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Scientists classify new dinosaur in Australia
A team of scientists have said that they have classified an entirely new type of dinosaur fossil in Australia called, Kunbarrasaurusieversi.The fossil was actually discovered in 1989 but only now classified as its own special form.
The Kunbarrasaurusieversi is a bulky, armoured animal and is similar to the stegosaurs. The dinosaur went extinct during the Cretaceous period with most species. The fossils were discovered on Marathon Station, near Richmond, north-western Queensland. The fossil has a parrot-like beak and an inner-ear, which is similar to a turtle. It was well preserved, with bones still connected
These fossils are among the world's most complete examples of an ankylosaur, which has a bony skin shell and a dangerous looking tail. Even as the dinosaur appears to be lethal, it is entirely herbivorous.
Scientists said that they can analyse seeds and leaves from its meal eaten more than 65 million years ago. The dinosaur was earlier classified as minmi, which was found near Roma in 1964 and constructed from a much less complete fossil. However, after extensive analysis of the dinosaur's skull, a research team said that kunbarrasaurus was different enough for its own classification. The team was led by PhD student Lucy Leahey at the University of Queensland in Australia.
Leahey said, “The shape and the textures on the dermal armour is different, the hand from minmi is different to kunbarrasaurus and the vertebrae is different. Most of the bits are different. There are a couple of things that are similar but the majority are different.”
Technology major Microsoft Corporation has rebuffed Consumer Reports findings on its popular Surface range of tablets and laptops.
Tesla Motors has received tremendous response for its electric vehicles despite their high price tag.
As automobile giants and customers are turning their attention from conventional cars to electric cars, the lack of charging stations continues to discourage many.
While Tesla is yet to officially unveil its next-generation electric semi truck, a report in Reuters added a new turn to the already swirling rumors by claiming that the next-generation truck will have self-driving capabilities.
Famous toy company LEGO has announced the appointment of former Danish industrial manufacturer Danfoss’ chief Niels Christiansen as its new CEO.
Software giant Microsoft Corporation has announced that it fixed a couple of security holes/vulnerabilities affecting all supported versions of Windows operating system.


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ProgrammableWeb tracks the latest API news to keep you on top of the API economy
Searching: No Search Term , Filtered By Category: "Security"
Feedzai launched many enhancements to its Fraud API just a few months after its release. The enhancements resulted from direct feedback from its partners and developer community.
Social networking giant Facebook launched an API-based platform called ThreatExchange that lets companies share information about security threats.
A Canadian software developer has used Tinder's private API to create a "Tinderbot" to automate his online dating.
ShieldSquare has developed API access to its bot identification and remedy solution. Identified bots are denied access, given fake data or challenged through a CAPTCHA.

domain: news


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How about that March surge in U.S. light-vehicle sales? Well, it was even better than it looked.
That's because the 6 percent gain compared with March 2013 all came at the last minute and was all retail, which means these are satisfying times for most dealers.
Retail sales rose 7 percent to overcome a 1 percent decline in fleet volume. And after starting almost as cold as January and February, March's sales pace accelerated in the final two weeks to finish at a seasonally adjusted annual selling rate of 16.4 million, the second highest monthly SAAR since 2007.
Analyst Richard Kwas of Wells Fargo sees potential for SAARs of 17 million or higher in April, May and June.
"The industry needs to see continued momentum," he said. "But March represents a good start to the spring selling season."
Bill Fay, general manager of Toyota Division, said he expects April to build on the momentum of the last two weeks of March.
"We're looking to capture delayed purchases from the last couple of months," he said.
A lot was riding on the March outcome. U.S. light-vehicle sales were off 1 percent the first two months after unusually harsh weather. The slow start raised concerns about excess stock and whether the recovery itself was faltering after four years of growth.
But March's 1.5 million units pulled the year to date into positive territory, driving the first-quarter SAAR to 15.7 million, higher than 2013's 15.6 million actual sales.
Factory incentives rose 8 percent to $2,773 per vehicle in March, but average transaction prices increased by $380 to $30,986, said Larry Dominique, executive vice president of TrueCar.com.
"Transaction prices are rising, so dealers are still maintaining their margins despite the higher volume," he said. "That's a good balance."
Analyst Alec Gutierrez of Kelley Blue Book believes the higher March incentives were a reasonable short-term response to work off the weather-related bulge in inventories.
Automakers had a 76-day supply of unsold vehicles March 1, about 10 percent higher than industry average for that date.
"There is a risk of pricing pressure in mid-sized cars" and other competitive segments the rest of the year, Gutierrez said.
But after March, he is more comfortable about the industry reaching Kelley Blue Book's full-year forecast of 16.3 million. In mid-March, Kelley was considering a downward revision if sales didn't pick up.
Similarly, March restored Dominique's confidence in TrueCar's 16.1 million forecast for the full year. "But I'm concerned about what kind of incentives it would take for the industry to get much more than that above 16 million."
Any 2014 sales growth must come on the retail side. Daily rental fleet buyers are keeping vehicles longer and strategically reducing replacement purchases.
Even including commercial and government segments, first-quarter fleet sales fell 6 percent to 640,789 units, according to industry sources. That's just 17.1 percent of total volume.
The Hyundai brand was the only one among the six players that control 95 percent of U.S. fleet activity not to reduce its reliance on fleet. Its fleet sales jumped 24 percent in the first quarter, partially offsetting an 8 percent retail loss.
By contrast, the Detroit 3, Toyota Motor Sales and Nissan North America all reduced fleet as a percentage of their sales mix in the first quarter.
Not everybody shared in March's surge. Among the eight largest-selling automakers, only two outperformed the market. Chrysler Group jumped 13 percent overall, riding best-ever sales months from Jeep and Fiat brands. Nissan North America rose 8 percent as the Nissan brand posted a record U.S. sales month.
American Honda lost sales in March, slipping 2 percent. That was enough for Nissan to move past it to take the No. 5 sales ranking for the month.
Five others increased sales, but less than the overall market. Toyota Motor Sales rose 5 percent; General Motors and Hyundai-Kia Automotive were up 4 percent; and Ford Motor, 3 percent.
Volkswagen Group of America gained 1 percent overall as strong performances at Audi and Porsche offset a 3 percent decline for the VW brand.
But GM sales boss Kurt McNeil was upbeat.
"GM's retail sales, like the weather and the economy, have been on an improving trend since early February," he said. "We expect to see solid economic growth in the months ahead."
Mark Rechtin contributed to this report.


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Groupon––the go-to destination for local experiences––announced a new U.S. distribution arrangement with Google. Under the terms of the agreement and upon launch of the partnership in early 2022, Google Pay mobile app users will have convenient access––in the Google Pay app––to the thousands of unique local experiences and travel inventory available in the Groupon marketplace.
Marketing Technology News: Groupon Launches New, Personalized User Experience
“As a two-sided marketplace, Groupon provides both consumers and merchants with a unique value proposition. Consumers come to Groupon because we have one of the widest selections of local experiences at great values”
“At Groupon, we’re focused on becoming the destination for local experiences by connecting consumers to merchants. This new partnership with Google Pay will greatly expand our ability to help merchants reach new customers and make it easier for more consumers to tap into the thousands of experiences available in the Groupon marketplace,” said Aaron Cooper, Interim CEO, Groupon. “Over the past 18 months, we’ve made meaningful progress expanding our inventory and modernizing our marketplace by making it easier for merchants and customers to do more with Groupon. We’re so excited Google Pay users will now have a convenient way to access our marketplace.”
As part of Groupon’s strategy to grow share in its $1 trillion addressable market and to capture more of the 80-plus Grouponable moments happening every year, the company has focused on improving the merchant and customer value propositions. For merchants, Groupon has enhanced the ways they can interact with the Groupon marketplace by enabling them to add more of their full menu, extending their reach to new and existing customers and giving them the monetization levels they need to achieve healthy unit economics. For customers, Groupon has focused on giving them the value, selection and convenience they want and have come to expect from a modern marketplace by launching a new, personalized user experience in North America aimed at driving greater sell-through of its expanded inventory and removing restrictions from local experiences to encourage repeat purchases.
Marketing Technology News: Orbit Selects Adoreboard to Improve Digital Customer Experience
“As a two-sided marketplace, Groupon provides both consumers and merchants with a unique value proposition. Consumers come to Groupon because we have one of the widest selections of local experiences at great values,” said Simon Goodall, Chief Revenue Officer, Groupon. “And as one of the largest pay-for-performance advertising platforms for small businesses, we believe this new partnership will give merchants even greater distribution and help drive more customers through their doors.”
“By teaming up with Groupon, we’re able to help more small businesses make connections with consumers who are eager to get out and explore the world around them,” said Bharathi Ramavarjula, Head of Google Pay. “This partnership will make it easier than ever for Google Pay users to browse, click and purchase the fun and affordable experiences available in the Groupon marketplace.”
The Groupon and Google distribution partnership will go live in the first half of 2022.


