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GMAIL and Outlook users have been warned to delete a threatening message pretending to be from Amazon.
The alert was issued after a scam email was sent out which appears to suggest customers' online accounts have been frozen until further action is taken.
The scam email goes on to say the user's Amazon account and "all pending orders" have been locked.
It states: "We have taken this action because the billing information you provided does not match the information on file with the card issuer."
The email then asks the Amazon user to verify their billing name, address and phone number.
It adds: "If we cannot complete the verification process within 3 days, all pending orders. [sic] will be canceled."
Amazon says: "A phishing email appears to be from a reputable source, but in reality, it is sent from an outside party attempting to access your personal information by getting you to open an attachment containing malware or click on a link that redirects to a potentially dangerous website."
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The online retailer tells customers to not open "any attachments or click any links from suspicious emails or text messages."
"Suspicious or fraudulent emails, text messages, or webpages not from Amazon.com may contain requests to update payment information that is not linked to an Amazon order you placed or an Amazon service you subscribed to," they add.
Shoppers were last week warned of a refund scam that sees hackers pretend to be employees.
According to Crowley Police Chief Jimmy Broussard, the pair were contacted online by an alleged Amazon agent - who claimed that they had been hacked.
“The hacker was able to hack into their bank account, take the 60 thousand out of their savings, and put it into their checking,” he explained.
“They were not aware of it until the second time, and they contacted their bank.”
The hacker reportedly claimed to send the wrong amount of money, causing the couple to send money to the agent through the mail.
The individual then pleaded with the vulnerable couple that he would be fired if the so-called mistake was not rectified – adding that they deposit the cash immediately.
To conclude they were then issued with a fake arrest warrant from Louisiana State Police via email - which accused them of money laundering.
It prompted Chief Broussard to issue a warning to shoppers of the presence of hackers during the festive period – adding emphasis on the importance of cyber-security.
“Hackers are getting a lot better. First thing to remember is that state police are not going to send a warrant over email,” said Broussard.
“It’s bad enough that they’re taking funds from people who work all of their life to earn this and to save this, but you’re sinking to a new low when you’re going to involve law enforcement in your actions.”
“There are grinches all over wanting to steal the Christmas spirit, so we just have to make sure we don’t let them in any shape or form,” he added.
WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IF YOU GET A SCAM EMAIL?
If you receive an email or phone call that claims to be from Amazon, don’t click on any links, call the numbers, or give out important information.
Log into your Amazon account and click on “Your Orders” on the upper right-hand side of the toolbar under Account & Lists.
You’ll see all the purchases made on your account to see if there are ones you don’t recognize.
If you have questions, be sure to contact Amazon directly through the website.
The Sun has contacted Amazon for comment.


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Micromax Launches its Super Slim and Light Flagship, Priced at Rs. 17,999
Micromax’s Jailbreak event kicked off in New Delhi and the firm brought before us the world’s slimmest smartphone. Adding to its Canvas line-up, Micromax introduced its flagship device, the Canvas Sliver 5, holding a thickness of 5.1mm end-to-end. The handset joins the list of the world’s till-date “slimmest phone” title holders – Oppo R5 (6.9mm), Elife 5.1 (5.15mm), and Vivo X5 Max (4.75mm).
Not only is it slim, it’s lighter than any phone released till date. Micromax claims that the Canvas Sliver 5 weighs a mere 97 grams. It accommodates Aircraft grade aluminum that helps maintain its feather-like weight. Along with that, touch sensitivity is integrated onto the screen, helping it acquire the thinness.
That was all about its exterior specifications. The phone is powered by a 64-bit quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor with 2GB DDR3 RAM. Canvas Sliver 5 is 4G/LTE enabled, which means overall, it might be a smooth and fast device. The display size stands at 4.8-inch with 720p resolution. The device, running on Android 5.0.2 Lollipop, comes with 16GB internal storage space with no expandability option.
Going by the camera specifications, the new Canvas flagship will hold an 8MP Sony IMX219 sensor on the back with Blue Glass Filter, Professional Mode and Night mode. The Blue Glass Filter offers better pictures by restricting infrared. Micromax has provided a 5MP front camera. A Dirac HD Sound system takes care of the audio quality. A battery of 2000mAh is fitted to the device, which according to Micromax is sufficient for the smartphone. The phone will be available in two colour options – white and black.
Besides this, the homegrown company announced additional offers. With Airtel connection, users will get double the data pack. Also, one of the major highlight of this smartphone, all buyers will get a guaranteed 7-day after-sale service, in case of any issue with the phone. Micromax has priced it at Rs. 17,999.
Check the spec sheet below:
Micromax Canvas Sliver 5
|64-bit quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410
|Android 5.0.2 Lollipop

domain: news


text: German hottie Heidi Klum is the latest model to get in on the bleached-out-brows-are-back-baby trend. Kinda. Because y'know if you look closely, you'll see that she still has brows. They're not MIA. But her own arches have been carefully blanked out to make way for the thin, pencilled curve that was popular with screen sirens like Clara Bow and Greta Garbo in the '20s and '30s. But it's fellow German sexpot Marlene Dietrich that Heidi is channelling for the Rankin-shot fashion spread in the September issue of CITY magazine. She says: "We had to completely hide my eyebrows and remake them to look like Marlene Dietrich! I give credit to my hair and makeup team on this one." What do you think of Heidi's new-but-old look?


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Copyright 2005 www.tombraiderchronicles.com
[ September 30th 2005 ]
Entertainment Group has announced a number
of mobile video-game titles at various stages
of development, including Tomb
Raider 10th Anniversary Edition - exclusively
for the Sony Playstation Portable (PSP) - and
a mobile version of Hitman.
its portfolio with the acquisition of key franchise
titles from SCi's purchase of Eidos
earlier this year, the British publisher has also
confirmed Championship Manager and Total Overdose
- a drug-fuelled rampage through Mexico's underbelly
- as being in development for the PSP.


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According to Dylan Patel, an analyst at SemiAnalysis, a semiconductor industry analysis agency, according to Qualcomm’s counter-sued Arm’s documents, after 2024, the use of external GPUs and NPUs in SOCs based on Arm’s public CPUs is no longer allowed.
After 2024, Arm will no longer license its CPUs to semiconductor companies such as Qualcomm under a Technology License Agreement (TLA), according to the updated Qualcomm counterclaim. Instead, Arm will only license it to device manufacturers.
Arm allegedly told OEMs that the only way to get Arm-based chips was to accept Arm’s new licensing terms. Qualcomm alleges that Arm lied to Qualcomm’s OEM partners about Qualcomm’s licensing terms.
In addition, Qualcomm claims that Arm told OEMs that semiconductor manufacturers will not be able to provide other parts of Arm-based SOCs and that the GPU, NPU, ISP, etc. will be directly provided by Arm’s new license.
That is to say, if you want to use the Arm public version of the CPU starting in 2025, the current Qualcomm Adreno GPU, Samsung, and AMD’s RDNA GPU, as well as independent NPUs and ISPs, must be abandoned and use the Arm public version.:
Moreover, Arm mainly designs instruction sets for modern chips, and customers include Qualcomm, Apple, and Samsung, whose chips are all based on the Arm architecture.
In terms of business model, Arm licenses the instruction set to these companies and collects royalties from these companies. With Arm’s architecture, these companies can produce a variety of custom chips based on their needs.
Yesterday, Qualcomm countersued Arm, claiming that Arm had no legal basis for previously accusing Qualcomm of violating licensing agreements and trademarks.
At the center of the debate between the two sides is the licensing of chip designs between Arm and Nuvia, with Qualcomm intending to buy chip startup Nuvia for $1.4 billion.
Last month, ARM launched a lawsuit against Qualcomm and Nuvia, accusing the two companies of violating their licensing agreements with ARM.


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Super-rich foreigners are increasingly choosing to stash their artworks and treasures in giant high-security warehouses known as freeports, to avoid paying taxes on them.
The warehouses are generally located near airports and docks in financial hubs that are home to very wealthy expats – such as Geneva, Zurich, Monaco and Singapore.
With hi-tech security described by one insider as being like something out of a Mission Impossible movie, the storage facilities are thought to be home to billions of dollars’ worth of assets, according to The Economist.
Geneva’s freeport, spread across two sites, has floor space equivalent to 22 football pitches. A freeport is best described as a financial no-man’s-land with the "free" referring to the suspension of customs duties and taxes.
This tax benefit was originally intended to be temporary, to cover goods while they were in transit across the world.
However, the wealth stored in freeports can actually be stored there permanently, despite being technically "in transit". The freeports offer security and confidentiality, making them a valuable tax-mitigation tool.
A high-value item can be stored for decades in such a facility without attracting a levy, and items are generally free of value-added and capital gains taxes when sold.
Mark Smallwood, head of franchise development and strategic initiatives for the Asia-Pacific region at Deutsche Bank, said: "Freeports have always been available. They have just become more visible as wealth has risen."
The goods these super-wealthy individuals choose to store in the freeports range from paintings, fine wine and precious metals to tapestries and even classic cars, according to The Economist.
There has been a growing distrust of financial assets in the wake of the global financial crisis, meaning high net worth investors have been buying alternative assets ranging from paintings, stamps and fine wine to precious metals and coins.
These highly valuable assets need to be stored somewhere, making freeports the perfect facility. They are not just used by wealthy individuals, however. Museums, galleries, private banks and sovereign wealth funds also take advantage of their benefits.
A freeport opened in Singapore in 2010, perfectly located near Changi Airport to take valuable assets directly from freight planes and private jets arriving from overseas.
The freeport counts international auction house Christie's as one of its main tenants, taking up 40 per cent of the space for its fine art clients.
Inside, the facility has vibration-detection technology and seven-ton doors on some vaults. Clients are greeted by a gargantuan sculpture in the lobby, designed by industrial architect Ron Arad. As for the iron-clad security measures, according to Mr Smallwood: "You expect Tom Cruise to abseil from the ceiling at any moment."


