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At this week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, BitTorrent began unveiling a major change to the file-sharing platform. Dubbed Project Chrysalis, it will transform the platform from a handy and inexpensive way to distribute and access files into a full-fledged home entertainment platform.
BitTorrent offers two clients for downloading torrent files: the standard BitTorrent client (called BitTorrent Mainline), which is a lab for new features, and µTorrent (called micro-torrent or u-torrent), which is slim and streamlined. The BitTorrent team has already been experimenting with offering apps in the BitTorrent client, which help users quickly access promoted content or applications, so far for free.
Project Chrysalis radically changes the BitTorrent interface, simplifying or removing the more techie elements and focusing instead on presenting a simple app-based approach. Users can tap apps to discover a catalog of promoted content, or use a standard torrent search to find other available files. Once content is downloaded, users will be able to play it within the application.
This will be version 8 of the BitTorrent client, and it will debut publicly at the end of the first quarter, 2011. It will also offer a rating feature and integration with social networks such as Twitter and FaceBook. For content owners, it will deliver opportunities for selling content, a BitTorrent first.
(For those techies who like the current look, the BitTorrent team says there will always be a classic version or the application.)
But that’s only one part of BitTorrent’s plans. It’s also creating a home ecosystem, where content downloaded on BitTorrent can easily be sent to a compatible television or mobile device.
To accomplish this, the company is partnering with the Information and Communications Research Laboratories at Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute, which is creating BitTorrent-certified chips for use in Blu-Ray players, DVD players, TVs, tablets, mobile devices, and more. BitTorrent’s executives expect those chips to be in production with three to five manufacturers by the holiday season, 2011. Once they’re in the home, users will be able to download BitTorrent content on the computer, send it to another device with one click, and be assured that it will always play without a problem. A BitTorrent-certified label will let buyers know which devices are compatible. To demonstrate how the system works, the Taiwan team built a media server into a model Ming vase, one of the most attractive living room devices we’ve ever seen.
Attendees at the South by Southwest conference in March will get a better look a the BitTorrent evolution.
For content providers, Project Chrysalis represents the best way yet to harness the power of BitTorrent’s peer-to-peer streaming. With home networking and the ability to sell content, it could make a huge splash when it’s finally released.
Just as exciting, Bram Cohen, creator of the BitTorrent platform and chief scientist of the company, gave the first press previews of the live P2P streaming solutions that he’s been working on. Called Project Pheon, it showed only a six-second latency in our demo. When its released, likely this summer, this Flash-based solution will let content creators stream live with few infrastructure requirements. All that’s needed is the BitTorrent software and a camera. The controls are Web-based.
Cohen has been testing the live solution using emulation software to assure scaling, and is now doing real-world testing with volunteers. We’re looking forward to its release, as it could make streaming live video easier and cheaper than ever before.


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Saudi shoe guru Lulu Al-Hassan shows off new collection at LFW
The eldest Hadid, Gigi, took to the mirrored runway at London’s Kensington Olympia in a sporty bomber jacket and catsuit, while her younger sister Bella stunned in a beige bodycon midi dress that featured a keyhole cut-out as pianists Katia and Marielle Labeque played live. Also walking was fellow supermodel Kendall Jenner, who was dressed in a tartan bustier, layered under a semi-sheer white skirt and white boots. The models, who were recently selected to star in the storied fashion house’s newest campaign, were joined by hijab-wearing model Ugbad Abdi, who also took to the runway at Monday’s fashion extravaganza. For her part, Abdi strutted in a long tartan dress paired with checked trousers, a trench coat and headscarf.
Fellow supermodels Joan
Smalls and Irina Shayk also starred in the high-octane show. Of course, there weren’t just supermodel stars on the runway, with Naomi Campbell, Winnie Harlow and Yolanda Hadid sitting front row to support Tisci. The catwalk show, which drew celebrities including Cate Blanchett to its front row, is one of the glitziest highlights of London Fashion Week.
The Italian designer has revamped Burberry since he joined in 2018, changing the label’s typeface, introducing a “TB” monogram and bringing an edginess to its classic
The collection, titled “Memories,” was Tisci’s third since joining the storied fashion house as chief creative officer and featured everything from sleek and classic looks to sporty and
It’s time to get ready for a new way of looking at shoes. Are they items to protect your feet? Fashion statements, from towering heels to trending trainers? Or does Lulu Al-Hassan, founder and creative director of the Lu Vixen luxury shoe brand, have a completely novel way of looking at them?
The Saudi designer unveiled her latest collection at Hotel Café Royal’s Oscar Wilde Lounge as part of “Stories from Arabia” at London Fashion Week on Monday. Al-Hassan forged her own path in order to follow her passion for shoes. “My family really did not like my idea because I have a master’s in IT from a good university in the US and I was holding a good position in Saudi Arabia,” she told Arab News. “All of sudden, I decided to quit all that and go to Italy and study shoe design, which is my passion. It wasn’t easy because at that time Saudi (Arabia) wasn’t as open as it is today. So, I had to struggle and make my own way.”
She studied shoemaking and pattern cutting at Milan’s prestigious Arsutoria School, established in 1947, and took pattern-cutting classes in London. “I wanted this collection to be very chic and detailed,” she said about her latest line. “We have used a lot of chiffon and delicate fabrics not usually associated with shoes. Lu Vixen is basically lingerie for the feet so the shoe has to be soft on your skin and comfortable.”
Alongside the stilettos with gold and silver metallic elements were beautifully crafted lowerheeled shoes and sandals in suede and leather. Chiffon trims came in a palette of fuchsia, orange and lime green.
“I have loved shoes since childhood and over the years I have done a lot to learn about the shoemaking craft … I studied the anatomy of the feet. I used to travel and pay all my own costs to attend leather fairs and the like just to educate myself,” she added of her determination to make a name for herself in the shoe business.

domain: news


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These are all the posts that have been tagged with almonds.
With its new QuadBar, private label maker SternLife has developed a new generation of protein bars that feature an optimum combination of nutrients. The QuadBar has a high content of protein and roughage at 34 per cent each, while carbohydrate content is low at just 2.5g. “This combination is new in this segment,” says Marc […]
La Morella nuts, the nut specialist acquired by the Barry Callebaut Group in 2012, is introducing a new range of high quality caramelised nuts for the food industry in Europe. The new sablages are the result of a continuous effort by the team of specialists at la Morella nuts to add new and exciting products […]
According to the latest Innova Market Insights Global New Products Report, almonds outpaced overall food and nut introductions around the world in 2013, climbing 35%, compared to a 10% increase in 2012 (1).
With short production runs and a huge product range, a division of Switzerland’s second largest retailer has chosen a single Ishida multihead weigher to handle 70 very different products. Coop is a major force in Swiss retailing. Its Sunray division produces some 55 million units of very diverse packaging each year. As part of the […]
The Almond Board of California has released the California Almond objective forecast for the 2014-2015 crop year. Based on 860,000 bearing acres, the forecast for the crop is 2.10 billion meat pounds. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service – California Field Office (NASS/CFO), administers the forecast. “This year’s objective forecast […]
It was revealed after the latest Innova Market Insights global new products report that almonds have maintained their position as leading nut type as they have since 2006. Almonds are also the top nut used in bakery, desserts, cereal and ice cream worldwide and are the second most popular nut for snacking. Confectionery has continued […]
Jonathan Thomas, principal market analyst at Leatherhead Food Research, discusses the role of flavours in confectionery and snacks.
New research by Innova Market Insights has revealed the increasingly important role of nuts in new food products worldwide – use has increased by 148 per cent since 2005 (2012 Global New Product Introductions Report, Innova Market Insights, June 2013). In fact, consumers worldwide report that almonds are the nut they eat most often as […]
Graham Kingston, commercial director of inclusions and toppings specialist Pecan Deluxe Candy (Europe), charts the progress of the inclusions market.
Optical sorting company Bühler, has strengthened its position in nut processing with the announcement that its Sortex technology can effectively remove doubles from almonds (when two kernels are found in one shell). This is achieved using pioneering technology with pinpoint accuracy that delivers to required grade specifications, while also removing multiple defects and foreign materials. […]
27 July 2012 – Chinese companies have signed a memorandum of understanding to buy at least $50 million of Blue Diamond almonds in the next 12 months. Bill Morecraft, general manager of Blue Diamond Almonds Global Ingredient Division, states, “Blue Diamond’s Global Ingredient Division pioneered bringing almonds to China nearly 40 years ago. Since then, […]
It is widely known that consumers are becoming increasingly health conscious, and this is being highlighted in the types of chocolate they are purchasing. Requests for chocolate with fewer calories or healthier inclusions are growing. Therefore, it is good news that recent research has revealed the almonds contain 20% less calories than previously thought. I […]
2 December 2011 – Barry Callebaut continues to focus on convenience and premiumness with the launch of new confectionery decorations, fillings and inclusions. Barry Callebaut is proud to present Désir, the ultimate chocolate filling with the smoothest bite and the most delightful taste, comparable to an artisanal made ganache. The Désir filling range will help […]
18 October 2011 – Blue Diamond Almonds has appointed of Jennifer Eastman as R & D food scientist. Eastman will focus on new product development and technology for Blue Diamond Almonds’ industrial products division. Eastman will take projects from concept through production and final testing for almond products used as ingredients in a wide variety […]
3 October 2011 – Blue Diamond Almonds is keen to expand its presence in the UK market with its own brand consumer products and ingredients for food manufacturers. The California based company is launching a major marketing campaign throughout Europe, but is particularly focused on raising the profile of its snacks and ingredients in retail, […]
2nd February 2011 – Newtree has launched five new chocolate-covered delights. The chocolate bars (30g) contain less sugar and more fibre than similar chocolates. In addition, thanks to active natural extracts, they are a source of antioxidants or omega 3. For lovers of dark chocolate, Newtree offers a superfruit bar, a Belgian biscuit bar and […]


