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On July 12, the Weekly Check-Up is joined by Jonathan Baltic of BrandArmor Technologies, LLC.
Jonathan Baltic’s position is to lead a team of marketing, manufacturing and product development professionals to create a paradigm shift in the fleet branding market. Their team’s mission is to establish the premium national brand and product lines that revolutionize fleet branding, asset protection and safety related products.
BrandArmor.ink has pioneered worry free fleet branding with the industries only 5-Year 100% Product Replacement Warranty, fully underwritten and insured.
BrandArmor.ink is currently a major national OEM manufacturer across a number of industries and will now be offering our revolutionary proprietary products to fleet operators on a national level. Finally, there’s a solution to fleet branding that allows operators to focus on operations knowing their fleets are rolling down the road staying clean, bright and shiny… It’s Guaranteed!


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Apple is expected to open a new store at Toronto’s busiest shopping mall as early as early December, sources said. The Apple Store in the heart of Eaton is understood to be 10,000 square feet (929 m2). The current Eaton Centre store will close abruptly on Friday, December 6, indicating that the new store is expected to open on Saturday, December 7. However, the source pointed out that staff training work may drag back, leading to the new store in a week (December 14 / Saturday) to open.
Old Shop in Apple Eaton Center (image via MacRumors)
As early as January this year,media had reported that Apple was planning to open a new store in the Eaton Centre. At the time, Apple applied for a new building permit near the entrance to Queen Street to take over the space recently vacated by clothing retailer Abercrombie and Fitch.
According to the mall floor plan in the heart of Eaton, Apple’s new store will be more than twice the size of the 4,977-square-foot store. The reason for this is that it is one of the busiest shopping centers in North America, and that Apple only owns one of its direct stores in downtown Toronto.
Apple is also known to have three other direct stores in Toronto’s Yorkdale, Sherway Gardens and Fairview, all of which are located in the mall.
Apple is rumoured to be planning to open its first street-facing store at the busy Intersection of Yonge and Bloor in the upcoming apartment and retail building, The One. If all goes well, it is expected to open in 2022.

domain: news


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The three months posted such high growth as the same period last year which saw the Covid-19 pandemic breaking out strongly and seriously affecting production and business activities.
With upbeat signs reported in almost all aspects between January and September, the GDP was estimated to rise 8.83 percent for the period, the highest nine-month growth recorded in 2011-2022.
In the context, the GSO also pointed out that the agro-forestry-fishery sector grew by 2.99 percent in the first nine months.
The industry and construction, meanwhile, increased by 9.44 percent, contributing 41.79 percent; and service rose by 10.57 percent.
Regarding GDP use, final consumption expenditure climbed 7.26 percent over the same period last year; accumulated assets rose by 5.59 percent; exports of goods and services up 8.94 percent; and imports of goods and services up 4.74 percent.
Head of the GSO Nguyen Thi Huong said in the period, ministries, sectors and localities have drastically implemented the Government’s resolutions serving the nation’s program for recovery and socio-economic growth.
As a result, macro-economy was stabilized, inflation put under control, major balances ensured, monetary and fiscal policies conducted flexibly and effectively, business investment environment improved positively, and social security guaranteed, she noted.


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Thursday, November 12, 2009
Fall Brawl is Back.
Announcing the 2009 Fall Brawl Skateboard & BMX Contest at the Boston Globe Ski & Snowboard Expo
presented by Subaru!
SKATEBOARD CONTEST - Saturday, November 21st at 2PM
BMX CONTEST - Sunday, November 22nd at 2PM
The 2009 Fall Brawl at the Boston Globe Ski & Snowboard Expo presented by Subaru - Boston's longest running Skateboard and BMX contest! Held at the Bayside Exposition Center right off I-93 in South Boston for our 12TH YEAR! Previous winners and participants include P.J. Ladd, Jereme Rogers, Zered Bassett, Anthony Shetler, and many more rippers from New England and the Northeast. And this year, we'll have a brand new street course to ride from the same people who built Rye Airfield and Skater's Edge Skateparks.
More information is available at http://www.fallbrawlboston.com


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The Facebook application is an almost identical version to the Scrabble board game and the group's founders are not disagreeing about the possible copyright infringement, but they are urging Hasbro to work out a compromise with the developers of Scrabulous to keep the successful application up and running.
A message on the group's page reads: "Many of the daily 500,000+ users of Scrabulous never played Scrabble before, but they were introduced to it using this friendly and convenient format. This application earns roughly $25,000 monthly in revenues from advertisements, part of which could theoretically go to Hasbro if the parties come to a peaceful compromise.
"We urge Hasbro to make the right decision. Don't tick off the millions of Facebook Scraboulous fans that use this application"
Members of the group, who have posted wall comments, have said they have gone out and bought the real Scrabble board game because they became so addicted to the Scrabulous application.
Riali Johannesson Gruzuk from Toronto wrote: "I bought five Scrabble games this Christmas for friends who have been turned on to the game by Scrabulous -- Hasbro and Mattel should be paying royalties to Scrabulous!"
Sahar Rooney wrote: "Hasbo/Mattel don't be dumb. Just demand a cut of the advertising revenue and leave the game alone."
Some anti-gamers have decided to add their own thoughts to the group, telling its members to "get a grip".
Haley Jacobsen from Vancouver wrote: "Wah Wah Wah. It's a fucking game folks. Who the hell cares! They stole the idea from Hasbro and now they are getting sued! No use in bitching about it. Big corporations aren't going to listen to people like you! It's going to get shut down. Whatever will be will be. Your life WILL go on."
The Scrabulous application was developed in Calcutta, India, by software developers Jayant and Rajat Agarwalla and launched at the end of June. Last year, they put it on Facebook after an approach to Hasbro, which owns the rights in the US and Canada, received no response.
But earlier this week, Hasbro and Mattel, which owns the rights to the board game internationally, requested that the application be pulled..


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The Hispanic market for autos is growing, and most automakers’ sector marketing spend against that population is tracking its growth. Hispanic consumers are now over 18% of the U.S. population.
FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles), U.S.’s Dodge brand, is hoping to lift its potential in that market with a new campaign via Lopez Negrete Communications. It’s not exactly the Dodge Brothers. Called “Te Pondrá A Prueba” (“It’ll Test You”), it features actor Danny Trejo, the heavy dude in films like “Machete,” “From Dusk Till Dawn,” and “Once Upon a Time in Mexico.” He appears in three Spanish-language commercials for the Dodge Challenger, Dodge Charger and Dodge Dart, playing a Dodge salesman with a twist.
This is not entirely new for Trejo. He drove a Saleen Dodge SMS 570 Challenger in the action film “Bullet,” in which he was a rogue L.A. detective looking for answers.
The automaker says the new effort extends to digital, including digital video assets, as well as social media. A central theme in the campaign is Trejo turning test drives into underworld-like adventures, with the humorous ads playing on Trejo’s intimidation factor as a dangerous, leather-clad killer. The 60-second anthem ad has Trejo in his element — at a negotiating table in the dark, save for the red, blinking lights from a nearby police cruiser, siren going.
It could be a drug deal as Trejo argues terms with another guy. But it’s not. A repair guy on a ladder was just fixing the dealership lights, which come on to reveal the setting, and Dodge vehicles. The guy — a potential customer — mulls the features of the 2015 Dodge Dart, and signs the contract. Probably a good idea, since Trejo, reaching for a pen, opens the wrong side of his jacket, revealing an assortment of knives.
The next ad, slated for later this month, has Trejo letting someone test drive the 2015 Dodge Charger. Trejo wants to tout the sunroof; the customer ignores him. He finally tells the customer to stop the car in front of a warehouse. Trejo goes in, then exits, maybe by defenestration, through a second floor window, shattering the glass. He re-enters the car by falling through the sunroof.
The third spot touts the trunk space in the Dodge Challenger, and also the BeatsAudio system. The thing being put in the trunk shouldn’t be hard to imagine, given that Trejo is the guy doing the loading. The test-drive customer wonders what the thumping noise is, and Trejo covers it by raising the volume of the BeatsAudio sound system. The customer loves the package, says “yes” to the deal, and we ultimately learn that, no, Trejo wasn’t trying to whack someone. He just likes golfing and bowling.
Dodge says it is taking the theme online to YouTube, social channels and other host sites with a Spanish-language video series showing customers (actors) taking test drives with, to their surprise, Trejo.
According to a study Univision did last year with GfK, Toyota, Ford, Nissan, Chevrolet and Honda enjoy the highest sales and awareness levels among Hispanics — from 60% up to 71%. The study said Dodge, Hyundai, Kia and VW, meanwhile, are at about 32% awareness.
FCA cites Hispanic Millennial Project data to demonstrate where the Millennial market is going: 21% of Millennials in the U.S. are Hispanic, and that percentage is expected to grow to 23% by 2020. Said Juan Torres, FCA’s head of multicultural advertising, “To develop a unique campaign that would resonate with such an influential buyer, we sought both humor and a spokesperson that embodies the best-in-class features and performance of the brand.”
As we celebrate another Hispanic Heritage Month, I asked a few industry leaders with decades of experience in Hispanic marketing to reflect on what has changed in the industry over the past two decades and what hasn’t. The conversation was so rich that I decided to break it into two different articles. First, we hear […]
Lopez Negrete Communications fue elegida por Hyundai Motor America como su agencia de mercadotecnia hispana en EE UU. Realizará campañas de marketing estratégico dirigidas al consumidor hispano estadounidense con amplio conocimiento tecnológico. “En Hyundai, nuestra visión es el progreso de la humanidad, lo cual incluye relacionarnos con las comunidades multiculturales tanto en la cultura como en el […]
08.11.2022Hyundai Motor America Selects Lopez Negrete Communications as its Hispanic Marketing Agency of Record
Agency to Support Hyundai’s Multicultural Marketing Group in Reaching U.S. Hispanic Audiences Hyundai Motor America has selected independent, Hispanic-owned and operated Lopez Negrete Communications as its U.S. Hispanic marketing agency of record. Lopez Negrete will provide strategic marketing solutions to reach and engage with diverse Latino audiences nationwide. The agency will begin general brand work immediately, followed by vehicle […]
Lopez Negrete Communications receives two bronze awards from the Hispanic Marketing Council.