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ABP said it had agreed to open its books to the consortium after it lifted its bid from 730p a share to 810p. Shares in ABP rose 15 per cent to 770p - still some 40p below the revised bid price.
Analysts attributed this to the high degree of market volatility at present and the fact that Goldman's and its fellow investors, Borealis, the investment arm of the Ontario state pension fund, and GIC, the private equity arm of Singapore's state-owned investment company Temasek, could still walk away from the deal. Their bid is non-binding and depends on the completion of satisfactory due diligence.
If the deal goes through, then the UK's only remaining quoted ports operator will be Forth Ports. In the past 12 months P&O has been bought by Dubai Ports World, PD Ports has been swallowed up by Babcock & Brown, and Mersey Docks & Harbour has fallen to Peel Holdings, which is controlled by the property magnate John Whittaker.
The Goldman's consortium first approached ABP in late March with an offer of 730p. This was swiftly rejected as "wholly inadequate". A few weeks later, it came back with an offer worth about 780p, which was again rejected.
The latest offer of 810p represents a 40 per cent premium to ABP's average share price in the six months prior to the initial takeover approach. Insiders said it also had to be set against the 10 per cent fall in the stock market since March.
ABP is Britain's biggest ports operator, handling about a quarter of the country's seaborne trade through its 21 UK ports.
It owns ports on the Humber and others in South Wales, in addition to Southampton and a one-third share in the Tilbury container terminal in London.
The group also owns a US ports business, Amports, which operates a number of car import terminals, although this is due to be sold off shortly. Dubai Ports World was forced to sell off P&O's five US ports after a political uproar over such sensitive assets being owned by a Middle Eastern company.
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The developers of Test Drive Unlimited 2
have announced via twitter.com/#...
!/Leearigold/status/38617431920345088 that a patch will be coming within about 2 weeks.
The patch is currently under testing, and will be submitted to Microsoft sometime soon.
The following things have been addressed to be fixed:
-Improved login process to allow a higher amount of successful connections.
-Increased online stability across all multiplayer functionality.
-Adress issues related to file corruption.
-Enable Club and 'MyTDULife' functionality.
-Enable Co-op races.
-Enable weather offline.
-Address an issue where players can get a Lancia which has no car data.
Atari have also said they are aware with many people experiencing problems when playing he game, they have said you may experience these problems until the patch goes live:
-Signing in to online mode.
-Seeing other players in the world and on the map.
-Seeing your friends lists and sending/receiving friend requests.
-Claiming your pre-order cars and accessing the Casino.
-Entering multiplayer races / joining friends sessions.
-In game communications.


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‘Google, the world’s top advertising company, is building an ad blocker for Chrome’ – Mashable
Patrick Kulp says, “Google, the internet’s biggest advertising company, may be building an ad blocker.
The search giant plans to roll out a feature in the next mobile version of its Chrome browser that would filter out certain types of ads, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.
Such a tool seems at odds with the company’s primary revenue source, but Google thinks that it could actually deter people from resorting to other blockers in the long run, according to the report.
By targeting only the most disruptive ad formats — pop-ups, interstitials, and autoplay videos, for instance — the hope is that less people will be driven to third-party software. Google already ostensibly bans many of these types of ads anyway.
Regardless, the move would no doubt cause controversy among an industry locked in a fierce battle with the growing tide of ad-blocking software.
The Interactive Advertising Bureau, an industry trade group of which Google is a member, has likened the cottage industry of ad-blocking companies to “highway robbery,” “terrorists,” and “inner city crack dealers” on various occasions”.
Comments are closed.


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NEW YORK — Stocks that moved substantially or traded heavily Friday:
Texas Instruments Inc., up $1.56 to $110.05
The chipmaker raised its quarterly dividend and said it will buy back $12 billion in stock.
United Natural Foods Corp., down $2.88 to $30.97
The organic and specialty foods distributor reported weak earnings and sales, and said freight costs rose.
Micron Technology Corp., down $1.32 to $44.74
The chipmaker said the new tariffs on imports from China will cut into its profit margins.
Adobe Systems Inc., down $5.46 to $260.88
The software maker said it will buy business cloud computing company Marketo for $4.75 billion.
Mazor Robotics Ltd., up $5.40 to $58.15
The surgical guidance system maker agreed to be bought by Medtronic for $1.54 billion.
BHP Billiton Ltd., up 95 cents to $49.22
The British pound weakened and U.K. stocks jumped after talks over Britain's departure from the EU the reached an impasse.
Apache Corp., up 29 cents to $45.96
Energy companies climbed as U.S. crude rose to its highest price since late 2014.
McDonald's Corp., up $4.51 to $165.30
The burger chain raised its quarterly dividend to $1.16 from $1.01.


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According to a research report by New Frontier Data, medical marijuana sales are forecast to grow to $5.3 billion in 2017, accounting for 67 percent of total cannabis sales. Medical sales in currently legal states are forecast to grow to $13.2 billion by 2025, at which point medical sales will account for 55 percent of all sales. In comparison, adult-use sales in 2017 are forecast to reach $2.6 billion, rising to $10.9 billion by 2025.
Medical cannabis products are known to be beneficial for such conditions as chronic pain, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), sleep disorders, anxiety, nerve pain and others. “Looking at these numbers, it would appear that medical cannabis would be a drop in the bucket when it comes to impacting the total pharmaceutical industry. However, when you start to break down the numbers by specific sectors of the industry, like chronic pain or symptoms associated with chemotherapy, which are very lucrative markets for pharmaceutical companies, you will certainly see cannabis have a major impact,” said Aguirre De Carcer, CEO of New Frontier Data.
Related Story: California Rolls Out Grandma’s Guide To Grass
The research points out that the United States constitutes 35 percent of the global pharmaceutical market, the largest market in the world, and a major driver of the US economy, and it is estimated that cannabis and related products can replace $4.4 billion to $4.9 billion per year of current spending on existing treatments.
“Significant changes are already underway in California for medical cannabis and adult use laws, which we see will have major implications for the cannabis industry, including ecommerce and delivery services in the state,” said Giadha Aguirre de Carcer, New Frontier Data CEO. “As the largest state in the country – and the largest potential market for cannabis products – the implications for the growth of the industry because of California’s adult use market cannot be overstated.”
Indeed, the future is bright for medical marijuana in the Golden State. According to a comprehensive data analysis performed by BDS Analytics, California medical marijuana dispensaries sold $894.85 million worth of cannabis products in the second quarter of 2017 alone. That figure is for medical marijuana. For comparison, in the same time period Colorado’s recreational market accounted for $516.39 million. Oregon sold $163.07 million and Washington sold $302.77 million.


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Anupam Mittal, the CEO of Shaadi.com, criticized Google, comparing its practices to the historical East India Company. Mittal claimed that Google’s dominance in the digital marketplace shows modern colonialism, with startups paying a hefty “Google Tax” of 20-50% for distribution and brand protection.
During CNBC interview, the CEO highlighted a significant concern referred to as the “Google Tax,” describing it as a fee imposed on startups ranging from 20% to a significant 50%. According to him, this fee isn’t solely for distribution but is intended to protect the brands of these startups from competitive forces. The CEO expressed the view that Google downplays this issue, likening their approach to that of monopolists who follow a predictable playbook akin to a leadership shift from advocating for the people to working against them.
“This is a big issue, and Google may downplay it, as monopolists often do,” he noted. “The strategy is straightforward; it’s akin to dictatorial leadership, where you initially advocate for the people, then acquire everything possible, and eventually work against the same people who contributed to your success.
Also Read: India set to become 3rd largest economy by 2030 – S&P
The CEO detailed Google’s approach, pointing out the company’s efforts to levy fees ranging from 15% to 30% on the revenue of any app downloaded from their Play Store. This comes in addition to the significant income generated through advertising, where Google reportedly claims 20% to 50% of the earnings of most digital companies in India due to their dominant position.
He criticized Google’s methods, highlighting how the company manipulates search results to display competitors’ brands when users search for specific companies. This manipulation leads these entities to bid against their own brands for visibility.
Expressing reservations about Google’s recent move, the Google Play Billing System (GPB) or UCB (Users Choice Billing), the CEO stated that the changes appear cosmetic and may be an attempt to avoid legal scrutiny. Under these modifications, apps downloaded from the Play Store could face additional charges ranging from 11% to 29% of their revenue, depending on categories and services used.
He called this approach as an attempt by Google to force app developers to use their services, giving them an unfair advantage by imposing fees significantly higher than the actual cost of the services provided.