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The notion that utilities don’t do a good job of consumer engagement is only half true. The fact is, many customers don’t want to be engaged. They just want cheap, reliable electricity, no...
Lighting the Way
Understanding the smart energy consumer in a down economy.
and willingness to change behavior. Four in five consumers would change the times when they do energy-consuming housework in exchange for large savings (50 percent). This pattern doesn’t vary much by income level; those in the upper 5 to 10 percent of the respondents’ national income distribution were as open to such change as those below median national income. Even for a small discount (10 percent) for changing time of usage, about half were willing to change. These numbers were virtually unchanged from 2007.
There isn’t much evidence to suggest consumers think lower rates are in store for them; only 6 percent believe that over the next five years, their bills will increase more slowly (or decrease more rapidly) than their usage, while over half foresee the cost increasing roughly at the same pace as usage. Forty percent expect to see their bills increasing more rapidly than their usage—or not decreasing as much as any reduction in usage.
Overall, 2008 respondents have a slightly more pessimistic view of the next five years than those in 2007, mostly because of expected increases in consumption than any apparent change in perspective stemming from energy-price surges in the summer of 2008. Two-thirds expect to see their bills increasing over the next five years, versus 59 percent in 2007; however, in 2008, 38 percent expect usage to increase versus 30 percent in 2007, so the differential between the two years’ numbers is the same.
With the prevalent feeling that energy prices will move inexorably upward, and with awareness of smart meters growing, more than 90 percent of respondents indicated they would like to have a smart meter and tools for managing their usage, with 55 to 60 percent of these respondents willing to pay a one-time or monthly fee for that capability. Consumers largely are indifferent to which form this control takes. The percentages wanting this service via a dedicated control panel, a home computer interface or a smart meter automatically controlling devices are essentially the same, although there are some differences across age groups.
Environmental Impact Reductions
The emphasis on climate change is as strong now as with consumers in the 2007 survey. It’s also fairly consistent across an expanded group of countries. For 10 of the 12 countries, between 65 percent and 75 percent of respondents stated that environmental factors are “important” in purchases of non-energy products. Only the Netherlands, at 64 percent and Canada, at 78 percent, fell slightly outside that band.
The availability of renewable energy programs in response to this demand for more carbon-neutral products remained about the same year to year. Across the core-group countries, the percentage reporting that they didn’t have renewable power programs available dropped from 21 percent in 2007 to 16 percent in 2008. Rather than increasing the percentage of affirmative responses, however, most of the movement was to the “don’t know” response—up to 50 percent, from 46 percent in 2007. Responses of the expanded-group countries were consistent with those in the core group (see Figure 2) .
According to industry experts in some of the countries


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Motorola and Intel’s joint venture, the RAZR i, is slowly making its way into more territories. After its initial release in the UK, the RAZR i now finds itself in a new market, Brazil. This device will be the exact same device that we previously saw during Motorola's and Intel’s event in London last month.
Motorola Razr I and global Razr HD join the unlocked bootloader club
The Intel-powered Razr i and the international version of the Razr HD will have their bootloaders unlocked, according to Motorola’s website. This includes the Canadian version of the device, carried by Rogers.
Motorola Razr i now available in the UK from Phones4U with O2 contract
While some US techies are on pins and needles after finding out that the Droid Razr HD and Razr Maxx HD could have their launches delayed until the end of the year, Moto fans living in the UK can now rejoice.
Chrome for Android arrives for devices using Intel x86 processors
When Motorola Mobility launched its Intel powered RAZR i less than 10 days ago there was some raised eyebrows when it was revealed that the new phone didn't run Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and neither could it run the Chrome web browser. This might be cause for concern about any new phone which is released, but considering that Motorola Mobility is owned by Google and, of course, Google is the custodian of Android and the creator of the Chrome web browser, it is almost alarming. Does the left hand know what the right hand is doing?
Motorola Razr i on-contract price in UK revealed, to start from £23 a month
Launched in London just a couple of days ago, Motorola said that the Intel-based Razr i will be made available in select European markets -- UK included – starting in early October. So it’s about time we see some pricing details from UK carriers and retailers.
Google’s Chrome browser doesn’t work on the new Motorola RAZR i
Motorola, who is owned by Google, announced a new smartphone yesterday called the RAZR i. It's basically the RAZR M that's currently available on Verizon Wireless in the United States, but with an Intel chip inside. We know it's supposed to be fast and all that jazz, but at what cost? How's the battery life? Will apps in the Google Play Store run seamlessly despite the different architecture?
So how fast is Motorola’s new Intel powered RAZR i?
A few journalists have been able to get their hands on pre-release models of Motorola's upcoming Intel-powered RAZR i and after the initial first looks and hands-on pieces, the device has now been benchmarked. And the question is, how well does the single core 2GHz Intel Atom-powered phone compare to ARM-powered devices?
Motorola RAZR i release date, pricing and pre-order available, at least for UK buyers
In case you missed the action earlier today, we’ll remind you that Motorola held a special media event in London to unveil its first Intel-based smartphone ever. The two companies announced way back in early 2012 that they will work together to release various Android-based devices featuring Intel’s Medfield chips, and the Motorola RAZR i is the first in the Motorola-Intel family.
Motorola RAZR i launches in London, features 2.0GHz Intel processor


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SEATTLE — A longtime Ballard business is facing an uncertain future after its building was sold to new owners.
Scandinavian Specialties has been a source for Nordic goods and food since the 1960s. It’s been in its current location at NW 67th and 15th Ave NW since 2001.
Owner Bjørn Ruud said they serve and sell many of cultural favorites like “fish cakes and goat cheese,” Scandinavian chocolate, and traditional rice porridge.
“One of our most popular is lingonberry tarts,” Ruud said. “We also sell a lot of waffles with goat cheese. And over here, we’ve got the shrimp sandwich, a perennial favorite for savory.”
Ruud was raised in a household where Norwegian was the primary language and now shares that culture with his customers.
“I feel lucky to have a sense of connection to my heritage in that regard,” he said. “I think it’s kind of unique to be in that position.”
But Ruud and his customers are wondering what the future of the store will be. King County property records show his longtime landlord sold the property to “67th and 15th Ave LLC” on May 17. The property, which includes the now-closed auto shop next door, sold for $2.9 million.
Ruud said he hasn’t heard from the old owners or the new but worries he could be pushed out for more development in booming Ballard. The good news is Rudd has a one-year termination clause in his lease, so he expects to remain in their current location at least that long.
“It’s tough,” he said. “I like change, I like density, but it’s tough to see some of the things go away.”
Angela Giaever, who visited the store Wednesday, echoed that. Her husband was born in Norway and they met while she was studying the language.
“How many more apartments can you put up?” Giaever asked. “It’s disheartening to see merchants like him going out of business or moving.”
Ruud has no plans to close the store, although he worries affording a similar space could be difficult. Rudd said many properties rent for triple what he pays for the space.
“The hope is to stay in Ballard and continue for the next generations,” he said. “Providing at least an experience that speaks to the history, and what this community has been.”


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We long wondered who would emerge as the winner in the brutal battle between the many neobanks that have popped up over the past decade. Although others have had quite a ride, including Chime with its new $25 billion valuation, Revolut is now clearly positioned at the front of the pack as It’s the UK’s most valuable private company.
But it’s not just Revolut’s founders leaping the fruits off the company’s explosive growth — employees are also amongst its winners as Revolut has turned over 70 employees into millionaires.
So yes, turning over 70 employees into millionaires is impressive. But in reality, these fortunes only exist on paper for now. However, Revolut has allowed employees to start cashing in small chunks of their shareholdings across various sales and listings.
But Revolut’s immense success doesn’t really surprise us, especially considering their rather aggressive growth strategy. Their earliest strategy was to bring in as many users as possible to make a transaction of at least five Euros, with no marketing. They clearly succeeded in this and the proof is in their 100 thousand users within one year of operating. And the growth just kept accelerating from there.
But after adding a slate of new products and expanding into new markets (spoiler alert, Crypto was a key propellor to the company’s growth), the fintech’s revenue increased by 130% in the first quarter of 2021.
The London-based company has been tipped to grow into a “super app” — a place for consumers to shop, travel, pay and chat all in one place. Yet another proof of the company’s ambitious growth strategy. Between global expansion and the addition of countless new products and services, Revolut’s growth strategy is paying off as we can clearly see in their outstanding growth trajectory
The US seems to be the next target in Revolut’s plans. But after failing to make a dent in the Canadian market, the US market might prove to be a tough one. Nonetheless, Revolut is now trying to obtain a US banking license. And we are certainly curious how that will play out!
As competition within the neobanks landscape is heating up, the leading digital banks are battling to get the highest market shares and presence. But upon a closer look, it becomes evident that Revolut is dwarfing its competition when compared to N26 and Monzo. Two of the leading neobanks in Europe.
In 2020 alone, Revolut managed to generate almost 4 times the revenue that Monzo generated. Unfortunately, N26 wouldn’t disclose a revenue figure for last year, but said gross revenues doubled to nearly 100 million euros in 2019, from 2018.
While we certainly can’t deny the impressiveness of the growth rates of these banks, revolut once again dominates the battle of the number of users.
In a nutshell, Revolut has managed to climb all the way to the top of the mobile banking landscape, revolutionizing personal finance and becoming the go-to super app to millions of users. Its ambitious growth plans are paying off and they are slowly but surely making their way into huge markets including the US.
Will Revolut’s super app strategy ever make a dent in the US market?
Amazon strikes once again…. Business Insider just revealed that they are developing a new point-of-sale system to attract small businesses - shortly after announcing the deal with Affirm to offer BNPL services-. In this article, we will tell you how this giant is taking on PayPal and moving towards the physical retail world.
The digital banking space across the world is flourishing with an astronomical number of transactions. It was estimated at a value of $12 Billion in 2020, and is projected to reach a size of $30 Billion by 2026, with an impressive growth rate of nearly 16%. To take advantage of this lucrative market, neobanks have been rushing to serve as many customers as possible. While they’ve been successful in establishing a large customer-base, many of these banks are failing to meet AML and KYC requirements.
Historically, geopolitical, currency-related risks, as well as the fragmented nature of the continent, have deterred non-African VCs from entering the region. Yet, after having lagged behind for many years, Africa might just become the next FinTech hub. This article covers the recent spur in Africa’s FinTech and which companies and sectors contributed to this growth.


