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Amazon told lawmakers it wouldn’t build warehouse storm shelters
How AI Efficiently Responds to Rapid Changes in Warehouse Workload
What is Warehouse Automation and Its Benefits?
8 Ways IoT Is Transforming Warehouse Management
These Five Types of Robots Support Warehouse Workflows
Microsoft Investment Arm Leads $20M Funding In Decentralized Data Warehouse
Amazon warehouse workers claim victory in historic vote to form company’s first union
Amazon ditches controversial ‘ambassador’ program that used warehouse workers on Twitter
California governor signs warehouse productivity quota bill into law
California could force Amazon to improve conditions for warehouse workers
Amazon’s plan to reduce warehouse injuries includes guided meditation
Amazon’s new NYC Whole Foods Market is basically an Amazon warehouse
IoT Ecosystem Creates an Optimized Smart Warehouse
Here’s what Amazon says it’s doing to keep warehouse workers safe from COVID-19
On the front lines of today’s Amazon warehouse walkout: a labor organizer fired, another COVID-19 case
Amazon offers warehouse workers higher pay to handle Prime Now groceries
Amazon warehouse injuries spark workers’ rights petition as the holiday season peaks
Prime Day for a union? Not yet at this Amazon warehouse
Is it Time to Implement IoT in the Warehouse?
Amazon warehouse collapse in Baltimore leaves two dead
MarTech Landscape: What’s the difference between a data warehouse and a data lake?
What Happens When An Amazon Warehouse Opens? Lower Wages, No Increase In Jobs
Amazon Granted Patent For Tracking Warehouse Workers’ Hands


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China will on Friday release November numbers for consumer prices, highlighting a light day for Asia-Pacific economic activity.
Inflation is expected to slip 0.2 percent on month and rise 1.6 percent on year after adding 0.1 percent on month and 2.1 percent on year in October. Producer prices are tipped to fall 1.4 percent on year after sinking 1.3 percent in the previous month.
South Korea will provide October figures for current account; in September, the current account surplus was $1.61 billion.
For comments and feedback contact: firstname.lastname@example.org
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domain: news


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Shisha tobacco specialist Al Fakher has unveiled new packaging for the travel retail channel. The relaunched packs will be exclusive to Dubai Duty Free for two months from 18 February and available in other airports from May.
The new packaging aims to “elevate” the brand in the channel through a more contemporary feel. Consumers can curate various flavour options using the new products, which are designed with mixing in mind.
Al Fakher currently distributes its products to more than 80 countries and operates four factories around the world. The company said it has experienced rapid growth in the travel retail sector and noted that it was the first shisha molasses brand to be present in the European duty free market with listings in Paris Charles de Gaulle and Paris Orly airports, as well as Marseille and Nice airports.
Al Fakher Head of Global Travel Retail Ziad Jabre commented: “Our focus on connecting with all markets within which our products are distributed and enjoyed makes duty free and travel retail the ideal launchpad for the next evolution of our company. We consider Al Fakher as a driver of social connection and 2020 marks the next stage in our journey; one that will provide further appeal to and engagement with travellers across the shisha world.”


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It’s not a huge surprise, but Samsung is now confirming that the next line of Galaxy S devices will feature dual-core processors and we will be getting a look at its road map at next month’s Mobile World Congress.
It’s not much of a surprise because the company has already shown off the Samsung Infuse 4G for AT&T and we haven’t seen the equivalent for other markets around the globe. Samsung’s JK Shin, president of Samsung Mobile, has told The Korean Times that the next global Galaxy S device will be shown off at next month’s major cellular trade show.
The next Galaxy S device is going to have Android 2.3 Gingerbread, a dual-core processor and it will probably have the Super AMOLED Plus display we saw on devices like the Infuse. We saw this at CES 2011 and it’s quite a stunning display – the company said it produces a 50 percent boost in the brightness of the sub-pixels.
Samsung has to throw a dual-core processor in its next lineup of Galaxy S device because the competition is going full throttle with multiple cores. The LG Optimus 2X and the Droid Atrix 4G both rock a Tegra 2 dual-core processor and these look to be the gold standard in the smartphone space for 2011.
So, we know that the next generation of Galaxy S devices will have dual-core processors, but what type will it be? Samsung has its own dual-core Orion chip but we’ve also heard that it will be a big partner with Nvidia and its Tegra lineup. We’ll have to see.
Additionally, we’re looking forward to the next generation of Galaxy Tab Android tablets, which should feature Android Honeycomb, a dual-core processor and a 7-inch Super AMOLED screen that we’ve seen before.
Whatever the company does, you can be sure IntoMobile will be giving you the latest news from Mobile World Congress in February.


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Hi, I’m Adil Sbaï. I am currently living in Paris, France. My interests range from technology to entrepreneurship. I am also interested in marketing and programming. Feel free to say hello through any of the social links below.
In a new report, Cognizant, the IT services firm, identifies 21 jobs that, given economic and commercial trends, people could reasonably be expected to hold, like chief trust officer and man-machine teaming manager. Why it matters: The key question of the age of automation is whether this time of technological disruption is different from all the
IT’S DIFFICULT TO remember now, but there was a moment in early 2016 when many in the tech industry believed chatbots—automated text-based virtual assistants—would be the next big platform. Messaging app Kik staked its company’s future on bots and “chatvertising.” Startup studio Betaworks launched an accelerator program called Botcamp. And at its 2016 F8 conference, Facebook pitched
Amazon is growing fast — and so are the costs of getting people the producs they order from the online retailer. As time goes by, Amazon has to spend a higher percentage of its net sales on staffing, operations, and shipping. Source: Amazon is spending more and more on shipping out your orders


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Non-compliance with a September 2016 ruling of the World Trade Organization that barred India from mandating use of Indian-made solar modules and cells now forced the Indian government to cancel a 250 megawatt tender awarded last year.
Azure Power was awarded perhaps the single largest project under the Domestic Content Requirement (DCR) program in October 2017. The project, with capacity of 250 megawatts (AC), was supposed to have only Indian-made solar panels. Azure Power was supposed to sign a power purchase agreement with NTPC Limited.
NTPC Limited is India’s largest power generation company with an installed capacity of more than 50 gigawatts. It is also owned by the Indian government, a fact officials thought would allow them to circumvent the WTO ruling.
The WTO allows use of domestic equipment if the project is linked directly to the government or a government-owned entity and no commercial gain is to be made. NTPC, however, would have signed back-to-back power purchase agreements with NDMC, a government-owned power utility in India’s capital Delhi. However, NDMC does not have enough power demand to consume the entire 250 MW capacity and would have ended up selling it further.
Since NTPC, and NDMC, would have made commercial gains from the sale of solar power from the project, it violated the WTO rules, and the tender had to be cancelled.
The capacity is likely to be re-tendered in the coming weeks and prospective developers would now be free to use either Indian-made or imported solar modules.
Azure had secured the 250 megawatt project at a highly competitive rate of Rs 3.14/kWh (¢4.9/kWh), the lowest for any DCR project and competitive with tariffs of projects using significantly cheaper imported solar modules.
The DCR program is as old as the National Solar Mission itself which was launched in late 2010. The program was aimed at providing ample market opportunity to Indian solar module manufacturers which have suffered significantly at the hands of Chinese and Malaysian module manufacturers over the years. According to the Indian Solar Manufacturers Association, India now imports 90% of solar power modules installed at its power plants.
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — In a new effort to get more masks in the hands and on the faces of Tennesseans amid reopening efforts during the COVIED-19 pandemic, the state is asking some flagship brands to help out.
On Thursday, Gov. Bill Lee’s Economic Recovery Group released its “TN Strong Mask Movement” that is a partnership with more than 30 brands to distribute nearly 300,000 free or low-cost cloth face coverings across Tennessee.
“Tennesseans have stepped up to do their part and keep their neighbors safe throughout this health crisis,” Mark Ezell, director of the Economic Recovery Group, said. “The more we can encourage masks and make them fun, the better we can mitigate the spread of the COVID-19.
“These businesses are the heart and soul of Tennessee, and we’re grateful to them for helping our citizens stay healthy and have a little fun sporting their favorite brands while they’re at it.”
Citing new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that strongly encourages the wearing of masks to lower a person’s rick of exposure and reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus, the plan is to get more Tennesseans to wear masks as reopening efforts continue.
Summer events are beginning to draw more people out of their homes and health officials say masks have become “an important health accessory.”
The state says each business will distribute branded cloth face coverings at little to no cost across their own channels or with the help of the State of Tennessee, which could include employees, fans or nonprofit partnerships.
Participating brands include:
- Austin Peay State University
- Belmont University (courtesy Dickens Family)
- BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Foundation
- Bristol Motor Speedway
- East Tennessee State University
- FedEx Express
- Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville of Sevier County
- Gibson Brands
- Jack Daniel’s
- Lipscomb University (courtesy Ezell Foundation)
- Memphis Grizzlies
- Middle Tennessee State University
- Nashville Predators
- Nashville SC (courtesy Ingram Charities, distributed in partnership with United Way of Greater Nashville)
- Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc.
- Tennessee Bankers Association
- Tennessee Farm Bureau Health Plans
- Tennessee Tech University
- Tennessee Titans
- Tractor Supply Company
- TriStar Health
- Union University
- University of Memphis
- University of Tennessee, Knoxville (courtesy of The Boyd Foundation)
- Unum Group
- Vanderbilt University
- Volkswagen Chattanooga
Tennessee began a phased reopening under the Tennessee Pledge, the state’s plan to help Tennesseans get back to work safely and reboot the economy. Restaurants resumed business with limited capacity on April 27, quickly followed by a number of additional industries enabling Tennesseans to return to work.
Companies can visit the link above for additional information. The general public can also visit the link above to order a TN Strong branded mask.


