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There has been a great deal of controversy about the use of bots in an automated trading function. Auction website eBay has been to court in an attempt to suppress a third-party company from using bots to traverse their site looking for bargains; this approach backfired on eBay and attracted the attention of further bots. The United Kingdom-based bet exchange Betfair saw such a large amount of traffic coming from bots that it launched a WebService API aimed at bot programmers, through which it can actively manage bot interactions.
Reports of political interferences in recent elections, including the 2016 US and 2017 UK general elections, have set the notion of botting being more prevalent because of the ethics that is challenged between the bot’s design and the bot’s designer. According to Emilio Ferrara, a computer scientist from the University of Southern California reporting on Communications of the ACM, the lack of resources available to implement fact-checking and information verification results in the large volumes of false reports and claims made on these bots in social media platforms. In the case of Twitter, most of these bots are programmed with searching filter capabilities that target key words and phrases that reflect in favor and against political agendas and retweet them. While the attention of bots is programmed to spread unverified information throughout the social media platform, it is a challenge that programmers face in the wake of a hostile political climate. Binary functions are designated to the programs and using an Application Program interface embedded in the social media website executes the functions tasked. The Bot Effect is what Ferrera reports as when the socialization of bots and human users creates a vulnerability to the leaking of personal information and polarizing influences outside the ethics of the bot’s code. According to Guillory Kramer in his study, he observes the behavior of emotionally volatile users and the impact the bots have on the users, altering the perception of reality.
Tay, an AI chatbot that learns from previous interaction, caused major controversy due to it being targeted by internet trolls on Twitter. The bot was exploited, and after 16 hours began to send extremely offensive Tweets to users. This suggests that although the bot learnt effectively from experience, adequate protection was not put in place to prevent misuse.
The most advanced bots are powered by artificial intelligence, helping it to understand complex requests, personalize responses, and improve interactions over time. This technology is still in its infancy, so most bots follow a set of rules programmed by a human via a bot-building platform. It's as simple as ordering a list of if-then statements and writing canned responses, often without needing to know a line of code.
Utility bots solve a user's problem, whatever that may be, via a user-prompted transaction. The most obvious example is a shopping bot, such as one that helps you order flowers or buy a new jacket. According to a recent HubSpot Research study, 47% of shoppers are open to buying items from a bot. But utility bots are not limited to making purchases. A utility bot could automatically book meetings by scanning your emails or notify you of the payment subscriptions you forgot you were signed up for.
Nowadays a high majority of high-tech banking organizations are looking for integration of automated AI-based solutions such as chatbots in their customer service in order to provide faster and cheaper assistance to their clients becoming increasingly technodexterous. In particularly, chatbots can efficiently conduct a dialogue, usually substituting other communication tools such as email, phone, or SMS. In banking area their major application is related to quick customer service answering common requests, and transactional support.
Although NBC Politics Bot was a little rudimentary in terms of its interactions, this particular application of chatbot technology could well become a lot more popular in the coming years – particularly as audiences struggle to keep up with the enormous volume of news content being published every day. The bot also helped NBC determine what content most resonated with users, which the network will use to further tailor and refine its content to users in the future.
The term "ChatterBot" was originally coined by Michael Mauldin (creator of the first Verbot, Julia) in 1994 to describe these conversational programs. Today, most chatbots are accessed via virtual assistants such as Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, via messaging apps such as Facebook Messenger or WeChat, or via individual organizations' apps and websites. Chatbots can be classified into usage categories such as conversational commerce (e-commerce via chat), analytics, communication, customer support, design, developer tools, education, entertainment, finance, food, games, health, HR, marketing, news, personal, productivity, shopping, social, sports, travel and utilities.
Yes, witty banter is a plus. But, the ultimate mission of a bot is to provide a service people actually want to use. As long as you think of your bot as just another communication channel, your focus will be misguided. The best bots harness the micro-decisions consumers experience on a daily basis and see them as an opportunity to help. Whether it's adjusting a reservation, updating the shipping info for an order, or giving medical advice, bots provide a solution when people need it most.
“There is hope that consumers will be keen on experimenting with bots to make things happen for them. It used to be like that in the mobile app world 4+ years ago. When somebody told you back then… ‘I have built an app for X’… You most likely would give it a try. Now, nobody does this. It is probably too late to build an app company as an indie developer. But with bots… consumers’ attention spans are hopefully going to be wide open/receptive again!” — Niko Bonatsos, Managing Director at General Catalyst


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Drones and satellites used to boost Ethiopia’s agricultural exports and improve food security in a nation once synonymous with famine.
Anyone hearing the loud singing coming from Isaac Chereger's farm would be forgiven for thinking it was a particularly enthusiastic church gathering.
An army of drones deployed to fight a crop-devouring pest in a southern area of China has recorded a mortality rate of as high as 98%, according to the manufacturer.
New commercial drone businesses flooded into the market at the start of the decade, flush with venture capital and giddy with visions of unmanned aircraft being used for everything from delivering packages to fertilising farmland.
An app that sends money in the form of tips from appreciative caffeine devotees around the world to coffee growers in Colombia could help farmers battered by dismal prices earn more income, the initiative's founder said.
Buzzing like a giant insect over the verdant Moselle Valley, a drone sprays fungicide over rows of vines.
A drone soared over a blazing hot cornfield in northeastern Colorado on a recent morning, snapping images with an infrared camera to help researchers decide how much water they would give the crops the next day.
Players in the food industry are embracing AI to better understand the dynamics of flavour, aroma and other factors that go into making a food product a success.
The worldwide non-military drone market, dominated by manufacturers in China, will triple in size to US$14.3bil (RM58.80bil) in sales over the next decade, a study released on July 17 said, even as US officials warn of national security risks.

domain: news


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In his last Slow News Weekly for 2017, Dave Burton recounts this week’s major news events, starting with the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Abuse then travelling all the way to outer space with […]
The world of business and organisational communication is a jungle. There’s lots of noise and many distractions. Shouting indiscriminately at the top of your lungs doesn’t cut it anymore. Neither does being ordinary.
For 30 years the Blackie McDonald Communication Group has helped hundreds of CEOs, marketing and public relations executives uncover what’s interesting about their organisation’s products and services. From there we craft resonant messages, engage the right audiences and achieve real world results.
Our News and Blogs
A few years ago I had a harebrained idea. I decided to start a publishing company to produce my own work because I’m a coward and couldn’t face certain multiple rejections (or worse, silence) from […]
A momentous week indeed in the Australian Parliament and an equally heartfelt round-up in Dave Burton’s Slow News Weekly for this Friday, December 8. And if, like me, you’re bewildered by other momentous world events […]
It’s not until you are a victim of cyber hacking that you realise just how insecure the online world is. Last week, I received a text asking whether I had made an iTunes purchase 10 minutes […]
Are you guilty of buying too much at the supermarket and later finding shrivelled vegetables hiding at the back of your fridge? Do you cook too much thinking you’ll eat the leftovers the next day […]
The looming Queensland election, a troubled PM ‘party-pooper’, euthanasia in Victoria, more on Manus Island, Zimbabwe, the Rohingya crisis, Amazon in Australia, even more sexual harassment claims and the passing of teen-idol David Cassidy – […]


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Short-sellers take aim at Chinese blockchain firm SOS, shares tumble
- S&P 500, Dow snap two-day fall, Netflix keeps Nasdaq in check
- Netflix (NFLX) Plunges Following Q1 Sub Miss, But One Analyst Sees Chance to Turn Bullish
- Oil prices drop as India's COVID-19 surge dents demand outlook
- Intuitive Surgical (ISRG) Q1 Beat Prompts Two Street Upgrades
- U.S. dollar losses bounce after Canada tips toward higher rates
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(Reuters) - Short-sellers Hindenburg Research and Culper Research said on Friday they have taken a short position on Chinese blockchain firm SOS Ltd's stock, sending the company's shares down 23%.
In two separate reports, they raised concerns ranging from regulatory risk to alleged false claims by the company about its business.
SOS, formerly a consumer-lending company called China Rapid Finance, could not be immediately reached for comment outside business hours in China.
SOS shares have nearly doubled in value this year since it outlined plans to invest in cryptocurrency on Jan. 13, benefiting from a rise in institutional support for bitcoin and other digital assets.
"Stocks tied to blockchain have been on the run lately, swept up in the euphoria of bitcoin breaking all-time highs. $SOS has ridden this wave," short-seller Hindenburg said in a tweet.
The short-seller said it visited the address listed as headquarters in the company's regulatory filing and found it to be a hotel.
One of the allegations made by Culper is that SOS has not actually purchased the cryptocurrency mining rigs that it said it did.
(Reporting by Munsif Vengattil in Bengaluru; Editing by Ankur Bannerjee, Shounak Dasgupta and Arun Koyyur)
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No fewer than 400 shops, stores and stalls containing goods worth millions of naira were destroyed in a fire outbreak that engulfed Nguru popular market last Saturday.
Nguru is one of the ancient commercial towns of the state connected with railway that attracted businesses and trades from far and near for many years.
In recent times, the popular market was reported to have experienced many fire incidences but on lower scales than the latest one.
It was gathered that the Saturday inferno started around 8:00 am and lasted for more than five hours before it was put off by residents with the help of men of the fire service.
Some affected traders interviewed by our correspondent in the aftermath of the incident revealed that huge losses were incurred as more than 400 shops were destroyed and several jobs were lost.
Mohammed Sani Sabo, who owns two shops in the market, said both shops had been completely burnt down.
He said many of them have now become helpless and don’t know what to do.
Although the cause of the fire outbreak is yet to be ascertained, Sabo attributed it to an electrical fault because it started a few minutes after electricity was restored and there were many wrong connections by the traders,” he said.
He said that the only way to avoid fire outbreaks in the market is to prevent traders from wrong electrical installations or disconnect electricity from the market.
Samaila Ahmed, another trader, described the outbreak as unfortunate especially at the time that youths are battling with unemployment in the country.
He said thousands of youths who have dependents have lost their means of livelihood.
“They earn on daily basis from the market and their families survive from it. I can tell you that some would not have what to eat today.”
He said the fire outbreak came at a critical time as most of the traders had just restocked their shops with goods on Friday evening.
“I can’t estimate how much I lost but the items we stocked in this shop and our other stores were worth over N150 million or more.
“The larger percentage of our traders are small-scale entrepreneurs and would find it difficult to easily recover from this damage,” he added.
Another trader, Alhaji Ibrahim Mai Bulawus, said he lost goods worth over N100 million.
“I have over 70 young people working under me, so we all woke up jobless because we lost our wealth”
The Chairman Nguru Marketers Association, Alhaji Ibrahim Yura, called on the government and other relevant agencies to come to their aid.
He commended the fire service, security outfits and rescuers who turned out in large to put off the fire.
The Executive Secretary, Yobe State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), Dr Mohammed Goje has said 441shops and stores were affected in the inferno.
“One hundred and thirty-seven were locked-up shops while 304 were stalls. They cut across provision, textiles, jewelry, cosmetics, GSM and accessories businesses.”
Meanwhile, the state Governor, Mai Mala Buni, has assured the victims of government support.
Buni while commiserating with the victims explained why his administration embarked on the construction of modern markets in four major towns in the state.
Buni said the markets would be equipped with state of art facilities including, roads and fire service stations to easily control fire incidences.


