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Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR), Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) and Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO) are the latest tech giants to affirm their support for Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) in the fight against US government gag orders. The companies say they are coming together to prevent indiscriminate use of unconstitutional orders that curtail people’s right to privacy.
Gag Orders Tussle
Joining Microsoft in the fight against gag orders are civil right groups, over a dozen US business as well as former law enforcement officers. More than 80 signatories have already rallied behind the tech giant as they look to take the government head on, on the oppressive privacy law.
Under the Stored Communications Act, the US government can compel companies to hand over consumer information without notifying the customer in question. The law was designed to guarantee swift access of information for the government where national security is at risk more so in terrorism related matters. However, that has not been case given the requests received so far and likely won’t be for most of the requests.
Companies have also raised concern with the requirements for the issuance of gag orders which are usually low such that requests will always be met. They have also raised concerns that such orders tend to stay in place for an indefinite period.
In a bid to fend off the use of gag orders by the government, Microsoft sued it in April arguing that such policies are unconstitutional and a threat to people’s privacy. The software giant in its defense argues that the government should not be allowed to bar companies from notifying people that their data has been handed over to investigators.
“We believe that with rare exceptions consumers and businesses have a right to know when the government accesses their emails or records,” said Microsoft chief counsel Brad Smith.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation, which is among the 80 signatories, argues that when searches are done in private, it becomes increasingly impossible to challenge law enforcement agencies when they invade on people’s privacy. Apple and Mozilla on their briefs argue that gag order provisions continue to harm US businesses abroad, especially in areas where disclosures are necessary.
This year alone, Apple says it has received 6,432 requests for people’s data, 51% of which came with a gag order. The iPhone maker also says that it has received 590 ‘unlimited/indefinite’ gag orders. Over the last 18 months, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has received 2,600 gag orders.


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Southampton new business membership community, The Gateway Club gets off to a great start.
Southampton 2025 Trust are delighted to announce a strong line up of businesses that have joined new business membership community that was recently launched to support the city’s bid to become UK City of Culture 2025.
The Gateway Club was launched last month, and has been created by the Trust to bring the worlds of business and culture together, to support Southampton’s bid to become UK City of Culture for 2025. The business club model will enable business to connect, create and collaborate against a backdrop of culture.
Business support and investment is a key element to the successful delivery of the city’s bid to become UK City of Culture 2025. Launching their commercial strategy in September 2020, the Trust has actively developed relationships with many local businesses and organisations such as toob, Westquay, Solent University and the University of Southampton who have committed their long-term support.
Since the Gateway Club launch several businesses and organisations have also pledged their committed to backing the bid, and supporting the economic development of the city. New Members and Patrons include TW Metals, Testlands, Lee Peck Media, Gleeds, The Orange Rooms, Foot Anstey and Business South.
Gail Thomas, Managing Director of TW Metals said: “Full of life and rich in diversity, Southampton is a vibrant and wonderful city, bursting at the seams with cultural activity. Growing up locally, I have seen first-hand the exciting changes and developments that Southampton has benefitted from over the years. From the arts, theatre, music, sport and so much more, the city has become a hive of activity and historical significance. At TW Metals, we’re extremely pleased to be supporting Southampton’s bid to become the UK’s City of Culture for 2025 as a Patron of the Gateway Club. Southampton is our home, and at the heart of our company, so supporting local business and this initiative is one of our top priorities. We’re so excited to be involved and can’t wait to celebrate Southampton as a city of culture.”
Claire Whitaker OBE, Southampton 2025 UK City of Culture Bid Director added: “Following on from our successful Gateway Club launch, we are thrilled with the positive support received from Southampton’s business community. It’s fantastic to see that so many businesses working in collaboration to utilise Southampton’s bid to become UK City of Culture as a springboard for recovery post pandemic. Business support is a key component of our bid; I’m looking forward to the Gateway Club developing even further in the coming months.”
To find out more about the Gateway Club please contact firstname.lastname@example.org.

domain: news


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We are pleased to announce that Mozilla included us in their report into alternative data governance!
Mozilla’s research focuses on how technologists are creating alternatives to big tech’s harmful accumulation of data. It creates a comprehensive map of the leading companies working in this area.
Their Insight Team includes Glimpse in the ‘decentralised tech’ section and describes our next-generation adtech platform’s capacity to provide consumers with greater control of their data.
The research positions Glimpse among the leading companies who are building the future of the internet. We are thrilled to have our cookieless technology recognised among this eminent group.


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Smartphone maker OnePlus recently ventured into a segment outside of phones by launching the OnePlus TV Q1 and OnePlus TV Q1 Pro in India. However, the OnePlus TVs were being manufactured in China till today. OnePlus has now set up manufacturing of the TVs in India and will soon start local production.
OnePlus India’s general manager Vikas Agarwal also mentioned that OnePlus is also in conversation with global component suppliers. The brand wants suppliers to invest in India to produce components locally as well.
Watch: Samsung The Wall: Top five highlights
OnePlus will now import the televisions panel in open cell format and then assemble them in India through a partner. This helps the company avail duty benefits. Last year, New Delhi dropped import duties for open cell television panels to nil. This was done to help strengthen the country’s ‘Make in India’ program.
Will Dixon Technologies assemble OnePlus TVs?
According to senior industry executives OnePlus is in discussions with India-based Dixon Technologies to assemble TV’s, ET reports. Dixon currently manufacturers for Samsung, Xiaomi and Panasonic in the country. However, OnePlus India manager Agarwal declined to comment on the local partner deal.
The Chinese brand will follow Samsung in making products in the country. The South-Korea based manufacturer announced its return to local manufacturing just last week. Samsung will be partnering with Dixon Technologies as well.
OnePlus is targeting its core community of 5 million smartphone users in India to boost its TV sales. The OnePlus TVs are currently sold through Amazon India, Reliance Digital and OnePlus’s own stores. The brand will, however, soon expand sales to other large format sellers too. This will fall in line with the strategy OnePlus used with its smartphones in the early days.
According to Agarwal, “Smart television is just 10% of the market and there is immense potential to grow. However, not all brands may survive like it happened in smartphones”. OnePlus currently has 30 brand stores in 15 cities across India. The company wants to take those numbers to 100 stores across 50 cities by December 2020.


