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Xbox One's E3 2018 press conference kicks off today at 9pm UK time.
The company will also showcase its new releases at the Microsoft Theatre, which will be open to E3 badge holders on June 12 and June 13.
And the rumours are coming thick and fast, with recent reports suggesting that a new Fallout game could be revealed.
It's been ten years since the release of Fallout 3, which has led to rumours of a remastered edition launching later this year.
Fallout 3 Anniversary Edition has been tipped to be revealed during one of this year's conferences.
It's possible we'll see something during the Microsoft E3 conference, or potentially Tuesday's Nintendo Direct.
Other E3 rumours suggest that Fable 4 will be revealed during this year's E3.
Former Lionhead developer Don Williamson recently suggested that Fable 4 is in development.
"Mmm ok, having no inside information, I totally know who's building Fable 4 now. Interesting choice..."
Asked by WCCFTech if the studio is based in Brighton, he added: "There's nobody here in Brighton that could take on a task of that magnitude."
Williamson would then play down the tweets, telling followers that he is currently only speculating.
"Deleted previous tweet because people seem to think I have some knowledge of something that may or may not be happening whereas all I have is speculation."
It's been speculated that Playground Studios is working on the game, especially given a recent job advert that referenced a triple-A action-RPG.
Xbox One store E3 2018
Three new Gears of war releases could also make an appearance.
Gears of War 5 is almost certain to be revealed, although there are rumours that two additional Gears of War games will be announced.
It's unclear what form the other two games will take, but a battle royale spinoff seems like an obvious choice.
As Forbes points out, Microsoft could make a real-time strategy spinoff in the same vein as Halo Wars.
Watch the stream above to find out more.


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GrainCorp teams with US marketer
GrainCorp has announced that it has entered into a strategic marketing alliance with the largest cooperative grain marketer in the United States, CHS Inc. in order to reach new markets.
The new marketing alliance will focus on the bulk export of durum from Australia and will commence immediately.
CHS Inc. is a leading global durum marketer, with strong linkages to millers and more than half a century of durum milling expertise. The GrainCorp – CHS Inc. alliance integrates the Australian durum industry into the global durum supply chain.
GrainCorp Managing Director Mark Irwin suggests the global reach of CHS will provide access to a range of new markets and is a strong signal to Australian durum growers that should encourage the growth of this niche, high value segment. “The marketing alliance with CHS Inc. is an important one for GrainCorp and the Australian durum industry,” he claimed. “GrainCorp brings the strength of our wheat desk, our upcountry grain accumulation and storage expertise, our road and rail logistics and port infrastructure to this alliance. CHS Inc. bring their expertise as a leading durum marketer and processor, and the strong relationships they have with the world’s leading durum processors.”
Mr Irwin added that the alliance is one of many that will crop up in the wake of the removal of the bulk wheat export monopoly. “This strategic alliance is the first of a range of new marketing alliances that will emerge as a consequence of the removal of the bulk wheat export monopoly. It demonstrates the growth potential for the Australian grain sector and the durum industry in particular,” he said. “For the first time in the history of the durum industry in Australia we will be able to leverage a strategic relationship with a truly global marketer, not just sell into a limited number of markets. It means that Australian durum will be on the menu for more millers and more consumers around the globe.”

domain: news


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Get your retro Pokémon fix with this Gameboy emulator for Apple Watch If you think you’re a die-hard Pokemon fan, you haven’t met Gabriel O’Flaherty Chan yet. O’Flaherty-Chan, a software developer, created a Game Boy Color... The Next Web 6 days ago - Internet
Super Mario Run to finally launch on Android starting March 23 Speculations that famed game Super Mario Run is coming to Android phones are set to end soon — it will be available in March. According to video game... BGR India 1 week ago - Technology Also reported by • Softpedia Aside from the fantastic new 'Zelda' game, these are the best games for Nintendo's new console Nintendo's new hybrid video game console, the Switch, is available now. You can buy one today — this minute! — if you can find one.
Alongside the new... Business Insider 1 week ago - Technology


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BEIJING -- China's State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) has listed on-line drug sales as a priority target this year and strengthening crackdowns on false advertising of drug products, according to the food and drug watchdog on Thursday.
An SFDA spokesman said the authority would enhance its supervision over large and influential Internet portal sites involved in the false advertising or mailing of fake drugs to customers.
The websites, most disguised under the names of certain hospitals or medical institutions, either sold counterfeit drugs or publicized illicit content. They included false, exaggerated or misleading information regarding cures to various ailments, the spokesman pointed out.
He said the authority would trace producers of counterfeit drugs via on-line illegal adverts as clues.
The Ministry of Industry and Information last month ordered relevant Internet access service providers to enhance their management to ensure these sites would not be reconnected to the web in future, according to the SFDA.
The administration also warned the public to be alert and avoid falling victim to similar websites.
Since July, China has run an advertising campaign against illegal drug ads to tighten its supervision. The State Administration for Industry and Commerce is responsible for punishing violators and the SFDA is in charge of approving drug ads.
The country shut down 23 websites found to be carrying illegal drug adverts in its latest inspection, according to the pharmaceutical authority.


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I brought up the iPhone Upgrade Program a couple of weeks ago, asking whether it is time for Apple to unveil a version for the Apple Watch. However, with the announcement of the new iPhone Edition/X imminent, it is time to focus on Apple’s true flagship, and its existing upgrade program. I think that this particular launch presents a unique opportunity for Apple to grow their iPhone Upgrade Program and foster an even closer relationship with their customer using the anticipation of this highly anticipated tenth anniversary version of the iPhone.
I came close to writing what would have been a “me too” article yesterday on the report by KGI covering Samsung’s dominance of the OLED display market and the resulting higher iPhone display prices. I even started typing before I ultimately decided to delete it. There’s nothing wrong with being one of many to report on the same news, and anytime KGI and/or Ming Chi-Quo have something to say, it is definitely notable Apple news.
The issue I had wasn’t with the “me too” part. It was with the natural assumption that the iPhone Edition’s price is Samsung’s “fault.” I even put that in my original headline at first, before backtracking and thinking about it. Then, after thinking a little more, I just backed away from the keyboard for the night. While it seemed natural to blame Samsung for the Edition’s price increase, based on what I believe about politics and economics, I don’t actually believe it’s true. And I STILL almost fell for buying into it.
Photo Source- 9to5Mac
Well, the new iPhone has to be called something, right? Late this week, the latest iPhone detail to leak was the naming scheme of the new devices. In a sea of iPhone news that hasn’t been all that surprising, word that the iPhone 8 and iPhone Plus would be the “typical” upgraded devices definitely was. The fact that the device we all expected to be the iPhone 8 could be called the iPhone Edition was an even bigger one.


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At the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show Hyundai will introduce the N sub-brand, based on the company's motorsports experiences. The design DNA will be previewed by the N 2025 Vision Gran Turismo.
Hyundai has given a glimpse of the forthcoming all-new Elantra, designed under the direction of Peter Schreyer.
The Hyundai Vision G Coupe Concept will serve as an inspiration for the company's family of future premium products.
The Hyundai Santa Cruz Concept has earned the prestigious title of Concept Truck of the Year at the 14th North American Concept Vehicle of the Year (NACVOTY) Awards at the Concours d’Elegance of America at St. John’s.
Hyundai has revealed the first information and sketches of the Creta, the compact SUV for the Asian market that derives from the ix25.
At the 11th Seoul Motor Show Hyundai has revealed a compact crossover concept inspired by off-road motorcycles and aimed at exploring a possible design direction.
Hyundai Motor Company will participate in the 2015 Milan Design Week, opening on April 13, with a new artwork that celebrates the relationship between movement in the natural and automotive worlds.
Hyundai Motor has unveiled the first hints about the design of the upcoming all-new Tucson, the compact SUV which will premiere at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show.
Hyundai has released the first official sketches that preview the new i20, the B-segment car developed at the company's Design Center Europe and inspired by the Fluidic Sculpture 2.0 design philosophy.
Hyundai has revealed an exterior and interior sketch that anticipate the look of the all-new Sonata, set to debut in the US at the 2014 New York Auto Show in April.
New design details on the Hyundai Intrado Concept, including a set of videos featuring interviews with Chief Design Officer Peter Schreyer and Colour & Trim Design Manager Tayo Osobu.
Set to debut at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show, the Hyundai Intrado Concept is a crossover that combines aircraft-inspired lightweight materials with a hydrogen fuel-cell powertrain and an evolution of the fluidic sculpture design philosophy.
At the upcoming 2014 Geneva Motor Show Turin-based IED will present the PassoCorto Concept, a compact two-seater sportscar developed in collaboration with the Hyundai Design Center Europe.
Hyundai has announced that at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show it will present the Intrado Concept, a show car that will showcase the Fluidic Sculpture 2.0 design language and some innovative technologies.
Hyundai has unveiled the first renderings of the new Genesis, the premium sedan that introduces the "Fluidic Sculpture 2.0" design language and that will be launched worldwide in 2014.
At the past Seoul Motor Show Hyundai has unveiled a group of futuristic concepts created by its global design studios and inspired by a sci-fi theme.
At the 2013 Shanghai Auto Show Hyundai has revealed the Mistra Concept, previewing a China-only mid-size sedan due to debut later this year.
At the 2013 Seoul Motor Show Hyundai has revealed the HND-9 Concept, a study of a premium sports coupe that illustrates the company’s future design direction.