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Latest News Headlines
Danley Performance at Entry Level Prices: The New Flx-12 Full-Range Loudspeaker
Danley Sound Labs, manufacturer of unique patented loudspeaker technologies that artfully side-step the constraints and trade-offs of conventional designs, has announced its new FLX-Series of flexible loudspeakers. The Danley FLX-12 is the first member of the series and delivers Danley’s legendary point-source sound quality in a handsome, rugged cabinet that can be flexibly deployed: pole-mounted, hung from rig points, or lain on its side as a floor monitor. With 94dB sensitivity, a phase-coherent frequency response from 75Hz to 21kHz (+/- 3dB), multi-band Sentinel burn out protection, and 118dB continuous and 124dB peak output, the FLX-12 is at home in any small- to medium-sized sound reinforcement application.
“The new Danley FLX is designed by Tom Danley and his team of engineers for customers who need extreme flexibility and Danley fidelity at a cost-effective price point,” said JP Parker, director of global sales at Danley Sound Labs. “The FLX stands for flexibility without sacrificing Danley’s legendary performance.”
The FLX-12 begins shipping after InfoComm in late June. Contact a local Danley Sound Labs representative for pricing.
17th June 2019
© 1999 - 2023 ET Press Ltd News Stories


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Joining global shipping giants like NYK and CMA CGM, number-two ocean carrier MSC has recently joined the Hydrogen Council. MSC joined as a steering member, vowing to accelerate R&D on clean hydrogen-derived fuels.
Other big names that are already part of the leading hydrogen research council are the Port of Rotterdam and industrial behemoths like SABIC, Anglo American, and Uniper.
MSC has been a leader in the decarbonization process, which has already seen the Geneva-based company pioneer the use of biofuel as a blended marine fuel. Now, MSC is working with other leading companies and institutions in advancing the research viability of hydrogen and fuels derived from it as potentially realizable fuel for the container shipping industry.
“MSC is actively engaging with a wide range of stakeholders to accelerate the development of clean hydrogen fuels for shipping. The future of shipping and decarbonization will rely on strong partnerships from both the perspective of technology collaboration and procurement,” said Bud Darr, Executive Vice President, Maritime Policy & Government Affairs, MSC Group.
He went on to add, “Initiatives such as the Hydrogen Council provide just the right platform to accelerate R&D, as well as to facilitate cross-industry collaboration,” stressing the need that R&D efforts require huge energy and capital resources to sustain in the long run.
To sustain R&D in fields like these, industry partnerships are critical for the sustainability of the container shipping industry and the shipping industry at large.
Source: The Maritime Executive


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December 21, 2020 | News | No Comments
In an attempt to convert those who signed up for the free trial this week of the WWE Network into paid subscribers, WWE is offering a $25 gift card to WWE Shop.
Anyone who signed up for the free preview this week that ends up signing up for a six-month commitment will receive $25 in free WWE merchandise.
The promotional offer is listed as being valid from July 11th through July 19th.
MMANEWS.COM: HUGE UFC Star To JUMP-SHIP To WWE? + Ronda Rousey/WM31 Update!


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As the run-up to holiday shopping intensifies, Target Corp. is saying its stores will open at midnight on Thanksgiving Day for the first time this year.
That’s four hours earlier than last year.
The stores will stay open for 23 hours and close at 11 p.m. Friday, November 25. Target spokeswoman Susan Kahn said the change was a response to customers’ demands.
Retailers have expanded their Black Friday hours each year recently.
The season kickoff overtook Thanksgiving Day last year, when most Sears and Kmart stores opened Thanksgiving morning for the first time. Toys R Us stores opened at 10 p.m. Many Gap Inc. stores were open. And Wal-Mart, whose supercenters already operate around the clock, opened most other stores by midnight Thanksgiving evening.
Target is based in Minneapolis.
More breaking news
- U-Haul dealerships on the rise on L.I.
- Up with Hauppauge
- US consumer spending up moderate 0.3 percent in July
- Powertech Controls granted PILOT for Ronkonkoma move
- Fonar lands $440K PILOT to renew lease, renovate
- The China syndrome
- Average US rate on 30-year mortgage drops to 3.84 percent
- A look at Macy’s outlet stores
- McDonald’s, Tyson cut ties with farmer tied to abuse video
- US stocks extend recovery after Chinese market surges


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The “Meltdown” and “Spectre” security vulnerabilities that impact most computing devices in the world were announced Jan. 3, 2018. Laptops, desktops, even phones and tablets and Internet of Things (IoT) devices are at risk. Most devices have a processing chip design flaw that allows malicious programs to steal data.
Yet again, Microsoft has released new AI-based features for Microsoft Excel, Word, Outlook, and more — a continuing trend since 2016’s launch of the Microsoft AI and Research Group. If your business is subscribed to Office 365, this article will acquaint you with the newest features!
Automatically Uncover Trends in Excel Data
Finding useful information lurking in massive tables of jumbled numbers and data can be quite a headache.
There are a number of reasons you should be wary of saving your password to a digital platform. Just look at Yahoo’s data breach in 2013, which leaked passwords for three billion people. Even when your password isn’t compromised, saving it to a browser could have serious implications for your privacy.
To say that social media is a small part of our lives is an understatement. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat are now integrated into our lives like never before. But what’s next? Can social media’s involvement go any further? These upcoming trends certainly point toward it.
As a business owner, you don’t want to start the new year faced with last year’s hardware problems. And although you can’t leave every issue behind, you can start implementing policies to avoid some of the most common hardware issues you’ve previously encountered.
When thinking about cloud technology, public cloud tends to be the first type of platform that comes to mind. This is hardly a shock as it’s the most common type of cloud, but that might not hold true in the near future as hybrid cloud continues to grow.
How many new technologies did your business adopt last year? Too many? Too few? You’ve officially made it through 2017 and there’s no better time than now to review which IT fads were worth investing in, and which ones should be left in the past.
Despite being late to the group chat scene, Microsoft Teams is equipped with a handful of features and impressive integration that set it apart from its competitors. So if you’re already subscribed to Office 365, here’s how you can take Teams to the next level.
Just when you thought cyber criminals couldn’t get smarter, along comes a new scamming technique. Previously used for safeguarding browsing activity, encryption tools are now used by hackers in carrying out phishing scams. This means some fraudulent sites may have HTTPS on their address, giving users a false sense of security.
Are you using an HP laptop? If so, your machine might have a keylogger pre-installed. This means every stroke you hit on your keyboard can be recorded and your passwords and personal details can be exposed. But don’t panic. We’re about to tell you how to remove it while educating you about this sneaky software and how to steer clear from it.


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Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Robert Lang and Associated Press
A Maryland health advocacy group has released a study on the effects of tax increases on small cigars and smokeless tobacco products.
The Maryland Health Care For All Coalition says the tax increase on "little cigars" is expected to cut the use of these products by those under 18 by 30-percent in the first year.
The tax increases were approved this year. They went into effect in July.
The coalition pushed for the tax increases in order to make the products expensive for children.
Taxes went from 15 percent of wholesale to 70 percent on "little cigars." Taxes on smokeless tobacco such as snuff went from 15 percent to 30 percent.
Students at Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High School (MERVO) in Baltimore have worked with the coalition to discourage young people from using these products.
The coalition found that the products that cost anywhere from $1-$5 before the tax hike, now cost up to $8.


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The federal government has approved the registration of the Nigerian Transport Workers Union as a union based on an application.
This statement is contained in a letter provided to AATWN by the Federal Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Trade Union Services and Industrial Relations.
“I refer to your statement of April 27, 2021 under section 3 of the Trade Union Act (GAG). T14 The Nigerian Federation (LFN) Act 2014 requested the Minister of Labor and Employment to register the above organizations as trade unions.
We also inform you that the Minister of Labor and Employment has carefully considered your application and approved your registration as a trade union with the rights and privileges specified in the Trade Union Law above.
The letter states that under the Trade Unions Act, AUATWN has the legal authority to regulate the working conditions of drivers at all transportation companies using the apps.
Ibrahim Ayoade, founding general secretary and former president of the National Union of Application Professionals, said:
“This accreditation marks AUATWN as the first government-recognised electronic call union in Africa. Yes,” he said. Comrade Ayoade is talking about development.
The fight for app-based driver integration began in 2016, when Uber cut driver revenue by 40% without consultation.
So he called on drivers across the country to join a union demanding better working conditions.


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Found 4 results for "LA-CO Industries"...
Just show me:
January 7, 2013
LA-CO Industries Inc. acquires Tempil
LA-CO Industries Inc., Elk Grove Village, Ill., has acquired Tempil®, a division of Illinois Tool Works Inc. (ITW). With the addition of Tempil's new temperature-indication technologies and capabilities, LA-CO — manufacturer of Markal®... Read more...
September 12, 2012
LA-CO Industries adds 'Find a Marker' search tool to Markal website
LA-CO Industries, Elk Grove Village, Ill., manufacturer of Markal® industrial markers, has unveiled a new, multilingual website at www.markal.com featuring what the company says is the industry's first "Find a Marker" online search tool. The... Read more...
January 9, 2012
LA-CO appoints new president
LA-CO® Industries Inc./Markal Co., Elk Grove Village, Ill., a provider of specialty plumbing and HVAC chemicals, has named George Bowman as president, succeeding John Hardin, who has retired.
Bowman's responsibilities include... Read more...
January 12, 2010
LA-CO Industries acquires majority ownership of Intrama S.A.S.
LA-CO® Industries, Delaware, a wholly owned subsidiary of LA-CO Industries Inc., Elk Grove Village, Ill., has acquired the majority ownership of Intrama S.A.S., an industrial marking products manufacturer and distributor based in Blyes,... Read more...