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WESTFIELD, NJ — The Westfield Farmer’s Market will re-open for the season Saturday, June 29, and this year it will be better than ever, according to Greater Westfield Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Heather Robinson.
“We have really focused on broadening the product assortment this year,” said Robinson. “New additions include beverages, a dairy farm, cookies and vinegars and oils.”
The market will be held each Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. through October 26. Vendors will include Donaldson Farms, Peaceful Valley Farm, Skeba Farm, Sutton Family Farm, Lithuanian Bakery, Gourmet Nuts, Lizzmonade, Pizza Vita, Farmhouse Gourmet, High Mountain Foods, Shonna's Sweet Bites and Paolo's Kitchen.
“We invite visitors to sit and stay awhile, taking in the sights and sounds at our new venue at the corner of Summit and South,” said Robinson. “We’re still conveniently located in the center of town, right at the train station.”


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Earlier this week, Infinity Ward, the developers of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare announced the delay of the new seasons for Call of Duty: Warzone and Call of Duty: Mobile. Infinity Ward has also announced a new ban initiative against racist and hate-oriented names. They’ve outlined how they plan to further probe against this issue. Furthermore, Infinity Ward has also updated the game to showcase a message for Black Lives Matter. The message will appear when the game launches, on loading screens, and whenever a new game mode is selected.
— Infinity Ward (@InfinityWard) June 3, 2020
In addition to issuing thousands on bans daily for racist and hate oriented names, Infinity Ward has stated that they will be doing more including adding additional resources to monitor and ID racist content, adding additional in-game reporting systems to increase the number of bans by the hour, adding filters and greater restrictions on name changes, evaluating in-game improvements to make it easier to report offenses, and increasing permanent bans to root out repeat offenders.
The message that came with the latest update reads: “our community is hurting. The systematic inequalities our community experiences are once again at center stage. Call of Duty and Infinity Ward stand for equality and inclusion. We stand against the racism and injustice our Black community endures. Until change happens and Black Lives Matter, we will never be the community we strive to be.”
Infinity Ward is not the only big name in the video game industry showing their support for Black Lives Matter. Like Infinity Ward, many developers have been delaying events to make sure that this conversation stays front and center. Earlier this week, Sony announced that it would be postponing the PlayStation 5 games reveal event, CD Projekt Red postponed Night City Wire, a livestream for Cyberpunk 2077 towards the end on the month, Epic Games delayed season 3 for Fortnite: Chapter 2 again, Blizzard delayed a livestream for World of Warcraft: Shadowlands, EA Play and the Guerilla Collective delayed their events by a week, and the PC Gaming Show has been delayed to June 13.


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With interest on sustainable fashion gradually emerging, one popular Canadian brand is also ready to be part of the "green team" in a revolutionary way.
While labels such as Nicole Bridger, Laura Siegel, and H&M rely on eco-friend fabrics and have implemented ethical manufacturing to promote sustainability, Québec-based retailer Simons is advocating it not through its clothes, but through its first ever "net zero" energy branch.
Simons's eco-friendly branch will be achieving the "net zero" objective by installing a geothermal heating system that pulls warmth from the store back into the ground to cool the store and a solar parking electric system in the parking area that will produce the equivalent of the amount of energy used by 50 homes in a year. There will also be a "WeWatt" station inside the store that will allow customers to uniquely charge their phones by pedalling on stationary bicycles.
According to Simons, this retail innovation is a great test to see how well Canadians can take "leadership roles on big issues" and how willing they are to shop at stores that are making an effort to tackle such issues.
The new Simons will replace its existing store in the Galeries de la Capitale shopping centre in Quebec City and will be opening on March 15.
By: Franz Tabora


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VeriStor Systems is turning the table on partner certification by certifying its vendors as suitable for customer requirements.
Atlanta-based VeriStor this week unveiled its VeriStor Certified Technology Partner Program, which validates solutions from multiple storage and virtualization hardware and software vendors for optimal use in enterprise-class implementations, said Ashby Lincoln, CEO of the solution provider.
“It helps make sure vendors are delivering the best value for the dollar,” Lincoln said.
While many, if not most, vendors certify their partners, the value of that kind of certification is limited by the certification process, Lincoln said.
“The whole industry has traditionally been focused on vendors certifying their partners,” he said. “But if, for instance, you are certified forIBM (NYSE: IBM), that only means that you are certified if you present an IBM solution. So it doesn’t have as much meaning.”
VeriStor currently has at least 35 certifications from its vendor partners. And while a solution provider can easily call a manufacturer and get certified, that should only be the first step in making sure the manufacturer is right for the customer, Lincoln said.
“A partner also needs to go to the manufacturer and say, ‘Here’s what this means to me. We need you, the manufacturer, to provide a great relationship, and a great value.’ And that’s something customers really need,” he said.
Without certifying that a vendor is right for a partner, a solution provider risks becoming a puppet of the vendor, Lincoln said. “Their relationship with the customers is controlled by the manufacturer,” he said. “We think that has to be different. It’s our noble cause.”
VeriStor currently has certified at least 25 storage vendors for its customers, ranging from relative startups to larger vendors such asDell (NSDQ: Dell) EqualLogic, Hewlett-Packard (NYSE:HPQ)’s LeftHand Networks and Nexsan, in addition to certifying VMware for server virtualization.
The certification process seems to be working for VeriStor. The company is expecting business in 2009 to grow between 25 percent and 40 percent over 2008, and it just hired three new people this week.
Lincoln said VeriStor has about 350 business customers, and slightly less than 70 percent come back for at least three transactions. “It’s something I track very carefully,” he said.
By: Joseph F. Kovar
April 30, 2009
To view article, please click here.


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The 2019 Victoria Secret fashion show is no more.
And it may be gone forever thanks, in part, to liberal outrage.
The staple lingerie brand is discontinuing its yearly spectacle, which featured female supermodels strutting down the catwalk on television.
In deciding to pull the plug, the brand will “evolve the messaging of the company,” according to a statement by L Brands, owner of the company.
The fashion show’s dismal 2018 ratings didn’t help the cause of a brand already on life support, and mounting pressure from liberals caused the company to finally shutter the event.
Ed Razek, the former chief marketing officer, caused controversy last year when he told Vogue.com in an interview that he wouldn’t allow both plus-sized and transgender models in the fashion show.
There’s “no room” for men and overweight women to be Victoria Secret models, he said.
That caused one of their biggest Victoria angels, Karlie Kloss, to abandon the show over her feminist beliefs.
A new, hidden cause of memory loss… [Sponsored]
And if that wasn’t enough… then came the bombshell when Leslie Wexner, the CEO of L Brands, was outed for having close ties with pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
They were close friends, according to numerous sources at the time, which also wrote that Epstein used Wexner’s position to recruit women, promising them modeling jobs in exchange for being a part of his sex cult.
So it’s clear that the powerhouse brand has gone through some turbulent times.
But in the end, along with everything else considered, Victoria Secret just wasn’t making enough money.
Chief Financial Officer Stuart Burgdoefer put it best: “Did we see specific material impact in terms of a short-term sales response to the airing of the fashion show? As a general matter, the answer to that question is no.”
Sponsored: Shocking: Hitler’s Final Secret
So the 2019 Victoria Secret Fashion show is canned, and it’s unlikely to ever come back.
The Horn editorial team


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LG launches LG Optimus, an Android phone. And they have appointed Korean Superstar, Lee Min Ho as Ambassador for this phone. LG Optimus is targeted at first-time smartphone users that require easy and convenient mobile access. It will be available from 19th June 2010 at recommended retail price of S$418/-.
Got the Press Release from Tele Atlas and Sygic on their latest product, Sygic AURA. It is a 3D GPS Map navigation which provide turn-by-turn navigation for Smartphone. Read the Press Release and watch a video demo on iPhone after the break.
Received the Press Release from Nokia. Skype is now available for Nokia Smartphones in Ovi store. So, if you own a Nokia Smartphone, go now to Ovi store to download this free Skype app. Press Release after the break.
I had just received Garmin-Asus smartphone G60. A sturdy looking phone that sports a 3.5-inch screen. It is a navigation-based phone. Basically, it is a navigation system (Garmin GPS Navigation Software) built with phone functions.
I can’t believe it when I saw this article. It mentions that on certain models of HTC Windows Mobile Smartphones, there is a possibility of being hack via bluetooth.


