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Xiaomi is all set to launch the Mi 11 Lite on June 22 in India. As we are approaching closer to the launch, the brand is revealing the features of the smartphone. The company has recently confirmed that the smartphone will sport a 10-bit AMOLED panel.
Now the latest teaser has revealed the color variants of the Mi 11 Lite. The Mi 11 Lite was launched in both 4G and 5G variants. As of now, there is no official word on the launch of the Mi 11 Lite 5G in India.
Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite Color Variants confirmed Ahead Of Official Launch
The company took to its Twitter handle to confirm the color variant of the upcoming Mi 11 Lite. The phone will be available in three color options namely Tuscany Coral, Jazz Blue, and Vinyl Black. The tweet also mentions these colors are inspired by a region in Italy, a music genre & phonographic records.
We’re very excited to reveal 3 beautiful color variants of #Mi11Lite 😍
🟤 Tuscany Coral
🔵 Jazz Blue
⚫ Vinyl Black
These colors are inspired by a region in Italy, a music genre & phonographic records
Tell us your favorite color
— Mi India (@XiaomiIndia) June 18, 2021
Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite Features In India
The phone is believed to launch in India with identical features as the global model. The Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite will pack the Snapdragon 732G SoC and a 6.55-inch full-HD+ (1080 x 2400 pixels) display. It will also support a 90Hz refresh rate and the Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection.
The device will have a triple rear camera setup that will house a 64MP primary sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 5MP sensor. Upfront, the Mi 11 Lite will sport a 16MP selfie shooter. Besides, the phone will pack a 4,250 mAh battery along with 33W fast charging support and a side-mounted fingerprint scanner for security.
Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite India Launch Details And Availability
The phone will be launching on June 22 launch at 12 PM which will be streamed live on the company’s official YouTube channel and other social media handles. The phone will be available for purchase via Flipkart, mi.com, Mi Home, and other retail stores. Besides, the Flipkart microsite has also confirmed the design of the phone. The device will measure just 6.8 in thickness and weigh 157g, making it the slimmest and lightest phone of 2021.
Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite: Best Mid-range Device?
The Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite is rumored to come below Rs. 25,000 in India. Features like a powerful mid-range processor, 10-bit AMOLED panel, and its slim design can be best-selling points in this price range. However, the lack of 5G connectivity will be another drawback for the handset.
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Story first published: Friday, June 18, 2021, 17:44 [IST]


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Apple's foreign suits against Qualcomm can continue while US case ongoing, judge rules
Apple’s 11 international lawsuits against Qualcomm — in places like China, Japan, and the UK — can go on while an original U.S. case is underway, a U.S. federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to judge ruled this week.
“Apple’s declarations make evident that it has sought to challenge Qualcomm’s patent licensing practices may refer to: Practice (social theory), a theoretical term for human action in society Best practice Medical practice, a company which engages in the practise of medicine Phantom practice, and anticompetitive conduct territory territory is an administrative division, usually an area that is under the jurisdiction of a state by territory,” Judge Gonzalo Curiel said in rejecting , Reuters. “While Qualcomm may object to this litigation strategy as duplicative, the Court court is a tribunal, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and will not conclude that Apple apple tree (Malus pumila, commonly and erroneously called Malus domestica) is a deciduous tree in the rose family best known for its sweet, pomaceous fruit, the apple‘s exercise of its rights under foreign laws is vexatious.”
Apple spokesman Josh Rosenstock spun the ruling to support the company business (also known as an enterprise, a company or a firm) is an organizational entity and legal entity made up of an association of people, be they natural, legal, or a mixture of both who share‘s legal is a system of rules that are created and enforced through social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior arguments.
“We are pleased the federal court in San Diego decided Qualcomm must establish the fair value of its technology and defend its business practices in court before forcing Apple and others to pay exorbitant and unfair rates, which amount to a tax on our own invention,” he said in a statement.
Qualcomm’s VP of public affairs, Christine Trimble, said the company was “disappointed,” but acknowledged that “the motions involved high procedural hurdles.”
The chipmaker is also facing an antitrust case from the Commission may refer to: Commission (remuneration), a form of payment to an agent for services rendered Commission (art), the purchase or the creation of a piece of art most often on behalf of another injunction that would .</span>, and a lawsuit originated by . Qualcomm has launched legal action of its own, including a request for a U.S. International Trade

domain: news


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From The Washington Post:
Ivanka Trump-branded semiconductors and voting machines? In China?
That’s an odd, if remote, possibility after Chinese trademark regulators awarded preliminary approval for 16 trademark applications from the president’s daughter and White House senior adviser, online Chinese government filings show.
The approvals by Beijing on Oct. 13 were notable for their timing, coming just as Chinese and U.S. officials were seeking to restart trade talks that had collapsed amid acrimony. They also raised eyebrows for covering a grab-bag of products, including electoral hardware in a country not exactly known for its elections.
Ethics watchdogs have long warned about the possibility of foreign governments seeking to curry favor with President Trump through his family’s extensive business interests, and Ivanka Trump appeared to acknowledge the potential for conflict in her dual roles as White House official and international entrepreneur in July, when she shut down her namesake fashion line.
Where would this passel of dipshits be if they weren’t so dishonest and corrupt? Ivanka was born on third base, and then her dad threw goat’s piss in the umpire’s eyes so she could steal home without having to worry about breaking a heel on her stiletto pumps.
King Idiot is negotiating with China over the fates of thousands of soybean farmers and small business people. Maybe don’t use tariffs as leverage to get your daughter a bunch of goodies, okay? It’s simply bad optics, much like this:
This is a Creative Commons article. The original version of this article appeared here.


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Mobile-phone giant Nokia said on Friday that it had agreed to acquire Motally, a small Bay Area developer of mobile application and reporting.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but eas expected to close in the third quarter. Motally employs just eight people.
As the world's largest mobile-phone vendor, Nokia had the most to lose from then-upstarts like Apple's iPhone and the Android family of devices. Nokia does offer its Nokia Ovi Apps Store, although the company lacks the volume of support that other platforms enjoy.
"Motally's mobile analytics service offers in-application tracking and reporting, and is designed to enable developers and publishers to optimize the development of their mobile applications through increased understanding of how users engage," Nokia said. "The service offering is planned to be adapted for Qt, Symbian, Meego and Java developers, and Nokia plans to continue serving Motally's existing customer base."


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Oracle posts mixed results / Profit up, new sales down in 3rd quarter
Capping a big week for Oracle Corp., whose San Francisco conference this week drew thousands from the technology world, the Redwood City company reported a 28 percent jump in its third-quarter profit Friday.
But in a sign that the technology industry remains in a slump as businesses hold back spending on new technology, the company also said that its revenue for new software licenses declined.
Oracle reported net income of $440 million (8 cents) on sales of $2.07 billion in the quarter ended Aug. 31, compared with $343 million (6 cents) on revenue of $2.03 billion in the same period last year.
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Analysts had estimated a profit of 8 cents based on sales of $2.14 billion, according to Thomson First Call.
"Once again, the quarter showed positive growth in total revenue, and we expect to see continued improvement in total revenue," Oracle Chief Financial Officer Jeff Henley said in a statement.
The company got a boost from customers who updated their Oracle software or paid for support services.
Oracle reported $1.03 billion in revenue from software license updates and product support, up 14 percent from the same period the previous year.
But Oracle posted revenue of $525 million from new software licenses, compared to $563 million in the same period last year. That's below the company's sales projection of $574 million to $631 million.
Analyst Jeff Gould of Peerstone Research said the drop underscored the overall weakness in the corporate technology market.
"I was a little bit shocked in the decline in new licenses' revenue," he said. "That's the key parameter that everybody watches, not just for Oracle."
In a research note, analyst Brent Thill of Prudential Financial attributed the decline to "a combination of poor sales execution and a tepid IT (information technology) spending environment."
Gould echoed this view, saying, "I think it shows that American corporations are being extremely cautious about new capital expenditures."
Henley, the Oracle CFO, said the company was optimistic that revenue from new licenses would improve in the second quarter.
Gould said that's possible as demand for new software in the corporate world grows.
"We've been seeing for the last 6 to 9 months that large corporate buyers have a lot of pent-up demand for software," he said "The need is piling up behind the dam."
Oracle shares dropped 43 cents to $12.55 at the end of regular trading Friday.
ORACLE CORP. (Redwood City) 1st Qtr 2003 2002 Revenue $2,072,000,000 $2,028,000,000 Net profit $440,000,000 $343,000,000 Share earnings $0.08 $0.06


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Tuesday’s Portland Daily Sun included an interview with Claire Stretch, bartender at The Back Bay Grill,
What’s Underrated: Bubbly, like champagne, Prosecco, brut. Maine is number 50 in sales of bubbly, at the very bottom. Fresh squeezed juice isn’t used enough either.
and article that gathered opinions from diners restaurateurs and restaurant workers on this year’s Maine Restaurant Week.
Martha Bryon, co-owner of The Salt Exchange, has been very pleased so far. “It’s absolutely amazing. About half of the people who come in are for restaurant week and they’ve been very enthusiastic about making reservations. The experience has been beautiful, particularly coming off of a very hard winter. “


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The Wall Street Journal’s ultimate boss, News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch, stoked the smoldering paid content debate during an Aug. 5 earnings call. “The digital revolution has opened many new and inexpensive methods of distribution, but it has not made content free,” Murdoch said. He added that News Corp. would leverage its experience fromWSJ.com “to increase our revenues from all our content.”
“We’re not saying much beyond what Rupert Murdoch has said publicly,” Gordon McLeod, president of the Wall Street Journal Digital Network, told Media Business. He added that WSJ.com “has a healthy roadmap for [new offerings]in the areas of personalization, commerce and premium content” that will debut this fall.
Meanwhile, executives from the Financial Times talked to other news organizations about the success of their paid subscription strategies. The International Herald Tribune quoted John Ridding, Financial Times chief executive, saying, “People [are] throwing up their hands and saying it’s not possible for general publishers to charge. I think it is possible, and necessary, for them to charge.”
Ben Hughes, global commercial director and deputy CEO of the Financial Times, said FT.com would be “trying out the pay-per-article model next year” in addition to continuing to build its paid subscriber base. “We need to be as flexible as possible,” he added, to give users a choice in how they will pay for content.
The American Lawyer, the Incisive Media brand whose americanlawyer.com was selected as this year’s great nontechnology trade site, is also in the midst of an evolution in its subscription strategy. As a paid publication, The American Lawyermade only a limited amount of its magazine content available for free on its Web site. That strategy did not change when the Web site was relaunched in May 2008. However, a new free e-newsletter, the Am Law Daily, now provides a significant layer of content in the form of original daily news.
“The impact has been transformational,” said Aric Press, editor in chief. The newsletter goes to 60,000opt-in subscribers, and unique monthly visitors to the Web site exploded from 36,000 to 136,000.“We will go to a more fine-tuned free ,free-with-registration and paid-tier systems in the fall,” Press said.