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From Rubber & Plastics News
Akrron, Ohio-Goodyear has filed an antitrust lawsuit against makers and distributors of rubber chemicals, alleging they engaged in price-fixing and anti-competitive practices. The suit, filed in the US District Court in Akron, does not specify a damage amount.
Named in the suit are Bayer AG, Bayer Corp., Rhein Chemie Rheinau GmbH and Rhein Chemie Corp. (both now operating under Lanxess GmbH, a Bayer spinoff) and Crompton Corp. and Crompton's Uniroyal Chemical Co. Inc. unit.
This is the second suit the tyre maker has filed following price-fixing investigations by authorities in the US, Canada and Europe. It also sued suppliers of EPDM and polychloroprene rubber.


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Managing screen time is important, especially with the ongoing health crisis keeping so many people indoors for extended periods of time. And Microsoft’s answer to that is finally here.
Microsoft first detailed its new Family Safety app for Android and iOS before the end of March of this year, and now it’s available in a limited preview (via Engadget). Microsoft’s safety app packs in the familiar elements that are similar to Screen Time for iOS, including screen time tracking, but also goes beyond that with physical location tracking as well. And Microsoft is even planning on including a feature for safe driving tracking as well.
The kicker here is that you’ll definitely need to be at least knee-deep in Microsoft’s ecosystem to really take advantage of the app, including the rebranded Microsoft 365 service. That extends to Android as well. With the screen time feature, users will be able to see just how often folks in the family are using their devices, but also limit usage time on devices like Windows PCs, Android phones, and even Microsoft’s home gaming console, the Xbox. Parents can filter content in the Microsoft Store and in Microsoft’s Edge web browser.
Way back in 2018, Microsoft welcomed its Family Safety feature into its Launcher for Android phones. It was described as such:
Parents who set up Microsoft Launcher for Android and their family accounts can stay up to date on their kids’ location, check in on their app activity on Android device, including which apps are accessed and time spent on each app. With Xbox One or a Windows 10 PC set up in their family portal, parents can also view their activities on those devices through Microsoft Launcher.
This is still in preview, so you’ll need to sign up to show Microsoft you’re interested in trying out the app. You’ll have to fill out a form to be eligible.
Microsoft is casting a wide net here, and that will either go well for iOS users or it won’t. The inclusion of location tracking is a nice touch, though. Of course, for folks who aren’t invested in Microsoft’s ecosystem this might not be a vital must-have app. Good thing Apple has Screen Time (and Google has its own option for Android, too).


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Today’s virtual reality (VR) systems are changing the way that individuals and organizations approach the world. Yet while room-scale VR has evolved by leaps and bounds, the technology is only in its infancy in the Middle East. Most people still do not realize the technology’s potential until they’re put right into the action.
Bring together players from across the Middle East’s burgeoning VR ecosystem to launch the new HTC Vive Pro headset and demonstrate how enterprises are embracing VR for both entertainment and business in 2018. The resulting “Vive At the Top” event was built and launched at an exclusive panoramic site within Burj Khalifa—the tallest building in the world located in the heart of downtown Dubai. Burj Khalifa was also a strategic partner to HTC Vive in launching the new headset through a corresponding VR adventure experience titled Mission 828.
Welcoming +100 KOLs from local businesses, telcos, press, and industry experts, the event publicity reached +18mn individuals in the region and garnered +$300,000 in earned media in the first week. The HTC Vive Pro would go on to receive editor awards from Stuff Middle East and TechRadar ME. Within six months, HTC Vive would be invited to expand strategic partnerships with entities such as Burj Khalifa (hospitality), Dubai Future Accelerators (education), and Dubai Tourism.


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It seems that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCAU) may have a French connection. After a failed bid to merge with France’s Renault SA a few months ago, Fiat Chrysler and France’s PSA, the maker of Peugeot, separately announced today that they were in merger talks after the Wall Street Journal indicated as much yesterday. Interestingly, the Journal also reported in August that Renault wanted to buy Nissan’s stake, hoping to revive the merger deal with Fiat.
According to the Journal, talks between the two are going smoothly. If the companies merge, Peugeot CEO Carlos Tavares is expected to be the CEO of the combined entity, and Fiat Chrysler Chair John Elkann is expected to assume chairmanship. Fiat Chrysler stock was up 0.6% at 12:42 PM ET, and PSA was up 4.2% on the Paris Stock Exchange on October 30.
Why are Fiat Chrysler and PSA are looking to merge?
As CNBC’s Jim Cramer put it the other day, the auto industry is in dire straits. In September, Fiat Chrysler saw a 9.3% drop in car sales as its total US vehicle sales fell 11.1%. General Motors (GM), the biggest automaker in the US, saw its unit sales fall 10.4%, while Ford (F), the third-largest US automaker, saw an 11.8% drop in passenger vehicle sales. General Motors, Fiat Chrysler, and Ford saw 1%, 1.1%, and 3.8% falls in their unit sales in the first nine months of 2019. On the other hand, electric carmaker Tesla (TSLA) saw its unit sales rise 13.5% in September and 68.2% in the first nine months of 2019.
PSA saw a 10.6% drop in unit sales across its brands in the first nine months of 2019. An industry slowdown, macroeconomic factors, regulatory changes, and innovation pressures are forcing automakers around the world to consider their options.
Tesla has pushed the entire industry around the world to go electric. Its models account for over 75% of US electric car sales. GM’s Chevy Bolt comes in fourth after Tesla’s Model 3, Model X, and Model S. The costs to innovate are high, and automakers’ cash flows are dwindling. As a result, mergers are on the table. Tightening emission norms also force automakers to innovate.
The proposed merger could also give both sides wider geographical reach. PSA wants to come to the US, and Fiat Chrysler wouldn’t mind increasing its presence in Europe, its part-home. The merger could also bring on certain economies of scale, with administrative and marketing expenses driving cost synergies. Both companies can also tap into each others’ dealer networks.
Fiat Chrysler to report its third-quarter earnings tomorrow
Fiat Chrysler is scheduled to report its third-quarter earnings results on October 31. Analysts expect its revenue to fall 3.35% to $27.8 billion. They expect its EPS to be $0.84, a 6.2% fall. Of the 24 analysts surveyed by Reuters, ten call FCAU a “buy,” 13 call it a “hold,” and one calls it a “sell.” Its average target price stands at $14, an 8.8% potential upside over the next 12 months.


text: Now can we have some services...European mobile phone giants T-Mobile and mmO2 have been given a green light by the EU to share the costs of third generation mobile phone systems. The European Commission hopes its approval will speed up the rollout of 3G within Europe where the new technology has become a source of concern and embarrassment following the high-profile licence auctions back in 2000, which raised around £50bn in the UK and Germany alone, but is yet to bear fruit. The high prices paid for licences and the subsequent crash in the telecoms sector has seen most companies tighten their purse strings to such an extent that many have been loathe to plough even more money into setting up the necessary networks. As such network sharing seemed to be the most financially viable option. Under the deal, Deutsche Telekom's T-Mobile and mmO2, which was spun off from BT earlier this year, plan to share antennae, base stations, and network components - saving an estimated $5bn between them. Competition Commissioner Mario Monti told Reuters: "The examination of the agreements between T-Mobile and mmO2 has led the Commission to believe that, provided the appropriate safeguards are in place, such cooperation deals can bring benefits for the consumer in terms of a faster introduction of new services, competition and a lesser impact to the environment."


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As it readies to open its first freestanding store, Dogeared Inc. has named a new chief operating officer and promoted its creative director.
The Culver City, Calif.-based jewelry brand, which tallies sales of more than $25 million and produces all of its products domestically, said Cynthia Helsley has joined as chief operating officer and Mimi Kim-Ison has assumed the title of vice president of brand creative.
A graduate of UCLA with an MBA from Pepperdine University, Helsley has 25 years of experience in operations, marketing, merchandising, project planning and strategic initiatives for multiple layers of retail, including specialty shops, department stores and outlet. Previously, she served as a senior district manager for Barnes & Noble in New York. She also had held other positions at Jay Jacobs, The Limited and Federated Department Stores. She replaces Garr Larson, who had worked at Dogeared for three years before moving back to Seattle from Los Angeles to be closer to family and friends.
“She brings a wealth of experience and expertise to our organization, and we started our careers together many moons ago,” said Dogeared founder Marcia Maizel-Clarke. “Her energetic style and excellent communication skills will help support the vision necessary to grow profitability, and ensure the company is well positioned to enhance all our partnerships with our vendors, customers and internal team.”
Joining Dogeared on its 25th anniversary, when it is preparing to open a 1,200-square-foot store on Santa Monica’s Main Street next month, Helsley said, “it’s a creative, smart and passionate team and I am looking forward to guiding their vision to make ‘good things happen’ and supporting the company’s growth.”
Additionally, Dogeared said Kim-Ison has been promoted to vice president from creative director. In her new position, which reports to Helsley, she oversees the company’s design and merchandising strategy as well as all marketing and sales assets. She has been with the company for more than seven years.
“Mimi is a true brand champion of Dogeared,” Maizel-Clarke said. “She understands Dogeared’s vision and is one of the most talented creative directors I’ve ever known.”