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Studies performed at the University of Colorado have found that silibinin; from milk thistle extract have shown to have promising results in protecting the skin from UV-induced skin cancer and photoaging.
Silibinin can protect the skin in two ways: (1) UVA-affected cells treated with silibinin, the cells died dramatically, removing the mutated cells that cause skin cancer and photoaging and (2) the skin can be treated with silibinin to protect skin cells from damage by UVB radiation (Protection Against UV-Induced Skin Cancer Offered By Silibinin, found in Milk Thistle, 2013).
There was no mention in the article when silibinin will be available to the public or if taking milk thistle orally provides any protection.
To read more on this topic, click on the following link:
Protection Against UV-Induced Skin Cancer Offered By Silibinin, found in Milk Thistle. (2013, February 1). Retrieved February 8, 2013, from Medical News Today: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/255658.php


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Secured lenderMotor Co. of Australia Ltd. moves to put struggling bearings and gaskets maker Automotive Components Ltd. under receivership control to ensure the continuation of engine production in Australia. ACL’s receivers intend to continue to trade the business to ensure continuity of supply to the domestic auto industry while all available options are considered for the future of the Tasmania-based company. Receivers moved in less than two months after the Australian government announced a A$21.7 million ($17.9 million) bailout plan for ACL. Ford, Motor Corp. of Australia Ltd., the Australian Mfg. Workers Union and the Federation of Automotive Product Manufacturers also were involved in the restructuring plan.
Inc. will supply friction materials and plates for the new Friedrichshafen AG 8-speed automatic transmission debuting on the ’10 760i sedan. BorgWarner says the technology helps reduce drag losses, allowing the transmission to achieve improved fuel economy and outstanding performance.
FormTech Industries LLC reaches a deal to sell its assets to a newly formed subsidiary of private-equity firm HHI Holdings LLC through a prearranged Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. A proposed going-concern sale transaction, which is expected to be completed within 45 days, is subject to court approval.
Mascoma Corp. says Bruce A. Jamerson will transition from his role as CEO to the position of chairman of Mascoma and Frontier Renewable Resources LLC, Mascoma’s Michigan-based operating subsidiary. Frontier is developing and financing a commercial-scale cellulosic-ethanol production facility in Kinross, MI. Mascoma’s board of directors has appointed Jim Flatt, executive vice president-research and development and operations, to serve as acting president until a new CEO is hired.
Automotive Holdings Corp. says it has combined a camera, rain sensor and processor in a package about the size of a deck of playing cards that can be positioned within a vehicle’s rearview-mirror mount looking outward through the windshield. The supplier says the unit offers automatic on-off headlamp control, in addition to an optical-sensor system that measures moisture on the windshield and can engage the windshield wipers accordingly.
TheGroup completes the relocation of its Chassis Systems Control North American Div. to its technical center in Plymouth Township, MI. The move unites 650 Bosch employees under one roof, and allows Bosch to increase utilization of the technical center and subsequently decrease leased space in Farmington Hills, MI, by nearly 10,000 sq.-ft. (930 sq.-m).
iBiquity Digital Corp.’s next-generation of HD Radio receivers will use Toshiba Corp.’s new radio chipsets, which the companies say provide a front-end solution that supports communication with HD Radio decoders.
– compiled by Laurel Wright Lindh


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If the video game industry operated like a high school, there would be a lot of hallway talk going on about how Microsoft and Nintendo have been making eyes at each other as of late.
It started with Minecraft. While it’s no surprise that Minecraft is available on Switch – it was already one of the most popular games ever before Microsoft bought the property – it was a bit surprising when Microsoft announced that Switch players would be able to access assets in the game that were previously exclusive to the Microsoft brand. That’s a feature that Microsoft didn’t offer to Sony and the PlayStation 4. At the time, it was written-off as a simple courtesy that Microsoft extended because Nintendo allowed for cross-platform play.
Since then, things have gotten a bit more interesting. Nintendo recently revealed that the Switch will receive a remastered version of Mark of the Ninja. Previously, Mark of the Ninja was a Microsoft published Xbox 360/PC exclusive title. That’s not the biggest game in the Microsoft arsenal, but it was still an Xbox exclusive. Now, Head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, is talking about letting Nintendo use Microsoft owned characters in the next Smash Bros. game.
If you didn’t know better, you’d think that Microsoft and Nintendo have formed a kind of informal alliance. The may have. The question is: “Would such an alliance be good for gaming?”
Before you answer that question, you must first realize why this alliance would benefit both parties. For Nintendo, the answer is simple. They get access to more games and a greater variety of properties. There’s no company in the world that would turn down a closer relationship with Microsoft’s gaming war chest.
The way this alliance benefits Microsoft is a bit more complicated but far more interesting. First off, they get to sell more of their games across more platforms. They’ve already expressed an interest in doing just that during a recent press conference. However, this is about more than just mere sales. A Microsoft/Nintendo alliance would also give Microsoft the kind of partner in the East that they’ve never had before. More importantly, it would allow them to partner with a platform – the Nintendo Switch – that they probably don’t see as a direct competitor to the Xbox One brand. At least not in the same way that the similar PlayStation is an Xbox competitor.
That last part is the kicker here. If you’re a Microsoft fan or a Switch owner, you’ve got no reason to complain about this potential partnership. However, a Microsoft/Nintendo alliance – even a minimal one – would post a direct threat to Sony who is currently dominating the console market but is experiencing some wider company financial concerns.
Yet…it’s hard to think of this as a bad thing. Even in some wild fantasy world where we see big name Microsoft games on the Nintendo Switch, there relatively little chance that this partnership can sink Sony or other major competitors. Sony still has a huge market share and a ton of exclusive titles. Instead, a continued alliance between Microsoft and Nintendo might only help to bolster the status of both companies, allow more gamers to experience more types of games, and bridge some gaps between East and West gaming markets that have been hard to fill.
Is a Microsoft/Nintendo partnership good for gaming? It can be, and we might just be lucky enough to find out exactly how it will work.


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The Kansspelautorieit (KSA), the gambling regulatory body of the Netherlands, has gotten into a cooperation deal with several payment processors with the purpose of blocking financial transactions between unregulated Internet gambling sites and their Dutch consumers. By signing this agreement, the KSA hopes to make it difficult for unregulated gambling sites to continue accepting Dutch real money players.
Initially, the blocking of financial transactions will target unlicensed operators who have continued to offer their real money gambling services to Dutch players despite the fact that the regulator has slapped administrative sanctions on them.
According to the terms of the cooperative agreement, payment processing companies have to exhibit their sense of social responsibility by refusing to process transactions between Dutch players and unregulated gambling sites. Early this year, several payment processors such as DialXS, Mollie BV, and Sisow signed the cooperative agreement with the KSA. By September 22, companies such as MasterCard, Currence, who owns iDEAL, several banks, and members of Betaalvereniging Nederland, an association of Netherlands payment processors, signed the agreement. PaySquare SE, which signed on October 6, was the last payment processor to do so.
The KSA is negotiating with other payment processing companies as it feels that as many financial companies as possible ought to sign up for its payment blocking strategy to be effective. The regulator said: “When an illegal operator does not get money from a consumer, it is not lucrative to be active illegally.”
Recently, the KSA has been cracking down on unregulated Dutch gambling sites by imposing fines on them. Three companies associated with 7red.nl/.com and royaalcasino.nl/.com were fined as much as $393,387. Bluemay Enterprises NV and Redcorp SA had to pay $164,969 each, and Bluemay Enterprises Ltd had to pay a fine of $63,450 for being associated with the above-mentioned gambling sites.
The Dutch regulatory body discovered that the online gambling websites were directly promoting their services to Dutch citizens through various media channels, including local TV channels. Initially, the sites were warned not to market within the Netherlands. In response, the sites just changed their language from Dutch to English, but did not stop targeting Dutch players.
Meanwhile, the Netherlands is considering a new gambling bill. If enacted into law, it will impose a 20% tax rate on gross revenues on unlicensed as well as licensed operators of online gambling businesses. The government says that “illegal online gaming is not given advantage over gaming in the real world.”
Renee is an international analyst and journalist specializing in covering legal developments and legislative efforts in regulated online betting markets world wide.


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At KW Digital, we are always looking to bring you the latest news in the digital world. Here is a snippet of what’s new and trending.
New Google image search to include shopping ads
As you may have already noticed, Google has introduced its own visual shopping ads on image search. With many consumers using mobile phones to search and buy products online, the new filter will now allow customers to narrow down their search and be directed to a retailer selling that particular product. These ads appear at the top of the search results, above the images sourced from around the web. With this launch, consumers are able to click through an image based ad and engage with the retailer and, more importantly, buy the product there and then. Ecommerce businesses will benefit from increased sales and engagement.
Facebook ‘Reactions’ boost engagement
Months on from Facebook’s launch of the much hyped “Reactions”, Facebook has seen its new set of emojis boost engagement with the service, according to new research from Global Web Index. By giving users a greater range of ways to react to posts and adverts, a brand can now convert its less engaged users to more active ones. Customers are now able to express their feelings towards your content.
Since page posts are public, you can go to other pages – especially competitors – and see the breakdowns of reactions they are getting, which can be useful for competitor research. The new Facebook reactions can not only be a new way to learn from competitors, but also a fun way for consumers to interact with pages and a great way to encourage emotional feedback from users.
So, write more engaging posts, encourage shares and comments, and get those likes, loves and wows!
Facebook launches messenger platform for Bots
Another one from Facebook! You can always bet on Facebook to throw in a surprise. Just as we were getting used to the new emojis, Facebook hits us with yet another great invention for businesses. Last month, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg launched the new Messenger for Bots. This is opening up the popular messaging App to host bots that can hold automated conversations with people on behalf of businesses and organisations.
With how fast the internet of things is evolving, this does not come as a surprise at all!
What does this mean for businesses though? Over time, it is expected that businesses will be able to offer automated customer service support and take transactions within seconds. Users will be able to engage with customers through personalised interactions. This is how it works; you feed the bot engine with sample conversations, then it can handle any variation of that conversation on its own, using artificial intelligence and machine learning.
“If you want to send flowers you won’t have to install a new app or enter your credit card details again,” Zuckerberg said. “You just send a message.” The irony, he added, is that “now to order from 1-800 Flowers you never have to call 1-800 Flowers again.” Mark Zuckerberg said at Facebook’s annual F8 conference for developers.
Of course it doesn’t come for free! Advertisers will be charged when they place a button that gets people to chat with the bot on the newsfeed ads.
There you have it, talk to our team today on +44 (0) 1704 898951 or email us at firstname.lastname@example.org and we will be happy to take you through how you can integrate these new tools with your marketing communications to increase ROI.


