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In 2014, Instagram embarked on a major effort to rid its platform of fake accounts or “bots.” Though the existence of bots on Instagram was a widely-known fact, it was difficult to know just how many there were and how pervasive the problem had become — at least until millions of accounts disappeared.
These accounts seemed to vanish, slashing follower counts and exposing the practices of buying fake followers by some celebrities and influencers. Instagram’s own account lost nearly 30% of its followers — a staggering 18.9 million. Justin Bieber lost 3.5 million followers and Kim Kardashian lost 1.3 million.
In the two and a half years since the Instapurge, Instagram bots haven’t ceased to be a problem. Services like Instagress allow individuals and accounts to automate following and liking (a way to, essentially, “fake” engagement) and to buy followers and build a following of fake accounts. As it becomes harder and harder to tell real followers from fake followers and real engagement from engagement that’s faked, the $1 billion influencer marketing industry on Instagram becomes more complicated.
One of the most popular sites used for account automation and follower purchasing, Instagress, shuttered following a “request” from Instagram. It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to anyone who’s been following the progress of botting on Instagram, nor Instagram’s success of late.
August 2016 saw Instagram release Instagram Stories, a Snapchat-like feature that allows users to send and share brief photo and video messages that disappear after 24 hours. The feature took off almost immediately and, less than a year after launch, draws over 200 million active users a day on its own. For comparison, Snapchat’s most recent numbers indicate that it has 166 million daily active users. Instagram’s monthly active user count is growing, too, adding 200 million users since June 2016, now at 700 million.
Sad news to all of you who fell in love with Instagress: by request of Instagram we’ve closed our web-service that helped you so much. pic.twitter.com/sIRYfFVywX
— Instagress (@instagress) April 20, 2017
But discussions about botting that call into question the legitimacy of that growth undermine Instagram’s success. What’s more, bots make it hard to trust the quality of Instagram’s metrics. There are tools that analyze users’ followings and determine what percentage of their followers are real people (versus bots), but there’s still some confusion as to how much likes and followers are actually worth.
Bots aren’t a good look for Instagram, particularly when they’re getting press. It’s not surprising that they’d want to get rid of them. The purge, however it was executed, was effective in 2014, and now, in 2017, there’s no doubt that it could be just as (if not more) effective. The question is whether or not Instagram would want to purge accounts like it did last time, or if the purge could take an entirely different form.
There are plenty of reasons why curbing the bot problem would be a priority for Instagram. Recent success aside, social media platforms are fickle creatures. A bad update, unexpected competition, or a migration of users can change a platform’s future overnight. It’s important that Instagram preserves the integrity of its community and the value of its follower and engagement metrics. Bot accounts muddy the water, making it hard for users to figure out who’s built legitimate followings and who’s purchased them.
Bots likely wouldn’t sink Instagram, but it’s in its best interest to try to mitigate the problem. We certainly could see another purge, but it’s worth noting that there are other avenues that Instagram could (and is) pursuing. Instagress was a first step. It won’t stop botting, but it was a notable service with a lot of customers. It could, in the immediate future, stem the flow.
Beyond that, it could have a chilling effect. Seeing what happened to Instagress may have other, similar ventures thinking twice about the foundation upon which they’re building. Botting may be lucrative, but if Instagram is taking out the source rather than the accounts themselves, that business could dry up.
Going to the source to take out fake accounts is certainly more immediate, but it could also be strategic. Depending on how Instagram measures its users, eliminating huge swaths of accounts might carve into its growth numbers.
Bots are a major problem and without significant action, they’re not going anywhere soon. That said, there’s one engagement metric on Instagram that can’t be faked (yet): views on Stories.
Stories is becoming a bigger and bigger part of Instagram’s platform, and it’s a feature that can’t be easily manipulated. There also isn’t the same heavy emphasis on engagement metrics because they aren’t visible. We know that Instagram Stories is seeing 200 million daily active users and that they’re legitimate. That signals a big opportunity for marketers.
Influencer marketing on Instagram is a huge opportunity, but knowledge is power when it comes to evaluating influencers, followings, and engagement. For more information, see our guides on Instagram bots and fake followers.


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Indy retailers feel ‘always-on’ discounting pressure
Written by Peter Walker
Independent retail discounting levels have increased by six per cent over the past two years, as market pressures continue to drive product markdowns.
This is according to UK customer transaction data from retail software provider Vend running from September 2016 to October 2018 with a sample size of 600 retailers.
In the past year, discounting levels have grown by 10 per cent, but the percentage of discount that retailers are applying to their products has not increased.
Encouragingly, throughout this time sales volumes and spending have also seen a boost, with sales volumes up five per cent year-on-year, and spending up nine per cent.
“The growing demand for discounting has really been impacting big-box retailers like John Lewis over the past year, so it’s not surprising that independent retailers are also feeling that same pressure,” says Higor Torchia, EMEA country manager for Vend. “But it was clear in our data that discounting is changing.”
From 2016 to 2017 retailers were discounting very frequently, and prices were fluctuating up and down a lot, according to Vend. Whereas in 2018 discounting levels have generally remained steady, with much bigger spikes happening every now and then.
“As we know, frequent discounting can be hugely detrimental to retailers, especially indies who often have small margins – it’s likely these retailers are trying to fight back against ‘always-on’ discounting, and instead create more strategic sales campaigns at key times,” Torchia added.
December continues to be the biggest discounting month each year, as well as the biggest sales month, however outside of this time there was a positive correlation between discounting and consumer spending.
Torchia explained this is probably due to discounts working well as a marketing tool, where retailers promote an upcoming sale to their customer base which drives those customers in-store to spend more than they usually would.
Fashion and apparel stores were those that discount the most, showing the biggest spikes in discounting levels across the year, while most other retail types remained steady.
Fashion and apparel retailers also seem to apply the biggest discounts to products when they do have a sale (18 per cent on average), followed by sports and outdoor stores with a 12 per cent discount, speciality food and drink (eight per cent), home, lifestyle and gifts (eight per cent) and health and beauty (five per cent).

domain: news


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The Precision Metalforming Association (PMA) and Penton Media Inc., publisher of AMERICAN MACHINIST, — through Penton Media de Mexico and its partner Grupo Empresarial SCSI — have announced that the fourth annual MetalMecÁnica USA will be held in Mexico City, November 6-8, 2002. The exposition, which will be held at the Centro de Exposiciones Hipódromo de las AmericÁs in Mexico City, is being brought to Mexico City during even-numbered years to reach Mexico's major market area.
The show brings over 200 suppliers of metal stamping, precision sheetmetal fabricating, assembly, welding, and related technologies to the exhibition in Mexico. It will provide manufacturing solutions to the more than 565,000 companies engaged in manufacturing activities in and around the Federal District, the largest industrial area in Mexico.
William E. Gaskin, PMA president says, "The Mexican marketplace is growing rapidly and MetalMecÁnica USA 2002 offers an excellent opportunity for growth-oriented companies to enter a broader marketplace in a tradeshow environment where PMA can work with them to ensure success."
"We have brought this event to the Federal District because we are aware of the huge metal-forming market potential," states Victor Manuel GonzÁlez, Grupo Empresarial SCSI president and CEO. "With MetalMecÁnica USA 2002, we seek to introduce major equipment manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors to new potential buyers within the Mexico City area."


