaves their face looking like a 'porcelain doll or plastic figurine,' said tech Youtuber Lewis Hilsenteger, who posted a video to his channel 'Unbox Therapy' describing the effect.
Hilsenteger even went as far as labeling it 'beautygate.'
Turning off the iPhone's Smart HDR feature doesn't seem to help, either. Smart HDR is a new feature in the iPhone XS and XS Max camera that improves shadow details and highlights
Youtuber Lewis Hilsenteger (pictured), who posted a video to his channel 'Unbox Therapy' describing the effect, even went as far as labeling the ordeal 'beautygate'
'At first I was like, let me get to the bottom of this. This is probably some kind of processing thing that I can turn off,' Hilsenteger explained.
'I can just dive into the menus, like on other phones that have beauty modes. Like on Samsung, or Huawei, and so on. Maybe I can just toggle that down to zero.
'But of course there's no mention of beauty mode because Apple never admitted to doing any kind of beauty mode,' he added.
There's no evidence that Apple included any kind of beauty mode in the iPhone XS and XS Max selfie cameras, suggesting that it's more likely a result of the noise reduction features.
That said, typically noise reduction is limited to environments where there isn't as much light.
Turning off the iPhone's Smart HDR feature doesn't seem to help, either.
There's no evidence that Apple included any kind of beauty mode in the iPhone XS and XS Max selfie cameras, suggesting that it's more likely a result of the noise reduction features
Smart HDR is a new feature included in the iPhone XS and XS Max camera that helps capture shadow details and bright highlights.
Several users, including Abdul Dremali, demonstrated that the effect still takes place in well-lit environments.
Dremali took the same photo using an iPhone X and an iPhone XS to show that the smoothing effect only occurred when he was using the latter of the two devices.
The smoothing effect is evident in a side-by-side comparison of the photos.
Dremali told Mail Online that Apple reached out to him and that the firm is 'working on' the issue.
Reddit users began highlighting the issue several days ago.
WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE IPHONE XS AND XS MAX?
The iPhone XS and larger XS Max are Apple's latest flagship devices.
The pair have a similar design and features to the existing iPhone X - including its much-hyped Face ID unlock system - with a few key additions.
They hit stores on September 21, 2018 with the iPhone XS priced at $999 (£999) and the XS Max a whopping $1,099 (£1,099).
Like the iPhone X, the XS has a 5.8-inch OLED screen, while the XS Max boasts a mammoth 6.5-inch OLED display.
For comparison, the iPhone XS Max is bigger even than the Galaxy Note 9, which spans 6.4 inches.
The XS and XS Max have dual 12-megapixel rear cameras and a dual 7-megapixel selfie camera - just like the iPhone X.
Apple launched its iPhone XS and XS Max flagship devices at an event in San Francisco on September 12
Apple has bolstered the batteries loaded into each phone too.
It claims the iPhone XS runs for half an hour longer than last year's X, while the XS Max lasts an additional 1.5 hours.
Apple's newest phones feature faster processors and better memory capacities than their predecessor.
Both are loaded with Apple's new A12 Bionic chip, which Apple claims runs run 15 per cent faster than the A11 chip in the iPhone X.
The iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max are shipping in 64GB, 256GB or 512GB — the largest in-built storage ever shipped on an Apple-branded smartphone.
They are available in gold, silver and space grey.
'iPhone XS is applying skin smoothing/beauty filter on the front facing camera without telling you and no way to disable it,' wrote Reddit user chemicalsam. 'This is not acceptable.'
The user went on to explain that turning Smart HDR off reduced some of the smoothing effects on photos taken using the back camera.
'After more thorough testing it seems that, at least on the back camera that turning off Smart HDR does seem to help a small amount,' Reddit user chemicalsam continued.
'But there is still quite a bit of smooth present. The front camera seems to not be affected by this setting change. I would strongly advice not using HDR right now until Apple fixes these issues.'