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Former Big Brother Naija Housemate Ifu Ennada has shocked fans with her recent revelation on Instagram.
The Reality TV star has just hinted that she spent a whooping sum of one-million Naira on perfumes on her last birthday.
This was said in a video she made of herself while getting her make-up done.
Ifu highlighted that she loves to look good and loves perfumes as well.
Pointing out how hard it can be to find original perfumes, the beauty entrepreneur stated that she had to spend that much when she saw original perfumes.
See Her Post Here:
Watch The Video Here:


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When Sony ceased shipping the PlayStation 2 in Japan late last year, we all saw this coming — Sony has confirmed that production of the PlayStation 2 is now over worldwide. Once the current stocks of consoles on store shelves are sold, they will no longer be replaced with more PS2’s.
As a big gamer in my spare time, it’s hard to think that after almost 13 years, the most successful video game console of all time is being discontinued. If you’re a gamer, or even just played a few games on some rare occasion, there’s a very good chance you’ve done it on a PlayStation 2. The console has sold over 155 million units as of last year, and continued to outsell even Sony’s latest handheld system — although to be fair, outselling the Vita isn’t such a tough thing to do.
It’s safe to say that that number of 155 million consoles will go unbeaten for many years to come, possibly even forever. The closest console in terms of success is the Wii, and it still sits at below a 100 million and has only lost steam as of late.
So for those of you who’ve spent time wreaking havoc in Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, or explored fantastic new words in Final Fantasy X, pour one out for our good old friend, the PlayStation 2.


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The smart homes and buildings market segment is ready for take-off. “We are currently at the very beginning of the smart homes and buildings adoption curve,” asserts Dr. Eric Mounier, senior technology & market analyst, Yole Dveloppement (Yole). As part of the famous global IoT world, this sector is showing a lot of promise, with impressive market figures.”
Sensors and related modules are critical elements for the development of smart homes and buildings for better energy management and safety, as they will collect data. Yole has identified three main areas that sensors will contribute to: comfort, energy control and security.
According to Yole’s estimations, the sensor market for smart homes and buildings will be worth $1.73 billion by 2022. In parallel, sensor diffusion will allow the sale of subscriptions and services, forecast to be a $11 billion market in 2022.
Sensor innovation for smart home applications will also contribute to the growth of voice-activated personal assistants. For example, in 2016, Amazon had already shipped 4 million Alexa systems, including 1 million just in December 2016.
Although the smart homes and buildings sector looks very promising because of our society’s development, Yoles MEMS & Sensors team has identified market and technical barriers. A new technology and market report, entitled “Sensors and Sensor Modules for Smart Homes & Buildings” and produced by Yoles MEMS & Sensors team, is available details connected home and buildings and office applications. Yole’s investigation was developed at the sensor and sensor module level, and offered a deep understanding of the value chain, infrastructure and players.
“The home and buildings market has a very complex and fragmented supply chain, from suppliers of raw materials like concrete, to software and IT companies like IBM and Cisco that are entering the game,” said Yole’s Dr. Mounier. “Competition is particularly tough between BMS players and GAFAM.”
Building control manufacturers are traditional candidates for the adoption of sensors for smart buildings. On the other side, GAFAM and IT players bring intelligence throughout the supply chain by offering to connect software and solutions. These companies are entering the race for AI to analyse the huge amounts of data that will come from smart homes and buildings. These players are well-positioned to extract value from the data and provide new services to end customers. By selling their product to consumers via the internet, these players bypass traditional building channels.
Nevertheless, other companies in the supply chain will play a role as well. Although they are far from the electronics, suppliers of raw materials have started thinking about how to add intelligence to construction materials to create extra functionalities. Yole’s analysts have listed energy providers (who are becoming more and more aware of home electricity, water and gas consumption), internet service providers and telecoms firms with their entry points in homes.


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Ray Kurzweil, Google Exec & Futurist!
Watch the GTS featured speaker Ray Kurzweil, American author, inventor, futurist and director of engineering at Google who is described as "the restless genius" by the Wall Street Journal and "the ultimate thinking machine" by Forbes. What insights did he share with the GTS audience? Find out now by watching the event's last power house speech. Click to Watch.
In WebVisions Today
Fri Games: No Man’s Sky Demo
Product introductions, keynote and event clips, tech trends and more. Content, content, everywhere content. You don’t have time to find the best video clips that follow the latest developments in the technology market to keep you up to date. WebVisions does and from the best sources. Click to Watch!
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FinTech GA 2016
The FinTech GA Symposium brings together innovative pacesetters in FinTech for profound, content-rich dialogue and networking opportunities, while showcasing senior-level speakers that generate rich, ground-breaking discussions. The symposium will also feature the annual FinTech Lifetime Achievement Award, Click to watch.
In TAG Radio: Tech Talk
Michael Britt, Southern Company Energy Innovation Center VP & Host Globalspeak President Frank Baia
Premiering each Tuesday and Friday afternoon, TAG President Tino Mantella interviews Atlanta's top executives each week for the Tech Talk show. So, who’s who and what’s hot in Atlanta’s technology community? Listen to interviews with local technology CEOs, presidents, CIOs, CTOs and more in the know. Click to listen.
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2016 Georgia Technology Summit
See the summit’s “Fire Side Chat” with Arthur Blank, featured speakers Cameron Clayton of the Weather Company, the Navy’s Vice Admiral Ted “Twig” Branch, and visionary technologist Kevin Ashton as well as the state’s Top 10 Innovative Technology Companies and the 2015 Technology Hall of Fame of Georgia inductee, Jim Kennedy, Cox Enterprises Chairman. Click to Watch!
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The TAG Excalibur Awards, hosted in collaboration with the TAG Business & Technology Alliance society, recognize the tech-enabled companies and organizations throughout Georgia that demonstrate the best use of technology to solve complex business problems. Click to learn who were finalists and winners.
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Sales Leadership Event
A keynote on How to Build an A+ Sales Team from Strategy to Execution was delivered by speaker Steve Richard, Co-Founder of VorsightBP, following introductory remarks. Then, a panel of highly accomplished executive sales and sales operations decisions makers discussed challenges and best practices. Click to Watch!.
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Business Launch Finalists
The TAG Business Launch Competition Finals will be held Monday, May 11th, 2015 4:00-8:00pm, at SCADShow. As a partnership event of the Metro Atlanta Chamber and Venture Atlanta, the 8 finalists compete for $50,000 in cash to the winner and $350,000 in legal, marketing, accounting and other professional services to the top 4 startups. Click to attend the event. Click to see the finalist videos.
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In an “Accelerating Breakthrough Business Technologies” presentation, technology futurist Jack Shaw presents the new breakthrough business technologies and which Atlanta companies are currently showing the potential to become the technology leaders and industry giants of tomorrow through such technologies as ZipCar, Bit Coin and much more. Click to watch the event.
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Labs have spent years trying to recreate the complexity of eggs, scoop by powdery scoop. Little did they know their answer was in a can of chickpeas. The post The Mysteries of Chickpea Water, a Magical Substitute for Eggs (No, Really) appeared first on WIRED.
Tesla faces a huge challenge when it starts making the Model 3, but Musk and Company are on the right track so far. The post Tesla Just Made Its Huge Model 3 Challenge Even Huger appeared first on WIRED.
Researchers at Rice University have found a new method for assembling carbon nanotubes into wires using high electric fields produced by a Tesla coil. The post Whoa: A Tesla Coil Can Zap Nanotubes Into Long Nanowires appeared first on WIRED.
(Reuters) - New York state's financial regulator is close to approving licenses for bitcoin companies Coinbase Inc and Ripple Labs Inc, which would allow them to offer digital currency services in the state, a person familiar with the matter said on Thursday.
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A cellphone expert overrode the lock function on an Apple iPhone to help Los Angeles police in a homicide investigation around the time U.S. authorities were battling the company to open other phones in criminal cases, court records showed on Thursday.
(Reuters) - Apple Inc is taking another step into the corporate computing world by partnering with SAP to develop apps that run the German company's widely used business software on smartphones and tablets, the two companies said on Thursday.
(Reuters) - Alphabet Inc's Google and climate control systems maker Honeywell International Inc have reached an agreement to resolve patents disputes related to Alphabet's Nest Labs, a maker of Internet-connected thermostats.
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Even if a jury orders Alphabet Inc's Google to pay the full $8.8 billion sought by Oracle Corp in an upcoming San Francisco copyright trial over the Android operating system, shareholders and analysts say it will likely have little impact on the search giant's...
Apple has released a new version of its Xcode development tool in order to patch two critical vulnerabilities in the Git source code management client.The Git vulnerabilities, CVE‑2016‑2324 and CVE‑2016‑2315, have been known since mid-March and can be exploited when cloning a repository with a specially crafted file structure. This...
The producer-consumer pattern is one of the most widely used patterns in parallel programming. It's typically used to isolate work that needs to be processed from the actual processing of the work. When using this pattern, you would typically have two distinct threads: one that produces and queues the tasks...
The creator of Kel, a devops-focused PaaS for Web applications has released an open source edition of its platform.Kel is based on the container-cluster management system Kubernetes and was originally made to run Gondor, a managed host for Python and Django apps. Eldarion, the company behind Gondor, hopes Kel will appeal to...
The powerful 20000mAh PowerCore 20100 from Anker weighs just 12.5 oz, but fully charges most phones and tablets to 100% several times over without needing to be recharged. It charges the iPhone 6s seven times, the Galaxy S6 five times or the iPad mini 4 twice. Industry leading output of...
The Internet of things is growing so fast, it's an obvious place to look for career growth.IoT is already a reality at 29 percent of enterprises, according to a Gartner survey taken late last year. Fourteen percent said they would implement it this year, and 64 percent said they plan...
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On Saturday, Jan. 31, Isuzu Motors America stops delivering new vehicles to dealerships in North America.
Dealers still have about 500 light trucks to clear off their lots, so new Isuzus will be available for a few more weeks. Isuzu spokesman Chip Letzgus said. He said 230 dealers have signed up to provide Isuzu parts, service and warranty work.
Isuzu's commercial-truck business, a separate operation, continues.
Isuzu has been on North American roads since 1971 when General Motors imported a small pickup and sold it as the Chevrolet LUV. In 1981, Isuzu began selling vehicles under its own name. Last month Isuzu sold 188 vehicles in the United States, down from 492 sold in December 2007.