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Minnesota’s interim director of the states cannabis regulator has called on lawmakers to amend legislation in order to help it achieve the goal of rolling out an adult-use framework by 2024.
The interim director of the Office of Cannabis Management, Cherlene Briner, announced during a informational webinar last week that she will seek regulatory changes to address a number of regulatory gaps as the young regulator continues to develop a comprehensive framework for cannabis.
She said these proposed updates are ‘designed to both help us launch successfully and in a timely way, and also to help us effectively regulate over time’.
Minnesota legalized recreational cannabis for adults 21 and older on August 1, 2023. While the law allowing possession, cultivation, and use was signed by Governor Tim Walz in May 2023, it took a few months for regulations and licensing procedures to be established before sales could begin.
Firstly she sought to address the sale of raw cannabis flower, which was left without clear regulation when cannabis was legalised last year.
Ms Briner says she will request that the oversight of ‘hemp-derived’ products be transferred from the Office of Medical Cannabis to the Office of Cannabis Management this summer, rather than waiting until next Spring as initially intended.
This will enable the Office for Medical Cannabis to focus solely on its namesake, meaning that an extended period in which it would have the authority, but not the resources, to inspect raw cannabis flower would be avoided.
The regulatory gap arose when the legal authority to regulate raw cannabis flower became uncertain, leading to concerns about the sale of potentially illegal products.
Furthermore, she has called for temporary business licences, particularly those for ‘social equity applicants’ in order to keep to the planned schedule
She also believes that lawmakers should also remove ‘bottlenecks’ such as the requirement that prospective businesses secure property for their business before even receiving a license to operate.
“Trying to secure that building and spend thousands if not millions on a facility — without any assurances of obtaining a license — is incredibly expensive and uncertain and creates a great deal of risk for potential business operators.”


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Flame Red 3DS coming to the UK this month
Earlier this month Nintendo confirmed that their widely-demoed Flame Red 3DS will arrive at retail in Japan and the US later this month.
Now it has been confirmed that the UK will also be getting the Flame Red 3DS at the end of the month.
UK games retailers are now taking pre-orders for the new colour of 3DS which will arrive on the 30th of September.
Combine this with the price drop and the release of Super Mario 3D Land on November the 18th and Mario Kart 7 on the 2nd of December and this holiday season is looking very interesting for Nintendo fans.
- Borderlands 2 writer leaving Gearbox to join Freddie Wong's RocketJump production company
- Bloodborne will be harder than Demon's Souls and features procedurally generated dungeons
- Hearthstone users pass the 75 million mark, new expansion on the way says new report
- Square Enix unveils the Final Fantasy Type-0 Collector's Edition
- Life Is Strange arrives today
- SEGA cuts jobs in the biggest strategic shift since they binned the Dreamcast
- Big new update arrives for Frozen Cortex
- Introversion's Prison Architect will see its full launch this year, mobile version announced
- Ken Levine's next game is a first-person sci-fi title


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Developers planning a new shopping center for east Long Beach are clear for construction.
Long Beach’s Planning Commission on Thursday approved developer Burnham Ward Properties, LLC’s plans for a new retail development dubbed Long Beach Exchange. Bryon Ward, a partner at the Newport Beach-based development firm, told planning commissioners that his company plans to build a food-focused shopping center that will also serve as a venue for farmers markets and other events.
“You just can’t do retail with an ‘If you build it, they will come mentality,’” Ward said during the meeting.
Also referred to as LBX, the planned Long Beach Exchange would become a space for retailers and restaurateurs to do business in some 266,000 square feet of new construction to be put in place on 27 acres of land near the Long Beach-Lakewood city line, southwest of where Carson Street meets Lakewood Boulevard.
Planning commissioners voted 6-0 on Thursday to approve the project.
Long Beach Exchange is to be built near Mercedes-Benz USA’s West Coast headquarters and other offices in the Douglas Park area. Long Beach City College is also in the vicinity of the project site.
Douglas Park is built on former Boeing Co. land. Design concepts for Long Beach Exchange show numerous touches that call attention to the area’s aviation history. For example, plans call for several shops and restaurants to do business within a 16,800-square-foot hangar-shaped building. Buildings may also be adorned with images of vintage aircraft.
During Thursday’s meeting, Ward said he expects the hangar building to be the centerpiece of Long Beach Exchange.
“The hangar is going to be literally patterned after a kind of vintage 1940s airplane hangar,” he said. “It’s going to contain up to 14, 15 small, artisanal food purveyors.”
Burnham Ward Properties’ plans also call for six anchor stores and three drive-thru restaurants at the LBX site.


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Warm weather and a World Cup pushed up online sales 22 pct compared with last year say Interactive Media Retail Group's (IMRG) latest e-retail sales index.
Online shoppers spent an equivalent to £73 per person in the country as total spending was 4.5 billion in May. Alcohol and electrical sales spurred the rise, led by a warmer weather for picnics and television promotions ahead of the World Cup.
"In the year to date the UK e-retail market has grown 14 per cent with half of consumers believing the economy is recovering." said Tina Spooner, spokeswoman for IMRG.
Online clothing sales, spurred by sportswear and outdoor activity were up 32 percent, and alcohol sales and electrical sales grew 23 percent and 13 percent respectively, compared with last year.


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The latest airline measures against terrorism don’t involve new security checks or hi-tech luggage scans, but a re-design of in-flight cutlery. A British firm has created the world’s first anti-terror cutlery, following new guidelines on in-flight utensils from the UK department of transport.
The dinky dinner service is designed to an exact specification with knife blades no longer than 6cm, with a round rather than pointed end and forks with prongs no longer than 3cm - too short to be used as a weapon.
Staffordshire based cutlery manufacturer and retailer, Arthur Price, is the world’s first company to make anti-terror cutlery.
Air India and Jet Airways have already signed up for the new cutlery, with Emirates as well as the British Airport Authority also considering.
Simon Price, whose family has run Arthur Price for four generations, was not surprised at the interest in the cutlery from airlines:
“Since the new guidelines from the DOT have come in, all airlines have been forced to use plastic cutlery, which doesn’t fit very well with a premium offering such as first or business class. If you’ve paid that much for a flight, you don’t expect to be eating with plastic knives and forks.
“By designing the first ever set of stainless steel cutlery to meet the new specifications, we’re providing airlines with a solution to this problem. Airlines can now offer their customers the premium standard of dining with real cutlery they would expect, whilst ensuring safety remains paramount.”
Arthur Price cutlery has been laying the nation’s tables since 1902. Today, as the UK’s leading cutlery brand, it offers a world of cutlery to suit every home, from the cutting edge designs to more classic styles.


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Large companies expect big costs of financial reform
The cost of complying with financial reforms could run to many millions for the big firms, according to a new survey into the unintended consequences of the new regulations.
The report, entitled “Benefits and Unintended Consequences of Financial Markets Reform”, aims to put a price on the increasing costs of financial regulation. It found that 31% of senior executives at companies with revenue of over $10bn believe they will spend over £10m this year on fighting its effects.
The report, which was compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit on behalf of Lloyds’ Wholesale Banking and Markets, canvassed the views of 454 senior executives. Forty four percent of those polled were from financial services companies while 54% were from non-financial services companies.
Thirty percent of those from the largest companies said they were unable to quantify the costs involved in complying with the new regulation.
Executives said costs were likely to include IT, staffing, the loss of sales and management time.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, executives from smaller companies expect to be spending less on covering the cost of reforms, with 37% of executives with companies with $500m to $1bn of revenue expecting to be spending up to £500,000. Only 5% from this category expect to be spending over £10m, while 19% cannot quantify the costs.
Overall, 20% of respondents expected costs of over £10m, with 20% anticipating bills of less than £500,000 over the next year.
The report quotes Jessica Ground, a UK bank analyst at asset managers Schroders, who says that she has “already seen eye-watering sums, running to many millions, spent by the big banks – and over the medium terms those figures are likely to become really massive”.
It predicts that “in most cases, clients will ultimately pick up the cost for increased regulation”, quoting a commentator who believes that “all costs are bound to be shouldered by end users”.
The report also looked at the extent to which firms are concerned by regulation, revealing figures which show that half of respondents cite regulation as one of their main concerns. Only 61% of respondents feel prepared for the new regulations, although 77% believed that their boards are aware of the impact.
The regulation cited as the most concerning to senior executives are the Basel III banking reforms, which 58% expect will significantly affect business. Sixty eight percent of respondents anticipate a significant or fundamental impact on the profitability of their financing and risk-management models, while 51% believe the reforms will effect profitability in their industries.
--write to firstname.lastname@example.org