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At the upcoming Geneva Motor Show, Chinese company Techrules will unveil what they claim is one of the finest electric cars ever built. According to the Beijing-based developers, the 1,030 bhp (around 768 kW) supercar will feature batteries that are recharged using a powerful range-extending gas turbine. Thanks to its uniquely advanced design, the vehicle will be capable of covering over 1,200 miles (approx. 1931 km) on a single fill-up.
The concept of turbine-equipped electric vehicles has been around for quite some time, with major automakers like Jaguar coming up with their own versions of the innovative microturbine-backed supercar. Unfortunately, most of these concept cars have never actually made it to production, maybe because of their high manufacturing costs. Techrules, however, plans to change all that, with its new “Turbine-Recharging Electric Vehicle” (TREV) system. While not much has been revealed in terms of its specifications, the company’s spokesperson was reported saying:
… it incorporates several technological innovations that deliver unprecedented advances in both whole-life environmental efficiencies and dynamic performance.
Gas turbines have been found to improve the range of electric cars, by serving as efficient back-up power for recharging the primary batteries. As the developers point out, the new vehicle boasts an impressive range of over 1,243 miles (nearly 2,000 km). The company is gearing up to showcase its incredibly powerful concept car at the 86th Geneva International Motor Show that will be held between March 3 and 13.
Via: Auto Express


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Local.com has released its fourth quarter 2008 earnings. Their revenue grew 61% year-over-year to $9.6 million. However, they experienced a net loss of $2.2 million, which translates to $0.15 a share.
"We are pleased to report fourth quarter results in line with our prior guidance and forecast a return to strong revenue growth in the first quarter. We are bullish for 2009, projecting approximately $50 million in overall revenue and a return to net income for the entire year," said Heath Clarke, Local.com chairman and CEO. "Despite a challenging economy, we are well positioned and have a balance sheet that will allow us to take advantage of strategic opportunities throughout the year. Our focus is on continued execution in driving sales and organic traffic."
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Belgian-Dutch retail group Ahold Delhaize did publish strong fourth quarter results, but its Belgian branch Delhaize failed to live up to expectations. The remodeled board will therefore propose a new strategy in the next few months.
Discounts weigh down margins
The group is doing well in the United States and the Netherlands, but Delhaize has not shown any sign of improvement. Fourth quarter turnover did grow slightly to 1.3 billion euro, but its company profit plummeted 56 % to 13 million euro. Its operational margins also shrank to 1.01 % following increased competition and the retailer’s impressive discounts. These were supposed to turn the tide, but mainly cost a lot of money. “Belgium experienced a difficult year, but I am happy that Delhaize is now developing a new strategy”, Dick Boer said.
Xavier Piesvaux and his team will announce that new strategy in the first half of 2018, but the aim is to stabilize its market share and to improve its profitability: it has to do better commercially, logistically and operationally. Albert Heijn CEO, Wouter Kolk, will supervize the changes. Expectations are that Delhaize will continue to alter its price perception, with marketing stunts like the “peanut weeks”, which are designed to help shoppers get through the end of the month thanks to products worth 99 cents.
Alongside the presentation of the financial results, Dick Boer also announced the retail group will continue to invest into the seamless shopping experience. Its US-based Stop & Shop already has a mobile Scan it & Go app which eliminates the need to wait in line at the cash register. In the Netherlands, Albert Heijn To Go announced its “Tap to Go” formula, which will allow customers to use their Bonus card to scan and pay for products with a simple tap on the electronic labels on the shelves. Both formulas will be rolled out throughout the year.
Dick Boer also referenced the strong online sales surge, including at Peapod and bol.com. Ahold Delhaize generated nearly 3 billion euros worth of sales online, which is a 21.8 % increase. 1.2 billion came from online food sales. The CEO is therefore committed to additional online investments.


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Intel is working to add overclocking capabilities to its upcoming Arc PC graphics cards.
The company revealed the feature in a blog post(Opens in a new window) from Roger Chandler, Intel’s general manager for client graphics products. One big task facing the company has been developing the necessary software drivers to ensure the PC graphics cards can run the latest games.
As part of that work, Intel has also been developing features that hardcore PC gamers would expect on a cutting-edge GPU. “We’re even integrating overclocking controls into the driver UI to give enthusiasts the tools they need to push the hardware to the limit,” Chandler wrote.
The overclocking means owners will be able to speed up the GPU beyond the normal specifications for a performance boost. This capability can be especially handy during the ongoing GPU shortage. With an older GPU, you can overclock to get a performance uplift, although don’t expect a major leap in frame rates.
The blog post from Chandler also suggests the overclocking option will be built in to Intel’s software for the GPU. The other software feature Intel is working on involves making it easy to share your PC gaming experience on an Arc graphics card over social media.
“Many gamers are also creators, so we’re developing robust capture capabilities that leverage our powerful encoding hardware,” he added. “These include a virtual camera with AI assist and recorded game highlights that save your best moments.”
The same cards will also support ray tracing and an Nvidia-DLSS-like technology called “Xe Super Sampling,” which can increase a game’s frame rate. The first Intel Arc graphics card line, Alchemist, is slated to launch during Q1 2022. But for now, the company has yet to reveal the clock speeds, memory capacity, and pricing for the upcoming products.
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The British are coming, and in a very chic way. The New York Times reported on Monday that beloved U.K. home brand The White Company will be making its way Stateside. The brand, known for a signature monochrome aesthetic across its home, fashion, and beauty offerings, brings with it a cult following and a long history of successful store openings.
Since its debut in 2004, the brand has carved out a niche for itself in high-quality yet affordable goods, ranging from crisp white bed linens to subdued wooden and stoneware tabletop accessories. Founded by Chrissie Rucker, Britain’s wealthiest self-made businesswoman, the company will open its New York City outpost on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan’s Flatiron District—which has seen an influx of buzzy design destinations, from Carl Hansen to Kohler to Rejuvenation, this year—this Thursday. The brand is working on plans for a second store in Short Hills, New Jersey. For those too antsy to wait, the brand already offers online shopping for its American fans.
“The thing about white is that it goes with everything; it is a canvas for life, whoever you are and whatever your tastes. You just can’t beat it,” the owner of the White Company told The New York Times. “It just brings a real sense of peace and calm to a room, doesn’t it? And given the hectic lives we all lead these days, isn’t that want we all want from our homes?”


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Micron Engineering (NASDAQ:MU) shares fell 8% on Friday as expenditure agency Piper Sandler downgraded the memory chip maker, citing its “outsized publicity” to consumer electronics.
Analyst Severe Kumar decreased his rating on Micron (MU) shares to underweight from neutral and slashed his per-share rate focus on to $70 from $90, noting the company’s publicity to cellular, PCs and “other shopper finish-markets” are topic to weaker tendencies, even though the dynamic random obtain memory, or DRAM marketplace, of which the company gets 70% of its earnings from, has started off to see price declines.
NAND pricing, which Micron (MU) also has exposure to, has witnessed a deceleration in the past few months, Kumar additional.
“While we do truly feel the firm has performed an outstanding occupation to lower its cost framework and stay financially disciplined, we carry on to check out memory as mostly a commodity industry as opposed to the relaxation of our universe,” Kumar wrote in a notice to consumers.
“As a final result, we do experience Micron is probable to underperform, and we choose differentiated corporations with a lot less consumer publicity.”
Kumar pointed out that Micron’s (MU) exposure of better than 50% to customer marketplaces is higher than quite a few other semiconductor firms, and with some weakness in the mobile and Laptop marketplaces, it really is probably there could be “added stress on the firm.”
Micron (MU) is also not as uncovered to the automotive sector, which Kumar mentioned occasions like growing rates, a slowing macro and the possibility of excess stock may perhaps be a issue.
At present, the analyst is only confident in Micron’s (MU) facts centre business, which includes a lot less than 30% of its income.
On Thursday, it was documented that Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM) was wanting to improve its publicity to memory chip makers, together with Micron Know-how (MU).
Analysts have been overly bullish on Micron’s inventory (MU). It had an typical rating of Sturdy Buy from Wall Street analysts, and a slightly significantly less enthusiastic Buy from In search of Alpha authors. Conversely, Seeking Alpha’s quant method, which constantly beats the sector, rated Micron a Sturdy Buy.


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Indie Dev Collective has announced their second massive sale, offering discounts on a wide range of products from various developers.
Following the success of their first collaborative event (May 2010), the Indie Dev Collective are back with another fantastic sale.
Nine developers providing a highly diverse selection of synths, effects, samples, loops, and presets – all on sale at the same time, with prices up to 70% off.
IDC Sale #2 includes products by:
- Dusted William Sounds
- H.G. Fortune
- Hardcore Harmonics/Supersynths
- Nucleus Soundlab
- Perimeter Sound Arts
- Westgate Sounds
The sale lasts until November, 30th, 2010.
Visit Indie Dev Collective for more information.