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The NSA and British intelligence services are able to secretly access data from telecoms giant Deutsche Telekom and several others.
Iliad's bid arose as Japan's Softbank finalized talks with Deutsche Telekom to buy T-Mobile, offering roughly $40 a share.
But many institutional investors stayed on the sidelines ahead of a barrage of events this week, leaving domestic retail traders the main players of the day.
The decision, made at a Sprint board meeting Tuesday afternoon, is the second failed effort by large US wireless carriers to merge in three years.
Amazon said Monday it was selling its "Fire" 3D smartphone in Germany and Britain as it cut the price of the handset for US customers.
Two weeks ago, Nadella announced 18,000 job cuts at Microsoft, with most coming from the phone business it acquired from Nokia.
“If you compare cycling to other sponsorship properties, than cycling offers still a lot of value for money, particularly if you are a company with a strong focus on Europe because everyone has heard of the Tour.
Netflix will focus on ramping up in six new European markets , including France, before taking the video streaming service to additional countries.


text: Swiss Eidoo Startup has Crypto Card Developed with Visa ByAli RazaPRO INVESTOR Updated: 26 May 2020 Cryptocurrencies such as the ever-famous Bitcoin have a key issue when it comes to day-to-day spending. Primarily, the problem comes from the cryptocurrency’s volatility, which causes retailers to shy away from it due to the risk of losing incredible amounts of money. Eidoo, a crypto startup based in Switzerland, has a plan, however, and aims to bridge the gap between these emerging assets and traditional finance. Eidoo will do this through the introduction of a new form of Visa crypto debit card, one that leverages regulated stablecoins in order to facilitate conversion from crypto to fiat. Visa Approval Via Contis The card, aptly named the Eido Card, has been approved for operation by Visa, the global payment giant. The news itself was announced on the 25th of May, and Eidoo told the press that this new card would enable more than 40 million Visa merchants to accept crypto-derived fiat currencies. This includes the Euro (EUR), as well as the British Pound (GBP). Thomas Bertani, the CEO of Eidoo, stated that the latest approval from Visa stands as part of the Swiss firm’s Contis Partnership. Contis, in turn, stands as a principal member of Visa Europe and holds an e-money license from the UK. Bertani explained that Contis had the entire flow of card issuance and crypto-fiat conversion that involved regulated stablecoins from Moneyfold approved by Visa, which means Eidoo is supported by extent. Moneyfold stands as a financial services firm based in the UK and focuses on fiat-pegged stablecoins, primarily. Pegging Stablecoins To Fiats What this means is Eidoo Card managed to get its Visa approval through Contis acting as an issuer, which is similar to how other forms of crypto cards operate, such as Monolith. Moneyfold, in the meantime, is planning to unlock a higher degree of transparency and decentralization when it comes to the conversion process crypto-to-fiat. This is in regards to its stablecoins it issues, based on Ethereum, such as Moneyfold GBP and Moneyfold Euro. Bertani explained the process of how it works. He stated that people have a crypto token of some sort, which they sell for stablecoins through DEXes such as Uniswap. Then, they are capable of using that regulated stablecoin, using a 1:1 exchange rate on the crypto card when payment occurs. First Of Its Kind Nikola Tchouparov stands as the CEO and co-founder of Moneyfold. He emphasized the unique nature of Eidoo’s stablecoin-based crypto debit cards. He stated that this is the first time a backend of a crypto card has been done through the process of DEXes and stablecoins.


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MicroStrategy said Monday it plans to sell up to $400 million in a convertible senior notes offering that will likely fund yet more bitcoin allocations.
- The business intelligence company said in a press release it will "invest the net proceeds from the sale in bitcoin in accordance with its Treasury Reserve" after first making way for business expenses.
- Only "qualified institutional buyers" will be permitted to buy the interest-bearing notes, which mature in five years. MicroStrategy can convert the notes into cash, class A shares or a combination of the two starting in December 2023.
- Last week, Chief Executive Michael Saylor expanded MicroStrategy's bitcoin treasury reserve to 40,824 bitcoins.


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Retailer sues Wal-Mart over fashion designs
With a splashy fashion show and an advertising spread in September’s Vogue magazine, Wal-Mart lately is trumpeting its desire to be a contender for space in the closets of America’s style mavens.
But the company’s efforts to reposition itself as a purveyor of hip threads – ground it once ceded to rival Target – has attracted some negative attention, in the form of a lawsuit from the retail chain Anthropologie.
In a complaint filed last week in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Anthropologie and its parent company, Urban Outfitters, allege that Wal-Mart copied fabrics designed by Anthropologie.
Wal-Mart is reviewing the case.


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Here’s how your local state lawmakers voted on legislation last week:
House Bill 4542 — Collect state tax on out-of-state purchases: passed 36-0 in the Senate. To establish a regulatory regime for collecting state sales and use tax on purchases by residents from internet and catalog merchants in other states. This follows the 2018 U.S. Supreme Court opinion in South Dakota v. Wayfair that allows states to levy sales and use tax on out-of-state sellers who have more than $100,000 in sales or 200 transactions annually in a state, and creates a collection system that meet standards suggested by the court's ruling. House Bills 4540 and 4541 authorize and create rules for smaller retailers selling into the state through third-party “marketplace facilitators," which is the model used by Amazon.com.


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Both Audi and Mercedes-Benz showed updates to their lower-end vehicles at the 2012 Geneva auto show. Both the A3 and A-class compete with hatchback versatility and premium cabin technology.
Mercedes-Benz A-Class drivers will be able to use Siri's natural language voice commands to access approved iPhone features and applications.
Mercedes-Benz has never marketed its compact A-class car in the U.S., but it used the New York auto show to debut this new A-class concept. This move seems to indicate Mercedes-Benz's interest in bringing the next generation of its A-class to the U.S.
Mercedes will show a more sporty and aggressively styled A-Class concept at the New York International Auto Show later this month. The carmaker says it used wind, waves, and aviation engineering as the design inspiration for what will likely be the next generation A-Class.
The 2015 Mercedes-Benz C400 makes for a very comfortable and occasionally sporty drive, and advances the idea of a midsize luxury sedan, setting a new bar for the competition.
Mercedes-Benz fits a Tesla battery pack to its 2014 B-Class Electric Drive, creating a comfortable driver with limited range.
Qantas will soon offer select flyers the option of a Samsung Gear VR headset to help them escape the unending drudgery of first class travel.
While Dayton Audio's entry-level B452 bookshelf speaker's sound won't seduce too many audiophiles, it's remarkably satisfying for a speaker in its ultrabargain price class.
The Mi Note showcases Xiaomi's top-class potential to the world -- it's just a shame so few outside Asia will get to see it.
We hit the road in the 2015 Infiniti QX80, the automaker's largest vehicle and a strong competitor in the giant luxury SUV class.


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Toronto-based BitGold, pioneer of gold-based digital payments, gobbles up Jersey, British Channel Islands-based GoldMoney. GoldMoney has CAD 1.5 billion in assets under vault management.
Discover’s quarterly net income will likely exceed $600 million in the third quarter of this year, followed by the “kitchen sink” quarter. Forecaster RAM Research predicts Discover’s net income for the first quarter of 2016 will approach $700 million or up 14.8% YOY due to its strong U.S. marketing and international adjustments.
A basket of patents are for sale in regard to fraud prevention for online (or telephonic) purchases. The patents come from Searchlite Advances and will be offered as part of the Internet of Things IP Auction, with a bidding deadline of July 30th.
Bigcommerce goes big time with a partnership with Braintree and PayPal to offer an end-to-end ecommerce solution that makes it even easier to launch and grow an online store. As a result, Bigcommerce merchants will benefit from a ton of business-accelerating features.


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Geekzonia is another social VR platform that seems to have stalled in development. Calling itself “a virtual reality Comic Con for every kind of geek”, the platform was intended to be a place to celebrate and promote geek culture: science fiction, horror, fantasy, gaming, comics, science, esports, etc.
The founders of Geekzonia explain their platform and the project’s goals in this February 2017 YouTube promotional video:
Here’s a year-old sneak peek video of the platform:
I was able to download and try out the client software in an idle moment sometime last year, and I remember thinking at the time that it was a platform which still needed a lot of work.
The team behind Geekzonia attempted to crowdfund its development via an IndieGogo campaign which failed to reach its target. The events calendar on the Geekzonia website hasn’t been updated since September 2017, and the software download link no longer works. It looks like Geekzonia has closed up shop, seemingly a victim of the competitive social VR marketplace.
There’s still a lot of skepticism about blockchain. The technology still has hurdles to overcome in order to be truly useful in certain applications such as healthcare and the energy industry. But, as the MIT Technology Review reports, one recent blockchain startup, called Oasis Labs, is attracting a lot of attention and investment:
The cryptocurrency world is overflowing with big claims, but Song is a well-known computer science professor at UC Berkeley and a MacArthur fellow (as well as one of MIT Technology Review’s 35 Innovators Under 35 in 2009). And a number of big-name funders seem to think her company, Oasis Labs, is on to something. This week, the startup announced that it has raised $45 million in a private token presale to a group of high-profile cryptocurrency investors and Silicon Valley venture capitalists. It also became the first project to get backing from Andreessen Horowitz’s new $300 million crypto fund.
Song says Oasis Labs has developed new “privacy preserving” smart-contract technology that overcomes fundamental limitations of today’s most popular smart-contract platform, Ethereum. She and several colleagues described a major component of the system in a recently published research paper (PDF).
According to a July 9th, 2018 press release:
Oasis Labs today announced it has raised $45 million from a16zcrypto, Accel, Binance Labs, DCVC (Data Collective), Electric Capital, Foundation Capital, Gaorong, Metastable, Pantera, Polychain, and more. Founded by a team of academic and entrepreneurial leaders, Oasis Labs is designing a platform to overcome performance, security and privacy limitations that have hampered blockchain adoption to date. The company has garnered investment support from a wide spectrum of the blockchain ecosystem including venture capital, crypto funds and hardware manufacturers.
“Today’s internet is experiencing significant growing pains when it comes to providing effective security and privacy protections, which is only compounded by the rise of data-intensive services like AI,” said Jake Flomenberg, partner at Accel. “At the same time, however, the opportunity has never been greater to responsibly leverage data in the web’s next phase of products and innovation. Oasis Labs is forging a new path by giving people control over their data while delivering a high-performance blockchain platform that will reshape the future of the cloud.”
Given the problems that people like Adam Frisby have pointed out in trying to apply blockchain to virtual worlds, this is an interesting development in blockchain research. You can follow Oasis Labs via their website, or via Twitter, Reddit, Gitter, or Telegram.
An anonymous source told me about Dual Universe, which is an MMO/MMORPG which already has extensive in-world content creator tools. Dual Universe is by a company called NovaQuark:
Our goal is to create the first virtual online civilization, enabling millions of players to shape and share a universe of their own, together, at a scale never seen before.
A world with meaning, where everything you do has a permanent impact.
What we do is an old dream of Sci-Fi: create the first civilization online. Here millions of participants will be able to freely interact and build their lives and weave powerfully meaningful stories. If you are not afraid of trying to do the impossible, and are passionate about ambitious technology-driven projects, come join us.
My source tells me:
It’s in pre-alpha and I’m under a strict non disclosure agreement. But this is a link produced by the owners https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-47R9ZrcOg8 so it’s OK. The graphics are that good. It really does have building tools and NOT just for space ships, but buildings. It’s sort of a Second Life, but with a science fiction space underlying theme. It’s not divided up into separate experiences like many of the other newer virtual worlds.
Also look at the web site. https://www.dualthegame.com Which shows its not a complete flash in the pan since there is serious money involved.
Here’s the video:
If you pay 180 euros (US$209) for the Patron Pack, you can join the pre-alpha now. There are other, cheaper packs you can purchase for access to later versions of the alpha. The game has already attracted 6,850,878 € in funding, and over 30,000 eager users have already set up accounts.
You can follow the development of Dual Universe via their website, or via Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. It looks very interesting! The project reminds me of Worlds Adrift, which also has extensive in-world creation tools.