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FRANKFORT, Ky. — Six years ago, the Kentucky General Assembly created a framework for production of industrial hemp. Now the state is a hemp production leader, with around 26,000 acres planted this year alone.
But the growth of hemp and hemp processing in Kentucky under 2013 SB 50 and the 2014 U.S. Farm Bill has presented what Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles calls “growing pains,” with farmers and processors facing some uncertainty from both federal regulators and financial lenders.
Although the federal government no longer classifies hemp – a type of cannabis plant – as a controlled substance under federal law, it still regulates the sale of cannabis and cannabis-derived products such as the increasingly popular CBD (or cannabidiol). That has not changed according to the federal Food and Drug Administration, which stated on its website in July that only one CBD product (the epilepsy drug Epidiolex) had been approved by the FDA to date and that marketing of any other CBD product for therapeutic, health or food use is “currently illegal.”
Quarles said FDA oversight is the top issue facing hemp growers and processors, especially when it comes to any “consumable end product” like CBD which is often consumed as an edible or in drops under the tongue.
Quarles said Kentucky has been in talks with the FDA about hemp’s potential as food or other additive, but that uncertainties remain.
“We still like to remind all of our program participants … that this is still a crop that has risks involved,” he told the Interim Joint Committee on Agriculture today. “But the FDA is a very process-oriented organization, as you know, and so we want to make sure that they don’t regulate this business to death, that we educate them on the nutraceutical health care/health supplement side of the crop as well as other areas which are currently prohibited by law.”
Financial lending is another challenge for the hemp industry, said Quarles, who said a lot of banks are hesitant to provide loans to processors and growers. That has improved since hemp became a legal crop in 2018, but he said lenders — especially national banking institutions — are holding back.
“We’re just trying to figure out what issues they have,” he told lawmakers. “A lot of these issues will have to be resolved in Washington, D.C.”
A lack of crop insurance options is another concern for growers, said Quarles. A handful of the state’s hemp growers elected for crop insurance coverage from a company called Whole Farm this year, he said, but he said he didn’t expect many farmers to use that product in 2020.
Quarles said it could take three or four years for the hemp industry to produce the data that insurers need to provide the type of coverage now available for corn and soybean crops.
“They need production data. We simply don’t have the data nationwide to say ‘this is what an average yield is,’” he told the committee.
Rep. Joe Graviss, D-Versailles, said he is aware of some cash flow and payment concerns from Kentuckians in the hemp industry. He asked Quarles how those concerns are being addressed, and Quarles emphasized a need for more access to financial lending.
“The inability of our legal hemp companies to go into a bank and have access to credit is an issue,” he said. “It’s disrupting business here in Kentucky.”
Senate Majority Floor Leader Damon Thayer, R-Georgetown, asked Quarles if any legislative changes regarding hemp are needed at the state level. He mentioned the possibility of a special legislative meeting on hemp before the start of the 2020 session to iron out any proposals before budget talks consume lawmakers’ time in February and March.
“There is a lot of bipartisan support for hemp, and we want to make sure we are prepared to send a message to growers and potential growers that we in Kentucky want to stay ahead of the curve,” said Thayer.
Nearly 1,000 Kentucky growers had a hand in this year’s crop – a record for hemp production since Kentucky began licensing hemp growers and handlers under the state’s Industrial Hemp Research Pilot Program in 2014.


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Deep root, farm for fruits and vegetables (F2C), as part of its series on Thursday, raised $ 12.5 million (about 98 rupees), including existing investors, including Hair, Amnivar and Mifield.
Bengalur begins planning a new income to expand its tracks in the southern pockets and increase internal capabilities in all technologies and marketing, technological and commercial levels. Founded in 2020 by Avinash PR, Gururaj Rao, Arvind Murali and Santosh Narasipura, Deep Rooted provides urban consumers with access to fresh produce directly from farmers.
“Through our partnership with IvyCap, we are expanding into South India, working directly with farmers and providing urban consumers with fresh fruits and vegetables,” Avinash told PR. Ashish Wadwani, Partner, IvyCap Ventures said, “Fruits and vegetables is a disruptive category. Deep Rooted, with a sharp focus on F&V, has already demonstrated a sustainable and profitable view of the opportunity while delivering value to farmers and end consumers.”. Hello Nidhi
Fintech firm Aye Finance has raised Rs 65 crore (about $8 million) in debt financing from Geneva-based market access platform Symbiotics Investments.
In a statement released Thursday, the company plans to use the new funds to expand its loan portfolio and bring more people into the structured lending segment among a small number of small firms. Aye Finance in Gurugram is a platform that provides business loans to small and micro enterprises across India. The company claims to have applied advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) solutions to its critical business processes. advertising
“Since 2014, we have been providing affordable loans to historically underserved small businesses in India. We have adapted our entire business model to meet the credit needs of this sector. Sanjay Sharma, founder and CEO of iFinance, noted that the requirements for unsecured portfolio loans are limited in technical expertise. Prashant Bhardwaj, South Asia Regional Director at Symbiotic Investments, said: “These social bonds are confirmation of Symbiotic Investment’s strategy to provide sustainable social and environmental bonds to financial institutions operating in emerging and advanced markets. In addition, the bond income will expand the access of finance to the middle segment of MSMEs through the strong distribution network of Aye Finance.
Fintech platform Oneist on Thursday announced that it has raised Rs 3.8 crore in a seed funding round from an angel investor. The company will spend the new money on product launch and team building.
Founded this year by Praneet Arora and Avneet Tamia, Univest offers a unique investment environment that allows influencers and investors to discover, research, trade, share information and track stocks. “The challenge for most retail investors is to find the right moment to exit long-term investments and turn them into a good investment opportunity. There is a lot of information about markets, but the task of forecasting has its own challenges.” Univest solved the problem and began the task of providing functional information to provide a portfolio of quality and quality to its customers, thus contributing to the knowledge of new investment opportunities with high ROI profit. By creating a community of educated and self -taught investors, our goal is to help travel to the development of any individual investor.
The Weldec, based in the Savart Hiderrabad, raised $ 1.5 million (about 11 rupees) in front of Angel Foundation led by an investment catalyst. Existing Beenext Asia Fund investors and angel investors also participated in the round.
The company plans to use the new capital to redouble its marketing efforts, expand its product portfolio and expand its global reach. Users of Santa Santa help us create long -term efficiency by using our privacy research system through our mutual finances and investments in promotions.
“We are pleased that investors who believe that a trip to India becomes the biggest Indian investment advisor is a step on our trip to the largest and efficient business in stock management.” 9Unicorns said, “We are delighted to support these young and dynamic entrepreneurs who are committed to simplifying and simplifying investing through innovative technology that is ahead of most robo-advisors in India.


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Android Wear 5.0 Lollipop Hands-On
Last week, Google began rolling out a major update to Android Wear, with particular emphasis on watch faces. We finally got the update on our Moto 360, making an already terrific wearable even better. Among several neat enhancements, the addition of several new watch faces-and the Watch Face API-is allowing developers to create more powerful smartwatch experiences. Admit it: you always wanted Minions as your smartwatch background.
To see the new update in action, check out the video. Android Wear has slowly but surely evolved into a great wearable platform, and with updates like this, it’s only getting better.


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Amazon on Wednesday announced it's forming a new unit, composed of lawyers, investigators, and data analysts, to combat the sale of counterfeit goods on its platform. The new Counterfeit Crimes Unit comes as the e-commerce giant faces pressure from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to do something about the problem.
The new, global unit will tap into Amazon's own data, information from external resources like payment service providers, and "on-the-ground assets" to investigate suspected bad actors. It should help Amazon more effectively pursue civil litigation in such cases and help it work in cooperation with brands. Just days ago, Amazon and the Italian luxury brand Valentino filed a joint lawsuit against a New York firm for allegedly selling counterfeit Valentino shoes on the Amazon marketplace.
The new unit should also help Amazon work more closely with law enforcement.
"Every counterfeiter is on notice that they will be held accountable to the maximum extent possible under the law, regardless of where they attempt to sell their counterfeits or where they're located," Dharmesh Mehta, Amazon's VP of Customer Trust and Partner Support, said in a statement.
Amazon said the new, global unit is part of Amazon's "extensive work to drive counterfeit to zero." The company said it spent more than $500 million last year to fight fraud, including counterfeiting and had more than 8,000 employees working on the issue. Amazon said it blocked more than 6 billion suspected bad listings in 2019, as well as more than 2.5 million suspected bad actor accounts before they were able to put any items up for sale.
Still, US lawmakers are pressing Amazon and other online platforms to do more. Last year, the Senate Finance Committee released a 245-page report on the sale of counterfeit goods online. It cited the sale of counterfeit vaping products -- as well as other potentially harmful or dangerous products such as electronics with counterfeit batteries -- on Amazon as well as other platforms.
In the House earlier this year, Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone (D-NJ) held a hearing on the matter, remarking that "the practices and policies of the online platforms have made it increasingly difficult for even the savviest consumers to avoid fake and unsafe products."
Meanwhile, a bipartisan group of representatives unveiled a bill called the Stopping Harmful Offers on Platforms by Screening Against Fakes in E-Commerce (SHOP SAFE) Act. It encourages platforms to set up best practices to curb counterfeit sales, and it establishes some liability for the sales of counterfeit products that pose a risk to consumer health or safety.