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The current 100 per cent import duty across the GCC is set at the bound rate
for both Bahrain and Kuwait.
The present import duty is 50 percent which is also the bound rate
of duty agreed in WTO.
Egypt has hiked the import duty on cotton textile from India to 30 percent against the 15 percent bound rate
Spirits will remain subject to a basic customs duty of 150%, while the duty on wine will be increased from 100 percent to 150 percent, the WTO's bound rate
An important issue in the industrial tariff negotiations is whether such negotiations should cover bound rate
only or both the bound and the applied rate.
They also reported, however, that many developing countries and most developed countries tend to apply tariffs at the bound rate
The article also finds that the new bound rate
system, which was intended to increase the transparency of Barbados's trading regime, may in the long run result in the closure of a number of import-substitution firms.
In 1990, the college bound rate
at Collinwood was 26%.
Better profile customers at the outset, offer more options so that they self select correctly, and ask the right questions so the initially quoted and final bound rates
are consistently close.
For a majority of industrial products, the bound rates
are higher than the current applied rates.
The United States also has complained that the additional and extra additional taxes also apply to other imports from the United States such as dairy products and, in some cases, also result in charges that exceed India's WTO bound rates
USTR also noted that the additional duty and extra additional duty also apply to other imports from the United States such as dairy products and, in some cases, also result in customs duties that exceed India's WTO bound rates


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We know Mortal Kombat 12 is apparently coming sometime this year, and Ed Boon is stoking the fires of excitement by seemingly teasing an impending announcement.
In a Warner Bros. Discovery earnings call in February, CEO David Zaslav told investors that Mortal Kombat 12 was planned for release this year. Initially, Boon didn’t confirm or deny the news, but today he tweeted out a short video of a clock hand dramatically ticking towards 12 that then, interestingly, skips over it to strike 1. Boon’s tweet asks, “Does anyone know what time it is?”
— Ed Boon (@noobde) May 10, 2023
It might be the 12th mainline fighting game, but the teaser could be hinting at a reboot of sorts. Regardless, it appears an announcement could be imminent, which seems especially likely following the big delay of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Summer Game Fest is less than a month away, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see the hotly anticipated sequel pop up there.
Mortal Kombat 11 was released in 2019, with its Aftermath expansion arriving the following year. Developer Netherrealm also released Mortal Kombat: Onslaught, a mobile RPG, last fall. Although Netherrealm has released an Injustice game in between Mortal Kombat releases since 2013, it appears to be bucking that trend by jumping straight to the 12th entry.
What do you want to see in Mortal Kombat 12? Let us know in the comments!


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Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy, and China have agreed to swap their currencies in order to reduce their dependency on third-country currencies and thereby, give a boost to their bilateral trade. The agreement for a three-year swap of 15 billion yuan or 720 billion naira was signed by the Central banks of both countries in Beijing last week.
The currency swap was calculated at the Nigerian central bank’s official rate of around 305 naira per dollar.
The transaction will “provide naira liquidity to Chinese businesses and provide renminbi liquidity to Nigerian businesses respectively, thereby improving the speed, convenience and volume of transactions between the two countries,” the Central Bank of Nigeria said in a statement.
It will allow Nigerian companies to import spare parts and raw materials from China by sourcing the Chinese currency from local banks and help them avoid “the difficulties of seeking other scarce foreign currencies,” it said.
The deal will also help Chinese manufacturers sourcing raw materials from Nigeria to obtain the Nigerian currency from banks in China to pay for their imports from the African country.
Nigeria is now the third African country to have signed such an agreement with the People’s Bank of China, the Chinese central bank.
The agreement is currently for a three-year period, but it can be renewed if both parties approve.


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The 2021 Volkswagen Polo has just been revealed by the German brand overnight, bringing in refreshed styling, more equipment and autonomous driving capabilities to one of our favourite small cars. With Australian sales due to start in early 2022 for the new model, the refreshed Polo has been styled to mirror the soon to be launched Volkswagen Golf Mk8.
Up front, expect to see sleeker and more modern headlights, with clever LED lighting being the name of the game. European Polos will now all feature LED lights as standard with fancier LED matrix headlights available on higher end models. New bumpers feature at both ends along with fresh alloy wheel options. The rear has also been revised to look wider with LED tail-lights that stretch onto the tailgate. All very mini-Golf to our eyes.
Inside, Volkswagen has waved their magic wand at the 2021 Polo’s interior too. Even the cheapest models come with 8.0-inch digital dials, along with a a 6.5-inch infotainment touchscreen mounted high up on the dash. Higher end models will come with a 10.25-inch display in front of the driver and a more premium 9.2-inch infotainment system. In front of the driver is Volkswagen’s new steering wheel, along with the brand’s new logo which mirrors the steering wheel found in other freshly launched VW products such as the Golf Mk8 and new Tiguan.
On the tech front, Volkswagen has endowed the baby Polo with some very high end safety and driver assistance systems. The Travel Assist system assists drivers with keeping their lane at higher speeds and can automatically adjust the vehicles’s speed to road and traffic conditions, bringing the Polo to a complete stop autonomously, even in traffic.
Volkswagen didn’t mention any changes to the engines on offer, with no new hybrid models launched to mirror the Ford Fiesta in Europe which can be had with a mild-hybrid option. Expect the existing Australian engine lineup of 1.0 litre turbocharged petrol engines to continue through to the facelifted 2021 Volkswagen Polo coming next year, with pricing due to be announced a few months before the local launch.


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BlackBerry has announced that Hyundai Autron, a subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Group, has selected BlackBerry QNX to power the company’s next generation of advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving software platform.
“Hyundai Autron develops the Hyundai Motor standard software platform based on the international AUTOSAR standard,” said Dae-Heung Moon, CEO at Hyundai Autron. “Powered by BlackBerry QNX technology, together we will deliver ADAS and autonomous driving software platforms that will set a new standard for the automotive industry.”
The solution that Hyundai Autron will be using is called QNX OS for Safety, which is a software that specializes in safety and mission-critical applications, such as ADAS and autonomous driving.
“We are excited to work with Hyundai Autron to provide next-generation automobiles with a secured ADAS and autonomous driving software platform,” said John Chen, BlackBerry’s chief executive officer and executive chairman, said in a press release. “Functional safety and security are top priorities in connected and autonomous vehicles. BlackBerry QNX software meets the ISO 26262 ASIL-D level of certification which is the most stringent safety classification for the automotive market.”
BlackBerry QNX has the highest level of automotive certification for functional safety and has its software currently installed on 150 million cars on the road.


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Western Union is readying for its launch in Latin America following the acquisition of Te Enviei, a Brazilian digital pockets, for an undisclosed sum.
With this deal, Western Union plans on introducing its digital pockets to clients in Brazil, enabling them to retailer funds, ship cash domestically and abroad and pay payments by means of their telephones.
The corporate expects its merchandise to go stay in Brazil within the first half of 2023.
“Brazil is a strategically vital market the place we already maintain a banking licence, and it’s a extremely digitised banking market,” says Ricardo Amaral, president of Western Union Brazil. “Moreover, our inside analysis signifies that many Brazilians are searching for monetary merchandise that may handle their wants in a world economic system.”
The transfer follows Western Union’s European launch of its digital banking providing in February this 12 months.
The corporate says it’ll disclose additional particulars concerning its strategic plans and digital banking choices on its upcoming investor day on 20 October.


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If you’ve been to a music, sporting or lifestyle event recently, it’s likely you’ve experienced Howler – one of South Africa’s leading event ticketing and cashless platforms – through their next-generation technology of seamless ticket purchasing process or its onsite cashless system – or both. To date, Howler has processed over R1,5-billion worth of transactions and millions of tickets across thousands of events. Now, with the Series B funding round raised, it will be further developing its end-to-end event technology stack, growing its market share in Sub-Saharan Africa, and expanding into Europe and Asia-Pacific.
“We are doubling down on our technology to create a more seamless and connected event experience for all our stakeholders, event organisers , vendors and event goers,” explains Howler Co-founder and CEO, Shai Evian.
“We are particularly passionate about the event goers’ experience so a significant portion of the investment is to be used to enhance the experience for the already 1 million-plus event goers who use our platforms. We are looking at the entire experience from end to end – from event discovery and buying tickets, to attending and in-event purchasing. We want them to spend less time in queues and more time enjoying the event itself and ultimately help event organisers make moments that matter. We are also really excited to show the rest of the world just how Africa is transforming the event experience.”
Techstars’ global network of mentors, accelerator programmes and portfolio companies; Platform45’s software savvy and expertise in product design, mobile and web development; together with Platform Growth’s permanent capital vehicle, all ensure that Howler is equipped with value from multiple avenues, including software development, funding and access to a global network of like-minded entrepreneurs.
Howler is the first South African tech company that Techstars has provided follow-on investment to. “We’ve been extremely impressed with the progress that the Howler team has made and by the growth of the company since completing the Barclays Accelerator, powered by Techstars, in 2017,” says Yossi Hasson, Techstars’ Managing Director. “As a worldwide network that helps entrepreneurs succeed, we’re excited to support them in continuing on that journey. Our involvement gives Howler access to this network to help amplify their global reach in order for them to expand, attract capital and find exceptional talent.”
Having worked alongside Howler’s product team for many years, Platform45 Managing Director, Shaun Richards, says: “Our vision has always been to build software that helps businesses and people do more through the power of tech. When we started working with the team behind Howler, we immediately knew that this wasn’t just any idea, this was an idea that could change eventing around the world. With our investment in Howler, the commercial team can focus on growing their footprint globally without any concerns over the software scaling seamlessly, while Platform45 focuses on what we do best – supporting Howler’s platform team in building cutting-edge features that make Howler one-of-a-kind.”
“Platform Growth’s core mandate is to invest in uniquely competitive technology and highly competent management teams. Howler has demonstrated both of these attributes during our partnership,” says the company’s Director, Michael Stannard. “Howler’s platform fills a unique space in the industry that offers a seamless, proven and scalable solution for event organisers, attendees and vendors. The platform combines a deep understanding of the event organisers’ requirements, with an exceptional team of software developers.”
“I don’t believe there is another South African company investing this much into the space like we are. Our confidence in the future is at an all-time high,” says Evian.