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CJ CheilJedang Corp. aims to achieve 3 trillion won in sales this year in the bio business. The bio industry has emerged as the company's main business of CJ as it accomplished sales of 2.27 trillion won last year. The company plans to invest more than 80 billion won, the highest amount in the bio business, this year to take its market-leading technology even one step further.
CJ announced that it will invest 80 billion won in bio research and development this year at R&D Talk event held at CJ Blossom Park in Suwon, Gyeonggi-do on March 27. The company’s strategy is to lead the expanding marketwiththe investment increased by more than 50% from 53 billion won last year.
CJ focuses on the green biotechnology, including amino acids for feed, for which the company owns the world’s top-level technology. As the chemical technology that has been leading the previous market is approaching a technical limitation, the companyplans to expand its market share with amino acid produced byan environment friendly fermentation method.
Following lysine and tryptophan, L-methionine also emerged as a green bio product. In the methionine market, in which most manufacturers produce through chemical methods, CJ activelyproducesnatural amino acid L-methionine after succeeding the mass production in Malaysia in 2015,.
CJ is expected the bio business to become its sixthglobal No. 1 company by developing groundbreaking products in the methionine market estimated to worth 5 trillion won.
In addition to amino acid technologies that have been leader of the global market with production bases established around the world including China and Southeast Asia, CJ plans to win over leading companies such as Evonik (Germany) and Ajinomoto (Japan) in the whole of the green biotechnology sector.


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NEW YORK — Cotelac, the Bohemian-inspired, Paris-based collection designed by Raphaëlle Cavalli, will unveil its second store here, a 1,000-square-foot unit at 983 Lexington Avenue and 71st Street, in time for Black Friday. Cotelac in 2010 opened its first New York store at 92 Greene Street in SoHo. With the latest store, the company will have five units in the U.S. Other locations are in Boston, Chicago and San Francisco.
The new Lexington Avenue store is too small to accomodate both sexes, so it’s devoted to women, with the signature Cotelac collection and a limited selection of Acote, a secondary line.
Catherine Groener, Cotelac’s U.S. director, said the store will do at least $1 million in the first year. “The brand is expanding into U.S. markets,” she said. “A store could open in the near future in Washington, D.C. Cotelac would do very well there. We’re also launching a U.S. Web site in February. Our goal is to grow in the U.S., while making sure we make the right moves.”
Groener called the Lexington Avenue location “a neighborhood store. While we do have repeat clients in SoHo, most of our business is done with tourists,” she said. “It’s excellent with regard to brand exposure. On Lexington Avenue, however, we’ll have an opportunity to develop relationships with our clients. Our goal is for each client to leave with the perfect outfit for her aesthetic and situational needs.” A Cotelac tricot coat is $506, a short-sleeved knit tunic, $250, and a ruffle-necked dress, $468. Acote’s oversized synthetic fur coat is $378 and a long-sleeve cotton dress with a subtle print, $211.
Cavalli, who studied textiles at the Beaux-Arts de Lyon, joined the Tehen label in the late Eighties, where she met future husband Pierre Pernod. After they married, he took over his family’s hosiery business and turned it into a studio where Cotelac was created. Throughout her career, Cavalli has supported young artists, musicians and photographers, a practice she’s continued in the U.S., importing some of the talent from Europe. “This can create a cultural barrier, which, at times, may be difficult to overcome,” Groen said, but added that Cavalli won’t give up on bringing New Yorkers a slice of her Parisian life.
@tradesy is turning the concept of a showroom upside down with its new space in Santa Monica. Here, the company plans to hold events, art exhibits and a showcase rare fashion pieces like this Louis Vuitton boxing set. Get all the details on Tradesy’s first showroom on WWD.com. #wwdnews
Spotted last night at the @erdem x @hm launch event: Kate Bosworth, Rashida Jones, Kirsten Dunst and Selma Blair. The party, which took place in LA, also marked the opening of their pop-up shop. “I was interested in creating a collection that wasn’t in any way disposable. It was about pieces you’d create and keep forever, things that have a permanence to it,” designer Erdem Moralioglu said. #wwdeye (📷: Katie Jones)
Renee Zellweger in yellow in 2001 and again in 2017. Chosen as one of the 12 @pantone Leading Spring Colors (and dubbed “Meadowlark”), it only makes sense that the bright hue stands the test of time and is making a resurgence this season, seen already on stars like @blakelively and @gigihadid. (📷: Donato Sardello & @rexfeatures) #wwdfashion #tbt
Dior’s 70th anniversary celebration continues with a new exhibition at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. “Christian Dior,” which is scheduled to run through March 18, takes a look at the founders tenure from 1947 to 1057 and feature 40 designs. Pictured here is an evening gown from the Ailée, fall 1948-49 haute couture collection. #wwdfashion (📷: Brian Boyle)
As one of the most recognizable models in the world, Christy Turlington Burns has an insider’s view of the fashion industry and the allegations of sexual harassment swirling around it. “I can say that harassment and mistreatment have always been widely known and tolerated in the industry. The industry is surrounded by predators who thrive on the constant rejection and loneliness so many of us have experiences at some point in our careers,” Turlington told WWD, along with her suggestions for how the modeling world should protect younger women and men. Read more on WWD.com. Link in bio. (📷: Tony Palmieri) #wwdnews
@asics America has tapped a new brand ambassador: famed DJ/record producer @steveaoki. This initiative is intended to set the tone for the new brand identity and philosophy and will include partnerships with influencers and in-store and off-line activations that will continue into next year. This is Asics’ most significant marketing effort in two decades, and is expected to attract younger consumers to the brand. #wwdfashion
24-year-old Jean Prounis is redefining the rules of jewelry. Formerly a studio assistant to Jemima Kirke and a design apprentice at Ghuran, she focuses on handcrafted subtleties and ancient goldsmithing techniques. “There was a really sterile feel in the environment and I wanted to have jewelry with character that shapes how you wear it everyday,” Prounis said. Each piece is hand made in New York, either by Prounis or three other jewelers in the district. #wwdfashion
“These collections continue to build on that vision, empowering differently abled adults to express themselves through fashion,” said @tommyhilfiger of his line of adaptive apparel, which launches today. The line consists of 37 men’s and 34 women’s styles based upon the pieces from the spring Tommy Hilfiger sportswear collection. #wwdnews


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We've heard a lot about the open, HTML5-focused strategy behind Mozilla's Firefox OS for mobile devices, but that will all be put to the test starting this week. The first two smartphones running Firefox OS — Keon and Peak, low-end developer models from Spanish startup company Geeksphone — are set to open for worldwide pre-order as early as tomorrow, possibly Wednesday, according to The Next Web. Pricing is still in flux, according to the report, but Keon should start at around 115 euros ($150 US) with tax included, and the Peak will debut at 180 Euros (about $234 US). Geeksphone is said to begin shipping globally by the end of the week. We've reached out to Mozilla and Geeksphone for more details and will update when we hear back.
Update: We've discovered a Geeksphone page announcing the sale of Keon for 91 euros plus tax ($118 US) and Peak for 149.50 euros plus tax (about $194 US). The page directs would-be buyers over to shop.geeksphone.com, which is temporarily down, presumably to be updated with listings for the new devices.
Update: Geeksphone cofounder Rodrigo Silva has confirmed to The Verge Keon and Peak will be available globally online at shop.geeksphone.com beginning tomorrow, Tuesday, April 23, for 91 euros and 149.50 euros (pre-tax) respectively. As for physical retail sales presence, the phones will only appear at the Geeksphone SAT in Madrid for now, but Silva said his company is in the process of " searching for a worldwide partners distributor."
This post was updated to correct the name of Geeksphone team member who provided the information.


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Updated from 9:23 a.m. EST
Boosted by surging PC sales, graphics-chip maker
posted sturdy results in the first quarter of fiscal year 2004, in line with its upwardly revised guidance. It said the quarter now under way would be stronger than usual.
At around 10:30 a.m. EST, the stock was up 49 cents, or 4.2%, to $12.14.
The company posted sales of $469.7 million, up 40% from last year's levels and above the Wall Street consensus estimate for $458 million.
ATI said record revenue was due in part to strong sales of notebook computers. ATI has a nearly 60% market share in notebooks.
Profit totaled $47.4 million, or 19 cents per share, a penny above expectations. Analysts were looking for EPS of 18 cents, in line with ATI'supwardly revised guidance for a range of 16 cents to 20 cents as of Nov. 17.
The latest profit report is well above net income of $7.3 million, or 3 cents per share, for the first quarter last year.
On the conference call, ATI said it's seen good penetration into the value and mainstream markets in desktop discrete processors, noted UBS analyst Martin Cecchetto. "We think that can continue to grow in 2004," he said. UBS hasn't recently done investment banking for ATI.
In another auspicious sign, ATI said it had considered raising its target range for gross margins, currently 32% to 35%. "They've been above that for the last two quarters," Cecchetto said.
In the fiscal first quarter, ATI's gross margin stood at 35.9% of sales, up 8.7 percentage points from the same period last year thanks to improved margins on desktop discrete, notebook integrated and consumer products.
ATI also said results for the second quarter would be "stronger than typical seasonality," based on the strength of its product line, increased channel penetration and an improving PC market.
ATI guided for sales of $430 million to $470 million, above Wall Street expectations of $427 million. It said gross margin should be in the upperhalf of its target range of 32% to 35%.
ATI didn't give EPS guidance, but analysts were expecting 14 cents leading up to the call.
Last week shares of ATI were added to the Nasdaq 100 index.