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NVIDIA today announced that it’s pulling the plug on it’s much controversial GeForce Partner Program, otherwise known as GPP. In a blog update, team green claimed that rather than “battling misinformation” it has decided to end GPP.
As per NVIDIA, GPP’s goal was to make sure that consumers made the right choice while buying video cards. NVIDIA claims that it asked it’s board partners “to brand their products in such a way that it would be crystal clear”. Furthermore, the GPU manufacturer also reported that most board partners had already agreed to GPP.
The company explained in the blog post that each partner had their own brand and GPP didn’t change that. However, they are pulling the plug on GPP to make sure the company’s image isn’t tarnished and it doesn’t distract anyone from the “super exciting work” they’re doing.
Now lets sum up. GeForce Partner Program pops up in the form of a leak, courtesy of AMD, and suddenly many third party manufacturers ditch AMD cards from their gaming brands. We all know that the bulk of graphics card sales are made in the form of gaming cards, such as the Zotac AMP! Extreme, Asus ROG, etc. That’s not just since those cards have the fancy RGB lighting, but because they are often factory overclocked and have better thermals and performance than the regular non-gaming cards.
That would have definitely affected the consumer choice, at least that of less informed ones for sure. NVIDIA’s board partners might not have said anything up front but to counter GPP they started a bunch of new brands especially for AMD cards like the Arez brand of Asus cards. AMD even in their blog asserted their dedication to PC gaming and renouncing NVIDAI’s practices.
The crux of the matter however is that at the moment AMD has no competitive graphics cards in the high end segment. The mid range Radeon RX 500 series too is rebranded and fairly dated. Vega more or less failed to impress and the 7nm Vega cards are aimed for machines learning and other related tasks.
So for now, seems like enthusiasts will have to look towards NVIDIA for graphics cards, and game, “The way it’s meant to be played”.
The blog post goes like this:
A lot has been said recently about our GeForce Partner Program. The rumors, conjecture and mistruths go far beyond its intent. Rather than battling misinformation, we have decided to cancel the program.
GPP had a simple goal – ensuring that gamers know what they are buying and can make a clear choice.
NVIDIA creates cutting-edge technologies for gamers. We have dedicated our lives to it. We do our work at a crazy intense level – investing billions to invent the future and ensure that amazing NVIDIA tech keeps coming. We do this work because we know gamers love it and appreciate it. Gamers want the best GPU tech. GPP was about making sure gamers who want NVIDIA tech get NVIDIA tech.
With GPP, we asked our partners to brand their products in a way that would be crystal clear. The choice of GPU greatly defines a gaming platform. So, the GPU brand should be clearly transparent – no substitute GPUs hidden behind a pile of techno-jargon.
Most partners agreed. They own their brands and GPP didn’t change that. They decide how they want to convey their product promise to gamers. Still, today we are pulling the plug on GPP to avoid any distraction from the super exciting work we’re doing to bring amazing advances to PC gaming.
This is a great time to be a GeForce partner and be part of the fastest growing gaming platform in the world. The GeForce gaming platform is rich with the most advanced technology. And with GeForce Experience, it is “the way it’s meant to be played.”


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Shares of the Rubicon Project (NYSE: RUBI), a Los Angeles-based technology company that automates the buying and selling of advertising, reached $18.30 in morning trading today, 22 percent up from the initial public offering (IPO) price of $15 per share.
Image: The Rubicon Project, Inc.
The company issued 6,770,995 shares of common stock to the public at a price of $15 per share, the low end of the expected $15 to $17 range. The tech company is selling 5.4 million shares, and the rest will be sold by its shareholders.
Rubicon Project provides buyer cloud, seller cloud, and advertising automation cloud. The company says that its analytics and data-driven algorithms enable ad buyers to reach 97 percent of U.S. Internet users, pay a fair price for impressions, and reach out to publishers that match their advertising spend. Meanwhile, the platform powers ad sellers to optimize their revenues of ad impressions, as well as protects them and their consumers from potentially dangerous ads.
Rubicon Project filed its Form S-1 to the Securities and Exchange Commission in February 2014. It reveals that in the first nine months of 2013, the company’s revenue was $55.7 million, 48 percent up from the same period a year prior.
In an often fragmented workplace, where various departments have varying opinions and goals, it can be challenging to get everyone on the same page and make strategy meetings productive.
In part one a few weeks ago, we discussed what brand TLDs (top level domains) are, which brands are applying for them and why they might be important. Today, we’ll take an in-depth look at the potential benefits for brands, and explore the challenges brand TLDs could help solve.
According to a report, references to hashtags appeared in just 30% of Super Bowl 51's commercials this year, down from 45% a year ago.
The explosive growth of video in 2016 makes 2017 an important year for video content and as more publishers are tempted to use it, it’s useful to consider the best strategies to maximise its effectiveness.


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With the Drug Enforcement Administration still classifying marijuana as an illegal drug, traditional forms of financing remain out of reach for cannabis related businesses. Ryan Magee shares insight with NJBIZ on the banking community’s growing interest in serving the market.
“Banks and credit unions are rightfully becoming less wary of doing business with cannabis-related businesses (CRBs),” Ryan said. “While regulatory compliance has long been the cited reason for banks declining to do business in the space, I believe reputational risk has also played a role. To actively do business with cannabis businesses means to voluntarily invite further scrutiny from industry regulators—even if you are going about it in a compliant way.”


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An Australian life insurance specialist has launched its national skin initiative for the fourth consecutive year at Bondi Beach.
TAL’s annual program, TAL SpotChecker, encourages and enables more Australians to embrace skin safety by providing them access to free skin checks from qualified professionals as well as resources to educate them around the importance of preventative health and getting a skin check.
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By: Yusuf M Hasan
DUBAI (Somalilandsun) – The country might experience difficulties in the import of cars.
This is as a result of a controversy surrounding new rules and tariff imposed by the government on the imports of cars that has raised a hue and cry among Somaliland car dealers/importers who are now threaten stern measures.
A meeting the dealers held in Dubai concluded with a resolution to transfer their business to the Bosaso port in neighbouring Puntland, an administrative region of Somalia to the east of the Country.
This threat that if implemented might lose the central coffers much revenue not to mention political embarrassments came after the ministry of public works imposed an extra $80 on the car import tax as well as measures to regulate the age thence worthiness of imported cars.
To pursue the objective of testing the worthiness of the imported cars most of which are used, second hand, from Dubai the Somaliland authorities have already put in place relevant equipment and skilled staff at the Berbera port.
“Unless the government removes the new car checking equipment from Berbera port as well as make a reversal of the new tax we shall transfer our business to the Bosaso port in Puntland” read a statement released by the car dealers.
While the car dealers are threatening to not only deny the government much needed revenue but to embarrass it by utilizing the Bosaso port the government is doing the right thing by regulating the vehicles that are availed the local market currently overflowed by thousands of imported cars which are not second hand but at the most fifth hand.
It is therefore imperative for the car dealers to stop their Bosaso port threat and adhere to the new regulations and taxation and in return do as they normally do, transfer the extra costs to their long suffering customers of whom they have dealt a hard blow for long through purchase of unworthy cars.
Meanwhile the government should call the bluff of transferring business to Bosaso by decreeing that any that is imported through that route shall not be allowed into the country.
Finally the government having embarked on this move seemingly geared towards saving the country’s motorists as well as roads should keep steadfast and not fall to the bluff of embarrassment made by the car dealers whose time of milking poor landers is over.
On the hand one never stops to wonder why the car dealers have to rush to Dubai to make threats rather than wait for the decision of the parliamentary select committee on social affairs with whom, they, car dealers held a meeting with in Hargeisa last week and intervention promised.


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FRANKFORT (KT) - On Thursday, Gov. Andy Beshear announced six new regional vaccination sites across the commonwealth and said vaccines will now also be available at mobile clinics, 10 Kroger stores, 15 Walmart stores and 125 pharmacies, including Walgreens and Good Neighbor independent pharmacies.
In total, there are 156 vaccination sites in Kentucky, in addition to local health department vaccination programs.
“We are efficient. We have built a system that can administer more vaccinations than we are currently getting,” Beshear said. “These new sites are a big deal. They are going to move us forward and build out what we need so when supply increases, we are ready to get it out even more quickly to communities throughout the state.”
“Each new site we open offers additional capacity to administer more vaccines than we currently have supply to give them. The good news is that, as supply increases, each site will be able to ramp up immediately to reach more people without start-up delays,” said Transportation Secretary Jim Gray, the Vaccine Distribution Project Director. “The logistics are incredibly complex, but we’re continuously increasing both our capacity and our efficiency to eventually meet the needs in every Kentucky community.”
Beshear announced 1,180 new cases and 36 new deaths, bringing the total number of Kentuckians who have lost their lives to 4,211. The positivity rate continued to fall, coming in at 7.08%, the lowest since November.
Kentuckians can visit the state’s COVID-19 site or vaccine.ky.gov to learn more about signing up for appointments at locations across the commonwealth.


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A Midnight Asian Food Market: More Details Revealed for Anthony Bourdain’s Food Hall Concept
In two years, a food hall the likes of which has never been seen in New York City will open its doors, thanks to the ingenuity of Anthony Bourdain. We announced earlier this year that Anthony Bourdain’s food hall/market/Singaporean hawker was set to open in 2017, but details about the project have been scarce, until now.
In an interview with The New York Times, the highly opinionated chef and culinary explorer, revealed the concept behind his project: “Think of an Asian night market, eating and drinking at midnight.”
Bourdain also confirmed that he and his partners have leased the main concourse and mezzanine of Pier 57, at 15th Street, a large shipping pier on the Hudson, as the location of the highly anticipated food hall. Bourdain Market, with 155,000 square feet of space, will be home to more than 100 wholesale food vendors, including noodle-sellers, fishmongers, butchers, bakers, and even eventually a full-service restaurant.
The “beating heart and soul” of the project will be the Singaporean-style hawker, which if you’ve been paying attention to The Daily Meal’ extensive Singaporean anniversary coverage, features small stands selling cheap, authentic street foods. However, Bourdain’s hawker stalls will not just be Singaporean but will sell street food from all over the world, “from fine Spanish ham” to traditional Chinese noodles.