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Beef Products Recalled for Possible E. Coli Contamination
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued a massive recall of about 24,428 pounds of raw beef products manufactured by Chino-based American Beef Packers, Inc. According to news reports, the USDA has deemed nearly 12 tons of raw meat “unfit for human consumption.” In order to be safe for human consumption under the law, all animal products must be inspected by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) for potential disease and contamination.
Details of the Recall
In this particular case, FSIS investigators found and retained a potentially contaminated sample for further analysis. The possibly contaminated carcass was previously released in error and further process into raw intact and non-intact beef products, which were then distributed, officials said. The potentially dangerous beef products were produced and packaged on Aug. 31, 2019, and bear the establishment number “EST. 34741” inside the USDA mark of inspection. The items were shipped to federal establishments in California and Oregon.
The affected beef products include several bulk-pack combo bins containing cuts of boneless beef, rib eye, sirloins and tenderloin. Food safety officials are worried that some of these products may still remain in shoppers’ refrigerators or freezers. If you’ve bought any of these meat products, do not consume them. Discard them or return them to the store where you purchased them right away. So far, there have been no reports of illnesses or deaths linked to these recalled beef products.
If You Have Been Sickened
If you believe you have become ill as a result of consuming these or other food products, be it at home, restaurant, cafeteria or anywhere else, it is important that you seek medical attention right away. Common food poisoning symptoms include diarrhea, stomach cramps, vomiting and nausea. In some cases, the diarrhea could be bloody. It is crucial that you contact your medical provider for prompt diagnosis and treatment. Some food-borne illnesses have the potential to result in long-term health impacts such as kidney failure.
Make sure you report your illness to the local health agency. Preserve the product that caused your illness so it can be examined at a lab for the presence of pathogens. If you ate something at a restaurant that caused your illness, preserve the itemized receipt. Contact an experienced California food poisoning lawyer who will help you secure maximum compensation for your damages and losses.


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Maxeon Solar Technologies has shut down a PV module manufacturing plant in France, citing a challenging price environment.
The facility was impacted by rising costs and taxes on raw material imports, according to a Maxeon spokesperson.
“The production price of the Porcelette plant no longer allows us to be competitive on the European market,” the spokesperson said in a statement sent to PV Tech.
Located in northeastern France, the facility was inaugurated in 2012. According to press release from that year, the plant had a 44MWp production line capable of producing 150,000 solar panels annually.
When the decision to shut the facility was taken, Maxeon was implementing a new production line for its Air range of rooftop modules that would have had a maximum capacity of 16MWp per year, the spokesperson said.
The news comes as Rystad Energy warned earlier this week that planned PV manufacturing factories in Europe could be shelved because of soaring power prices.
The consultancy said the energy-intensive nature of solar PV manufacturing processes is leading some operators to temporarily close or abandon production facilities as the cost of doing business escalates.
Singapore-headquartered Maxeon, which operates under the SunPower brand outside the US, shipped 521MW of solar modules globally in Q2 2022 as the company exceeded both its volume and revenue guidance for the quarter.
The manufacturer is currently scouting locations for a new solar factory in the US, as reported earlier this week by PV Tech Premium.


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Detsky Mir’s Investor Relations recognized as Russia’s best
Moscow, Russia, 16 December 2021 – Detsky Mir Group, a multi-vertical digital retailer and the leader in the children’s goods sector in Russia and Kazakhstan, has been named by Institutional Investor as 2021’s best company for investor relations.
Institutional Investor – one of the world’s leading financial publications – and the Moscow Exchange have announced the results of an independent survey of international investors on IR at Russian companies.
Detsky Mir was placed top in the Best Corporate by Small Cap IR Russia 2021 category.
This IR ranking has long been considered a top international recognition of investor engagement efforts by companies and their management teams.
For additional information:
Head of Public Relations
Tel.: +7 495 781 08 08, ext. 2041


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Friday, January 20, 2012
Photo by mtsofan / John, found on Flickr, licensed under Creative Commons
Do you have a stash of plastic grocery bags?
Some places, like San Francisco, have partially banned stores from distributing these bags — and some stores such as Whole Foods have banned them on their own. And many people are pretty good about bringing their own tote bags — which some stores reward you for using.
But still, many people have a lot of these plastic bags hanging around. You could donate them to a group that does food giveaways — groups that give away food almost always need more bags, too. You could recycle them. Or you could use them to form wastebaskets or recycling bins!
Easy Garbage from obj. studio in Spain "was born from this idea: a structure specially designed that holds any model of supermarket bag in order to use them as rubbish bag. This ... extends their useful service life." You can buy Easy Garbage at Un4Verde, where you have a choice of black or white — no red, at least right now. [via The Kitchn] Update on June 20, 2014: I'm no longer finding a place to buy this product.
Ben the Bin recycling bins are sold individually or in sets by Reestore in the U.K. They're made from 100% recycled plastic. Update on June 20, 2014: I'm only seeing these being sold in packs of 30, intended for schools.
And finally, there's Urbano, designed and produced by Kevin McElroy — and manufactured from recycled plastic in the U.S. As Kevin explains, "This handy little waste basket both uses and stores the ubiquitous plastic grocery bags leftover from shopping." It's available in green and in black from UncommonGoods; it's gotten great reviews. It's also available at the IHCD store — IHCD being the Institute for Human Centered Design — which currently has four color choices.
Binvention, from Sprout Design Ltd.


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The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
The brand has already kicked off its holiday campaign online, weeks earlier than in past years. Its Black Friday sale will take place four days early, on the Monday before Thanksgiving.
Retailers are preparing for a holiday season unlike any other. The coronavirus has upended the usual calendar, where sales starting in early November build to a crescendo of doorbuster deals designed to draw crowds of shoppers into stores. But with more shopping happening online this year – and the possibility of a second lockdown looming in some cities – many brands are having to improvise new strategies on the fly.
Chief among the challenges they're facing: how to convince customers to spend as much online as they would have in stores, and how to get those orders to customers' homes when delivery networks are expected to come under record strain. Their task is complicated by the fact that many have been offering deep markdowns for months to rid themselves of product that went unsold; the average discount in May was similar to past years' Black Friday sales, according to the retail analytics firm Edited.
Many retailers are holding holiday sales more than a month before Black Friday — when they will face less competition from rivals online — and before the worst of the shipping crush. They have plenty of incentives to stage Christmas in October. FedEx has said some packages will be charged an extra $2 if they are shipped by high-volume retailers between Nov. 30 and Dec. 6. And Amazon held its annual Prime Day mega-sale in mid-October instead of the usual July, forcing retailers to stage competing discounting events.
As of mid-October, the most common advertised discount in the US was between 40 percent and 50 percent, compared to 20 percent to 30 percent this time last year, according to Edited. Last week, Walmart announced plans to reform Black Friday and Cyber Monday into a three-weekend series of promotions, both in stores and online. Macy’s, meanwhile, will begin its Black Friday deals in early November.
An earlier and earlier Black Friday, nonetheless, has been a steady trend in recent years. In 2018 and 2019, retailers were already spreading out online and in-store promotions in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, and carriers like FedEx and UPS were already charging premiums for peak periods.
“Prime Day was the kickoff this year,” said Mary Alderete, head of Gap marketing. “It used to be that Black Friday and Cyber Monday was the big peak but we saw last year that people started to shop earlier and more online.”
Still, no one was prepared for the unprecedented obstacles that came with the pandemic. From savvy inventory management to offering bundle deals online, retailers must find creative solutions in order to pull off an earlier than ever sales season.
Use clear messaging with shoppers
To pull off an earlier-than-usual promotion, communication will be crucial. The key message is that the early deals are the best consumers are likely to see.
“Customers need to be aware of the fact that this is the deal they’ll get now or else they’ll still expect [bigger] deals on Cyber Monday,” said Gabriella Santaniello, founder of retail consulting firm A Line Partners. She recommends emails with the taglines “Christmas in October” or “Early Cyber Monday,” and then making it as clear as possible that these deals will be the marquee markdowns of the season.
Retailers should also prepare shoppers to expect shipping delays. Children’s apparel retailer Maisonette, for instance, plans on launching a webpage that spells out when customers must order items for them to arrive in time for Hanukkah or Christmas.
Offer Alternatives to Shipping
Retailers are building their Black Friday strategies around avoiding the shipping crunch right near the holidays. One solution that’s grown in popularity during the pandemic: create incentives for customers to pick up orders themselves.
About one-quarter of consumers prefer curbside pickup this holiday season, up from 11 percent last year, according to a Deloitte survey of 4,000 people. Target’s curbside pickup service for instance has seen a 700 percent growth in its most recent quarter.
Fulfilling a purchase from in-store inventory saves brands not only the cost of shipping but also labour from distribution centre workers. Retailers can offer coupons or discounts tied to orders purchased online and picked up in stores, said Rod Sides, vice chairman and US leader in retail, wholesale and distribution at Deloitte.
“People first moved to [buy-online, pick-up-in-store] because of safety, but later, they’re doing so also because it’s faster and cheaper,” Sides said. “The question is, how can you further entice folks to choose BOPIS rather than ship to home?”
Stores can also be used to fulfil online orders, another distribution strategy many retailers adopted during the early days of the pandemic when shops were closed. Having this option available will also soften the blow if a new wave of lockdowns forces physical retail to close during the holiday shopping season, said Richard Maicki, managing director at Berkeley Research Group. It safeguards retailers from losing sales if another wave of lockdowns are imposed and certain stores and distribution centres are forced to close, he told BoF.
“We have cases where our clients are backing off promotional activity because they don’t want to risk not being able to ship all of it,” he said.
Focus on assortment and bundle up
Last year, Gap was focused on denim as one of its big Black Friday categories. This year, the retailer will also emphasise loungewear, fleece products and cosy socks, Alderete said.
When designing a holiday promotions campaign, retailers should look at how people are living, said Shan Reddy, an adviser to fashion labels, pointing to the “pod effect,” where people are socialising with a limited network of family and friends. In other words, people may be mostly staying home but they’re beginning to see each other. The question is, how can a brand frame its marketing to be a part of this consumer experience?
Santaniello points to products like slippers and bathrobe sets as products that retailers can prominently display in their stores and websites as a way to create demand. Bundling items together, she added, is another way to use product as the primary sales driver and save the brand money on logistics. She points to a Michael Kors outlet store that's offering a deal on bundles, like a wallet-and-tote bag combination.
“When you think about specific offers, think of the idea of not just offering a deep discount on a shirt but think about if you buy these three things together then you get a better deal — an offer perfect for online,” said Maicki. The worst-case scenario, he added, is to end up shipping three different packages to the same consumer.
Discount based on current inventory levels
In the spring, the retail industry’s biggest problem was inventory. Store closures meant that spring and summer merchandise was sitting on racks untouched for months and brands were forced to offer Black Friday-caliber promotions in order to get ready for fall and winter. But many also took steps to avoid a repeat, ordering less clothing for the fall and winter.
Edited found that between September and mid-October, new fashion products are down 17 percent in the US and 22 percent in the UK year-over-year. This means that as the holiday season approaches, there will be fewer items to promote.
In some cases, promotions can be more moderate than in previous years.
“[Retailers] are running lean and mean with their inventory so I would expect not a lot that’s going to make it to the mark-down rack,” said Santaniello. “But that’s good margins.”
Black Friday, after all, exists for retailers to get rid of last season goods. Marking down on fresh or coveted items will do more harm than good. Edited compiled a list of hot-selling categories that retailers should avoid discounting, which includes knitted coordinates, jumpsuits and joggers.
Break the cycle
The best Black Friday promotion may be no promotion at all. For retailers that managed to slim down their inventories, now may be the time to begin to wean customers off their addiction to deep markdowns.
“It’s easier said than done, but it’s not just about the store saying no, we’re not going to discount,” said Reddy. “It’s also about limiting the supply. Where is the discount laid upon? Overproduction.”
In recent years, a number of brands have abstained from Black Friday, Patagonia being the most famous retailer to do so. Allbirds, in fact, is planning to raise its prices on Black Friday this year and plan to donate the proceeds.
Reddy gives the example of Burton, a snowboarding apparel line that he was trying to purchase from for years. Every season, he said he would expect the brand to go on sale, but when it does, the exact items he wanted would already be sold out. Finally, last year, he purchased snowboard bindings at full price.
“The whole industry needs to really look at how discount culture benefits them or if it does at all,” he said. “Assortment of product could be a motivator, something that speaks more to celebration rather than liquidation.”