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Earlier this month, a trove of 1,400 works of art, including pieces by Picasso, Chagall and Matisse, was discovered in a Munich apartment owned by a family that was among the dealers favored by the Nazis to handle "degenerate" art. The German government estimates that hundreds of these works may have been looted by the Nazis from Jews.
If that is correct, the cache—preliminarily valued at more than $1 billion—is part of some 20 million objects that the Allies estimated were stolen by the Nazis. Much has never been recovered, but the Munich discovery provides an opportunity for Germany to reaffirm the principles of restitution announced 15 years ago at the Washington Conference on Holocaust-Era Assets.
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Big Tech at Bay
We’ll send you a myFT Daily Digest email rounding up the latest Silicon Valley news every morning.
For two decades, they have been celebrated as the rock stars of an emerging digital culture. Unconventional and driven, America’s technology entrepreneurs won the world’s admiration as they rode the internet wave, remaking swaths of personal, social and business life with each innovation.
But in the past year, the world has grown uneasy with the bargain it has struck with the giants of US technology. In much of the world today, the companies are no longer seen as the optimistic agents of a better future, but as overpowerful, prying and ruthless.
The indictments against the biggest tech companies have been piling up. These have included accusations that some were complicit in widespread US internet surveillance – a claim that has fanned the smouldering worries about how Big Tech handles mountains of personal data.
Their incursion into more areas of economic activity has also stirred a backlash. This month, the European Commission walked away from a deal with Google to resolve a competition complaint, while a German court banned American taxi service Uber, instigator of the raucous taxi app wars spreading around the world.
And their huge personal and corporate wealth has attracted the kind of envy and resentment previously reserved for that most resented of social cliques, bankers. Even if entirely legal, the avoidance schemes that have left companies such as Apple and Amazon paying little in taxes in many countries has engendered widespread revulsion and led to investigations by the EU.
The message has started to hit home. An industry that has made a virtue of ignoring the accepted principles on which much of the world runs, boasting about the “disruption” it has brought to the business practices of the less enlightened, is learning a different language.
The spread of US-dominated tech “can’t become an exercise where one culture and country imposes its values on the world”, says Brad Smith, the chief lawyer and main international ambassador for Microsoft – a company that has earned its fair share of criticism for throwing its weight around over the years. Particularly on issues such as privacy, some American internet companies have not stopped to think about the impact their technology is having around the world, he says. “The trouble is people who take an American view of the technology.”
Some of the very people who helped to finance and build the current generation of world-beating technology that emanated from Silicon Valley now seem to be having second thoughts when it comes to considering what will follow.
“We’re starting to enter a very new era when it comes to privacy and security, and how all these internet services are designed,” says Jim Breyer, an early investor in Facebook and, until last year, a member of its board.
Apple’s launch last week of mobile services that handle sensitive personal information in fields such as healthcare records and payments is a sign of the next markets Silicon Valley is targeting, accentuating the need for more secure technology.
The next generation of tech start-ups is being designed from the beginning with privacy and security in mind, Mr Breyer says, in what amounts to a put-down of the practices of groups such as Facebook. “It’s a different mindset from the companies we saw being started five or seven years ago,” he says. “I don’t think the scale of the opportunity worldwide is becoming any less real for US tech companies.”
Changes in the political climate have brought on an international charm offensive in which a parade of US tech executives have traversed the globe in desperate attempts to defend their industry’s fraying reputation.
Eric Schmidt, chairman of Google, says he spent June working on the search engine company’s German problem, hoping he could stem a spreading political crisis in Europe’s biggest economy. That included a private meeting with Sigmar Gabriel, the German economy minister who this year suggested that Google may have become too powerful and needs to be broken up.
The idea, coming from such a senior politician, was nothing short of “astounding”, the Google chairman says now. “There’s no need for Google to be broken up,” he says. Instead, Europe needs to do more to build a competitive tech industry of its own.
But in countries tired of being lectured by Americans about entrepreneurialism and innovation, the message is in danger of wearing thin. Marc Benioff, founder of Salesforce.com, a pioneer in cloud services for businesses, found himself squirming during one such meeting in France.
“One of the leaders of our industry began lecturing the French that the word ‘entrepreneur’ is French and they need to support entrepreneurs,” he says. The condescension was not lost on the hosts, he adds.
Out of the bubble
For Silicon Valley, the era of untrammeled global expansion is over. As the revelations of illicit surveillance by the US National Security Agency have curdled, the tech industry has been forced to defend itself to its customers around the world. Suddenly, the insularity of the tech companies centred around the San Francisco Bay area – long considered to be a vital feature of the region’s successful hothouse culture – has come to be seen as a serious liability.
“If you live in Silicon Valley, you live in a bubble,” says Pat Gelsinger, chief executive of VMware, one of the region’s leading cloud technology companies. “You get a very jaded view of how the world views things.”
The outrage that followed last year’s disclosures about surveillance by Edward Snowden, the former intelligence contractor, has changed all that. The NSA scandal crystallised wider anxieties about the spreading power of a handful of US companies that dominate the tech industry.
“It’s a black eye for US tech,” Mr Gelsinger says of the Snowden leaks. “It was the starting point for the many fissures that are spreading across the [tech] world. Every company in the Valley is trying to position themselves to understand how they play in that world.”
The anxieties have risen as new digital platforms such as the Apple and Google mobile ecosystems and Facebook’s social network extend their reach into more corners of social and business life. While it is facing a backlash on the international stage, Silicon Valley is in a period of creative frenzy at home, as new cloud technologies open a wider range of markets to disruption from the tech industry.
“It’s bringing a lot of anxiety in industries that didn’t have to interface with the technology industry,” says Evgeny Morozov, one of the internet industry’s fiercest critics. “Right now, everything is up for grabs.”
The winner-takes-all effect of many online markets has added to the fears. There is a risk that large parts of digital life “will be replaced by one big company that serves everything up”, says Mr Morozov. “You can question how many domains you want Google and Apple to have power in.”
In the wake of the surveillance scandal, countries such as China and Russia have accelerated their efforts to take more direct control of internet activity and build local technology industries likely to be more susceptible to political pressure. And in countries such as Germany and France, the anxieties over privacy, fears about a possible loss of cultural identity and unease about the growing economic might of the digital titans have combined to provoke a sharp backlash.
A new normal
From Silicon Valley’s vantage point, this has led to a wearied acceptance that the US tech companies are facing a “new normal” in which the digital markets they created and dominated will no longer be as free. In defending themselves, US internet and tech executives have resorted to some common tactics. The first has been to bend over backwards to distance themselves from their own country’s political leaders in the handling of the spying scandal.
In response to the lacerating attacks he says he heard in Germany, Mr Schmidt says: “I have an easy answer: I was not responsible, and I am opposed to it.”
Mr Schmidt says the US government “made a huge, huge mistake. It’s naive to think you can spy on this level and not have it discovered.”
Asked about Microsoft’s response, Mr Smith boasts about the three lawsuits it has filed against its own government over issues related to government access to data the company holds – the kind of confrontation that would have been unthinkable before the Snowden disclosures.
An uneasy distance
But with questions remaining about whether they went beyond strict legal requirements in aiding the US intelligence services, the tech groups have struggled to distance themselves from the scandal as much as they would like.
Microsoft may be making much of its stand against US data over-reach now, but documents released by Mr Snowden showed it helped US intelligence services with ways to listen to conversations passing over Skype and other communications services it owns. Like other tech companies, it has said it was legally required to comply.
The companies in most cases had no choice but to go along with US intelligence demands, says Mr Gelsinger, though he adds that “at the margin” there are valid questions about whether some should have “pushed back harder on the [government] requests that were coming in”.
A second common response from US tech companies has been to paint themselves as being squarely on the side of economic growth. Feeding Europe’s inferiority complex about its failure to nurture a stronger regional tech industry has been part of the formula – leading to the sort of wearying lectures about innovation and entrepreneurialism witnessed by Mr Benioff. “Germany has been a leader for decades but has missed this software revolution,” says Mr Schmidt.
According to this view, this is just the moment that Europe needs to open up its digital markets, not retreat into protectionism – and US companies are on hand to help teach the skills and the entrepreneurial mindset that are needed.
‘Right to be forgotten’
Privately, most groups are braced for a new wave of regulation and greater political control of the online world. Some make the best of this, admitting that as the internet intrudes on more areas of daily life it is only natural for politicians to try to gain influence.
“One doesn’t hear the automobile industry saying governments shouldn’t have local regulations because it would Balkanise the automobile market,” says Mr Smith. Yet at a deeper level, many warn that spreading regulation will undermine the very benefits the internet was meant to bring.
This year’s “right to be forgotten” ruling allowing Europeans in some circumstances to have links to information about them removed from search engines has drawn scathing criticism in Silicon Valley.
“One person’s right to be forgotten is another person’s Orwellian memory hole,” says Marc Andreessen, a prominent Silicon Valley investor.
Regulation that places more national-level rules on networks in Europe also draws warnings that it will put paid to any hopes the region has of building a significant internet industry of its own.
“Networks are about scale,” says Saul Klein, a partner at Index Ventures, one of London’s leading start-up investors. “Europe as a federated network has scale. Europe Balkanised looks puny compared to the US, China, Russia, India, Brazil or even Nigeria.”
Another fear is that as privacy laws are strengthened, existing restrictions on the flow of data will become more pronounced, preventing the efficiencies promised by cross-border business.
“You’ll create tremendous friction in the flow of information between companies that work together globally,” says Aaron Levie, chief executive of Box Inc, a US cloud storage company. “The industries that have the tightest controls on data generally have the least innovation,” he adds.
Critics say these arguments are self-serving, and that the tech companies are masters at conflating the idealistic values on which the internet was founded with their commercial interests.
The argument that information should always be allowed to flow freely is as simplistic as the market fundamentalism that is sometimes used to justify unfettered capitalism, says Mr Morozov – that “if you interfere with the market, the market will collapse.”
Whatever the rights or wrongs of these arguments, Silicon Valley realists are preparing for a new and more difficult period as countries around the world take stock of their own place in the digital revolution.
“There was this vision that we were moving to one global economy, and it has broken down,” says Peter Schwartz, head of strategy at Salesforce.com. “What we have is fragmentation, and the internet is a big part of that fragmentation.”