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Canon has announced a new RF lens for its mirrorless cameras that’s the world’s first full-frame zoom lens that goes up to 800mm. The 200-800mm F6.3-9 IS USM offers an unprecedented reach without needing (optional) teleconverters, that’s the equivalent of your phone having a 30x optical zoom, only with no perceivable loss in image quality.
We’ve already posted a RF 200-800mm review, and labeled the lens an ideal combo with the EOS R7 and EOS R5 cameras for enthusiast wildlife and sports photographers, especially those that focus on birdlife, or for safari and grassroots sports, and it no doubt merits a place in our best Canon lenses guide.
Canon’s on a bit of a roll at the moment – having recently launched the ultra-wide RF 10-20mm F4L lens, it has consequently announced the RF 200-800mm alongside two other new lenses, too: Canon’s fourth crop-sensor mirrorless lens – the RF-S 10-18mm F4.5-6.3; and the RF 24-105mm F2.8L IS USM Z, which Canon describes as the first in a series of pro grade hybrid lenses.
Let’s take a quick run through of each lens.
Canon RF 200-800mm F6.3-9 IS USM: world’s longest zoom lens
Canon already has a RF 800mm F11 IS STM lens in its lineup, but the pricier RF 200-800mm F6.3-9 IS USM offers an excellent zoom range and slightly better maximum aperture, as well as weather-sealing.
When paired with Canon’s flagship APS-C camera, the EOS R7, you get image stabilization up to 7.5 stops, subject detection autofocus, and an equivalent 1200mm focal length due to the sensor format’s 1.5x crop. It’s a dream combo.
For such a far reaching lens, the RF 200-800mm balances well in the hand, and at 72.3oz / 2,050g it’s relatively lightweight for carrying over extended periods, while its list price of $1,899 / £2,299.99 / AU$3,499 is competitive for what features are on offer.
Canon RF-S 10-18mm F4.5-6.3: fourth and widest crop-sensor lens
Designed specifically for the EOS R7, EOS R50, EOS R10 and EOS R100 cameras, the tiny and lightweight RF-S 10-18mm F4.5-6.3 is the fourth and the widest APS-C zoom lens for Canon’s crop-sensor mirrorless cameras, and it couldn’t come soon enough.
We’ve been nervous about how quickly Canon has launched new crop sensor cameras like the ones listed above, but conversely slow to release supporting native lenses, which doesn't bode well and makes it harder to fully recommend those cameras, even the EOS R10 that we rate as the best camera for beginners. Thankfully, now there’s a pricier ultra-wide lens, the RF-S 10-18mm F4.5-6.3, that only weighs 150g and is also optically sharper than the RF-S 18-45mm F4.5-6.3 IS STM kit lens.
With Canon recently discontinuing its EOS-M series – another range of APS-C cameras that never got enough love to really shine – time is ticking for Canon to fill out the range of native lenses for its crop sensor EOS R-mount before consumers opt for other systems instead.
We got our hands on this new optically stabilized lens, and found it balanced really well with the EOS R50, offering superb close focusing and maximum 0.5x magnification. It’s a decent option for landscape and macro photography, plus vlogging, and has a $329.99 / £379.99 / AU$599 list price.
Canon RF 24-105mm F2.8L IS USM: Canon's first ‘hybrid’ mirrorless lens
One for the pros, the Canon RF 24-105mm F2.8L could be the only lens that filmmaker-cum-photographers ever need. It’s a chunky lens that Canon says offers the same optical quality as the RF 24-70mm F2.8L pro lens.
Designed with filmmakers in mind, the RF 24-105mm F2.8L fills the gap between Canon’s cine lenses and its photo-centric RF lenses, and it is compatible with an optional Canon Power Zoom adaptor for smooth zoom control and remote operation.
List price is $2,999 / £3,439.99 / AU$5,399, while the Power Zoom adapter is available in two versions and comes with a starting price of $999 / £1,476.62 / AU$1,849.
Analysis: Canon on a roll
After a busy first half of 2023 launching new cameras, Canon has spent the latter half of 2023 unveiling new lenses, which bodes well for photographers and filmmakers buying into the system. New cameras make the headlines, supporting lenses make for a better day to day reality for those invested in the system.
With the launch of the RF 200-800mm, Canon has demonstrated its continued EOS R-mount innovation, and this could be the best zoom lens available for enthusiast wildlife and sports photographers. And it’s the new crop-sensor RF-S 10-18mm lens in particular that offers a host of Canon fans reassurance, who are not doubt hoping that Canon keeps this up – a new RF-S prime lens seems like the logical next product, pronto.
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Tim is the Cameras editor at TechRadar. He has enjoyed more than 15 years in the photo video industry with most of those in the world of tech journalism. During his time as Deputy Technical Editor with Amateur Photographer, as a freelancer and consequently editor at Tech Radar, Tim has developed a deeply technical knowledge and practical experience with cameras, educating others through news, reviews and features. He’s also worked in video production for Studio 44 with clients including Canon, and volunteers his spare time to consult a non-profit, diverse stories team based in Nairobi. Tim is curious, a keen creative, avid footballer and runner, and moderate flat white drinker who has lived in Kenya and believes we have much to enjoy and learn from each other.


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DALLAS, June 5, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- A new industry research report from international firm Parks Associates shows nearly 75% of the consumers planning to buy a smart home device consider it important for their purchase to work with other products in their home. Interoperability and the Internet of Things reports this demand for interoperability is stronger than brand loyalty, as less than 60% of smart home shoppers consider it important that their future purchases be the same brand as their current products.
"Consumer adoption of smart home products is driving expectations that devices work together seamlessly," said Brad Russell, Research Director, Connected Home, Parks Associates. "Consumers are buying outside of a single brand's ecosystem, so they are demanding product interoperability, with popular 'hero' devices like smart speakers and smart thermostats carrying the most importance."
Interoperability and the Internet of Things also reveals Amazon Echo, Google Home, and Works with Nest lead in a virtual tie as the platforms most used by consumers to control smart home products. According to the report, 22-23% of U.S. broadband households that own smart home devices use each of these platforms.
Among smart home purchase intenders, Amazon Echo garners the greatest share who are familiar with the platform and value its integration with other products. Thirty-four percent of smart home purchase intenders familiar with these platforms rate integration with Amazon Echo as important while 26% of purchase intenders find interoperability with Google Home important.
Additional research from the report shows:
- 32% of U.S. broadband households own at least one connected device, and 50% of households intend to purchase a smart home device in the next year.
- Over 33% of consumers use only individual apps for discrete devices and do not have an app that controls multiple products.
- 25% of smart home device owners can control all or some of their smart devices through their home security app.
Interoperability and the Internet of Things examines the importance of interoperability and provides an analysis of the communication stack, technologies, and ecosystems in the smart home industry. It provides an updated analysis on the role of interoperability in generating success for the smart home industry and how companies can stay competitive with differentiated products while still offering robust interoperability across all devices.
For more information about Parks Associates' research, contact [email protected]. To schedule an interview with an analyst or to request specific data, contact Julia Homier at [email protected], 972-996-0214.
About Parks Associates
Parks Associates is an internationally recognized market research and consulting company specializing in emerging consumer technology products and services. Founded in 1986, Parks Associates creates research capital for companies ranging from Fortune 500 to small start-ups through market reports, primary studies, consumer research, custom research, workshops, executive conferences, and annual service subscriptions.
The company's expertise includes digital media and platforms, entertainment and gaming, home networks, Internet and television services, digital health, mobile applications and services, support services, consumer apps, advanced advertising, consumer electronics, energy management, and home control systems and security.
Each year, Parks Associates hosts industry webcasts, the CONNECTIONS™ Conference Series, Connected Health Summit: Engaging Consumers, and Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer. http://www.parksassociates.com
SOURCE Parks Associates


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Rave Mobile Safety unveils 911 location-accuracy solution for wireless callers indoors, outdoors
DENVER—Rave Mobile Safety today announced the “controlled release” of Smart911Location, a new feature of the company’s Smart911 platform that leverages information from Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and other commercial infrastructure to provide enhanced location accuracy when 911 is contacted via a wireless device.
“We’ve been doing it with clients—live—for the past few months, and it works,” Todd Piett, chief product officer for Rave Mobile Safety, said during an interview with IWCE’s Urgent Communications. “There are variations that we haven’t tested yet, in terms of types of buildings and things like that. But the ability to take the handset location and show it live on the 911 screen? That works.”
In addition to data gathered official government sources, Google and Apple mapping functions leverage crowdsourcing techniques that have been proven to be very accurate in highly trafficked areas, indoors and outdoors, Piett said. By utilizing information from commercial-wireless assets, Smart911Location is able to provide better location information—including Z-axis or floor information, where mapping has been done—as well as information associated with the caller’s speed of travel and direction, he said
In addition, building owners can provide information about the location of their wireless assets to help improve location accuracy for wireless 911 callers, Piett said.
“It gets me down to within 5-meter accuracy here in the building, and it’s very accurate on the floors, too,” he said.
With this in mind, Rave Mobile Safety hopes to work with fire marshals, building-inspection departments and other government sources to help develop a system that automatically maps an area or building without interfering with an inspector’s primary jobs while working inside a facility, Piett said.
“I think it has a lot of good potential, but there’s a lot of process stuff that we’ve got to work out,” he said. “We’ve got to make it brain-dead simple for that fire marshal, so he doesn’t forget things.”
Rave Mobile Safety will be testing Smart911Location and working with interested third parties during the summer, with the hope that it will be able to release the test results as early as August, Piett said.
“The only testing that we’re really doing is: How good is the location accuracy?” he said. “You can find out by turning on Google Maps on your phone, because it’s the exact same set of data. But we want to do it in a much more methodical method, so we can say, ‘If you’re in a basement, this is what it looks like. If you’re in a basement with good Wi-Fi, this is what it looks like. If you’re in the top floor of a building, this is what it looks like.’”
Utilizing these commercial technologies is a key component of the FCC’s recent 911 location-accuracy order.
“For years, consumers have wondered why 911 cannot receive the same accurate location information as seen with popular consumer apps; we have now closed that gap,” Rave Mobile Safety President and CEO Tom Axbey said in a prepared statement. “We’ve been working with select customers to create a solution that improves emergency response, seamlessly integrates into existing processes and exceeds FCC requirements for indoor location accuracy.”
Piett said there are other benefits associated with using the Smart911 Location approach.
“There’s always been this desire to get commercial location, for a couple of reasons,” Piett said. “One, because it’s kind of future-proofed. Everyone recognizes that, if the technology that public safety is using to locate callers is the same one that commerce apps, navigation apps and social media are using, those companies—both the carriers and the operating-system providers—are incented to always make that location [information] better.
“So, the fact that some office building might not have great location is not just an issue for public safety, it’s an issue for all of the people that want to have those guys who are sitting in the offices wanting Amazon Prime to deliver to them immediately, because they need to have better location services.”
While Rave Mobile Safety’s focus is to provide more accurate location data from wireless 911 calls, the company plans to open its application program interface (API) to other vendors, which can develop their own applications. For instance, Piett said he believes the location-accuracy solution for 911 callers also could be leveraged to provide the indoor location of firefighters and other first responders—something incident commanders have long wanted.
“We don’t typically supply those types of apps, but one of the goals of exposing this API is that [we can say,] ‘Motorola or whoever, if you want to push the responder’s location into this thing, we’ll also display that on the 911 console,’” Piett said. “So, they’ll be able to see where the caller is and the three responders. It’s easy.”