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Sonic: Lost World was just released, but with several other major games also releasing this week, Sonic’s latest outing hasn’t gotten much attention from the gaming community. I’ve put a few hours into the game since picking it up yesterday, and have detailed my initial impressions in the video below.
Are any of you currently playing Sonic: Lost World? If so, what are your thoughts on the game so far?
- Japan has worst week of gaming sales since 2001
- RymdResa is coming to Wii U
- Nintendo's marketing campaign for Splatoon will rival Mario Kart
- Don't forget the Splatoon demo on Wii U this weekend!
TAGS: SEGA, sonic lost world


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Mexico and California-grown produce
New organic offerings of sweet corn and asparagus
Jacobs, Malcolm & Burtt (JMB) ships over 4,000,000 cases of asparagus per year and over 100,000 cases of packaged sweet corn annually; a portion of that is now made up of organic produce. Both vegetables are sourced year round from California and Mexico. Conventional asparagus comes from Mexico year round with organic from February – March in Caborca and Firebaugh California from March – May. California’s organic sweet corn is available from June – August.
The company indicates that by partnering with growers, instead of growing produce on its own, income goes directly back to the grower’s local economy. The decision to move into organics was brought on by the industry trend moving in that direction, and also, according to Craig Rolandelli, Vice President of JMB, “pressure from retailers, particularly Costco.”
The first growing season for their organics was “good”, though Rolandelli says organic yields are lower, making costs higher. In addition to that, there are also challenges with higher fertilizer costs, he says. These factors result in higher pricing – as much as 25 – 50 per cent. “Pricing should stay the same” for the next season.
The company’s Side Dish Steamers line now has both conventional and organic sweet corn and asparagus. “Our new organic asparagus offering is an exciting addition to our existing line, and we’re thrilled to be offering sweet corn again, especially in value-added 4- and 8-packs,” says Dan Miller, Grower Relations and Worldwide Production Manager. “The organic asparagus and value-added sweet corn offerings help bolster our new product announced last year, Side Dish Steamers.” JMB offers organic asparagus in 1 lb. and 2 lb. packages. Value-added sweet corn is available in 4-packs and 8-packs, as well as windowed 4-packs.
Rolandelli says Side Dish Steamers will remain just sweet corn and asparagus for now but more offerings may be added in the future.
For more information:
Jacobs, Malcolm & Burtt
Publication date: 10/17/2017
Author: Rebecca D Dumais
© 2018 FreshPlaza. All rights reserved.


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THL could change Hardee’s recipe
- Christopher Tritto and Kelsey Volkmann
CKE Restaurants Chief Executive Andy Puzder is known for doing things his own way. When a health-food kick hit the fast-food industry a few years ago, the head of the Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. hamburger chains went the other direction.
“Everyone was doing salads and apple sauce. We said the hell with that. We’re going to do Monster Thickburgers. We’re going to put Paris Hilton in a commercial,” Puzder told the Business Journal last year.
But now that Boston private equity firm Thomas H. Lee Partners (THL) plans to buy publicly traded CKE for $928 million, employees, investors and analysts will be watching to see if changes are in store for Puzder and St. Louis’ role as Hardee’s Food Systems Inc.’s divisional headquarters.
Puzder has a lot riding on the takeover. He owns 1,366,852 shares of CKE stock, according to his latest SEC disclosure made Feb. 9. His stake is worth $15.1 million based on THL’s proposed acquisition price of $11.05 a share.
Puzder is also one of the highest-paid executives in the fast-food business and earned a $7.4 million pay package in 2008. By comparison, Jim Skinner, CEO of McDonald’s, the world’s largest fast-food chain, received $13.6 million in 2008. With 32,000 locations, McDonald’s is more than 10 times the size of CKE, which has 3,100 locations.
It remains to be seen, however, whether Puzder and CKE’s new owners will see eye to eye.
THL, which took Dunkin’ Donuts private in 2005, said it respects the Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. brands and wouldn’t shake up management or the Hardee’s St. Louis operations.
Yet many predict THL will push for cost cuts and discounts to boost restaurant traffic and reverse recent sales declines.
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Ericsson ushers in the eSIM era
Ericsson launches e-SIM solution that could ultimately replace the need for physical SIM cards
Ericsson has launched its new eSIM solution, which it says will greatly improve user experience and allow consumers to switch between operators more easily.
“When we developed our eSIM manager we focused on ease of use for the end-customer. If a service provider has both the secure entitlement server and eSIM manager from Ericsson we can enable a 100 percent automated provisioning of eSIMs. This offers a highly efficient way to provide flexibility and good customer experience for the consumers,” said Monica Zethzon, head of solution area communication services at Ericsson.
Ericsson claims that its eSIM technology will allow consumers to more easily add multiple connected devices to their existing tariff; try out new services before they buy; and, switch between mobile operators in emergency situations (such as calls home when they have no signal with their specified operator).
Operators have traditionally been wary of eSIM technology, as it gives consumers far more power to switch between providers at the touch of a button. However, the transition to eSIM technology could represent a real opportunity for operators.
"Most communication service providers see eSIM-enabled smartphones as more of a threat than an opportunity. But eSIMs may very well be what CSPs need to break the falling ARPU curve, if they implement and market the capability correctly. eSIM can enable new use cases that can actually strengthen the customer experience," said Lynnette Luna, Principal Analyst, GlobalData.
Independent research by Ovum predicts that eSIM adoption will reach 5 per cent of all handsets by the end of 2020, with that figure hitting 20 per cent by 2024. The proliferation of eSIM compatible handsets is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 60 per cent.


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TV times: Zynga's in-game currency to be bundled with internet and TV packages
The deal in question is a partnership with Synacor, an 'integration, authentication and engagement platform' that's part-owned by Intel.
Synacor delivers digital entertainment to more than 45 cable and telecom providers, including Verizon, US Cable and Broadstripe.
As such, US consumers may soon receive a monthly allowance of Zynga currency as part of their broadband and TV packages, which is good news for FarmVille addicts and Zynga shareholders alike.
"Synacor is delighted to be working with Zynga, and this partnership will build upon an ecosystem that continues to expand the definition of the bundle for our customers," commented Synacor CEO Ron Frankel.
"Zynga is always looking for innovative opportunities to deliver the best value in entertainment for its new and existing players," added Zynga's chief revenue officer Barry Cottle.
"Our partnership with Synacor will enable us to offer additional value to premium pay-TV subscribers with in-game currency while providing easy navigation to their favourite Zynga games directly from their PC home screens."


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For a limited time, classic rock fans can order 94.7 WCSX’s “State of Seger” shirt. Proceeds from “State of Seger” sales will benefit Michigan Humane’s mission to save disadvantaged animals in our communities.
The shirt honors Detroit rock icon Bob Seger, who finished up a six-date run at the DTE Energy Music Theatre back in June. The shows were part of the legend’s farewell tour after a 50-year legacy that includes hall of fame inductions and a global following.
You should hurry if you want a “State of Seger” shirt since it’s only on sale until September 13. You can order the shirt at WCSX’s official merch store.
Remember, all proceeds from “State of Seger” shirt sales will benefit Michigan Humane!
From Detroit’s Classic Rock 94.7 WCSX and Michigan Humane!


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VISION PRO – APPLE’S VISIONARY OFFERING
In June 2023, Apple finally unveiled its long-awaited augmented reality headset, the Vision Pro – and it’s safe to say that it came with more than a few surprises including its price tag of a cool $3,500. It is one of their biggest hardware launches in the last decade and marks a significant step forward for the tech company into a space that has been occupied by the likes of Google, Meta, Lenovo, Oculus, Merge, Microsoft, Epson and Raptor to name a few. There are a variety of AR and VR headsets on the market that range in price and user experience. Augmented reality as the name suggests looks to “augment the real-word scene” whereas virtual reality looks to create a “completely immersive virtual environment.” From a ratio perspective, AR is 25% reality and 75% virtual whereas VR is the opposite.
There are a couple of different kinds of augmented reality glasses and headsets including Heads up Displays, Holographic Displays, Smart Glasses and Handheld devices. Tim Cook, Apple’s Chief Executive believes that the headset will “seamlessly blend[s] the real world and the virtual world.” The headset will make its debut on the market in early 2024 and has a two-hour battery life. Most of the public commentary since the announcement has been around both the price, which is substantially higher than its competitors’ headsets, the second is based on how they look. There has been a fair amount of criticism around the launch as Apple has said very little about the technology behind the glasses and as such, the company’s share price took a bit of a hit post the announcement.
Despite how they look, Cook is confident in their ability to allow users to effectively “see, hear and interact with digital content just like it’s in [their] physical space”. The ski-google looking headsets may take some time to take off based on Forrester Research that indicates that the overall AR/VR space has been a bit overhyped over the past few years with the metaverse and that kind of experience. That’s the reason why I think it will take a bit more time. Having said that, if I told you 10 to 15 years ago that people would be ready to pay almost $2,000 for a mobile phone, I don’t think many people would have said they would be willing to pay that.”