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Behringer today shared a sneak preview of their UB-Xa Desktop synthesizer, the module version of their upcoming Oberheim OB-Xa knockoff.
Here’s what they had to say about the upcoming Behringer UB-Xa Desktop synth:
“While we’re all waiting for chips to finally produce and ship the UB-Xa, our engineers haven’t been sitting still and in the meantime finished the prototype of the desktop version. Like with all our other desktop modules, this one will be rack-mountable, too.
We’re super excited and hope you love it, too:-)”
The Behringer UB-Xa was originally announced in 2018. The company completed beta testing for the UB-Xa keyboard in 2021, saying at the time that “We promise that this synth will blow you away and exceed all your expectations.”
The company has not announced details on when they expect to release either of the UB-Xa synths. Based on today’s message, Behringer has not been able to move to production, because of the unavailability of needed parts.
The global chip shortage is now entering its third year, triggered by a variety of causes, including growing demand for integrated circuits; the impact of the global pandemic; and the Trump administration’s trade war with China, which added tariffs to semiconductors imported from China and imposed sanctions on Chinese semiconductor manufacturers. Several synth makers have attributed product shortages and increased prices to the trade war and the global chip shortage.
Check out the UB-Xa photos and audio demos and share your thoughts on it in the comments!


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update as of 22.11.2022
Speakers bio are available here
NOVEMBER 23 WEDNESDAY
13:00 Welcoming the group to London
venue: 20 Mercer Street, London, WC2H 9HD
Check-in at the Radisson Blu Edwardian Mercer Street Hotel
13:30 Transfer to Independent Digital News and Media
14:00 Kick-off & Introduction to the UK market, players and strategies.
venue: Independent Digital News and Media – Alphabeta Building 14-18 Finsbury Square London EC2A 1AH
Over the past two years, the UK’s national newspapers have continued to diversify their business models with a greater emphasis on subscription, registration and online membership. The Daily Telegraph has accumulated over 500,000 digital subscribers, followed by the Times and Sunday Times with around 400,000 subscribers, partly boosted by the war in Ukraine. In March, the Financial Times announced that it had reached 1 million digital subscribers, more than half of whom were from outside the UK. In an effort to make its journalism more accessible, it launched a low-cost stand-alone mobile app with a hand-picked selection of articles, FT Edit. Within the New UK group, the number of digital subscribers to The Times and The Sunday Times, including The Times Literary Supplement, stood at 445,000 at 30 June 2022, up from 374,000 the previous year, and The Sun’s digital offering reached around 165 million global monthly unique users in June 2022, up from 124 million the previous year. At the same time, The Guardian claims more than one million paying digital readers who subscribe to its apps or make recurring donations. Local and regional publishers have seen higher than expected digital advertising revenues in 2021. In March 2022, Newsquest’s acquisition of Archant is the latest major move in a regional market that confirms a phase of consolidation and operational optimisation. At the meeting of the British press, we called upon the expertise of three renowned media professionals, associate consultants of WAN-IFRA. Alan Hunter, Jeremy Clifford and Michael Brunt will be our experts during our stay.
Speakers Alan Hunter Co-founder, HBM Advisory / Jeremy Clifford, Editor in Chief. Editorial coach / Michael Brunt, Co-founder HBM Advisory
15:00 The Independent
venue: Alphabeta Building 14-18 Finsbury Square London EC2A 1AH
Independent Digital News and Media has reported a record operating profit of £5.5 million for the financial year 2021, up 103% year-on-year and 139% over two years. This is the fifth consecutive year of profit growth for The Independent. The title has been profitable every year since the closure of its print edition in March 2016, while continuing its editorial investment strategy by increasing its editorial teams by more than 50% over the past four years. With the future of third-party cookies in question, The Independent said it had invested in acquiring first-party data through an “anonymous to known” strategy for reader engagement – which it said had doubled the number of registrations on the site to 1.8 million and increased reader revenue by 39%. Other diversifications, including investment in the Indy Best e-commerce section and the launch of Independent TV, have seen the company predict that it will achieve “its long-standing target of more than half of revenue from non-advertising sources” this financial year. The company said it now wants to build on its organic growth by “pursuing strategic acquisition opportunities”. These will likely focus on sales automation, data and fulfilment solutions to complement its current market-leading business. The Independent has more than doubled its operating profit in 2021 and is now looking at new acquisition opportunities. Which priorities does The Independent see the most potential in?
- Independent Ventures (eCom and Independent TV) – Christian Broughton, Managing Director
- Digital development projects from a product and technical perspective – Chris Corderoy, CTO
- Commercial diversification into off-platform revenues – Sophie Hanbury, Licensing and Syndication Director
- Data and reader revenue strategy – balancing ad revenues with subscriptions in an attention recession – Jo Holdaway, Chief Data & Marketing Officer
16:30 Transfer to Northcliffe House
17:00 The i paper
venue: Northcliffe House, 2 Derry St, London W8 5HY
The i was launched on 26 October 2010 with a team of three. It was then a printed spin-off of The Independent. Its website inews.co.uk only followed in April 2016. Ten years after its launch, the brand, which then had a team of 85 journalists, was reaching 8.7 million readers a month and 835,000 a day in print and online. The editorial bias: to see itself as the antidote to political propaganda, media bias and above all information overload. With success: it is consistently rated as one of the most trusted newspaper brands by Pamco, on a par with the Guardian with a trust rating of over 80%. The relatively low-cost base for a national newspaper has resulted in significant profits for its successive owners. It was sold by ESI Media to Johnston Press for £24m in 2016 and then to Mail publisher DMGT for £49.6m in 2019. By 2020, three quarters of the i’s revenue will come directly from readers, through newsstand sales, print subscriptions and its apps, one a replica of the paper and the other, launched in 2019, publishing online editions at 12 noon, noon and 5pm, modelled on the Times. Oly Duff, who at 39 remains the youngest editor of a British national newspaper, shared the lessons he has learned from the last decade: “Learning what to stop doing is the first lesson: we didn’t get rid of some poor ideas fast enough. Second, never take the conversation and relationship with readers for granted. They need constant attention, love and care – and show readers that they shape your publications.” Two years ago, Oly Duff said: “Print will thrive longer than we think. Is he just as confident today and what are his plans for digital development?
Speaker: Oliver Duff, Editor-in-Chief, The I newspaper
18:30 Return to the Radisson Blu Edwardian Mercer Street Hotel
20:00 Dinner at Ochre (National Gallery, Trafalgar Square London, WC2N 5DN)
NOVEMBER 24 THURSDAY
08:30 The Financial Times
venue: Bracken House 1 Friday Street, London EC4M 9BT
The FT’s digital subscription was first launched in 2002. In 2007, the FT introduced a metered paywall in 2007. In 2015 it moved to the current paid trial model, offering readers a four-week trial at £1 before asking them to subscribe. Digital reader revenues now equal all other FT revenue streams combined, and the print version continues to be profitable. In March this year, the Financial Times announced that it had reached 1 million digital-only subscribers. The second UK title to pass the one million digital subscriber mark, although more than half of its subscribers are based outside the UK, the FT has no intention of stopping there and launched a new discounted subscription app, FT Edit, and now plans to expand beyond its traditional customer base with new products and formats aimed at non-business readers.
Speakers: Lisa MacLeod, Principal Publishing Lead, FT Strategies | Aled John, Deputy Managing Director, FT Strategies | Malcolm Moore, Executive Editor, The Financial Times
10:00 Transfer to Tortoise Media
10:30 Tortoise Media. Becoming an audio-first publisher: what, why and how?
venue: 22 Berners St, London W1T 3LP
Founded in 2018 by former Times editor and BBC news director James Harding, Tortoise aims to deliver “open journalism” through a “new kind of newsroom”. The publisher, whose motto is “Slow down – Wise Up”, launched its first podcast at the end of 2019, a weekly investigative programme exploring the behind-the-scenes stories behind the headlines. Now the publisher is developing additional revenue streams for readers with subscriber-only podcasts designed to bolster its existing base of 55,000 paying subscribers. In our interview with the Tortoise team, we discuss why Tortoise decided to go audio, what changes it has required behind the scenes, and how they are building their audience through audio. New forms of storytelling adapted to the audio format, the new opportunities it presents for engagement with subscribers and its monetisation models.
Speakers: Alice Sandelson, Head of Strategic Growth, Audio at Tortoise Media / Basia Cummings, Editor Tortoise Studios (United Kingdom) / Jasper Corbett, Executive Editor Tortoise Media (United Kingdom)
11:30 Transfer to Canada Square
12:30 Lunch with David Higgerson, Chief Digital Publisher, Reach PLC at The Pearson Room (2nd Floor, 16-19 Canada Square, Canary Wharf)
13:30 How Reach is building a strategy to monetise its relationship with its audiences that does not rely on paid content.
venue: One Canada Square, London E14 5AP