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European E-Bike Innovation Provides Healthy Commute Option
Our search for innovation this month takes us across the pond. In Europe, the current coronavirus pandemic is accelerating the demand for e-bikes. Why? Well, quieter roads and more free time have emerged, along with those still-working commuters who are seeking a climate-friendly, healthy, and virus-free alternative to public transportation. Europe is seeing recent innovations in this growing market, including increased safety measures, higher quality parts, and individual customization.
Even before the pandemic, the Confederation of the European Bicycle Industry (CONEBI) was predicting that the European e-bike market would triple in the five years following 2019. Both conventional bike and e-bike sales are rising rapidly. Italy, the largest producer of bikes in Europe, saw a 7% and 13% increase, respectively, from the previous year. In the UK, the export of bikes and accessories grew by 15% before lockdown, and Germany saw a staggering 40% rise from 2018.
And, the pace of change appears to be increasing, with the CONEBI estimate starting to look conservative. The COVID-19 outbreak, with quieter roads and more free time, has more people getting on their bikes showing this trend likely to continue as part of the urban commute to avoid public transportation.
Governments are also backing this trend with the UK introducing a £250M emergency active travel fund that focuses on getting people onto bicycles. In Italy, the government is providing an alternative mobility voucher for those who buy e-bikes and electric scooters and who live in cities with more than 50,000 inhabitants, which will cover 60% of the price up to €500.
Early evidence shows this national drive by governments is working. In Italy in May, just after the lockdown, sales of e-bikes and electric scooters were 60% higher than in May 2019. Clearly the e-bike market is growing rapidly, and with increasing demand comes innovation as manufacturers seek to differentiate themselves and take advantage of this trend.
Change is on the Way
When considering innovation for e-bikes, attention often focuses on the battery and how to make it lighter and more efficient. The latest research focuses on graphene lithium nano technology, which offers a far better energy density making them lighter and able to offer a greater range from each charge. The first prototype bikes with these batteries are already being tested, and it will be exciting to watch this develop.
One concern for e-bike commuters in urban environments is safety, and again scientists are working hard to improve this using human-machine integration. Ongoing research at University of Southampton tests e-bike prototypes reading a cyclist’s brain activity to prevent potential accidents. The rider wears an EEG cap to determine changes to his or her peripheral awareness. If the awareness narrows, which typically happens when responding to danger such as an obstruction or a car pulling out, the cap feeds this information into a small computer that will immediately stop the electric motor to slow the rider down.
Innovation for Today
While these developments grab attention and promise huge opportunities for the future of e-bikes, manufacturers are also seeking incremental changes that can help them differentiate their products now.
The growing role of digital manufacturing, in particular 3D printing, is making a huge difference for both the production of initial prototypes for aesthetic and functional validation, and producing components that are lighter, stronger, and better. This includes anything from tires and grips that absorb vibration to flat nylon pedals that are lighter and stronger.
3D printing technology unleashes creativity in designers and engineers as previously impossible geometries are now made possible. And, digital manufacturing allows cycle manufacturers to customize parts to meet the exact needs of their customers.
Avid cyclists will tell you having a bike built to meet their exact measurements and requirements is a key feature to provide comfort and effectiveness over the long term. For e-bikes to become a long-term viable commuting option, these considerations are vital.
Eye on Innovation is a monthly look at new technology, products, and trends.


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Ford plans to intensify its investments in battery all-electric vehicles by creating an internal team called "Team Edison" to focus on the technology, headed by its current executive director of investor relations.
Ted Cannis will helm Team Edison, whose aim will be "to focus and grow our battery-electric offerings and create winning battery-electric vehicles," Sherif Marakby, Ford vice president for autonomous vehicles and electrification, told me. "What's important is having the focus of this team to think big, move fast and in a very agile way."
Team Edison will "own the strategy, own the planning, and interface into the trend" by bringing together Ford's efforts in technology, product development, marketing and advanced manufacturing, Marakby said. "We'll have leaders from all major areas of the company together to figure out strategy, plans and vehicle offerings."
Ford is announcing Team Edison the same day that General Motors wowed journalists at its technical center in Warren, Mich., with concept vehicles and other support for the revelation that it plans to launch more than 20 new all-electric, zero-emission vehicles by 2023.
And news of Team Edison comes just a day before CEO Jim Hackett is to talk with analysts and investors in New York to provide his first major update on his three months as chief after succeeding Mark Fields.
Presumably, Cannis's own experience with Wall Street will be helpful to Ford in communicating what Team Edison is accomplishing in bringing its EV effort up to speed. While Ford was an early leader along with Toyota in fielding hybrid electric vehicles, it has come to lag competitors with fully electric models. Its only EV is a version of the Ford Focus subcompact car, though Ford has said it plans to bring out a fully electric , small SUV with a 300-mile range by 2020. General Motors already has introduced a similar vehicle in the Chevrolet Bolt hatchback, and Tesla has begun producing its Model 3 in small volumes.
Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford Jr. had said his concerns about "clock speed" were one area of disappointment with Fields and one reason he turned to Hackett to fill the top job. And while Ford Jr. clearly wanted to accelerate the company's activities in mobility services and self-driving technology when he said that, Marakby's announcement in part is an acknowledgement that Ford needs faster "clock speed" in EVs as well.
"We see in different markets that consumers are more willing to drive battery-electric vehicles," and EVs are "a strong trend in markets like China," Marakby said. Consumers in such main markets "have become more willing ot adapt to battery electrics. In the past, we've seen range anxiety and other reasons for people to be hesitant. We see that changing significantly."
Marakby said that Hackett "has been a big driver of electrification [for] the future" but that the timing of the Team Edison announcement didn't have anything in particular to do with Hackett's appearance tomorrow. "He's been a big supporter of this and a big champion of this."


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At least 130 million people will be signed up to Netflix as paying customers by 2020, according to research released today from analyst firm Ampere Analysis.
The figures point to at least six per cent of households globally being ‘Netflix-homes’ by the start of the next decade, with the nearest SVoD competitor, Amazon, boasting nearly 50 million video users.
Ampere’s research indicates that with “63 million paying subscribers at the end of Q2 2015, and with a presence in over 50 markets, and viewing times up 50 per cent in two years, Netflix is unequivocally the global market leader for subscription video-on-demand (SVOD).”
Other major findings from the report, include:
Netflix expects to invest nearly $5bn on acquired and original content in 2016, and Ampere anticipates this will grow by another $1bn in the subsequent two years
Simultaneously, Amazon is ramping up its own content plans: licensing existing titles and generating new ones, and example being the new motoring show fronted by the former Top Gear Collectively, Ampere expects Netflix and Amazon to be spending over $9bn per year on acquired and original content by 2020
Yet Ampere anticipates that Netflix’s investment in original programming will leave programme-makers a short window to maximise licensing agreements
If Netflix aims to hit the 50 per cent of spend devoted to originals hinted at in a recent investor call by 2020, its expenditure on acquired content could begin to fall as early as 2017
But this focus on exclusive home-grown content has plusses: consumers are increasingly happy to double-up on subscriptions. Across the UK, US, and Germany, approaching half of Amazon Prime’s video user-base subscribe to both Netflix and Amazon, evidence that it is content, not cost, that drives subscriptions priced at $10 or less per month
The tide turns against pay-TV
Pay-TV operators have enjoyed almost three decades of solid growth, yet now the tide has turned. Consumers are defecting, ‘cord-cutting’ from the traditional pay-TV companies in favour of digital video services. Ampere Analysis’s own figures show that as personal TV viewing time increases – whatever the channel or device – net additions of new subscribers to pay-TV services are in decline, while SVoD is growing. In 2015, over 41 million new customers took SVOD worldwide, the highest figure yet. By comparison, pay-TV net additions have been in decline since 2011, and will reach just over 23 million worldwide this year, the lowest figure for over ten years.


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It’s almost back to school time and we’d like to re-publish this recent article by Rachel Southmayd over at the Fort Mill times and request anybody that can help out even a little bit will be making a huge difference…
“Anyone who has walked into a Walmart, Target, Staples or any other store where pencils, binders and notebook paper can be found can testify that back-to-school shopping season is on.
At the Newport Walmart, you can’t even get past the cash registers without running into displays of composition books and crayons. School supply lists have been published, and some families can already be spotted shopping.
While shopping for new supplies can be fun, for some, it’s a cause for anxiety because of the additional cost. To see just how much it can cost a family to send kids back to school this year, The Herald took the Rock Hill School District’s third-grade supply list and headed out to Walmart to go shopping.
We bought the cheapest version of items we could find and the total, including sales tax, was $21.04.
That might not seem like a lot, but that was just the school supply essentials. It didn’t include a backpack or clothes.
And it was just for one child. A family with multiple children obviously would pay more, and the older students get, the more expensive their supplies can get, too.
While for one family, $21.04 may be chump change, to another it can be the difference between keeping the lights on at home or buying one of their children a new pair of shoes to start the year.
To help area families start the school year without adding to their financial burden, The Herald and its sister community newspapers – the Fort Mill Times, the Enquirer-Herald in York and Clover, and the Lake Wylie Pilot – again are partnering with local school districts to gather supplies for children from less fortunate families.
Anyone can give to any of the local districts, and, with the support of the community, every family can be sure their children will be well-equipped to kick off the new school year. ”
Rachel Southmayd • 803-329-4072


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BitTorrent, the world’s largest file-sharing platform for electronic data, sends the internet into a frenzy by announcing the launch of BitTorrent Speed, a TRON blockchain-empowered token platform, in an official press conference held today.
BitTorrent Speed rewards users with BitTorrent tokens (BTT) which are redeemable on the software.
With this enhancement, users not only get access to faster downloads but also peer-to-peer networks easily.
The download optimization, however, may vary from user to user, depending on the number of users logged in at the time and tokens being shared.
The torrent story
As reported by CP in June, BitTorrent had revealed its ambitious plans of integrating the blockchain-enabled tokenized platform to boost the network speed and acquire faster downloads.
The data sharing platform, that supposedly serves over a hundred million customers worldwide, was acquired by TRON, a decentralized internet startup earlier last year.
With BitTorrent Speed, TRON marks the completion of the incorporation of its two decentralized networks – TRON and BitTorrent and forming the world’s largest blockchain application for content sharing.
Justin Sun, CEO of BitTorrent, eagerly remarks that he is anticipating some wonderful user feedback on the innovation and promises to continue making advancements for a better user interface platform.
In the all-new Bittorrent Speed website, users will receive tokens in exchange for seeding files. With an option to spend more number of token to attain faster download speeds, the users can seamlessly manage their BTT earnings. Currently, the product remains compatible with Windows system with plans to integrate it across all operating systems in the future.
At the time of press release, TRON (TRX) price was down by two percent (2%) and BTT by six percent (6%). Will the news prove to be bullish for the two assets? Only time will tell!