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The Estonian Ministry of Finance would be adding amendments to a recently-passed financial bill that is meant to “tighten” cryptocurrency-related laws.
Estonian financial newspaper Äripäev made the report just recently.
According to the article, a new version of the Anti-Money-Laundering (AML) and Terrorist Financing Prevention Act came was implemented just this week in Estonia, following legislation to the EU’s so-called “Fourth Money Laundering Prevention Directive.”
The regulation launched this week introduces “virtual currency exchange service providers” and “virtual currency payment service providers,” while before there only was “alternative means of payment service provider.”
As it is, the Financial Supervision Authority (FI) has declared that cryptocurrency and the firms offering crypto-related services introduce money laundering perils, which is the reason for the new update, according to Äripäev.
Estonia has eased up on its plans to release Estcoin, a national digital currency, after the President of the European Central Bank Mario Draghi bashed the endeavor.
Canada is also looking for more regulation to keep cryptocurrency from being utilized for money laundering, as the Canadian House Finance Committee suggested during its review of the Proceeds of Crime Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Act (PCMLTFA) last month.
- Waste Management Firm Launches Blockchain Platform in Sharjah 18 February 2019
- Police Apprehend Suspects in $14 Million Crypto Scam 18 February 2019
- Crypto Markets Seeing Wave of Green 18 February 2019
- New Payment App of Rakuten to Support Crypto? 18 February 2019
- Regulated ETH Futures Would Result in More Robust Market, Says ErisX 18 February 2019


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Read the latest news in mobile payments, mobile banking and ATM performance in this Focus Report.
ORLANDO, Fla. — Is now the time for mobile payments? Or is this still a big myth?
Do recent survey results - three in 10 Americans have not visited a branch in the past six month - mean the death of branches is rapidly approaching?
Credit unions predict when mobile banking usage in their shops will eclipse online banking. Navy Federal predicts it will happen there this year.
ORLANDO, Fla. — Can mobile banking help a credit union better serve more unbanked and underbanked consumers?
Credit unions compare when member use of mobile banking will eclipse online banking. Navy Federal said it could happen there this year.
Bankers say consumers want both digital services and branches, but research suggests consumers have cooled on brick-and-mortar, especially for transactions.
Financial institutions have operated for decades under the assumption that they offer what consumers need and that consumers will come to them.
As branch visits rapidly dwindle, credit unions have no cross selling replacement for insightful tellers conversing with members about their financial needs.
Agency says grants going to 127 of 320 applicants in first round of 2014 revolving loan fund awards.


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Wisconsin needs to find new places to sell dairy products, state ag secretary says
APPLETON - Brad Pfaff wants to help Wisconsin's dairy farmers find new places to sell their products.
"We grow more agricultural products and produce more milk than we can ever possibly eat ourselves," he said. "That needs to find a home."
Pfaff, who leads the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, sat down for an interview last week with USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin.
The topics of the interview ranged from the loss of dairy farms across Wisconsin — lately, an average of two or three a day — to a report released late last month with dozens of recommendations to help the state's struggling dairy industry.
Pfaff's answers have been edited for length and clarity.
How would you describe the state of Wisconsin's dairy industry at the moment?
Our dairy farmers are some of the most hard-working, resilient, forward-looking farmers in the nation. But over the last five years, we've had market prices that, quite frankly, have really made all of us pay attention.
We need to make sure that we provide every opportunity for farmers to capture revenue and do everything we can to lower the cost to produce the product. I want to be able to find markets in order to provide profitable opportunities for our farmers, but we also have to lower the cost.
We’re losing way too many people that are leaving the farm. Quite frankly, one is too many for me. But we’re losing too many and I recognize that’s got a financial and a social impact. We’ve got to do more.
What do you think of the rate at which the state has been losing dairy farms?
I think we need to recognize the fact that dairy farmers, like everyone else, reach the point where they want to retire. We have a lot of farmers that are in the baby-boomer generation and they are reaching retirement age. They want to do the next thing in their life, whatever that may be.