Reach plc, Britain’s largest commercial publisher, publishes over 100 local titles alongside national titles Mirror, Daily Express and Daily Star. 2022 is shaping up to be a pivotal year after the record year of 2021. Ten months ahead of schedule, Reach plc announces ten million registered users on its platforms and believes it is on track to double its digital revenues by the end of 2024. In the first quarter of 2022, the group’s digital revenues continued to grow, up 10.4% year-on-year. But faced with a slowdown in UK consumption and pressure on prices and raw materials, its print business contracted by almost 4%, resulting in a 1.6% fall in overall revenue in the first half (£297.4m). We will explore how Reach plans to accelerate its digital growth despite the adverse general economic conditions affecting the entire UK regional press and making it even more risky to rely on reader revenues from digital subscriptions.
Speaker: David Higgerson, Chief Digital Publisher, Reach plc | Piers North, Chief Revenue Officer, Reach plc
14:30 Transfer to News UK
15:00 The Times & The Sunday Times, News UK
venue: 1 London Bridge Street, London SE1 9GF
At the end of the first half of 2022, The Times and The Sunday Times, including The Times Literary Supplement, had some 445,000 digital subscribers, up from 374,000 the previous year. Among the topics we will discuss with The Times teams are their strategy for personalising content to meet consumer demands, how editorial teams are exploiting the wealth of audience data they face, and their initiatives to reach new audiences through social networks while preserving its valuable print audience.
16:30 Transfer to Telegraph Media Group
17:00 Telegraph Media Group
venue: 111 Buckingham P. Rd London SW1 0DT
Editorial product development strategy, converting audience data into content, newsroom organisation, new roles, and new skills.
Speakers: Ben Clissit, Managing Editor / Mathias Douchet, Director of Product
18:00 Transfer to LSE
18:30 Sizing up your Artificial Intelligence activities
venue: Fawcett House, London School of Economics, Clement’s Inn, London WC2A 2AZ (Silverstone Room)
To consider Artificial Intelligence a ‘trend’ is an understatement: AI is being adopted as a technology across a wide swathe of society, and the press is not lacking. JournalismAI, at the London School of Economics’ Polis ThinkTank, is the perfect place to take stock of the state of AI in the press. How are publishers using artificial intelligence, machine learning, natural language processing and other algorithms for automation? What is the impact of AI on journalism? For what benefit? JournalismAI was launched in 2019 to inform and educate the news media about the opportunities offered by AI-powered technologies and to foster debate about the editorial, ethical and financial implications of using AI in journalism.
Speaker: Charlie Beckett, Director of Polis and the JournalismAI project, London School of Economics.
19:30 Return to the hotel
20:30: dinner at The Blacks Club (67 Dean Street, Soho)
NOVEMBER 25 FRIDAY
09:00 How advertising and subscriptions support each other
Venue: Ozone, 20 St Thomas Street, London SE1 9RS
Ozone runs the UK’s first commercial alliance of publishers. We’ll be there for a morning dedicated to advertising revenues, the complex relationship with the adtech ecosystem, and industry initiatives to address ad signal loss, device ID and third-party cookie depreciation, and business innovation in a privacy-by-design ecosystem. In an exchange with Ozone’s teams, and a panel of guests from leading UK market players, we will take stock of the most current and talked about issues in our industry, and the opportunities they create for advertisers and publishers – from user identity and success metrics to first party data and attention metrics.
Strategic Briefing (9:15 – 10:00)
The session will be led by Danny Spears, Chief Operating Officer of Ozone, with speakers from publisher partners (both UK publishers and other international alliance partners).
How publishers can create maximum value from their data and inventory by taking more control of it. Key themes in this session will include collaboration, AI, data leakage, identity and privacy.
The Global Adtech Market (10:00 – 10:45)
This session will be led by an external speaker and will focus on interactivity and Q&A at the end of the initial presentation. Key themes of this session will include platforms, regulation, impact on publishers and emerging technologies (including Web 3.0).
Sustainability of the adtech ecosystem (11:00-11:45)
This session will cover the sustainability of the advertising ecosystem in its broadest sense, and the role of publishers in creating a more responsible digital advertising ecosystem.
Speaker: Danny Spears, Chief Operating Officer, The Ozone Project
12:00 Transfer to Chancery Lane
12:30 Lunch at Luce e Limoni (91-93 Gray’s Inn Road, Chancery Lane)
13:30 Business models, products and services on mobile applications
venue: Pugpig, 17-21 Emerald St, London WC1N3QN
Speakers: Jonny Kaldor, Co-founder and CEO, Pugpig / Kevin Anderson, Director Consulting Services at Pugpig, United Kingdom
14:30 Transfer to Guardian News & Media
15:00 The Guardian News & Media
venue: Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU
The Guardian has surpassed one million digital subscribers, with a 13% increase in the US and Australia over the previous year. Well known for its mixed subscription and membership model, the Guardian’s challenge is to secure recurring reader revenues, which it has increased by almost 90% in just three years. In our interviews with the Guardian’s management, we will discuss the bridging role between editorial and analytics, the optimisation of performance-based dashboards and the key operational indicators to be considered. We will also explore how the title manages premium access and free content, particularly on its mobile applications.
Speaker: Mariot Chauvin Director of Engineering, The Guardian
17:00 End of the programme
Return to Radisson Blu Edwardian Mercer Street Hotel or transfer to airport/station of departure


text: Complaints about inaccurate credit reports are soaring by Headlines September 14, 2022, 18:50 14 Views 3 Votes Credit report errors account for three-quarters of all consumer complaints during the first half of 2022, Consumer Reports said. Visit Direct Link Share this:Share CBScomplaintscreditinaccuratereportssoaring See more Previous article “CBS Evening News” headlines for Wednesday, September 14, 2022 Next article Trump is urged to help fund GOP candidates with Super PAC ahead of midterm elections What do you think? 3 Points Upvote Downvote Leave a Reply Cancel replyYour email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment Name * Email * Website Written by Headlines Mainstream media is often "Fake News." Nevertheless, one needs to see what others are seeing and then read with discernment.


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SpareFoot Inc. has developed a website targeting military veterans.
The Austin-based online marketplace of self-storage space options has launched SpareFoot Military Storage to assist active-duty and retired members of the military find storage space.
The additional business is designed to benefit the Virginia-based non-profit National Military Family Association. SpareFoot will contribute $1 to the group for every SpareFoot Military Storage reservation that results in a move-in, company executives said in a statement Tuesday.
SpareFoot employs 120 workers. It was one of the five startups that completed the 10-week Capital Factory incubator program in 2009.
Last month, SpareFoot completed a $10 million Series C round of financing from New York-based Insight Venture Partners. Company executives said they plan to use the capital to fund engineering and product development. They expect to employ nearly 160 workers by the end of the year. Most of the new workers will be in customer service, engineering and product development.


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Huawei, the Chinese Mobile and Smartphone manufacturer is trying hard to make an entry to the US market by introducing the powerful Huawei Mate 8. We don’t say so. This is the revelation from the Wall Street Journal, that says Huawei is not only trying to break into the US Market but is planning to open a brand new software design house in San Francisco in 2016. Of course, Huawei has not revealed anything official neither thinks it apt to discuss anything regarding this.
But commenting on the revelation of WSJ, Huawei Deputy Chairman Ken Hu said, “We have already seized a leading position in the Chinese [smartphone] market. We hope that in the U.S. we can achieve the same success.” People who are already aware about this fact say that they think of seeing the Huawei Mate 8 at CES this January. Besides, Huawei executive George Zhou also announced that Huawei plans to extend its Honour brand in the US along with introducing special regional versions for the United States.
Now those who have no idea on the features and specs of the Huawei Mate 8, we would like to let them know that the Huawei Mate 8 packs a 6.0 inches IPS-NEO LCD capacitive touchscreen with 16mm colors, 1080 x 1920 pixels resolution and 368 ppi pixel density. The Smartphone is protected by a Corning Gorilla Glass 4 that will prevent your device from accidental break-up. The Smartphone is powered by a Quad-core 2.3 GHz Cortex-A72/quad-core 1.8 GHz Cortex A53 processor, backed by a Mali-T880 MP4 GPU and HiSilicon Kirin 950 chipset.
The Huawei Mate 8 is supposed to run on the Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS and will support 3GB/4GB of RAM, 32GB/64GB/128GB internal memory and also has the MircoSD facility. The Smartphone supports 16 MP primary camera with special features such as OIS, phase detection autofocus, dual-LED (dual tone) flash,1/2.8″ sensor size, geo-tagging, touch focus, face/smile detection, panorama, HDR and packs a 8MP front camera for taking selfies and video calling. Connectivity features of the handset are Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, DLNA, WiFi Direct, hotspot, Bluetooth, GPS, NFC, Radio and USB.
Besides, many a prominent features are expected to be incorporated in the Huawei Mate 8. So let’s wait and watch when and where this device is going to be launched primarily and what market cost?