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(Photo by Patrick Baynes)
Patrick Baynes spent six months looking for his next venture.
The former PeopleLinx exec was offered the CEO role at a dozen startups, local and elsewhere, he told us. For a time, it looked like he was going to cofound a startup with his friend and Philly Mag publisher David Lipson, but he eventually walked away from that project.
The startup he finally chose? One that automates social media marketing for bars and restaurants. It’s an idea he had a few years back, when he was working as a bartender. It’s called GameTimeUpdates.
Baynes declined to share too many details, but the software-as-a-service outfit appears to help bars turn sports fans into customers via social media. He said the company already has a dozen paying customers around the region and he plans on self-funding the company for as long as he can.
“I want to get as much traction as possible with as much runway as I can afford,” he said in a phone interview this week.
His cofounder is Michael Coupe, his best friend from his undergrad days at upstate New York’s Alfred University. He convinced Coupe, who’s worked in both marketing and sports medicine, to move to Philadelphia from San Francisco. The software was built by developer Will Dyson, who’s GameTimeUpdates’ acting CTO.
Baynes is currently sharing an office with Center City social network VUID, where Baynes is helping out as part-time COO.-30-
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Wednesday 19th March 2014, The US is an immensely important marketplace in terms of trade and investment for Northern Ireland. It’s also a market with which Northern Ireland has historic ties and longstanding friendships.
Upwards of 50 million Americans trace their family roots to either Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland. They have helped shape the US economy, politics and culture. It makes sound business sense, therefore, to build on these connections.
We are very keen, therefore, that the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) should be a success because we believe that there are substantial economic and other benefits for all from fostering the closest possible partnerships.
Our fervent hope is that the TTIP negotiations will result in outcomes that will make it much easier for our companies, especially the small and medium sized business which are the backbone of our economy, to succeed in the world’s biggest and most dynamic market, a marketplace of 317 million people.
We are ready to play our part in supporting such potentially important initiatives and also in assisting US businesses to access the huge European Union marketplace of over 700 million people. By working together we can accelerate economic recovery and prepare the ground for prosperity and better living standards within the developing transatlantic partnership.
Of course we accept that our companies will have to be able to compete effectively by providing unique products and/or services that consumers there will value. We are not seeking special treatment, just the ability to compete on a level playing field especially in the huge public procurement market.
We recognise too that our companies have to be prepared to invest the time and other resources to develop and sustain competitiveness and ensure success in such a challenging market. Very many companies are already being assisted by us to enhance their capability and competitiveness and are doing excellent business there.
TTIP can certainly assist this process greatly by addressing effectively and quickly the challenges facing our companies in areas such as tariffs, bureaucracy, customs issues, inflexible regulatory requirements and the overall costs of doing business there.
Many are also keen to assist US companies in developing worthwhile business in Europe. US companies can count on our businesses having the knowledge and experience to make a meaningful contribution to their plans. Invest NI, moreover, has already assisted very many US companies seeking a base in Europe either through investment projects here or strategic alliances with businesses with our businesses.
We see TTIP, therefore, as a hugely important business initiative offering real benefits for Northern Ireland and other partners.
Dr Vicky Kell will be a speaker at our Road Show in Belfast on 27th March 2013 (click here for more information).


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Gou added that Foxconn will work very closely with Greendust as recycling products is the future. “We can share technology with them. They can use supply chain.”
Gou, on a three-day visit to the country, made a two-and-a halfhour presentation on Monday night after a dinner meeting with the prime minister and another on Tuesday to Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, explaining the company’s India plans. Gautam Adani, chairman of the Adani Group, was present at both the meetings.
Sources said the presentation showed that the company would establish its supply chain and the entire ecosystem ranging from software, hardware to ancillary units in the country as it prepares to develop India as a solid manufacturing and export base. Gou later confirmed this.IMPRESSIVE CLIENT LIST
The Taiwan-headquartered company has a client list that includes Cisco, Dell, Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard. It also manufactures phones for a number of global brands, including Apple, BlackBerry, Xiaomi, Motorola, Sony and Huawei, apart from Indian brands such as Micromax.
“The meetings were very good. We have been having some very good initial discussions and we want to get down to the execution and rollouts of all the plans that we have,” Vincent Tong, chairman of FIH Mobile Limited, the investment arm of Foxconn, told ET.
“Given the right timing and policy, definitely we’ve been expressing very strong interest and good ambitions to help India gain wings.” Sources told ET that Gou’s meeting on Monday night with PM Modi was decisive in the company firming up its India plans.
“Gou was in a dilemma regarding investments in India but the meeting with the PM clinched the deal,” one of the sources said. The two seemed to have hit off really well with Gou profusely praising Modi and his vision of India. The two discussed several matters, including their birth dates.
“They discovered they were born in the same year — 1950,” sources said. Gou declared that he was keen to come to India but needed some convincing. He was apprehensive of investing, given the beating India’s image had taken among foreign investors in the past years.FOXCONN’S WISH LIST
A wish list comprising tariff protection to encourage domestic manufacturing, tax predictability for the next several years and monetary incentives to pull investments from China was also shared.
“Logistics, supply chain, power and other efficiencies need to be aligned” for Foxconn to set up its plants, Gou said. About 18-20 presidents of Foxconn’s different business units including mobile phones, networks, televisions, etc — which is about 40 per cent of the group’s total business heads — came along with Gou, indicating the company’s seriousness and intent towards investing in India.


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April 7, 2020
Bulgari, like its peers, has pitched in with help to combat COVID-19. Image credit: Bulgari
By Luxury Daily News Service
British luxury trade lobby Walpole got Fondazione Altagamma, its sister organization in Italy, to share the fallout of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic on the country and the luxury sector.
Share your thoughts. Click here


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Redoubling its efforts to woo customers to the Web, Bank One Corp. has begun putting bankone.com kiosks in some branches - just months after having put dozens of WingspanBank.com kiosks in others.
For the moment, at least, customers will not face a confusing choice between the two types of kiosks. They will be placed in branches in different parts of the country, the Chicago company says.
The Wingspan kiosks are meant to attract new users to the company's Internet-only bank, while the bankone.com kiosks are meant to prove to current Bank One customers that Internet banking is easier and more convenient than branch banking, the company says.
A few other banking companies have been installing kiosks here and there to prod customers toward lower-cost channels. But Bank One is the only major U.S. banking company that is promoting a separately branded Internet banking subsidiary in addition to an Internet banking service that it runs under its own name.
So far Bank One, under the regime of chief executive officer James Dimon, has committed itself to keeping Wingspan, and argues that having two online brands draws in more customers rather than perplexing them or causing conflicts of allegiance.
Over the last two weeks the company has placed bankone.com kiosks in eight Chicago area branches, and by yearend it plans to have 100 kiosks in its home market and 400 in other parts of its 1,800-branch network.
"Our plan over time is to roll out the kiosks in as many banking centers as it makes sense to," said Bruce Luecke, general manager for bankone.com.
The Bank One-branded kiosks are "a public way for our customers to see how easy it is to use bankone.com, and they give our employees tangible evidence of this great service to cross-sell or sell other services," he said.
In September, Bank One put Wingspan kiosks in 71 branches in the Phoenix area. That was part of an effort to use different methods to sell Wingspan products, and to experiment with different combinations of pamphlets, kiosks, and Bank One staff members, Mr. Luecke said.
So far there are no plans to put Wingspan and Bank One kiosks side-by-side. "We most likely would not have two kiosks in the same branch," he said. "It's hard to do that in most banking centers, because they are not that large."
Bankone.com will pay attention to some of the early lessons learned from the Wingspan kiosks as it rolls out the rest of its kiosks, Mr. Luecke said. "We have certainly gleaned lessons from Wingspan from a usability perspective."
The eight bankone.com kiosks all look alike and provide access to bankone.com's full suite of financial services, including online banking, bill payment, investing, small-business, and commercial services.
"There will not be a dedicated Bank One staff person at the kiosks, and the rest will really depend upon what the banking centers themselves like to do to make the kiosks most effective," Mr. Luecke said.
Bank One does not charge a fee for accessing an account over the Internet, but it charges most online bill payment customers a monthly fee of $4.95.
"We will find out with experience how people in the banking centers use" the kiosks, Mr. Luecke said. "Today it's for showing customers what's there."
Paul Jamieson, director of financial services at Gomez Advisors, called the strategy "a great plan." Bank One "has learned from Wingspan's experience over the last six months that kiosks can be an effective way to attract customers to bankone.com," he said.
Mr. Jamieson also applauded the economics of the strategy. "Kiosks are a lot cheaper than a full-blown branch, and they are mobile, so they can move around as interest ebbs and flows," he said.
E-Trade Group and Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce have tried to use kiosks to attract customers to their online financial services, but E-Trade is deploying them in Target stores and CIBC is putting them in supermarkets. Other brick-and-mortar banking companies that have tried to add a high-tech spin to their branches failed to attract customers.
A few years ago First Union Corp. inaugurated a high-tech branch concept called Future Bank, which was meant to get customers to use more self-service machines. The idea was that branch employees could focus on selling products and training customers to use the Internet, instead of handling the mundane tasks of handling deposits and withdrawals. But the project did not impress customers and was scrapped.
Mr. Luecke said Bank One's kiosks are "not comparable" to the Future Bank project. "The kiosks are just another distribution channel, and are not meant to replace the banking centers."