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#HotGirlSummer might be coming to a close, but things are heating up for Megan Thee Stallion. This week, the PAPER cover star performed "Cash Shit" and "Hot Girl Summer" on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and attended Rihanna's Diamond Ball, where she also performed. Now, the budding icon has taken to Twitter and Instagram to announce that she has officially copped a management-only deal with Jay-Z's label Roc Nation.
The label shared a post on Instagram in which Hot Girl Meg is officially welcomed to the "Roc Nation family" with a toast.
Meg released two mixtapes Fever and Tina Snow on 300 Entertainment — making her the first female rapper to ever work with the label. She'll continue to work with 300 to release her music, while joining Rihanna, Meek Mill, Rita Ora, Shakira, J. Cole and others on the management side with Roc Nation.
Related | Megan Thee Stallion Was Made For This
The announcement comes just days after the rapper was seen rubbing elbows with Anna Wintour at New York Fashion Week and also follows her performance at the VMAs this August. This is one of many wins this year for Megan who has become a sensation, amassing a fan base of "Hotties" that continues to grow. We look forward to seeing what #HotGirlFall has in store for Hot Girl Meg.
Photo via Getty


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In the North of Canada has been discovered the largest diamond in North America. The mining company, according to the yellow diamond comes with a weight of 552 carat from the diamond mine Diavik, nearly 220 kilometres South of the Arctic circle. He had already been in October come to light.
“The color and Texture of this diamond are a unique example of the journey, the natural diamonds from their origin up to the discovery” – quoted by the mining company Dominion in a message to your company, boss, Kyle Washington. “Our Diavik Mine has some of the most beautiful diamonds in the world, and this tops the list without a doubt.”
The diamond the size of a hen’s Egg replaces, therefore, the previous record holder, the in the same pit discovered “Diavik Foxfire” with a weight of 187,7 carat. Diamonds are one of the world’s most in-demand precious stones, particularly large or outstanding copies are regularly sold for enormous sums of money.
Only a few weeks ago, the pink diamond “Pink Legacy had made” at an auction in Geneva the equivalent of about 39.1 million euros. The jewel is due to its weight, and his intense, almost completely uniform color among connoisseurs as extremely exceptional. Only one under 100,000 diamonds have such a quality, it said.
The world’s largest diamond, the Cullinan, with 3106 carats, was found in 1905 in South Africa. The stone was later split, the large parts were incorporated into the British crown jewels.


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To stay ahead of the curve, companies must fundamentally transform themselves in ways that dramatically and sustainably improve performance.
If you’re not Amazon-izing your company right now, you’re in trouble, and likely paying a severe penalty already.
Organizations that pay attention to the principles for digital disruption will be best positioned for today's complex digital reality.
Citi Cards' "mobile first" strategy is paying off with strong gains in client engagement, preference and satisfaction.
Regardless of how well positioned a company is, if the management underestimates the potential for change that digitization poses to its business model, they run the ultimate risk.
The advent of autonomous vehicles and driverless cars should give chief executives a rich set of opportunities to think about, but there will be many questions and no easy answers.
CEOs who haven’t thought about the reality of driverless cars because they aren’t widely deployed are making a mistake.
Self-driving consumer vehicles may be still at least five years away, but pursuing those far-off visions is reshaping careers, companies and entire industries in the here and now.
After analyzing more than 150 technologies, PwC has whittled the list down to eight essential technologies they feel companies and boards should pay attention to.
While manufacturers move to embrace digital strategies, they could be wasting millions on initiatives that produce little return or organizational benefit.


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Gamers Sent Into A Frenzy As PlayStation Network Goes Down
PlayStation users worldwide were left disappointed yesterday as the consoles online service, PSN (PlayStation Network) was down. Users faced issues starting Wednesday evening when trying to access online multiplayer games as many users PlayStation Plus subscription was not being recognized.
PlayStation Plus is the subscription service offered to owners of the Sony consoles enables users to access online services and multiplayer games.
Users noted that games that required the PlayStation Plus subscription were inaccessible while games that had free online were fine to play. Other issues arose with services such as PlayStation Now and the PlayStation Store.
Outages reported by Is The Service Down late last night stated that 64% of reported issues are related to sign-in while 28% are to do with online play.
The issue was quickly under investigation by several major game development studios as well as PlayStation themselves and acknowledged the issues on social media. The PlayStation Japan Twitter posted that PSN “may not be available at this time” but that it was “conducting an investigation and restoration work”.
— Ask PlayStation JP (@AskPS_JP) March 23, 2022
The issue has since been resolved and PlayStation users are now once again able to access games online.


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The National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) will fund and incubate 25 start-ups to be set up by young entrepreneurs across the country, the Indian IT industry representative body said Wednesday.
"Of the 4,000 applications we received for our '10,000 start-ups programme', we will select 25 best entrepreneurs for angel funding and incubating their start-ups. Another 150 firms will be mentored through partners and members," NASSCOM president Som Mittal said in a statement.
Of the 14,000 registered entrepreneurs in 80 cities across the country, 4,000 of them responded to the programme, conducted between April 5 to May 30.
"We are overwhelmed with the response to the programme. Our industry partners will short-list the start-ups through an evaluation process for funding and incubation," Mittal said.
The programme gave insights into the emerging tech entrepreneurship landscape in the country, as 23 percent of the responses were from Bangalore followed by 20 percent from the National Capital Region (NCR).
"One in every five application came from smaller towns and about 70 percent of them are under 30 years, while 15 percent of them were women," Mittal pointed out.
"From a technology viewpoint, around 66 percent of the applications are for web/internet start-ups, 24 percent for mobile applications, 16 percent for cloud applications and 11 percent for big data processing," Mittal observed.
Global search engine Google, global software major Microsoft, the US-based internet service provider Verisign and leading Indian financial services firm Kotak partnered with Nasscom for the start-ups programme.


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What You'll Learn Inside
The emphatic acceptance of NoSQL databases (which power tech giants like Facebook, Amazon, and Google) has provided the opportunity to tackle challenges in the financial services industry as well. The white paper explores the various facets of NoSQL databases and how their growth has played a crucial role in transforming several financial services business areas. FinTech companies, such as neobanks, online trading platforms, and payment platforms, are already incorporating NoSQL databases in their architectures and are reaping the benefits of being agile and resilient.
As financial institutions increasingly look to move operational and delivery models from physical to digital platforms, the white paper explores how NoSQL will play a critical role in enabling this shift and ensuring the high quality of services that their new digital clientele expect.


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Pepper prices on the rise
Peppercorn prices have been rising due to tight supply, and heavy market speculation. In India, prices for Black Peppercorns have risen slightly as the season comes to an end, and major buying has been completed. In Malaysia, prices have risen around 10% in anticipation of the upcoming new crop in late June. White Pepper coming from Indonesia and Malaysia has also been on a similar price rise. Qualities commonly sold to the Euro region, and other parts of the west have seen price increases of 5-10% in the last few weeks, also for these reasons.
We foresee a slight shortage of crop in the season, so further price increases may occur.
Our current pricing for Black Peppercorns:
100G (3.5 OZ) PRICE: USD 5
200G (7.1 OZ) PRICE: USD 8
300G (10.6 OZ) PRICE: USD 11
400G (14.1 OZ) PRICE: USD 14
500G (17.6 OZ) PRICE: USD 17


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When you think of platforms that help developers drive millions of downloads of their apps, Facebook and Google are probably the two biggest sources of distribution that you think of. But what about Snapchat?
Four months into launching a self-serve ad platform that opens up Snapchat’s ad inventory to all marketers, Peak Labs is seeing some initial success with Snap’s app-install ads. Peak Labs makes two apps aimed at adults: One that tests users’ cognitive skills and another that offers virtual coloring books with intricate and detailed designs like a flower.
In August, Peak Labs began running app-install ads within the Stories section of Snapchat that include a ‘swipe up’ call-to-action that prompts users to download the apps. After two months, the company has netted 1.7 million downloads, per Snap, which made it Peak Labs’ second-biggest marketing channel for August, with only Facebook contributing more downloads.
“We have this clear view where we want to be where our audience is and reach this audience—we try Pinterest, we try Google AdWords, we try all of the in-game ads,” said Tom Williams, head of marketing at Peak Labs.
In terms of cost-per-install (or CPI), Williams said that the Snapchat buy had a 50 percent lower CPI than other platforms. Peak Labs offers free and paid versions of its app, with paid users getting access to more content, so Williams said that he bases the success of an app-install campaign on two metrics: CPI and the lifetime value of subscribed users.
For a campaign in August that promoted Brain Training—the app that tests users’ cognitive skills—Peak Labs’ creative promoted a ‘brain teaser’ that asked users to put together a puzzle.
To build a campaign, “What we require is a set of tools that allows us to throw a hundred ideas at, everything from the type of ad you’re looking at now to more user-focused experiences or visuals from the product,” Williams added.


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Thursday, December 10, 2009
Lottay Launches Bad Gifts Site
Los Angeles-based Lottay, the online gifting firm recently funded by DFJ Frontier, has launched a new site today focused on highlighting bad gifts. The firm's new site--MyWorstGiftEver.com--highlights and allows users to submit pictures and a description of what they think is the worst gift they ever got. The company said that userse can anonymously share what they think was their worst gift, and also vote for the worse gift listed on the site. Lottay is headed by Harry Lin, formerly of Evite.com and ABC.com, and also counts Steve Blank (Epiphany) and Klaus Schauser (Citrix Online) as backers.