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Topaz stores are also open on non-trading Sundays. They are allowed to do this with one of the exceptions provided by the Law.
Today marks six years since the Law banning Sunday trading came into force. Since the introduction of the rules, individual retail chains have been looking for a way to conduct business on the last day of the week. This is exactly the path that Topaz found.
Topaz rents equipment
According to newshandlowe.pl, Topaz has placed equipment in some of its more than 120 stores that is more associated with a gym than a grocery store. The facilities included, among other things, treadmills, trampolines and exercise benches. – Please do not use sports equipment at the stand. Sports equipment can only be rented. – this message can be read by customers of one of the retail outlets.
The possibility of renting sports equipment will allow Topaz to operate on non-trading Sundays. One of the exceptions included in the Law prohibiting Sunday trading states that trading is possible “in commercial establishments, in establishments conducting business activities in the fields of culture, sports, education, tourism and recreation.” Equipment rental is not everything. Topaz organized an educational campaign encouraging customers to take care of their health (the posters contain slogans such as “Live actively, move” or “Be in shape, take care of your health!”), and the new version of the chain’s mobile application is equipped with a pedometer. Customers who are active in this area will receive additional coupons for their purchases.
Wiadomoscihandlowe.pl reminds that Topaz is not the first retail chain to resort to the trick of renting equipment. Two years ago, the Intermarche store in Cieszyn decided to take a similar step.
Will there be changes to the Trade Prohibition Law?
Will others follow in their footsteps? It may turn out that this is no longer necessary. According to MondayNews, the Civic Coalition intends to lift the ban on Sunday trading, while giving employees two days off per month and double pay for working on weekends. This was one of the election promises of the main coalition party. The remaining coalition partners are wary of this proposal (“Left Wing”) or have other ideas for change on this issue (“Third Way”).
The next trading Sunday will be March 24, which is a week before Easter.
I am George Brown, author at Daily News Hack. I mostly cover economy news and I have been doing this for quite some time now. I have a lot of experience in this field and I’m always looking for new opportunities to learn more.


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Today, Nintendo released a new trailer for the latest and final character addition to ARMS, Dr. Coyle, as part of the 5.0 update.
Dr. Coyle packs a punch with three new Arm sets: Lokjaw, Parabola, and Brrchuk. When Dr. Coyle’s arm is charged up, another arm appears at random to aid in an onslaught of punches. Holding a shield for long enough will also cause her to become invisible.
Lokjaw is a heavyweight explosive type arm that can hit opponents up to three times. Parabola is an electric parasol with a medium weight, while Brrchuk is essentially an ice form of the Funchuk.
In addition to the final major character and three new arms, a brand new stage has been added called [NAME REDACTED]. There’s also a new surprise if fighters are able to make their way through either Lvl 6 or Lvl 7 of Grand Prix mode.
ARMS 5.0 is available now. Sadly, there aren’t anymore major updates planned for the game, but balancing updates should still become available, similar to how Super Smash Bros. for WiiU and 3DS handled updates after Bayonetta’s release.


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Finally, after a year of negotiations, Presidents Trump and Xi have at least worked out the easy stuff on the Sino-U.S. tariff war, as China has agreed to buy more American goods and allow foreign companies more access to its domestic market. Both countries have agreed to extend the deadline to solve the tougher structural issues like forced intellectual property (IP) transfer and enforcement, currency manipulation, and the artificial propping-up of state-owned enterprises.
Unfortunately, these are the big issues that companies in the ceramic industry worry about. Questions remain, including: “Should we still invest in China? Will we finally have IP protection in China? Will our China product and equipment costs go up?”


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The Maldives has won the title of ‘World’s Leading Destination’ at the prestigious World Travel Awards. This is the first time the archipelago won the title over the past 16 years.
The ceremony, often described as the ‘Oscar Awards' of the tourism industry was held virtually on Friday night. Maldives won the award by competing against 22 other countries, including Greece, India and Mauritius.
Tourism Minister, Dr. Ahmed Mausoom said the Maldives was able to attain the award as a result of the government’s well-established policies, and efforts to continue marketing the country during a challenging time.
In addition to the ‘World Leading Destination’ title, over 50 resorts were nominated for titles under 13 different categories. Out of these, seven Maldivian resorts, companies and hotels won the awards. They are:
World’s Leading New Restaurant 2020: Emerald Maldives Resort and Spa
World’s Leading Luxury Island Resort 2020: The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort
World’s Leading Luxury Island Villas 2020: Baros Maldives
World’s Leading Honeymoon Resort 2020: JA Manafaru
World’s Leading Water Villa Resort 2020: Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Kuda Huraa
World’s Leading Seaplane Operator 2020: Trans Maldivian Airways
World’s Leading Airport Resort 2020: Hulhule’ Island Hotel
The Maldives also won four titles in the Indian Oean category. They are:
Leading Beach Destination
Leading Cruise Destination
Leading Dive Destination
Leading Indian Ocean Destination
This is the 13th year that the Maldives has won Indian Ocean’s Leading Destination Award.


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Martin SFP BryantFounder
Martin SFP Bryant is the founder of UK startup newsletter PreSeed Now and technology and media consultancy Big Revolution. He was previously Martin SFP Bryant is the founder of UK startup newsletter PreSeed Now and technology and media consultancy Big Revolution. He was previously Editor-in-Chief at TNW.
Waze, the “social driving” service that allows road users to share traffic conditions automatically in real time, is to start feeding traffic news to media organisations via a new feature called Custom Groups.
The Israeli startup is teaming up with media brands to create Custom Groups that allow users to relay traffic conditions to traffic news reporters. The first two outlets to sign up are TV station NBC2 in Florida and newspaper The Statesman in Austin, Texas.
The Statesman already has its group up and running, with over one hundred members of the public sharing the traffic conditions on their journeys with the newspaper. Meanwhile, NBC2 is set to launch within the next few weeks.
The benefit of branded groups is clear – media outlets get real-time data about road conditions, users require no additional effort to share the information and Waze itself gets some useful new partners to help promote its product.
Waze, meanwhile is celebrating reaching 1.5 million users and has shared some infographics showing its currentdistribution by country, along with growth curve this year.
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Seven signs of the retail health revolution
In June, Drug Store News and Mack Elevation Forum co-hosted an exclusive one-day Retail Health Summit in Bentonville, Ark. Here are my seven takeaways:
- Health care is a journey: The rise of consumerism is driving health care to a patient-centered, omnichannel model — 80% of patients begin their healthcare journey online. Meet customers where they are, mapping patient journeys and creating relevant touchpoints and personalized solutions on their personal journey.
- Food, exercise is the new medicine: The Fruit and Vegetable Prescription Program enables physicians to write “prescriptions” for fruits and vegetables for low-income, at-risk consumers that can be redeemed at participating retailers and local farmers’ markets. Tulane University’s School of Medicine created the Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine — the first of its kind. Goldring is licensing its culinary nutrition curriculum to 25 other medical schools. And, Exercise is Medicine, an initiative of the American College of Sports Medicine, is working to create fitness prescriptions. An EIM program in Vermont is providing doctors with prescriptions for outdoor exercise — redeemable for a free day pass at all state parks.
- Loneliness is the new smoking: According to AARP, 1-in-4 people over the age of 45 is chronically lonely. Loneliness can lead to serious medical problems. More than half of people with chronic conditions also suffer from loneliness, including patients diagnosed with obesity (43%), sleep disorders (45%), chronic pain (47%) and anxiety (56%). Patients with a strong “sense of purpose”had 17% fewer hospitalizations.
- Prevention is the new sustainability: Consumers expect brands to help keep them healthy, according to research from Edelman. The post-2008, recession-addled consumer expects all companies, from healthcare providers (90%) to food and beverage makers (89%), brewing companies and spirit makers (82%) and even banks (77%) to engage them in their health care. In fact, health is one area where consumers are willing to pay a little more — 55% said they would pay up to 10% more for a healthier version of a product.
- Retail is the center of new healthcare ecosystem: Eighty-two percent of consumers expect retailers to engage them in health, according to Edelman. The store can make a connection to the consumer, drive loyalty and create “connective tissue” that goes beyond blips and bytes.
- Home is the new long-term care solution: The number of Americans living in multigenerational homes has more than doubled since 1980 to 60 million people, according to the Pew Research Center. One-third of adults expect to eventually share their home with an elderly parent, according to home builder PolteGroup. According to AARP, more than 40 million Americans provide unpaid care for an adult. Nearly half of all caregivers care for someone over the age of 75 — and 1-in-10 is over the age of 75. Technology could — and should — play a role here. But while 71% of caregivers are interested in using technology to support their caregiving tasks, only 7% are using available technologies.
- Balancing humanity and technology: Clearly, retail has the opportunity to take on a greater role as the care coach for the community. Technology will help light the way toward solutions, but there is no denying the importance of the human touch. The future of healthcare data will be highly personalized, synthesized and easy to monitor and consume.
Rob Eder is the associate publisher/editor in chief of Drug Store News.
CVS Health’s Project Health to deliver $8 million in free health services in 2016
WOONSOCKET, R.I. – CVS Health on Wednesday announced the rollout of Project Health, its annual free health services campaign, at select CVS Pharmacy locations in 10 multicultural communities across the country. Beginning Thursday, Sept. 8 and running through Dec. 18, nearly $8 million worth of free health services will be delivered at more than 500 Project Health events.
Since 2006, Project Health has delivered more than $112 million worth of free health care services to nearly 872,000 people, many of whom are uninsured or underinsured.
"Despite the increased number of Americans who have become insured over the past five years, there are still barriers to quality care, such as cost and access, for many patients," stated Troyen Brennan, chief medical officer CVS Health. "Project Health is part of CVS Health's commitment to improving access to quality care by identifying health concerns and risk factors for participants who may not have otherwise sought preventative care."
Project Health offers an array of free comprehensive health risk assessments, including blood pressure, Body Mass Index, glucose and total cholesterol screenings. Once screened, CVS Pharmacy helps patients through on-site consultations with bilingual (English/Spanish) nurse practitioners or physician assistants who will analyze results and refer patients who require additional medical attention to no-cost or low-cost medical facilities nearby or to their primary care physician. CVS pharmacists are also available to conduct one-on-one medication reviews and answer any questions patients may have.
"The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services applauds CVS Health on their Project Health initiative," said Kevin Counihan, director and Marketplace CEO at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. "We thank them for their continued commitment to providing free health screenings and educational materials ensuring better health for many Americans."
Over the past 10 years, high rates of certain treatable conditions among Project Health participants have been identified, including:
- 53% were found to be overweight or obese;
- 38% had abnormal blood pressure readings;
- 26% had abnormal glucose readings; and
- 37% were found to have abnormal cholesterol levels.
Project Health events, held in markets with large multicultural populations, are open to all consumers regardless of race, gender or insurance status and do not require an appointment. Current locations include Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. Project Health events are also being held at select CVS Pharmacy stores in Puerto Rico through November on Saturdays and Sundays.
Wearable panic button React Sidekick reaches retail
SEATTLE - React Mobile on Wednesday announced a retail distribution agreement with Walgreens that puts its React Sidekick, a wearable panic button that turns any smartphone into a powerful lifeline, on store shelves at select locations in the Midwest United States.
"Our rollout of the React Sidekick at Walgreens is just in time for the back-to-school season when child and student safety is top-of-mind with families and school administrators," stated Robb Monkman, CEO React Mobile. "Walgreens shoppers are among the first to have access to the React Sidekick in a retail store location, where it¹s easy to see how simple and convenient this personal safety device can be to wear or carry making personal safety accessible at the touch of a button."
The React Sidekick, which can be worn on a clip or keychain, pairs with the free React Mobile safety app via LE Bluetooth. With a single click of the Sidekick, users can activate the app and issue an SOS alert for immediate emergency assistance, even when their phone screen is locked or their phone is out of reach.
The React Mobile safety app¹s "Follow-Me" feature shares the user's location with friends, family, administrators or colleagues, enabling them to track the user¹s whereabouts in real-time and follow him or her to safety. Users can also choose to automatically post their alerts to Facebook and Twitter.
The React Sidekick retails for $69 and is also available at other online retailers, including Target.com, Amazon.com, Walmart.com,Kmart.com, Sears.com and at ReactMobile.com.