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RadTech on Friday announced five new products, including new
PodSleevz designed to fit the iPod photo. The snug sleeves, which are made of OpTex, come in six colors — indigo, red, ultra violet, grape, titanium and black — and protect the MP3 player’s LCD screen and front controls while leaving the top and bottom open for access to the ports. Pricing is US$19.95.
RadTech also released
OmniCleanz (starting at $6.95), a cleaning fluid created to dislodge dirt and remove scuff marks from computers and their peripherals;
Pawz ($7.95), larger size replacement feet for laptops and other devices;
LensavRz (starting at $7.95), a cleaning liquid for computer displays, optical discs, TVs and more; and a
nylon pry tool ($7.00) mentioned in Apple’s Service Source manuals and needed for opening laptops and other devices while performing repairs.


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Omar Sherrif Director Skylark Mansions Pvt Ltd.
Most industry experts have indicated that problems such as rising cost of input materials, and labour, and high interest rates will further put the industry under stress. This coupled with huge genuine demand will further push property prices in the coming year
Bangalore residential market has seen some healthy trends in the year 2012 with several localities across the city witnessing price hike. The best performing areas in 2012 were Hebbal, Sahakar Nagar and RT Nagar in North Bangalore. These locations saw the highest demand and appreciation during the year. While the first half of the year saw an increasing demand for affordable locations, the luxury segment also picked up pace towards the end of the year.


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It’s a good day for links.
Line o’ links from 3men’s “All about Sausage” site. .
*Would you be surprised to learn that certain dastardly chain restaurants are being less than honest about the calories and fats in their so-called “diet” or “heart healthy” dishes? A Scripps Television investigation spills the beans. [Seattle Post Intelligencer]
*An Italian restaurant in Venice, California is fighting its Zagat rating. [LATimes]
*Houston has its own restaurant-grease pirates. The Chronicle’s Allan Turner reports. [Houston Chronicle]
*The LA Time’s S. Irene Virbila casts a gimlet eye upon the new Nobu in West Hollywood, which occupies the sainted L’Orangerie space. Money quote: “The new restaurant doesn’t move the Nobu brand forward in any significant way, and it’s not nearly as glamorous as the New York or London versions.” [LA Times]


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The past few years have not been exactly a smooth sailing period for Chinese telecommunications equipment companies such as Huawei. The tough times began in 2012 when the U.S. House of Representatives' Intelligence Committee recommended keeping the firm, along with ZTE, out of the U.S. market. Then in August, the U.S. banned all electronic products manufactured by those companies from government use.
As if it wasn't enough, Washington is reportedly trying to dissuade wireless and internet providers based in its allied countries including Germany, Italy, and Japan from using Huawei-built telecommunications equipment. According to The Wall Street Journal, the U.S. government briefed its foreign allies on cybersecurity threats allegedly posed by Huawei's products.
In an effort to bolster its campaign against China-made equipment in those countries, the U.S. is also reportedly expanding its financial assistance for telecommunications development efforts in territories that agree to drop the telecom products from that country. In August, Australia banned Huawei and ZTE from providing 5G technology there due to national security concerns as well.
The government is worried over potential risks China-built commercial equipment may pose to sensitive communications of American military bases hosted in those countries. Huawei maintains that its technology has never been used to spy on other nations.
That said, the widespread use of Huawei's products among many U.S. allied nations is seen as a major roadblock to the U.S. government's efforts to shut the company out of overseas markets.
Source: The Wall Street Journal


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Texas Instruments rallies on forecast
The No. 1 maker of chips for cell phones projects an upbeat current quarter, sending shares up.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - Shares of Texas Instruments, the No. 1 maker of chips for cell phones, rallied in after-hours trading Thursday after the company issued a revised earnings forecast for the current quarter that beat analysts' expectations.
Shares of TI rose 2.5 percent in after-hours trading.
TI had originally forecast earnings per share for the second quarter of 38 cents to 43 cents, including about four cents for stock-based compensation, and revenue of $3.46 billion to $3.75 billion.
The numbers appear well above analysts' expectations for the quarter, but investors should put them in perspective, said Cody Acree, an analyst at Stifel Nicolaus & Co., noting that the one-time items gave the company a big boost in the quarter.
"You have to back out those one-time issues," he said, adding that without the $70 million in revenue, the revenue figure is "a good number, but not a dramatic number."
The company said the revenue estimate includes a $70 million cash payment from Conexant Systems for a previously announced settlement of patent-related litigation. TI also received a sales tax benefit in the quarter. The two items are expected to contribute a combined 5 to 6 cents per share.
TI, which also makes chips for other consumer electronics devices such as televisions and digital cameras, said it expects revenue from semiconductors, which accounts for 96 percent of TI's total revenue, of between $3.45 billion and $3.59 billion, up from an earlier forecast of $3.29 billion to $3.56 billion. The company expects its calculator business to produce revenues of between $175 million and $185 million. Analysts had forecast sales of $3.6 billion and earnings of 40 cents a share for the second quarter, according to a Thomson FirstCall survey.
Ron Slaymaker, TI's investor relations chief, said that a number of areas outside of chips for cell phones experienced higher-than-expected demand, such as chips for flat-screen TVs, printers and remote metering stations. Slaymaker added that demand for cell phone chips has been consistent with the company's expectations for the quarter.
The news follows a report Wednesday that semiconductor demand overall will be stronger than was initially expected this year, particularly for the chips that power cell phones.
Sales of those chips, also called digital signal processors, are expected to grow by 18.5 percent to $9 billion this year, the Semiconductor Industry Association said this week. Sales of analog chips, which power specific applications in cell phones, are expected to climb 17.3 percent to $37.4 billion. TI counts its analog business as one of its fastest-growing units.
Texas Instruments Chief Executive Rich Templeton told CNNMoney.com last month that the continuing demand for consumer electronics and growth in emerging markets will be bigger drivers for the semiconductor industry than the PC market going forward.
Templeton said that emerging markets including China, India and Africa boast roughly three billion potential new customers for TI. TI's other big growth market will fall at the other end of the technology spectrum, he said, as the world's cell phone networks get upgraded to the third generation, or 3G. These networks will allow users to send images, video and other types data over their phones at much higher speeds than they can now.
Shares of Texas Instruments are down about four percent for the year, despite strong first-quarter results from the company, which posted a 57 percent gain in earnings per share and a 23 percent jump in sales.
Analysts say the decline in TI's share price is partially because the sector as a whole has taken it on the chin this year, with the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index falling about 6.7 percent in 2006.
But they add there had been concern that TI may not be able to further expand its margins, a worry they say has depressed the company's stock price this year. TI posted a gross margin of 50.1 percent and an operating margin of 21.5 percent during the first quarter.
Acree does not own shares of Texas Instruments, and his firm does not have banking ties to the company.


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Everest Brand Solutions Delhi has been assigned the creative mandate for telecom solutions provider Clay. Clay is a global provider of wireless telecom solutions, catering to both B2B and B2C market segments. The size of the business couldn’t be ascertained at the time of filing the report.
Gaurav Dhawan, Chief Marketing Officer and Director of Clay, said, “Clay has built a strong value proposition for Indian outbound travelers to over 50 countries with exceptional service levels. We expect our relationship with Everest to bring into sharp focus strong brand equity built among users in the last seven years.”
D Rajappa, President, Everest, said, “Clay offers mobile solutions to outbound travelling executives through agreement with 34 leading mobile service providers that include T Mobile of UK, 02 of Germany and Ireland, Vodafone of Australia, and AT&T of USA. We are excited to work on this assignment from a rapidly evolving sector.”
Through these tie-ups, Clay can offer its country-specific SIM cards to customers to offer value for money international roaming and other products.
“Clay has many innovative products and features that will allow us to bring into play our capabilities in the consumer marketing space,” said Naveen Saraswat, COO, Everest.
Everest Delhi’s 2008 wins include Network18’s news channels CNN-IBN and IBN7, KS Oils and Ansal Housing. Clients from the Mumbai branch include Writer Corporation, Nirmal Lifestyle, Parle (brands like Mango Bite, Kacha Mango Bite, Poppins, Hide and Seek, Parle Milano), Zandu Pharmaceuticals and Bombay Chemicals.


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Google announced official RISC-V support in Android and plans to make it a "tier 1 platform" on equal footing with Arm. It doesn't have a name yet, but Qualcomm says it's developing a "RISC-V Snapdragon Wear" chip in collaboration with Google.
Qualcomm said it wants to commercialise the RISC-V-based wearable solution globally, including the US."
For Google and Qualcomm, this chip represents everyone's first swing at a commercial RISC-V Android project, and is the first announced mass-market RISC-V Android chip. Qualcomm says the groundwork and Google layout "will help pave the way for more products within the Android ecosystem to take advantage of custom CPUs that are low power and high performance."
While Intel might be losing some sleep over the move, RISC-V represents a significant threat to the Arm CPU architecture currently dominating all mobile devices. RISC-V architecture is open source, which can make it cheaper and more flexible than Arm. If companies want to design their chips, they can do that without paying a licensing fee to Arm. Since the architecture is open source, creating a fully open-source chip is possible.
If you're a chip-design firm, you can make your proprietary chip designs and license them, making you a competitor to Arm's chip-design business. RISC-V is a way to sidestep all of the various problems with Arm.