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SAN JOSE, Calif. (
could still offer
to investors despite
Brocade, which reports its fourth-quarter results after market close on Monday, has been firmly in the spotlight since partner Hewlett-Packard announced it was buying rival 3Com.
had been touted as a possible
Hewlett-Packard acquisition target
, so Wall Street has been carefully
Brocade's stock slumped
in the initial aftermath of the 3Com announcement. After staging a modest rally, Brocade shares dipped again and are now trading around $8, below its 52-week high of $9.84.
Brocade had struck a bullish tone prior to the Hewlett-Packard/3Com news, so investors will be closely monitoring the company's fourth-quarter results. During its September
, Brocade raised its 2010 revenue outlook, although its earnings projection fell short of Wall Street's expectations thanks to the impact of its
Brocade's management also discussed plans to become a $10 billion company and reiterated the company's desire to remain focused on enterprise networks, unlike rival
, which has branched out into server sales and the consumer market.
Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect Brocade to post revenue of $521.09 million and earnings of 13 cents a share. In the same period last year, Brocade posted sales of $398.5 million and earnings of 20 cents a share, excluding items.
Wedbush Morgan analyst Kaushik Roy thinks that Hewlett-Packard's 3Com acquisition should not cause Brocade too many problems.
"While the acquisition makes Hewlett-Packard a competitor of Brocade for enterprise Ethernet switches, we believe that Brocade will continue to be Hewlett-Packard's preferred partner for storage switches," he wrote, in a recent note. "Even if the acquisition does complete,
Hewlett-Packard will not have a Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) switch to address convergence in enterprise networks."
Recent results from
storage spending, with Brocade expected to reap the benefits.
Brocade's results should also offer some color on the company's ongoing battle with Cisco.
A recent survey of the IT sector by Goldman Sachs showed increasing pricing pressure in Ethernet switching, reflecting increased competition from "up-and-coming" companies such as
, Hewlett-Packard and Brocade.
"So far, heightened competition has resulted in share loss (from 75% in 4Q2008 to 69% in 3Q2009, according to Dell'Oro) rather than pricing or margin compression for Cisco," wrote Goldman Sachs analyst Simona Jankowski. "Though that could change depending on Cisco's priorities for share vs. margins."
The analyst, however, warns that there are still clouds of uncertainty looming over the economy, as well as the challenge posed by its Foundry acquisition.
"Downside risks include further deterioration in enterprise spending and the company's execution in managing a far larger product portfolio," she wrote.
growth profile and high operating leverage, though, Brocade may still offer value for investors. The company will hold a call to discuss its fourth-quarter results early on Tuesday, which is expected to provide more insight into its long-term strategy.
-- Reported by James Rogers in New York


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Bakkt announced the brand new report, stating:
“In the present day we set a brand new day by day report of 1,756 Bakkt Bitcoin Futures contracts traded.”
Quantity spike coincides with Bitcoin value dip
Twitter account devoted to Bakkt futures buying and selling quantity knowledge, Bakkt Quantity Bot, additionally pointed out the event on Nov. 8.
Moreover, the day by day quantity of 1,741 (about $15.5 million) represents a 109% enhance over the 834 contracts traded the day earlier than with every contract being equal to at least one Bitcoin.
Bakkt day by day quantity graph. Supply: Bakkt Quantity Bot
The brand new report quantity coincides with a pointy Bitcoin value decrease, falling beneath $9,000. The final reported Bakkt contract buying and selling value as of press time is $8,895.
Bakkt’s quantity rising month over month
Bakkt bodily settled month-to-month Bitcoin buying and selling volumes have been steadily rising since its launch. In October, its volumes have hit a brand new all-time excessive with 452 contracts traded.
Notably, on Oct. 26, Bakkt traded 1,183 Bitcoin futures contracts after registering a staggering 257% volume increase in 24 hours. This additionally coincided with a major price move that despatched BTC over $10,000.
As Cointelegraph reported earlier this week, Bakkt can also be on its solution to set a brand new month-to-month buying and selling quantity report. The corporate can also be expected to launch the primary regulated Bitcoin choices contract on Dec. 9.


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Audi’s Sandbox Is The New VR Experience For Big Kids
Audi creates a new virtual reality campaign inspired by the children’s sandboxes.
The campaign is designed by the Norwegian creative agency POL. Titled Enter Sandbox, Audi Norway combined a sandbox installation with virtual reality to enable the drivers test-drive the new model of Q5. The Sandbox 2.0 VR experience’s digital production is prepared by MediaMonks.
The sand is scanned by a depth-sensing camera, from which a VR atmosphere is rendered. This involves bombarding the sand with short beams of infrared light with over 200,000 measurement points captured by an infrared camera.
Let’s watch the intro of the experience, here:
After they built their own track, users weave the landscape they’ve just created using an Audi A5 accompanied by realistic bumps, turns and an immersive experience.
Audi Norway’s Manager of Marketing Tommy Jensen, says in a prepared statement,
For many of us, playing with cars in the sandpit is a distant memory. Let’s face it, the opportunity rarely presents itself once you pass a certain age. The Sandbox 2.0 is a state-of-the-art toy for kids and adults. It provides a platform to rekindle the joys of driving and demonstrate the assets of the Q5 and the quattro technology in a playful and accessible way.
While the idea was originated in Norway, it will be available to other countries and markets following the launch phase. According to the brand, the world-leading technology can travel with the sandbox, which is specifically designed for easy transportation. This will ensure that the fun is soon available around the world.
Seems like while the sandbox experience is taking us back to the childhood, VR mixes it with the future. We can’t wait for the international roll out then!


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Price Bounce Expected To Continue
Wall Street and Main Street both look for gold to continue a price recovery next week, based on the Kitco News weekly gold survey.
Gold Slightly Softer After U.S. April Durable-Goods Orders Fall 1.7%
Gold prices eased marginally after a Commerce Department report Thursday showed that U.S. orders for durable goods fell by 1.7% during April. Comex June gold was last down $1.50 to $1,302.90 an ounce.
Standard: Gold Pullbacks To $1,250 Would Be 'Good Entry Levels'
Standard Chartered Bank figures any pullbacks in gold prices to $1,250 an ounce would be buying opportunities.
U.S. Initial Jobless Claims Rise 11,000 To 234,000
Kitco News reports on U.S. jobless claims in week to May 19
U.S. New Home Sales Fall 1.5% To 662,000 Rate In April
Kitco News reports on U.S. sales of new homes for April
MKS: Gold In Consolidation Phase; ETF Holdings Stable
Gold could be in for a period of sideways consolidation, and exchange-traded-fund holdings held up despite a recent price decline in the precious metal
INTL FCStone: Gold Gets Short-Covering Bounce
Gold has ticked higher as traders who previously took out short, or bearish, trades buy to offset or cover them, says Edward Meir
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The Lawyer’s new China Elite report contains the most detailed research available on the PRC legal market and contains unparalleled insight into the country's leading law firms. They vary in size, practice focus and geographic coverage, but they all share one common quality – ambition... Read more
This year, The Lawyer’s annual ranking of the largest UK law firms by turnover is available as an interactive, digital benchmarking tool. For the first time this will allow you to manipulate each data set against the metrics of your choice.
Slater & Gordon has spent £1m with M&C Saatchi on an TV advertising campaign that comprises of three advertisements to be aired at both peak and off-peak slots.
The campaign, which will be accompanied by print and digital advertising, is a continuation of the firm’s strategy to establish a nationwide household legal brand.
The adverts focus on the firm’s three core areas of personal injury, employment and family, and give consumers examples of the kinds of situations that Slater & Gordon could assist with and are separate from campaigns for the firm’s claims handling arm, Claims Direct.
Slater & Gordon UK head of marketing Kalle Amanatides said: “The main objective is for us to increase awareness of Slater & Gordon as a brand and communicate the message to the consumer that we provide access to quality legal services for everyday people.”
In a recent interview with The Lawyer COO Cath Evans said the brand has 80 per cent unprompted recognition in Australia, a target the firm aims to replicate in the UK (6 September 2013).
Last month Slater & Gordon announced a 10 per cent increase in UK turnover and the acquisition of UK personal injury practice Fentons (21 August 2013).
The adverts can be viewed on the firm’s YouTube page here and here.


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FARMINGTON — The Farmington Downtown Association will host a forum on the future of the downtown next month and is hoping to have everyone play a role.
The forum, “A Strong Downtown: Mapping the Future,” is set from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, May 19, at the North Dining Hall of the University of Maine at Farmington’s Olsen Student Center.
Billed as “a community conversation,” the session will offer residents an opportunity to learn more about the challenges and strengths of downtown Farmington, share information about surveys that will be conducted over the next six months, and to engage business owners, property owners, community leaders and residents in an open conversation about the present and future of our downtown.
“We all know how valuable our downtown is to residents. This is the opportunity for everyone to play a role in shaping its future,” said Michael Mansir, president of the Farmington Downtown Association. “This is a strong expression of local commitment to the future of our downtown. As stakeholders, you are encouraged to attend to listen, question and comment on the future of our great town.”
Featured speakers will be Art Perry, Alison Hagerstrom, Steve Kaiser, Jan Maxham and Bill Marceau.
The Farmington Downtown Association, an organization of business owners and concerned residents, has contracted with Good Group Decisions of Brunswick to conduct a series of surveys to assess customer preferences for retail businesses in the downtown area, parking availability and other factors important to a successful business environment. Data from these assessments will be used to develop specific recommendations for a proactive agenda for the future.
Mansir pointed out that the surveys being conducted were made possible by contributions from local businesses.