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Queclink Response to CORONAVIRUS Disease (COVID-19)
Since COVID-19 broke out, Queclink has acted swiftly to respond. With orderly resumption of work and production, we have been guaranteeing quality products delivery to our customers, and closely monitoring the public health challenges linked to the pandemic.
29th of January: we set up an emergency response team
Quick to develop a response plan and guide a series of protective actions, our response team has taken and will continue to take all appropriate prevention and control measure to ensure health security of all our employees.
To help resume work and production for the next stage, our response team has been working cross departments for the continual operation of all domestic R&D centers and overseas offices.
7th of February: we resumed work
To avoid physical contact with others, Queclink resumed work via working from home in early February. Both domestic and overseas employees were provided masks and other protective gear every day.
Due to China’s effective control of COVID-19, we implemented employees working hours in mid-February and over 90% employees gradually resumed usual working schedules. Now in domestic office, employees work regularly and stay connected with our customers to provide reliable and trustworthy service.
17th of February: we resumed production in factories and products delivery
To deliver high-quality products to our customers as always, Queclink has implemented a series of actions to guarantee the safe manufacturing conditions and procedures in our factories, including:
- Daily disinfection practices to ensure clean and sanitized warehouse and factory
- Rigid factory control including temperature checks before entry
- Workers must wear masks and gloves, keep safe distance and regularly clean equipment on production lines and in packaging procedure
From end of February until now: we fully resumed work and production
As one of few to fulfill orderly resumption of work, our production and business operation has been steady. By the end of February, our factories and production lines has completed full resumption of work and production and the products delivery has been back to normal.
The domestic and overseas shipping channels are restored and the order delivery is in an orderly manner. New product R&D projects are undergoing smoothly.
Impacted by the pandemic, the supply of raw materials has been in short, this year, but the purchasing department of Queclink has been working closely with those suppliers and achieved the coordination of long-term materials.
Queclink will continue to ensure a safe and healthy working environment, taking care of our people’s health security and delivering high-quality products to customers on time. Customers can always rely on our excellent products and services.


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In an earlier statement, Motorola has said that it will layoff 1,500 employees during the fourth quarter of 2008. With this change, the number is now up to 1,900, but the overall total number of layoffs will remain unchanged at 3,000. It appears the company had to do it earlier than expected to save $800 million in 2009.
Motorola’s mobile devices segment will be the one taking the biggest damage from this round of layoffs. But all of its other business segments will be affected by these ongoing plans as well.
If you liked the post, you might find these interesting too:
- Motorola Mobility’s employees in China protest against layoffs
- Motorola to ditch Symbian, bet on Android and outsource WinMo phone production
- ZTE insists it will sell 35 million smartphones this year, wants to be the No.3 phone maker by 2015
- Motorola might say goodbye to Windows Mobile and 50% of its handset division’s employees
- Nokia to cut more than 600 jobs worldwide?


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You are here
South Korea Jan exports seen rising for third month, inflation to pick up: poll
[SEOUL] South Korea's exports in January were expected to rise for a third straight month, a Reuters poll showed on Tuesday, on base effects and as global commodity prices continued to rise.
A survey of analysts showed exports in January were expected to jump 8.7 per cent from a year ago, compared to 6.4 per cent growth in December. Imports are seen to have risen 8.5 per cent on-year, versus an 8 per cent rise in December.
"Strong demand in semiconductors, oil price rises and base effect will continue to support Korea's export growth at least a few more months even though there is a concern over the protectionism of 'Trumponomics' and geopolitical tension with China," said Kathleen Oh, an economist at Standard Chartered Bank in Seoul.
Ms Oh said exports would have done even better had it not been for the Lunar New Year holiday falling in late January this year instead of February as it did in 2016, to result in one less working day.
Semiconductors have bolstered South Korean exports since last year as the global memory chip industry is heading into what has been dubbed an ultra-super-cycle due to supply bottlenecks amid soaring demand for data storage.
Chipmakers and analysts predict the rally in semiconductor prices will continue this year.
South Korean exporters, however, face potential hurdles from protectionist measures by US President Donald Trump.
There may also be retaliation from China if Beijing takes action against the deployment of a US anti-missile system in South Korea slated for later this year.
China is worried that that the system's powerful radar can penetrate its territory but South Korea and the United States say the system is only intended to counter the missile threat from North Korea.
The Reuters poll also showed January inflation was seen picking up to 1.5 per cent from 1.3 per cent in December because of higher fresh food prices from a bird flu outbreak and public utility price hikes.
December factory output was forecast to have edged up by 0.3 per cent on-month, slowing from a 3.4 per cent rise in November from base effects.
Trade and output data will be published on Feb 1 while inflation data will be released on Feb 2.


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L’Oréal Canada has announced the five finalists of its corporate accelerator program, part of the company’s new Open Innovation Program.
The program was created in collaboration with the OSMO Foundation, which acted as L’Oréal’s startup ecosystem partner, with the five finalists having been chosen following a two-month long scouting mission.
The startups are Blutag AI, Live Scale, Faimdata, Vantage Ai, and Youneeq AI, which were chosen from a range of 41 applications who pitched their ‘innovative technological solutions that could be implemented during the accelerator program.’
Frank Kollmar, President & CEO of L’Oréal Canada, said, “Digital technology brings a major shift to the world of beauty, offering us new opportunities to innovate and interact with our consumers. L’Oréal leverages technology and digital to shape tomorrow’s “limitless beauty” for all. “We profoundly believe in ‘open innovation’. By combining our innovation potential with those of start-ups, we will co-create the future of beauty.”
Valérie Forget, Program Director of the OSMO Foundation, continued, “The startups will also receive support from OSMO to develop a business proposal and to create a scaling plan for a potential larger implementation throughout the L’Oréal brands. Our goal is to facilitate and accelerate the L’Oréal-startups collaboration process by initiating a win-win relationship.”
L’Oreal has been rolling out numerous initiatives as part of its open innovation strategy, having recently signed a partnership with Partech Africa and created BOLD (Business Opportunities for L’Oréal Development), an ‘investment fund designed to take minority shares in innovative start-ups with strong growth potential.’


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Today Lenovo has announced a new smartphone for the Indian market. It’s called A2010 and it has become the subcontinent’s cheapest 4G-capable handset.
The Lenovo A2010 features a 4.5-inch 854×480 touchscreen, a 5 MP rear camera with LED flash, a 2 MP selfie shooter, MediaTek’s MT6735M 64-bit SoC with 1 GHz quad-core CPU and Mali-T720 GPU, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of expandable storage, dual-SIM functionality, and a 2,000 mAh battery.
It runs Android 5.1 Lollipop. Its dimensions are 131.5 x 66.5 x 9.9 mm, and it weighs 137g. It will be offered in black and white.
The black model will be available exclusively at Flipkart through flash sales which start on September 3. Registrations for these are now open. The smartphone is priced at INR 4,990. That’s currently around $76 or €68.
According to a Flipkart exec, today one in three 4G phones sold in India is a Lenovo. So the A2010 could be pretty successful too.