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It is very surprising to me (and unprecedented) that GM has extended the offer to buy back the car from worried owners. I would think that if you were going to buy a Volt, you would have done extensive research before handing over the money and driving off the lot. It seems any question of the car's potential safety issues should have surfaced long ago.
I'm curious about the stats on the problem/non-problem. Is this a rare occurrence or is it statistically significant -- as the Ford Pinto was? Also, are there certain circumstances in which a fire occurs? The story shows an impact test. Is this how the fires get started?
As energy efficiency becomes more and more a concern for makers of electronics devices, researchers are coming up with new ways to harvest energy from sound vibration, footsteps, and even electromagnetic fields in the air.
The government wants to study your brain, and DARPA wants to use similar information to give robots true autonomy beyond any artificial intelligence developed to date. Sound like science fiction? It's not.
A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is


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American consumers are adopting electric cars at a faster pace, bringing potential environmental benefits as well as the possibility of higher insurance claims and headaches for highway officials.
Electric vehicles are heavier than their gas-powered counterparts, possibly increasing the severity of collision damages, not to mention more severe personal injuries, while also increasing wear and tear on bridges and roads.
EVs are generally about 25% heavier than their gas-powered counterparts. A battery-powered Volkswagen ID.4, for example, weighs more than 25% more than its gas-powered counterpart, the Tiguan, one recent study found. The Hyundai Kona electric is about 18% heavier than the gas-powered Kona.
That’s bad news for the occupants of gas-driven cars that collide with EVs.
“If you look at pure physics, the larger, heavier car in an accident wins,” said Susanna Gotsch, an analyst with CCC Intelligent Solutions, a research firm.
Gotsch said, however, that EVs generally have better braking ability, helping to offset some of their weight advantage. Also, all EV manufacturers have agreed to equip their cars with emergency braking to help avoid collisions.
Another potential benefit of EVs is that they tend to have advanced telemetric features and internet connectivity, which could encourage consumers to enroll in usage-based car insurance. The electronics in EVs can not only track mileage driven but also gather data on speed, abrupt braking and other indications of reckless driving, making it easier for insurers to weed out dangerous drivers.
On the downside, however, CCC’s study found electric cars are more expensive to repair. The average repair cost of $4,041 for non-luxury small electric cars was 26.6% greater than for conventional vehicles.
Consequences for highways
The growth of EVs is also causing concern for state and federal transportation officials. Most highway construction is financed largely by taxes on gas and diesel fuel, with more than 40% of highway funds coming from state and federal fuel taxes. Since EVs don’t burn fossil fuel, they don’t pay gas tax.
States are still trying to reckon with this problem. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a big proponent of EVs, last year vetoed a bill that would have made Washington the first state to ban the sale of gas-powered cars.
He did so because the bill would have taxed drivers based on how many miles they drove each year. While that’s becoming a popular option for car insurance, it doesn’t go over so well with electric car owners.
EV sales picking up
After a slow start, EV sales are picking up in the United States, as consumers come to view the batteries on wheels as legitimate replacements for gas-powered cars and trucks.
In its report, CCC said electric vehicles made up 4.6% of new light-vehicle registrations in the first quarter of 2022, up from 2.6% of registrations in 2021 and 1.5% in 2020. Nearly 450,000 electric vehicles were sold in 2021, an 83% increase from the prior year.


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The Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) says the forthcoming 2019 Abuja International Trade Fair will feature 45 foreign companies to strengthen businesses, trade and investment opportunities in the country.
The ACCI Director General, Chief Tonia Shoyele, while briefing newsmen on Monday in Abuja said that the foreign companies were expected from India, Bangladesh, Ghana, Mali, Cote d’Voire and Cameroon, among others.
Shoyele said that over the years, the chamber had a minimum of 30 foreign countries participating but the number had increased in this 13th edition because many embassies had declared interest to participate.
She said that the multi-sectoral trade event had grown exceedingly in scope and strength as one of the biggest trade platforms for international and domestic exhibitors to promote new product lines, access new markets, build business relationships and grasp developing trend.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 13th trade fair, scheduled to hold from Sept. 21 to Sept. 29, would also feature a roundtable focused on the theme: “Remodelling SMEs Financing: Options and Solutions’’.
Describing Nigeria as an 80 per cent Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) based country; she said it was on this background that the chamber decided to have a 100 per cent focus on SMEs.
“Basically our mandate is to promote their businesses and handhold them till they get to the upper level. There will be a roundtable which CBN, Bank of Industry and others that are SMEs based participate to form policies and strategies to promote the SMEs,’’ she said.
She said that the chamber had also put in place measures to provide adequate security personnel which include the Nigerian Police, Army, Anti-Bomb Squad, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), among others.
Dr Johnson Anele, the ACCI Vice president in charge of Commerce and Chairman, Abuja Trade Centre said that it would equally feature trade and investment profile presentations, exhibitions business matchmaking sessions and products/services presentation.
Anele, who is also the Chairman, Organising Committee of the event, said that the trade fair would boost local content by encouraging the growth of indigenous companies and patronage of made-in-Nigeria goods.
“We want to encourage local exhibitors. We cannot be talking about local content when we have an appetite for foreign-made goods.
“We will use the platform to canvass and encourage people to patronise and consume Nigerian products.
Also read: LITFC boss bags Yeye Meso, promises better representation in Buhari’s administration
“We are also encouraging many foreign exhibitors, we organise on regular basis trade missions for the international companies to establish good economic ties with them to enable them to invest in Nigeria,” he said.
Anele urged the stakeholders and related government agencies and parastatals to seize the opportunity to enlighten people on their activities for partnership and immense benefit.
According to him, the trade fair will explore options and proffer solutions on how better the SMEs could be managed and upgraded to be able to contribute meaningfully to economic development.
“Our focus is mainly on the SMEs, which is the engine room for the economic growth and provides the bulk of employment in the country and quite a number of them constitutes the bulk of our membership.
“We are also not neglecting other big conglomerates but we will focus on SMEs because of their importance and the role they play in national economic growth.
“The Federal Government has a lot of programmes to support the SMEs but the unfortunate thing is that some of the programmes are not well known to the supposed beneficiaries,’’ he said.
Anele added that the chamber also made provision of adequate infrastructure and facilities including construction of an ultra model convention centre with 7,000 capacity and conducive business atmosphere to host the world-class international trade fair.
The Abuja trade fair is designed to provide a neutral and open atmosphere for blue-chip companies, trade groups association, government related agencies and private sector organisations to engage new business partners for investment and trade relations.
Comments expressed here do not reflect the opinions of Vanguard newspapers or any employee thereof.


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Entries in 'ios' (126)
It has been alleged that Uber knowingly and deliberately broke iOS App Store user tracking rules.
Apple has finally implemented the ability for developers of iOS apps to respond to reviews left on the App Store.
Nintendo released its financial report for the nine months ending December 2016 earlier today, and confirmed that Super Mario Run has been downloaded over 40m times in just four days ...
Two beloved indie creations are finally getting the mobile treatment. One of them is Edward McMillen’s The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth, which has finally landed on iOS yesterday. The Nicalis-published ...
Having been touted back in September, the Apple Watch version of Pokemon Go has finally been released.
iOS 10 is installed on over 54% of Apple mobile devices according to official figures released this week.
That Dragon, Cancer is now available on iOS devices, costing $4.99 on the US App Store.
iOS and Android owners are now able, should they choose, to download a new game based on the 11th series of cult UK sci-fi comedy Red Dwarf.
Is there a more telling sign of the times than Shigeru Miyamoto taking to the stage at an Apple event to announce a new Mario platform game for smartphones?
Five Pokémon games were in the UK Top 50 All-Formats charts this week.
Llamasoft founder Jeff Minter has revealed that the studio was forced to abandon development for iOS after the platform proved to be unsustainable.
Apple’s announcement that it is to allow app subscriptions on the iOS App Store is nothing more than a ‘gesture’.
Developers will soon be able to charge a recurring fee for the games following Apple’s announcement of a new subscription system for the iOS App Store.
Clash of Clans creator Supercell has another hit on its hands.
The US Department of Justice has said that it has successfully cracked the iPhone at the centre of the security dispute between Apple and the FBI.
A smartphone game inspired by Dark Souls sounds like a dream come true, but Bandai Namco’s Slashy Souls is quite possible not entirely what you expected.
iPhone manufacturer Apple has publicly stated that it will not abide by an FBI request to build in a way for authorities to bypass iOS security.
A surprise iOS release for popular roguelike The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth might have been scuppered by Apple’s strict content regulations.
Miitomo - the unusual smartphone app from Nintendo - will launch next month in 17 countries, and fans can pre-register for the game by February 17th.
Record-breaking Kickstarter card game Exploding Kittens is about to make its video game bow.
There were more Apple iOS devices than Windows devices shipped in 2015.
The fourth episode of Minecraft: Story Mode is set to launch later this month, Telltale has revealed.
Ubisoft has released Rayman Adventures on iOS and Android platforms.
Mino Games has another mobile hit on its hands with Mino Monsters' sequel.
Bethesda has released another holiday-themed update for Fallout Shelter.