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The loss of third-party cookies could be costly for publishers and broadcasters. With the inevitable demise of third-party cookies, publishers and advertisers will lose valuable metrics like reach and frequency, which could result in advertisers cutting back on ad spend. The industry will need to find new ways to deliver targeted advertising across multiple devices, but with the fragmentation of the industry, this will be a major challenge. Publishers will need to focus on creating first-party data through subscriptions or loyalty programs to maintain relationships with audiences, whilst building new partnerships with technology solutions that can help deliver increasingly sophisticated advertising strategies. The loss of third-party cookies presents an opportunity for the industry to evolve, but only for those willing to invest in their future.
Excerpt from the main article:
Google keeps pushing back its deprecation deadline for third-party cookies, with the latest target set for the end of 2024. Brands across industries are bracing for the impact, but those who rely heavily on third-party cookies to power their marketing intelligence are in for a bumpy ride. For affected businesses like broadcasters and publishers, two sectors that historically lean on third-party cookies, there are two ways to respond:
Loss of third-party cookies could cost publishers and broadcasters – unless they act was originally published on EPS US – Blog


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Jing Pan, B.Sc., MA
Jing Pan's Articles
Procter & Gamble Stock Delivering 126 Years of Uninterrupted Dividends Dividend investors love Procter & Gamble Co (NYSE:PG) stock. It’s a great “set-and-forget” type of investment. And right now might just be the best time to own it. For the.
Intel Stock Is Delivering Big Returns I don’t usually talk about tech companies in my dividend column, but there are a few exceptions. One of them is Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) stock. Intel is far from being the hottest name in.
George Soros Bought 1.78 Million Shares of Barrick Gold Stock Barrick Gold Corp. (NYSE:ABX) stock hasn’t exactly been a hot commodity in recent months. But it could get some attention now, as billionaire investor George Soros more than doubled his.
Buffett’s Berkshire Buys 4.53 Million Shares of United Airlines Stock Billionaire investor Warren Buffett is not known for being an investor in the airline industry. But now, his company has just disclosed a sizable stake in United Continental Holdings Inc.
Berkshire Takes New Stake in Delta Stock After closing with a 2.35% gain, Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE: DAL) stock surged another 3.43% in after-hours trading on Tuesday. Why? Because billionaire investor Warren Buffett’s company just disclosed their new stake.
This Company Pays Rock-Solid Dividends We all love high-yield stocks. But the reality is that not all high-dividend stocks on the market are worth investing your hard-earned money in. Markets are mostly efficient. If there was a solid company with.
Forget Apple Stock Bears, the iPhone Maker Still Dominates I never thought I’d say this about a hardware device maker, but I believe that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) stock is one dividend stock worth owning forever. Apple stock has been around.
Don’t Miss Out on General Motors Stock Despite their relatively attractive dividend yields, stocks for automakers like General Motors Company (NYSE:GM) are having a hard time finding an audience. In fact, the higher their dividend yields, the more skeptical investors.
This Monthly Dividend Stock Is Now Yielding 6.17% When most companies in today’s stock market yield next to nothing, a 6.17% dividend yield with payouts that are steadily increasing sounds too good to be true. But there’s more; the company.
Here’s Why Macy’s Stock Could Make a Huge Comeback Many people believe that the retail sector is over, and that companies like Macy’s Inc (NYSE:M) will only go south from now on. While I agree that retailers are not exactly.


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Facebook Aims For Next Billion Users
In just eight years, Facebook signed up more than half the world’s Internet population.
The company now wants to reach every single person on the Internet, regardless of whether they are logging on from a laptop in America, an iPhone in Japan, or a low-tech phone with a tiny screen in Nairobi.
International growth is crucial to maintain its dominance as the world’s largest social network. In Japan, it lets users list their blood types, which the Japanese believe give insight into peoples’ personality and temperament.
In Africa, Facebook markets a stripped-down, text-only version of its service that works on low-tech mobile phones.
The company stated that it is trying to build a service that everyone in the world can use. However overseas growth that once seemed to come so easily is slower now. The company has already saturated most major markets around the globe. 8 out of 10 Facebook users are outside of the U.S.
Facebook must persuade users to sign up, and make sure it remains popular with the users it already has, or risk being knocked from its lofty position.
Naomi Gleit, the product manager in charge of growth at Facebook, says that the future of the company is on mobile devices, the medium by which most people will experience the Web in coming years. Facebook now works on more than 2,500 different phones, helping it gain a foothold in emerging markets. The company is also building strong relationships with mobile phone operators around the world.
Facebook’s toughest challenge by far is that it is cut off from a third of the world’s population, due to the fact that the Chinese government, which censors most major U.S. social media websites, has blocked Facebook since 2009.
This is a major issue for a company intent on global domination. China’s more than half a billion Internet users spend a massive portion of their days on Chinese social media sites. Zuckerberg would like to find a way to enter China, but even with the recent leadership change there, most analysts say it’s unlikely.
The company says that growth isn’t just a numbers game. The team focuses on building products that encourage users to be more active on Facebook and spend more time there. These kinds of efforts are crucial, especially in markets where Facebook’s growth has slowed.


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The market for e-readers -- innovative new products including the Kindle, Que and iPad -- is already set for a major shakeout, according to Andrew S. Ross, a business columnist at the San Francisco Chronicle. Ross wrote in his column today, "Companies face difficulty in e-reader market," that the market has shifted dramatically in recent weeks, after Amazon Inc. introduced its $189 Kindle and Apple Inc. has seen big sales for its iPad. Ross points out that while some start-up companies like Plastic Logic may struggle, "virtually every name-brand high-tech company, with war chests to match, [will be] jumping into the arena." "Any big player is going to be in this emerging category, which makes it very difficult for companies like Plastic Logic," Charles Golvin, an analyst for Forrester Research in San Francisco, told Ross. E-readers seem to offer great opportunities for plastics suppliers -- but it remains to be seen which manufacturers will hitch their wagon to the best opportunities.
The market is changing fast for e-readers
Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Plastics News would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor at [email protected]


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As India struggles with regulate cryptocurrencies, the nation’s central financial institution announced contemporary plans to introduce a fundamental CBDC initially earlier than implementing a extra subtle model.
On December 28, the Reserve Financial institution of India launched a report referred to as “Pattern and Progress of Banking in India 2020-21″, and additional elaborated on the regulator’s plan of a Central Bank Digital Currency.
The report states, “in its fundamental kind, a central financial institution digital forex (CBDC), supplies a protected, sturdy and handy various to bodily money. Compared with present types of cash, it may possibly supply advantages to customers by way of liquidity, scalability, acceptance, ease of transactions with anonymity and sooner settlement.”
The central financial institution is contemplating implement a CBDC in phases and its preliminary advice focuses on “adopting fundamental fashions initially, and check comprehensively in order that they’ve minimal affect on financial coverage and the banking system.”
Given the dynamic affect of a CBDC on macroeconomic policymaking, the report acknowledged that “it’s obligatory for the CBDC to undertake a fundamental mannequin initially, and check comprehensively in order it has minimal affect on financial coverage and the banking system.” The report additional talked about that the prevailing cost system structure could be used to offer a helpful spine to make a state-of-the-art CBDC accessible to its residents and monetary establishments.
The report additionally raised questions on many points of CBDCs, together with design parts that must be navigated earlier than the central financial institution introduces a CBDC. The design parts embody inspecting the rollout and navigating whether or not the nationwide digital forex would serve a normal goal and be accessible for retail use or whether or not it will be for wholesale use.
The RBI’s deputy governor, T Rabi Shankar, stated that the central financial institution is working to roll out two sorts of CBDCs (wholesale and retail) and additional acknowledged that the regulator has performed numerous work on the wholesale CBDC however the approval of the retail-based CBDC is extra difficult and would take some extra time. He acknowledged that at present the wholesale CBDC is prepared and could be launched for pilot testing.
India Favors Partial Ban on Crypto
Final month, India’s authorities was making preparations to ban personal crypto cash and to permit the nation’s central financial institution to launch an official digital forex. The proposed laws follows a large crypto crackdown in China the place the central financial institution and monetary regulators have made all cryptocurrency transactions unlawful.
Within the winter session of the parliament which began on November 29, India’s lawmakers mentioned the proposed laws titled “The Cryptocurrency and Regulation of Official Digital Forex Invoice, 2021”.
The invoice nonetheless appeared to depart some room for crypto use. Whereas the invoice intends to ban all personal crypto belongings, it permits some exceptions to advertise the underlying know-how of cryptocurrency and its makes use of. On the primary day of the winter session of the parliament, the federal government obtained a number of questions in regards to the looming ban of crypto belongings and the RBI’s plans to launch an official digital forex.
In August, RBI governor Shaktikanta Das revealed that pilot exams for the introduction of the official digital forex would possible begin in December 2021.
Picture supply: Shutterstock