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Furniture manufacturer Rus Savitar, owner of the Casa Rusu brand, opened last week its first store in Bucharest, located in Vitantis Shopping Center in southern Bucharest. In the first two days, the company reported sales of approximately EUR 200,000.
The store has total surface of 4,000 sqm and offers about 500 pieces of furniture, all manufactured by Rus Savitar. The company’s production division is represented by a 10,000-sqm factory in Timisoara which required an investment of approximately EUR 15 million and has a capacity of around 18,000 pieces of furniture per month. This year the company expects a EUR 22 million turnover, 10 percent up on 2009.
“We are able to keep low prices, about 20 percent below our competitors, through mass production and direct sales to our customers,” said Cristian Rus, the company’s managing director.
Casa Rusu, the manufacturer’s retail division, already operates a network of nine stores in cities like Timisoara, Sibiu, Deva, Cluj Napoca, Pitesti and Brasov and plans to open five new ones by the end of 2010. Rus Savitar also has a partnership with furniture retailer Dedeman which last year generated about EUR 5 million.


text: ATLANTA (WAOK) – A consumer group wants the Food and Drug Administration to require soft drink makers to reduce high-fructose corn syrup and other sweeteners from beverages. The Center for Science in the Public Interest filed a petition yesterday. The group charges the sweeteners are causing high obesity rates and health problems. The petition comes as health advocates, such as New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, try to curb soft drink consumption. A spokeswoman for the FDA say the petition has been received and the agency will directly reply to the petitioner. No time frame has been given.