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“Your honor, I’d like to call to the stand Amazon’s Echo.”
Far fetched? Maybe. But a recent murder case in Arkansas highlights how law enforcement continues to take more than a passing interest in the data stored by our phones and now the “always on” connected devices in our homes.
In Arkansas, police investigating a murder case issued a warrant seeking information collected by an Amazon Echo in a suspect’s home. Amazon twice refused to provide data from its servers from the device.
Just like Apple’s refusal earlier this year to unlock an iPhone for the FBI, that is a good thing. But the case raises all sorts of questions about the future of connected devices.
Yes, the Echo is a lot of fun. The so-called “smart speaker” will play a George Michael song on demand, look up the capital of Tennessee and walk you through a cookie recipe, among many other things. The Echo was such a hot gift this Christmas that Amazon sold out of them.
The Echo, it turns out, is intently listening like a dog waiting for its owner’s command. With seven microphones and multiple sensors, it is supposed to wake up when a user says “Alexa,” the name of Echo’s voice-activated personal assistant. But sometimes, the Echo wakes up when it thinks it’s heard “Alexa,” inserting itself into the middle of a conversation.
What interests law enforcement is that the Echo records all commands, inquiries and occasionally some stray bits of conversation even when it is streaming music in the background. It’s all uploaded to Amazon’s servers, where the information sits until a user deletes it.
After learning about the Arkansas case, I checked the history of our family’s new Echo. One snippet of conversation shows my 11-year-old daughter may be abusing the new device as she does Apple’s Siri. Or she may have been talking to one of us, when she said: “I don’t like you.”
Alexa: “I’m sorry if I did anything to make you feel that way. It wasn’t my intent.”
It makes sense that police would be interested in the Echo belonging to suspect James Andrew Bates. What did the Echo hear before Victor Collins was found dead in a hot tub? Did the Echo send search requests and any other snippets of conversation to Amazon’s cloud from that evening? In its warrants, the Bentonville police listed other information that the device can control, including home security, lighting and video surveillance.
The internet retail giant twice declined to hand over the information, saying in a statement that it would “not release customer information without a valid and binding legal demand properly served on us.”
“Amazon objects to overbroad or otherwise inappropriate demands as a matter of course,” the Seattle-based company said.
A ridiculous number of things in our lives are becoming connected as part of the Internet of Things. If we want to enjoy some of the benefits of those connected appliances, dolls, activity monitors and thermostats, we also need to know that the information they collect to become smarter and more helpful is not available for the asking.
“You have an expectation of privacy in your home, and I have a big problem that law enforcement can use the technology that advances our quality of life against us,” Bates’ defense attorney, Kimberly Weber, told The Information.
The FBI showdown with Apple over unlocking the iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino attackers ended in a temporary truce after the FBI said it found another way to crack the device. Apple CEO Tim Cook refused to unlock the phone, saying such a move would set a precedent. “We fear that this demand would undermine the very freedoms and liberty our government is meant to protect,” he wrote.
But as the Arkansas case shows, that was just a pause in the ongoing struggle between law enforcement and tech companies over personal privacy and security.
“Alexa’s brain is in the cloud, so she continually learns and adds more functionality over time,” according to Amazon’s description of the way Echo works. “The more you use Alexa, the more she adapts to your speech patterns, vocabulary, and personal preferences.”
In the coming year, expect more showdowns over privacy and government officials over connected devices. If we’re going to teach Alexa, Siri or any of the other voice-activated personal assistants anything, tech companies are going to have to hold the line.


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Vancouver, Canada (PRWEB) January 10, 2006
Macintosh users are flocking to http://www.maconlinepoker.com/ in record numbers, ever since the company recently announced that they have launched their Mac online poker software. Mac users are no longer left out of the online poker boom, thanks to the free poker software found on the website.
"The popularity of online poker has simply exploded over the past year and a half, right alongside with televised poker tournaments such as the World Series of Poker and the World Poker Tour," said the site's CEO. "We realized that Mac and iMac users were being left out, and so we decided to provide Mac poker access directly through our website."
Response to the games has been overwhelming, according to the same source.
"It turns out that Macintosh users are pretty darn poker hungry," said the CEO. "We are receiving emails every day now, thanking us for opening up the world of online poker to Mac users."
"It's as easy as signing up for an account, logging in, and picking a game. We made sure it would be easy for the average internet user to sign up and play with no potential hassles."
The software hosted on http://www.maconlinepoker.com/ is easy to use, and requires no downloading or installing to use it. All the poker games work right in the users web browser, whether they're using Safari, Firefox, Netscape, Internet Explorer, or any other browser.
The games allow Mac and iMac users to join the online Texas Hold'Em boom, and play poker with other people from all over the world.


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It has been predicted that spending on travel will plunge to 45 per cent at the end of this year due to the current health crisis.
According to the US Travel Association by Tourism Economics, domestic travel will plunge 40 per cent, down from $972 billion in 2019 to $583 billion in 2020. International travel spending is expected to drop 75 per cent from $155 billion to $39 billion.
US Travel Association Executive Vice President for Public Affairs and Policy, Tori Emerson Barnes, said: "The data is telling us that travel and tourism has been more severely damaged than any other U.S. industry by the economic fallout of the health crisis. Given that travel employed one in 10 Americans and was the No. 2 U.S. export before the pandemic, supporting this industry through to the recovery phase ought to be a national priority. Our asks for lawmakers are substantial, but they're also simple: we need relief, protection, and stimulus for the travel industry to make it past the worst of the crisis and help power an economic recovery."


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Verizon signed a deal with Google, which will sell some local ad inventory across 50 networks on FiOS TV through its Google TV Ads platform -- but the search giant still lacks deals with any cable operators.
With the addition of FiOS TV, which has about 3.3 million subscribers, Google TV Ads will be able to serve ads to 35 million households given Google's existing deals with DirecTV and Dish Network.
That gives Google TV Ads the ability to reach almost one-third of all U.S. cable and satellite homes, according to Mark Piesanen, director of strategic partnerships for Google TV Ads. "Combine this reach with our digital buying platform, and you have one powerful solution that can deliver results," he wrote in a blog post Thursday.
Dish places Google TV Ads across more than 100 networks but DirecTV is initially placing ads across only 11 smaller networks.
Google's TV advertising ambitions suffered a blow last month when NBC Universal terminated its Google TV Ads relationship to sell national spots across Syfy, Oxygen, MSNBC, CNBC, Sleuth and Chiller.


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PLDT Inc. is leading digital inclusion among Asian telcos.
PLDT, moved to ranked 12th out of 150 companies, as shown in the latest Digital Inclusion Benchmark conducted by the World Benchmarking Alliance (WBA).
The company joined global businesses like Apple, Cisco, Samsung and Alphabet in the top 15.
PLDT said it is the top ranked telco from Asia (excluding China), and the highest ranking company headquartered in a developing nation.
PLDT chief sustainability officer Melissa Vergel de Dios
“We are proud to be ranked globally with the world’s biggest tech companies in promoting a more inclusive digital economy and society. We are encouraged to see that our efforts have been recognized and this recognition motivates us even more to pursue efforts to connect and empower Filipinos digitally.
The WBA ranked the 150 most influential technology companies in the world on their efforts across four indicators – enhancing digital skills, fostering trustworthy use, innovating openly and ethically, and improving access to technology.
The WBA favorably noted the PLDT group’s initiatives on skills development where it ranked second among companies surveyed. PLDT also showed strong performance on the “use” category, placing 10th among companies evaluated.
The WBA recognized the company’s investments in its cybersecurity defenses, particularly PLDT’s commitment to keeping a safer online space for its customers, particularly, children.
Overall, PLDT said it is one of only 27 companies that received passing marks in this year’s benchmarking. PLDT said it remains committed to tear down the barriers that are currently excluding billions of people globally from accessing and productively harnessing digital technologies.With additional reports: The Philippine Star, Richmond Mercurio
IMAGE SOURCES: PLDT Facebook


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The same day news surfaced of her breakup to George Clooney, Elisabetta Canalis sought solace by shopping with another man ... her brother Luigi.
The 32-year-old newly single Italian hottie and her bro hit the high fashion streets of Milan on Wednesday.
You never know what's in store for her.
Elisabetta -- Post Breakup Retail Therapy
6/22/2011 11:07 AM PDT BY Johnny Lopez
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Wii U release date denied
The Wii U's November 18th release date has been denied by Performance Designed Products, the gaming accessory maker who allegedly leaked it
Nintendo Wii U
PDP apparently inadvertantly leaked the Wii U's November 18th release date at a GameStop managers' conference, where they were unveiling some upcoming products. Gaming website Kotaku published a report that PDP confrirmed the product line-up would be released 'just ahead of the Wii U's November 18 release'.
According to Kotaku, PDP swiftly moved to stop the rumours, releasing a statement, saying their comments had been misunderstood.
"Performance Designed Products ("PDP") is aware of the recent rumors posted alleging that PDP inadvertently 'leaked' the official release date of the upcoming Nintendo Wii U gaming system during a trade presentation earlier today," said William Otte, Senior Vice President Sales and Marketing of PDP.
The Nintendo Wii U is expected to be released in time for Christmas this year. A few days ago Nintendo sent out invites to a press event in Now York City on September 13, where the firm is expected to announce the console's release date.