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Sustainable crypto savings platform AltaFin announced that it has publicly launched its self-hosted cryptocurrency Initial Coin Offering (AFN).
LEHI, Utah (PRWEB) August 25, 2021
Sustainable crypto savings platform AltaFin (AFN) announced that it has publicly launched its self-hosted cryptocurrency Initial Coin Offering (ICO).
“We are very pleased to have launched our cryptocurrency and the corresponding earn savings platform publicly,” said Jeremy Crane, CEO and founder of AltaFin. “This important milestone enables AltaFin to publicly begin its core mission of pushing the boundaries of cryptocurrency innovation in fintech, starting with sustainable cryptocurrency saving powered by our AltaFin crypto token.”
This cryptocurrency launch coincides with the launch of AltaFin’s sustainable cryptocurrency savings platform and earn savings product. AltaFin Earn Saving offers up to 22% APY interest on basic and bonus digital assets that are calculated daily and redeemed every 7 days. Earn Saving is currently paying interest on the Base USDC and Bonus AFN digital assets.
More information can be found at altafin.co/ico or altafin.co/earn.
AltaFin is on a mission to bring the world’s first sustainable high APY cryptocurrency savings platform to market powered by AltaFin Token. AltaFin is a fintech company focused on blockchain technology, cryptocurrencies and their combined wider application in the global economy. With AltaFin, people can earn sustainable interest on crypto assets through earn saving.
For the original version on PRWeb visit: https://www.prweb.com/releases/altafin_launches_afn_token_ico_earn_lending/prweb18151974.htm


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The all-new 2017 Tesla Model 3 is a real hit. The US-based model has already received 325,000 pre-orders in just a week.
This means about 14 billion USD in potential sales but an important thing is that each pre-order was made with a refundable deposit of $1,000. As you may have read, in the first 24 hours, Tesla Motors received more than 180,000 reservations for the new Tesla Model 3.
"A week ago, we started taking reservations for Model 3, and the excitement has been incredible. We’ve now received more than 325,000 reservations, which corresponds to about $14 billion in implied future sales, making this the single biggest one-week launch of any product ever", said Tesla in a statement.
As a reminder, the new 2017 Tesla Model 3 can run from stand still to 100 km/h in under six seconds and it can travel up to 215 miles with one charge. The pricing starts at 35,000 USD and now Tesla is looking to increase the production in order to minimize the waiting times.
"This interest has spread completely organically. Unlike other major product launches, we haven’t advertised or paid for any endorsements. Instead, this has been a true grassroots effort driven by the passion of the Tesla team that’s worked so hard to get to this point and our current and future customers who believe so strongly in what we are trying to achieve. Most importantly, we are all taking a huge step towards a better future by accelerating the transition to sustainable transportation", is written in Tesla’s statement.Source: Tesla


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Bethesda isn’t developing any of its upcoming games for Wii U and the console is not part of the company’s near-term focus, according to VP of PR and marketing Pete Hines.
Speaking withJoystiqat QuakeCon, Hines elaborated on Bethesda’s stance on Nintendo’s current hardware – specifically citing hardware issues as a major obstacle.
"None of the game’s we’ve announced are being developed for the Wii U, so it’s guaranteed that none of those games are coming to Wii U," Hines said in reference to The Elder Scrolls Online, Wolfenstein: The New Order and The Evil Within.
"Will any future ones come out? I can’t say for sure, in our near-term focus it’s not on our radar."
"It’s largely a hardware thing. [Our mantra is to] make the games that we want to make, on whatever platforms will support them as developed."
He went on to state that The Elder Scrolls Online "likely would have" been released on Xbox 360, but that it "just wasn’t possible" due to hardware limitations.
Specifically referencing future announcements for the Wii U, Hines said that "it remains to be seen what the future holds" in regards to any announcements for the Wii U going forward.


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- TJ Shaver
Brick maker now richest man alive
There haven’t been very many people benefiting from the current riot culture we are living in. People are struggling to keep small businesses open after being hit with unconstitutional lock downs and a steady stream of bricks. One industry that is blooming however is the brick business. Rioters nationwide are stocking up on their brick stashes and suppliers are falling behind. A brick maker who was struggling last week just became the richest man alive. He had this to say in an exclusive interview,
“I hate to see what they are being used for, especially when it smashes a face or a head. I got over it real quick when I saw my bottom line though. Not only are they throwing them but they are also burning down buildings and tearing up bricks. I’m winning in every direction at the moment. Riot on America!”
Peaceful protests across America have been exploited by AntiFa, far left activists, general criminals, street gangs, and rich white kids who are so privileged they don’t know their actions have consequences. They aren’t helping anyone when they burn down the businesses in minority communities. The only people benefiting are the people providing them with bricks. An AntiFa clown had this to say,
“We will burn this country to the ground in the name of, like, hating the patriarchy or whatever. Capitalism... Trump! It’s Trump. No… What is it? George Floyd! We’ll burn down this country because of George Floyd.”
We will continue reporting until we catch that inevitable brick to the head.


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The Great Retail Reinvention
Amid the Covid-19 carnage, a handful of innovators have finally figured out how to compete against Amazon and sell in the 21st century. Investors and consumers—and, yes, workers—are all winning. Plus: The Just 100
Amid the Covid carnage, a handful of innovators have finally figured out
how to compete against Amazon and sell in the 21st century. Investors and consumers—and workers—are all winning.
Target CEO Brian Cornell
INlate February, Target CEO Brian Cornell was sipping coffee in a Manhattan deli—one eye on the keynote address he was soon to give at an investor conference, the other on his phone as news alerts of America’s first confirmed Covid-19 death buzzed in. Target’s communications, investor relations and specialevents teams had spent months agonizing over every detail of the speech, given to 200 Wall Street analysts and journalists and able, in a matter of minutes, to send Target’s stock price climbing—or crashing. Three years ago, Cornell, 61, who took over Target’s top spot in 2014 after running Pepsi’s food business, had caused the company’s shares to plunge 12% after analysts scoffed at his bid to counter Amazon by investing $7 billion to upgrade Target’s then-1,800plus stores and raise worker wages.
Cornell’s contrarian moves had been paying off. Target’s stock had nearly doubled since early 2017, but the Covid news had him on edge. In early January, he had created a task force to monitor the virus. Now it had come to America. Cornell shelved the in-person conference and threw together a virtual one in 48 hours. “I’ll always remember how I got only one question about the virus during the conference,” Cornell says, shaking his head. “And it was whether Chinese production delays would impact our spring line.”
Within a few days, America started locking down, and the retail landscape underwent a seismic shift. Panicked shoppers stripped stores of toilet paper, sanitizer, bleach and bottled water. Amazon, overwhelmed by an enormous increase in orders, floundered: Deliveries were delayed; shipments of nonessential items became, well, nonessential. Negative customer reviews went up 50%. So did allegations of price gouging, with six-packs of Bounty paper towels going for nearly $60 and a tub of 75 Clorox wipes offered for $40. (An Amazon spokesperson says, “Our systems are designed to meet or beat the best available price amongst our competitors, and if we see an error, we work quickly to fix it.”)
With supply chains seizing up and Amazon temporarily stumbling, millions of customers gave other online stores a shot. Smaller, savvy web retailers such as Wayfair and organic food peddler Thrive Market saw business boom. Millions of mom-and-pop operations were finally compelled to move from storefront-heavy strategies to digital ones. Ditto luxury retail, including brands such as Prada and Tory Burch (see story, page 132).
No one took greater advantage than big-box retailers. In the second quarter, Target sales jumped by nearly 25% year-overyear, to $23 billion, as online sales tripled, adding 10 million new customers. Home Depot also grew about 25%, to $38 billion, as its online sales doubled. Even at mighty Walmart, where getting revenue to go up significantly is akin to turning an aircraft carrier, online sales doubled and drove a 6% yearover-year increase, to $140 billion.
While no one foresaw the coronavirus, these sudden winners had already been girding for the industry pandemic known as Amazon by embracing the one resource the digital giant lacked—their thousands of physical stores. By hardwiring digital shopping into their locations, Target, Walmart, Best Buy, Home Depot and Lowe’s transformed their stores, long viewed as expensive and fast-aging liabilities, into hyperlocal distribution hubs that are now powering in-person and digital shopping alike. Early results were looking good. In the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak, they became great.
“We are within ten miles of most Americans,” says Cornell, who saw same-day delivery demand nearly triple and curbside pickup service soar 700%. For years, the retail sector had been losing its way with customer service. Yet this shift was an undeniable consumer benefit. “Target has become truly convenient,” says Paul Trussell, Deutsche Bank’s retail analyst. “It’s taken years of investment, but now you can buy online, pick up in store or use their app to have someone put the product right in the trunk of your car.”
So shoppers and shareholders have benefited. But something even more profound has occurred with a third set of winners: workers. To say that high-stress, low-pay retail gigs have lived at the bottom of the economic food chain is an insult to plankton. In 2019, the median annual wage for a retail worker was $25,250, with little upward mobility and turnover rates running about 60 percent a year. All this dysfunction was subsidized by you, the taxpayer—the Economic Policy Institute estimates that more than 35% of retail workers receive public assistance. Little wonder that no brick-andmortar retail company has ever before appeared on our Just
Target CEO Brian Cornell at a new curbside pickup station in Sarasota, Florida. “You can place an order, drive into over 1,500 parking lots and our team member will walk out and put it in your trunk, contact-free.”


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BRITAIN’S first masters course in music marketing has been launched at the University of Glamorgan.
Students on the course will explore the demands of the modern music industry and look at the tactics and strategies employed by music creators and distributors.
The course covers issues such as the benefits of online distribution techniques, such as downloading, streaming and web casts and the online retailing of records and concert tickets.
And it has received strong support from Rock School, the UKs leading popular music body.
The chief executive said: “This is an innovative degree programme providing training for music industry professionals. It is a much needed addition to the training needs of the music industry at a time of sustained change.”
The UK is currently the third largest market in the world in terms of record sales and occupies 15% of the global music industry market.