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MYER and David Jones are ramping up customer service this Christmas in a bid to turn around their dire sales, with each staff member required to "sell more to each customer".
Both department stores have introduced intensive training for floor staff, as the big retailers say the Boxing Day sales are back with a vengeance.
Last year, the Boxing Day sale was a fizzer after aggressive all-year discounting by both DJs and Myer.
They say they won't make that mistake again.
"Last year, every day there was a sale, it was too much," said Myer chief executive Bernie Brookes.
"We still spend $300 million a year marking products down but we are saving a lot of it for the stocktake sale, which will be big this year. We need to step up the discount and the aggressive nature of the stocktake sale and that's exactly what we're doing."
DJs boss Paul Zahra said the store was having "fewer but better" promotions compared with last December to ensure the Boxing Day clearance was "distinct".
Mr Brookes said his staff were rewarded for meeting hourly sales targets, which require a bra fitter to sell about $200 worth of goods, someone at the Chanel counter to sell about $800 worth of cosmetics and a television salesman to sell thousands of dollars worth of stock, every hour.
"This reward and recognition is lifting the level of service in a big way," he said.
David Jones also acknowledged improving customer service was crucial to compete with online shopping.
"Since last Christmas, I've learnt there are fewer people in each store and we have to connect with them better and sell more to each customer," said Mr Zahra.
"Each customer that shops with us has to have an amazing experience."
Myer and DJs both admit they got their pricing wrong last Christmas, prompting them to ensure they offer and promote gifts for a range of budgets this year.
Mr Zahra believes bringing the traditionally higher end retailer to the masses is the way to win more sales while his rival believes such tactics diminish the department store brand.
"Last year, we were told we would have a champagne Christmas and clearly that isn't what happened," Mr Zahra said.
"We knew for this year we needed to focus more on price, which is why we have really clear pricing so people can see we have good value items. There are fun gifts for as little as $12.95 you would expect to see that in a discount department store like a Big W or a Target.
"The challenge for us is that people can sometimes trade down when times are tough so we are trying to say 'look we have something for everybody' so they still come and shop with us."
Mr Brookes said that strategy showed DJs' was suffering as high-income customers limited their spending, and said he'd never take Myer into "discount store" territory.
"The Myer brand is so important that we would only sell quality products rather than some of the junk you get in discount department stores," Mr Brookes said.
"I think it's a flawed strategy to pursue cheap entry price points in a department store."
Both retailers have one wish for Santa: to get customers spending again.
"This year, because it has been such a tough year, will really demonstrate whether the consumer is not going to shop again for the next 12 months," Mr Brookes said.


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Streaming internet radio service, Pandora, last week announced it would be putting the brakes on its mobile streaming by limiting the service to 40 hours of streaming tunes per month. That sucks, but the good news is that it won’t suck if you live in Australia or New Zealand. It doesn’t count here!
Pandora reached out after the news last week to clarify that the 40-hour streaming limit for Pandora Mobile doesn’t apply to users in Australia and New Zealand.
It only applies to US users because of higher per-track royalty costs that need to be paid by Pandora.
Stream via mobile all day on mute just to celebrate being an Australian.


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Sandwell District has called it quits. The techno record label / collective from the likes of Regis, Function, Silent Servent and Female has apparently decided to go into a new direction and possibly cease to release music all together. Beatportal and FACT have also recently reported on the matter.
On December 30th, 2011 Sandwell District first posted on their Tumblr account there would be a new Sandwell District release from Rrose out soon. The same day they also posted the following message (below) which stats that “regular audio communications from Sandwell District will cease.” Which sounds about as mysterious as their regular audio communications… Sounds to me like they are taking a break to see WhereNext? Maybe they’ll release something here or there or book some live events or some of the core members will part and something new will emerge. The label seemingly started to take a different path after the release of their full length album Feed Forward with a new (yet still mysteriously unknown) addition to the roster, Rrose. You could also sense the implosion of the collective from this recent Wire article. To top off on December 31th, 2011 they made a new Sandwell District mix tape available for free download.
R.I.P Sandwell District 2005-2011


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We love Google’s $35 Chromecast dongle and now we have a reason to like it just a little bit more. Google and Pandora officially revealed on Thursday that the latest version of Pandora supports streaming to Chromecast, which means you can view and control Pandora on your TV at all times. If you already own a Roku, an Apple TV or a Smart TV, this probably isn’t that groundbreaking, but it’s amazing to see developers finally start to build out support for Google’s affordable streaming gadget.
Today’s news is just the latest. In early October Hulu Plus started to offer support for the Chromecast, and that’s in addition to support already offered by Netflix, YouTube, Chrome and Google Play.
Chromecast still only has a few apps, though we hope the support spreads quickly. HBO Go is still glaringly absent, and we want to see game support and other options make its way to the dongle in the near future.


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Top-rated software developer Playson has announced a new partnership with Sesame, a gaming group based in Bulgaria. The supplier will be providing content to a new online casino launched by Sesame. The deal helps to strengthen the developer’s position in Bulgaria with its games to be featured prominently in the online space.
Quality Games Provided:
The new online casino will be set to offer an assortment of games from Playson. Each title has its own unique theme and quality features. Games that players can expect to see include Timeless Fruit Slots as well as Solar Queen, and Pearl Beauty: Hold and Win.
Sesame will also get a boost via the integration-free engagement tools provided by Playson. These tools have a proven track record of increasing player retention among operators that use them.
Playson Sales Director, Blanka Homor, commented on the new partnership by its new partner: “Sesame is a well-respected operator in Bulgaria with highly promising commercial prospects, so we are delighted to have signed this agreement to launch our games with its new online casino.
“With an immersive range of in-game mechanics, inviting themes, and engagement tools, our portfolio will undoubtedly be a hit with its players.”
Building the Brand Worldwide:
Playson has been busy this year increasing its presence around the world. Earlier this month, the brand announced more services in the UK thanks to a content deal signed with STech Technology. The new deal will see SpaceCasino utilizing the quality games of the software developer including new titles coming later on this month.
SpaceCasino will also have access to integration-free tools including regular tournaments, extra spins and Seamless Play.


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The company had posted a profit of Rs 124.29 crore in the October-December period a year ago, JK Cement said in a regulatory filing.
Domestic consumer growth, excluding the impact of merger of GSK CH and acquisition of VWash, grew by 7 per cent during the quarter.
Axis Bank had posted a net profit of Rs 1,757 crore in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal.
The incumbent government has also opened as many as 182 new bars, taking the total number of bars in the state to 619, after the previous UDF government had shuttered 748 bars.
TCS Q3 net profit rises 7.2 per cent to Rs 8,701 crore; logs strongest third-quarter growth in 9 years
The CEO added that the company is entering the new year on an 'optimistic note' and its market position stronger than ever before.
Aggregate operating profit margins improved by over 1 per cent despite a rise in raw material cost during the quarter, it said.
The direction comes after SEBI received complaint against Profit Mount and Right Target, alleging that these are unregistered entities.
Meanwhile, the company’s production for the quarter increased to 114.98 million tonnes (MT) from 103.99 MT in the corresponding quarter of the previous year.
The auto major along with one unit -- Mahindra Vehicle Manufacturers Ltd (MVML) -- had reported a PAT of Rs 1,355 crore during the July-September period last fiscal.
Kyoto-based Nintendo Co's profit for the six months through September soared to 213 billion yen (USD 2 billion), up from 62 billion yen a year ago.
The company has significantly reduced its net debt-by Rs 2,709 crore in the first six months of FY21, which is a 40 percent reduction from net debt reported in March 2020.
Total income on a consolidated basis rose to Rs 34,090.45 crore in the said quarter from Rs 32,850.89 crore a year ago.
IOC Chairman Shrikant Vaidya said the fuel demand, which had nearly halved following the coronavirus lockdown, is fast returning to normal.
In terms of industry segments, communications accounted for 39.3 per cent of the company’s total revenues and reported a de-growth of 5.8 per cent y-o-y.
Asset quality improved with gross non-performing assets falling sequentially to 2.84 per cent in Q2FY21, while net NPA declined to 0.99 per cent.


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Ford CEO Alan Mulally uses his keynote address at the Consumer Electronics Show to laud connectivity in the auto industry.
Sync is the in-car communications and entertainment system created by the two companies. According to Mulally, there are nearly 1 million Ford cars on the road with Sync.
Smosh tells CNET what it took to make it big online
Internet sensations Ian Hecox and Anthony Padilla discuss how YouTube has changed and why among all their goals, "real TV" isn't an ambition.