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•Many of the farmers have been growing French beans, snow peas and baby corns for the export market.
•Irish potatoes are traditionally grown in Nyandarua (which is the largest potato producing area), Bomet, Meru, Nakuru, Uasin Gishu, Kiambu, Narok, Nyeri, West Pokot and Elgeyo Marakwet.
Mbangamboi Farmers Group from Waruga location, Wundanyi subcounty in Taita Taveta is reaping big from growing certified potato seeds.
The group started in 2008 and has 20 active potato farmers who were recently approved by the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Services as certified seed producers.
Martha Mwakina, the group's secretary, said accessing certified potato seeds had been a big challenge.
In the past, the farmers used to source their potato seeds from Tigoni in Kiambu, ADC Molo in Nakuru or Kisima farm in Meru.
Mwakina said they would travel for more than 350km or more than six hours to Tigoni or Kisima, to get quality seeds.
“It was expensive, a 50kg bag would go for an average of between Sh2,500 and Sh3,200 depending on the potato variety and the transportation cost of about Sh200 to Sh300 per bag,” Mwakina said.
Many of the farmers have been growing french beans, snow peas and baby corns for the export market.
Irish potatoes are traditionally grown in Nyandarua (which is the largest potato producing area), Bomet, Meru, Nakuru, Uasin Gishu, Kiambu, Narok, Nyeri, West Pokot and Elgeyo Marakwet.
However, the Ministry of Agriculture says due to the increased demand, potato production has expanded to non-traditional potato growing areas such as Kirinyaga, Naivasha, Taita Taveta and Tana River.
Other emerging potato growing areas are Nandi, Baringo, Laikipia, Nyamira and Kisii.
This is due to the availability of irrigation facilities.
In 2020, the group was allowed to produce potato seeds and they started growing in 1.25 acres as a group.
“In the first season of 2021 seed production, we had 29 bags which earned us Sh54,000. In the second season, we harvested 79 bags of 50kgs, earning about Sh237,000,” Mwakina said.
The group is one of the 80 common interest groups that have formed the Taita Taveta Potato Farmers’ Cooperative Society.
The group is now a lead supplier of certified potato seeds in the county.
It is supported by the Accelerated Institutional and Food Systems programme which is funded by the United States Agency for International Development/Feed the Future.
They have also partnered with the county government and other partners.
They have benefited from good agronomical training from various institutions and this has enabled them to get certified.
Renson Kifumbu, the group chairman and the marketing chairman for Taita Taveta Potato Cooperative Society said there is a high demand for quality seeds and the group is unable to meet the demand.
“This can be partly attributed to the uptake of agriculture by young people,” he said.
Kifumbu said the process of certification is long, costly and they have to incur costs such as soil testing. A sample goes for Sh4,000 and a certification fee, charged per one kilometre from the nearest main town at Sh58.
The group also leases land at Sh20,000 per year.
“Other challenges are high cost of farm input especially fertiliser, with a 50 kg bag currently selling at an average of Sh6,000, inadequate water and irrigation infrastructure to ensure production is sustainable,” Kifumbu said.
He said they are planning to increase the area under production to four acres this coming season.
Anthony Kariku, Taita Taveta County Potato Coordinator said local production of certified potato seeds will help in reducing the cost of production by between Sh200 and Sh1000.
He said currently, 3,200 farmers are doing potato seed production and there is a ready market.
“Marketing of the produce is being done through the umbrella cooperative society, the county government is working on a plan to create aggregation centres to ease the collection of the produce,” Kariku said.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris


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France-born Hi-Res music service Qobuz has raised €10 million (approximately $10.92m).
According to a press release, the strategic funding will be used “to support the brand’s ambitions in terms of offer, R&D, talent recruitment, and strategic partnerships, in addition to supporting it in its global expansion”.
The new capital follows a previous raise of €12m in August 2019.
With headquarters in Paris, Qobuz was one of the first streaming services to offer Hi-Res streaming in studio quality, native 24-bit FLAC format. The platform launched in the US in February 2019.
The service is currently accessible in 12 countries – the US, United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain, and Italy.
Qobuz reports to have closed its previous fiscal year “with over 45% growth”, and states that it is “now pursuing a major development plan”.
To support this plan, Qobuz is setting up a new management team and launching a recruitment drive that it says “is unprecedented in the company’s history.
For Qobuz’ Paris HQ, Georges Fornay, the executive credited with the development and success of the PlayStation in French and Swiss territories, has been appointed Deputy CEO.
In addition, Céline Gallon joins Qobuz as Chief People Officer.
Meanwhile, Raphaël Awóṣéyìn, who has held the position of Head of Quality Assurance within Qobuz for over a year, has been appointed Chief Customer Officer.
On the US side, music industry veteran Rachel Silton has joined as Acquisition and Marketing Manager.
Silton’s roles across the music industry have included Marketing Director at NYC Winter Jazzfest & Sound Mind Live, Project Manager at Motema Music and Marketing Consultant for Grammy-nominated artists.
Qobuz states that other major hires are planned to take place by the end of the year.
“The end of the year promises to be full of exciting projects for Qobuz.”
Denis Thébaud, Qobuz
Denis Thébaud, Chairman and CEO of Qobuz, said: “We are very proud of our latest fundraising milestone of 10 million euros, which shows our historical shareholders’ confidence in our model.
“The end of the year promises to be full of exciting projects for Qobuz.
“We are also very pleased with the arrival of Georges Fornay, Céline Gallon, and other experienced professionals who are committed to upholding the ambitions of our brand.
“We are ready to step up our international presence to offer a unique offer to those who do not compromise on musical quality.”Music Business Worldwide


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Citigroup is the latest corporation to end up on the list of big companies hacked so far this year. The bandits were able to access sensitive data belonging to over 200,000 bank card accounts in North America.
This incident is just another in a long string of highly-publicized hacking attempts this year, including attacks on Sony's PlayStation Network, Gmail accounts in China and, most recently, Nintendo.
The Financial Times reports that the breach was actually discovered a little over a month ago in early May, but it has only become public knowledge now.
However, it might not be as bad as it might seem just yet. First, the amount of customers affected is only one percent of Citigroup in North America. Sure, that's a considerable amount of people, and it would be unfortunate to end up in that group. But this isn't exactly on the same scale as the attack on the PlayStation Network in April. That was worldwide, affected millions and more sensitive information was at risk.
Citi affirmed that the only types of information that leaked were customer names, account numbers, contact info and email addresses. Citi added that social security numbers, birth dates, card expiration dates and card security codes were not at risk...at least not yet.
Citi spokesman Sean Kevelighan told Reutersin an email:
We are contacting customers whose information was impacted. Citi has implemented enhanced procedures to prevent a recurrence of this type of event...
For the security of these customers, we are not disclosing further details.
It's understandable that Citi wants to protect its customers (even though there was obviously a loophole somewhere), but many more questions that should be addressed remain unanswered - especially as to how this all happened.
Surely if you're a Citigroup member whose information was at risk in this incident, Citi reps will call you with instructions, but it's always a good idea to be proactive and take steps to protect your identity at all times.
Related coverage on ZDNet:


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The turnover of foreign trade of goods and services for the Republic of Belarus from January-August was $60,008.3 million, according to recent data released by the National Bank of Belarus.
Exports of goods and services amounted to $29,941.5 million, while imports totaled $30,066.9 million, creating a trade deficit of $125.3 million.
Turnover of goods totaled $52,542.3 million, with exports of good amounting to $25,288.1 million and imports of goods amounting to $427,254.2 million, leaving a deficit of the foreign trade of goods worth $1,966.1 million.
Turnover of services amounted to $7,466.0 million, with exports of services totaling $4,653.4 million and imports of services totaling $2,812.6 million, creating a surplus of $1,840.8 million.
- National Bank of Ukraine removes restrictions on foreign-currency transactions, investment metals
- Black Sea Trade & Development Bank visits Azerbaijan to boost business relationships
- VTB Bank finances three new planes for SunExpress airline
- National Bank of Ukraine makes it easier for businesses to invest abroad
- National Bank of Ukraine eases lending regulations for deposit guarantee funds to other banks
- Black Sea Trade and Development Bank, Russian Federal Corp. for SMEs support business growth
- Oleg Demidov named commercial director for Rosbank Factoring
- Eurasian Development Bank sells bonds on Kazakhstan Stock Exchange
- EY World Entrepreneur of the Year event to name world's top entrepreneur
- ACBA-CREDIT AGRICOLE, Microsoft parter for Armenian digital business technology seminar


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Vivo is in no rush to share details about the upcoming flagship smartphone X60 Pro +. Recall that the company introduced X60 and X60 Pro smartphones not so long ago based on the Samsung Exynos 1080 chipset. In turn, Vivo X60 Pro + should become a full-fledged flagship, which will be based on Qualcomm Snapdragon 888. Today’s leak shed light on color options and volume memory in which the smartphone will be available.
Information about the upcoming flagship Vivo has been posted on the popular JD.com marketplace. Thus, it became known that the phone will hit the market in blue, which will be called Deep Ocean Blue, and orange Classic Orange. The device will receive configurations with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of permanent memory and 12 GB of RAM, and 256 GB of storage in terms of memory. It’s worth noting that today’s leak confirms a photo posted by reputable tech blog Digital Chat Station a couple of days ago. It showed the Vivo X60 Pro + in blue and orange.
Besides, thanks to JD.com, it was revealed that the phone would go on sale on January 30th. This information suggests that the Vivo X60 Pro + will be unveiled in the last week of this month. It is assumed that the device will receive an AMOLED screen with a refresh rate of 120 Hz and the main camera with a main 48-megapixel sensor. Its cost is still unknown.