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Google today confirmed that it's starting to roll out a server-side patch for a security vulnerability in most Android phones that could let hackers snatch important credentials at public Wi-Fi hotspots.
Samsung has announced that its latest Galaxy Ace Android phone is now available exclusively through Telstra in Australia.
Apple has proposed a standard for new, smaller SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) cards, in an effort to free up more space on future smartphones.
Nokia may be floundering in the high-end smartphone wars (and will soon be switching to the Windows Phone 7 platform for its N-Series devices), but its newest MeeGo powered N9 smartphone has just been shown off in a teaser video.
Intel on Tuesday showed a prototype smartphone based on its low-power Medfield processor and said Intel-based phones from "major players" would be in the market next year.
Apple's iPhone 5 will be manufactured in the third quarter, hinting at a possible launch of a new version of the iconic smartphone later this year, a financial analyst firm said Tuesday.
HTML5 will likely make mobile development easier but not for some time, a group of wireless experts said Monday.
An Android app and the ability to order a drink from a mobile phone are coming soon, an executive from Starbucks said as he shared lessons and tips from his company's experience offering mobile applications.
Nokia will abandon its Ovi mobile services brand as it prepares to sell smartphones based on Microsoft's Windows Phone software, it said in a blog posting on Mond...
Telstra will announce the official launch of the next generation HTC Desire smartphone -- the HTC Desire S -- along with the HTC Wildfire S Android phone at a media event in Sydney on 25 May.
How do you solve a problem like Apple and Google?
Business travelers and other people on the fly will like Google's upgrade to the mobile version of its news site if they don't mind the omnipresent search engine knowing where they are.
New partners Microsoft and Nokia have joined forces, hoping to invalidate Apple's trademark registration for the terms APP STORE and APPSTORE in Europe, according to a statement issued by Microsoft.
Apple is in the hot seat again in a new lawsuit that says iPad and iPhone user location data and other personal information is being shared with third-party advertisers. Apple is accused of aiding and abetting the "intentional taking and transmittin...
Thirty-five percent of Android and iPhone owners in the U.S. use apps such as Facebook on their smartphone before even getting out of bed, according to a survey conducted by telecommunications equipment vendor Ericsson.
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Retailers battle online fraud with PCI compliance
Article date: Wed, 18 Aug 2010 11:03 GMT
Discount retailers are turning to PCI compliance to distance themselves from their fraudulent competitors, according to industry experts.
With Cybersource reporting that 85 per cent of consumers look for signs including the padlock logo to check a website is secure, live event ticket retailers and discount websites are taking extra measures to inspire consumer confidence.
Jason Zemmel, managing director of Half Price Perfumes, spoke about the importance of PCI compliance when competing against more established brands at a recent round table discussion. He said, "Premium brand fragrance is an area where you may find yourself competing with stolen or fake items. We are very careful to ensure that we come across in a strongly ethical and trustworthy light."
The panel also discussed the challenges of the web's level playing field when it comes to small businesses in retail.
"If you are serious about trading online, be it as an SME, Marks & Spencer or Argos, you have to follow the same rules," said Zemmel. "While it may be an inconvenience and require a certain amount of extra effort, it is very important that we follow the same standards so that there is a uniform environment for all online retailers, regardless of size. That way you can ensure customer trust and confidence."
With 85 per cent of consumers also admitting to only shopping online at reputable retailers, smaller companies must actively promote their anti-fraud methods in order to attract more consumers online.
Richard Bromley of Ken Bromley Art Supplies said, "When holding customer credit card details, it is a responsibility point to be PCI compliant. By displaying this on our website, it will make customers more confident in dealing with us and increase trust and business."
Reshad Hossenally, managing director of Ticket Arena, added, "As ticketing is such a high risk industry now, even the merchant banks and PayPal have their doubts. For example PayPal, who we have been working with for over a year, take 20 per cent of our daily turnover and hold it for three months before giving it back to us.
"If they don't trust anybody and they have all your background information it makes it even harder for the customer who generally just looks at the front page."
The panel agreed that SMEs must follow the lead of the larger retailers and embrace anti-fraud measures in order to avoid escalating fines and weed out unscrupulous competitors.
The round table discussions are held in association with UKFast with the aim of uniting business leaders to share advice and provide a wealth of ideas for other developing companies. The panel was completed by Graham Boler, consultant at ECSC, Daniel Atherton, managing director of Athernet Solutions, and Neil Lathwood, IT director at UKFast.
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Wilglory Tanjong Rant
Wilglory Tanjong Rant – Two years ago, Willglory Tanzong launched her line of luxury handbags Anima Iris, wanting to make bags just for fun; Now, as she completes her M.B.A., her scholarships have become famous.
In just two years, Anima Iris has raised over $700,000 and currently earns over $100,000 per month.
Wilglory Tanjong Rant
While Tanzong was growing and running her business, she earned her M.B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania. Also work hard to get. According to AfroTech, Tanjong got his entrepreneurial spirit from his parents who moved to Maryland from Cameroon when he was two years old.
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Tanzong spent his youth observing his parents and observing their entrepreneurial spirit. Her parents owned and operated a laundromat, her father moved house, and her mother ran a small cosmetology studio while working as a nurse.
“I really hated it back then,” Tanzong told the outlet. “But it’s clear where [my] inspiration comes from.”
However, things weren’t always rosy for Tanzong, who saw her mother diagnosed with breast cancer when she was eight and her parents divorced when she was 14. Tanzong eventually got a free ride to Stanford University, where she graduated, dealing with her mother. Died in his last year.
After graduating, Tanzong moved to Atlanta to work for a manufacturing and supply company. Her mother abandoned her even though Tanjang was well paid and had an inheritance. After taking some time off and returning to Africa, Tanzong was inspired to launch Anima Iris.
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“[Anima Iris] is a therapeutic project that makes me happy,” Tanzong told CNBC’s Make It. “I’ve always been a very fashionable person. People always ask me, ‘Where did you get that? Where did you find that?”
Tanjong plans to complete her MBA this spring and use it to continue building her handbag business and brand to generate more than $5 million next year. Wilglory Tanzong, 25, earns $100,000 a month with her. Anima Iris is a line of luxury handbags. The handbags were so popular that Beyoncé gave them her endorsement.
All Tanjong handbags are sewn by hand in Dakar, Senegal. During a trip to Senegal, the entrepreneur met artisans who make handbags by hand. She says meeting artists gave her the idea to launch her line of luxury handbags in what she calls a “bingo moment”.
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Anima Iris: Black Owned Luxury Designer Handbags
“I realized there was a big gap in the market,” Tanzong said. “Women of color and specifically black women have always been excluded from the luxury narrative. Building a brand that centers these women while pushing African culture into the global landscape has been like a bingo moment for me.
Beyoncé loves bags as she posted a photo on Instagram of WillGlory Tanzong Anima Iris Bag carrying a Raspberry Zaza bag.
“ANIMA IRIS is officially endorsed by @beyonce!!!!!!! WOWWWWWWW Thank you to everyone who has supported us. We are taking Africa to the world. Promise 🤞🏾🤞🏾🤞🏾🤞🏾🤞🏾🤞🏾🤞🏾 🤞🏾🤞🏾🤞🏾🤞🏾🤞.” See this post on Instagram A post shared by ANIMA IRIS (@anima.iris)
Tanzong graduated from Princeton University, where she received a scholarship. Her mother died in her senior year, however, the young entrepreneur was able to graduate in 2018.
Fundraiser By Wilglory Tanjong
After moving to Atlanta, she started working for a manufacturing and supply company, earning $86,000 a year. She had already saved money through internships and on-campus jobs. Tanzong inherited $50,000 from her mother, and realizing she couldn’t be bothered, she took a vacation and went to Africa.
Tanzong found a local craftsman who could create his designs and started a small business. She was quickly featured in Vogue and shared on Twitter with the caption, “If you want a black-owned luxury bag, Amina Iris is a personal favourite.”
If you want a luxury black-owned bag, Amina Iris is a personal favorite. pic.twitter.com/8Np0dffCrS — Chaos Agent (@_heyyymscarter) July 23, 2020
Tanjong has launched partnerships with Nordstroms and Saks Fifth Avenue and earns over $1 million a year with her luxury handbags.
The Edit: 7 Handcrafted Pieces By African Brands That Showcase Artisan
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We can’t have. Sh*t: Black Twitter is grilling Kim Kardashian after Lori Harvey’s skincare line dropped an almost identical name in luxury fashion, but more and more designers from the African continent are starting to gain popularity, in especially given the growing trend of supporting black-owned businesses. A designer was able to use her growing personality on social media to launch a new collection of luxury handbags.
Willglory Tanzong is the founder of Anima Iris, a luxury handbag brand named after her childhood best friend “Anima” and her mother “Iris”, made in Dakar, Senegal. Launched earlier this year, her quality handcrafted designs have captured the attention of thousands of consumers on social media and in the fashion community.
The Princeton graduate and now Wharton business student says her love for fashion began at a very young age. “As a kid, I always remember being really fashionable,” Tanzong said in an interview with Black Enterprise. “I’ve always liked to dress up [and] look really pretty. I think it’s part of my culture. We always have to look pretty.”
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While at Princeton, she became heavily involved in the black community on campus while studying African development. After graduating, she felt uncomfortable in her comfortable job and wanted to try her luck by taking a six-month vacation to explore the African continent, including Kenya and Senegal. There, she launched the African Hustle series to spotlight young African entrepreneurs in various industries.
Tanzong ended up in Senegal because she didn’t need a visa to stay there and stayed in Dakar, where she bonded with various artists who inspired her to make handbags. “That’s when I wanted to do something,” she explained. “I wanted to do something for myself [first].”
After experimenting with her craft and thinking of ways to recover her savings through travel. She decided to quit her full-time job after having the opportunity to build the brand after receiving positive feedback even in the midst of the pandemic.
“I don’t feel like I went to Senegal and it all happened for no reason, I felt like there was more,” Tanzong said. “I understand that I have a purpose in life and if I follow the path God has laid out for me, I cannot fail.”
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Since then, the Amina Iris has become a trending handbag from various fashion influencers. Since going viral on Twitter, she has expanded her team and operations, returning to Senegal to ensure high quality designs and build a team on the ground. For 2021, Tanjong has big visions for his brand.
“I realized that this company had to get this big,” she said. “Seeing how women, especially black women, react to a luxury handbag…and it creates something special that’s made for them. It’s kind of an emotional reaction for me [and] something that I think our world really needs. [It’s] something missing in this luxury landscape and the next big thing.
See this post with love on Instagram @zenchill x The Black + White Zaza🤍 A post shared by ANIMA IRIS (@anima.iris) on Nov 4, 2020 at 2:29pm PST
Hotel tanjong, rant, tanjong pager, tanjong benoa, tanjong plaza, tanjong aru, tanjong beach, sentosa tanjong, tanjong jara, tanjong, tanjong pagar, tanjong malaysia