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The first recall affects 34,633 Dodge Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokee SUVs from the 2016 model year. In those affected vehicles there is a potential for a fuel leak issue, with 30,183 vehicles in the U.S., 2,534 in Canada, 489 in Mexico and 1,427 units elsewhere in the world. According to a statement issued by FCA, the vehicles’ fuel rail crossover tube and manifold fastener could make “inadvertent contact” due to a manufacturing error. As a result, there could be a fuel leak and a subsequent fire. The recall only impacts SUVs equipped with a 3.6-liter engine assembled at FCA’s Saltillo, Mexico assembly plant between February and April.
The automaker estimates about 30 of the SUVs have the problem and will begin notifying dealers and owners “on or about” December 19. Dealers will inspect the affected vehicles and replace parts as necessary. FCA is unaware of any field reports or complaints related to the issue and there have been no injuries reported.
The second recall affects the 2016 Dodge Dart and 54,255 units are impacted. The recall is due to an electrical problem that could prevent the windshield wipers from operating. The company reviewed warranty data and found that some of the pumps’ electrical connections do not comply with specifications, causing voltage spikes that could prevent the wipers from working. It has received 17 customer complaints and four field reports related to the issue, but no injuries or accidents. Of the affected vehicles, 53,155 are in the U.S., 1,057 in Canada and 43 in Mexico.
Dealers will replace the pump at no cost and the recall is expected to also begin on December 19.


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Partner Reece Hirsch will service as a panelist on "Creating a Legal Framework for Governing Consumer Protection and Data" at Internet of Things World 2015.
This session will examine the need for security standards as IoT connectivity increases, as well as:
May 13, 2015
IoT World 2015 is the world’s largest and most comprehensive IoT event, with over 4,000 attendees, 250+ industry thought leaders and 150+ exhibitors. With a focus on monetizing the IoT revolution through bringing together ecosystem wide attendees, stakeholders and investors, Internet of Things World is a unique opportunity to promote your IoT message right in the heartland of IoT development.


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GAMERS will be able to play "thousands" of titles on the Xbox Series X from launch day.
Microsoft says it has already completed significant testing – and that these games are already playable on the next-gen console.
The new Xbox Series X is expected to launch later this year, likely in October or November.
Much of its success versus the PlayStation 5 will be how impressive the console's launch roster of games is.
Microsoft is already working on lining up brand new games that will be ready to play for launch.
But the tech giant also says that thousands of classic games from previous consoles will also be supported from day one.
Better still, many of these games will run even better than they originally did – due to the advanced hardware inside the Xbox Series X.
"With more than 100,000 hours of play testing already completed, thousands of games are already playable on Xbox Series X today.
"Many of us in Team Xbox play on the Xbox Series X daily as our primary console and switching between generations is seamless.
"By the time we launch this holiday, the team will have spent well over 200,000 hours ensuring your game library is ready for you to jump in immediately."
Microsoft says that all of the games run at "the peak performance they were originally designed for", with higher and more steady frame rates.
And they'll render at their maximum resolution and visually quality.
The Xbox maker also says that players will see "significant reductions" to in-game load times.
Microsoft's Xbox Series X will also be able to retroactively add HDR support to older games – even original Xbox titles developed almost 20 years ago, "before the existence of HDR".
It's possible that both the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 will offer similar backwards compatibility.
Back in February, Ubisoft chief Yves Guillemot said the majority of current console games would work on both consoles.
"Those consoles will be running almost all the back catalogue of the previous consoles," the Ubisoft boss explained.
He continued: "It will be something new in the industry.
"It will help the old generations to continue to be big consoles on the market for years to come."
How much will the PS5 and Xbox Series X cost?
Here's what you need to know...
Respected Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter thinks we'll see a major price war.
"From what I've seen, Sony's gonna have to charge $500 for the PS5," he explained.
"Microsoft has a big balance sheet. If they wanna cut the price by $100 – just price below [PS5] and subsidise the first 10million [units] – they will.
"So I think that they're waiting to have Sony blink first, and then they'll reveal the price. Very likely $400."
Fellow gaming industry insider Peter Moore agreed with Pachter's predictions.
Moore was formerly an EA and Microsoft exec, and was speaking on the Bonus Round podcast.
He said: "Michael's right. What both companies are going through right now is: 'How much can we afford to lose in the first 12 to 18 months?'
"'What is our attach rate of software to hardware? What are we willing to do in year one, two and three to hit 10million [units]?'"
Sadly, neither Microsoft nor Sony have confirmed pricing for either of their consoles – or even hinted at a range.
Guillemot wasn't specific, but he's likely talking about thousands of games.
Wikipedia has logged 2,446 different titles on its list of PS4 games.
And the same list for the Xbox One includes 2,384 games.
This is only referring to existing PS4 and Xbox One games however, and not new titles.
We're also expecting developers to prepare a host of new games for the PS5 and Xbox Series X launch days.
It's a big change from the previous generation of consoles.
The PS4 was not backwards compatible, so PS3 game discs were largely useless.
Xbox One owners were able to play a select few Xbox 360 titles on their new consoles, but that's it.
Microsoft confirmed in December that its new console would be named the Xbox Series X.
The contraption will apparently run games at 4K resolution - double that of HD - with the possibility of running 8K.
It will also process games faster so as to "eliminate" loading times. A new Halo title will launch with the console.
Most read in Gaming
In other news, Fortnite's chief says the PS5 won't beat the Xbox Series X in terms of graphics.
You can check your Xbox addiction over the past 10 years with the new 'My Decade on Xbox' tool.
And take a look at this incredible Xbox Project Oris concept console.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online Tech & Science team? Email us at firstname.lastname@example.org