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Last week, Urban Decay introduced three more daring women to join their Global Citizens program. The new ambassadors include singer Normani, as well as Camila Mendes and singer G.E.M to act as spokespeople for the brand. All to champion diversity and to recognise individuality in the beauty industry. Hell yeah.
The trio join Lizzo, CL, Joey King and, Karol G in the campaign, acting as ambassadors for the brand, celebrating their individual uniqueness as artists and, to preach Urban Decays philosophy. To “challenge the status quo by celebrating differences and embracing unapologetic individuality.”
Speaking to Elle.com about the new campaign, Normani said: “I want to amplify Black stories to help dismantle systematic racism. I wholeheartedly believe that through this collaboration, I have a real opportunity and obligation to the black community, not only to lift my voice but all of theirs through this mission.
She also took to her Instagram to commemorate the brand for their efforts in diversity, writing: “They have trail-blazed and challenged the industry’s definition of beauty since the beginning. They stand with marginalized groups by showing that makeup should be and can be inclusive for everyone.”
Alongside their Global Citizen campaign, the brand have introduced another palette to the NAKED family. In keeping with their signature purple shade, the new Ultraviolet palette houses 12 super pigmented shadows that, like the new ambassadors, are not afraid to show off their colours.
While this palette certainly packs a punch in its shade range, its versatility of matte, shimmer and metallic shades offers something for everyone. For every day, peachy neutrals are ideal for a simple base and can be amped up with a deep purple shimmer in the crease. For real, the possibilities with this palette are endless.
Normani, Mendes, and G.E.M all feature in the new promotional video and images, rocking a vivid purple eye look, blowing a gum bubble, boogying on the table, and partying the night away. Ugh, post-lockdown vibes right!
Remember back in the day when the o-g NAKED palette was launched? It was all about the neutrals and achieving that “no makeup makeup look.” Well, ten years on and neutrals are no longer. Keep on coming with the colours please.
So, with summer on our doorstep, it’s the perfect makeup opportunity to inject a bit of colour and experimentation into our everyday eye look. Agree?
You can shop the palette now for £43 on the Urban Decay website.
Words by Clare Stephenson
Graphics by Georgia Walters


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BlaBlaCar, a marketplace for city-to-city rides cab service, after making waves across Europe, Russia and Turkey has driven its way into India. The timing of its arrival, however, comes at one of the most challenging period where app-based taxi aggregators are making compliance with transport authorities in the country. Also Read - Delhi government asks Uber to become a Radio Taxi to ply in the Capital
The French company BlaBlaCar, which raised $100 million last year, lets users check if a driver will be driving from one city to another and book a seat in advance. This is a win-win situation for both drivers as well as passengers, as both of them get benefited from the service. The company takes 10 percent on average from both riders and passengers. Also Read - Uber competitor Easy Taxi aborts India launch plan
The company announced that its service will be free for the first year in India, which will change when BlaBlaCar will start taking cut out of every booking once it manages to expand its base in the country. The company notes that it has over 10 million registered users across 13 countries. As of October last year, the company had 2 million people using its service every month. Also Read - Uber rape case: Cab operators brainstorm 'passenger safety measures' to avoid future mishap
BlaBlaCar notes that in Europe, its model has been found to be a cheaper alternative than trains for small distances. It will be interesting to see if it holds true in India as well as the service already sounds enticing giving more comfort and convenience to users. The company plans to start its operations in India with Delhi and then move across Jaipur and other cities.
“We aim to explore every large market in the world where ground transport can be improved upon. India has a lot to gain from community ridesharing. Smart, sustainable and social, it’s a win-win situation for both car-owners and co-travellers,” said Nicolas Brusson, Co-Founder and COO, BlaBlaCar.
The company notes that while the prices of the taxi fare will be fixed, drivers will have the ability to adjust them in accordance with a lot of factors within reason. But drivers won’t be able to exceed the price beyond a ceiling limit set by BlaBlaCar.
The BlaBlaCar is available on both Android and iOS and requires users to sign up via Facebook to use the service. The idea behind Facebook login is to add trust factor. The company then authenticates users’ account to ensure that real profile photos and full names are being used. The app also lets you know and decide the person with whom you will be traveling.
The company also said that it will have a dedicated support team available at all times. Additionally, it also notes that it utilizes a “community” based system to improve security. The community has the ability to self-moderate the drivers and passengers based on ratings. The car service also offers a “Ladies Only” feature wherein a lady passenger has the option to share the car with another lady passenger and lady driver.
“With the limited capacity of public transportation and last minute travel options in India, BlaBlaCar offers an affordable, friendly, and efficient alternative. BlaBlaCar creates a unique space for car owners and co-travellers to get to know each other and make an informed choice about whom they want to travel with. For India’s 100 million Facebook users and 160 million plus smartphone users, this is a travel revolution,” said Raghav Gupta, Country Manager, BlaBlaCar India.


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FORTUNE -- Where online publishing is concerned, Ev Williams is on a roll.
The 41-year-old serial entrepreneur developed, then sold the early blogging platform Blogger to Google in 2003. More notably, he co-founded Twitter (TWTR) with Jack Dorsey and Biz Stone, an origin story fleshed out in New York Times columnist Nick Bilton's bestseller, Hatching Twitter. With his most recent venture, Medium, Williams, Stone, and former Twitter exec Jason Goldman are after digital publishing again, this time shirking the 140-character constraints for a long-form-minded platform of idea-sharing and storytelling.
"We call them 'ideas' and 'stories,' but it can be personal stories or it can be investigative journalism. It can be two paragraphs or 50,000 words," explained Williams to senior editor-at-large Adam Lashinsky Thursday evening at Fortune's Brainstorm Tech dinner in Menlo Park, Calif. "On the creation side, it's the easiest way to put a thought out in the world or a story."
Launched in 2012, Williams says Medium is growing quickly: The platform's userbase ramped up from 9 million unique monthly visitors in December 2013 to 13 million visitors currently reading items like Susie Cagle's "San Francisco's Class War, By the Numbers" or "The problem with false feminism," by Dani Colman. Williams also revealed that an iOS app is due to launch next week that will focus on consuming content on Medium. (Users won't be able to create content through the app yet.) Williams declined to give further details, other than to say he believes the platform "is going to be really big," words he also once used to describe Twitter during its early days.
Williams also remains a Twitter board member and recalled reading Hatching Twitter, the critical origin story of the now-popular social network. In fact, Twitter read the book on a flight en route to the company's IPO in New York. He recalled the experience as "very intense." "I mean, the book starts with me puking in a trash can," he elaborated. "But it ended with me reading books with my wife to our kids, which was lovely.">
The 20-year-old festival is constantly evolving.
FORTUNE -- In conversations with friends leading up to the SXSW Interactive, the standard response to the topic has been somewhere between pity that I'm going and disdain that they too have to attend.
Many lead-up stories to the event have reflected that tone. Business Insider declared, "Everything you've come to know and love about SXSW has died." Digiday wrote, "This will be the last SXSW MOREErin Griffith - Mar 7, 2014 1:04 PM ET
The big orange circle is Google's Motorola. The big blue one is Facebook's WhatsApp.
FORTUNE -- I can't vouch for the accuracy of the data in this infographic, created by business insurance provider Simply Business and posted Friday on TechCrunch, but even if it's a little off it gives you a good feel for how Apple's (AAPL) relatively small, targeted acquisitions compare with such multibillion dollar deals as Google (GOOG) buying Motorola ($12.5 MOREPhilip Elmer-DeWitt - Mar 7, 2014 11:37 AM ET
Updates to its Office 365 suite show benefits from a 2008 acquisition.
FORTUNE -- Microsoft (MSFT) has a spotty track record when it comes to acquisitions. (Remember Danger, Massive, and WebTV? Yeah, neither do we.) But snapping up enterprise search startup Fast Search & Transfer for $1.2 billion back in 2008 may prove to have been a prescient move.
Earlier this week the tech giant unveiled a series of updates to its Office MOREMichal Lev-Ram, writer - Mar 7, 2014 10:56 AM ET
Peter Oppenheimer quietly presided over one of the most remarkable runs in the technology industry's history.
By Verne Kopytoff
FORTUNE -- Peter Oppenheimer, Apple's longtime chief financial officer, kept an especially low profile during his tenure. He rarely spoke publicly beyond the company's quarterly earnings calls, and happily left the spotlight to Steve Jobs, Tim Cook, and other high-profile members of the company's senior executive team. Even Apple (AAPL) fanatics would have MOREMar 7, 2014 10:31 AM ET
Another study found 42% of Chinese buyers want iPhones vs. 32% for Samsung.
FORTUNE -- "We may have underestimated Apple Inc.'s (AAPL) progress in China."
So begins a story in the International Business Times Friday reporting on the numbers in the first attached chart.
They come from an Upstream survey of 4,505 smartphone customers in five emerging markets in which respondents were asked what brand they hoped to buy next. Apple edged out Samsung MOREPhilip Elmer-DeWitt - Mar 7, 2014 7:10 AM ET
The app launches on Android today.
FORTUNE -- You've heard the cliché a million times: Gaming is a hits-driven business. Just ask our friends at Zynga (ZNGA), which rode Farmville, and then CityVille, to an IPO and subsequent collapse. Or OMGPop, whose hit app Draw Something lost millions of users just as fast as it acquired them (but not before selling to Zynga for $200 million). Or Rovio, which had MOREErin Griffith - Mar 6, 2014 1:00 PM ET
Enduring the polar vortex with the chief executive of the crowdfunding platform Indiegogo.
By Maya Baratz
FORTUNE -- "Want to borrow my gloves?" Slava Rubin, co-founder and CEO of crowdfunding platform Indiegogo, asks me as we walk on a chilly February afternoon toward a café in New York's TriBeCa neighborhood. "They're from Russia," he adds, revealing the tag hidden inside one of the gloves and exposing its soft shearling liner. His grandmother MOREMar 6, 2014 12:08 PM ET
On why computer keyboards are outdated, how to instill work-life balance in a company, and his tendency to jump off of things.
FORTUNE -- Growing up in England, Neil Capel spent a lot of time working in his father's greengrocer shop. His father knew all of the shop's regular customers and always strived to give them a pleasant experience. Working with his dad showed Capel the power of brand loyalty, and MOREChanelle Bessette - Mar 6, 2014 10:21 AM ET
The coolest new startup in Austin doesn't make apps.
FORTUNE -- In the midst of the partying, marketing, and mindless app launches of SXSW, an Austin startup that's actually really revolutionary will be showing off early prototypes to investors and advisors.
The startup is called Reaction Housing, and the product is called an "Exo Housing System." It's a shelter that's inexpensive, reusable, portable, and "smart." Designer Michael McDaniel conceived of the idea after MOREErin Griffith - Mar 6, 2014 10:00 AM ET
|GM raising Corvette prices|
|Albertsons to merge with Safeway|
|Boeing reports wing cracks on Dreamliners|
|Bitcoin matters. Ignore the media circus.|
|Boeing to end pension plans for non-union employees|