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USTechTimes.com is an independent new media site that focuses on the latest technology and digital news in the United States and around the world. The site focuses on new startup launching, startup funding, and development in the startup space. We publish informative and insightful news related to technology and startups – venture funding, deals, IPOs, new discovery, product launches, private equity, M&As, and more. Our passionate and experienced editorial team is committed to delivering news that matter to the startup community in the US and around the world.
Apply Now for K-Startup Grand Challenge 2023 to join the most prominent global acceleration program in South Korea before May 18th
The K-Startup Grand Challenge (KSGC),is making waves among entrepreneurs worldwide as the deadline for applications approaches on May 18, 2023, at …


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Experts from around the Commonwealth have been meeting in London this week to craft legislative guidance on how to effectively regulate the use of virtual currencies which will allow member states to reap the benefits of the new technology but also guard against its abuse.
The aim is to produce a draft document covering areas such as criminal misuse of the currencies, taxation, consumer protection issues, financial services as well as procedural powers relating to misuse of the currencies.
The experts were following up on the first Commonwealth stakeholder meeting in February 2015 which recommended that a report on the prevalence and impact of virtual currencies be produced.
There's concern about the growing number of virtual - or cryptocurrencies - available over the internet. As of April 2018 there were more than 1,565 - a figure that increases by the day. One of the most famous is Bitcoin which describes itself as "an innovative payment system and a new kind of money".
Investors have poured billions of dollars into virtual currencies in recent years and wooing investors to their products without clear safeguards.
Shadrach Haruna, the project coordinator and a Legal Adviser with the Commonwealth, said: "The work is timely given that the cutting-edge, distributed ledger technology (DLT) underlying virtual currencies is as useful to criminals as it is to honest consumers”.
“Our aim is to assist and provide regulatory guidance for member countries to adopt to enable them maximise the benefits of the innovation and at the same time reduce its associated risks," he added
Steven Malby, Head of the Office of Civil and Criminal Justice Reform said: “This work will give countries options for both promoting the benefits of virtual currencies, as well as addressing any possible risks.”
This effort is expected to provide a pathway for member countries to consider addressing any shortcomings in their existing legislation covering virtual currencies, including general criminal law, money laundering, proceeds of crime, taxation, financial services and consumer protection.


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This year's Black Friday sales were hot, be it for systems or software, deals were all over the price. Some of the best deals were on consoles and Sony seems to have had the most appealing, at least in the UK. Aside from just selling out at multiple retailers, Sony's console bested all previous Black Friday years with the exception of 2013. That's not surprising, as 2013 was the year the PS4 was released, but what is surprising is just how impressive the console is selling four years later.
When combined, Black Friday PS4 and Xbox One hardware bundles were up 3% over last year and made up 83% of this week's sales.
While I purchased mostly Xbox One titles this Black Friday (with the exception of Final Fantasy 15, which I purchased for my PS4 Pro), mainly due to the fact I also I picked up an Xbox One X back on November 7, it's clear that PlayStation 4 is still the most popular console of this generation, despite the addition of the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X.
PSVR also saw a lot of interest this year, as Black Friday sales were huge, basically on the same level as launch week sales.
While these number mainly reflect the console's sales in the UK, I'd expect similar figures for the US. Once we have those, we'll post them too.


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Live Nation Entertainment today announced the hiring of Amy Marks as the first Executive Vice President, Head of Integrated Marketing for Live Nation’s Media & Sponsorship division.
Based in New York, Marks will report to Russell Wallach, Global President, Live Nation Media & Sponsorship, and lead a department that includes creative, research, analytics, strategy, experiential events and industry marketing, according to the announcement. She will continue to support the team’s efforts delivering data-driven programs and products for advertisers, offering solutions across digital to live experiences.
Marks joins Live Nation from Bloomberg Media, where she was Global Head of Marketing. While at Bloomberg she spearheaded the launch of the Content Studio, led event marketing and conceptualized client programs. While in that role, she received Folio’s 2017 Innovators Award. Prior to Bloomberg, Marks was the Head of Integrated Marketing for People magazine for 15 years.
“Amy’s unparalleled experience partnering with brands and CMO’s to creatively solve business challenges, combined with her innate ability to build teams and innovative ways to develop best-in-class content and unforgettable experiences is the type of leader that will take us to the next level,” said Wallach.
Marks added, “I’m thrilled to join such an incredible and growing organization filled with amazing talent. There is endless opportunity at Live Nation to connect brands in a meaningful way with influential, receptive audiences and demonstrate how online and offline solutions can grow business for mature and emerging brands, regardless of the category.”


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The upcoming Chronology CRNO token is going to grab the crypto market. It is a luxury watch ownership-based market. Where all traders are going to get the ownership of the renowned brand’s watch by a token. In May 2022, Chronology marketplace started its work by pre-selling the CRNO tokens. It is going to be the world’s first fractional watch investment marketplace.
What Is Chronology(CRNO)?
Like another crypto marketplace, Chronology is also a marketplace but it consists of luxury branded watches. In this marketplace, traders will be allowed to own a portion of collectible watches of brands like Rolex, Richard Mille, Patek Philippe, etc. Investors can invest to own the watches by exchanging the same valuable NFT or cryptocurrencies.
This NFT watch investment platform is backed by real physical watches in several places in the world. This platform is going to allow redeeming the trader’s watches to get back their NFTs and also they can borrow their valuable tokens.
Expectations From Chronology :
Whitepaper, the founder of Chronology, shared their expectation from this marketplace. The potential profit of Chronology is around $49 billion. Where its value is $18 billion. The team anticipated that this new marketplace will appear in the crypto world with its own identity. It is expected that by 2025, Chronology will grow at a 3% rate. By 2025, it will reach up to $25 to $32 billion.
Initially, it already started its presale by this May. The price of the CRNO token skyrocketed by 560%. During the bearish crypto market, CRNO is sold at $0.01.
In the upcoming program, Chronology will allow the support of several blockchains. Which will be a larger marketing platform. Traders and investors will be able to stop losses, create price alerts, limit orders, etc. Additionally, users can burn their NFTs and transact physical watches with them. This facility will be provided to more than 120 countries across the world. Several transportation support will be engaged to offer their services.
Also, Chronology would offer a special membership. Through this, users will get special NFTs to trade and invest in different fields. It is reported that the NFT collection will be limited to a total supply of 7,777.
What Will Be In The Four Phases?
Chronology has a total of four phases of its planning. Within four phases, it wants to achieve its goal. The first phase of this new platform has already been started. The first phase states to presale the tokens and the official launch of CRNO along with PR publication, audits, official arrangements, etc. This phase started in May 2022. 51.76 million tokens are already sold to the users.
In the second phase, Chronology planned to perform a second round of pre-sell of tokens. It will be held at Uniswap and Pancake Swap bridge. The listing will be at CoinGecko and Coin Market Cap in this phase. Also, a second smart contract audit will be taken place in this stage.
The third phase of Chronology consists of launching CRNO in the top 10 centralized exchanges. Within the top 10 exchanges, Chronology will serve their NFT watch investment service.
In the last phase, Chronology oracle will be there along with metaverse incorporated via Chroloverse and disclosing of the first NFT holder or Chronology.
These four phases are now a pre-planning for the Chronology program. Though the whole structure and services are not clear enough to the users yet.
Predictions About Chronology :
It was announced officially by Chronology, that this July 27, the second presale will be held. In the first pre-sell, the token’s price was $0.01. But according to the forecast, in the second round, it will increase. It is anticipated that CRNO will rate at $0.066 in the upcoming pre-sell.
Till now 51.76 million tokens have been sold to interested users. Though the target is to sell the tokens to over 175 million users.
Notably, the owner of the financial activity is not disclosed yet. Besides, the service and the exchange structure are not transparent yet to the users. So this becomes an obstacle for the investors to go ahead with the next phase.
Moreover, in between the crypto market’s downfall, Chronology got much attention from the crypto investors. According to experts, this invention is going to grab the crypto market at least for some years. But the volatility will be the greatest concern similar to the other cryptocurrencies.


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Czinger 21C, Pagani Huayra BC Pacchetto Tempesta, BMW M3 Touring: Car news of the day
A California company by the name of Czinger is developing a hybrid hypercar using innovative production methods, including 3D printing for all metal parts. The company is currently testing prototypes and as part of the testing drove one of the cars around the Laguna Seca circuit faster than any production car to date.
To mark the 10th anniversary of its Huayra supercar, Pagani introduced an upgrade package for the Huayra BC variant aimed at improving the car’s performance on the track. Called Pacchetto Tempesta, the package will be presented during Monterey Car Week 2021.
BMW’s M3 is set to create a wagon body style for the first time, and we just spotted a prototype. The camouflaged tester featured the signature four-tailpipe setup at the rear and tall kidney grilles at the front, both of which are also present on the M3 sedan.
You’ll find these stories and more in today’s automotive news, right here at Driving authority.
Czinger claims 21C prototype already runs Laguna Seca 2s faster than McLaren Senna
Pagani Huayra BC Pacchetto Tempesta arrives with 816 hp, 6 tailpipes
2022 BMW M3 Touring spy shots: fast wagon arrives, but not in the US
Subaru recalls 165,000 SUVs and newer cars for fuel pump problem
Porsche offers latest 991-generation 911 GT2 RS Clubsport series to mark Manthey-Racing partnership
BYD could provide its Blade LFP battery in Tesla, China
Lexus GX 2022 gets new tech and special Black Line edition
Toyota 2022 Siena Reviews
McLaren sells its applied technology business to investment firm Greybull Capital
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Apple iPhone software changes: How it will affect you
Apple is expected host a showdown with Facebook and other data-hungry tech enterprises next week, and Australian iPhone users will have to decide how much they want to share about themselves.
The Cupertino smartphone giant has revealed it would start rolling out its much-anticipated iPhone software update, iOS 14.5, from April 26.
And while the feature-packed refresh will add tools such as a new option for unlocking an iPhone while wearing a face mask, it will also require apps to request permission for the use of personal data - an addition Facebook has publicly campaigned against.
This is what you need to know before you download it.
The most contentious update in Apple's newest iPhone software is called "app-tracking transparency".
Building on Apple's privacy credentials, this addition will require apps to ask for permission to harvest your data and use it to track your activity inside other apps and across the web.
Apple laid the foundations for this addition earlier - iPhone users with the latest software have an option to allow these requests in their Privacy settings - but this software update will act like a deadline for companies seeking user data.
All apps will be required to send users a request to track this information, which is expected to prove educational for many users.
But Facebook, known for its reliance on user data and advertising, has made its opposition to Apple's new software well known.
In a series of full-page newspaper advertisements in the US late last year, the world's biggest social network claimed the software change would "limit businesses' ability to run personalised ads and reach their customers effectively" and could have a "devastating" affect on small business.
Apple rebuffed those claims, however, saying in a letter that "Facebook executives have made clear their intent is to collect as much data as possible across both first and third-party products to develop and monetise detailed profiles of their users, and this disregard for user privacy continues to expand to include more of their products".
iPhone users will be able to pick a side for themselves when the pop-up notices arrive.
EASIER MASK LIFE
Using a face scan to unlock your smartphone was much more straightforward when it wasn't obscured by a face mask.
In recognition of this 2020-inspired hurdle, Apple will allow iPhone users to unlock their phone when they're wearing an unlocked Apple Watch near the device.
As a security measure, the Watch will vibrate when it is unlocked using this measure.
Apple's digital assistant, Siri, is usually a female voice by default but that will change in this software update.
iPhone users will be prompted to choose a voice, be it male or female, and two additional English-speaking voices will be available as part of the update.
Apple will let iPhone users change more default settings in this software update, including the music player.
While Apple Music has been the default setting, Siri will let users choose their favourite music streaming service when asked to play a song under iOS 14.5. This could be Spotify or YouTube Music, for example.
Expect to see greater emoji choice after you update your phone.
There will be an additional 217 emoji unlocked in this software and Emojipedia reveals that will include new characters such as a mended heart, heart on fire, and a face covered by smoke. The new emoji generation will also arrive with many more skintone options and beards for everyone.
Other additions include support for Apple's AirTags, the ability to stream Apple Fitness+ routines to AirPlay 2 TVs, greater support for game console controllers, and a stronger vibration when connecting a MagSafe wallet to a compatible iPhone.
HOW DO I UPDATE MY SOFTWARE?
There's a chance your phone will download the new iOS update when it becomes available, if you've checked the slider for Automatic Updates in your settings.
If you haven't - or if you're keen to get the update as soon as possible - you can check General and Software Update in your phone's settings.
Apple has confirmed the new software will be made available from April 26, though the rollout is likely to take place over several days.
Originally published as Apple iPhone software changes: How it will affect you