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Nestle retains Zenith as media agency
Recently, Nestle also consolidated its Nutrition digital marketing business with Zenith and DigitasLBi.
Nestle, Godrej Consumer announce price cuts
Nestle said it has informed its trade partners that post announcement of reduction in GST rates, ...
Nestle accelerates restructuring as sales growth stays tepid
Makers of packaged foods are under pressure to review their business models and brand portfolios to satisfy consumers' appetite for fresh, healthy and local foods.
Paytm Mall targets six times growth in FMCG sales
Paytm Mall is set to invest Rs 50 crore on seller training, marketing and optimizing logistics network with focus on FMCG segment.
Nestle to cut Maggi ketchup, cerelac, dairy prices
Nestle will cut cerelac prices too, and with the reduction in GST rate on milk powders, prices of everyday dairy are expected to reduce 4-5 per cent.
Tata Global launches instant coffee brand to compete with Nescafe, Bru
Tata Coffee Grand was jointly developed by Tata Global Beverages and group firm Tata Coffee , which manufactures the product, TGBL said.
Maggi, Nescafe and e-commerce are key focus areas for Nestlé India: Analyst
The primary focus of the maker of Maggi noodles and Nescafe coffee is volume and market share, and then sustainable growth. Another big focus area is ecommerce, the report said.
One for girl child: Nestle India gives its brands a new look
In an attempt to spread awareness on this critical issue of girl child education in India, Nestle will change packaging of 100 million packs available on shelves by the end of September.
Nestle India revamping coffee brand Nescafe
Prasoon Joshi, executive chairman, McCann WorldGroup, the agency on the Nescafe account, declined to comment on its advertising plans in India.
Nestle forays into kids breakfast cereal market with Ceregrow
Industry estimates peg the country’s breakfast cereal market to be growing in excess of 22% over the last five years.
Nestle replaces Maggi ads with Nescafe and KitKat commercials, to lose about Rs 10 crore
Nestle in India, spends over Rs 400 crore on advertising a year. Its ad spend on Maggi brand alone is estimated at over Rs 150 crore.
Tongue tied: Intex Mobile's latest ad fails to make a mark like Nescafe's stuttering act last year
While Nescafe's stuttering act won it bouquets last year, Intex mobile's latest was perhaps better off with a vow of silence.
My first year at work: I had the fire in my belly to crack it, says Saahil Goel, BigFoot Retail Solutions
It was my first opportunity to work in the real world where what I did would have a direct impact on someone, on users, on the company's top line (or bottom line).
'Educate the Girl Child' anthem is not a flsh in the pan: Suresh Narayanan, Chairman and MD, Nestle
He hopes that this will motivate people individually and collectively to be part of measures.
Nestle Q3 net profit up over 100% riding on Maggi, new products
Nestle chairman Suresh Narayanan attributed the 117% growth in net profit and sales to ‘innovations and renovation of over 25 new products launched in the recent past’.


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We’re the organizations representing internet companies that spend all day defending net neutrality and preserving a free and open internet. We’re Michael Beckerman of Internet Association and Evan Engstrom of Engine, Ask Us Anything!
Got a tech question or want to discuss tech? Weekly /r/Technology Tech Support / General Discussion Thread
Verizon Throttles Netflix Subscribers In 'Test' It Doesn't Inform Customers About
Internet fact checker Snopes.com cut off from website control and ad revenue by web host
Russia moves closer to banning the use of proxies and VPNs
Sprint Opens a Completely Fake Store Just to Mock Verizon: For one day - to simply sell products for twice what they're actually worth as part of an effort to make fun of Verizon's long-standing refusal to more seriously compete on price.
Microsoft is planning to kill off Paint after 32 years
Sweden Accidentally Leaks Personal Details of Nearly All Citizens
Billionaires make it rain on Plenty, the indoor farming startup - "vertical indoor farms, which can produce crops at yields 530 times greater than that of a typical field."
Senator blasts FCC for refusing to provide DDoS analysis. FCC is either too secretive or is unprepared for future attacks, senator says.
Why failing to protect net neutrality would crush the US's digital startups
How Amazon uses "surge pricing," just like Uber
Kansas Database Hack Exposed 5.5 Million SSNs
Jared Kushner's Senate Testimony May Forget Russia Meetings, But the FBI Would Remember
45,000 Facebook Users Leave One-Star Ratings After Hacker's Unjust Arrest
Lyft plans to launch self-driving car rides by the end of this year
Game of Thrones season 7: More people watch premiere illegally in UK and US than legally
Windows 10 is making too many PCs obsolete
First ever autonomous ship will be launched next year
The inside story of how Netflix came to pay Comcast for internet traffic
Warehouse Picking Bots Could Soon Replace Expensive Humans - "Picking is the biggest labor cost in most e-commerce distribution centers, and among the least automated. Swapping in robots could cut the labor cost of fulfilling online orders by a fifth"
Wisconsin Company To Implant Microchips In Employees
A 'Locked' Smart Gun Can Be Fired By Anyone With $15 Wort of Magnets
Alphabet appoints Google CEO Pichai to board
HoloLens 2 will have a custom AI chip designed by Microsoft
Trump’s Special Ops Pick Says Terror Drones Might Soon Reach the US from Africa. How Worried Should We Be? - Defense One
Chattanooga Has Its Own Broadband—Why Doesn’t Every City?
Google, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft stand up with Apple against Qualcomm
Artificial intelligence helps stroke patients walk again
Alphabet profit slumps on record $2.7 billion EU fine
Tiny robots swim the front crawl through your veins - "Each nano-swimmer is 5 micrometres long and has three main parts"
World's first floating wind farm emerges off coast of Scotland - "The revolutionary technology will allow wind power to be harvested in waters too deep for the current conventional bottom-standing turbines used."
Senator blasts FCC for refusing to provide DDoS analysis
Scotland sets renewable energy record as wind power provides equivalent of 118% of nation's electricity - In the first six months of 2017 enough power was generated to supply more than all of Scotland's national demand for six days
Zuckerberg Blasts Musk Warnings Against Artificial Intelligence As 'Pretty Irresponsible'
Facebook Files Patent That Takes Secret Photos To Detect Your Emotions
Windows 10 features on the cutting board, including paint
Bikes May Require Special Data Streams For Self-Driving Cars
Ex-Amazon and Microsoft employees launching business-focused digital assistant ‘Roxy’
'Clean cars' will save us from climate change deniers - The world is turning to clean energy and so is the car industry
ShieldFS Is a Clever New Tool That Shuts Down Ransomware Before It's Too Late
Windows 10 and a bump in the road to Windows as a Service