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The United Nation’s Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), in cooperation with the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, has initiated a new project to set up bamboo industries in Sri Lanka. As part of this project, Indian experts will begin to share their expertise to start Sri Lanka’s bamboo processing industry. India reportedly has the second largest bamboo stocks in the world after China, according to a Ministry press release.
With a total value of $15.9 million, the project will aim at developing a bamboo supply chain and product industry in the country, according to Nawaz Rajabdeen, National Director, UNIDO-Sri Lanka. “UNIDO envisages that its industry development thrust will occur on three fronts—engineered bamboo materials for structural applications such as roofing sheets and panelling, bamboo pellets for local energy use, and bamboo sprouts as food exports” Mr Rajabdeen said, adding “UNIDO will also extend technical support and expertise to develop this industry towards SME levels.”
According to the Department of Forest Conservation sources there are no large scale bamboo plantations in Sri Lanka either by the public or private sectors and currently bamboo cultivation is done in the country by informal sectors in small scale, except the cultivations under the Riverine Bamboo Project of Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka, which plans to cultivate them in selected river bank areas of Mahaweli project lands. Micro scale harvesters earn between Rs 250 to 300 per bamboo tree and from a grove of 50 trees, around 30 trees are harvested annually.
UNIDO has organised a two day seminar titled “Bamboo Processing in Sri Lanka” to be held on September 5 and 6 in Colombo as a pre-project preparation. Relevant stakeholders including the Ministry of Industry & Commerce and industries under it, Ministry of Irrigation & Water Resources Development, Environmental Ministry, bamboo cultivators, construction industry personnel etc are expected to take part in this first ever seminar of this nature to be held in the country.
In early June 2011, the UNIDO office in Sri Lanka sent a four member Public Private Partnership delegation led by Sarath Abeysundara, National Project Coordinator, UNIDO Sri Lanka to Assam, India to study various aspects of Assamese bamboo industry and concluded that there is great potential for bamboo processing industry in Sri Lanka.


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Well the VENUS FREEZE success continues! It has recently been announced that the Venus Freeze Treatments has been awards a Readers Choice Award by American Health and Beauty.
The 2013 Readers’ Choice Awards from American Health and Beauty honours the top non-surgical and surgical procedures in aesthetic medicine. Spanning several categories, this year’s big winner of being the most popular and researched procedure is The Venus Freeze.
It’s no secret that the Venus Freeze has had a phenomenal year of success in 2013, particularly across the USA but the UK and Spain are now enjoying an increasing buzz and take-up of Venus Concept systems too. As you are aware, these skin treatments are popular with top international models and media celebrities already know how good the “Freeze Facial” is. The Venus Freeze has been used by models at last years London Fashion Week and many of the Hollywood film and TV awards.


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How solar has exploded in the US in just a year – in numbers
Author: Michelle Lewis
Solar and storage companies have announced over $100 billion in private sector investments in the US since the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) a year ago, according to a (https://www.seia.org/research-resources/impact-inflation-reduction-act) by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) (https://www.seia.org/).
Since President Joe Biden signed the IRA in August 2022, 51 solar factories have been announced or expanded in the US.
These new and expanded factories will invest nearly $20 billion into US communities and amount to 155 gigawatts (GW) of new production capacity across the solar supply chain. These announcements include 85 GW of solar panel capacity, 43 GW of solar cells, 20 GW of silicon ingots and wafers, and 7 GW of inverter capacity:
Solar factories announced in the last year are going to employ more than 20,000 Americans.
By 2026, the US will have over 17 times its current manufacturing capacity across modules, cells, wafers, ingots, and inverters when these announced factories are online – and that’s enough to supply the majority of solar projects expected to be built in the US.
*If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out (EnergySage) (https://www.energysage.com/p/electrek-rsm-ml/), a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.


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More than 400 ATM security experts from 40 countries are expected to attend the ATM & Cyber Security 2019 conference, which will be held October 6-8 in London.
More than 400 ATM security experts from 40 countries are expected to attend the ATM & Cyber Security 2019 conference, which will be held October 6-8 in London. The international conference ATM & Cyber Security 2019, which will be held October 6-8 in London, will be attended by more than 400 ATM security experts from 40 countries. Representatives of Penkių kontinentų bankinės technologijos (BS/2) will present the comprehensive ATMeye.iQ solution designed to ensure the safety of self-service devices.
ATM & Cyber Security 2019 is the most important self-service device security event this year. The conference will feature representatives of financial institutions, government and law enforcement agencies and companies involved in the development and implementation of software solutions for banks. An exhibition will also be held as part of the event, during which visitors will be able to learn about innovative technologies, the latest products and services to ensure the safety of ATMs. In addition, they will be able discuss issues of concern to them with industry experts, and meet potential partners.
Here’s what Vilius Gofmanas, a software sales manager from BS/2 has to say about the upcoming presentation:
- Why will BS/2 be attending the event?
- Our company specializes in the security of self-service banking devices. This is one of the few conferences that fully matches our profile. Participation in this event is doubly beneficial for the company. On the one hand - as a platform for presenting our products to potential customers. On the other, to participate in the dialogue between experts in the field of technological security and meet of partners.
- What new products or innovation do you intend to show visitors during the exhibition?
- We’ll be bringing the latest version of our ATM security software - ATMeye.iQ. The latest feature, which we intend to put in the spotlight, is the Face Detection module - one of the tools of the ATMeye.iQ solution based on biometric technologies. The module determines whether a person currently in front of the ATM is covering his face, this helps prevent fraud. The face detection function can be implemented on any self-service terminal equipped with a video camera. If for some reason an ATM user hides his face from the camera (for example, wants to use a stolen card), then he simply will not be able to complete the transaction. More details on how this works will be disclosed during the conference.
- One of the conference speakers is a representative of a Nigerian bank, which is currently implementing the ATMeye.iQ solution. What will this report be about?
- Our goal this year is not only to present the ATMeye.iQ solution, but also to highlight the ATM security problems in the African region. In accordance with the requirements of the organizers of ATM & Cyber Security 2019, the solution should not be presented by the developer, but by the client who uses it, so we invited representatives of our largest partner in Nigeria, Zenith Bank, to share their impressions of the product and its implementation. The report of our partners will let you learn first-hand about the security issues of self-service devices in the African region and how Zenith Bank is tackling them.
- What changes is the banking sector in Nigeria currently undergoing?
- Firstly, the number of ATMs is growing rapidly in the region. Secondly, financial institutions understand that the safety of self-service devices affects the reputation of banks and customer confidence. In Nigeria, the issue of security of self-service terminal devices is especially relevant: more than 43% of the country's residents have suffered in one way or another from crimes related to them. That is why today Nigerian banks are paying more attention to the protection of ATMs introducing innovative technologies and latest solutions.


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For a space that’s completely dedicated to getting things clean, the laundry room can be a landmine of dirty substances. Toxic laundry products can contain ingredients that are irritating to the skin and damaging to the lungs. Some products disrupt hormones and have been linked to cancer. This month, our Whole Home Detox efforts focus on the laundry room. We’ll discuss laundry detergent, fabric softener, and dryer sheets. There ...Read full article...
by Tom Philpott Mother Jones July 8, 2011 It’s a hoary bureaucratic trick, making a controversial announcement on the Friday afternoon before a long weekend, when most people are daydreaming about what beer to buy on the way home from work, or are checking movie times online. But that’s precisely what the US Department of Agriculture pulled last Friday. In an innocuous-sounding press release titled “USDA Responds to Regulation ...Read full article...


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The Glitch has been awarded the integrated digital mandate of the recently launched active lifestylebrand Prowl.Sources close to the development confirmed the news to BestMediaInfo.com.
The account was won in a highly competitive multi-agency pitch. The agency will also work on the brand film for Prowl.
The brand has been jointly created and owned by Tiger Shroff and Mojostar, a joint venture between Kwan Entertainment and Dream Theatre. This is the first brand fromMojostar, which has plans to create a collection of lifestyle brands with celebrities.
Prowl is expected to go live for consumers by June 2018 and the products will be priced between Rs 1,000-3000, available on all leading e-commerce platforms.
Earlier this month, GroupM agreed to acquire a majority stake in The Glitch. The digital agency will continue to operate as an independently positioned brand, while taking advantage of GroupM’s larger infrastructure and agency ecosystem.