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Denny’s Corp. has joined the ranks of restaurants using technology to boost sales.
The Spartanburg-based family-dining chain on Tuesday launched a new 24-7 online ordering platform, “Denny’s on Demand,” developed in partnership with the digital ordering solutions firm Olo.
Denny’s said the platform — which is currently available through its website, revamped mobile app, and Twitter page — enables customers to place and pay for their takeout or delivery order, where available, via Olo’s Dispatch delivery network.
Diners can also customize their pickup or delivery time, track their order, and view their order history through the platform, the company said.
“Denny’s has always been a place where America can come and get their favorite breakfast, lunch, and dinner dishes, literally at any time of day or night,” said John Dillon, chief marketing officer for Denny’s, in a statement. “With Denny’s on Demand, we’ve taken that same ‘always open’ philosophy that is synonymous with our brand and expanded it to easy-to-use technology, bringing access to our craveable diner fare straight to our guests’ fingertips.”
The company said Twitter users can place their order within a direct message.
In the coming weeks, Denny’s said its customers will be able to “engage and place an order with the diner directly… via a branded Chatbot and other on-page options.”
Customers can share their Denny’s on Demand experiences through a variety of new and unique Snapchat filters, the company said.
“We are proud to partner with Denny’s, a global brand that has been celebrated as America’s Diner for over 60 years,” said Noah Glass, founder and CEO of Olo, in a statement. “Denny’s is a forward-thinking brand that has embraced technology, and with this launch takes service to the next level, offering the option to order and pay ahead for pickup at the restaurant, or to place a delivery order where available. This launch makes Denny’s one of the largest brands to tap into Olo’s Dispatch delivery network to bring convenience to its guests.”
Denny’s guaranteed all of its meals will be served “hot, fresh, and delicious” thanks to a new array of custom packaging that is microwaveable and made from recycled plastics and paper.
The company has printed a variety of its tweets on the burger boxes, cups, and other packaging materials.
Denny’s said the platform applies to its “everyday” menu and its new “limited-time” menu, which features chopped kale and grilled chicken salad, and a strawberries-and-cream pancake breakfast.
“The launch of Denny’s on Demand is the result of our commitment to leveraging new technology to reach a wider audience and make it even more convenient for today’s virtually-connected guests to enjoy their favorite diner dishes,” Dillon said. “In the coming months, we will continue to enhance the Denny’s experience for our guests, giving them even more ways to get exactly what they want from our menu, whenever—and now wherever–they want it.”
Denny’s operates more than 1,700 franchised, licensed, and company-owned restaurants in the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, New Zealand, Mexico, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Guam, the United Arab Emirates, Chile, Curacao, El Salvador, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Philippines.
For more information, visit dennys.com/connect.


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Mexico City.- In the last three months, Televisa shares on the Mexican Stock Exchange (BMV) accumulated a loss of 53.33 percent, going from 17.72 pesos to 8.27 pesos per share.
In October alone, the value of its shares fell 25.31 percent, which meant that it was the fourth company in the sample of the main stock market index, the S&P/BMV IPC, with the greatest losses.
Sales in recent days were encouraged by Televisa’s report corresponding to the third quarter of the year, in which it recorded a loss of 919 million pesos and a drop in its operating flow of 16 percent, to 5,467 million pesos. .
The largest producer of audiovisual content in Spanish has faced extensive competition with paid content for years, which intensified during the Covid-19 pandemic, when video streaming platforms such as Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, Amazon Prime , among others, displaced it from the market.
Jorge Bravo, president of the Mexican Association of the Right to Information (Amedi), said that the constant fall in the value of Televisa shares reflects the loss of weight of open television among the public.
In addition, he stated, advertising, content, audience and consumption of traditional television is falling, heading to online platforms.


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The Co-operative Group has announced a new coffee shop concession in 10 stores, after signing a deal with Churchill Catering.
Operating under the new brand name & Coffee, the in-store coffee shops will be redesigned to act as a community hub stocking locally-produced products, with the first due to open in the Ridgeway store in Plymouth in August.
The coffee shops being revamped and refitted are located in Heathfield, Holmfirth, Hove, Inverness, Louth, Peacehaven, Ridgeway, Ryde, Wadebridge, and Wickford. They will also offer tailored breakfast and lunch food menus as part of the trial.
Co-op director of innovation and format, Mark Pettigrew, said: “We want the coffee shops to be a place for the community to meet and enjoy a range of quality drinks and snacks, all under the new ‘& Coffee’ banner. We’re really excited to be partnering with an expert in this field and to be able to offer our customers new reasons to visit us as we deliver a great new coffee experience.”
Following the trial, a decision will be made about a further roll-out of the concession.
Vertas Group chief executive officer, Ian Surtees, said: “Securing this contract with Co-op is a huge accolade for us, putting us firmly on the map as a nationwide partner in the retail catering sector. It’s a result of a lot of teamwork, being transparent and open from day one and the track record Churchill Catering has in running these types of contracts.
“Co-op is one Great Britain’s most trusted brands so it’s a wonderful honour to play our part in that success continuing. We are looking forward to working side by side with the in-store managers to create community hubs that provide more than just a great cup of coffee.”