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Look at this! I thought this was a fun gadget!
Polaroid's new printer is a little bigger than a deck of cards and connects to phones by USB or Bluetooth.
LAS VEGAS, Nevada (AP) -- Once celebrated for cameras that made their own prints, Polaroid Corp. plans to update the concept this year by selling a portable printer for images on cell phones and digital cameras.
And like those old Polaroid instant-film cameras, the new printers should have a wow factor: they require no ink, because they employ a thermal printing technology from startup Zink Imaging Inc.
The 8-ounce printers, a bit bigger than a deck of cards, are due to go on sale around back-to-school time for about $150, Polaroid and Zink announced Monday at the International Consumer Electronics Show.
Once connected to a phone or camera by Bluetooth wireless or the USB port, the printers need less than a minute to churn out 2-inch-by-3-inch pictures, which can be peeled off a backing and used as stickers. Sheets of paper for the device will cost about 40 cents each, less if bought in bulk.
The Zink technology, which uses heat to activate minuscule dye crystals embedded in the photo paper, won raves at the influential Demo conference a year ago. But until the CES announcement, Zink had not lined up any partners who would bring its technology to market.
Polaroid is a natural fit, and not just because of its photo-printing history. Zink was founded in 2005 by private investors who bought many technologies from Polaroid as it was coming out of bankruptcy.
Prices and availability dates were not disclosed.


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The updated i20 Elite has paid rich dividends to the company as it has registered around 40,000 bookings, ever since its much anticipated launch which took place around two months back. The Hyundai Elite i20 was officially launched on August 11, while the advance bookings commenced from August 1. The company went on record to reveal that the hatchback has received 15,300 bookings and 79,200 inquiries in just 20 days of its launch in the country.
Hyundai Elite i20 is advanced, up-market and striking than its predecessor in terms of appearance, interior and dimensions. Being based on an all-new platform, the Elite i20 has enhanced wheelbase than the previous generation i20. The monthly sales report of August and September revealed that Hyundai delivered 6,627 and 8,903 units of Elite i20, respectively. However, these numbers are fairly high as compared with those of previous generation i20 as it used to sell around 3500-4000 units monthly on an average. On the other hand, the Elite i20, despite these spectacular sales figures, lags behind by a long margin to its arch rival Maruti Suzuki Swift as the Swift sold 17,716 and 17,265 units in August and September, respectively. And, these sales figures are expected to rise even more as Maruti has introduced the updated Swift hatchback, recently with more up-market features and aggressive styling.
Hyundai Elite i20 was launched in price range of Rs. 4.89-7.67 Lakhs (Ex. Showroom, Delhi) which is around Rs. 40,000-50,000 more than that of new Swift's (4.42-6.95 Lakhs) price. Hence, despite being rich in features but due to a bit overpriced, the majority of buyers drift towards the Maruti nut. But, the aforementioned sales numbers are also not low and believe it or not, it has propelled the company to introduce a crossover version of the hatchback around the first quarter of next year. The completely camouflaged test mules of the Elite i20 based crossover has already been spied several times in the country. The crossover is expected to boast an array of up-market and contemporary features such as LED daytime running lights, projector headlights, roof rails, body cladding and petal-shaped alloy wheels.


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Mercury warning for skin-lightening creams
Updated 5:24 pm, Thursday, January 9, 2014
Consumers should be wary of high levels of mercury in certain skin-lightening creams imported from other countries, the California Department of Public Health warned Thursday.
The state agency issued its warning after it said it had found mercury in two face creams that had been imported into the United States and purchased. Officials identified one cream as Monsepa Bleaching Express Peeling, and the other as Jiaoli Miraculous Cream, which was labeled in Chinese.
The agency did not identify the retail outlets where the products were bought or their countries of origin.
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Consumers should stop using these products as well as any face creams that contain mercury, mercurio, mercurous chloride, cinnabar or calomel or don't come with an ingredients list on their labels, the agency said.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration limits the amount of mercury in cosmetics to 1 part per million, but not all manufacturers comply, and not all countries have those standards.
In a study in December, Loma Linda University School of Medicine scientists analyzed 549 skin-lightening products manufactured in 32 countries and bought online in the United States, Taiwan and Japan, as well as from stores in the U.S. and Asia. About 6 percent, or 30, of the products - some of them purchased in the U.S. - contained mercury levels of more than 1,000 parts per million.
Overexposure to mercury, a neurotoxin, can lead to irritability, depression, nervousness, difficulty concentrating or remembering, fatigue, tremors, shaking, weakness, and tingling or numbness in the hands, feet or around the mouth. In women, mercury can also impair fertility.
For more info
California Safe Cosmetics Program: (877) 325-3223
California Poison Control System: (800) 222-1222
California Department of Public Health's complaint line: (800) 495-3232


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Manchester United‘s eagerly-awaited new home kit for the forthcoming 2019/20 season has been leaked online.
Last week, the Red Devils announced the appointment of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as the club’s permanent manager on a three-year contract, and it looks like there could be an imminent announcement on the way regarding the club’s strips.
The ultra reliable kit website Footy Headlines have published details and images of what is purported to be United’s new home jersey, and it seems manufacturers Adidas are continuing with this season’s theme of a black trim.
In fact, for the first time in modern history, United will be turning out in a shirt with an entirely black crest, which will be outlined by a gold stitch:
Given Adidas pay United a whopping £75 million per season for the rights to sell their kits, they’ll no doubt be hoping these will fly off the shelves when they’re released this summer.
But what do you think of the fresh designs?
Let us know in the comments section below…


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- Ruffian Games Creative Director Billy Thomson
announced today that Hollowpoint is making its console debut on PlayStation 4!
To quote: Ruffian Games are an experienced console developer based in Dundee, Scotland. it's great to branch out and work with a new partner like Paradox.
We're all massive fans of PS4, and releasing a game on Sony's platform is an added bonus that is hugely exciting for Ruffian's Hollowpoint...


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Popular fashion designer and film director Tom Ford is coming back home to America, thanks to President Donald Trump.
Ford said that Trump's amazing election victory has made him more nationalistic. He feels inspired by Trump and that has helped his decision to move back to the U.S.
In an interview with Women's Wear Daily, Ford said he felt the exact opposite of some liberal Hollywood celebrities who have earlier expressed their wish to move out of the U.S. simply because their bet, Hillary Clinton lost big. Those celebrities cannot accept that Trump is now the President. Yet no one of those who threatened to leave the country should Trump win has done so.
Ford has bought a house in Los Angeles and is set to move from London to LA in the coming months.
The director of the movie Nocturnal Animals said that he is truly American, and that made him want to come back. He also pointed the need to listen and understand the sentiments of more Americans who may be feeling left out. He added that the whole country is not like New York and Los Angeles, both richer areas than most in the country.
Ford's favorable sentiments for Trump now may completely put behind a controversial misunderstanding between the two before Trump was sworn in. Ford said then that he does not want to dress up First Lady Melania. Trump was offended and fired back that his wife does not even like the designs of Ford, anyway.
Ford clarified that he was not rejecting the First Lady, only that he felt it would not be proper for Melania or the President to wear his designs. He said that his clothes are very expensive. They are also made in Italy. Ford thought that the President and the First Lady should wear affordable clothes that Americans could relate to. All's well that ends well for Ford and the Trumps.


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Last Thursday, in the US House of Representatives, there was a discussion by the House Agriculture Committee as the United States on two new bills about cryptocurrencies.
The first bill focuses on determining which cryptocurrencies are considered securities; the other is intended to build regulatory infrastructure around several cryptocurrency exchanges.
The Securities Clarification Act has been revised to distinguish between investment contracts and multiple financial instruments in securities law. For institutional investors and the broader crypto ecosystem, a fresh breath of life into the regulatory environment could be bullish.
The Digital Commodity Exchange Act was also brought forward to the House Agriculture Committee by Representative Mike Conaway and The Blockchain Caucus. This will bring the CFTC, which response to the Agriculture Committee, under the authority of crypto exchanges.
As registration will significantly simplify payments and streamline licensing for regional exchanges, this will be a groundbreaking event for cryptocurrency traders. Late, inter-state charges were notoriously problematic. Crypto payment services require separate licenses that slow down acceptance and limit opportunities to operate in different states.
A crucial moment for any U.S person possessing crypto assets will be for cryptocurrency to be commonly regarded as a product.
If the new bills were to pass, retail crypto investments would come into several of the same regulatory categories. There is still room in the agreement to allow more complicated and unique use cases.