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GST now provides respite to warehouses?
With the roll out of Goods and Services Tax (GST), warehousing has come out as one of the biggest beneficiaries. CARGOTALK explores how the warehousing industry is getting a makeover through the advent of the tax regime.
Apart from the conventional service of storing, warehousing plays a crucial role in the economy by packaging, labelling, quality inspection, barcoding, reverse logistics and other value-added services. The rollout of the tax reform measure could reduce total number of warehouses in the country by at least 40 per cent in the coming months, according to industry experts. GST is aimed to reshape the warehousing industry with reduction in number of warehouses, better inventory control, reduced cost, more organised warehouses, to name a few. CARGOTALK takes a glance on how’s the consolidation of warehouses helping the industry to grow further, in the post GST scenario.
Chandra Sekar K, CEO, Jayem Warehousing, says, “The practice of maintaining multiple warehouses across the states to avoid CST and entry taxes will be a story of the past. Consolidation of warehouses in few strategic locations will result in cost efficiencies with reduction in the cost on real estate, labour and transportation. Consolidation will mean lesser number of stocking points, no stock outs and lower demand variation. This in turn improves demand planning. Companies can now make decisions on warehouse location, size, technology adoption, and supply chain model based on logical factors like proximity to consumption centers, manufacturing locations, and inventory control, etc.”
“With increased operational efficiencies and cost effectiveness, GST is going to provide a huge relief with respect to various problems faced by the supply chain & logistics industry. Service providers could benefit in the long run, as they implement the hub&-spoke model for supply chain networks by operating large central warehouses and remodelling their transportation routes. As anticipated, GST has ushered in an era of upgradation and consolidation of warehouses in the supply chain & logistics industry. New mother warehouses will come up at key strategic locations, which can cater to the needs of customers based pan-India. GST has a positive impact on the warehousing sector, as demand will now be driven by consumption patterns and customer’s preferences rather than tax-friendly locations,” points, Vineet Kanaujia, Vice President – Marketing, Safexpress.
“Moreover, the average speed of goods transportation has also gone up. Cargo trucks are able to cover longer distances. The supply chain & logistics industry would therefore be both an enabler and beneficiary in the Indian economic growth saga for years to come,” he continued.
With GST, redesigning the flow of movement with warehousing at strategic locations will come into action gradually. With the aim of reducing operating cost, purely being based on supply chain efficiencies only, corporates will tend to consolidate their scattered facilities to one with better capacities and better technical support which would be around major consumptions centers. Decisions on warehousing would be influenced basically on reach to market, size and quality requirements,” explains, Rajiv Passi, Head Express, Sugam Group.
Bipin Kulkarni, VP Sales and Marketing, Spear – An FM Logistic Company, shares, “Market integration in the postGST era has brought a uniform tax regime cuts across regional boundaries and had made taxation an irrelevant parameter for the warehousing and distribution. GST has facilitated centralisation and consolidation of warehouses without adding, rather reducing, the costs. Consolidated warehouses facilitated to adapt better automation/technological changes reducing human resource and rising cost involved with it. Post GST companies are looking for consolidating cost with help of Multi Client Facilities (MCF). We are already witnessing lot of new opportunities in warehousing sectors. Post GST, MCF will be preferred choice of customers.”
“Our first of many MCFs in Bhiwandi near Mumbai will start from early December. This will be a state-of-the-art facility which will have 250,000 sq.ft. of space under single roof and a storage capacity of 35,000 pallet positions, supported by WMS and handling equipment. Another MCF for NCR region which will be approx. 600,000 sq.ft. in area will be operational by next year,” Kulkarni informs.
From mere brick and mortar shelters to highly sophisticated stockrooms, the warehousing industry is getting a quick makeover with the tax regime. “Today's modern warehouse design is larger, taller, wider, brighter, smarter, and more flexible. Basic design in the 21st century includes higher ceiling heights (36 feet and higher), flat concrete floor surfaces, LED and natural light features, expanded trailer storage, and highly automated materials handling equipment operated intelligent software. Technology applications, advanced automation, and progressive building design all add up to provide flexible support
Consolidation will mean lesser number of stocking points, no stock outs and lower demand variation GST has a positive impact, as demand will now be driven by consumption patterns and customer’s preferences With GST, redesigning the flow of movement with warehousing at strategic locations will come into action gradually GST has facilitated centralisation and consolidation of warehouses without adding, rather reducing, the costs
to end-to-end supply chain,” adds Sekar.
Echoing similar views, Kulkarni says, “From godowns to warehouses, the industry has come a long way to become the backbone of manufacturing and other industries. It is growing fast, undergoing various dynamic and technological changes reducing human effort. Technologies like tracking mechanism, warehouse management system, material handling equipment, just in time, packing & prepacking, kitting & de-kitting, bundling, pricing and many more has changed the face of warehousing services provided by 3PL companies.”
“Although initial reactions against GST may have been extreme in some places, but things are settling down for sure, and teething troubles will ease, too. The main challenge will be a commitment by the supply chain & logistics firms to adapt to the change and make GST readiness a pre-requisite within their companies as well as amongst their vendors and suppliers. Once the paperwork is in place and the understanding of the tax regime sets in, the initial problems will be ironed out soon,” Kanaujia adds.
Effect of GST on existing warehouses
Commenting on the current state of smaller warehouses that are already existed/existing in the country, Sekar informs, “Smaller warehouses will either be shut down or merged with bigger warehouses for operational efficiencies. Most of these warehouses are operating below their capacities and the requirement of having warehouses in each state is no more a necessity.” Kulkarni notifies, “Decision to have a warehouse will not be based on the tax consideration but purely based on consumption centre. Companies prefer to have warehouses closer to bigger consumption centers. Moreover, not all industries are consolidating their warehouses; industries like auto and engineering are not affected much as they still have to run smaller warehouses near OEMs to cater to their JIT demands. However, FMCG and retail companies are consolidating.”
“For supply chain & logistics industry, after initial hiccups, the dust is settling down slowly. As we move ahead, interstate form filling is getting reduced in a big way, and the transit-time from Destination A to Destination B will keep coming down. Not to forget that warehouse locations will no longer be dependent on state taxation systems and transportation of goods will keep getting more efficient,” shares Kanaujia.
“3PL industry is evolving from traditional service delivery systems to highly integrated and technically equipped player striving to meet the service demands. Because of the fewer warehouses, the warehouses can be ramped up and equipped with state-of-the-art technology to facilitate long term benefits.
Latest WMS and modern robotics can be used for the effective and efficient warehouse management,” enlightens Sekar. “Warehousing industry is experiencing whole new change in the trend right from skilled work force to highly automated/smart techniques of warehousing or distribution. Improved technological changes and efficient operations will facilitate better supply chain for all the manufacturers,” opines Kulkarni.
Bipin Kulkarni VP Sales and Marketing, Spear – An FM Logistic Company & India Cargo Awards winner 2016
Chandra Sekar K CEO Jayem Warehousing
Vineet Kanaujia India Cargo Awards winner 2015 & Vice President – Marketing, Safexpress.
Rajiv Passi Head Express, Sugam Group & India Cargo Awards winner 2016


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Hundreds of driver vacancies available as festive season ramps up
Runcorn-based employment agency D&D Recruit is hitting the roads again, with more than 700 driver and logistics vacancies available as Britain gets ready for an extremely busy Christmas shopping season.
The Runcorn office alone has 450 jobs available, with another 150 in nearby Warrington.
There are also vacancies further afield in Cheshire, Bedfordshire, Marston Gate, Kingsbury, Atherstone and as far south as Tunbridge Wells.
D&D Recruit is a national ‘wheels-to-door’ logistics recruitment business, providing temporary staffing in the logistics sector and alongside its Runcorn headquarters has offices in Yorkshire, the South West, South East and the West Midlands.
While the demand on the industry is always higher in the run up to, and during Christmas, this year is the ‘perfect storm; in terms of supply struggling to meet demand, as D&D Recruit’s Neil O’Brien explains: “We know that throughout the pandemic we have witnessed an even bigger shift to online retailing and that requires major driver resources at distribution centres right across the country, which is our niche.
“That means great news for professional drivers and has also meant that we have been scaling up our own team here at D&D Recruit to meet that demand.
“However, whilst media reports during the fuel crisis fanned the flames and actually suggested there were no fuel drivers available, that wasn’t entirely accurate. That issue was largely down to IR35 – a change to the way that HMRC treats the salaries of HGV drivers, dramatically increasing their tax burden, meaning they took home less money for the same work.
“However, when it comes to HGV drivers, there is undoubtedly a challenge to be overcome.
“Consumers have changed their buying habits. We don’t go to the high street anymore, we want everything delivered to us – more ‘wheels to the door’ we call it in the industry.
“This is evidenced by the huge number of jobs we have on the books this month.”
He added: “The team will all be working hard to fill these roles to ensure we can all have the Christmas we deserve, starting with our hugely valued and respected drivers.”


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David McLeman is the managing director of Ancoris, a cloud services provider specialising in messaging, collaboration and enterprise security solutions. The company is a leading Google Apps Premier Enterprise Partner in the UK.
Public sector procurement regulators at the European Union (EU) look to have finally got a grasp on the issues around cloud computing in Europe – which is good news for both users and providers of cloud computing services. Like the UK government, with its G-Cloud initiative, the EU has declared that the use of public software-as …
When I started work as a Unix software engineer at Logica nearly 30 years ago, we were on the cusp of a revolution in IT. IBM was top dog in tech and Digital Equipment Corporation was the world's second-largest IT company. The other major players were the BUNCH companies: Burroughs, Univac, NCR, Control Data Corporation and …
Or why the reversal of globalisation ain't gonna 'appen
It'll only set you back a few billion
Can the storage giant overcome a lack of necessary leadership?
- Worstall on Wednesday It's Big, it's Blue... it's simply FABLESS! IBM's chip-free future
- Routine WHAT NOW? Bank of England’s CHAPS payment system goes TITSUP
- Consumers start feeling the love as Chromebook sales surge
- Comment Reg man has the cure for IBM storage: Just swallow 10 firms
- Warning to those who covet the data of Internet of Precious Things
No, silly... he was the fall guy for years of Finnish folly
Life after Dell sale
XiaOW-ME - that's gotta hurt
Microsoft's strategy is to make Store apps popular. Good luck with that