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What Is The Metaverse?
The Metaverse is trending in the tech world — Facebook has rebranded its name to ‘Meta’, there has been a drastic growth in Metaverse tokens’ value, and a lot of activity combining blockchain projects with the Metaverse. However, if you’re still not quite sure what we’re referring to when we say ‘Metaverse’, read on…
Disclaimer: The article is only for educational purposes.
In October 2021, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Facebook would rebrand to Meta Platforms Inc, also known as Meta. When this happened, cryptocurrencies took a giant leap. Meta will run Facebook and its other brands such as; Whatsapp, Instagram, and Oculus, with Zuckerberg estimating that it could take five to ten years before the critical features of the Metaverse become mainstream.
Now, what do you envision when the word ‘Metaverse’ comes to your mind? Surely it’s related to ‘universe’, right? Well yes, to some degree. The Metaverse is a virtual ecosystem where people interact, transact, and share values — like the universe, just virtually. Digital currencies will hold an important place in the Metaverse, and share a common principle of community ownership.
For quite some time, the Metaverse concept has been navigated in our society through entertainment via books, films, games and other media. The word ‘Meta’ derives from the Greek word meaning ‘beyond’. Following on, the term ‘Metaverse’ was introduced in the 1992 science fiction novel “Snow Crash” by Neal Stephenson. The novel is based on a futuristic setting wherein humans engage with each other and software agents as avatars in an internet-like and online-enabled virtual space. The author described this virtual space as the Metaverse, representing his vision of the internet’s future evolution based on virtual reality technology.
The Metaverse applies to games like World of Warcraft (based on closed metaverses) and can build other human-based ecosystems, where people can work, societies can create their own rules and financial systems.
Web 3.0 will be the foundation for the Metaverse and is currently driven by the technological advancement of 5G, AR/VR, and Blockchain technology. Blockchain technology enables the existence of cryptocurrencies such as; Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), and the ZB token. Blockchain technology will improve financial connectivity, allowing tokens and currencies used within a metaverse to transfer from the virtual into fiat currency.
Blockchain applications allow adequate proof for the future growth of metaverse blockchain and crypto projects. Metaverse projects are increasing substantially. To name a few, the top metaverse blockchain and crypto projects are Decentraland, Bloktopia, The Sandbox, Enjin, and Star Atlas. The projects are based on 3D universes, VR games, and buying digital assets like land, equipment, ships, and crew.
Overall, we are still in the preliminary stages of development in the Metaverse. Blockchain technology can provide the Metaverse interoperability, security, ownership, and decentralization. This year, we anticipate seeing new job creation inside the Metaverse, from developers working on gaming and NFT transactions for luxury brands and social media platforms to gamers monetizing their skills.
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This fall, DJ Shadow‘s Endtroducing turns 25, and to mark the occasion, Shadow will release a deluxe 25th anniversary edition of the album. On September 24, DJ Shadow will release Endtroducing – 25, The Abbey Road Half Speed Master via Island. The album, remastered from DJ Shadow’s original DAT tapes, will be released with a bonus 7-inch featuring Cut Chemist’s remix of “The Number Song.”
“I was so happy to have recently discovered the original DAT tape that served as the final mix source of the album, and was able to provide it for the remaster just in time for this release,” DJ Shadow says in a statement. “When comparing the new version with the old, I was shocked at how many audible details were revealed that I had completely forgotten about.”
Pre-order and more info is available here.
We named DJ Shadow’s Endtroducing the best electronic album of the ’90s.


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On Monday at Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco, CEO Tim Cook hosted a keynote that saw the unveiling of a sharp new Mac Pro, new MacBook Air models with better battery life, a streaming Internet radio service and the next operating system for the Mac.
But the biggest news of all was most certainly iOS 7 — the next version of Apple’s mobile operating system — which will bring a whole new experience to iPhone and iPad.
Tim Cook cued up a video showing the new iOS, and each shot was met with audible excitement. Cook said it was the biggest change to the system since the iPhone’s introduction in 2007.
iOS 7 will feature a new “flat” design that drops references to real world objects – such as a snooker table for its games centre – and replaces them with an interface that is crisper and far more modern in appearance.
The mobile design, overseen for the first time by new iOS boss Jony Ive, includes new typography, redesigned icons and a new color palette.
“I think there is a profound and enduring beauty in simplicity, in clarity, in efficiency,” Ive said in a video introducting iOS 7. “True simplicity is derived from so much more than just the absence of clutter and ornamentation. It’s about bringing order to complexity.”
Craig Federighi, Apple’s vice president for software engineering, demoed new features like Control Center, where users will be able to swipe up for music, flashlight and other tools.
Mobile Safari has a really flat look as well, with a wild “cover flow” like tab scrolling ability, so you can flip through a bunch of open pages really easily. There’s also “shared links,” a Flipboard-like way to look at stuff your social friends are sharing.
The Photo app is a major focus of the redesign. You can scan photos in all kinds of views, zooming out to see teeny thumbnails. You can apply filters quickly instead of doing painstaking edits, and you can share to AirDrop or Photo Stream, says NBC News.
Siri, Apple’s voice-activated “digital assistant,” is becoming more diverse. Users will be able to choose a male voice – Siri has been solely a “she” so far – and users can ask it to perform basic tasks like playing a voicemail or turning down the brightness on an iPhone or iPad’s screen.
iOS 7 is available to developers in beta on the iPhone today, but the rest of us will have to wait until the fall. It will work only on iPhone 4 or later, iPad 2 and later, the mini and the iPod touch, says WPTV.
Robert Brunner, founder of design consultancy Ammunition and a former design head at Apple, said it was past time Apple changed the look of software that had become “busier and busier” visually and, to some degree, busier and busier functionally.
“The iOS look and feel had become long in the tooth,” said Brunner, who hired Ive while he was at Apple. “So what Jony has done is really gone in and cleaned it up. He made it feel more sophisticated, more modern.”
The new iTunes Radio service will allow users to build radio stations around their existing iTunes libraries, with Apple suggesting what further music they might like on the basis of their previous purchases. The service will be supported by adverts for most users, or be ad-free for subscribers.
During a keynote address at the company’s developers conference, Phil Schiller, Apple’s head of marketing, unveiled a couple of new versions of the MacBook Air laptop and also gave developers a sneak peek of an updated Mac Pro desktop PC.
The new Mac Pro looks like a dark bullet of a desktop computer that for all the world resembled Darth Vader’s helmet more than the standard beige box. It will be available later this year, the company said.
“I’m proud to present Sea Lion,” joked Craig Federighi, senior vice president of software engineering. “We don’t want to be the first software release in history to be delayed by a lack of cats.”
The Mac Pro will include a new Intel Xeon processor and come standard with dual AMD workstation discrete graphics processors. It also will support 4K, ultra high-definition displays out of the box, and the system is only one eighth the volume of the earlier Mac Pro.
MacBook Airs are now with better battery life too. The 11-inch model will have nine hours of battery life instead of five, while the 13-inch model will have 12 hours instead of seven. They include Intel’s fourth-generation Core processor, dubbed Haswell, as well as a faster Wi-Fi known was 802.11ac.
The new MacBook Airs start shipping Monday: the new models are available Monday and start at $999 for 11-inch and $1,099 for 13-inch, reports CNet.


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Perhaps one of the most recognizable names in the automotive realm, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has been building extraordinary automobiles since the company’s inception more than 100 years ago. With advanced engineering, powerful engines and lavish interiors, the modern-day Rolls-Royce has no roadgoing peer. Today the luxury brand made a major announcement — by 2030 every Rolls-Royce vehicle will be fully electric, and the first step toward that electric future will arrive in 2023 as the Rolls-Royce Spectre.
Asserting that the all-electric Spectre could be momentous for the company might be an understatement. According to Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Chief Executive Officer Torsten Muller-Otvos, “Today is the most significant day in the history of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars since 4th May 1904. On that date, our founding fathers, Charles Rolls and Sir Henry Royce, first met and agreed that they were going to create ‘the best motor car in the world.’ Today, 117 years later, I am proud to announce that Rolls-Royce is to begin the on-road testing program for an extraordinary new product that will elevate the global all-electric car revolution. This is not a prototype . . . our clients will take first deliveries of the car in the fourth quarter of 2023,” enthused Muller-Otvos.
Originated with Charles Rolls
The goal of an electric Rolls-Royce is not new — Charles Rolls discussed the idea in 1900 after experiencing one of the first electric motor cars, the Columbia Electric Carriage. Rolls said, “The electric car is perfectly noiseless and clean. There is no smell or vibration, and they should become very useful when fixed charging stations can be arranged. But for now, I do not anticipate that they will be very serviceable — at least for many years to come.” Many years have passed, and its time has come.
An all-electric powertrain makes perfect sense for the Rolls-Royce brand. The company prides itself on building vehicles that run whisper quiet and smooth, possessing plenty of torque for strong performance — qualities commonly associated with electric powertrains.
In the past, the famed British marque has experimented with electric powertrains showcased in concept cars such as the 102EX. The 102EX — also known as the Phantom Experimental Electric — premiered at the Geneva Motor Show in 2011. Engineers replaced a 6.75-liter V12 and 6-speed automatic transmission with a lithium-ion battery pack and two electric motors mounted on the rear subframe. Combined output of the two motors was around 390 horsepower with 590 lb-ft of torque. The brand revealed the groundbreaking Rolls-Royce to gauge media and customer reaction, with the eventual possibility of incorporating an electric powertrain into the lineup.
About five years after introducing the 102EX, Rolls-Royce looked further to the future with the debut of the 103EX concept. With its futuristic design, the 103EX features a fully electric drivetrain as well as a completely autonomous driving experience via enhanced artificial intelligence. “These extraordinary products prompted a huge amount of interest in electric powertrain technology amongst our clients, “ said Muller-Otvos. “They considered it as the perfect fit for Rolls-Royce. And, over the past decade, I have been repeatedly asked . . . ‘When will you produce your first electric car?’ I answered with an unambiguous promise: ‘Rolls-Royce will go electric, starting this decade.’ Today, I’m keeping my word.”
The camouflaged vehicles Rolls-Royce has been being using for testing have a shape similar to the Wraith; however, the Spectre will be an all-new model, built on the brand’s proprietary aluminum architecture. These underpinnings were developed in 2016 for the new Phantom, and are the basis of the Cullinan and Ghost. Rolls-Royce engineers built this new platform with the idea that it could work with completely different powertrains — including electric.
Like the Phantom, Ghost and Wraith, the name Spectre suggests the supernatural. “Spectre is a name given to otherworldly beings synonymous with great power and apparition . . . It dominates the space it occupies. Then, as quickly as it appears, it dissipates, leaving a wake of exhilaration, energy, and intrigue,” says Muller-Otvos. “This name perfectly matches the extraordinary Rolls-Royce that we are announcing today — a motor car that makes its presence felt before disappearing into a world inaccessible to all but the very few,” noted the CEO.
Coming in 2023
In the coming months, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars will be releasing more photos and details pertaining to the Spectre. The final product is expected to begin arriving in the fourth quarter of 2023.