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Explore Jane Friedman's 2018 Year in Review—her take on the latest trends and shakeups in the book and magazine realms, and what those mean for writers in the coming year.
For better or worse, current events continue to drive attention, sales and subscriptions across all sectors of publishing this year. If 2017 was best remembered for “fake news,” then 2018 was the year of #MeToo, with a surge of groundbreaking revelations about sexual harassment rippling throughout all categories of the media, from Harvey Weinstein to Charlie Rose to Sherman Alexie. For book publishers, political books contributed to sales growth, while newspapers saw digital subscriptions increase as citizens grew more willing to pay for access to quality journalism.
The New U.S. Tax Bill & Its Effect on Writers
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the new U.S. tax bill, took effect on Jan. 1, 2018, and has had wide-ranging impacts on writers. Often used by authors and freelancers, pass-through entities such as LLCs, sole proprietorships, partnerships and S corporations are taxed differently under the new law. Currently, profits from pass-through entities are taxed at an individual rate, which can be as high as 39.6 percent. The new tax bill allows such businesses to deduct 20 percent of business income. However, high-earning writers (with annual earnings of more than $157,500) may not receive this new tax break in part or full.
New Supreme Court Ruling Is a Potential Win for Booksellers
On June 21, the Supreme Court handed down an important ruling in South Dakota v. Wayfair that affects bookselling nationwide. Until the ruling was made, it was not mandatory for online retailers to collect sales tax if they did not have a physical presence in the state; however, going forward, it is. While this decision has far-reaching implications for all businesses, it is widely considered a win for the bookselling community in its battle against Amazon. However, Amazon itself was already paying sales tax in all states before the ruling. Therefore, it primarily affects third-party sales made through Amazon (in the Amazon Marketplace). Ironically, if Amazon Marketplace sellers are negatively affected, sales may simply shift to Amazon itself.
Publishing’s #MeToo Reckoning
As headlines proliferated around #MeToo and issues of diversity this year, the publishing industry has been forced to deal with long-seated problems. Leading authors such as Sherman Alexie, Junot Díaz and Jay Asher have been accused of sexual harassment, forcing publishers, agents and booksellers to decide whether to retain or sever relationships, cancel planned events and rescind awards and positions. Morality clauses are now appearing in book-publishing contracts to give publishers flexibility to abandon an author when bad behavior surfaces. #MeToo isn’t the only issue, though. In the YA and romance communities in particular, race and diversity have become hot-button issues. YA authors are revising books to avoid claims of racism, and reviewers have been called out for favorably reviewing books considered racist. More publishers and authors now seek sensitivity readers prior to publication to catch problems early.
This year we lost two pre-eminent figures of 20th century literature: Philip Roth, perhaps best known for Portnoy’s Complaint and the character of Nathan Zuckerman; and new journalist Tom Wolfe, iconic in his trademark white suit, who wrote numerous bestsellers—both fiction and nonfiction—such as The Bonfire of the Vanities and The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test.
We also said goodbye to Nobel Prize–winner V.S. Naipaul, poet Donald Hall, children’s author Richard Peck and novelist Anita Shreve (The Pilot’s Wife and The Weight of Water).
BOOK PUBLISHING DEVELOPMENTS
Amazon Shutters Some Indie Writer Publishing Programs
This year, Amazon pulled back on some of its publishing programs, closing down several initiatives popular with self-published authors. The most notable closure was that of Kindle Worlds, a platform that allowed established authors to license their story worlds to other writers—providing a legitimate path to profit from fan fiction. Over five years, Kindle Worlds launched nearly 100 licensed worlds, some well-known—everything from Hugh Howey to G.I. Joe. In addition to Kindle Worlds, Amazon also closed crowdsourced publishing platform Kindle Scout; stopped actively accepting submissions for Kindle Press, which focused on publishing digital-only editions; and halted their acceptance of script submissions for Amazon Studios.
Agent Embezzlement Reportedly Leaves Chuck Palahniuk Broke
In late May, shocking news circulated about the respected literary agency of Donadio & Olson, where the agency’s accountant was found to have embezzled $3.4 million over a period of years. In the aftermath, the agency’s client, Chuck Palahniuk, wrote on his website that he’s close to broke. Up until the embezzlement news, he’d blamed his dwindling income on piracy and slow-paying publishers. Attorneys for Donadio & Olson have said the agency “is ensuring that all of its impacted clients are made whole to the greatest extent possible.” Exactly who is affected and how much of that $3.4 million is owed to authors is unknown.
Nonfiction and Digital Audiobook Sales Thrive; Fiction Remains Stagnant
While traditional publishers have enjoyed a slight increase in overall book sales this year, the growth is mainly being driven by nonfiction as well as digital audio—the latter of which has been growing by 20 to 30 percent over the last few years. In the nonfiction realm, successful categories include politics, cookbooks, self-help and business. However, the CEO of Simon & Schuster, Carolyn Reidy, says some of their important authors have experienced sales declines, and that other houses are experiencing a similar trend. She said, “We’re talking about these real powerhouses that have fueled the industry for a lot of years. It’s still a challenge to help an established, bestselling author maintain and grow his or her audience—that’s a big challenge in today’s world.”
Barnes & Noble Continues to Experience Turmoil
Just before Valentine’s Day, the largest brick-and-mortar U.S. bookselling chain announced a “new labor model,” eliminating store positions to save $40 million annually. While no figures were given, it was estimated about 1,600 people were laid off, which would represent about a 6 percent decline in its workforce. Sales have been slowly declining for the last couple years at the beleaguered retailer as it attempts to create a shopping experience that will help it better compete against Amazon as well as independent bookstores. To that end, it has launched a new nationwide book club, focused on growing its own membership program, and created a book-browsing app to increase engagement. However, in a surprising turn of events, Barnes & Noble fired its CEO over the summer without severance and is now searching for a replacement. In the last five years, the company has had four chief executives; book publishers are frustrated at the retailer’s instability and fear its loss, as it represents an important counterweight to Amazon-ian power.
DEVELOPMENTS IN MAGAZINES & JOURNALISM
Major Magazine Mergers: Meredith Acquires Time Inc., Hearst Acquires Rodale
The year started with a not-unexpected—yet still groundbreaking—business merger: The Iowa-based Meredith (best known for Better Homes and Gardens) acquired New York–based Time Inc. The acquisition instantly made Meredith the largest magazine company in the world. By March, the company announced a round of layoffs and cost-cutting measures, and also that it would sell off several of Time’s flagship publications: Time, Sports Illustrated, Fortune and Money. (Buyers have recently been announced for Time.) That wasn’t the only big merger this year; Hearst acquired Rodale, best known for its health and wellness brands, such as Prevention and Men’s Health. As with Meredith, Hearst wasted little time in announcing layoffs and sold off Rodale’s book division to Penguin Random House.
New Facebook Algorithm Negatively Impacts Traffic for News Sites
While it’s not necessarily a new or surprising development, news publishers experienced serious declines in 2018 in non-paid traffic from Facebook. In his first announcement of the year, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg said the site would prioritize posts by families, friends and groups—partly driven by the negative attention Facebook has received for helping disseminate “fake news.” Some characterized Facebook’s move as a stark and disappointing retreat from the news business. The next strategy for some news outlets? Focus on driving organic search results from Google.
Increased Paper Costs Affecting Profit Margins, Especially at Newspapers and Magazines
It’s a cruel irony: Reduced demand for book and magazine paper stock has increased its cost, as paper companies have shifted production to areas where demand is growing, such as packaging. (Think: Amazon boxes.) Additionally, President Trump’s tariffs on paper from Canada has increased costs for newsprint, creating the very real possibility of driving small papers out of business. In May, several senators put forth a bill—the PRINT Act—to protect printers and publishers from such tariffs; and in August, the International Trade Commission voted unanimously to reverse the taxes.
Europe Tightens Up Privacy Laws, Affecting Publishers Worldwide
Due to increasing privacy concerns, a new law from the European Union, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), took effect in May. While it’s meant to bring big tech firms—think Google and Facebook—to heel, the new law has repercussions for anyone who runs a website or collects personal data from EU citizens, such as email addresses. The key provisions of the law: People must give explicit and proactive consent for their data to be collected; they have the right to review what data is stored and take it elsewhere; and they have the right to withdraw consent and have their data expunged. Publishers are complying by having clear privacy policies and terms of service, and establishing records of consent. Since it’s often easier to make that a blanket request rather than singling out EU citizens, U.S. citizens now enjoy the halo effect the law is creating.
Looking ahead, keep your eye on the subscription wars: Every media business is now considering how to get readers to pay weekly, monthly or annually for access. While everyone agrees someone has to pay for content—especially since advertising is making up a smaller portion of the revenue pie than ever before—how many subscriptions can any single reader justify? Expect discussion of subscription exhaustion, especially if and when the news cycle becomes dramatically less interesting to readers.
This feature originally appeared in the Writer's Digest Yearbook 2019. Grab a copy or subscribe to discover more.
Writersdigest.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com and affiliated websites.


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Nature is inspiring scientists to make some of the world's smallest, fastest and most efficient drones till date.
Scientists have developed a new algorithm that can automatically pick out the good parts from long videos to produce a miniature trailer.
If Silicon Valley is known as a place bent on replacing human judgment with algorithmic efficiency, Apple wants to be the one company that stands proudly against that trend.
The state information technology department has proposed a cleaning up of the voters’ lists through data analysis, data de-duplication, use of face-matching algorithm, use of GIS, linking with UID etc.
Worker ants have been found to be more effective in processing information than Google. Ants are capable of complex problem-solving strategies that could be widely applied as optimization techniques.
Indian IT players are increasingly working to include automation in their business process services and testing.
Tathaghat Avatar Tulsi was a child prodigy at 6.
Market tracker IDC predicted in April that sales of wearable tech items would triple this year to 19 million units worldwide, growing to 111.9 million by 2018.


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Abdur Rauf, a farmer who came to sell onions at Boalmari market, said, 'I have planted onions in two bigha of land. Out of this I got 45 maunds of onion from 1 bigha land. From that I brought five maunds of onions for sale. I left the rest of the onions at home.'
Raja Hossain, the vendor of this market, said that the market is on the rise due to the news of India's stoppage of onion exports. Farmers are also bringing less onion to the market than usual.
Sujanagar Upazila Agriculture Officer Rafiul Islam said that now the price of onion is being sold in the market, the farmer is getting profit. This price is also within the reach of the consumer. If the price falls more than this, it will not be profitable for the farmer.