Too many are leaving because of low prices, but I think we need to look at the fact that they’re not all leaving because of low prices. Some are leaving because they’ve reached retirement age, others because they don’t have a transition plan in place for the next generation. But too many are going because of the price.
Our dairy farms are spread throughout the state. They’re all over. And the economic impact is all over. I can’t tell you today how many dairy farms there will be a year from now, five years from now, or 10 years from now. I can tell you what the Evers administration is very interested in doing is making sure that we can keep the landscape, the economic landscape, and give as many opportunities as we can for people to enter farming.
What stood out to you about the Dairy Task Force 2.0’s final report? How does Wisconsin begin to implement those recommendations?
The desire for new markets. That was very clear to me. We produce more food, more dairy products and more grain products than we can ever eat ourselves. We have to be able to find new markets.
The other thing that really stood out is we need to know our consumers even better than we know them right now. Consumers are driving all of this. We are making food products, including dairy products, that consumers want to be able to eat and drink.
The $8.8 million that went into the new "Dairy Innovation Hub" we think can potentially be a complete game-changer that will assist the individuals that are milking the cows and give the consumers that are enjoying the products even more variety. That's being implemented right now.
Can you describe the impact that the recent trade disputes have had on Wisconsin’s dairy farmers?
I think it’s a real stretch to hold our family farmers accountable. They have to pay the economic price for this. I recognize that the administration is working with Congress in order to provide some financial aid to farmers. But the farmers I talk to, they don’t want aid — they want trade.
The product still sits out there without a home. And as long as that product still sits without a home, it sets the price. We need to remove products from the market. That is why the governor has been very clear: find markets. We need market development constantly.
Family farmers recognize the fact they participate in a larger national and global economy. They want fair trade. I agree with them. They need fair trade. We need to make sure that our trading partners live up to the rules they need to abide by to be part of this trade environment.


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News: India is facing challenges in maintaining its supply of fertilizers since the start of Ukraine-Russia war.
India’s total availability of fertilizer is calculated based on the 3 parameters: 1.) Opening stocks, 2.) Domestic production and 3.) Imports.
India depends on imports for potash, which is used for manufacturing fertilisers.
What are the factors affecting the supply of fertilizers?
Covid induced disruptions: Major fertiliser exporters such as China reduced their exports due to production cuts. India was sourcing 40–45% of its phosphatic imports from China.
Surge in demand for fertilisers in regions like Europe, America, Brazil, and Southeast Asia.
Russia Ukraine war has hindered the supply line of fertilizer. For example, Morocco procures ammonia from Russia for manufacturing DAP (diammonium phosphate).
India domestic production is also affected due to war. The raw material required for domestic production is also not sufficiently available.
Price is rising due to increased logistics and freight costs after covid.
What are the steps taken by the government to control fertiliser’s supply?
Government has increased the Nutrients Based Subsidy (NBS) rates for Kharif 2022.
India has entered into a C2C (corporation to corporation) supply arrangement with Russian companies for 2.5 LMT DAP/NPK every year for 3 years.
India is preparing some alternative sources, such as Saudi Arabia and Iran.
For domestic production of urea, the government is focusing on reviving new production units.
As per the news report, the government is exploring the option of domestically mining raw materials such as rock phosphate.
Source: This post is created based on the article “Fertiliser supply disrupted, how does government plan to meet shortfall?” published in Indian Express on 14th May 2022.


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The Movielife have revealed details of their upcoming new album. Get more info inside including artwork...
Los Angeles’s legendary punk/ska band Goldfinger is back, with the announcement of new album The Knife, scheduled for release July 21st through Rise Records.
Nervecell has announced August 25th as the release date for their new album Past, Present... Torture.
On July 21st 2017, Swedish rock ‘n’ roll legends, Europe, will share their unique 30th Anniversary performance of The Final Countdown from London’s legendary Roundhouse.
Pompano Beach, Florida-based brutal metallic hardcore band Loyal Until Death will release their Remain Defiant LP in July through 1732 Records.