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Government agents have seized a smuggled shipment of shabu worth at least P58.3 million from Nigeria.
The raid was conducted by a composite team from the Bureau of Customs-Ninoy Aquino International Airport, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, the Bureau of Plant Industry, and the NAIA-Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group.
The team discovered the prohibited substance weighing about 8.575 kilos hidden in packages of assorted dried spices.
The shipment arrived two weeks ago at the NAIA People’s Air Cargo (Paircargo) Warehouse in Paranaque City and was transferred to the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) branch in San Andres, Manila.
Customs officials initially found out at the warehouse that the shipment, which was declared as food stuff, was illegally imported without the required the import permits from the BPI.
The Port of NAIA then coordinated with BPI to further check for other possible violations of the subject importation prior to its possible condemnation or disposal. It also sought the assistance of PDEA and NAIA Task Group to verify possible inclusions of illegal drugs that turns out to be positive.
The seized drugs are now in the custody of PDEA for further investigation, profiling and case build-up against the personalities involved, and possible prosecution for violating the Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 in relation to Section 1401 of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act of 2016.
Just recently, the same team of agents seized in a controlled delivery operation in Bulacan a P7.4 million worth shabu shipment, which was also smuggled from Nigeria.
This operation also resulted in the arrest of a claimant.
The importer declared the shipment as water purifier, but upon examination, the parcel was found out to contain 1,092 grams of white crystalline substance.


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China Approves Disney Theme Park in Shanghai
After a courtship of about 20 years, the Walt Disney Company has won approval from the Chinese government to build a Disneyland-style theme park in Shanghai, Robert A. Iger, Disney’s chief executive, said recently:
The agreement for a Shanghai Disneyland is a landmark deal that carries enormous cultural and financial implications. Analysts estimate the initial park — not including hotels and resort infrastructure — will cost $3.5 billion, making it one of the largest-ever foreign investments in China.
The initial resort, with a mix of shopping areas, hotels and a Magic Kingdom-style theme park, will sprawl across 1,000 acres of the city’s Pudong district — with the theme park occupying about 100 of those acres. It would be a little bigger than Disneyland in Anaheim, California, and on par with the parks in Paris and Tokyo. It is expected to open in five or six years.
Disney’s plans are ambitious: If further development of the resort happens as expected over the coming decades — still a big if — it will encompass more than 1,700 acres and have a capacity rivaling Disney World in Florida, which attracts about 45 million annual visitors.


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CAHOKIA HEIGHTS, Ill. – While surrounding stores have closed, the Cahokia Heights Walmart has stood tall for 40 years. However, after not meeting the store’s corporate financial expectations, it’s closing its doors for good on April 21.
“I’m feeling heartbroken,” said Leroy Turner. “It kind of makes you wanna cry.”
Turner lives right behind Walmart and has shopped at the store for nearly 30 years.
“It’s like losing a family member,” he said. “That’s the best way to say it.”
In a statement, Felicia McCranie, the director of the store’s corporate communication, said:
“After a careful and thoughtful review process, we have made the difficult decision to close our Cahokia Walmart location. We have nearly 5,000 stores across the U.S., and unfortunately, some do not meet our financial expectations. While our underlying business is strong, this specific store hasn’t performed as well as we hoped.”
Ace Love from Fairview Heights used to work as a manager at the store for six years. Love said the Walmart closing is just another domino to fall along Camp Jackson Road.
“Walmart is leaving us. What are we going to do,” Love said. “Hardees is gone. Something else going to be gone. We are not going to have nothing left.”
Rena McNeal also lives in Fairview Heights and has been shopping at the Cahokia Heights store for years. Her two children also worked at the store.
“Walmart going to do what it’s going to do, and people will just have to move on and push forward,” McNeal said.
In a press release, Cahokia Heights Mayor Curtis McCall Sr. said he’s working with federal and state elected officials to try and save the store.
Turner said he’d be in favor of whatever’s necessary to save his local Walmart.
“If we have to come out here and picket for Walmart or if we have to have sitdowns, he said. “I’ll be the first one in line because I just can’t see it; it’s going to be difficult.”


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California is dumber than dirt !!!
- CA Businesses Enticed to Leave State
November 30, 2012 By Josephine Djuhana
(http://www.capoliticalreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/New-Image-e1311367225309.gif) This year’s Black Friday and other miscellaneous holiday
sales remind us that in order to entice customers and increase sales
revenue, the method is simple: cut prices. Eager shoppers will line up in front of
their favorite stores at wee hours of the morning just to land a good
deal. People will even buy things from the comfort of their own homes: Online
sales during this year’s Black Friday surpassed _$1 billion for the first
time_ (http://mashable.com/2012/11/25/mobile-app-2012-revenue/) . Consumers
are ready to consume—they’re just waiting for an opportune moment to do so.
The approach should be the same for states and their governments trying to
attract businesses. By cutting taxes and doing away with strangling
regulations, businesses have real incentives to either stay in one state or move
to another. The concept is simple: Make the business environment attractive,
and companies and their profits will follow.
In response to California’s massive tax hikes and new CARB regulations
being enacted come 2013, Arizona’s business leaders aim to prove that their
state has more to offer California businesses. The Greater Phoenix Economic
Council plans to fly in nearly _100 California CEOs for complimentary stays
and tours of the metropolitan area_
(http://cronkitenewsonline.com/2012/11/business-leaders-aim-to-capitalize-on-california-tax-hike/) . The Grand
Canyon state beats our Golden State in every tax rate: State sales tax rounds
off at 5.6 percent, while California’s sits at 7.5 percent. Arizona and
California corporate tax rates are at 6.968 percent and 8.84 percent,
respectively, and—get this—Arizona’s top income tax rate is 4.54 percent, compared
with California’s whopping 12.3 percent, effective this year with the
passage of Prop. 30.
Earlier this year, _Spectrum Location Solutions_
(http://www.spectrumlocationsolutions.com/) reported 254 companies left California in 2011. That
includes major tech companies, like Twitter, Adobe, eBay, and Oracle, which
all packed up for Salt Lake City. In April, Apple announced construction of a
$304 million campus in Austin, complete with the addition of 3,600 jobs.
The headquarters for chain restaurants Claim Jumper and Bubba Gump Shrimp
Co. were both moved to Austin as well. It’s had a huge effect on California’
s tax revenues, _which plunged by 22 percent_
(http://www.capoliticalreview.com/top-stories/eureka-california-tax-revenue-plunges-22/) , as reported by
State Controller John Chiang in early 2012. Add to that our unfunded
pension liability, bankrupt cities, poorly performing municipal bonds, and you
have a recipe for disaster for any state.
It’s also impacted our unemployment rates. With so many businesses
high-tailing it out of the state, there are fewer opportunities for able-bodied
individuals to find work. One in two new graduates are either jobless or
underemployed. California’s unemployment rate of 10.1 percent is above the 7.9
percent national average, and well above low tax rate states like North
Dakota (3.1 percent) and Utah (5.5 percent). Even Arizona boasts a lower
unemployment rate at 7.1 percent.
But instead of lowering taxes, Sacramento seems intent on making even
easier to raise taxes in California. State Sen. Mark Leno will be introducing
legislation on Monday to _lower the threshold for school parcel taxes_
ants-to-lower-school-tax-hurdle.html) from two-thirds to 55 percent.
Raising taxes in the name of education–sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
Governor Brown should take a cue from major retailers and start making
California a more attractive location for businesses to grow and thrive. He’s
promised not to raise taxes without constituent consent, but he’s proven a
willingness to influence voters by holding public services hostage, as he
did with Prop. 30. It’s obvious that the state’s problem is in expenditures,
not revenue. But the concept behind raising revenue is just as simple.
Just like the whopping revenues that Black Friday sales bring in, a lower tax
rate and fewer regulations will bring more businesses, and in the
aggregate, more revenue.
(Josephine Djuhana is Assistant Editor for the California Political
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]