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What is the Price ? : Microsoft Windows 10 Price in India ?
Microsoft has announced prices for its latest operating system, Windows 10, for Indian customers. A day after the operating system was launched, with one of Microsoft’s 13 launch events taking place in New Delhi, prices have been enlisted on Microsoft’s official store. While Windows 10 Home will cost Rs. 7,999, Windows 10 Pro will come with a price tag of Rs. 14,999.
Check out the Image below to see Windows 10 Price in India:
As part of its universal launch across 190 nations, Microsoft has rolled out Windows 10 to existing Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 users as a free upgrade. This move by Microsoft is aligned with CEO Satya Nadella’s aim to power 1 billion devices worldwide with Windows 10. Microsoft also aims to phase out support for Windows 7, the six-year-old operating system that still powers a large number of computers worldwide, in about five years’ time, and also phase out Windows 8 support by 2023. Previously, Nadella has spoken about Windows 10 not being designed as a standalone operating system for PCs, but as a universal platform for devices of varying form factors. Microsoft has also stated that Windows 10 will be the final version of Windows, to which it will keep providing rolling upgrades to keep the OS fresh.
Microsoft’s move to provide a single, all-encompassing platform has seen them add and upgrade a number of features and services to Windows 10, including a desktop version of Cortana, its new internet browser Edge, a new multitasking layout, Continuum, and support for Microsoft HoloLens, Xbox One and seamless synchronisation with Windows 10 for phones. Windows Continuum will see a phone running on Windows 10 to convert into a fully functional PC when connected to a larger screen and keyboard bundle, which is one of the keystones on which Nadella is basing Microsoft and Windows’ future on.
The move to provide initial free upgrades to Windows 10 has seen millions of copies being downloaded worldwide. While Microsoft will continue to make revenue by licensing manufacturers to equip devices with Windows 10, it will also hope to attract more users with the functionalities of Windows 10, thereby boosting future sales. Users who were not running licensed versions of Windows 7, 8 or 8.1 will be required to purchase Windows 10.


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U.S. Pushes Free Trade in Telecommunications
U.S. executives and officials expect a bonanza from free trade in telecommunications
If U.S. diplomats can negotiate a free trade agreement for telecommunications, the worldwide market will easily double to at least $1 trillion per year, predicted Reed Hundt, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission.
"With [international competition] we can easily grow the $550 billion global communications market to more than a trillion dollars per year, easily double the $50 billion market for international long distance calls...[and] catalyze the continued explosive growth of the Internet," Hundt told an information technology conference Sept. 18 in Washington, D.C.
With the talks in progress, "we see enormous opportunities abroad," said Bert Roberts, chairman of the $15 billion, Washington-based MCI Communications Corp., at the conference. To expand in the global market, MCI has allied itself with British Telecommunications PLC, a $22 billion phone company based in London.
U.S. equipment makers also stand to profit from free trade. "The expectation is that there will be more competition, which means... more products are needed," said Eric Nelson, a lobbyist at the Washington-based Telecommunications Industry Association. The association represents the manufacturers of telecommunications equipment.
But in talks slated to conclude in February, U.S. officials are still seeking better proposals from Germany, France and Japan, Hundt said.
Other countries in Southeast Asia, such as Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand, are also reluctant to open up their telecommunications markets to free trade, said Nelson.
The trade talks are being sponsored by the multinational World Trade Organization, which the U.S. joined in 1995. The talks were originally scheduled for completion last April, but disagreements among the governments caused the postponement of the final meeting until February.
"We were disappointed they couldn't reach an agreement [in April] and we're hopeful they will reach agreement in February," said Michael Jaffe, an analyst for the Computer and Communications Industry Association, based in Washington.
If the governments can't narrow the gap between their positions, the February meeting will be postponed. However, "people are somewhat hopeful... there is guarded optimism," partly because governments in Europe and South America are expected to offer concessions, he said.
In Southeast Asia, local government-backed phone companies "don't see a whole lot of benefit in the talks" because they have no plans to compete in the U.S. market, said Nelson.
During the talks, U.S. negotiators are trying to ensure that overseas telecommunications companies, such as Deutsche Telekom in Germany, charge realistic prices for connecting their customers to phone calls made from overseas. To ensure free trade, these interconnection fees must be "cost based," said Hundt.
Currently, local phone companies can charge a high price for connecting outside lines, effectively preventing foreign companies from offering competitive phone services.
U.S. officials also want to relax overseas curbs on foreign investment, and on U.S. ownership of foreign phone companies.
These limits largely bar U.S. companies from buying a stake in a foreign nation's main phone company, said Nelson.
Without these curbs, companies in the United States could build new networks and companies to rival existing foreign phone companies, he said.


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ITM Launches Innovative “SmartRegister” POS Solution Featuring Wireless Top-Ups and Prepaid Services from Prepay Nation
First-of-its-kind, Point-of-Sale solution with integrated financial service products and digital advertising
Berwyn, PA and San Diego, CA April 29, 2014 –ITM Digital Media Solutions, an electronic payment platform and digital signage provider, is proud to announce a partnership with Prepay Nation to introduce wireless top-up and a variety of prepaid services into its newly-launched SmartRegister product offering.
ITM markets its SmartRegister, a state-of-the-art Point-of-Sale system, to merchants such as convenience stores, gas stations, liquor and tobacco shops, grocery stores, wireless stores and other specialty retailers. The SmartRegister, provided at no upfront cost to retailers, provides these merchants a new way to generate incremental store revenue by selling fully-integrated financial service products such as wireless airtime refills, PIN-less calling cards, and electronic bill payment directly from the POS terminal.
In addition to these integrated prepaid services, the first-of-its-kind POS system displays revenue- generating digital advertising on a dedicated, consumer-facing HD screen, which customers see as they wait to check out. Both merchants and distributors earn a substantial revenue share from the sale of the digital ads displayed on any screen in their store. The ITM SmartRegister also offers an advanced store and inventory management system to help store owners run their business more efficiently.
“What’s most exciting about the ITM SmartRegister is our ability to continue to add new and exciting products and services without adding any inventory costs to the merchants or taking up an inch of shelf space in their stores,” said Sean Simon, ITM’s CEO. “ITM is working with distributors spanning both geographical and industry verticals to pioneer what we refer to as the Virtual Global Marketplace”
The platform’s wireless top-up, cross-border top-up and other prepaid services are offered through a partnership with Prepay Nation, the leading provider of international mobile airtime and productized remittance worldwide. Prepay Nation’s airtime transfer platform is integrated with over 200 mobile network operators and alternative financial service providers around the globe, making their products available to all of their retail and technology partners with a single point of contact. Through the partnership, all new ITM SmartRegister POS solutions have access to the best selection of prepaid mobile products and cutting-edge financial services on the market.
“Prepay Nation is very excited to work together with ITM as they release their forward-thinking POS Solution,” added Roger Kean, Director of Sales for Prepay Nation. “We believe that the strong added value that ITM is introducing will be a major factor in the growth of the prepaid financial services in the retail sector. Retailer’s currently have a clutter of terminals and laptops and no way to advertise new products and services, the ITM SmartRegister brings all of this together in an integrated solution.”
ITM launched the SmartRegister into the U.S. market in April 2014, with plans to expand into Mexico by the end of 2014. Initial rollout will be into approximately 200 locations, with a forecast to exceed over 1,000 SmartRegister placements within the first 18 months.
About ITM Digital Media Solutions, Inc.
ITM Digital Media Solutions is an electronic payment platform and digital signage provider, which markets its ITM SmartRegister, an advanced, revenue-generating POS system to retailers such as gas stations, convenience stores, prepaid wireless stores, and liquor and tobacco shops. ITM combines the latest POS technology with increasing demand for both prepaid financial services and hyperlocal digital signage to provide retailers a seamless solution to upgrade their existing POS system and at the same time generate substantial incremental revenues for their store. Based in San Diego, CA, ITM has established distributor relationships across the U.S. and Mexico, with plans for a full North American launch of its flagship SmartRegister within the initial 18 months of operation. For business inquiries, please contact ITM Digital Media Solutions at 888.201.3735 or at firstname.lastname@example.org.


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The Best In Black Awards provides free exposure for African American-owned businesses. Vote for your favorite business in Memphis at www.bestinblackawards.com. Voting ends August 4th.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – July 26, 2017 – PRLog — The Best In Black Awards are much more than a popularity contest. It is a vehicle for hundreds of individuals and businesses to advertise their products, services and talents before thousands at no cost. This is the sixth year for these prestigious local awards and many don’t recognize that an underlying purpose for them is to help increase the success of the nominees. The 2017 theme is “24K Magic Celebrating the Magic in Our Community!” Nominations have been conducted and voting is going on now through August 4th. Each person can vote once per day at www.bestinblackawards.com. The Best In Black Awards winners will be announced August 26, 2017 during the black carpet, black-tie Best In Black Awards Gala at the Paradise Entertainment Complex located at 645 E Georgia Ave, Memphis, TN 38126. The Gala begins at 6 p.m.
The mission of the Best In Black Awards is four-fold:
1) To celebrate African-American owned and operated businesses and professionals in the Mid-South
2) To identify those businesses most supported by the African American community
3) To serve as a marketing and recognition platform and
4) Encourage aspiring business leaders.
There are currently over 100 voting areas within 20 categories that include the arts, beauty, fitness, food, health care, church, clubs and media, education and many, many more. Each category has five or more nominees. This gives lessor known businesses the opportunity to be seen by thousands of individuals as they vote. Many who may have never heard of several of the nominees listed. This exposure can often lead to future business and collaboration. Bernal Smith II, publisher of The New Tri-State Defender and creator of The Best In Black Awards, also hopes this will also lead to more successful African-American owned businesses.
“Here in Memphis, African Americans comprise 65 – 70% percent of the population yet African American owned businesses account for only .08% of the business receipts according to the U.S. Economic Census of 2012. It is estimated that there are over 40,000 African American businesses here. Most of them are small businesses. They often can’t afford radio and television commercials and marketing firms to help them advertise. So, it’s important that they utilize word of mouth, referrals and submit bids for contracts to survive. The Best In Black Awards add another component to that,” said Smith. “We here at TSD are trying to heighten the profile of more African American businesses. Each year, $10 billion dollars is being spent by African Americans in this city. We have got to increase spending of those dollars among ourselves to help these businesses survive and ultimately thrive,” he adds.
Thursday, August 24th the Best In Black Awards will host a discussion around this topic. “The Community Conversation: Co-Operative Economics Harvesting the $10 Billion Local African American Buying Power” will feature a panel discussion with local and national economics and conscious consumerism experts that include Maggie Anderson. In 2009, Anderson and her family spent a full year patronizing, as much as possible, only African American owned businesses. She wrote a book about the experience, reporting that in some fields it was difficult to find African-American owned businesses, and that African American people patronized businesses within their own ethnic group less than other ethnic groups. During the discussion, at least three action items will be formulated for implementation to help further the reach and impact of the African American dollar.
This may be a hard discussion but according to Smith, he’s up for the challenge and initiatives such as this aren’t foreign to the publication. “The Tri-State Defender has been in business since 1951 and it has always been the voice of the African American community. We wrote about what was going on in the community and impacting the community when no one else would. However, as we move forward I want to make it a catalyst for building black wealth. We have been paying attention to major businesses and projects in this community, especially those with government contracts. We count the number of contracts being awarded to ethnically diverse business owners and for those contracts awarded to non-minority companies we count the number of minority vendors they are using. It is often a requirement that they do. I am reluctant to use the word minority as it is without question that African Americans make up a majority in the Greater Memphis community. We want to make sure those decision makers in both the public and private sector, realize and act on the basis that there are African American-owned companies that can do the job, too. The more businesses we help to grow through positive publicity across our platforms, the more companies we’ll have better positioned to compete for contracts and bids,” said Smith.
Being nominated is an honor but those companies and individuals who win during the Best In Black Awards will receive an award and recognition in the New Tri-State Defender’s newspaper and online publications. Nominations were conducted for almost a month and in order be placed on the ballot businesses, organizations or individuals must have been in the top 10 in terms of total nominations. Voting will continue from now until August 4tht. Last year, over 36,000 people voted and those who were selected as finalists received an average of 4,000 votes, depending upon the category.
To see the complete list of nominees, view past winners, vote and/or gain more information about the awards ceremony, panel discussion and Pre-Show V.I.P. Reception & Memphis Music Showcase, visit http://www.bestinblackawards.com. Information can also be found on www.facebook.com/BestinBlackAwards.