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For a small army of skeptics and short-sellers, Tesla’s gravity-defying stock price has remained a source of envy and exasperation. Last month, Elon Musk’s 13-year-old electric car company vaulted past General Motors and Ford in value, as Tesla reached a $50 billion market cap and kept on climbing. To critics, this latest milestone was just another point of consternation. Tesla sold just 76,000 vehicles last year, compared to the nearly 10 million units moved by GM. But as analysts have noted, Tesla is being valued as a tech company, not a manufacturer. “The market cares more about the potential new market value of the other businesses Tesla is in than about real profits and cash flow,” David Whiston, an analyst at Morningstar, said last month, referring to Musk’s visionary plans for driverless cars and autonomous taxi fleets, all powered by the solar energy company he acquired last year. “Right now there is nothing to slow Tesla’s momentum. They could pass Honda, too.”
Musk himself seems to think his company’s valuation is crazy, too. “I do believe this market cap is higher than we have any right to deserve,” he said in an interview with The Guardian about reports of grueling working conditions at his company’s Fremont, California manufacturing facility. “We’re a money-losing company.”
While Musk conceded that employees have been “having a hard time, working long hours, and on hard jobs,” he suggested that Tesla’s valuation reflects an underlying optimism, not any corporate ruthlessness on his part. “This is not some situation where, for example, we are just greedy capitalists who decided to skimp on safety in order to have more profits and dividends and that kind of thing. It’s just a question of how much money we lose. And how do we survive? How do we not die and have everyone lose their jobs?”
It’s not the first time that Musk has publicly worked to temper Wall Street expectations for Tesla, whose stock has jumped more than 40 percent this year in anticipation of the company’s upcoming Model 3—its first mass-market vehicle. In 2013, he warned investors, “The stock price that we have is more than we have any right to deserve.”
A car company, Musk told The Guardian, is “the worst way to earn money, honestly.” The acknowledgement seems to contradict, or at least complicate, an April tweet, in which Musk defended Tesla’s long-term value proposition. “Tesla is absurdly overvalued if based on the past, but that’s irrelevant,” he wrote. “A stock price represents risk-adjusted future cash flows.”
For now, at least, Tesla continues to lose money. This month, it reported a loss of $330 million in the first quarter of 2017.


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After the Holiday Rush, the Next Challenge for Retailers?
Record Levels of Returns.
Following record holiday sales, period retailers will be forced to deal with increased returns and slow growth. Here’s the best way to prepare.
Already the retail landscape in 2023 is a challenge that businesses should take advantage of to solve. After record holiday online sales, which hit over $20 billion on Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined, retailers will have to prepare for the inevitable return season–and “the higher the sales, the higher the returns,” says Vikram Bhandari, founder, and CEO of the Santa Clara, California-headquartered management and technology consulting firm Yantra. “Return percentages are also going to be higher than last year.” The last time, the rate of returns on holiday purchases was fourteen percent Bhandari anticipates returns between 21 and 25 percent for this year. This could set a record.
As returns accelerate, sales are likely to slow. Although discount prices helped boost retail sales during the holiday season beginning in October, it’s still being determined how much consumers will limit their discretionary spending in the face of rising inflation rates during the initial quarter of 2023. With this potential slowdown to be considered, retail stores must concentrate on improving their operations, enhancing their profits amid a period when sales aren’t as robust. The investment in technology that allows for maximizing inventory and boosts the average lifetime value of customers is an expense that pays over time and will enable retailers to keep their businesses going regardless of a drop in demand, according to Soumya Srinagesh Tulloss, director of sales for the Ottowa-owned the e-commerce platform Shopify’s fulfillment network.
At the time, the holiday season continues to be in full force. Therefore, there’s no better moment for retailers to make intelligent moves to remain in the game for the remainder of this year and into the future. Here’s how.
Increase efficiency of returns
According to Spencer Kieboom, founder and CEO of the Atlanta-based B2B return optimization platform Pollen Returns, businesses can only do something right now to prepare better for January’s return. However, investing in the right technology can help improve the quality of a company’s return process for the future, which will save money and lead to better customer service: Pollen, for instance, lets brands facilitate returns with efficiency so that they can replenish their stocks faster, reducing on the usual cost of returning.
If they’re confronted with the issue of having too much stock or having limited capacity to handle returns, retailers need to consider the expense of accepting returns. It might not be the best option for a company to take in lower-priced items like accessories, which aren’t likely to be sold after they’re reprocessed. According to Bhandari: “Inventory is not going to move at that point–it will be sold lower than buying cost in some cases.” In these situations, it might be more economically sustainable to let businesses refund purchases without customers returning the products.
For example, certain companies such as H&M and J.Crew ultimately prevent returns by charging shipping charges for returns or restocking costs. Bhandari warns that these policies could make purchases more difficult initially and lead customers to rivals.
Brands can also turn returns into a “sale moment,” says Tulloss. They can achieve this by providing a seamless experience when they exchange their items or by offering incentives such as submitting a 10% bonus to customers who select store credit over a full refund.
Double down on existing customers
Many retailers expect lower sales for the first two quarters of this year, according to Bhandari, mainly since the holiday season is a time of price-priced goods in the face of the rising cost of living. “It’s harder than ever to acquire new customers,” Tulloss states. “So you must take your customers and bear hug them for all their worth to make your overall economics thrive.”
Many retailers offer bundle deals during the Christmas season to clear extra inventory. This tactic could also aid in driving sales in times when customers are reluctant to shop, according to her. It’s because they provide a higher value perception, and, Tulloss adds, “the more you can get someone to adopt a few of your products upfront, the more likely is they’ll see the value of your business and buy more products over time.”
Optimizing omnichannel retailing for the coming year
After years of erratic supply chains, Retailers are starting to recognize the importance of omnichannel retailing that integrates all various selling channels (like direct-to-consumer, in-store, and wholesale) to provide greater inventory flexibility. With the help of technology that provides retailers with complete visibility into their inventory and multi-node fulfillment, as well as distribution centers that make the transportation of items more efficient, businesses can more effectively manage insufficient inventory and surpluses, according to Patrick Lowe, area vice for business development at Irving Texas-based e-commerce fulfillment service PFS. This strategy — and less the idea of overstocking, which businesses adopted during the peak delay in supply chain operations of the pandemic –allows retailers to be more agile and responsive to customers’ needs, according to PFS business strategist Kamran Iqbal. “Having a decentralized stock means you don’t have to fly things all over the country.” It’s not as often as you would have to do in a single distribution center.
This flexibility allows brands to be responsive to sudden big-ticket opportunities or viral events, according to Tulloss, that will better help them succeed in 2023. “Companies that are treating data as their secret sauce for logistics and marrying the flexibility of software with the physical world are the ones who are winning.” They’ll be winning even more in the coming year.