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Intel is paving the way for the launch of its Pentium 4 chip by slashing prices on its Pentium III and Celeron products. The cuts, which vary from five to 36 per cent across the Intel range, are widely...
Huawei's 5G chipset is made by TSMC using its latest 7nm manufacturing process
Intel claims Cascade Lake-X will be twice as fast as Skylake-X, and outperform second-gen AMD Theadripper
Intel claims Cascade Lake-X will offer better price per pound than AMD Threadripper
Facebook has already started using Intel's new 'Spring Hill' AI chip, according to Intel
New AMD Epyc benchmarks indicates that Intel has a big fight on its hands in the data centre
AMD is planning a series of Navi-based GPUs in 2020 - including a return to the high-end of the graphics card market


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Remember this amazing travel mug shaped like a camera lens that Canon handed out to press at the Olympics? Well, now you can pre-order one for yourself for a mere $US30 CAD. Sweet! [Vistek via DoobyBrain via The Daily What]
Canon Lens Thermos Now Available For Preorder
Trending Stories Right Now
There are two smartphone releases each year that people most look forward; new iPhones and the latest Samsung Galaxy S series. The Samsung Galaxy S10 is expected to be officially announced in about four weeks in the prelude to Mobile World Congress. And now, the first pictures of the Galaxy S10 being used have emerged.
At CES a reporter asked Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang what could he say to alleviate the concerns of fans who felt that the new RTX 20-series GPUs were overpriced and trying to force ray tracing technology on customers who don’t have much use for it? Huang smiled, a mixture of serenity and satisfaction. “2060,” he said as if those four numbers were the secret to life and all of Nvidia’s success. Huang was referencing the just announced Nvidia RTX 2060 GPU, a card that’s pricier than its equivalent in previous generations, but still your most accessible entry point to the future of graphics.


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A widening problem with pig ear treats for dogs has reached our state.
Tests run by the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development on pig ears purchased at two retail establishments found salmonella bacteria on some. Michigan becomes the 13th state to identify the contamination.
While no illnesses have been identified in Michigan, the Centers for Disease Control have counted 45 infections resulting in a dozen hospitalizations across the country. Some cases involve drug-resistant salmonella strains.
Contaminated pig ears could make your dog sick. Symptoms could be mild enough that you don’t notice, or could include bloody diarrhea, vomiting, fever, and fatigue. Salmonella can be passed from your pet to you, through contact with saliva or feces. You could also become infected by handling the contaminated pig ears.
No common distributor has been identified, so MDARD has issued a consumer advisory for all pig ears purchased in bulk anywhere in the state. Officials recommend that you throw out any pig ears you have, and wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after you have handled them.


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Keith Adair joins as Head of Business Development for EMEA, alongside multiple development, client services and marketing hires
9th October 2013, Edinburgh: Predictive analytics specialist deltaDNA has appointed Keith Adair as its Head of Business Development for EMEA. Adair will be responsible for developing the company’s growing portfolio of publisher and developer clients within the EMEA region.
The newly created role will see Adair driving the next phase of deltaDNA’s international growth strategy across both Games and Gambling sectors, following deltaDNA’s recent Series A $3m funding programme.
Adair joins deltaDNA from mobile publishing and distribution specialist I-play, where he spent 10 years working with publishers, platform owners and network operators brokering major distribution deals for some of the games industry’s most recognisable IP, including EA Sports™ FIFA and Tiger Woods franchises, The Fast and Furious™, Moto GP and Metal Slug™.
In his most recent role as VP Partner Development, he was responsible for the development of I-play’s EMEA partner portfolio which included tier 1 network operator and media owners such as Apple, MSN, Yahoo!, Virgin Media and Vodafone. He also led the European rollout out of I-play’s leading edge online casual games platform ‘Blaze’.
In addition, deltaDNA has also bolstered both its development and commercial teams at its headquarters in Scotland with the appointment of Senior Software Engineers, System and Database Architects, alongside new additions to its client services and marketing teams.
Speaking on these appointments Mark Robinson, CEO deltaDNA, said: “We are moving forward rapidly with the next phase of our international growth strategy and platform development. The new appointments bring incremental expertise to the development team and support our ever-expanding client base.”
Keith Adair, Head of Business Development – EMEA, deltaDNA, added: “It’s an exciting time to be joining deltaDNA as the games industry re-orientates itself around new platforms and business models and significantly, where the power of analytics to leverage big data and help understand player behaviours is vital for games publishers and developers to succeed.”