The Cavalera brothers are back with the announcement that they are hard at work in the recording studio in Phoenix, Arizona on the fourth Cavalera Conspiracy album.
French metal band Dagoba will release its seventh album Black Nova on August 25th through Jive/Epic in France and Century Media for the rest of the world.
New York City songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Megan Talay, otherwise known as just Talay, will release her new self-titled EP on June 2nd.
Swiss avant-garde metal outfit Schammasch have announced details of the release of their latest release, The Maldoror Chants: Hermaphrodite.
Arch Enemy have confirmed their tenth studio album, Will To Power will see release on September 8, 2017. Get more details inside...
Amplifier are ready to return with their sixth album, Trippin’ With Dr Faustus, due for release on Rockosmos coming up on June 30th.
New Jersey-based post-hardcore group, Vanish recently signed with Outerloop Records and have announced the release of their debut EP, From Sheep To Wolves.
Neck Deep have confirmed their new album will see release through Hopeless Records on August 18th and have posted two videos online to celebrate. Get more information here...
Late Summers has been announced as the new mixtape from East London rapper/producer Jay Prince. The compilation will be released on June 2nd.
Chicago's Sworn In has announced details for their forthcoming full-length album, titled All Smiles.
The second album of Italian horror death metallers Gravesite has been announced for release on August 1st through Xtreem Music.
Prong have announced their new album, Zero Days, will be released on July 28th, 2017 through Steamhammer/SPV.
Norway's Leprous are pleased to announce their much-anticipated new fifth studio album Malina set for release on the August 25th.
Arcane Roots return with their stunning, brand new, second album Melancholia Hymns on September 15, 2017. More details inside...
American/Canadian power metallers Insatia has announced the release of Phoenix Aflame, the band's brand new album.


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During a recent appearance on Alan Carr: Chatty Man, musician and producer Will.i.am revealed his latest project to a surprised studio audience: a smartwatch.
At least, based on the brief on air demonstration, that’s what the sleek, black device appears to be.
Showcasing the device in a understated fashion while being interviewed by host Carr, Will.i.am said, “I don’t carry my phone anymore; I just use this, [this] is my phone.” He then began tapping the device’s touchscreen to trigger the number key tones. In the clip you can see him playing music from his watch, and explaining the watch also has the ability to use Social Networking site. Alan Carr quickly steps in with a witty remark of “But does it tell the time?”
“There’s a lot of smartwatches that need phones [to operate]. Mine doesn’t need a phone; this is the phone,” he added.
Based on the limited visual demonstration, the device’s swiping dynamic is reminiscent of the interface interactions used on the recently unveiled Android Wear, Google’s operating system for wearables. However, Will.i.am did not reveal any of the device’s specs.
And lest anyone think the smartwatch reveal is merely a belated April Fools’ prank, the musician, widely known as a tech enthusiast, later confirmed on Twitter that he is planning a formal launch for the device soon.
Based on his tweets, the launch date for the as-yet-unnamed device is July.
“I started the company myself; I funded it, used my own money to develop it,” Will.i.am said. “It’s a phone; it has all my music in it.”
Will.i.am also claimed the device can connect to Bluetooth headphones, and has Twitter, Instagram and Facebook functionality.


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An IP office perspective on 3D printing
The UKIPO has published the findings of a study into the IP implications of 3D printing, presenting a number of recommendations for government and industry on how to prepare for the future
On January 20 2015 the UK Intellectual Property Office published the findings of its report on 3D printing, A Legal and Empirical Study into the Intellectual Property Implications of 3D Printing. With the technology still far from the mainstream, the fact that an IP office is taking a proactive approach to the subject and commissioning research to identify future challenges is positive. While it may not have identified an urgent need for legislative change or action, the report offers some important insights into both current 3D printing trends and the issues that brand owners should be thinking about for the future.