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Endomondo, which has long been doing fitness tracking through GPS and accelerometer readings, has released a new app exclusively for the iPhone 5s which aims to emulate a lot of what wearable fitness trackers do. The iPhone 5s has an M7 coprocessor which can quietly hum along all day with minimal battery impact while it's tracking movement, Endomondo life uses that in order to estimate how many calories are burned throughout the day.
Endomondo Life will track how close you are to meeting daily goals, the ability go over the past week's data, and keep tabs on burned calories. Your performance is also compared to the previous day and provide notifications when you've met the step goal for today.
Endomondo still works fabulously with all of the big wearable fitness trackers, but it's great to see them supporting the tools available in iPhone already. How many of you guys use Endomondo already? Would you be interested in ditching the fitness band and using your iPhone on its own?
- Free - Download now
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Apple picks up a $12 million fine over claims of iPhone water resistance
Apple is in the dog house in Italy after it picked up a fine over the way it advertises iPhones and their water resistance.
Get the Aviary Twitter app for just $1.99, today only!
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The iPhone SE is already an incredible price, even without any discounts, but with Apple's Black Friday sale, you can get one for a song.
Give the gift of health and fitness this season
We have all been spending more time at home this year, and staying active and healthy is more important than ever. Give your loved ones the gift of health and fitness this season with our holiday health and fitness gift guide.


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With prices stabilizing, Wisconsin ends ‘Abnormal Economic Disruption’ period
MADISON, Wis. (WKBT) – Companies are able to once again sell their products without restrictions on price gouging.
Price gouging is when a company raises prices higher than what is considered fair.
That usually happens when there is a high demand for a product during events like a natural disaster or emergency.
The pandemic created an unusual economic disruption.
Governor Tony Evers issued an executive order in March preventing businesses from price gouging and taking advantage of the pandemic
The Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection has received more than 700 complaints related to the problem.
After the order ends consumers are asked to keep an eye on prices and wait for supplies to stabilize before buying certain products.
COPYRIGHT 2020 BY WKBT/News8000.com. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.


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If you have received a text message appearing to be from Apple, telling you your Apple ID is due to expire today, it’s a scam! This is an example of a phishing scam which is currently circulating in the form of a text message, which is not actually sent by Apple Support. The scam tries to trick iPhone users into sharing their username and passwords. If you see a message like this, then you should just delete it and avoid opening the link. Read more →
Archive for month: April, 2016
Hackers have once again proven that regardless of how many security precautions someone takes, all a hacker needs to track their location and pry on their phone calls and texts is their phone number.
The hack, first proven in 2014 at a hacker convention in Hamburg by Karsten Nohl, a German security researcher, has been exposed as still being active by Nohl over a year later for CBS’s 60 Minutes. Read more →
Research shows the threat of fraud towards those reaching retirement who refuse to seek expert guidance is worryingly high as it’s revealed that almost 9 in 10 people cannot spot common signs of a pensions scam. Read more →


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During a recent interview, Sony Benelux brand manager Folkert Langeveld inadvertently revealed that LittleBigPlanet 2 is coming to PS3 and will feature PlayStation Move support.
However, Sackboy is still at the forefront of Sony's marketing with the knitted character appearing in a front page advert (below) today for the Bravia line of Internet TV's.
To quote: "Unaware that the title had not been officially announced yet, Langeveld let slip in an interview with Dutch site Tweakers that LittleBigPlanet 2 will utilize the new PlayStation Move controller.
To what extent, is unknown at this point. With its mass market appeal, LBP is a franchise that clearly has potential to serve as a conduit to drive sales of Move."
Finally, some may recall that during their recent GDC 2010 press conference Sony demoed a LittleBigPlanet build with Move support using the controller to pick up and glide objects across the screen.
Hopefully further LBP2 details will surface at the upcoming E3 Expo which runs from June 15-17, 2010.
More PlayStation 3 News...


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Mike sez, "According to the Australian government, video games are worse than porn; they're planning to block web-based games deemed unsuitable for anyone over the age of fifteen.
This would be funny if it wasn't so pathetic. Just call us South China from now on."
So far, this has only applied to local bricks-and-mortar stores selling physical copies of games, but a spokesman for Senator Conroy confirmed that under the filtering plan, it will be extended to downloadable games, flash-based web games and sites which sell physical copies of games that do not meet the MA15+ standard.
Web filters to censor video games
This means that even Australians who are aged above 15 and want to obtain the adult-level games online will be unable to do so. . It will undoubtedly raise the ire of gamers, the average age of which is 30 in Australia, according to research commissioned by the Interactive Entertainment Association of Australia.
Colin Jacobs, spokesman for the online users' lobby group Electronic Frontiers Australia, said the Government clearly went far beyond any mandate it had from the public to help parents deal with cyber-safety.
He said Australians would soon learn this the hard way when they find web pages mysteriously blocked.
"This is confirmation that the scope of the mandatory censorship scheme will keep on creeping," said Mr Jacobs.
"Far from being the ultimate weapon against child abuse, it now will officially censor content deemed too controversial for a 15-year-old. In a free country like ours, do we really need the government to step in and save us from racy web games?"
Joel Johnson describes An Aggressor’s Strategy to Slither.io, the snake-meets-lightcycles game that everyone plays on the internet. Using these tactics I can get over 5,000 almost every time I play within 1–2 minutes, regularly crest 10,000, and have touched the top of the leaderboard at least once a day. Of course, I die a lot […]
Dyson Logos’s G+ account is an endlessly scrolling inventory of hand-drawn D&D maps, each one cooler than the last.
Doniguitar — makers of the Rebel Bass Millennium Falcon bass guitar — also make the NES Paul, a guitar whose body is made from hollowed out, vintage Nintendo Entertainment Systems.
Almost everyone has their smartphone in a case of one kind or another. Beyond simple protection, finding a case that can charge your phone on its own, but doesn’t feel like it’s also adding a couple pounds to the phone’s weight is the tricky part. Billed as the world’s thinnest battery case, the ThinCharge iPhone […]
You never know when new projects, ideas or opportunities can drop into your lap at a moment’s notice. That may require you to learn a new programming language like Python. Or maybe you need a primer on 3D game development. Or you might realize you could use a serious brush-up on iOS mobile creation.Point is, […]
Isn’t it about time to stretch what your Mac can do? I mean, you’ve got plenty of great programs now…but don’t you think you could use some new tools to get your creative, analytical and organizational juices really flowing? It’s spring, so we cleaned up a whole bunch of super-cool apps lying around and packaged […]


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Company source reveals HTC Desire HD is on the way
The HTC Desire HD is set to be available from T-Mobile in the not too distant future as Vodafone offically prepares to launch the HTC Desire HD on October 14th.
A source inside the company revealed that they were busy stocking up on the 4.3-inch Android smartphone and that it would be available to T-Mobile customers in the 'next few weeks'.
Vodafone already has the Desire HD available for pre-order, giving customers the opportunity to bag the handset for free on pay monthly contracts from £35-£55.
You can also get the Desire HD on monthly contracts in the £25-£30 price bracket, but you will have to purchase the phone as well.
Unveiled at the HTC’s London-based conference last month, the HTC Desire HD will feature a 1GHz processor and 8-megapixel camera with 720p HD video recording capabilities alongside a 4.3-inch LCD display having dropped the production hampered AMOLED screen seen on the original HTC Desire device.