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OceanFirst names executive vice presidents
Joseph R. Iantosca, chief administrative officer, and Joseph J. Lebel III, chief lending officer, have been named executive vice presidents at OceanFirst Bank, Toms River. Iantosca, executive vice president and chief administrative officer, will continue to be responsible for the delivery of essential services such as retail customer services, loan servicing, marketing, information technology, facilities management and expansion. He joined the bank in 2004 as senior vice president and chief administrative officer and was appointed first senior vice president in May 2007. Lebel, executive vice president and chief lending officer, is responsible for the credit culture of the company, leading the expansion of commercial, small business, residential and consumer borrowing relationships. He joined the bank in 2006 as senior vice president of commercial lending and was appointed first senior vice president and chief lending officer in 2007.
Howell resident named hotel general manager
Dominique Ervin of Howell has been appointed general manager of the Hampton Inn at 4 McNamara Way, Neptune. As general manager, Ervin will direct all areas of the hotel's operations, including guest services, sales and marketing efforts and hotel administration. Prior to joining the Hampton Inn, Ervin was assistant general manager at Doubletree by Hilton, Tinton Falls.


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The Co-operative Group is planning a major membership drive next year in a bid to sign up 20 million people to the profit-sharing scheme by 2020.
And the society, while extolling the benefits of the scheme which currently has six million registered members also plans to improve its use of data from the ‘dividend’ card.
The Co-op claims the scheme, which paid out a record £50.4m to members in June this year, up from £38.8m in 2009, is more generous than other food retailer loyalty cards, including Tesco Clubcard and the Nectar scheme.
Shoppers collect one point for every £1 spent in Co-op food stores under the scheme, but the value of each point is adjusted annually and at 2p last year shoppers received a 2% return double other supermarket loyalty schemes.
CEO Peter Marks said the 20 million membership target was “easily achievable” because the society already has 21 million customers per week in its food stores alone. New customers from its family of businesses, especially from Britannia Building Society following its merger with The Co-operative Bank last year, would boost membership.
“We have been guilty of not explaining it properly to our members, but this will change,” he said.
The Co-op is also set to return to expansion mode next year, as its integration of Somerfield is close to completion, added MD of food retail Tim Hurrell.
When it opens a store on The Strand in WC2 next February announced this week The Co-op will become the first food retailer with a store in every postcode in Britain.
But completing UK coverage was just the start of ambitious new expansion plans for the society, said Hurrell, adding 10% more stores to its 3,106-strong estate over the next three years, with 50 in 2011, 125 in 2012 and 175 in 2013.
With 92% of the total Co-op estate converted, “the integration of Somerfield [by March 2011] is on track,” said Hurrell. And despite a reported 12% reduction in sales on conversions (The Grocer, 8 May 2010), the society will post record profits in 2010, Marks added.
While admitting the Co-op was unlikely to hit the “ambitious” sales and profit targets set at the start of the year, it would “easily meet banking covenants,” with an increase of “around 20%” on last year’s £246m profits in stark contrast to the string of profit warnings issued by Morrisons, following its acquisition of Safeway in 2004.
The Co-op made more than £670m selling 220 stores following the Somerfield acquisition, and gained £220m in savings from supplier negotiations.
A new ‘mixed mission strategy’ for stores devised using Somerfield software would see sales and profits recover and grow, Hurrell added.


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Tag: Customer Service
After a summerlong meltdown, American Airlines is shaking up its leadership to fix the damage done by months of operational mishaps
The changes realign the way that American's operational and commercial management teams oversee the day-to-day, following a summer of mishaps.
Burger King has apologized to a blind woman with allergies after staff said ‘company policy’ wouldn’t let them read a list of ingred...
Burger King has since said there was no such policy and the company is "looking into this matter further," as reported by BBC.
Business Insider asked more than 3,000 people about which fast-food chains have the best customer service.
Chick-fil-A consulted Ritz-Carlton and fine-dining pro Danny Meyer on how to make its customer service better than any other fast-food chain
Ritz-Carlton Hotels' COO told Chick-fil-A that it was the "best of a bad lot" in fast food, inspiring the chain to imitate more upscale restaurants.
From customer service representatives to tutors, here's a look at some of the most common side gigs.
Rent the Runway launched a new tool that makes it easier for customers to cancel their subscriptions on Monday.
For the fourth year in a row, Chick-fil-A was named America's most beloved fast-food chain in the American Customer Satisfaction Index annual survey.
Skytrax surveyed more than 20 million passengers for this year's rankings. Here's who passengers said had the most helpful airport and cabin crews.
There are a few ways you can contact Facebook for problems with your account, but you should generally use Facebook's Help Center.
You can contact Amazon customer service in a few ways to get answers about your account. Here's how to contact Amazon by phone, chat, email, and more.