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China and US take up 82% of world’s unicorn count
The 2020 list of the top 500 global unicorn companies was released, with China and the United States accounting for 81.8%.
The number and valuation of Chinese companies still ranks first in the world, at 217 and US$937.69 billion respectively. There are a total of 192 unicorn companies in the United States on the list, with a total valuation of 80.07 billion US dollars.
The top five companies on the list are: Waymo, Bytedance, Alibaba Cloud, Infor, and Didi Chuxing.
Tianjin legislation prohibits the collection of facial recognition data
The "Regulations on Social Credit of Tianjin Municipality" will come into effect on January 1, 2021. According to the relevant provisions of Article 16 of the "Regulations", enterprises, institutions, industry associations, chambers of commerce are prohibited from collecting biometric information such as faces, fingerprints, and voices.
Huawei is authorized by Qualcomm’s computing products and WiFi products
Qualcomm President Cristiano Amon said at the Qualcomm Snapdragon Technology Summit on Tuesday that the company has obtained the authorization to export and sell computing products and WiFi products to Huawei.
Earlier on November 14, a Qualcomm spokesperson had just confirmed that the chip maker had obtained a license to supply some products to Huawei, including some 4G products.
Qualcomm has been vigorously lobbying the US government in the past few months, hoping to supply Huawei mobile phones chips. Huawei signed a settlement and a long-term patent licensing agreement with Qualcomm in July this year, and paid a one-time payment of US$1.8 billion in patent settlement fees and patent licensing fees in the first half of this year.
Grab and Gojek have reached a preliminary agreement to merge operations
According to the Wall Street Journal, Grab and Gojek have made substantial progress in their merger negotiations. Grab’s co-founder Anthony Tan will serve as the CEO of the new entity after the merger, while the Gojek operator will continue to use the Gojek brand to operate in Indonesia.
The two brands will operate as usual in the short term, and the ultimate goal of the merger plan of the two companies is to complete a listing. It is reported that this will be the largest transaction in Southeast Asia’s Internet industry.
Baidu was convicted of unfair competition
In response to the latest verdict of the unfair competition dispute with Bytedance, Baidu responded that "it would appealed the decision. It is reported that this dispute between Baidu and Bytedance occurred in 2018.
Baidu’s crawler detected the unstable state of Bytedance’s official website when retrieving and included an abnormality label automatically for Bytedance’s sites. Bytedance filed an unfair competition suit in the court. Recently, the Haidian District People’s Court of Beijing just made a first-instance verdict on this case and Baidu lost the case.
JD.com and SF Express are participating in bidding for the Chinese logistics business of Korean company CJ Group
People familiar with the matter revealed that JD.com and SF Express are participating in the bid for the Chinese logistics business of Korean company CJ Group. The total transaction price may exceed US$1 billion.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs responds to potential ban of Chinese companies to list in the US
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said that the United States has adopted a discriminatory policy against Chinese companies, which is a political suppression of Chinese companies. The Chinese government oppose the politicization of securities supervision and hope that the U.S. can provide a fair and just environment for foreign companies to invest and operate in the U.S., instead of trying to set up obstacles.
Earlier, US legislators proposed new regulation that would impose restrictions on Chinese companies listed on U.S. exchanges, including requiring certification that they’re not under control of a foreign government.
China’s commercial aerospace scores big financing rounds this month
Investment in the domestic commercial aerospace sector had a record month, with three financing deals exceeding RMB100 million yuan in a single month. Among them, Changguang Satellite’s RMB2.464 billion yuan Pre-IPO round of financing has attracted widespread industry attention.
15-year-old girl invents a table tennis ball collection robot
A 15-year-old junior high school girl in Shanghai invented a robot that can pick up table tennis balls. It can automatically find and collect table tennis balls scattered on the floor of the gymnasium. The inventor Yao Yan said that this robot was inspired by the harvester in the farmland and wanted to use the robot to help the cleaning staff to reduce the burden of picking up table tennis balls.


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Enda, a new shoe startup in Kenya, is seeking to turn the country’s fame as a running giant into a socially beneficial opportunity. (Photo: Enda
The world’s greatest running shoe could soon come from Kenya
A new Kenyan startup is taking its first public strides towards making the name Enda as recognizable in running circles as Nike, Adidas or Reebok.
For the last 18 months, co-founders Navalayo Osembo-Ombati and Weldon Kennedy of Edna have been developing a running shoe reflective of Kenya’s elite standing in the world of competitive running. More than just an opportunity to craft a better piece of footwear than their much-larger competitors, the business partners see the company as a positive enabler of local economic growth.
“We wanted to channel the energy around running into something that can have much more of an impact on the people of Kenya,” Osembo-Ombati told FastCoExist. “If you think about the magnitude of the industry worldwide, and if you think about how Kenya is used for marketing, this is low-lying fruit.”
The Enda Iten is the first running shoe from the young startup. The company intends to compete in the multibillion dollar athletic shoe industry. (Photo: Enda)
Enda, which means “Go!” in Swahili, officially launched its first Kickstarter earlier this week, seeking $75,000 to help the fledgling company get off the ground and producing shoes. Public reaction has been so positive to the company’s first sleek and light running shoe, the Enda Iten, that the Kickstarter has already met more than half of its goal.
Besides some engineering tweaks (wide toe box, full rubber outsole), the Enda Iten is also notable for its design. Examples include color options that match the colors of the Kenyan flag, the word “Harambee” on the sole which means “all pull together” in Swahili, and a heel design that mimics the look of Kenya’s Great Rift Valley. There are also geometric patterns and repeating triangle motifs reminiscent of traditional Kenyan fabrics and beaded patterns.
Should the brand take off, its rise on the global scene would not only benefit those employed to make the shoes, but also small communities throughout Kenya. The co-founders have pledged to put aside a portion of profits for the sole purpose of funding vitally needed municipal projects. (Everyone who purchases a pair of shoes would be eligible to vote to help decide what ideas become reality first.)
“Through this, we will link Enda runners across the globe to local communities in Kenya, and vice versa, and encourage empathy, creativity and innovation,” the founders explain.
Those interested in supporting Enda can contribute to the Kickstarter above. Rewards include not only a crack at one of the first pairs of Enda Iten running shoes, but also an opportunity to train in Kenya for two weeks with elite Kenyan runners.
You can learn more about the shoes in the video below:


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|Ricoh assigns Digiworld to distribute its printing machines. — Photo wizzcom.se
HCM CITY (VNS) — Japanese printing provider Ricoh signed a contract to recognise Digiworld Corporation as its printing distribution partner yesterday.
Ricoh is known as one of the leading providers of photocopiers and printers, with a market share of around 22 per cent in Viet Nam.
Digiworld was ranked among the top 500 Vietnamese largest enterprises from 2007-14. This year, the company expects to reach a turnover of VND5 trillion (US$250 million), with 1,200 agents across Viet Nam. — VNS


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Naples, Fla. — LINGA rOS, the all-in-one cloud-based restaurant operating system provider, has appointed Daymion Phelps as its new vice president of sales. She joins LINGA from Heartland Retail.
Phelps brings more than 20 years of retail automation solution sales and consulting experience to LINGA with a deep background in the point-of-sale, SaaS and payment solutions industries. Phelps was most recently the director of sales for Heartland Retail, where she focused on providing point-of-sale solutions to growing small business, mid-market and enterprise retailers. Phelps’ professional software sales career began with Radiant Systems (a division of NCR) and led to Microsoft Retail solutions and Springboard Retail.
In her past work, Phelps’ specialty was to focus on translating retailers’ operational requirements into software automation.
In her new role, Phelps will lead the direct-to-market LINGA sales team and directly support the efforts to sell LINGA rOS in the restaurant and retail markets.
“We are thrilled to bring Daymion into our organization,” says Onur Haytac, LINGA’s founder and chief executive officer. “She will bring incredible expertise to her new role, and I am sure she will serve as a thought leader for her team and the employees she will directly oversee.”
LINGA is an industry-leading payments solutions, point-of-sale (POS) and payment solutions company offering a cloud-based, platform-as-a-service solution for the hospitality industry, specifically restaurants. Founded in 2004, Linga was the first processor-agnostic, cloud-based POS system designed specifically for the hospitality industry and remains one of the most sophisticated restaurant operating systems on the market. The Linga cloud-based platform is completely customizable and includes user-friendly functionalities such as online ordering, payments, QR code-based menus and virtual kiosks, among others. For more information, visit www.lingaros.com.
SOURCE: LINGA rOS


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Team Herald email@example.com PANJIM: The Shotokan Karate Association of Goa (SKAG) bagged 14 gold, 18 silver and 54 bronze medals at the All Goa Open Karate Championship 2017 organized by Traditional Karate Association Goa, India and ... Goa Herald, 4 days ago
As the year draws to a close, ETCIO.COM gives you a lowdown on the major CIO movements that happened in 2016 January # In January, Fortis Healthcare appointed Veneeth Purushothaman as its CIO. Purushothaman came to Fortis from Bharti Retail, where ...ETCIO.com, 1 month ago
div > Comic Con India NSIC One of the biggest pop-culture events of the country, Alto Delhi Comic Con 2016, organized by Comic Con India wrapped up its sixth edition in the capital on December 11 at NSIC Grounds Okhla. The Alto Delhi Comic ...EventFAQs, 1 month ago A Madcap Affair: Superheroes, Dugna Lagaan and Cosplay costumes at Delhi Comic Con 2016 India.com, 1 month ago Alto Delhi Comic Con 2016 begins, on till 11 December Indian Television, 1 month ago Delhi Comic Con 2016 brings the spirit of fun and fantasy to town Sunday Guardian Live, 1 month ago
New Delhi: The sixth edition of the Delhi Comic Con is all set to bring to town popular international comic creators along with leading pop culture artists from across the country. Organised by Maruti Suzuki Alto, the event is being held from ...Dotemirates.com, 1 month ago Popular Int'l comic creators at 6th Delhi Comic Con Press Trust of India, 1 month ago Popular International comic creators at 6th Delhi Comic Con MetroVaartha.com, 1 month ago This year's Comic Con in Delhi will be a more immersive affair, here's how Financial Express, 1 month ago
Gaurav Gera, the stand-up comedian will entertain The sixth edition of the Alto Delhi Comic Con is all set to begin. Starting from December 9 to 11, the event which is being organised at the NSIC Grounds in south Delhi's Okhla will witness ...Can India News, 1 month ago Delhi's much-awaited Comic Con festival starts December 9 Indian Express, 1 month ago Delhi Comic Con: 6th edition to be 'bigger, better', with celeb guests like Joe Harris, Nicolas Wild Firstpost.com, 1 month ago Delhi Comic Con to begin from December 9 Yahoo! India, 1 month ago
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Cheap parking to stay, vows new Central Market chair
The chair of the new Adelaide Central Market Authority is keen to preserve the best of the precinct, including cheap car parking.
Judy Potter will head the authority being set up to manage the market, taking over a role formerly handled by city councillors.
She says her role will be to build on the market's strengths.
"There is no plan to increase parking fees," she said.
"Why would you increase car parking [charges] when the reason that [control of] the car parking has come over to the Central Market Authority is the recognition of how important the car parking is to the viability of the market and also the precinct?"
Some traders are keen that parking be made cheaper at certain hours to encourage more shoppers.
Ms Potter is at the market today, introducing herself to shoppers and traders a day after her appointment was announced.
Councillors Anne Moran, Mark Hamilton and Sandy Wilkinson disagree with the council's decision to surrender its control.
Ms Moran said the council had done a good job of running the market and should remain in charge.
"This council seems to have said 'Well, we're not very good. We'll get someone better'," she said.