The research takes a two-pronged approach to the subject. The first part focuses on the copyright implications arising from access to, and use of, online platforms, together with an overview of three such sites (Thingiverse, 123D and GrabCad). The second part then analyses how such platforms operate, based on data extracted from 17 sites dedicated to the sharing of designs for 3D printing. It also includes six case studies which examine the potential consequences of additive manufacturing and 3D printing in various sectors, focusing on replacement parts, customised goods and ‘high-value, low-status’ goods.
Several trends are apparent from the report’s analysis of different platforms, offering useful insights into those industries which have been early adopters of the technology and how files are currently disseminated. For instance:
- files tagged ‘fashion’ attract a higher number of views and downloads, while files with labels such as ‘art’ and ‘robot’ are marketed at higher prices;
- files tagged ‘miniature’, ‘art’ and ‘jewellery’ are more prevalent, suggesting that the hobby and leisure sectors are early adopters;
- the number of downloads is unrelated to price; and
- the number of views and downloads also depends on the choice of platform and the type of brand/product involved. As an example, it points to “iPhone-labelled files, which attract more downloads and views”.
The study concludes that there is no urgency to regulate 3D printing – in fact, it notes that “a premature call for legislative and judicial action in the realm of 3D printing could stifle the public interest of fostering creativity and innovation and the right of manufacturers and content creators to protect their livelihoods”. However, it does recommend that steps be taken to cultivate a climate better suited to tackle impending IP issues.
From a government perspective, the report calls for clearer guidance on whether a computer-aided design (CAD) file can be protected by copyright.
There is also advice for both intermediaries and online platforms and wider industry. With respect to the former, the report observes that 65% of users engaged in 3D printing activities on online platforms do not license their work, and recommends that platforms promote awareness and understanding of the different types of licence available: “This can be achieved by explaining the nuances relating to each licence in clear and simple language, rather than simply ‘encouraging’ the user to adopt a particular type of licence. Furthermore, online platforms can assign the most appropriate licence as a default with ‘opt-out’ as an option.”
For industry, the report identifies both opportunities and risks. One recommendation is that industry adopt secure streaming of 3D CAD files via an application programming interface, enabling access to a ‘pay-per-print’ business model: “This is already in operation amongst companies such as Authentise9, Secure3D20, ToyFabb. This business model removes the need for a CAD file to be sent to the consumer; instead the build instructions are sent directly to the printer, which, in turn, prints out the number of objects that have been purchased. This can be particularly effective for the customised goods industry.” Additionally, the report suggests that manufacturers consider licensing CAD files more widely, potentially to outlets selling 3D CAD files.
More specifically, players in the automotive industry are urged to give thought to the traceability of 3D printed spare parts, particularly in relation to their safety and usability.
At present, there is still some breathing room for counsel. The report acknowledges that it is early days for the technology and that this itself is acting as a brake on what individuals – and potential infringers – can achieve. Put simply, accessible 3D printing machines as yet do not allow for the creation of goods of such quality and variation that would facilitate widespread counterfeiting.
However, the study also notes that this could quickly change, with consumer-orientated software tools expected to come onstream in the coming years that will enhance consumers’ technical capabilities and make printing in the home and community a common phenomenon. The takeaway? Start thinking about the impact of this technology – and what can be done both to benefit and to minimise abuse from wider adoption – now, rather than being caught on the hop.


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Modern Beauty takes aim at mainland as earnings surge
Shares of Modern Beauty Salon Holdings surged to a new high yesterday after the company posted a 71 per cent increase in interim net profit and announced plans to tap the mainland's spa and beauty market.
The company said it aimed to open 20 spa and beauty centres in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou in two years with total investment of about 40 million yuan, according to chief financial officer Hung Fan-kwan.
Modern Beauty, which has yet to open outlets in China, said it was awaiting government approvals for the licences to operate in the three cities.
The expansion plan was unveiled yesterday after the company posted net profit of HK$83.9 million for the six months to September, compared with HK$49.1 million a year ago. Turnover rose 29.2 per cent to HK$291.7 million, mainly driven by growth in spa and massage services, from HK$225.8 million a year earlier.