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MARKET REPORT: ITV shares spike by 3.8% as broadcaster says it won't buy Deal or No Deal creator Endemol
There will be No Deal between ITV and media company Endemol Shine.
ITV has ruled itself out as a buyer of the Deal or No Deal creator, which relieved shareholders' worries about how the broadcaster would raise the cash to pay for Endemol.
Shares in ITV, sinking over recent weeks, hit their highest level since August yesterday, climbing 3.8 per cent, or 5.9p, to 162.3p.
Deal or No Deal: Endemol created the popular game show, hosted by Noel Edmonds
Endemol Shine creates a host of hit programmes, including MasterChef and Big Brother, but has been on the block for months as its owners 21st Century Fox and private equity giant Apollo want to cash in on it.
They were hoping it would attract significant buyer interest, from traditional broadcasters looking to gain competitive advantages in their efforts to ward off newcomers such as Netflix and Amazon.
A precedent was set when US broadcaster Comcast coughed up a massive £30 billion for Sky but ITV did not take the bait. Just last month, chief executive Carolyn McCall said ITV would not grow just for growth's sake but would instead ensure shareholder returns by being 'incredibly disciplined' about acquisitions.
It will look to focus on its own subscription streaming service – including a premium version of its catch-up service ITV Hub, which is rumoured to be a collaboration with the BBC and Channel 4.
Speculation that B&Q owner Kingfisher might be ripe for an activist investor to swoop caused the shares to creep up 3 per cent, or 7.6p, to 261.2p.
Stock Watch: Premier African Minerals
Tungsten miner Premier African Minerals slid after it announced the results of a consultation on how to bring one of its Zimbabwean mines back into production.
The study concluded it was viable, but would cost £818,000. After 15 months, it would only be making £474,000.
In a separate announcement, it said it may have to reconfigure the layout of the mine to take advantage of where minerals were detected. Shares fell 17.5 per cent, or 0.03p, to 0.13p.
Analysts at Northern Trust Capital Markets said splitting up the firm, which also owns Screwfix, would boost its value even if the French businesses and B&Q were valued at zero.
Kingfisher has little to show for its long-running turnaround, and pressure is piling up.
The FTSE 100 rose 0.48 per cent, or 35.73 points, to 7510.28. A hefty 8.6 per cent slide from Tesco, which fell 20.2p to 215p, failed to drag the blue-chip index into the red.
At the smaller end of the London Stock Exchange, Topps Tiles surprised investors with a remarkably upbeat trading update.
The UK's largest tile retailer said revenues for the year would be up around 1.5 per cent at £215 million, while like-for-like revenues would be flat compared to the previous year.
In 2017, by contrast, like-for-like revenues fell by 2.9 per cent. Just this April it was buffeted by bad weather and a 'challenging' market, and in July it warned sales were still falling.
But this time, Topps said it had outperformed competitors as a turnaround paid off. Pre-tax profits will be slightly ahead of expectations.
The business has launched more than 25 ranges over the past 12 months, and redeveloped some of its stores to draw in DIY customers as well as professionals.
Companies like Topps are often seen as a bellwether for households' willingness to spend on big-ticket items like kitchen and bathroom refurbishments. Its shares shot up by 9.6 per cent, or 6p, to 68.7p.
On London's junior market, gaming technology company Nektan announced another record quarter for the first three months of its 2019 financial year.
Net gaming revenue, from the online sites which it operates around the world, rocketed 64.6 per cent to £6.4 million compared to the first quarter of last year. Shares reciprocated, rising 7.5 per cent, or 1.5p, to 21.5p.
Colombian oil company Amerisur Resources also impressed investors, saying it had achieved a flow of 590 barrels per day from its Pintadillo-1 discovery. Chief executive John Wardle called the result 'exciting and very positive', as shares soared 13.2 per cent, or 1.5p, to 13p.
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In an upcoming teaser for GDC 2019, the Game Developers Conference trade show / expo which annually consists of a 5 day gathering for the game industry’s best and brightest, it has been revealed that Microsoft will bring Xbox Live to the Nintendo Switch as well as mobile platforms. This was confirmed by Microsoft who has also recently brought their voice assistant AI Cortana to Amazon’s smart speaker and smart home line of products as a downloadable Alexa skill. These two moves are significant on their own but also signal a greater long-term strategy which could change the face of Xbox gaming forever.
Continue reading Cortana on Alexa, Xbox Live on Switch, xCloud on everything? Microsoft’s multi-platform future
Worlds Will Change…
With a full orchestra, dozens of world premieres, and world famous presenters from within the entertainment industries, The Game Awards 2018 took place in the Microsoft Theater (Los Angeles, California) and is one of the most digitally distributed products of all time and was streamed live in 4K HDR resolution as well as VR formats around the globe on more platforms than any other industry event or live awards show in history. In this article we will cover the play-by-play as well as provide coverage of the awards, world premiere announcements, game trailers, some commentary, and the full high definition replay footage of the event in case you missed the incredible ride.
Continue reading The Game Awards 2018 – Full WrapUp & Videos
Phil Spencer has been quoted as saying that “for a long time, Xbox was like the Garage of Microsoft”. His aim to re-invent the Xbox brand has begun to take shape behind-the-scenes, but will only truly be felt during the next-generation of consoles games. It takes time to make changes at major companies, Spencer inherited a mess from Don Mattrick whose infamous DRM scandal can be largely blamed for the deficit between PS4 and Xbox One this generation. Earning back the reputation of Xbox with gamers will take time. It also takes a long time for game studios to produce new games, and that’s a big part of what Phil Spencer has been initiating, exclusives for Xbox.
Continue reading Xbox promising unlimited budget & creative freedom for first party studios
Big Boss at Xbox Phil Spencer has just announced that Microsoft will World Premiere 15 games we haven’t seen before at tomorrow’s Press Conference. It’s that time of the year again and this E3 Microsoft has much to prove. After wrapping up their rehearsal, the team is confident and beaming with pride for what they’re about to show us.
Continue reading Phil Spencer: “Excited to World Premiere 15 Games Tomorrow and Much, Much More”
Yesterday a rumor surfaced, stating that Microsoft was in talks with Konami over the acquisition of the Silent Hill franchise for “billions of dollars”. The rumor also claimed that the game was 80% complete and would be revealed at E3 as an Xbox One exclusive with a March 2016 release date.
If that sounds somewhat ridiculous and false to you, that’s because it is. Phil Spencer, head of Microsoft’s Xbox division and Microsoft Studios, went ahead and shot the rumor down on twitter, claiming he didn’t want fans to be mislead.
There you have it, straight from the horse’s mouth. Which means the future of the Silent Hill franchise is still unknown.
Via: Phil Spencer
Editor’s Note: RealGamerNewZ has moved web servers, some older posts can no longer be commented on and have been preserved without their images. Thank you for your understanding in this matter. This article was written by Jermain Jackson on 20150530 and was last modified on 20150530 .
Games with Gold, Microsoft’s Xbox Live program debuted last summer and offers two free games a month on Xbox 360 for members with a gold subscription. Since the promotion’s release, many have felt cheated with the selection of games that have been offered so far. Well Microsoft Game Studios corporate vice president Phil Spencer addressed the fan feedback during a Q&A session at SXSW over the weekend.
“I have been sitting down, monthly now, with [the Games Gone Gold team]… and playing a more active role in picking franchises that show up in Games with Gold, and I think you’ll see at least something that feels, at least, more true to what I think Games with Gold should look like with the constraints that are there,” Phil said.
The GwG program is often compared to Sony’s PlayStation Plus promotion, which offers more games and many that are more recent. This is what he had to say on the matter.
“One of our… differences between the other system we get compared to, is the fact that with Games with Gold, you get to keep that game, regardless of whether you continue to subscribe,” Spencer said. “I think there’s some steps and some evolution of what Games with Gold or any of the other systems will go through to their full potential”
It was reported late last year that Games with Gold would be making its way on Xbox One sometime this year. When asked about it, Phil tweeted that details would be revealed soon.
Editor’s Note: RealGamerNewZ has moved web servers, some older posts can no longer be commented on and have been preserved without their images. Thank you for your understanding in this matter. This article was written by Jermain Jackson on 20140310 and was last modified on 20140310 .


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Star Stable Entertainment, a global cross-channel entertainment company and creator of the popular adventure game Star Stable Online, along with Ferly, an animation, publishing and licensing company, today announce a new animated short-form series Star Stable: Mistfall to debut this December on YouTube – targeting today’s tween/teen girl.
Written by Emmy Award winning writer and showrunner Alice Prodanou (Hotel Transylvania, Inspector Gadget, 6teen, and My Babysitter’s a Vampire), the series (10 episodes, 5 minutes each) introduces a new heroine, Skye, and tells a story full of friendship, horses, and mystery.
In addition to series development and production, Star Stable Entertainment is partnering with Ferly for all licensing and branding, with this first Mistfall series leading to further scripted content in the franchise, including a long-form version of the series currently in development.
“Skye’s adventures in Mistfall fill a void in animated content that appeals to today’s multi-dimensional tween and teen girl,” said Taina Malén, Star Stable Entertainment’s Chief Business Development Officer. “Along with the animation and licensing expertise of the team at Ferly and the writing prowess of Prodanou – Mistfall will deliver a series that girls will want to watch again and again.”
Featuring all-new storylines, Mistfall’s narrative and characters run parallel to those in the popular online game. While engaging Star Stable’s loyal online community of tween/teen girls, the series gives a new way to interact with the brand attracting new audiences.
“The deep lore and expansive universe of Mistfall means there is huge scope for making wonderful stories and entire new worlds for players of the game to immerse themselves in, as well as new fans,” said Laura Nevanlinna, CEO of Ferly. “Star Stable Entertainment has nurtured an incredibly engaged audience of young people, a notoriously difficult demographic to capture the attention of. The room for further brand extensions, building an even wider audience, and serving the loyal fan base with more of what they love makes this a brilliant enterprise to partner on.”
Launched in 2011, Star Stable Online is a popular horse adventure online game. In April 2020, the massively multiplayer online game was played by 1.4 million active users living in 180 different countries, with each player logging an average of 18 hours of play that month. The franchise supports an active and highly engaged community of nearly 450,000 Instagram followers, 300,000 YouTube subscribers, and 255,000 Facebook fans. On TikTok, Star Stable fans have created more than 250 million pieces of content tagged #starstable.
With the introduction of the Mistfall animated series, Star Stable Entertainment is further extending its blockbuster franchise across multiple channels to become a leading entertainment platform for today’s girl with a massive following across games, books, music and now, animation. This year, the company published the first two books of its Soul Riders fantasy trilogy in 15 countries, with the third installment set for release next spring. In addition, original music from Star Stable Entertainment has garnered more than 5 million streams on all streaming platforms and in-game, growing at a rate of 100% annually.
Star Stable Entertainment is a cross-channel entertainment company that makes games and stories where girls discover adventure, ignite creativity and build friendships.


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Photo Credit: Getty Images
Efforts to provide greater transparency when it comes to food and beverage advertising have hit a stumbling block. In other words, expect to see more claims that neon-colored breakfast cereals improve kids' health and that fluorescent beverages are not only thirst-quenching, but also nutritious.
Currently grabbing headlines are two distinct, but related, issues. One concerns the advertising of foods of dubious nutritional value to children, a marketing practice that has come under fire from advocacy groups like Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). According to the New York Times, the Obama administration is pressuring the food industry to save its child-centric ad promotions for products with a more healthful nutritional profile. Food and advertising industry representatives aren't thrilled. Currently, companies are able to draft their own voluntary guidelines. Meaning? Cereals like Froot Loops continue to enjoy little ad regulation. A final report on this issue has been delayed.
The second, tangentially-related issue, is a lawsuit CSPI has brought against Vitamin Water, which is owned by the Coca Cola Company. A judge last week denied Coca Cola's motion to dismiss the suit, which alleges deceptive health claims on its labels.
Coca Cola is hardly alone. Late last year, Kellogg's came under fire for slapping immunity claims on its Rice Krispies cereal boxes. The company later discontinued the practice, following both public and legal pressure.
My advice to parents as well as those without kids: read the ingredients list on food labels, and use your judgment when interpreting health claims. Common sense is still your best tool for determining which foods are truly healthful.
How do you help your kids make healthier food choices? Chime in below!