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Telstra will boost data speeds in its Next G mobile network to 21M bps (bits per second) early next year, and will conduct tests of the faster service this month, equipment vendor Ericsson said Friday. However, customers may have to wait longer for t...
Upgrades to the $10 billion National Broadband Network (NBN) will be impossible if sub-loop unbundling, part of a call for structural separation, is mandated, according to top Telstra chiefs.
Telstra has accused Singtel Optus of failing to make financial disclosures to the ASX regarding its source of funding for the National Broadband Network, just days after its own [[artnid:269018|lack of compliance|new]] with the tender process.
Bids for Australia's National Broadband Network (NBN) are in and the tender is closed, signalling the end of the year-long battle that has seen vicious fighting between contenders and harsh criticism of the government's broadband policies.
Telstra has announced the latest partnership for its T-Suite SaaS platform, adding Jamcracker to deliver on-demand business applications under the T-Suite brand.
The Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) has elected five new faces to its board of directors.
Australians will pay more than four times the original cost of the national broadband network (NBN) in lost gross domestic product (GDP) over the next two decades if Telstra wins the tender and gets its 18 per cent ROI, a leading economic expert has ...
Canadian next-gen networking company, Axia NetMedia CEO, Art Price, has offered a simple message to whoever wins the tender to build Australia’s National Broadband Network: Competing with your customers is bad for business.
A leading economist has predicted the National Broadband Network (NBN) will boost all industries but also hurt retail and wholesale companies.
Telstra today unveiled plans to release the fastest mobile broadband modem in the world, capable of reaching peak network downlink speeds of 21 megabits per second (Mbps).
Microsoft and Telstra will bring together business software applications, mobile services and devices, and unified communications services for SMEs via a software-as-a-service (SaaS) model.
Telstra and Microsoft have announced a partnership to bring hosted mobile application and unified communication services to small businesses, including its own souped-up version of Windows Mobile developed locally.
The Competitive Carriers Coalition (CCC) and chair of Broadband World Australia 2008 have claimed that Telstra has pulled out of the event after it failed to force conference organiser, Terrapinn, to remove the CCC and independent telco analyst, Paul...
Pacnet Australia has signed a business agreement with Telstra Wholesale which will see it offer a range of ADSL2+ broadband services on Telstra's network.
The Federal Court has mostly dismissed Telstra's (ASX:TLS) appeal against a series of decisions the ACCC had made in recent line sharing services (LSS) disputes.
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Porsche ran one of its last-of-the-oddballs Indy racers at Rennsport Reunion this past weekend, briefly letting the turbo V8 sing in its 1990 March chassis. What I find particularly charming is how the team pulled some data from the car.
I won’t go into too much depth on Porsche’s failed Indy program, a campaign that was originally going to be in an all-carbon car until American officials outlawed it and forced the team to run a standard aluminum chassis, spooked that Porsche would show up and dominate and ultimately destroy the series. Porsche had done it to Can Am, don’t forget.
Again, I don’t want to go too into the weeds also because 8W has an incredible and massively in-depth history of the program that you should block out an evening to read.
Anyway, this running at Laguna Seca was something of a shakedown following a restoration as much as it was a demonstration of some history, and the team pulled some data from the car, and hauled out the vintage computer needed to do the job with the vintage competition car. As Racer put it, “one of the original team members downloaded the data with the same IBM laptop/printer used to speak with the beast in 1990.”
You can watch the thing in action at about 4:18 into the video below. Better, you get to hear that little old printer at work. kewkewkewkewkew brt brt brt brt kewkewkewkewkew:
This is slightly more common than you ever really think about. McLaren has had to use a 1990s Compaq to service all of those $10 million F1s on the road. We did an article on these things back in 2016, explaining why McLaren needs to take good care of a Compaq, and why it was busily looking for a more modern replacement:
Why is McLaren spending thousands of pounds on a specific version of the LTE 5280 laptop, a piece of ancient history you could otherwise grab on eBay for a few hundred bucks?
“The reason we need those specific Compaq laptops is that they run a bespoke CA card which installs into them,” a fellow from MSO told me. “The CA card is an interface between the laptop software (which is DOS based) and the car.”
He added: “We are currently working on a new interface which will be compatible with modern laptops as they old Compaqs are getting less and less reliable and harder to find.”
So next time you go to a vintage racing event, keep an eye out. You’ll probably spot some period-correct computing around some of these early-digital cars, done out of necessity and not just to look cool.


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Three new releases in the online space this week will give online brands more options when it comes to 'talking' to consumers in a way that will engage. Here are the details:... >>
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What you need to know
- Redmi K20 Pro will be available in a new Summer Honey color in China from August 1.
- The company hasn't confirmed if the new color option will be launched in other markets, such as India.
- In most markets outside China, the phone comes in Carbon Black, Flame Red, and Glacier Blue color options.
Xiaomi's Redmi sub-brand has introduced a new color option for its flagship K20 Pro smartphone. The new color, dubbed 'Summer Honey', will be available in China starting from August 1. It joins the existing Flame Red, Glacier Blue, and Carbon Black options that have been available since day one.
Redmi has hasn't announced any plans of launching the Summer Honey color option in markets outside China yet. However, depending on the kind of response it receives from consumers in China, there is a good chance that it will be offered in at least a few other markets in the near future.
The new Summer Honey color for the Redmi K20 Pro comes with a gradient finish, just like the Flame Red and Glacier Blue ones. What sets it apart from those, however, is the gold finish on the sides and around the pop-up selfie camera. Also, unlike the other colors, only the three most expensive memory variants of the phone will be available in Summer Honey.
Launched alongside the Redmi K20 in China this past May, the Redmi K20 Pro is one of the most impressive "affordable flagship" phones that have been released this year and is a great alternative to the OnePlus 7 and ASUS ZenFone 6. The Redmi K20, which happens to be its more affordable mid-range sibling, also packs great hardware and an identical design.
The Redmi K20 Pro is the most affordable Snapdragon 855-powered smartphone that you can buy. It comes with a gorgeous design, an in-screen fingerprint sensor, impressive battery life, and a 20MP pop-up selfie camera.
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Here's who NBA 2K21 thinks is going to win the NBA Finals
The NBA Finals are set to start on Wednesday, and with an intense matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat, we've decided to see how the teams would fare a bit early, thanks to some simulations in NBA 2K21.
The Google Pixel 5 is official — here's what you need to know!
It's here. The Google Pixel 5. From the specs, pricing, release date, and more, here's literally everything you need to know!
Everything you need to know about the Pixel 4a and Pixel 4a 5G
The Pixel 4a is now available, the Pixel 4a 5G is coming soon, and we've rounded up everything you need to know about both phones. Let's dive in!
With so many shades, there's a Galaxy S20 FE color for everyone
Samsung is really spoiling us with the Galaxy S20 FE colors. It can be hard to pick between that succulent red, the lush green, the luxurious purple and more, so let's take a look at all the colorways side by side and figure out which one belongs in your pocket.