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The 2010 Annual Conference of the American Dairy Products Institute and The American Butter Institute is a month away and registrations are being received at a brisk rate.
The 2010 Annual Conference of the American Dairy Products Institute and The American Butter Institute is a month away and registrations are being received at a brisk rate. Record attendance is projected for this year’s conference which will be held April 25–27 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago.
The conference will feature two full days of outstanding speakers and informative programs on current industry topics. There will also be abundant opportunities to network with over 750 senior level executives from manufacturers, marketers, suppliers, distributors and brokers of manufactured dairy products. Other registered attendees will include industry analysts, journalists, key government officials and trade exhibitors.
Information about the 2010 Conference is available at the official conference Web site,www.adpi.org, which includes online registration and exhibitor registration forms.
Additional details may also be obtained by contacting the American Dairy Products Institute at 630/530-8700 or email@example.com. The current agenda is available online.
The first full day of the program, Monday, April 26, will kick off with a panel of leading industry economists discussing the dairy market outlook for 2010 as the industry gradually recovers from one of the most difficult periods in recent times. Topics to be covered include raw milk production forecasts, feed costs, dairy commodity price trends, projected U.S. export levels and global market developments. The distinguished panel will be moderated by Mary Ledman of Keough Ledman & Associates and will feature a cross-section of industry expertise including senior economists from Kraft Foods, Fonterra, Rabobank and Blimling Associates.
ADPI will then welcome keynote speaker, Ed Wallace, founder of the Relational Capital Group and author of the recently published book, “Business Relationships Built to Last.” The importance of business relationships is widely acknowledged, but few companies or managers systematically focus on how successful professional relationships are established and cultivated.
Wallace will share his proven program for building long-term business and personal relationships, drawing upon real-life stories, insights and examples from a successful career as the top sales producer and VP of business development for a firm that grew revenue from $1 million to over $120 million. Wallace will explain his five tangible steps for transforming ordinary business contacts into high performing relationships based on integrity, establishing common ground and understanding a client’s goals, passions and struggles.
At Monday’s Recognition Luncheon, the winners of ADPI’s Award of Merit and the Jim Page Memorial Scholarship will be announced. In his presentation, “Food Economics and Consumer Choice: Technology’s Role in the 21st Century,” luncheon speaker Brian Rittgers, director of the Dairy Business Unit at Elanco Animal Health, will explore how agri-business can respond to future worldwide food demand which is expected to double by the year 2050.
Various ADPI committees will meet on Monday afternoon, while ABI presents the butter industry session entitled “Servicing the Market for Butterfat,” to be moderated by Tom Suber, president of the U.S. Dairy Export Council. A late-afternoon social hour will be held in the exhibit hall, followed by the industry reception in the evening.
Tuesday, April 26, begins with the Dairy Marketing Breakfast featuring Lisa Bradner, VP and principal analyst at Forrester Research, who will discuss the transformative effect of social media (i.e., Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Linked-In, blogs and podcasts, also known as the “Web 2.0”) on brand position, corporate image and business marketing strategies. Donna Berry, president of Dairy & Food Communications Inc. and product development editor ofDairy Foods, will review recent launches of innovative new dairy products.
Tuesday’s general session begins with an address by Harish Damodaran, an agri-business journalist for the Hindu Business Line and an expert observer of India's dairy industry. Damodaran will share his research and insights into India's dairy industry, the largest milk producer in the world, where domestic supply trends may soon encounter challenges in meeting the steadily growing demand for dairy products.
James Monahan, USDA’s deputy administrator for commodity operations, is scheduled to follow with an update on the handling and disposition of surplus dairy commodity products by the CCC. Other topics slated for Tuesday morning include a report on recent regulatory and legislative developments in Washington, D.C., and a discussion of international trends in whey and dairy ingredients.
Following Tuesday’s industry luncheon, the initial plans for the 2011 International Whey Conference will be previewed. The conference will conclude in the evening with the Customer Appreciation Reception, a well-attended event where award winning cheeses will be served.
Various social activities will also be held during the course conference, including a golf outing at Ruffled Feathers in Lemont, Ill., on Sunday, April 25, a spouse/guest tour of Chicago’s famed Merchandise Mart and a gourmet cooking class at The Chopping Block, one of the city’s most experiential and creative private venues.
ADPI is the national association for manufactured dairy products. ADPI’s main purpose is to promote the acceptance and use of processed dairy products, both nationally and internationally, by communicating the many positive health and nutritional attributes of milk-derived products. For more information, visitwww.adpi.org.


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NAFDAC Destroys Illicit Drugs Worth N200m In Cross River
The Director General of The National Agency for Food Drug and Administration Control (NAFDAC), says the fight against illicit drugs is a responsibility of all Nigerians and he is calling on the general public to avail the agency with information as regards this menace.
The D.G. who was represented by the Director, Investigation and Enforcement NAFDAC Madonna Garba was speaking at the south-south regional destruction exercise of illicit products worth over N200 million in Calabar, the Cross River state capital.
Setting the pharmaceutical items ablaze, the D.G. emphasized that the commission is ready more than ever before to restore sanity to the health sector and maintain a zero tolerance to counterfeit drugs in Nigeria.
He says the products being destroyed are substandard and counterfeit medicines, food and other regulated products seized by various establishments in the south-south region.
He says the commission’s efforts are yielding tremendous results because there is a significant drop in the percentage of fake and counterfeit medicines in circulation.
The Director, Pharmaceutical services in Cross River state, Edem Ita-Edem says the exercise is part of activities by the medical sector to cleanse facilities in the hospitals, pharmacies, free from hazardous substances which can be harmful to consumers.
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EUREKA (KIEM) – The winter weather is rapidly approaching. Starting next week, low cost firewood vouchers will be sold over the Humboldt Senior Resource Center.
Anyone over the age of fifty-five or living with low to moderate income is eligible. The vouchers range between $100 to $150 dollars, depending on the household size and income.
Last year, Humboldt Senior Resource Center sold over 800 cords firewood. This year, the organization says they’re on track to selling at least 1000.
Manager of Nutrition and Activities Natasha Romo says, this program is necessary for the older folks who rely on firewood as a source of heat.
Vouchers will be available at the Humboldt Senior Resource Center at 1910 Washington Street until they are sold out.


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Thirty-three criminals ranging from age 20 to 46 with nicknames like “Scrap,” “Moron” and “Yardy” were part of an organized group busted for swiping more than 60 high-end motorcycles valued at a half-a-million dollars off New York streets, police said.
Officers using wiretaps discovered “steal teams” would use stolen mini-vans with the backseats ripped out to snatch specific makes and models of motorcycles from wealthy neighborhoods — sometimes in just 30 seconds, according to police. Other gang members would serve as retailers who would sell the bikes locally and internationally across the Caribbean, according to authorities.
On average, each motorcycle was valued at about $7,000 but was sold for $2,000 a piece, according to police, who announced the bust last July. In an embarrassing twist, one month after the arrests, seven of the bikes were stolen from an NYPD lot where they were being stored. Weeks later, two men from the Bronx were arrested for stealing the bikes, according to the NYPD.


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Call it cheeky, sentimental or delusional, but Paul Jacobs’s idea of making an offer for Qualcomm, the company he chaired until this month, is certainly daring. The chip maker only just wiggled out from under a takeover offer from rival Broadcom. What Qualcomm really needs is less a buyer and more a mediator.
There are usually two reasons to take a company private — the idea that the new owner can run it better, or a belief that the market is valuing it wrongly. Broadcom took the first path, and pointed at Qualcomm’s paltry revenue growth and relatively low operating margins. Mr. Jacobs, whose father co-founded the company, is not the man to tackle those problems — if he were, he would have done it when he was executive chairman.
Valuation is a more compelling argument. It hinges on Qualcomm’s rift with Apple. The iPhone maker is supposed to pay Qualcomm royalties on every phone sold, but has instructed its suppliers to hold back payment while it haggles with the chip maker on how those should be calculated.
A simple calculation shows how important this is: At $10 per phone on 250 million devices per year, Qualcomm would make $2.5 billion in revenue a year, almost all of which would flow to the bottom line. That’s equivalent to a lump-sum value of perhaps $17 billion, assuming a tax rate of 21 percent and margins of 85 percent. If investors aren’t pricing in any Apple royalty at all right now, that’s enough to justify a price close to the $117 billion Broadcom offered.
Mr. Jacobs, however, is not the right person to mend the rift with Apple. One person who could, in theory, is SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son. The Japanese investor has a longstanding relationship with Apple — and counts both Apple and Qualcomm as investors in his Vision Fund, which is also one of the financial companies Mr. Jacobs reportedly has been asking to finance a bid. Conceivably, he could help them split the difference.
Would SoftBank’s founder be up for the gig? Qualcomm, as a leader in 5G, is a trophy asset, and having Mr. Jacobs on board might neutralize some of the fear of foreign ownership that destroyed Broadcom’s bid. But Qualcomm is also politically sensitive, a supplier to SoftBank already — and very big. Even with help, Qualcomm is probably too big a bite for SoftBank to chew. Mr. Jacobs, and Mr. Son for that matter, can use their daring to better effect elsewhere.