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Midlands businesses win to pitch to African buyers…
Businesses from across the Midlands had the opportunity to pitch their products and services directly to buyers from Africa at a specially organised event in Birmingham.
The 17 companies – all from food and drink, fast moving consumer goods, health care, business and professional services sectors, – won the chance to put their goods and services directly in front of16 buyers from Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, Kenya and Zambia.
The competition, which was aimed at companies not yet selling in the continent, was organised by West Midlands Chamber of Commerce.
The winners were selected to go forward to the pitch at iCentrum, where they were given five minutes to introduce their products and services to buyers including Umsinsi Health Care and Thrupps Retail from South Africa, LaFarge from Nigeria, and Joint Medical Stores from Kenya.
Among them was Ivy Wild Hair, a Birmingham hair care business launched in May by structural engineer Sherine Walrond; Tickle Tots, the Shropshire-based reusable nappy company; Zeos Man, a men’s skincare and waxing kit company from Coventry; and vitamins and supplements company Prowise Healthcare, from Sutton Coldfield.
Nerissa Govender, trade services regional manager (southern Africa) at the Department for International Trade (DIT), said with Africa accounting for three per cent of the UK’s exports of goods and services and growing, many buyers were keen to attract British businesses.
“The buyers who have come over to the Midlands have been really impressed with the innovative goods and services that would work very well in a number of African markets,” she said.
“It’s the first time they have experienced an event where companies pitch directly to the buyers and it’s a novel idea that has proven to work very well. I hope that this is just the beginning of what will be successful exporting relationships.”
Amanda Wilde, of Umsinsi Health Care, travelled from South Africa in the hope of finding new medical and healthcare products.
“I’ve been really impressed with the innovations and the potential difference that some of these products could make,” she said.
Andy Smith, International Relationships Manager at Department for International Trade (DIT) West Midlands, added: “It’s the first time we’ve organised an event like this and feedback from the buyers has been very positive indeed, with projected sales in seven figures. I was really impressed by the quality of the presentations from the suppliers and we hope that the businesses who pitched will soon be selling into African markets.”
DIT West Midlands has also organised a Meet the Expert: Africa event, which takes place at the Platform, Millennium Point, on Wednesday, 17 October , 1.30-5pm. For details, telephone 0345 222 0159.
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Business travel is picking up. Hotels especially are seeing more demand from business travelers. Hotels such as Hyatt Summerfield Suites increasingly cater to them.
Businesses that continued to send employees on the road during the recession were more profitable than those that cut back on business travel, a new study out today has found.
The study, conducted by Oxford Economics and commissioned by the U.S. Travel Association, attempted to show how travel can affect a company's bottom line just as businesses are starting to once again spend money on trips to meetings and conferences.
For every dollar invested in business travel, U.S. companies generated $9.50 in revenue and $2.90 in profit, according to the study, based on an analysis of government ...


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ACCC gives ?price certainty? on wholesale telecoms services Australia?s competition regulator the ACCC says it has given price certainty for legacy wholesale telecommunications services with its decision to maintain existing price and non-price terms until 30 June 2024 for seven declared, or regulated, fixed line services.
2nd November 2019
Chinese Mobile Market Huawei takes record 42% share of China smartphone market in Q3 The smartphone market in mainland China grew marginally in the third quarter, with shipments increasing to 97.8 million from 97.6 million units in the second quarter. Huawei extended its market lead by shipping 41.5 million smartphones, to take its market share to a record 42%.
1st November 2019
Internet began 50 years ago today in US On 29 October 1969 the first message was transmitted over ARPANET, the forerunner to the Internet. UCLA student programmer Charlie Kline used the University?s SDS Sigma 7 computer to login to an SDS 940 computer at Stanford Research Institute at Stanford University in Silicon Valley.
31st October 2019
Problems with bills, service dominate complaints to TIO More than 30,000 consumers and small businesses complained about their phone and Internet services - with many complaining about problems with their bills and the quality of customer service - over a three month period to the end of September this year, according to the latest complaints report from the Telecomunications Industry Ombudsman.
30th October 2019
Government readies for mmWave 5G spectrum auction The Australian Government has commenced the process in preparation for the auction of 2.4 GHz of essential spectrum in the mmWave 26 GHz band to support a ?fast and efficient? rollout of a 5G network across Australia.
29th October 2019
Dodgy mobile apps found to be on the increase The number of blacklisted mobile apps in the 120-odd mobile stores, examined by security firm RiskIQ on a regular basis, grew from 44,850 to 53,955, a rise of 20%, the company said in its mobile threat report for the second quarter of the year.
26th October 2019
North America a global leader in 5G, says GSMA North America is one of the most advanced mobile regions in the world as a result of significant operator investments in 5G, according to a newly published study from mobile industry body GSMA. Vonage opening second Australian office US unified communications company Vonage is opening a second Australian office as part of its continuing expansion throughout the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region.
24th October 2019
Is Huawei really a threat to US and Australia? OPINION: The USA and Australia have both banned Huawei from government contracts. The reasons have never been spelt out. Meanwhile the company is leading the way in 5G and Australia will ? yet again ? pay more for inferior technology.
23rd October 2019
2019 review of retail broadband pricing There is a crisis in disconnected wholesale and retail pricing. This will be the last annual review of retail broadband pricing.
22nd October 2019
Europeans close to 5G security agreement The Member States of the European Union are close to finalising a new framework for assessing the risk of 5G networks. FCC narrowly approves T-Mobile-Sprint merger T-Mobile and Sprint, will finally merge ? maybe. The transaction has been approved by the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) by a 3-2 vote, but some states have filed lawsuits against the deal.
19th October 2019


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Han Dynasty Antiques
- Upcoming Items
News about Han Dynasty Antiques
CHESTER, N.Y. – William J. Jenack Auctioneers has a lineup loaded with antiques and fine art to be sold Sept. 20, and while many men will be preoccupied watching the Jets Patriots football game, some savvy sportsmen will compete for a 16-foot vintage Peterborough canoe. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding. The Model No. 4 […]
NEW YORK — The Chinese New Year will begin Sunday, January 22. It is the biggest holiday in China, giving its citizens seven days off from work to celebrate. According to the Chinese zodiac, each year in a 12-year cycle is associated with a particular animal sign, and 2023 is the Year of the Rabbit.
LONDON – Apollo Art Auctions will launch its new season of gallery events with a January 29 sale generously laden with ancient fine art, antiquities and rare coins. Bidders who are unable to attend in person may bid remotely by phone, online or absentee, and everyone can enjoy the visually stunning auction catalogue online. With […]
NEW YORK – On Saturday, December 17, beginning at 10 am Eastern time, Gianguan Auctions presents a sale of Important Chinese Paintings and Works of Art. It will feature Buddhist sculptures, jade and crystal carvings, bronze and cloisonne enamel, paintings and porcelain. Absentee and Internet live bidding will be available through LiveAuctioneers.


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Erykah Badu Sold Out 1,000 Boxes Of Incense Social Media Rift
Singer Erykah Badu did not go looking for smoke, but she got it when her incense sold out following a heated rift with podcaster Akademics. The viral spat caused her product to be on fire—so hot, her stock went poof, up in smoke.
The ethereal artist sold all 1,000 boxes of her limited supply incense, Badu P***y, just hours after announcing the product went live on her website Badu World Market, HipHop DX reported. The “Window Seat” singer posted on her Twitter account at 6:11 p.m.: “Badu P***y Just went live! Limited supply. http://baduworldmarket.com.”
Two hours later, the artist said the incense had sold out. She captioned the second post, “Y’all quick !!! Lol SOLD OUT 1000 boxes.”
The popular incense appeared in the photo with wrapping showing a cartoon mouse wearing a gold chain that says, “Livingston.” The name on the chain is Akademiks’ government name. Badu dropped the product after the Off the Record podcast host made disrespectful comments about her during a Rumble stream Tuesday, Aug. 8, Love B Scott reported. The product’s description on Badu World Market said, “In honor of the biggest p*ssy in our culture, we’re introducing this limited edition premium incense — cause he deserves it!” HipHop DX reported.
The podcast host said in a tirade, “Erykah Badu, let me tell you this: you keep my name out your mouth too. Listen, that little Everyday Struggle s**t, that was another era, my n***a.”
The podcast host continued, “I never f****d with Erykah Badu after she was tryna come on my show and be funny. B***h, I don’t f**k with you after that.”
Badu said she was sensitive about her art, but apparently, her words hit a soft spot for Akademiks some years ago. The platform reported Badu said in an episode of Everyday Struggle in 2017 that Akademiks reminded her of Jerry the Mouse from the cartoon Tom and Jerry.
Badu’s words seemed to have replayed over and over Akademiks’ mind for years until he saw an opportune time to respond—some six years later.


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Amazing Tansu Shoe For Onitsuka Tiger Wins Gold At Cannes
International creative agency, Amsterdam Worldwide has won a Gold Design Lion at the 2010 Cannes Lions Festival for their hand-crafted tansu shoe created for yet another one of their fabulous campaigns and collateral work for Onitsuka Tiger.
Honoured for its innovation and creativity, the Tansu shoe is the centerpiece of the 2010 brand campaign for Onitsuka Tiger.
The one and a half meter long Tansu-inspired wooden sneaker is a totem to classic Japanese design, and was hand-carved in a traditional 9th generation Tansu workshop.
Taking cues from ‘puzzle box’ cabinets created for the Samurai, it took a team of expert Japanese craftsmen over four months to craft the model using traditional methods.
The Tansu shoe comprises many authentic features, including a number of secret compartments which intrigued and engaged consumers in retail environments worldwide. Below are screen grabs of the shoe's interactivity as it appears on the Onitsuka Tiger website:
Richard Gorodecky, Amsterdam Worldwide’s executive creative director said: “In a world increasingly dominated by the virtual, it’s great to see that something hand crafted and ‘real’ has won such a prestigious award.
This is the fourth in the award winning series of larger than life sculptures created from the agencies 'Made of Japan' strategy. Their campaign for Onitsuka Tiger won a Cannes Cyber Lion in 2007 and in 2008 the Electric Tiger Land campaign was a Cannes Titanium finalist.