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There has been a lot of speculation about the increasing rates of obesity over the last few decades. Many of the causes of this phenomenon are well known, and I have covered them in past articles: the move from whole foods to more processed foods, a decrease in physical activity with the rise in technology,
By now, you’ve probably heard that coffee is not the no-no that natural health experts used to think it was. True, if you drink a lot of it, it can have negative effects such as disrupting sleep, increasing anxiety, and over the long term, exhausting your adrenal reserves. In fact, you may recall that researchers have even found the cut-off for how much is too much: more than four cups (32 fluid ounces) per day increases the risk of death.


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As many as 18 percent of workers in meat and poultry plants are infected with the coronavirus in Iowa and South Dakota, while Pennsylvania and Nebraska account for one-quarter of the Covid-19 cases nationwide, said CDC scientists and state public health officials. The CDC released the report as Smithfield Foods, one of the giants of the meat industry, began to reopen a hog plant that was a coronavirus hot spot three weeks ago.(No paywall)
Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced on social media Wednesday that an ongoing USDA investigation of beef prices will be expanded to include complaints about unfair prices due to the coronavirus pandemic. (No paywall)
Last week, several Midwestern feedlot owners along with the Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund (R-CALF) filed a class-action lawsuit alleging that dominant meatpackers conspired to depress cattle prices starting in 2015. The case argues that JBS, Tyson, Cargill, and National Beef strategically cut back on open market cattle bids, closed plants, and imported costly foreign cattle in order to force farmers to accept lower prices and manipulate spot market cattle values.(No paywall)
Cattle prices are stronger than expected this year but they they are likely to run below 2017 levels, with the result that retail beef prices rise modestly, at most, said the monthly Food Price Outlook. The United States is headed for the third year in a row of lower than average food inflation - 0.5 percent compared to the 20-year average of 2.1 percent annually.
Big Ag is back on the offensive in Oklahoma, less than a year after voters defeated a bill that would have stripped the state’s residents of their ability to regulate corporate farming. The Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association wants ranchers to pay an additional $1 tax per head of cattle sold in the state, and will hold a Nov. 1 vote on the tax for Oklahoma cattle producers. Family farm advocates say that much of the money collected under such checkoff taxes is funneled to private industry groups that use it to promote the interests of corporate agriculture over independent farmers.
Two-thirds of the way through 2017, the government says grocery prices are headed for a barely perceptible increase of 0.25 percent this year, thanks to lower red meat, egg and fresh produce prices. This year's marginal increase follows the first instance of retail food price deflation in half a century, the 1.3-percent year-on-year decline in grocery prices in 2016.
Texas is easily the largest cattle state in the country, with 12.3 million head, or nearly one of every seven head in the U.S. inventory of 93.6 million cattle. The 54 Texas counties declared a disaster area due to damage by Hurricane Harvey hold 1.2 million beef cows, the animals that are the foundation of the cattle industry, says livestock economist David Anderson of Texas A&M.
The mid-summer count of the U.S. cattle inventory was the largest in nine years, which means more beef production and lower beef prices in the supermarket for the second year in a row. "Lower beef prices are most likely adding pressure to lower pork prices," say USDA economists in the monthly Food Price Outlook.
Overall U.S. grocery prices will not rise at all this year — the first time in four decades of records that the inflation rate would hit zero, says the Agriculture Department, pointing to the effects of low petroleum prices, the strong dollar and falling prices for beef, pork and poultry. Retail food prices were flat or fell during six of the first eight months of 2016, assuring "a rate of inflation (or possibly deflation) that would again fall below the 20-year historical average of 2.5 percent," says the Food Price Outlook.


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Godrej aer smart matic is India’s first Bluetooth-enabled device that can be controlled via a mobile app
Mumbai, December 04, 2019: Godrej aer, a leader in household fragrances from the house of Godrej Consumer Products Limited, has always brought innovative solutions to the consumer. Godrej aer has now launched Godrej aer smart matic – India’s first-ever mobile enabled fragrance diffuser. The newly launched smart home fragrance is Bluetooth-enabled and can be controlled with a mobile app on a smart phone – through both android and ios.
Godrej aer smart matic is a revolutionary product suited for smart homes. The mobile app allows the user to be in complete control of the device. It also comes with a never-heard-before ‘smart scheduler’ that enables the user to adjust spraying schedules by minutes, hours, days or even weeks. The mobile app will also notify users about a low refill for timely replacements as well as give battery life indication to ensure uninterrupted fragrance at home.
This battery-operated smart home fragrance is sleek, and can be mounted on a wall or placed on a shelf in the living space (at least 3 meters from the ground). The all-new Godrej aer smart matic adds a touch of smart to your home décor and makes it smell amazing, anytime you want.
Speaking about the latest launch, Mr. Sunil Kataria CEO - India and SAARC, Godrej Consumer Products Limited, said, “At Godrej Consumer Products Limited it is our constant endeavour to bring the most user friendly and innovative products to our Indian consumers. Given the rapid pace of evolution in technology that has brought about the advent of smart homes, we wanted to create something that is innovative yet convenient to use. Godrej aer has always been a pioneer in the household fragrances sector and with the launch of Godrej aer smart matic, we are confident that this will be a game-changer in the industry. By incorporating intuitive features and integration with technology, Godrej aer smart matic promises to create a pleasant experience for consumers.”
Launched across platforms on Nov 26, 2019, Godrej aer smart matic is available in 2 premium fragrances – Alive and Passion. There’s a fragrance you can choose for every occasion and every mood. Every refill can give you up to 2,200 sprays. Priced at Rs. 799, the Godrej aer smart matic can be purchased online from: https://www.godrejaer.com/


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26 Aug 2019 in GuitarJoe Bonamassa has just revealed a transparent Fender Twin amp on his Instagram page. It looks stunning and might be based on one of his signature Twin amps. Here's what we know so far.
94 Results for "Limited Edition"
22 Aug 2019 in GuitarEarthQuaker Devices and Sunn O))) have just announced a reissue of the Life Pedal in gold. Only 500 pieces are being produced worldwide, with all the drone tones of the original intact!
14 Aug 2019 in GuitarThe latest Fender Rarities Series release is the Quilt Maple Top Stratocaster. And it's, well, got quite a unique aesthetic. Put it this way: If you like gold and quilt maple, you'll love this one...
13 Aug 2019 in GuitarFender dealers are now starting to receive a new limited run of models with solid rosewood necks. Available in classic '50s & '60s colours these new guitars won't hang around long
09 Aug 2019 in GuitarThe ESP Custom Shop in Japan has created a radioactive tribute to the ultimate monster icon of film and TV to celebrate 65 years of the Godzilla franchise. It comes with a monster price tag, too...
22 Jul 2019 in GuitarGamechanger Audio has teamed up with Jack White's Third Man Records to release a new signature Plasma Coil fuzz pedal that adds in a handy octaver circuit for fattening up your fuzz even more.
12 Jul 2019 in GuitarDeath By Audio cooks their Evil Filter down to its essentials, packing those sounds into a limited edition version with a smaller case. And then they call it the Evil Fuzz. Want one? Be fast.
03 Jul 2019 in GuitarThe new Catalinbread Limited-Edition Dirty Little Secret Red Mod pedal is limited to 100 units worldwide and gives you even more Plexi tone options compared to the standard edition.
01 Jul 2019 in GuitarNeunaber is celebrating its 10-year anniversary. You can now order a limited-edition version of their ever popular Immerse Mk II reverb pedal with retro style graphics. But is it any different?
27 Apr 2019 in GuitarPRS has launched some new SE Custom 24 Limited Editions with Roasted Maple necks exclusively on the European market - and they look pretty damn hot.
21 Mar 2019 in GuitarHalestorm frontwoman and guitarist Lzzy Hale gets a cool Alpine White signature Epiphone Explorer model for 2019 that looks like it will rock hard and take no prisoners!
22 Jan 2019 in GuitarEpiphone is teasing the new limited edition signature Jared James Nichols 'Old Glory' Les Paul Custom and it looks like a stripped back P90 loaded tone monster of a guitar.
16 Jan 2019 in GuitarBest of both worlds? Vox is issuing two new limited edition AC15 combo amplifiers with G12C Warehouse speakers to give these archetypal British amps an American twang.
05 Jan 2019 in GuitarKeeley unleashes 300 limited edition pedals with 'prototype' no-frills aesthetics: The X series encompasses 10 models, all limited to a 30-unit release worldwide.