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Samsung posted record profits in the second quarter, buoyed by the arrival of a new flagship Galaxy phone and continued strong sales of its older handsets.
The consumer electronics giant recorded profits of £3.8 billion in the period from May to the end of June, representing a rise of 77 per cent from the same quarter last year.
The strong showing in the smartphone sector was driven by the release of the long-awaited Galaxy S3, which accounted for 60 per cent of Sammy’s Q2 profits and which analysts estimate made up 6.5 million of the 50 million or so handsets Sammy sold over the course of the quarter.
News of Samsung’s ever-stronger challenge to Apple comes as it becomes more and more embroiled in a courtroom contretemps over alleged patent infringements with its California-based rival.
According to analysts, it is this, rather than the threat from Android rivals that could spell trouble ahead for Samsung, especially after Apple has had some success with getting Galaxy products withdrawn from sale – albeit briefly.
Kim Young-chan of Shinhan Investment said: "The biggest risk Samsung is facing might be patent issues, as stocks can respond negatively to this uncertainty.”
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Huawei has presented the flagship smartphone Mate 8 for the world market during its press conference at CES 2016.
Mate 8, which was announced last month in China, will be available to the world in the coming weeks, but will not be launched in the US, at least not at the start.
The smartphone is the successor of last year’s Mate 7, but at the same time it is the first smartphone that runs on Kirin 950 processor.
Mate comes with 8 EMUI 4.0, which is based on Android Marshmallow, as the smartphone is equipped with a 6-inch display with a resolution of 1920×1080 pixels.
Depending on the variation, Mate 8 is offered with 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal memory and 4 GB of RAM and 64 disk space. The latest version supports two SIM-cards.
On the back of the device is placed Sony IMX298 sensor that offers a resolution of 16 megapixels, aperture f / 2.0, optical image stabilization and PDAF. Next to the camera is a dual LED flash.
The front 8-megapixel camera has an aperture of f / 2.4 camera and supports video recording in Full HD filming and delayed 120 fps.
The device received the 4000 mAh battery on.
The handset also supports fast charging and according to the company Huawei, in 30 minutes you can charge the device at work the whole day.
Mate Standard version 8 will be offered at a price of € 599, while the enhanced cost you € 699.


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Tetrix Network, an interconnected ecosystem of blockchain bridges, announced the launch of its new and improved crypto wallet Pitaka. The wallet allows its users to store, manage, and exchange various cryptocurrencies and digital assets in one simple browser extension.
“Pitaka is a fully decentralized crypto wallet that runs on Tetrix, the first omnichain protocol that directly communicates across all blockchains,” –Felix Asuncion, Chief Revenue Officer of Tetrix
According to Asuncion, the main goal of Tetrix Network in building Pitaka is to “create a product that each and every Filipino will be proud of. As we say, “Made by Filipinos, for the world.”
Moreover, the developers noted that with Pitaka users will be able to hold various cryptocurrencies as the wallet will enable them to make transactions to any blockchain address. They also said Pitaka will also provide users with an entry point into the emerging world of decentralized finance or DeFi.
In addition, the wallet can also store non-fungible tokens (NFTs). NFTs are a distinct, unique, and easily verifiable type of digital item.
Currently, Pitaka supports more than 18,000 cryptocurrencies built on top of 25 blockchains including established altcoins, such as Ether, Binance Coin, and Polygon, as well as popular meme coins like Dogecoin and Shiba Inu.
Like Metamask, this non-custodial wallet grants users full control of their funds by giving them access to their wallet’s private key, a 12-word mnemonic (seed) phrase that when lost cannot be recovered. They assured that this “prevents any malicious behavior against any users because all actions are verified by the blockchain.”
“In addition, users of Pitaka will be able to connect their Trezor and Ledger hardware wallets, maintaining self-custody and full control over their assets,” Tetrix Network wrote in a statement.
Accordingly, Tetrix stated that they have already started the development of Pitaka’s mobile app which will support more cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and XRP. Also, the wallet supports Google Chrome and Chromium-based browser, Brave.
This article is published on BitPinas: Filipino-led Tetrix Network Launches ‘Pitaka’ Crypto Wallet
Disclaimer: BitPinas articles and its external content are not financial advice. The team serves to deliver independent, unbiased news to provide information for Philippine-crypto and beyond.


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Automakers will be benefitting from a Tesla-like direct sales business model in Wyoming under proposed Senate Bill 57, which will allow car manufacturers to sell vehicles directly to consumers within the state.
The proposed bill in Wyoming would require Tesla and other direct sale manufacturers to obtain a state license to sell directly to customers. The Wyoming legislation also states that manufacturers would be allowed to open stores that they wholly own. “Right now, a manufacturer cannot legally sell cars to Wyoming consumers in Wyoming,” said Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander, the lead sponsor of the bill. “I am not sure what Tesla would do with the law, but it seems like a business-friendly thing to do to make it legal for them to sell cars to people in Wyoming.”
Tesla, one of the largest global electric car manufacturers, has a business model in which it sells cars directly to customers. It skips a step in the traditional car selling process, bypassing third-party dealerships and selling its cars to consumers through stores operated by the carmaker. Because of this alternative approach, Tesla has had to fight for the right to sell its vehicles in many states.
The bill permits manufacturer sales even if it does not have a physical presence in the state. Senate File 57 adds the following “Motor vehicle franchises — exception:”
A “direct sale manufacturer” means a person licensed under W.S. 31-16-104(a)(ix) who is engaged in the business of manufacturing, constructing or assembling new and unused vehicles and who sells new and unused vehicles to the general public.
Until the bill passes, such a direct sales business model continues to be illegal in Wyoming and several other states, including Utah, North Carolina, Connecticut, and Michigan, amongst others.
Traditional dealerships are not owned by manufacturers according to a near century-old law that was intended to prohibit big manufacturers such as Ford and General Motors from selling directly to consumers, over fears they would undercut dealers on pricing, drive them out of business and lessen competition.
Tesla has some infrastructure already in place in Wyoming. Supercharger stations are located at the Frontier Mall in Cheyenne and in Lusk, Gillette, Sheridan, and Jackson, Wyoming. Because current Wyoming law prohibits Tesla from offering direct sales to customers, the nearest places for consumers within the state to purchase Tesla vehicles are Lone Tree, Vail, and Aspen, Colorado.
The Wyoming Automobile Dealers Association (WADA) is now reviewing the proposed legislation, with concerns about fairness. Marsha Allen, WADA’s executive vice president, has indicated she is researching whether the bill will harm existing Wyoming businesses. She dismissed the need for Wyoming residents to be able to purchase Tesla vehicles in state “since people are already purchasing these vehicles,” adding that Wyoming law already allows car owners to register and title the cars with the Department of Transportation.
The post New Wyoming bill will allow Tesla direct sales model for all automakers appeared first on TESLARATI.com.
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This is what happens when you boil an iPhone 6 in Coca Cola
02 January 2015, 14:02
Los Angeles - A man boiled his mobile phone in a pan of Coca-Cola.
Popular Ukrainian tech vlogger 'TechRax' inexplicably decided to drop his fully-functioning iPhone 6 into a pan of boiling sugary liquid and continued to cook it until it exploded.
So far, over 5.7 million people have viewed his YouTube video of the bizarre experiment and he has advised followers not to follow in his footsteps.
He advised in a later posting online: "The results made my house smell like smoke for two hours - I would NOT recommend trying this at home!"
Watch it here:


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D'oh! On the phone, just hit downloads and copied link. Didn't realize what forum it was.Oh, come on, man. Use our own site's reference material... @thevol somehow got it to share here, and you're linking to ford-trucks.com? (Just kidding. But, yeah, it is on here too.)
Today we learned that as of August 10th order banks are now officially opened for the 2021 Ford Super Duty. 2021 Production is scheduled to begin at the Kentucky plant October 26th and the Ohio plant on November 9th. Ford has also released the changes and updates that 2021 model year will...www.fordtremor.com
Watch. He probably got it from that other site. lol. No! All credit to @thevol!


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Are GoPro Inc and GPRO Stock Done For?
GoPro Inc (NASDAQ:GPRO) sees GPRO stock fall another 4.5% after already taking an 18% beating last week.
This decline continues the rough trend where the stock has plunged 40% since the start of 2016. The most recent drop was pushed by a dismal Q3 showing. GoPro reported a loss of $0.60 per share, far worse than the $0.35 loss per share that some analysts predicted. Net income is also down 330%.
What accounts for GPRO stock’s woes? Well, a number of writers have chimed in on just why the wearable camera hasn’t been able to rebound from this string of poor results.
Take Ethan Wolff-Mann from Yahoo! Finance. His position on GPRO stock is hardly a kind one.
“It’s hard to believe people didn’t see these numbers coming. GoPro, which makes wearable cameras from $199 to $399, hasn’t advanced its core technologies meaningfully enough to compel consumers to upgrade from, say, a Hero 3 model to a 4K Ultra HD. But most of all, the action cam industry was built on a very shaky premise: that the general public does a lot of cool stuff worthy of capturing on video,” he wrote in his article.
“The truth is, most people do not live lives that look good when recorded by a GoPro. On a daily basis, most people commute, work, maybe exercise, and live a domestic life, and their smartphones usually can handle any video needs that arise, like capturing a kid doing something cute or their dog skateboarding,” Wolff-Mann continued.
“But the GoPro’s loose foundation goes past people not kayaking, mountain biking, skydiving, climbing, skiing, or surfing on a regular basis. Even when you get out there and do cool stuff, will it actually look cool on video?” he asked. (Source: “GoPro’s empire was built on one big fatal flaw,” Yahoo! Finance, November 4, 2016.)
And it’s a valid question. Ultimately, GoPro has a lot of its eggs riding in the drone-powered basket of the “Karma,” its new consumer drone that went on sale in October (but won’t be counted in sales until Q4 2016). This new gadget, along with the most recent iteration of GoPro’s body camera, the “Hero5,” is meant to try and pull GPRO stock out of free fall with a strong holiday season showing. The question is, will it work?


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This week, Interxion will be attending GigaOm’s Structure:Europe event and with a fantastic line-up of speakers –including Tim Bell from CERN and Frank Frankovsky from Facebook – it promises to provide an insightful and interesting agenda.
As Europe’s leading cloud event, its speakers, attendees and sponsors will all convene with one aim in mind – learning how to build the global cloud. While the cloud isn’t as mature a concept or revenue stream as some more established IT solutions, the future looks bright for the technology and has the potential to transform the way we are delivering and using services, both within enterprises and as consumers. It will be interesting to hear what Structure:Europe’s speakers have to say about their perceptions of cloud computing and whether European vendors can compete with some of the more well-known and established US players in the market, such as Amazon.
Interxion is a showtime sponsor at the event, so if you’d like to hear about what we’re currently doing in the cloud space, some of the challenges we know that businesses are facing with the technology and the solutions we have to address them, then do come stop by and we’d be happy to have a chat!