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Federal consumer agency industry that is investigating
Alberta vows to finish вЂњpredatory financingвЂќ
financial obligation counsellors state oil employees turning to pay day loans
Industry claims unregulated options are more serious
By Matt Scuffham
TORONTO, April 25 (Reuters) – Canadian authorities are upgrading scrutiny of payday loan providers over worries they’ve been preying on susceptible clients at any given time of record home financial obligation and unemployment that is rising oil-producing regions.
Payday loan providers have actually surged in appeal in Canada with additional than 1,400 stores now start, relating to the Payday that is canadian Lending (CPLA). It stated around 2 million Canadians per year sign up for loans designed to tide them over until their next paycheck.
The industry had only a few stores whenever it emerged within the mid-1990s, in line with the Canadian federal government.
Payday loan providers have cultivated in appeal since they offer immediate access to money with no considerable checks that banks make and they are willing to provide to borrowers with damaged credit documents and also require struggled to cover right right back loans within the past.
Such usage of cash, nonetheless, comes at a price. Customer teams state the attention prices charged by payday loan providers- typically as high as 600 % on an annualized foundation – can keep borrowers caught in crippling rounds of financial obligation.
Those issues have actually led CanadaвЂ™s consumer that is financial to introduce an investigation to the industry, while a few provinces are reviewing laws.
Their action mirrors downs that are clamp other nations. Britain introduced rules that are new years back which capped the interest payday loan providers could charge. And U.S. authorities would like to stamp away practices that are abusive loan providers.
вЂњFrom my viewpoint itвЂ™s for ages been an issue,вЂќ said Brigitte Goulard, deputy commissioner for the Financial customer Agency of Canada, that will publish the findings from the research on payday lending this 12 months and it is dealing with provinces to know the industryвЂ™s impact on consumers.
AlbertaвЂ™s left-leaning NDP federal federal government has proposed legislation to finish just exactly just what it termed вЂњpredatoryвЂќ lending. Cabinet minister Stephanie McLean stated she worries the tough economy is causing more hard-pressed Albertans to resort to payday advances.
Oil-rich Alberta suffered 19,600 work losings year that is last additionally saw a razor-sharp hike in customers defaulting on loans from banks given that serious fall in crude rates pressed the provinceвЂ™s economy into recession.
вЂњThere is an unique vulnerability at as soon as because of the financial environment and predators benefit from such vulnerability, therefore I do have significant issues about a rise in the uptake among these loan items,вЂќ McLean stated in a job interview.
A typical consumer loan from the bank would charge a single-digit interest rate, with all the most useful prices at about 2 portion points above the beds base financing price. Many unsecured loans could be within the 3 % to 5 percent yearly interest range in the event that consumer features a good credit score. Charge cards have a lot higher prices at around 20 per cent.
Although payday advances in many cases are applied for by people who have reduced incomes, credit counsellors in Alberta state they have been increasingly working with oil industry employees whom found myself in difficulty because their earnings dropped and they’re вЂњmaxed outвЂќ on bank cards and loans from banks.
Nadia Graham, whom works for the Credit Counselling Society in Calgary, stated one present customer had a well-paid work with certainly one of the worldвЂ™s oil companies that are largest, but found myself in difficulty after their bonus had been slashed.
вЂњWeвЂ™re seeing people that are experts, that are alert to the attention prices and are also maybe maybe maybe not naive, and theyвЂ™re planning to payday loan providers anyhow away from sheer desperation,вЂќ she said.
McLean stated Alberta is considering cutting the maximum that https://cartitleloansextra.com/payday-loans-nc/ is current cost-of-borrowing rate and seeking at techniques to restructure loans to permit clients to cover back instalments. Loan providers are now able to charge just as much as C$23 per C$100 borrowed.
Nova Scotia a year ago cut the most interest that would be charged. Brand brand brand brand New Brunswick and Ontario are reviewing laws. Elements of British Columbia have either prohibited new payday lenders or put serious limitations on shop spaces.
Tony Irwin, seat for the Canadian cash advance Association, said lawmakers ought to be careful to not impose legislation upon the industry this is certainly therefore onerous it forces loan providers to power down, warning that the options might be even even even even even worse.
They will find credit some other wayвЂњIf they canвЂ™t got to a licensed, regulated payday lender. Plus the proof is the fact that void is filled by unlicensed, unregulated online loan providers,вЂќ said Irwin, incorporating that unregulated operators charge also greater prices. (modifying by Alan Crosby)


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AC Milan Announces a New Partnership with Web3 Esports Franchise MonkeyLeague
As part of the new relationship, AC Milan plans to develop wearables, unique game tournaments, co-marketing events, and a variety of other attractive activities, such as letting club players test the game. These Rossoneri-branded NFT game assets will be created exclusively for AC Milan.
The Italian Champions will also collaborate closely with MonkeyLeague to launch new collections of tokenized, branded AC Milan NFT game assets, such as new MonkeyPlayers, skins, and stadiums. Additionally, the fantasy football game platform will start its first MonkeyPlayer NFT breeding season, where AC Milan-branded digital assets can be randomly minted through breeding. There will be more NFTs, including digital stadiums and real estate.
The Italian soccer team plans to provide its fans with a more exciting digital experience. AC Milan's chief revenue officer, Casper Stylsvig, made the following statement on the most recent collaboration:
“We are thrilled to kick off this partnership with MonkeyLeague, a collaboration that allows us to strengthen our positioning in the field of digital innovation. We are particularly proud to be the first football club to partner with MonkeyLeague, bringing this game to our supporters around the world and offering them a new innovative way to engage with their favorite team.”
This isn’t AC Milan’s first foray into the realm of web3 and NFTs. The Italian soccer champions started an NFT campaign in January of last year and released their fan token (ACM) on the Socios fan engagement and reward app.
Later that month, AC Milan teamed up with the cryptocurrency trading platform Binance and listed its fan token. Also, the club and Onefootball signed a new collaboration earlier this year in order to release official video highlights.
Onefootball and AC Milan created an NFT-based fantasy football game at the time, allowing crypto enthusiasts and football fans to collect, trade, and play with AC Milan-branded digital cards.
The collaboration with MonkeyLeague will bring together the top players from all around the world to compete in highly competitive matches, with the winners earning special rewards. The much-awaited game will reportedly be on sale next month, according to AC Milan.
Read more: Here


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China on Friday announced new tariffs on U.S. products... Sending Wall Street into a tailspin... And causing President Donald Trump to erupt in anger... All signals that the trade turmoil is far from over.
Reuters trade correspondent Andrea Shalal: SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH): REUTERS TRADE CORRESPONDENT ANDREA SHALAL, SAYING: In another dramatic development on Friday President Trump has now increased the tariffs on two sets of Chinese imports, one already in effect that's $250 billion worth of Chinese goods and additional tariffs that go into effect September 1st and December 15th.
Both go up by 5 percent.
One rate goes from 25 to 30 percent.
The more sensitive goods which will potentially really effect consumers; laptops, toys, clothing - those go up fro m10 percent to 15 percent.
This latest flare up started when Beijing announced tariffs on $75 billion worth of U.S. goods, which prompted a Twitter tirade from Trump, who wrote: "Our great American companies are hereby ordered to immediately start looking for an alternative to China, including bringing....your companies HOME and making your products in the USA." The Dow plunged more than 600 points by the closing bell led by Apple, Intel, and Nike - all companies with either major operations within or sales to China.
Oil prices tumbled as well and so did prices for soybeans, a major U.S. export to China.
The drops followed China's plan to slap import taxes of between five and ten percent on over 5,000 American products including grains and crude oil.
That decision is in retaliation to a Trump threat last month to raise tariffs on $300 billion of Chinese goods, including consumer electronics.
The tit-for-tat escalation in an ongoing trade war ratcheted up Wall Street fear that without a resolution the trade impasse could further slowdown the global economy and eventually erode U.S. economic growth.
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell warned on Friday - if that happens the Fed won't have the tools to fix that.


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The Irish DPC Slapped With Corruption Allegations; South Korea Place Big Tech Under the Microscope
by Newson 23rd Nov 2021 in
In today’s ExchangeWire news digest: The Irish DPC are slapped with a corruption complaint filed by noyb; Apple and Google could face fines of 2% under new Korea laws; and Niantic receive a hefty USD$300m (£224.5m) investment from Coatue.
The Irish DPC on the defence after being slapped with corruption allegations
The Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) has come under fire, having been accused of corruption and even bribery in a complaint filed by the non-profit organisation noyb. The organisation are alleging that the Irish commission have presented them with an ultimatum in the form of a letter: sign an “illegal” NDA within one working day or be removed from the Facebook procedure. noyb have declared this “quid pro quo” as “procedural blackmail”.
Vienna-based noyb filed the complaint to the Austrian Office for the Prosecution of Corruption. Subsequent to the filing, noyb published the letters they received, describing the request as unlawful: “only if we shut up, the DPC would 'grant' us our legal right to be heard.” The writing also shows the DPC demanding the not-for-profit to take down existing documents relating to the draft decision, once again without a legal basis.
It has been reported that Facebook (now Meta) would significantly benefit from a signed NDA, as new documents could compel EU regulators to find their “GDPR bypass” illegal. This would result in major implications for the tech giant if regulators were to declare their use of personal data since 2018 unlawful.
Max Schrems, chairperson of noyb.eu, comments, "the DPC acknowledges that it has a legal duty to hear us, but it now engaged in a form of 'procedural coercion'. The right to be heard was made conditional on us signing an agreement to the benefit of the DPC and Facebook. It is nothing but an authority demanding to give up the freedom of speech in exchange for procedural rights."
South Korea put big tech under the microscope under new law
App store operators, such as Apple and Google, could face fines of up 2% of sales for forcing their own in-app payment methods, under the amended Telecommunications Business Act. The Korean Communications Commission (KCC) drafted the amendments on Wednesday (17 November), in order to protect app developers and provide further “clarity” when “determining illegality of new prohibited acts.” App store owners could also see an additional fine of 1% of their revenue for delays in reviewing apps.
Within the document, the KCC describe the forcing of certain payment methods as a “serious illegal act” which will result in penalty surcharges. The move has come to allow a fairer mobile ecosystem for developers, in an attempt to limit app store operators’ power within the industry. Obstructions against in-app billing policies were first introduced in August when South Korea made amendments to the Telecommunications Business Act. The challenge caught media attention when Epic filed a lawsuit against them for monopolistic behaviours back in 2020. South Korea were the first country to introduce restrictions on payment policies.
KCC Chairman Han Sang-hyuk commented, “considering that this issue is receiving attention both at home and abroad, we will proceed swiftly with follow-up measures so that the law is enacted smoothly in order to create a fair and sound app market ecosystem.”
Niantic receive hefty investment from angel investor
Augmented reality (AR) platform, Niantic, have received a hefty investment of USD$300m (£224.5m) from Coatue, valuing the company at USD$9bn (£6.7bn). The software development company have announced that they will use the fund to build their vision for the “real-world metaverse.”
John Hanke, Niantic’s Founder and CEO, commented in a blog post announcing the news, “we’re building a future where the real world is overlaid with digital creations, entertainment and information, making it more magical, fun and informative.” He adds, “this will take a significant investment of talent, technology and imagination, and we’re thrilled that Coatue is on this journey with us.”
Niantic recently launched a platform enabling developers to understand and enhance their ideas for AR and the metaverse. The Lightship Platform is the core for the San Francisco-based company’s own products, such as Pokémon GO.
In further metaverse-related news, Vietnamese startup VerseHub closes a silent fundraise of USD$1m (£748,383) from an angel investor. The metaverse platform will use the funds, raised without going through the formal process, to enhance their ongoing projects. Co-founder and CTO of VerseHub, Canh Ho, explains, “the team incubated the project 6 months ago and rejected many investment invitations, for cooperating with other Vietnamese partners in the industry, with the desire to contribute to the development of blockchain technology in our home country.”
Also in the news:
- DoubleVerify Launches Publisher Solution in Europe
- IAS Study Finds More Media Experts to Invest in Supply Path Optimisation for 2022
- Zeotap Launches on Google Cloud Marketplace
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