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Personal loans rise without people borrowing money: blaming data entry rule for showing skyrocketing bank lending
Retail bank credit has exploded, but the money loaned has not reached consumers. Finally, despite the strong growth in retail bank credit, stores are struggling to have fewer customers to buy. The reason for this confusion is a complex classification of bank credit. Loan receivables by non-banks are now sold to investors, also known as retail securitization transactions, a CRISIL report says. So that money doesn’t reach consumers and stays out of the market. However, these loans are still considered “retail loans” which keeps increasing in number.
Data shows that retail bank lending grew 16.6 percent, twice as fast as overall bank lending. However, in support of the above assertion, another dataset also shows that retail securitization volume doubled in the previous year and climbed 39% in the first half of the year. In progress. Even the total securitization loans reached 31% of additional bank credit in the previous year, compared to 17% in 2017 and 11% in 2015.
Therefore, loan growth after deducting securitization flows shows a decline from 16% in FY19 to around 12% so far. It is also the slowest growth in the past five years, which matches India’s economic growth. In the first quarter, India recorded a GDP growth rate of just 5 percent, which was the lowest in the past six years. Despite the announcement of several fiscal measures in the second quarter, GDP growth fell further to 4.5 percent.
The current slowdown in retail credit growth points to both macroeconomic challenges that have limited demand for loans and a decrease in loan sanctions by banks, the CRISIL report says. Auto sales fell, while sales of durable consumer goods, housing and many other consumer-oriented sectors were sluggish.


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After the bull run in the cryptocurrency market started by Elon Musk last year in 2020, this year rather shows the charts in complete red. Bitcoin has fallen from its all-time high of around $65,000 to erase all its gains this year within 2 months by the blows, first from Elon lead Tesla Inc. which announced non-acceptance of Bitcoins for payments of Tesla products and later his tweet calling money only a form of accounting nothing else and further fuel to the falling prices was given when the Chinese Government decided a crackdown on cryptocurrency miners across China.
This caused a panic selling in the market and the price of a Bitcoin fell briefly below $30,000 during the intra-day trade. Other virtual currencies followed the same route of red charts. The virtual currencies which were a few months back are called the currency of the future are now facing huge fluctuations in their value, even a few tweets are enough to cause mass panic in its investors. So, what actually cryptocurrencies are? Here’s all you need to know about cryptocurrencies.
According to Investopedia, “A cryptocurrency is a digital or virtual currency which is secured by a process called as cryptography which makes it difficult to double spend”. It’s a sort of digital asset or rather a token made to act as a medium of exchange aiming to replace the current existing money system which is controlled by the Banks and Governments. The biggest advantage of crypto is that it works on a technology named blockchain which decentralizes the process of mining the currency and keeping the records of the transactions. This decentralization helps them bypass the government controls on money-related transactions. Many people believe that blockchain is a revolutionary technology and can disrupt a lot of sectors.
The first digital currency was created in 2009, named Bitcoin by Satoshi Nakamoto. This is the oldest cryptocurrency in the market, many more came into the market after that. These currencies are criticized for excessive use of non-renewable electricity sources like Coal. One of the reasons stated by Elon Musk for not using bitcoin was the excessive use of electricity leading to an increase in the greenhouse effect. Due to these currencies being out-of-control of any specific organization, they have extremely high volatility and often see a big dip and dramatic rise in their value. In Feb 2021, Bitcoin crossed $1 trillion in the market valuation and had also the first time breached the $50,000 mark. Bitcoin has crashed several times during its journey like in 2011 it crashed from $35 to around $3.
These coins are extensively criticized for being vulnerable to cyber-attacks. There are speculations that they’re also used for transactions in illegal activities such as Drug deals, Terror funding, Tax Evasion, etc. Recently, Operation Trojan Shield jointly conducted by the FBI and 16 other nations against the international organized crime syndicate revealed that the criminals were using cryptocurrencies to store their money. Also, few crypto-wallets that store crypto-currencies are not a reliable source of storing currencies as cases of fraud have been reported in past.
The most popular cryptocurrency is Bitcoin followed by Etherum, Litecoin, Dogecoin, etc. These currencies are helpful in keeping the owner’s privacy risk-free. They(crypto) have managed to beat inflation by a huge margin making it a good choice for investors. This has also helped in funding several investigative journalisms in several parts of the world, but the creation of a parallel economy just like Hawala creates a problem for governments to accurately study and decide policies for the country’s economy.
El Salvador, a Central American country is all set to become the first country to accept Bitcoin as a legal tender from September 7. Every adult in the country will be provided BTC worth $30 for free once they join the government’s crypto-wallet. This announcement raised Bitcoin’s price by 5%.
The Government of India (GoI) on the other hand had banned all forms of crypto-currencies but the Supreme Court withheld the order last year in 2020. Again, this year GoI intends to bring regulations to monitor and bring all transactions under the scrutiny of the RBI and Ministry of Finance. Other countries are expected to follow the same route as India. Do tell us if you own any crypto-currencies?
Photo credits: Elon musk tweet Screenshot’s from twitter.com
Other two images : Google search.


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Get the latest issue of Marine Business magazine
The March-April Marine Business focuses on the importance of corrosion prevention and why many boaters still get it wrong.
The cover of the March-April issue of Marine Business magazine introduces the topic of corrosion prevention and the latest thinking on this important topic from industry experts All Marine Spares and Marine Protection Systems.
While the technology and understanding of cathodic protection has evolved in recent years, many boaters are still locked into old ways of thinking on this topic. Find out what every marine business needs to know about the vital work of protecting boats, large and small, and how to save money on maintenance.
Also in this issue
- Countdown to the show season – our preview of all the major boat shows coming up in 2019 and what to expect.
- Profile: Outboard Spares – introducing a smart new aftermarket supplier with an expert industry pedigree.
- Daimon Martin on the importance of having licensed dealers in marinas.
- Marcel Vaarzon-Morel has some good advice on how to prepare to be an expert witness in court.
- Darren Vaux revisits the topic of climate change and looks at what the industry needs to do to prepare for the future.
Plus all the latest products and news – get your copy here.
If you're in the marine business, you need Marine Business.


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T.A year ago they all seemed to be doing the right thing. It raised little capital, hired people, grew at a dizzying pace, and earned accolades for its ambition and risk-taking. Today, they make headlines for slightly different reasons. Unable to raise capital, losses mount and employees hired during the boom have to be laid off.
Such an inevitable cycle brings many lessons, including Newton’s conclusion that heavier objects hit the earth with more force than lighter ones, but it does not depart from one reality. The problem of a prosperous economy.
why? According to Inc42 Indian startup layoff tracker, 44 startups will be his in 2022. By early November he had laid off just over 15,700 employees. Net net, but startups create jobs. India’s 73,205 officially recognized start-ups have created more than 7.5 million jobs in the country, according to the Department of Industry and Domestic Trade Promotion (through June). According to a recent report by HR tech company BetterPlace, more than 8 million jobs will be created for him in frontline industries (workers providing essential services) in fiscal year 2022. E-commerce contributed the most to this demand, followed by logistics and mobility.
Another reason to maintain trust in startups is that they are more likely to produce breakthrough innovations than traditional companies. Such innovations tend to emerge at the start-up stage when venture companies and their founders are young. As they get bigger and older, innovation becomes less and less and incremental at best.
Most startups fail and their innovation fails to break through, but the few that do it solve critical problems and make life easier for mankind. Forbes Indiaand we track technology-driven ventures with an eagle eye in good times and bad.
This week’s special package takes a broader look at tech-enabled small businesses in Asia Pacific. Forbes AsiaFrom Hong Kong to Indonesia, from South Korea to Singapore, Forbes Asia We have identified 100 companies from 15 countries and regions that are at the forefront of innovation. These businesses belong to 11 sectors including biotech, e-commerce, finance, construction, agriculture and food.
On the list, for example, is Shanghai-based Grit Technology, a new cell therapy venture that seeks to treat cancer and tumors by boosting a patient’s disease-fighting lymphocytes. Then his I2Cool in Hong Kong invented an exterior paint that cools hot buildings by reflecting sunlight and dissipating thermal radiation. It also has Karachi-headquartered telemedicine platform Sehat Kahani, which connects patients and doctors in a country where more than half of the population of 220 million lacks access to quality healthcare.
The ‘100 to Watch’ list includes 11 Indian ventures, led by Singapore (19), Hong Kong (16), South Korea (15) and China (13) . Forbes India Dig deep into five of these startups to discover their competitive edge. Manu Balachandran examines his Park+ potential. This is a super app for car owners, offering everything from car cleaning and servicing to parking at home, shopping malls and offices. Also, Nasrin Sultana met the founder of Pocket FM, which aims to become her Netflix of audio OTT platform, offering “a ton of long-running series that keep listeners hooked.” His CEO and co-founder, Rohan Nayak, told Sultana: The only relief on those long drives were the FM stations and music apps. ’ Is this model profitable?
Festive up to Rs.1000/- discount on website price for subscription + check out gift card worth Rs.500 at Eatbetterco.com.click here to know more.
(This article appeared in the December 2, 2022 issue of Forbes India. To access the archive, please visit click here.)