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Vegan food company Good Planet Foods announced that they had raised $12 million in a Series A funding led by capital firm Cleveland Avenue. Good Planet Foods produce plant-based cheese in shred and slice form from typical cheddar to hot pepper. Their products are also non-GMO, free from allergens including soy, peanuts and shellfish, gluten and free from dairy and eggs. They are also certified non-GMO, vegan, kosher, and halal.
David Israel, founder and CEO of Good Planet Foods said: ‘We are gaining significant momentum and will continue to play a significant role in increasing awareness of the plant-based foods category. By partnering with these strategic investors, we’ll be able to move forward more aggressively with additional focus on product development, sales and marketing.’
According to SPINS statistics analysed by the Plant Based Foods Association, the plant-based cheese sales were up 95% compared to last year and have been rising ever since. This rise has allowed Good Planet to expand their range with a Plant-Based Frozen Pizza that is topped with their vegan cheese and vegan sausage made by Beyond Meat.
The demand for plant-based alternatives have certainly been on the rise with many companies receiving investments and celebrity endorsements, with many vegan foods markets increasing and expanding their revenue, making their market value higher than ever.


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MultiChoice is hedging its bets on its new Showmax to compete against the likes of Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video to become the leading streaming service in Africa.
DStv-owner MultiChoice is set to launch Showmax 2.0 – a revamped version of its streaming service – on 12 February 2024.
This new product results from a partnership between MultiChoice, Sky, and NBCUniversal’s Peacock, which powers the platform.
Aside from a new platform, MultiChoice now offers four products at lower price points than the original Showmax offering, which has cost R99 per month since its launch in 2015.
The new Showmax is MultiChoice’s answer to the increasing competition in the African streaming space.
The company hopes to take on international streaming giants like Netflix, Hulu, Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video in Africa and become the leading streaming service in that market.
To achieve this, MultiChoice partnered with Comcast’s NBCUniversal and Sky. As part of the partnership, Showmax’s ownership will change. NBCUniversal will own 30%, and MultiChoice will own 70%.
MultiChoice South Africa CEO Marc Jury said this deal is the “coming together of two giants”.
Peacock will provide its international, third-party content and leading streaming technology, while MultiChoice offers its local content and African customer base.
MultiChoice believes its knowledge of and experience with the African market gives it a competitive advantage over international streaming services.
For example, three of the four new products offered as part of the new Showmax are mobile-only plans.
This is because Africa, unlike many other markets, is increasingly drawn to and has access to mobile streaming.
In addition, it allows MultiChoice to offer these products at a lower price range, more in line with what its markets can afford.
“The future of video entertainment is mobile devices,” said MultiChoice South Africa CEO Marc Jury.
Another strategy the new Showmax employs is offering a product exclusively dedicated to the Premier League – one of Africa’s most loved sports leagues.
By offering a Premier League mobile-only product, MultiChoice intends to attract customers who would not otherwise be interested in or able to afford its general entertainment and multi-device products.
MultiChoice has also invested heavily in exclusive local content to attract the African market to content tailored to them.
Showmax COO Joe Heshu said 21 Showmax originals will be released in February when the new platform is launched, and around 3,100 hours of “fresh content” will be released this year.
Aside from lower prices than other streaming services – the new Showmax offers products ranging from R39 to R99 – MultiChoice also offers different payment methods to suit its target market.
These methods include credit and debit cards, mobile direct carrier billing, digital and retail vouchers, mobile money, DStv add to bill, USSD, and Baxi.
In short, MultiChoice’s strategy for its new Showmax centres on making a platform that is “accessible, affordable and effortless”.
It also hopes to rely on the company’s extensive experience in the African market to guide this new strategy.
However, it should be noted that MultiChoice has invested millions into its streaming platform, and the company’s latest financials revealed that Showmax was running at a significant loss.
In its interim financial statements for the period ended 30 September 2023, Showmax increased revenue by 46% to R555 million over the last six months, but operating costs escalated even faster, resulting in a trading loss of R799 million.
Therefore, MultiChoice is making a very expensive bet on Showmax 2.0 to not only take on international streaming giants like Netflix but also to recoup the millions it has invested in the platform thus far.
This article was first published by Daily Investor and is reproduced with permission.


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The move follows extensive talks involving the whole milk chain. NFU milk committee chairman Terrig Morgan said no individual multiple wanted to publicise intentions to raise prices ahead of the others. But he added there were strong indications that price increases were imminent.
"What is important now is that this expected increase in the retail price is passed back to producers. A corresponding increase in dairy products, such as cheese and butter, would help even more farmers."
Morgan said the industry would also press for further price rises in October.
His comments came as militant group Farmers For Action threatened to blockade regional distribution centres of Tesco, Sainsbury and Asda if they did not raise liquid milk prices.


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Saturday, August 2, 2014
One of the biggest themes we're seeing right now is what we call the "disappearing middle class."
As regular readers know, the Federal Reserve's easy monetary policies help the rich (those with assets). They're able to borrow money cheaply and buy high-quality assets that rise in time with inflation (like real estate, farmland, and operating companies).
The average price of ground beef at grocery stores is up 76% since 2009 to $3.81 a pound.
Pork chop prices were up 12.7% in May from a year ago. Fresh fruit and oranges are up 7.3% and 17.1%, respectively, over the same time frame.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture predicts food prices will rise between 2.5% and 3.5% this year after a 1.4% increase in 2013.
Plus, more than 35% of Americans have debts and unpaid bills that have been reported to a debt collector, according to a new study by social and economic research firm The Urban Institute.
Collection agencies go after all types of debt... credit cards, mortgages, phone bills... even parking tickets.
"Roughly, every third person you pass on the street is going to have debt in collections," said Urban Institute senior fellow Caroline Ratcliffe. "It can tip employers' hiring decisions, or whether or not you get that apartment."
And the average debt reported to collections is $5,178, based on September 2013 records.
The funny thing is, credit-card debt as a percentage is actually declining... According to the American Bankers Association, it's at its lowest level in a decade. And only 2.4% of credit-card accounts are overdue by 30 days or more, compared with the 15-year average of 3.8%.
Still, a similar number of folks are being turned into collection agencies for bad debts... why?
"There is not the income growth to save and they have to make survival decisions," Eric Salazar, manager for credit-counseling agency Greenpath, told Yahoo. "You make the decision to pay for the roof over your head and to feed your family and that's all you can afford to do."
A high percentage of people in western and southern states – like Texas, Las Vegas, and Florida – have delinquent debt. In other words, while living expenses are rising across the board, wages are stagnant...
Bill Bonner, founder of S&A's parent company, Agora, is watching the same trend.
Longtime readers will recognize Bill's name. He's among our favorite writers on history, politics, and economics.
After 35 years in the industry, Bill is finally writing his own monthly newsletter. He just released the first two "beta" issues this week. Here's what he wrote:
Bill and his publishers are still working out the details for his new letter. It's not for sale anywhere. But there is one way to get your hands on it... and on Bill's just-published book.
No one has ever published a book like this before. I'll let Porter share the details...
My friend and business partner Bill Bonner is one of the most remarkable men in America today.
He'll be the first to admit he's not a great businessman. Or a very good investor. And he's probably an even worse manager.
Yet despite these "flaws," Bill is one of the richest men in America – worth nearly $1 billion.
He owns nine houses... hundreds of thousands of acres of land... and has business operations in 18 countries. He's a New York Times bestselling author... and was named a European "Honorary Ambassador" for his work.
Not many people know that, without Bill Bonner, Stansberry & Associates wouldn't exist. And I almost certainly wouldn't be nearly as successful.
Not only did Bill help me launch my company... He also taught me an incredible secret.
It's a way of seeing things... A kind of wisdom that's far beyond what others teach... what others even understand. And it has made him, his partners, and many of his employees – and basically anyone who listens to him – rich.
For years, I've been telling Bill to share this big idea with everyone... And he has finally done it. It's in his latest, just-published book.
Please understand... Bill's unique philosophy isn't merely about money. But it will allow you to understand the markets – and every other type of human endeavor – in a whole new, and vastly more accurate, way.
This idea completely changed the course of my life.
If you want to be a better investor, you must read this book. If you want to be a better parent... a better spouse... a smarter consumer... a better businessman, a better manager... read this book.
Like I said, Bill's secret is about much more than making money...
Of course, I'm not the only one who has benefited from this secret.
Bill's unique take on the world has helped dozens of people I know personally become millionaires. And now Bill is sharing his secret in a brand-new book.
Please note: This book is not yet available on Amazon or anywhere else. And when it does go on sale on Amazon, you'll only be able to get a paperback version at first.
But I figured out a way for you to get a hardback copy, plus a huge special bonus: Access to Bill's new monthly newsletter, published by Bonner & Partners.
No, I'm not giving this book away. It's not part of any free offer or anything like that. You have to buy it with your own money.
But I promise you, it's worth much, much more than the small price you have to pay.
To see my full summary of Bill Bonner's brand-new book, and to get your own hardback copy, plus something from Bill that might be even more valuable than this new book, go here.
Date Range:7/24/2014 to 7/31/2014
Date Range:7/24/2014 to 7/31/2014


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NEWINGTON — Popular grocery store chain Trader Joe’s is eyeing a fall opening at the Crossings at Fox Run.
The town Planning Board gave its approval to Trader Joe’s plan to take over the former 14,000-square-foot Pet Quarters location with no debate Monday night.
Board Chairman Denis Hebert said he did not view the plan as a change of use and noted his only concern was to ensure the town approves of the signs Trader Joe’s wants to place on the facade.
Alicia Busconi, vice president of property and asset management for Keystone Partners, who is representing The Crossings, said the town has been very receptive to the idea of Trader Joe’s coming since the initial proposal months ago.
Trader Joe’s is known for selling its own brand of grocery store fare, gourmet and organic foods, and imported items. Its fans are known to travel long distances to shop at the store.
Currently, Seacoast shoppers of the chain have to travel to Massachusetts or Maine to the nearest Trader Joe’s stores.
“We can’t be more excited for Trader Joe’s to come to The Crossings,” Busconi said.