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The stock has gained an impressive 270% in less than three years, but not without a few hair-raising drops along the way, with the most recent occurring late last year. The stock doubled between January and August 2019, before losing more than a third of its value in the months that followed.
Appian just tapped new all-time highs on the eve of its fourth quarter financial release, which is due after the market close on Thursday, Feb. 20. This shows that investors have high expectations for the low-code specialist. Let's look at a few metrics that Wall Street will be watching closely when Appian reports earnings.
Continued robust revenue growth
In the third quarter, Appian delivered total revenue of $69.4 million, up about 26% year over year, with both segments contributing to the successful results.
The subscriptions, software, and support segment contributed $41.6 million, climbing 35%, and producing gross margins of 90%. The professional services segment -- which tends to be lumpier and unpredictable -- generated revenue of $27.8 million, up 16%, and generated gross margins of 31%.
Management has been historically conservative with its forward-looking guidance, and it is forecasting fourth-quarter revenue in a range of $69.1 million to $70.1 million, representing year-over-year growth of 15.5% at the midpoint of its guidance.
Wall Street observers are meeting management halfway, with analysts' consensus estimates of $69.74 million, just above the midpoint of Appian's guidance.
Recurring revenue will take center stage
One of the most important elements in a subscription-based business is recurring revenue, as it provides the company with stable and predictable income streams, making the stock less of a gamble.
Appian has delivered strong subscription revenue growth, which has served to supercharge the stock's momentum. In the third quarter, subscription revenue was the star of the show, growing to $40.4 million, up 38%.
Its expansion in Europe remains on track, with subscription revenue up 65% year over year. The financial services industry and the U.S. government helped boost growth, with subscription revenue increasing 48% and 50%, respectively, compared to the prior-year quarter.
The subscription revenue retention rate -- which compares how much existing customers are spending compared to the same time last year -- was 119%. Once a business takes the plunge, it will likely increase its use of Appian's tools or add additional users.
Management is anticipating an even larger contribution from recurring sales, guiding for subscription revenue of about $42 million, up 25%.
Profits will remain elusive
Appian has been investing heavily in the future, and has been spending its would-be profits to gain even more repeat customers. This means that not only is Appian not profitable, but it has no plans to be any time soon.
In the third quarter, Appian delivered a net loss of $12.4 million, though it was an improvement from the $15 million loss in the prior-year quarter. This resulted in a loss per share of $0.19, better than the $0.24 loss in the year-ago quarter.
For the upcoming quarter, Appian is forecasting an adjusted loss in a range of $10 million and $9.5 million, resulting in an adjusted loss per share of about $0.15.
A recent acquisition
Early last month, Appian announced the acquisition of robotic-process automation (RPA) company Novayre Solutions SL, developer of the Jidoka RPA platform. By adding RPA to its repertoire, Appian is adding billions of dollars to its addressable market, while remaining true to its low-code roots. It also makes the company a one-stop-shop for automation solutions.
Investors will be watching for an update on the progress of the integration.
A word on valuation
One of the traits of a high-growth stock is a lofty valuation, and Appian certainly qualifies.
The company sports a price-to-sales (P/S) ratio of 16 and an only slightly more reasonable forward valuation of 14. To put this in context, the S&P 500 typically sports a P/S ratio between 1 and 2, so the expectations for continued growth are already priced in. If Appian were to fall short of Wall Street's expectations, the stock could plummet once again.
It's important to remember that Appian has its eye set firmly on the future, and is foregoing short-term profits for long-term growth. Investors should resist the temptation to get caught up in the market's short-term mindset and focus on Appian's long runway for growth when it reports earnings on Thursday.


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France hits Google and Amazon with massive fines for tracking cookies
Google's fees for using non-consensual cookies.
The CNIL, France’s data privacy regulatory committee (the name roughly translates to “the National Commission on Informatics and Liberty”), has fined both Google and Amazon for utilizing tracking cookies without user consent. The fines amount to €100 million for Google (about $120 million) and €35 million for Amazon (about $42 million), TechCrunch reports.
Under a French law called the Data Protection Act, internet companies are forbidden from loading tracking cookies onto a user’s device unless that user has explicitly consented to them. The CNIL posted a notice of the new fines on its website this week (which, fair warning, is entirely in French).
“As this type of cookies cannot be deposited without the user having expressed his consent, the restricted committee considered that the companies had not complied with the requirement provided for by article 82 of the Data Protection Act and the prior collection of the consent before the deposit of non-essential cookies,” TechCrunch translates from the notice.
CNIL found three counts of consent violations on Google’s part and two such violations for Amazon. Unsurprisingly, neither company believes it’s actually done anything wrong.
Multimillion-dollar cookies — Internet companies’ tendency to track users without their consent has become an increasingly hot topic in the last few years. All kinds of internet companies are being pressured to make their privacy practices more transparent.
Laws around tracking cookies have been consistently harsh in the European Union for years now, but TechCrunch points out that a hearing last October clarified that clear consent must be obtained before websites store or access non-essential cookies.
So Google and Amazon really should have no problem complying at this point. Still, they chose to use tracking cookies — doubtless for profit — without fully informing their users of those cookies.
Google doesn’t even want cookies — We’ve nearly reached a breaking point with cookies. They’re useful for companies, yes, but they’re also outdated and pretty invasive.
In fact, they’re so outdated that just about every major web browser has either phased them out completely or is in the process of doing so. Pretty soon cookies will be no more than a nostalgia-tinged memory we'll be explaining to youngsters.
However, Google in particular has held out on blocking cookies completely because doing so would hurt its revenue models. The tech giant is working on replacement technology that can provide the same data, but it’ll probably be a while before we see that in use. Facebook, meanwhile, is facing the specter of iPhone users being easily able to opt out of its tracking services thanks to a change from Apple aimed at increasing its customers' privacy.
What the companies say — As you might imagine, neither Amazon nor Google is willing to admit wrongdoing here.
In response to a question from TechCrunch, Google said:
"We stand by our record of providing upfront information and clear controls, strong internal data governance, secure infrastructure, and above all, helpful products. Today’s decision under French ePrivacy laws overlooks these efforts and doesn’t account for the fact that French rules and regulatory guidance are uncertain and constantly evolving."
Amazon’s response was even more point-blank:
"We disagree with the CNIL’s decision. Protecting the privacy of our customers has always been a top priority for Amazon. We continuously update our privacy practices to ensure that we meet the evolving needs and expectations of customers and regulators and fully comply with all applicable laws in every country in which we operate."
We have little doubt Google and Amazon can afford the fines. But, hopefully, other countries will apply similar scrutiny, and possibly similar punishments, because it's likely going to take far more painful slaps on the wrist to get the tech giants to comply. Tracking is simply too lucrative. Until it's not worth the risk of doing so, companies can't really be expected to stop doing it.