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Best of Milan Fashion Week: heads off to Gucci, kudos to labels that gave tired catwalk shows a pass
Models walking like cyborgs with severed heads under their arms gave Gucci’s show a ghoulish feel, but the clothes were to die for; Versace is still on a roll, Ferragamo has become the Italian Hermès, and Shanghai Tang sold subtlety
From severed heads at Gucci to China-made fur, here’s what happened at Milan Fashion Week
The mega brand staged a blockbuster show at its sprawling headquarters on the outskirts of Milan, transformed this time into a setting that looked like a hospital or perhaps a mental asylum. Sullen-looking models carried extremely lifelike severed heads that were exact replicas of their expressionless faces, not to mention snakes and dragons that replaced handbags on the arms of these “Gucci cyborgs”, as the show notes described them.
The clothes, however, made up for the creepy shenanigans and the show was in fact much more subdued than what we’ve seen in recent seasons. A quick post-show visit to the brand’s buzzing flagship store on Via Montenapoleone suggested Gucci mania shows no signs of abating any time soon. Dresses in lush velvet and manga-printed sweaters are likely already to be on the shopping lists of every “Gucci Gang” member out there.
Shanghai Tang offers elegance with an Asian touch
US designer Tommy Hilfiger, who in the past has shown his TommyxGigi range in collaboration with model Gigi Hadid in New York, London and Los Angeles, capped off the week with a car-racing-inspired extravaganza made for the Instagram generation.
A more low-key debut in Milan was that of Hong Kong label Shanghai Tang, which unveiled its first line designed by former Ferragamo creative director Massimiliano Giornetti, who had previously designed a capsule collection for the house.
The brand, which luxury group Richemont sold last year to Italian investor Alessandro Bastagli, offered a tasteful vision of an elegant Milanese wardrobe with Asian flourishes, featuring embroidered outfits in a muted palette of black and relaxed takes on Chinese garments, such as quilted coats with Mandarin collars.
Fendi and Chinese go for fur
While plenty of brands, such as Ralph Lauren, Michael Kors and even Gucci and Armani have stopped using fur, Milan Fashion Week was having none of that. The real thing was front and centre at furrier par excellence Fendi, which unveiled a very sophisticated line-up of separates and logo-centric pieces made of luxurious pelts.
An even bigger statement came from Fashion Haining, a Chinese leather and fur company based in the city of Haining, China’s largest fur and leather production centre (it claims to account for 50 per cent of fur and leather production in the country). The company held a cocktail event that was on the official fashion week schedule, showcasing fur-heavy outfits from brands such as Xuebao to the international style set.
Is the fashion show becoming an outdated and ineffective way to present new clothes? After sitting through a whole lot of routine shows in Milan, it’s definitely something worth pondering. Unless you have the ingenuity – and the budget – of brands such as Gucci, Tommy Hilfiger and Dolce & Gabbana, staging a ho-hum catwalk show doesn’t cut it any more.
It was certainly more enjoyable to see clothes and accessories up close at intimate presentations such as the ones staged by hot brands Attico, For Restless Sleepers, Blazé Milano and La Double JJ. Kudos to them for keeping it small and simple.
What people were talking about
The Prada collection felt a bit like Miuccia Prada’s greatest hits, but there were plenty of things to admire, chief among them a series of outfits in neon hues that closed the show.
The house of Versace is still on a roll and the brand’s glamorous offering – and equally glamorous casting – was yet another example of what the label does best. Some may find the hijab-like headscarves on some of the models problematic but they were actually chic and au courant.
Ferragamo, normally a sleeper in Milan, had a very good season, thanks to its new womenswear creative director Paul Andrew, who executed a successful attempt to turn the leather-goods house into the Italian Hermès.
Dolce & Gabbana’s tongue-in-cheek ode to fashion victims was a pleasure to watch, and Francesco Risso’s third ready-to-wear collection for Marni was his best since he took the helm of the brand.


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On Tuesday, the privacy firm Concordium and Geely Holding, the Chinese multinational car company that owns brands such as Volvo, announced a joint blockchain venture based in Wuxi, China. The project aims to develop blockchain technologies and improve blockchain standards, especially in the automotive industry.
Since the joint venture was established in February last year, Geely Holdings has established a subsidiary, Digital Technology Sector, or DTS, to invest in cutting-edge technologies, including blockchain. In addition, the two organizations plan to give companies and customers access to new business models based on the blockchain platform and decentralized applications. DTS has already developed blockchain services as a digital asset management platform and a blockchain tracking platform and applied them to Geely Auto products.
“The in-depth collaboration between Geely Holdings and Wuxi Economic Development Zone on blockchain technology will help accelerate the development of the Wuxi blockchain industry,” said Daniel Donghui Lee, CEO of Geely Holdings. Meanwhile, Lars Seer Christensen, president of Concordium, added:
“We will do everything in our power to ensure that our blockchain technology benefits companies and startups across China.”
Concordium is a blockchain that combines both privacy and accountability through an identity team. The company states that the protocol-level identifier ensures that each wallet is associated with a genuine identity, verified by a third-party identification provider. Meanwhile, it uses anonymity tips to ensure the anonymity of transactions. The platform’s original payment currency, known as CCD, is used to pay transaction fees, allowances, as a reward for contract operators, and as collateral or settlement for decentralized financing protocols.


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Bonchon will celebrate National Chicken Wing Day this year by welcoming back its popular Cucumber Wasabi Ranch dipping sauce for one day only on July 29, 2021.
Bonchon’s special, limited edition dipping sauce will be offered for free with all fried chicken orders, including wings, drums, boneless wings and strips, at participating US Bonchon locations nationwide, while supplies last.
Originally introduced in 2020 as the chain’s first-ever dipping sauce, the Cucumber Wasabi Ranch features a combination of light and refreshing cucumber flavor with a kick of wasabi.
Bonchon’s crunchy, double-fried chicken comes coated in one of two signature sauces – Soy Garlic and Spicy – and the returning dipping sauce perfectly complements those flavors.
The limited edition Cucumber Wasabi dipping sauce will be available at participating locations for one day only on July 29, 2021.


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The crypto borrowing and lending platform Nexo recently provided transparency into exactly how its business makes money. Its lengthy breakdown follows the collapse of numerous high-profile crypto lending firms that were overexposed to defunct projects and businesses. Nexo’s Business Model As Nexo explained in a Twitter thread on Monday, Nexo’s primary business strategy is to facilitate collateralized credit. Its core services include crypto collateralized loans, interest-bearing crypto accounts, and spot, futures, and options trading. Through its Earn product (crypto interest…
According to recent indicators, the NFT space might be in steady decline, unlike earlier predictions of skyrocketing growth.
Trading volumes on NFT marketplaces are sharply decreasing. This is in contrast to the previous year, which sometimes set almost impossible records. 2021 saw the auction of Beeple’s Everyday: The First 5000 Days project (valued at $69M) to the impressive sales of Bored Apes #3739 and #8585. While there are concerns that the NFT industry might be waning in influence, most market leaders believe this is only a corrective period.
According to CoinMarketCap, the total sales volume for top NFT collections was more than $2 billion a month ago. This is a significant decrease from the previous high of $17.6 billion. At the moment, it is approximately $64.7 million. To back this claim, Google Trends indicates that searches for NFTs have dipped over the last three months.
Additionally, indicators from CryptoSlam also show that the weekly trade volume of NFTs fell from $1.17 billion in January 2022 to $156.09 million in March.
Likewise, two of the most popular NFT collections, BAYC and Mutant Ape Yacht Club, are experiencing lull in sales. Despite the launch of ApeCoin, per day, the two collections make about 9 and 73 sales respectively. This is a far cry from BAYC’s 682 and MAYC’s 2,288 average daily trades a month ago.
Thoughts from Market Leaders
The founder of RF Collection, Pablo Rodriguez-Fraile, indicated that the energy and curiosity that existed last year are no longer existent.
I think we achieved something that was not sustainable,” said Pablo.
On the contrary, Modesta Masoit, director of analytics at DappRadar believes the market is currently in a consolidation period. Masoit also noted that the continuing Russia-Ukraine conflict may have hampered NFT sales.
Additionally, Ramkumar Subramanium, CEO of GuardianLink, predicts that investors would need more time to welcome NFTs. The executive compared NFT’s current reception to the earlier days of the internet. Despite this decline, prominent financial firms such as JPMorgan and HSBC have entered the Metaverse, a virtual NFT-based environment.
Curious NFT Developments
Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT #835 sold for $115 in March after getting purchased for $50,000 last summer. However, since there were other rejected bids closer to the token’s market value, the sale could have been unintentional.
On a positive note, Mike Tyson recently jumped on the NFT rollercoaster. The retired boxer partnered with Binance to develop a Mystery Box NFT. Auctioned earlier today, the collection covers a variety of artworks featuring Tyson as well popular freebies. It is yet another reminder of NFTs’ mainstream appeal. According to the exchange, the recent celebrity partnership could be a positive for a popular web3 future.
Could the NFT industry be on a perpetual decline? Considering the NFT industry’s connection with the metaverse and Web3, the industry could certainly be here a long time.