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DOVER, Del. (WPVI) -- A hearing is set for Wednesday on a proposal to legalize cannabis in the state of Delaware.
The bill would make cannabis legal for adults over the age of 21, and would enable the state to tax it and regulate it, similar to alcohol.
Adults would be able to possess up to one ounce of cannabis.
If the bill is passed and signed by the governor, cannabis could be sold by compassion centers, which also sell medical marijuana.
Wednesday's hearing is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. in Dover.
Hearing set to propose legalization of cannabis in Delaware
More TOP STORIES News


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Tue, 04/12/2012 – 2:51pm | CATHERINE AGBO
• Cover Stories
A block of shops and property worth millions of naira were yesterday destroyed in an explosion that occurred at Efab Estate Lokogoma Neighbourhood Shopping Centre.
The shopping centre is located in the midst of residential property in Phase one of the estate.
The explosion, which sparked off fire was said to have occurred at about 2am yesterday, when all the shops had closed for the day.
No casualty was recorded, as there weren’t people in the shops at the time of the incident.
While some say it was a bomb explosion, others attributed the fire to gas explosion from a dry-cleaning shop, which was most devastated by the explosion.
A resident of a house opposite the neighbourhood centre, who spoke with LEADERSHIP on the condition of anonymity said they were sleeping when they were awoken by a loud explosion, which caused the house to vibrate, as well as broke the glass panes on the window of the house.
“The incident occurred a few minutes before 2am and everybody was sleeping when it occurred. There was a loud sound and we all rushed out to see what it was only to find part of the corner shop on fire. We struggled to put out the fire to no avail till the men of the Fire Service came to put it out.
“If you go to my house now, you will see my plasma television which was hung on the wall in pieces on the floor. All the glasses on the windows were also shattered by the impact of the explosion,” she said.
A pharmacy owner at the centre, whose shop was also affected, lamented the loss of property which he said was worth huge sums f money but expressed happiness that no one was hurt in the incident.
Some shop owners were seen evacuating their goods from the shops, even as the area had been cordoned off.
Meanwhile, men of the Nigeria Police Anti-bomb Squad, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and other security agencies were earlier at the scene to assess the level of damage and casualty.


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Posted on Wednesday, May 13, 2015 - 1:38pm
Hey, have you heard about the giant update to Woah Dave! we’ve been rolling out to every platform? It’s called Woah Dave! Deluxe, and it adds new levels, new characters, boss fights, rideable UFOs, and more! It’s totally free, and so far we’ve released it on iOS, Vita, PS4, and as of yesterday, Nintendo 3DS!
So if you own Woah Dave! on any of the aforementioned platforms, fire them up and update to Woah Dave! Deluxe!
P.S. - We’re still plugging away on the Wii U version of the game. You can expect more news about that in the near future!
We’ve been blowing up Twitter and Facebook recently with a bunch of announcements, so I figured it might be a good idea to consolidate everything into one blog post.
First up, Woah Dave! is available now on PS4! It’s free this month for PS+ users (as is the Vita version), and comes with all Deluxe content free of charge. In other words, you have no excuse not to pick it up.
Secondly, we’re releasing Dragon Fantasy: The Volumes of Westeria on Steam on 4/9! This is our first release as a publisher, and we’re super excited about it! You can also expect it to hit 3DS and Wii U sometime in the near future.
Thirdly (I think that’s a word), Nintendo is encouraging people to nominate characters they’d like to see in Super Smash Bros. As you might imagine, we would really love it if CommanderVideo made the cut! Nominate him here!
And, finally, Woah Dave! is included in the latest Humble Weekly Bundle! Get on it!
More news soon!
For those who missed our announcement a few weeks back, we're currently in the midst of unleashing a massive free update to Woah Dave! on all platforms. It's called Woah Dave! Deluxe, and it includes new levels, new characters, boss fights, and more. It was released on Steam back in late February, and now it's finally made its way to Vita! Go fire up your system and download the update! It's free, you chump!
The update will be making its way to 3DS in the near future, and PS4 and Wii U owners can expect the update to be available on day one when the game launches on those platforms!
We should have more info to share about PS4 and Wii U in the near future. Stay tuned!


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I have a long standing bet with an old friend from university that 50 million people will Tweet in December this year and over the weekend he pointed me to articles on ComputerWorld and sociamediatoday saying that as little as 17% of Twitter users actually send Tweets and that Twitter seems to be positioning itself as a media consumption platform. That took me to a more recent post on socialmediatoday which argues credibly that Twitter followers are more likely to induce advocacy and future purchases than Facebook fans.
Socialmediatoday was picking up on an emarketer reported survey which found:
Daily Twitter users who followed a brand were more than twice as likely as daily Facebook users who “liked” a brand to say they were more likely to purchase from the brand after becoming a social media follower.
The precise survey data is in these two charts.
Likelihood of purchasing from a brand:
Likelihood or recommending a brand:
The explanation for the difference between Facebook and Twitter centres around the point made above that Twitter is more of a content distribution platform than a communications network – at least in comparison with Facebook. Or, as some say, “Facebook is for people you know while Twitter is for people you don’t know”.
Getting into more detail – the way Facebook is set up is less well suited for content distribution than Twitter. Firstly, and probably most importantly, the bi-directional friendship relationship is at the heart of Facebook and the fan pages which mimic the ‘follow’ model on Twitter were added later. Secondly, rather than show every post from everyone in your network the Facebook default home page shows you a feed filtered for relevance.
Additionally, socialmediatoday credibly argues that the two step process of following a brand on Twitter (click on a link which takes you to their Twitter page, then click ‘follow’) filters out less committed consumers who would complete the one click ‘like’ on Facebook.
It is good to see marketers differentiating between different social media platforms like this, and also good to see them looking beyond headline numbers of fans to the quality of the list. This sort of thinking will result in improved campaign performance and ultimately more money flowing into the sector.
I want to finish this post with the point that there are plenty of ways for advertisers to spend money on Facebook outside of fan pages, so this argument is not that Twitter is better for marketers than Facebook, not at all. I continue to hear a lot of excited stories from affiliate types who are running very effective targeted display campaigns on Facebook taking advantage of social graph data and other information Facebook makes available. From a Facebook perspective this is the big deal.


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- The platform dubbed SMELink.app is designed to help SMEs make trade connections, share knowledge, and increase partnerships on a global scale.
- SMEs make up 90 per cent of the private sector and create more than 50 per cent of jobs in their corresponding economies.
SMELink International has launched a business networking platform that seeks to connect over 50 million SMEs in Africa with trade opportunities locally and internationally.
The platform dubbed SMELink.app is designed to help SMEs make trade connections, share knowledge, and increase partnerships on a global scale.
“It's a network for SMEs to build trust and trade with each other. We are linking SMEs with opportunities worldwide, get access to money, and give access to mentors,” said Harun Ambeje, SMELink International founder.
SMEs make up 90 per cent of the private sector and create more than 50 per cent of jobs in their corresponding economies.
In Africa, SMEs provide an estimated 80 per cent of jobs across the continent, representing an important driver of economic growth.
“We believe the platform will be a game changer in how SMEs do business in the African continent,” said Ambele.
He added that the platform provides an opportunity for SMEs to be in the global spotlight and gain access to cross border business opportunities.
It also allows them to have a database of resources for technical expertise, financiers, online training, market surveys, knowledge sharing, partnerships amongst others.
The platform has features where one can get a list of all registered businesses in all sectors, follow different groups based on interest, grow their network through connecting with likeminded people, and interact and share knowledge.
Other opportunities on the platform include Rhino’s Den, where SMEs can pitch for seed/growth funding, access to training as well as access to mentors.
Vusi Thembekwayo, renowned entrepreneur who was the keynote speaker of the conference lauded the move saying SMEs are the backbone of the world economy, accounting for most businesses across nearly every region.
“With appropriate support to money, markets and mentors, SMEs stand to contribute to African development and position the continent as competitive and innovative and create jobs to unemployed communities,” Thembekwayo said.
He added that this will in return provide income and essential goods and services to the 1.2 billion Africans, forming a huge market.
“Sub-Saharan Africa alone has 44 million micro, small, and medium enterprises, almost all of which are micro. For these businesses to grow, create more jobs, and generate economic growth, they need access to capital, and access to markets, and this platform comes in handy,” said Thembekwayo.
Frida Owinga, SME Founders Association president said they will continue to do more training so as to help SMEs scale up.
Subsequent conferences will take place in Africa’s key markets with Rwanda being the next stop, as well as the rest of the world that include the United Arab Emirates, Asia, Europe and the USA.