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Retailers often bank on new in-store features being transformative, only to be met with consumer resistance. So, what makes a shopper receptive to a retail innovation?
A new study from GPShopper found differing attitudes among US internet users when it asked about two forms of emerging retail technology: facial recognition and “scan-and-go” initiatives. Regarding facial recognition technology, 45% of respondents had privacy concerns. But more importantly, 49% simply don’t believe the technology will improve their shopping experience.
In contrast, nearly half of respondents said scan-and-go technology, which allows shoppers to use a retailer-provided device or mobile app to scan items and pay by smartphone, would make shopping easier. Consumers showed the most interest for using this tech at grocery stores (50%), followed by retailers specializing in home goods (30%), apparel (27%) and beauty (25%).
Scan-and-go technology has been introduced by department stores like Macy’s and supermarkets like Kroger, which jibes with consumer preferences. Walmart, however, shelved its trial in May, citing low consumer adoption.
Nearly six in 10 US internet users surveyed by GPShopper were either neutral or wouldn’t be deterred by a cashless store, which would indicate there were issues with Walmart's offering beyond having to use mobile payments. It’s possible that shoppers weren’t comfortable with this tech yet or preferred human interaction with a cashier, but it also could be that it wasn’t seamless enough to save much time. Users still had to show a staff member that they had actually paid before leaving the store.
In a December 2017 iVend Retail survey about emerging retail tech, internet users worldwide were most interested in automatic payments using a digital shopping cart (32.9%), which would serve a similar purpose as scan and go and take less effort on the shopper's part. Biometric ID and payment ranked third (19.8%) despite respondents in the GPShopper survey not perceiving the usefulness of facial recognition.
Perhaps when the functionality is more explicit—the ability to pay by face (or fingerprint or voice)—shoppers will see the benefit. Whether or not an emerging tech application is useful in a meaningful way is at the core of consumer acceptance.
11 Times SquareNew York, NY 100361-800-405-0844


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So today, Jaguar announced the plan to finally build the six remaining ‘lost’ Lightweight E Type Jaguars. Twelve cars were built from a scheduled run of eighteen cars. The final six chassis numbers have remained unused since 1963 so for a breif moment in time, there’s a brand new Jaguar Lightweight E Type for sale
Unlike many special production cars like this, the Lightweights will actually be built in-house at Jaguar and not commissioned to a third party specialist. All six will be perfect reproductions of the original 12 cars with the first car being unveiled in mid-June. The new cars will be hand-built in-house by Jaguar’s finest craftsmen. Each car will be constructed to the exact specifications of their original 1960s forebears – including the 3.8-litre straight-six engine.
Back in 1963, the Lightweight carried approximately 114kg (250lb) less weight than a standard E-type, thanks to its all-aluminium body and engine block, a lack of interior trim and exterior chrome work and a host of further weight-saving features including lightweight, hand-operated side windows.
With just six cars to be built, Jaguar can chose who will be offered the chance to own one. It’s good to hear that eEstablished Jaguar collectors, especially those with historic race car interests, will be prioritised amongst those potential customers who express interest.
These six new-borns deserve to be educated about their family history by being driven hard across the iconic venues that the original cars were used for. Let’s hope that we see them breaking ground soon and not being used as investment chips on a portfolio, but collecting bugs, brake dust and flies across Europe.
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Goods from Cambodia, Djibouti, Senegal could face tariff increases as they lose preferential access to some markets
(Geneva) – Products exported from Cambodia, Djibouti and Senegal are set to face tariff changes in the next few years, as the countries ‘graduate’ from least developed country status, a sign of their economies stabilizing and growing.
Least developed countries are low-income countries that face significant obstacles to sustainable development. These countries receive special support measures, such as preferential market access, special treatment under World Trade Organization rules, technical assistance and capacity building. As these countries grow and develop, they move out of this category and stop receiving these support measures, a process known as ‘graduation’.
The Committee for Development Policy – a body of the United Nations’ Economic and Social Council – reviews the list of least developed countries every three years to determine which meet the graduation criteria. If countries meet graduation criteria twice in a row – as is the case for Cambodia, Djibouti and Senegal, following their second review in March 2024 – they become eligible for graduation.
Exploring the impact of ‘graduation’
Graduation can open up new opportunities for least developed countries, but it also requires countries to adapt to not having special support measures, in particular preferential market access conditions, and to understand the new conditions faced by exports.
Now countries will have to gauge what part of their exports would be affected by graduation, and how.
The latest edition of the International Trade Centre’s Trade Briefs – monthly insights into trending topics in the world of global trade, featuring trade data and analysis – looks at which sectors and markets will be affected by tariff changes, as a result of a country’s graduation from least developed country status.
- About a quarter (26%) of Cambodia’s exports could become more expensive in the EU and Canada, as the country graduates from its least developed country status in a few years.
- Cambodia’s apparel and textiles, leather products and vehicles will be among those sectors most affected, as the tariffs that will be charged on these products will increase in some markets.
- Nearly half (46%) of Djibouti’s exports could become more expensive in China and India, as the country graduates from its least developed country status in a few years.
- Djibouti’s chemicals, vegetal products and textiles will be among those sectors most affected, as the tariffs that will be charged on these products will increase in some markets.
- More than a quarter (28%) of Senegal’s exports could become more expensive in India, the EU and China, as the country graduates from its least developed country status in a few years.
- Senegal’s chemicals, seafood and vegetal products will be among those sectors most affected, as the tariffs that will be charged on these products will increase in some markets.
For more information, check out the Trade Briefs on least developed country graduation.
The statistics in this press release are part of ITC's year-long #60Stats campaign, spotlighting timely trade-related data to celebrate its 60th anniversary.
Notes to the Editor
About the International Trade Centre - The International Trade Centre is the joint agency of the World Trade Organization and the United Nations. ITC assists small and medium-sized enterprises in developing and transition economies to become more competitive in global markets, thereby contributing to sustainable economic development within the frameworks of the Aid-for-Trade agenda and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
For more information, visit www.intracen.org.
Senior Strategic Communications Officer
International Trade Centre
E: pak [at] intracen.org
T: +41 22 730 0651


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The two expressed their satisfaction at the progress that had been made to strengthen the bilateral relations over the past few years and recognised the role of the Joint Bilateral Commission in providing a strategic platform for focusing efforts to bring about closer collaboration on issues of mutual interest, including expanding trade and investments in Africa, reform of the multilateral institutions and peaceful resolution of all conflict and in the Middle East in particular.
Zuma and Mubarak took special note of the progress reported by their Foreign Ministers following the 8th Session of the Joint Bilateral Commission, held in South Africa in March 2010.
South Africa also shares with Egypt the desire to see the eradication of poverty, promotion of sustainable development as well as the attainment of peace and stability within the African continent.
President Zuma and his counterpart further discussed issues affecting the continent such as development, conflict, disease as well as issues of global concern such as climate change and international trade.
A successful South Africa/Egypt Business Forum was held on the margins of the visit, where Egypt has asked support from the South African government to help in their efforts to form a proposed African free trade area.
In terms of the free trade area they would combine the regional trading markets of all five African regions to form a common market economic from Cape to Cairo.
On the issue of establishing a tripartite free trade area becoming a reality, Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) has said this would draw in three of the key trade blocs on the continent the [Southern African Development Community or SADC, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the East African Community (EAC).
“The economic impact of this free trade agreement could be enormous, creating opportunities for the whole continent. We urge that our two countries facilitate the implementation of the already signed agreements, because implementation of existing trade agreements within the regional blocs is a precondition for effectiveness the tripartite free trade agreement,” said President Futhi Mtoba in a statement.
Busa further agreed it was economically imperative that the continent’s two strongest economies cement bilateral trade and investment ties. - BuaNews


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One,Two Tree! is a design exhibition taking place at Artipelag, beautifully situated in the Stockholm archipelago.
Swedish designers have traditionally been inspired by nature and used wood as an important material in their work. The popularity of wood has been up and down over time – culminating in the hysterical 1970s pine mania, when most kitchen tables was made of a thick solid wood top by untreated pine. But eventually the interest faded away. However, with a rising ecological and environmental awareness, the woods have become accepted again and designers – not just in Sweden – have taken wood to new heights. This interest is on display on nearly 13,000 square feet in this summer’s large design exhibition at Artipelag.
The exhibition is curated by journalist Staffan Bengtsson. It ends on August 21st.
In connection with the inauguration of the exhibition One, Two, Tree! Artipelag launched their new design award, with designer Gustav Persson as winner. The photo shows Queen Silvia who took the opportunity to congratulate the winner.


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LAS VEGAS – As part of its ongoing effort to gage the resonance of Internet networked home products and solutions with consumers, the Internet Home Alliance (IHA) announced here that it has launched its fourth pilot program in 100 homes in Detroit.
The pilot, called OnStar at Home, features a collaboration between five IHA companies: Panasonic, Invensys, General Motors, OnStar, ADT Security Services and the latest member to the IHA fold, Hewlett Packard. It will run for four months starting in February and will focus around home security and home control in homes already using broadband Internet access and ADT security.
Each of the 100 test houses will be networked using products from the above companies (such as a Panasonic’s Web-cam) to allow the pilot consumers to access various functions in their home, like heating, security systems, lighting and door locks, remotely on a variety of Internet-enabled devices.
Users, for instance, can have a “smart doorbell” that follows them wherever they go. When a guest, invited or otherwise, presses the doorbell an alert can be sent to a cell phone or e-mail address. Another application is remote access to lighting so that exterior and interior lights can be turned on prior to arriving at home.
“What we’re aiming for with all our pilots is to determine just what Internet solutions are going to resonate with a broad base of customers, not the techo-elite early adopter crowd,” said Bill Kenney, chairman of the IHA and vice president, emerging home solutions, Sears Roebuck Co.
“These programs are a sneak peak at what might be hitting the market in two or three years,” Kenney said.
According to Alliance members, no definitive decision has been made on how these products and services will eventually be brought to market, if at all. Kenney noted that some combination of homebuilders, custom installers and some retail presence is likely if the pilot proves successful.