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Looking to set itself apart in the mid-luxury segment, Buick is looking to introduce a diesel engine somewhere in its US lineup. And according to Edmunds, the two best chances of a diesel Buick rest with the Encore and Verano.
In both our First Drive and Review of the 2013 Encore, our chief complaint about the compact crossover was the the lack of power from the 138-horsepower turbo engine. Edmunds says that the recently introduced 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine (with both gas and diesel variants) from the Encore's overseas cousin, the Opel Mokka, could make its way into the Encore delivering the much-needed boost in power.
Then there's the Verano. As a close relative to the Chevy Cruze, which just added a diesel engine for 2014, the article speculates that a Verano Diesel might actually be the more "probably candidate" if and when Buick decides to add a diesel model to its portfolio. Either way, offering such an engine in one of its products could be a great way for Buick to differentiate itself from Cadillac and possibly even attract buyers from Volkswagen, Audi and Mercedes-Benz looking for a luxurious, fuel-efficient vehicle.
General Motors today announced a truly massive recall covering some 8.4 million vehicles in North America. Most significantly, 8.2 million examples of the affected vehicles are being called back due to "unintended ignition key rotation," though GM spokesperson Alan Adler tells Autoblog that this issue is not like the infamous Chevy Cobalt ignition switch fiasco.
For the sake of perspective, translated to US population, this total recall figure would equal a car for each resident of New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Montana, Delaware, South Dakota, Alaska, North Dakota, the District of Columbia, Vermont and Wyoming. Combined. Here's how it all breaks down:
7,610,862 vehicles in North America being recalled for unintended ignition key rotation. 6,805,679 are in the United States.
People are a weird sort. Even after registering over 70 recalls through the first three-quarters of 2014, General Motors saw its best Q3 results since Jimmy Carter was in the White House, registering over 2.4 million global sales between June and September on the back of strong results in the US and China.
US sales were marshaled by good results for GM's pickups, the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra, which bumped the manufacturer's truck market share to 35.6 percent, up nearly three points from Q1 2014. Buick has seen healthy growth as well, with the Encore dominating its segment for the sixth month running.
It was China, though, that really bolstered GM's sales, as the company's efforts to top last year's record-setting 3.16 million units continued apace. Small SUV sales saw massive growth, with Encore, Chevrolet Trax and Captiva figures jumping 90 percent in Q3. Brand-wise, Chevrolet, Cadillac and Buick all saw sales gains in the PRC, with each recording double-digit year-over-year jumps. Cadillac sales alone were up 63 percent compared to the first nine months of 2013.


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Publisher's American football and soccer titles bolstered by Kinect functionality
EA has claimed its current work on the new Madden title is its 'biggest ever investment' in the American football franchise.
Speaking on stage at Microsoft's presently ongoing E3 press conference Andrew Wilson, EA's head of sports said: "Madden 13 is our biggest ever investment in gameplay in franchise history, especially considering the Kinect for Xbox 360 support."
The 2013 iterations of Madden and FIFA will both include Kinect support, letting the player speak commands while playing, as if from the sidelines of a real worl sporting pitch.
Both games are due out Autumn this year worldwide in multiple regiopns and dialiects.


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After revealing a social networking spin on Resident Evil, Osaka-based game maker Capcom says its creating a new brand called Beeline Interactive to focus on smartphone games. You could say Capcom is making a beeline for smartphone games.
Capcom Is Getting Serious About Casual Gaming
Trending Stories Right Now
Yesterday we kicked off the Kotaku Australia Reader GOTY poll for 2018. Today, we'll kick off the reverse: the game that let you down the most.
Epic Games’ new store is not only taking the fight to Steam by giving developers a bigger cut of their games’ earnings—it’s locking down exclusive games, too.


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The GameStop short squeeze created overnight millionaires, but do meme stocks actually hold up under scrutiny over time?
This iconic battle was fought over publicly traded video game retailer GameStop, which was in danger of failing. This put the company in the sights of institutional investors who had opened short positions against GameStop’s stock prices, which means they would profit as the price crashes to zero.
WallStreetBets was not having any of it. Banding together, members of the subReddit started buying GameStop stocks, which caused the company’s stock price to surge to new highs.
This action not only created a lifeline for the sinking company, more importantly, it placed investors shorting the stock into a ‘short squeeze’. This turned their short position into a losing trade, with losses growing as the stock price rises higher.
In the end, the hedge funds gave up, closing out their short positions at a loss of billions of dollars.
As a result, meme stocks started to trend in the investment community, with proponents pointing to GameStop as proof that dedicated online followings can influence stock prices through coordinated trades.
Are meme stocks still a thing in 2022?
If meme stocks started and ended at once-mighty companies that are now barely hanging on, hoping for nostalgia to cause WallStreetBets to come riding to their rescue, that would be the end of this article.
However — perhaps because WallStreetBets’ heroic victory has managed to capture the imaginations of retail investors — the category of meme stocks has expanded to include a wider variety of companies, including some astonishing ones.
According to online chatter, here are some of the top meme stocks that are trending at the time of writing:
- GameStop (GME)
- AMC Entertainment (AMC)
- Nokia (NOK)
- BlackBerry (BB)
- Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY)
- Amazon (AMZN)
- Meta Platforms (FB)
- Tesla (TSLA)
- Apple (APPL)
- Palantir (PLTR)
As you can see, online attention has now expanded to cover a broader range of companies, including some of the most successful ones of our time.
This brings us to a turn in our understanding of meme stocks. Perhaps meme stocks aren’t simply about buying stocks that the Internet tells you to.
Rather, it is more about following the conversation around which companies the online community is excited about, and why.
Meme stocks — not what they seem?
To those who are more cautious, entrusting your investment funds to the whims of the online crowd sounds like a dubious idea.
Afterall, it’s no secret that wanting to strike back against the rich elite was a major rallying cry for WallStreetBets when it decided to go up against the hedge funds.
It is difficult to say why GameStop was saved by WallStreetBets — perhaps it was simply in the right place at the right time.
Afterall, it’s not like GameStop has a direct line to its target audience, judging by the company’s recent announcements.
Should you invest in meme-stocks in 2022?
Perhaps trying to apply logic to a movement that is at least partially driven by emotion is a fool’s errand.
Notwithstanding, the actions of WallStreetBets have undeniably driven up stock prices of GameStop and AMC.
Here, have a look:
You can clearly see the massive effect that WallStreetBets had on GME stock prices. That giant spike at the start of 2021? That’s when they took on the hedge funds shorting the stock.
Next, up, AMC:
A similar story can be seen here. Turning their attention to AMC after boosting up GameStop, WallStreetBets created a similarly miraculous turnaround for the beleaguered chain.
Investors who piled in were rewarded with a handsome windfall, with some even becoming millionaires overnight, and it is stories like these that make the case for investing in meme stocks so compelling.
Fundamentals still matter
So GameStop and AMC found unexpected reprieve, and now investors are betting that the same meteoric rise in valuations can be pulled off for the other companies that WallStreetBets members are talking about.
Does this mean now is the time to jump in? Well, maybe.
As we’ve explained, meme stocks aren’t any special category of stocks — they are simply the companies that have attracted the attention of the Internet, for the moment.
And — taking Apple vs Nokia as an example — the companies that Redditors are talking about vary widely, in basically every way that matters. There’s no way they can all be considered equally good investments.
So what’s an investor looking to jump into meme stocks to do? We’d urge you to remember this rule: No matter what, fundamentals still matter.
By all means, look towards the online crowd for some candidates to add to your portfolio. However, don’t simply — to borrow the language — ape into a meme stock just because every other post is screaming about it.
Always evaluate the fundamentals of the underlying businesses and companies, and decide whether these stocks fit into your investment goals, style and timeline.
It may also pay to be quick on your feet if you’re simply looking to turn a quick profit.
Read these next:
Trading Lingo from Wall Street Bets Decoded
A Guide To Meme Coins And Whether They Are Worth The Risk
Should the Metaverse be Your Next Big Investment?
5 Ways To Buy And Invest In Bitcoin In Singapore
What Is Gala Games And Why Is This Blockchain Gaming Platform Growing Rapidly?
10 Best Discord Servers to Learn Finance & Stock Trading In 2023
Finding The Value In Value Investing: A Guide
Top US Stocks Grabbing The Headlines As Redditors Take On Wall Street
What Do Investing Terms Like ‘Paper Hands’ And ‘Diamond Hands’ Mean?
10 Things To Know About Tesla Before Investing In 2020’s Hottest Stock, In 2021
Trading Lingo from Wall Street Bets Decoded
Stocks vs CFDs: Are CFDs Right For You, Or Should You Stick To Stocks?
How Recurring Investments Make You A Successful Investor


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Japan's Honda Motor says it will start selling its small business jet in the country.
Honda made the announcement on Wednesday.
The firm hopes to start delivering the 7-seater HondaJet in the first half of next year after approval by Japan's government.
The plane costs about 570 million yen, or roughly 5.2 million dollars.
The HondaJet has already been sold mainly in the United States and Europe, where demand for jets has been increasing among business owners.
Last year, Honda delivered 43 of the aircraft -- twice the figure for the previous year -- putting the plane in first place among small business jets.
Japan's business jet market is small, with only about 90 planes in operation. About 13,000 operate in the United States.
Honda Aircraft Company President Michimasa Fujino says he sees potential demand in Japan too, and wants to establish a new means of transportation allowing smooth transport to every city in the country.