Earnings per share rose to 11.66 HK cents from 9.09 HK cents a year ago. The company declared an interim dividend of seven HK cents and a special dividend of one HK cent per share, representing a payout of 69 per cent in total.
Sales of its spa and massage segment jumped 60.5 per cent to HK$75 million, accounting for 25.7 per cent of total revenue, while revenue from beauty and facial treatments rose 31.2 per cent to HK$113.2 million, accounting for 38.8 per cent of turnover.
The company added five outlets during the reporting period and had 22 outlets in Hong Kong at the end of September, with total gross floor area of 245,000 square metres. The number of customers grew to 166,000 in September from 142,000 a year ago.
Modern Beauty opened three outlets in Hong Kong last month and plans to open one more before the end of March.
The company, which had 6,300 male customers in September, said it would widen its reach to the men's beauty and skin-care market by adding men's salons.
Shares of the company, which was listed on the main board in February, rose 8.43 per cent and closed at HK$1.80, after surging as much as 10.2 per cent after the earnings announcement. Modern Beauty, which sold its shares at HK$1 each in the initial public offering, raised HK$180 million.


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JBS to purchase Moy Park in $1.5 billion deal
JBS SA has announced the acquisition of chicken producer Moy Park from Marfrig Global Foods in a US$1.5 billion deal.
Subject to regulatory approvals, including the European Union antitrust authorities, the transaction includes the sale of the entire Moy Park business unit and is expected to be closed between the third and fourth quarter of 2015.
The price includes a cash payment of $1.19bn upon the closing of the sale and the GBP £200m net debt at Moy Park.
JBS investor relations officer Jeremiah O’Callaghan said the acquisition was an “important step in JBS’ strategy to grow its portfolio of prepared and convenient products with high value added portfolio”, as well as increasing the company’s geographic diversification, with an expansion European operations.
According to Marfrig, the sale of Moy Park will enable them to have a greater focus in pursuing growth opportunities as identified in its ‘Focus to Win’ strategic plan which includes an emphasis on growing foodservice, especially in the US and Asia. Marfrig also hopes to increase beef exports from Brazil to Asia and the US, pending the lifting of beef import restrictions.
It reasoned that despite Moy Park being a “good business”, it was too focused on the retail segment, while Marfrig wants to increase its foodservice arm.
Moy Park CEO Janet McCollum said: “Moy Park is a strong, growing and profitable company and has benefited greatly from being part of Marfrig Global Foods. We are very pleased and encouraged by this development which is great recognition for Moy Park.
“JBS is the second largest global food business and the largest poultry company in the world with a significant poultry presence outside of Europe. The Moy Park team, together with our dedicated farming partners, will continue to meet and exceed the needs of our customers and consumers throughout the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe providing innovative, top quality products underpinned by the highest standards of animal welfare.”
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- Enterprise software specialist TechnologyOne (TNE) has reported a healthy boost to half-yearly profits despite the COVID-19 crisis
- The company increased net profit by six per cent, revenue by seven per cent, and annual recurring revenue by 33 per cent
- According to CEO Edward Chung, the company’s software-as-a-service products are helping businesses seamlessly transition to at-home and online work
- The company said it expects continued strong business growth for the rest of the year
- Importantly, TechnologyOne has boosted its interim dividend by 10 per cent, committing to pay shareholders 3.47 cents per share this half-year
- However, shares in the company are just over one per cent lower today, currently worth $9.68 each
Enterprise tech specialist TechnologyOne (TNE) is the latest company to announce a healthy half-year of profit despite the coronavirus crisis.
The company told shareholders today net profit after tax increased by six per cent over the six months to March 31 compared to the same time the year before.
The profit bump was supported by a seven per cent increase in revenue, which stood at $138.4 million, and a hefty 33 per cent increase to annual recurring revenue (ARR) which came in at $110.2 million.