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E. Coli Risk Prompts Beef Recall
The Pico Rivera company supplied restaurants throughout Southern California.
The department's Food Safety and Inspection Service said it became aware of the problem "when contacted by another federal regulated establishment who believed they had received suspect product."
American Food Service of Pico Rivera recalled the products, which were produced on January 31, the USDA said in a press release.
The products subject to recall bear the establishment number "EST. 1913" inside the USDA mark of inspection. They were sent to restaurants throughout Southern California.
Some of the products may be frozen and in restaurant freezers, the department said.
E. coli can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration and in severe cases, kidney failure. Babies, seniors and people with weak immune systems are the most susceptible.
It was not clear Saturday whether anyone had been sickened by the recalled products.
The Chicago Tribune welcomes civil dialogue; you must register to participate. We filter comments for adherence to our Terms of Service, but not for accuracy. By commenting, you agree to these legal terms. Please flag inappropriate comments.


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Here are all of the posts tagged ‘SDMW’.
As part of my upcoming Ask Me Anything session with Tech In Asia on November 26th, I’m delighted to share the latest snapshot of Digital, Social and Mobile usage around Southeast Asia.
This new report – continuing We Are Social’s on-going series of reports into connected behaviour around the world – shows that digital adoption and usage continues to grow apace around Southeast Asian nations, with internet and social media usage increasing more than 15% year-on-year.
Just before we get into the regional data though, here are the latest global figures:
- Global Internet Users: 3.249 billion
- Global Social Media Users: 2.317 billion
- Global Mobile Users: 3.761 billion
- Global Mobile Social Media Users: 2.062 billion
Read on to get the specific details for Southeast Asia.
It’s been another year of bumper growth for all things digital in India, with the latest in We Are Social’s series of studies into Digital, Social & Mobile usage around the world revealing that over a quarter of the world’s second largest nation now uses the internet on a regular basis:
Here are the key data headlines:
- Internet Users: 350 million, up 44% since our last report in July 2014
- Social Media Users: 134 million, up 26% in the past year
- Unique Mobile Users: 590 million – a penetration rate of 46%
- Mobile Internet Users: 159 million – 45% of all internet users
- Mobile Social Media Users: 97 million, up 5% since July 2014
You can read the full report in the SlideShare embed above (and download it here), but India’s internet story isn’t just about the data, so read on for our analysis of what these numbers mean in context.
The latest report in our series of studies into Digital, Social & Mobile use around the world shows that the pace of digital adoption in China shows few signs of slowing.
You can read the full report in the SlideShare embed above (or download it here), but numbers don’t mean much on their own, so we’ll use this post to dig into the significance of the data and their associated trends for marketers.
To get us started though, here are the key data headlines:
- Internet Users: 668 million, a 6% year-on-year increase
- Social Media Users: 659 million – more than the USA and Europe combined
- Unique Mobile Users: 675 million, responsible for 1.3 billion mobile subscriptions
- Mobile Internet Users: 594 million, accounting for 89% of all China’s internet users
- Mobile Social Media Users: 574 million, up 15 million since this time last year
The year-on-year growth rates tell interesting stories too (note that the mobile figures in this slide represent the growth in mobile subscriptions, not unique users):
We’ll examine each of these in detail in the sections below.
Our latest statshot on the state of Digital, Social & Mobile usage around the world shows that the pace of change shows no signs of slowing:
Year-on-year growth remains strong, particularly in the use of mobile social media:
- Internet user growth: +7.6%
- Social media user growth: +8.7%
- Mobile user growth: +3.4%
- Mobile social media user growth: +23.3%
There are some important changes to the ways people are using mobile devices too – read on for the full story.
The team at GlobalWebIndex joined forces with We Are Social again for our new APAC Digital report, which we published last week. In this guest post, GWI’s Jason Mander shares his take on one of the hottest digital trends in APAC, and what it means for marketers.
As We Are Social’s new Digital, Social and Mobile in APAC 2015 report makes clear, Asia still lags (considerably) behind regions like North America and Western Europe when it comes to internet penetration rates. In places like India, for example, fewer than 1 in 5 adults are going online – which means internet populations in these countries tend to be skewed towards young, urban and affluent segments.
These demographic trends are one of the major reasons why fast-growth markets are typically at the forefront of many digital behaviours such as social networking engagement and mobile internet usage. But it also shows why mobiles are so key to the future of this region: each year, tens of millions of APAC consumers are coming online for the first time, and many will be doing so via mobile.
Of course, the migration away from PCs and laptops towards mobiles has been much documented. But GlobalWebIndex’s long-term data on this area shows just how rapidly the switch is occurring in APAC; as our chart below makes clear, the average time per day that digital consumers in APAC are spending online is on the rise, but this is being driven almost exclusively by mobiles.
In fact, while the last three years have seen little change in the amount of daily time captured by PCs/laptops, the figure for mobiles jumped from 1.44 in 2012 to 2.21 hours in 2014. In terms of share, that means mobiles now account for 34% of time spent online in APAC, up from 25% in 2012. This pattern shows no sign of slowing: each year, mobiles are becoming more and more important gateways to the internet.
Age-based patterns are particularly telling, here: the younger the individual, the more time they typically devote to the mobile web (with smartphones now accounting for 39% of total time spent online among 16-24s versus just 19% for 55-64s). In contrast, time devoted to linear TV and traditional radio increases in line with age, so it’s not simply that 16-24s are ahead for all media consumption behaviors. Rather, it’s that they’re leading the charge towards anything digital, and toward mobile usage in particular.
As always, generalisations are a dangerous thing, here. Across APAC, average time on the mobile internet per day is typically lowest in places such as Japan, Australia, Singapore and South Korea – where high internet penetration rates mean that online populations have much more balanced age profiles. But that mobiles are the devices carrying all the momentum in this region is beyond doubt.
Read the full Digital, Social & Mobile in APAC in 2015 report here.


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The UK could introduce a new £3bn tax on sugar and salt as part of a string of reforms aimed at improving the health of the nation and helping to tackle climate change.
A government review by Leon co-founder Henry Dimbleby published today said Covid had provided a “painful reality check” and warned that poor diets contributed to around 64,000 deaths in England every year at an estimated cost to the economy of £74bn.
The National Food Strategy also highlighted the environmental damage caused by food production and said Britain had a “once-in-a-generation” opportunity to rethink its diet.
The review called on ministers to introduce a £3/kg tax on sugar and £6/kg tax on salt sold wholesale for use in processed foods, or in restaurants and catering businesses.
This would create an incentive for manufacturers to reduce the level of sugar and salt in their food by reformulating recipes or reducing portion sizes, it said.
The report said the Sugar and Salt Reformulation Tax could raise between £2.9bn and £3.4bn per year for the Treasury.
The money raised from the levy should be used to help fund Free School Meals, it added. The review called on the government to increase the household earnings threshold from £7,400 to £20,000 before benefits, saying this would make an additional 1.1m children eligible for the scheme.
Other recommendations in Dimbleby’s include a statutory duty for all food companies with more than 250 employees to publish an annual report on their sales of various food types, as well as enabling fruit and vegetables to be prescribed on the NHS.
“With the right leadership from government, it is well within our power to change the system so it makes both us and the planet healthier,” said Dimbleby.
“Currently, however, the way we produce food is doing terrible damage to the environment and to our bodies, and putting an intolerable strain on the NHS.
“Covid 19 has been a painful reality check. Our high obesity rate has been a major factor in the UK’s tragically high death rate. We must now seize the moment to build a better food system for our children and grandchildren.”
Charity the Food Foundation hailed the proposals as a “bold and exciting vision” and urged the government to give the report “the attention and action it deserves”.
But the Taxpayers’ Alliance warned the “deeply regressive” tax could cost consumers as much as £4.8bn each year.
Christopher Snowdon, head of lifestyle economics at free market think tank the Institute of Economic Affairs said: “Once again, rich people want to clobber ordinary people with stealth taxes, this time on sugar and salt.
“At a time of rising inflation, after the deepest recession in 300 years, Mr Dimbleby really needs to read the room. He rightly says that a meat tax would be unpopular and regressive. If Boris Johnson is foolish enough to act on these recommendations, he will soon find the same is true of taxing basic nutrients.”


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Mad for both QVC and CWonder, I plan to be at the ready when the line goes on sale this coming Thursday, March 3rd! (Level One)
Black Friday, the day we wait for all year, the Superbowl of shopping,which leaves stores in the black and customers in the red, has arrived! Here are the sales from stores, large and small, culled from across the web that we are excited about this year.
Since the first event in Central Park in 1994, the Fashion Footwear Charitable Foundation, in collaboration with QVC, has raised over $30 million and sold over 1 million pairs of shoes to…


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Global Shapers Norfolk is hosting an event 7 p.m. today at Old Dominion University's Innovation Center in downtown Norfolk featuring millennials who have launched innovative "green" companies. The event is free and open to the public.
“Green with a Purpose” is hosted by a group of millennials that seeks to drive creative change through the young adults in Hampton Roads, according to a news release.
“We believe investing in sustainability can help keep millennials in Hampton Roads, as studies show nearly 75 percent of millennials value working for businesses that have a positive impact on society, according to the Deloitte Millennial Survey 2016,” Global Shaper Nisha Witt said.
Witt, a veteran and millennial, took the lead to organize “Green With a Purpose.” She has been recognized nationally for creating Aesop Technologies, which develops renewable methods to recharge cell phones.
After winning $50,000 in business competitions to launch her company in Norfolk, the city has ordered Aesop’s newest product: benches outfitted with solar panels that can charge your cell phone.
Local millennial and ODU graduate Hamilton Perkins is also a featured speaker at today's event. His Norfolk-based company recycles plastic bottles to make affordable, designer bags that look good, perform well, and reduce pollution.
Jeff Staples of the Sierra Club Chesapeake Bay Group will speak about Virginia’s clean, renewable energy and opportunities to expand solar and wind use.
Global Shapers Norfolk is a hub of the World Economic Forum's Global Shapers community.