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Ad spending at Europe's papers grew 2% in 1994, a slowdown from 5% in 1992, according to media specialist Carat Media, which predicts 2% growth again for 1995. And papers' share of Europe's total ad spending will fall to 26% this year from 30% five years ago.
Newspaper execs are fighting a triple whammy: Ad dollars are decamping to TV, recession-bitten marketers still spend cautiously and newsprint prices are soaring.
European papers are also taking their first steps in electronic publishing-with less gusto than their U.S. counterparts.
Germany's newspaper market may be the hardest hit this year. Carat Media predicts a 3% decline in 1995 newspaper ad spending, in an accelerating slowdown from 20% growth in 1992. Leading German papers have undergone major revamps to buck the trend.
Conservative German national daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung attributes its small rise in circulation (to 391,638 last year, from 390,504 in 1993) and its hefty 9% jump in ad sales (to $266.7 million) to a touch of color. "Since last summer, we have printed ads in four-color on [shorter] notice," said Wolf D. Auerbach, FAZ's ad sales director.
FAZ's magazine supplement has been less successful. Ad pages in the FAZ magazine, free in every Friday issue, fell to 1,124 pages last year from 1,462 in 1993 as beer, credit card and airline marketers switched to TV.
German business daily Han relaunched last summer with a $15 million campaign by BBDO, Dusseldorf, and by yearend sold 4,650 ad pages valued at $85.7 million, an 8.1% gain from 1993. In one sales initiative, advertisers in both Handelsblatt and The Wall Street Journal Europe get discounts.
In the U.K., a 10% drop in newspaper sales since 1988 has made circulation-boosting price cuts a way of life. Rupert Murdoch's News International first cut downmarket tabloid The Sun's price to 32 cents from 40 cents in July 1993. The trial became a key strategy when he slashed The Times of London to 48cents from 72 cents two months later.
Its deadly rival, the Telegraph Group's Daily Telegraph, then cut its price to 48 cents from 77 cents; The Times hit back with a slash to 32 cents.
"We were selling 360,000 copies a day before the price cuts; we're now selling 630,000 a day," said Alasdair MacLeod, marketing manager for The Times Newspapers division. The Times' share of the broadsheet national dailies rose to 21% by the end of 1994 from 16% in 1993, according to Audit Bureau of Circulations figures.
The new readers come at a high cost-$64 million a year in lost circulation revenue for The Times.
"Mr. Murdoch will have to put prices up again soon. He cannot underwrite The Times forever," said Anthony Jones, head of CIA MediaLab, the centralized research operation of London's international media independent CIA Media Network.
This spring's campaign by Arc Advertising, London, supported The Times' price reduction. One spot asked: "Can you do without Britain's fastest growing daily newspaper? The Times. At 20p [32 cents], you can't afford to be without it."
The ads forced a response from The Daily Telegraph, desperate for young readers to offset its oldest readership profile of all U.K. dailies.
"We were reluctant to cut prices because our policy has been to add value to our product and charge our readers for it," said David Pugh, the Telegraph's marketing director. "But had we done nothing, we would have allowed The Times to grow and attack our advertising market."
The tactic did not come cheap. "The move cost us $64 million in the first year," he said. "We did it to preserve our future."
The Telegraph's daily circulation rose to 1.07 million from 990,000 before the cuts. A $4.8 million campaign by J. Walter Thompson Co., London, broke in mid-March.
The lower prices have boosted sales, but lost circulation revenue outweighs newspapers' gains, media experts said. "Only 5% of the people who buy newspapers increased the frequency" of purchases, said CIA Media-Lab's Mr. Jones. "And only 4% started to read other papers because of the price cuts."
Carat Media, in fact, forecasts a slowdown this year to 6% growth in U.K. newspaper ad spending, down from 9% last year.
Outside the U.K., no one cuts prices to tempt readers-in fact, French and Italian papers are upping newsstand prices to pay for costly newsprint and the loss of advertisers to TV.
In one possible bright spot for publishers, the European Commission is investigating an alleged price-fixing cartel among newsprint suppliers.
"[Newsprint prices] went up by 20% in January, and are set to go up between 10% and 20% in July," said Philippe Simon, executive manager of Le Figaro, France's conservative daily with a 350,000 daily circulation. The price of French national daily Liberation rose to $1.40 from $1.20.
Low TV ad rates also hurt French newspapers. "As TV developed, its share of ad spend increased, with much of this revenue coming from print," said Gilles Brochen, director general and managing editor of France's leading business daily, Pearson's Les Echos.
Italian papers, after April's newsprint-led cover price increase to 90 cents from 84 cents, embarked on adventurous schemes to keep readers.
The pace of promotions at Italy's two leading national papers, La Repubblica and Corriere della Sera, is frenetic as both bombard readers with music cassettes and compact discs. The two traditionally mimic each other's marketing strategies.
Corriere previously had a 980,000 daily circulation, compared with La Repubblica's 1 million, before surpassing it in January following a free atlas promotion supported by a $10 million campaign by TBWA, Milan.
To combat the atlas promotion, La Repubblica in March broke an estimated $8 million campaign by J. Walter Thompson Italia, Rome, supporting free family medical encyclopedia inserts.
Despite the pressure of high newsprint, postal and delivery costs, Italy's top financial daily,Il Sole-24 Ore, is using innovative promotions to consolidate its 360,000 daily circulation. "We have taken several initiatives to stimulate [families'] interest in economic themes," said Lorenzo Ronchi, Il Sole's marketing director. These include a four-year joint venture with Walt Disney Co. to publish weekly 24-page supplements targeted at families, using animated characters to illustrate financial issues. Publicis/FCB, Milan, promoted the series.
"Il Sole is increasing its readership as the economic situation of Italians improves, prompting greater interest in financial topics," Mr. Ronchi said.
Unlike the Italians and British, French publishers are not susceptible to promotions or price cuts, despite a long recession and high newsprint costs.
"We've never launched big promotional or discount campaigns, never given away televisions or stereos with subscriptions," said Les Echos' Mr. Brochen.
The lingering recession in France is still hurting newspaper ad pages. Property and real estate advertising, once about 70% of French dailies' total ad revenue, have fallen by 50% in the last three to four years, and recruitment advertising has dropped even more sharply.
Meanwhile, the U.K. leads European publishers' experimenting with electronic publishing. The Daily Telegraph has 85,000 subscribers to its ad-funded Electronic Telegraph. Barclay Bank's Barclaycall phone banking service broke ads in May.
"Based on ads alone, I would expect the Electronic Telegraph to break even before the end of the year," said Mr. Pugh. "The challenge for ad agencies and their clients now is to learn how to prompt [the ET's] users to choose to view the advertisements."
The Times is waiting for the online market to develop before placing its contents on the ad-free online service offered by News International's Delphi.
And the London Evening Standard started Business Day Interactive, an electronic version of its business section.
"We are looking at the possibility of producing pages for the World Wide Web and making the accompanying advertisements more lively," said David Maude, the Standard's systems editor.
The Financial Times in May opened a 60-page site, in its trademark pink, on the Internet's World Wide Web and hopes to add ads this summer.
In Italy, Il Sole in January broke Online Italia, a joint venture with computer marketer Olivetti. The marketer is also developing an interactive service with Corriere della Sera.
French publishers are more tentative about interactivity. "France is still just learning about the interactive and Internet possibilities, so this is not a pressing priority [for us]," Le Figaro's Mr. Simon said.
Dagmar Mussey, Bruce Crumley and Michelle McCarter contributed to this story.


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The latest selloff in Bitocoin has brought the cryptocurrency closer to the levels seen in May. This has led to questions on how low the cryptocurrency can fall, with some analysts predicting $20,000 levels.
Bitcoin has dropped about 7 per cent this week, and was trading at about $34,200 on Wednesday. Further weakness in the cryptocurrency can lead to a fall to $20,000, as per some of the analysts.
Bitcoin is dangerously approaching $30,000 level and a break of $30,000 could see a tremendous amount of momentum selling, Bloomberg quoted Oanda Corp Senior Market Analyst Edward Moya as saying.
If the cryptocurrency drops further from its current levels, it can possibly fall to $20,000 levels, as per Evercore ISI Technical Strategist Rich Ross and Tallbacken Capital Advisors' Michael Purves, the news agency said.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk calling cryptocurrencies "energy-intensive" and not environment friendly led to a rout in the digital currencies last month. Besides, Musk's announcement that Tesla will no longer accept Bitcoins, and China's action on the crypto front also led to the fall in cryptocurrencies.
China proscribed financial institutions and payment companies from providing services related to cryptocurrency transactions and warned investors against speculative crypto trading.
US Federal Reserve chief Jerome Powell also turned up the heat on cryptocurrencies last month, saying they pose risks to financial stability, and indicated that greater regulation of the increasingly popular electronic currency may be warranted.
However, not everyone is bearish on Bitcoin, with many confident about the long-term outlook.
On Wednesday, El Salvador became the first country in the world to officially grant legal tender status to Bitcoin. Meanwhile, US-based MicroStrategy Inc, a major bitcoin corporate backer, on Tuesday said it was offering $500 million in bonds, and the proceeds will be used to buy Bitcoins.
Irrespective of Bitcoin value, industry experts recommend building a long term portfolio by investing in cryptocurrencies in a disciplined manner via SIP, like in mutual funds.
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