TechnologyOne provides software-as-a-service (SaaS) enterprise software. Customers can subscribe for services like asset management, payroll management, business intelligence, financial services, and more through a cloud-based platform, meaning they can access the tech anywhere and on any device.
TNE CEO Edward Chung said today’s results mean the company has delivered its 11th year of record profit, revenue, and SaaS fees.
“Our SaaS Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) is up 33 per cent and we increased the number of large scale enterprise SaaS customers by 22 per cent, to 475,” Edward said.
“Our SaaS business is growing very fast, even in the midst of COVID-19,” he said.
Importantly, Edward said the coronavirus hit in the last month of the half-year, but had a “minimal impact” on the business. In fact, he said the company’s technology has not only been able to keep TechnologyOne afloat but also helped customers make the shift to at-home and online work.
TechnologyOne Chairman Adrian Di Marco chimed in on this note, saying the company’s technology has helped customers transition to this new environment seamlessly.
“While COVID-19 has caused significant pain for many organisations, our customers have been able to seamlessly move from working in their office to working from home, the park, or anywhere they want, with no loss of functionally, speed, or agility,” Adrian explained.
Looking ahead, TechnologyOne said the markets it serves are generally resilient.
As such, the company is expecting a continued strong uptake of its services as businesses find ways to operate at full functionality in an online world.
Edward said with a strong pipeline, a high proportion of locked-in recurring revenues, no debt, and a strong balance sheet, the company is well-positioned to keep delivering strong growth over the full year.
“Having said this, COVID-19 is an evolving situation, and we have reflected this in our full-year guidance of net profit before tax up eight-to-twelve per cent,” he concluded.
Importantly, TechnologyOne has boosted its interim dividend by 10 per cent, committing to pay shareholders 3.47 cents per share this half-year.
This is particularly welcome news in an era where companies or scrapping or deferring dividends left, right, and centre.
Nevertheless, TNE shares are trading a slight 1.38 per cent lower today after touching green this morning. Currently, shares are worth $9.68 each.


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Customer service is high on the list of priorities for new Coffee Club owner, Scott Smith.
Scott and his wife Della took over the Orewa cafe, in Florence Avenue, last month. He says he is enjoying getting to know customers on a first name basis.
“There are some really interesting people on the Coast and I love hearing their stories,” he says. “It was part of the appeal of the Coffee Club because it caters more for locals than just people passing through.”
Scott says while feedback from customers has been overwhelmingly positive, he is keen to hear from all customers.
“I don’t want anyone to go away unhappy,” he says. “Ultimately, we may not be able to meet every customers’ expectations, but I at least want the opportunity to hear what the feedback is and try to resolve it.”
He says Coffee Club has spent a lot of time devising a menu that caters for a range of dietary requirements, from vegan to gluten-free, and the café has the flexibility to individualise meals where possible. Customers only have to ask and all suggestions are welcome.
After nearly 30 years working in the fast-moving consumer goods industry, selling everything from Pepsi Cola to chocolate and beer, Scott is relishing the opportunity to leave the corporate world behind and strike out on his own.
He and Della were first introduced to the Coffee Club chain when they lived in Sydney.
“The café we went to was kid-friendly, the coffee and food was consistently good, and we knew what to expect when we went there so when we started to look for a business, it made sense to go with something we were already familiar with.
“Plus, it’s a franchise with strong head office support, systems and training. This has been invaluable for us as ‘first time’ business owners.”
Orewa also felt like a natural fit.
“I have fond memories of holidaying here as a kid and Della and I used to bring our kids – Seb, 17, and Lily, 8 – here when we had a motorhome.”
Scott has spent his first few weeks at the café redecorating, adding screens and plants outside, ordering new furniture, improving the lighting and recovering the sofas. Della and Seb have been busy with a camera taking iconic shots of Orewa, which adorn the walls.
The Coffee Club opens 365 days a year and operates with a full-time staff of nine, plus a number of part-timers.