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What would the future look like if we do not address our environmental issues?
Experimental fashion designer Kelvin Morales showcased future environmental dystopia in his debut collection in Tokyo, Japan.
Inspired by the genetical deformations caused by toxic chemical exposure, Morales, known for his fascination with peculiar concepts and exploratory design processes, translated the threats of the current environmental issues into futuristic tailoring and semi-rugged ensembles.
Dubbed as Hazard Blue, the 45-piece series features modern barong Tagalog, denim jackets, hand-dyed jeans, and pleated water-repellent top and pants with handmade patchworks, prints, and his signature embroideries to symbolize and depict the mush waters and floating plastic bags and crushed bottles.
“My collections are always connected with human and evolution,” he shared, “and I want to remind the people that our future is going to be a dystopia if we continue being careless in our actions.”
Morales, who formally honed his skills under the Fashion Design and Merchandising Program of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, utilized the endless possibilities of fabric manipulation and took advantage of old and new technologies such as tie-dye and digital printing.
“I focused on developing a textile design that will bring awareness and translate the urgency of the current crisis,” he said. “I just want to bring light to the toxic waste and pollution, and I want us to be more conscious of our choices and really think about our future five, 10, 50 years from now.”
Hazard Blue is Morales’ culminating collection as one of the eight Filipino labels in the #PHxTokyo showroom incubation program of the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM).
Together with other participating designers, he underwent group and one-on-one mentorship sessions with fashion consultant Tetta Ortiz-Matera and Japan-based showroom H3O Fashion Bureau’s Jason Lee Coates and Hirohito Suzuki to assist him in curating and introducing his brand in the fashion capital of Asia.
“The program shows how Filipino artistry and creativity can be brought internationally,” he beamed. “The lockdowns made it really hard to produce a collection, from sourcing to production process, but we are lucky enough that we were chosen to showcase our brands and our works in Tokyo because the Japanese market is hard to penetrate.”
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Early March we reported that Google Tests Additional Sitewide Searchbox Within SERPs. Yes, for certain queries, Google will show a site search box, likely so they can increase search volume for the engine but say that they can help the searcher. In any event, since then I have been watching to find reports on what a search box like this would do to one's traffic.
One report via a WebmasterWorld thread reports that his traffic doubled due to the addition of the search box under his search listing in Google. Here are the exact words from the webmaster (see post #3592869):
They did one for my site. Works with a search for my domain. Traffic doubled overnight.
The thread is also analyzing how many pages a site has to have to be granted the site search box in the search results. There are sites found with less than 10,000 indexed pages with the site search box, according to the thread. But not everyone wants the site search box. Amazon.com for one doesn't. As you can see, when Google launched it, we took a screen capture of Amazon having the site search box, but now it is gone, because they asked Google to pull it.
If it increases traffic, then maybe it is worth keeping. Maybe Amazon thought that it would reduce traffic to their site, because the searcher would stay on Google one step longer and have less of a chance clicking over. Who knows?
I'll keep watching the space for signs of how this search box impacts webmasters.
Forum discussion at WebmasterWorld.


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Microsoft wants to offer Xbox gaming on TVs without the console
No console? No problem. Microsoft Corp. said its Xbox gaming unit is working on new hardware and deals with TV makers that will let people play games and experience the Xbox without needing to buy a gaming machine.
The idea would be to embed the Xbox experience directly into an Internet-connected TV with nothing else needed except for a video game controller, Microsoft said. Meanwhile Xbox is also building streaming devices to enable cloud gaming services on any TV or monitor. Microsoft’s latest Xbox consoles, released last fall, remain in short supply amid a chip shortage that’s constraining industries from tech to autos and Microsoft has said it expects to continue to feel the squeeze in the coming months.
“Cloud gaming is truly a breakthrough experience,” said Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella in a video released by Microsoft Thursday. “It’s a really fast, easy way to get into gaming.” Microsoft declined to provide more details on the hardware or the planned partnerships.
As the company tries to smooth and boost revenue flow by getting more customers on to video-game subscriptions that offer access to hundreds of titles and cloud gaming, Microsoft said subscribers to these services are buying even more content besides their monthly fee. In August, Xbox Vice President Sarah Bond said subscribers to Xbox’s Game Pass service spend 20% more on extra games and downloadable content. Now that number is up to 50%, Microsoft said in a briefing and blog posts shared with reporters ahead of next week’s E3 video-game show.
In an interview, Bond said the increase is probably due to improved quality of the offering and customers getting more familiar with it.
“If you look at the evolution of the catalogue over time, the quality of the games, the sophistication of the games, the percentage of games that have a really well-built, in-game monetization mechanic, people’s understanding of the catalogue and the benefit that comes with Game Pass, I think all that’s been advancing and contributes,” she said.
—With assistance from Nate Lanxon.
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Technology company Digby has partnered with American furniture brand Heller to launch a tool for establishing the authenticity of physical design products using the blockchain.
Named Digby Design Authenticator (DDA), the system allows designers and brands to link each of their products to a non-fungible token (NFT), which effectively acts as a digital certificate of authenticity.
Recorded on a blockchain, this provides an unchangeable, decentralised log of the product’s origin and ownership to prevent counterfeits.
The first product to use DDA is Heller’s Vignelli Rocker, a plastic rocking chair designed by husband-and-wife duo Lella and Massimo Vignelli in 2014.
Heller links blockchain authentication to recycling programme
Beyond proving the chair’s authenticity and making its history fully traceable, Heller hopes the tool will also strengthen its recycling programme by helping the brand to keep track of its products.
“The company has created a full-circle program that breeds both longevity and active reuse,” said Heller president and CEO John Edelman. “To this end, Heller will take back any of its products – and even pay for shipping – at any time during its lifecycle.”
“The Digby Design Authenticator is the ideal product to complement our process by allowing us to create an irrefutable bridge on the blockchain between us and our customers,” Edelman continued.
This effort will be aided by NFT-backed loyalty programmes and opportunities for digital interaction to maintain the relationship between the brand and the customer.
Authenticator works by tying product to digital token
NFTs first rose to popularity at the start of 2021 as a way of allowing digital assets such as jpegs, gifs and videos to be bought and sold.
Their underlying blockchain systems are widely hailed as a reliable means of authentification because they are decentralised and unchangeable, whereas centralised certificate authorities can be susceptible to hacking and fraud.
With the DDA, Digby now hopes to use this system to authenticate physical products such as designer furnishings, homeware and lighting.
The tool works by linking an NFT to a unique identifier embedded in each product such as a chip or a serial number.
At the time of the object’s digital registration, the NFT will be “minted” on the blockchain as a unique digital asset, after which it can be bought, sold or traded.
At this point, a verification certificate will be emailed to the customer – which they can add to a digital wallet, save as a digital file or print – and the manufacturer will also receive a record of the creation of the NFT through a backend system.
Read more: dezeen.com
Photo: Heller – The Vignelli Rocker


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Jet’s Pizza was started in 1978 by Eugene and John Jetts. Jet’s Pizza prides itself on using the best ingredients available, from the highest quality tomatoes for their sauce, to premium mozzarella cheese. Their dough is made fresh daily at all Jet’s Pizza locations. From their famous 8-Corner Pizza™, to Deli Boats, subs and hot slices available daily, Jet’s Pizza is the place to get a satisfying meal for lunch or dinner. Now celebrating 32 years, Jet’s Pizza is proud to be a Michigan company! Learn more at jetspizza.com .
More It's Michigan Made
Abundant rain and snowfall have given the Great Lakes a boost this year, but it's too early to declare an end to slumping water levels that have plagued the inland seas since the late 1990s and made life miserable for cargo shippers and marina operators, federal scientists said Wednesday.
Michigan is planning to start selling two license plates featuring the Pure Michigan tourism logo.
Denard Robinson threw two touchdown passes and ran for two scores, leading No. 25 Michigan in a 45-0 win over Illinois on Saturday.
We’re Michigan born. 25 years ago we started with a mission to serve this state. We’re Michigan based. Today, we’re proud to be the largest bank headquartered in Michigan. We’re Michigan focused. Over 3,000 employees and 100 branches, dedicated to proving Michigan still has a great, powerful, local bank it can rely on.
When Joe Vicari visited Tuscany with his family, he found in a small rural town a quaint, authentic Italian steakhouse. He savored the moment as well as the food. It was intimate. It was fantastic.


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- City Fajr Shuruq Duhr Asr Magrib Isha
- Dubai 05:45 07:02 12:31 15:32 17:55 19:13
Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) Google has agreed to invest up to $2 billion in the artificial intelligence company Anthropic, a spokesperson for the startup said on Friday.
The company has invested $500 million upfront into the OpenAI rival and agreed to add $1.5 billion more over time, the spokesperson said.
Google is already an investor in Anthropic, and the fresh investment would underscore a ramp-up in its efforts to better compete with Microsoft (MSFT.O), a major backer of ChatGPT creator OpenAI, as Big Tech companies race to infuse AI into their applications.
Amazon.com (AMZN.O) also said last month it would invest up to $4 billion in Anthropic to compete with growing cloud rivals on AI.
In Amazon's quarterly report to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission this week, the online retailer detailed it had invested in a $1.25 billion note from Anthropic that can convert to equity, while its ability to invest up to $2.75 billion in a second note expires in the first quarter of 2024.
Google declined to comment, and Amazon did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
The Wall Street Journal earlier reported the news of Google's latest agreement with Anthropic.
The rising number of investments shows ongoing maneuvering by cloud companies to secure ties with the AI startups that are reshaping their industry.
Anthropic, which was co-founded by former OpenAI executives and siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei, has shown efforts to secure the resources and deep-pocketed backers needed to compete with OpenAI and be leaders in the technology sector.
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Geneva International Motor Show, held in March last year, is one of the most spectacular and luxurious events of car lovers in the world. Only lucky guests with invitations can appear at the press conference. Here, they have the opportunity to see first-hand supercar La Voiture Noir of Bugatti – the most expensive car ever produced worth $ 15 million – from a distance of 0.5m.
Guests can also experience Ferrari’s Rolls-Royce Cullinan or Portofino and even admire Porsche’s new 911 convertible.
For decades, this show has been the most anticipated experience in the world, with the presence of many supercars and rare networking opportunities. In the evening, guests were invited to attend the launch of the all-electric Pininfarina Battista supercar worth US $ 2 million in the upscale hotel President Wilson.
Digital technology brings the luxury experience closer to the general public
By 2020, things have changed completely. The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic forced organizers to cancel a series of shows at the last minute. Car manufacturers such as Koenigsegg, Bentley and McLaren immediately got the bold idea: hosting the launch event via the livestream.
Now, instead of being an entry-level experience, the livestream platform has given millions of people around the world the opportunity to access this classy experience.
For many brands, this form is not only an opportunity for the audience to witness the moment when the supercar first appears. Instead, they introduced how the car works in reality, using technology to provide a visual look and more closely connect with the audience sitting in front of the screen. They have turned challenges into advantages.
Through digital form, the show has enhanced the experience of luxury. Instead of just reaching a group of customers in the high-end segment, the luxury experience has now been extended to the casual audience. It creates value for millions of people enjoying the show right in their own living room, as if they were sitting in the prestigious front row.