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More restrictions lifted as 36 pct say they’re not worried
As the government prepares for the next phase of easing the restrictions imposed in March to curb the spread of the coronavirus, a new survey has shown that more than a third of Greeks claim not to be concerned about the risks posed by the pandemic, while two in 10 believe that the restrictions imposed by the government were too strict.
According to the survey, which was conducted by Alco on behalf of the Medical Association of Athens between May 11 and 18, 36 percent of respondents claimed not to be worried about the pandemic, with 43 percent claiming to be quite worried and 21 percent very worried. Seven in 10 said they believed the government’s measures were correct, while 22 percent found them too restrictive.
The next phase of easing restrictions, to be introduced between June 6 and July 1, will allow the opening of indoor dining areas at cafes and restaurants as well museums, gyms and spas.


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By Alison Rice. The new year opened with a new campaign in the lumber wars: a U.S. proposal on how Canada should reform its lumber practices toward a more market-based system.
The proposal, introduced in January by U.S. Undersecretary of Commerce Grant Aldonas, recommends that Canada end its minimum cutting requirements, sell its timber at auction, and allow raw logs to be exported to America.
Canada--and its provinces, which actually control the country's timber harvesting and lumber production--doesn't exactly agree. In the Toronto Globe and Mail, a speaker from the Quebec Forest Industry Council says adopting such a plan "would be an infringement of sovereignty."
Such a reaction doesn't surprise lumber war-watchers. "At this point, [the proposal] is really just to bring people back to the table," believes Amy Carneal, an economist with economic research firm Global Insight.
That's important to the United States, because the average 27 percent tariffs levied on Canadian lumber last spring haven't gone as planned. Canadian lumber shipments actually increased slightly for the first 10 months of 2002 compared to 2001, according to NAHB economist Michael Carliner. Why are Canadian lumber producers willing to cover the extra duties? Essentially, they're gambling that they'll win this trade war. Carliner mentions the 1992 lumber dispute, where Canada appealed to the World Trade Organization (WTO), winning a $1 billion lumber duty refund. "Canadian producers figure if they pay the duty now, there's a good chance they'll get it all back," he says.
Add more efficient mills producing more lumber from each log, and not surprisingly, lumber prices have remained low despite the dispute.
While those low prices are good for builders, the NAHB doesn't like the ongoing uncertainty. If Canada wins its pending WTO appeal, the country will be "authorized to retaliate [against the United States]," Carliner says. "It's not going to help home builders or home buyers if Canada restricts its [lumber] exports."
It also doesn't address another factor in the lumber wars: U.S. overcapacity. "If things aren't going well now [for U.S. lumber producers], given what's going on in housing, any new proposal isn't going to make any difference," Carliner says. "There's a structural problem with the [lumber] industry. It doesn't need to be protected--it needs consolidation."


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Attimo Winery wins 7 awards at Wines of the South competition
The Wines of the South competition was hosted by the faculty and students of the Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism program at the University of Tennessee on Oct. 5-6 at the University of Tennessee Conference Center in downtown Knoxville, Tenn. Fifty wineries and 392 wines from 14 southern states were evaluated in a blind flight tasting by professional judges in classes within six different categories: Red, White, Blush, Dessert/Fruit, Sparkling, and Tennessee fruit.
Attimo Winery was awarded the following medals: Bronze Masquerade, Silver Off the Cuff, Bronze Sonnet 98, Silver Deep Silence, Silver Bullfrog Symphony, Silver AD 325 and Silver Just Kissed.
Wines of the South medals are recognized by consumers across the southern United States. 2012 marks the 11th year for the regional wine competition. Wines of the South is the most prestigious competition for Southern wineries. This gives wineries the opportunity to showcase and market their best products.
To see a list of winners, participants, judges, and for more information, visit www.winesofthesouth.com.
– Submitted by Attimo Winery
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Halloween is hardly behind us, but it's never too early to start thinking about decorating for Christmas. Especially when some of the greatest horror icons in history can join in on the holiday festivities this year, thanks to some brand new ornaments that horror lovers will surely want to get their hands on. That's right; someone has stepped up and made a line of horror-themed Christmas ornaments for those who like to celebrate the most wonderful time of year, but want to do so with some slasher flare.
The folks over at Trick or Treat Studios have announced a line of Christmas horror ornaments. Taking to social media, the company, which is known for their generally high-quality, officially licensed horror memorabilia, revealed several ornaments featuring horror icons including Michael Myers, Leatherface, the Jigsaw puppet and Sam from Trick 'r Treat. Here's what the company had to say about the forthcoming line.
"Trick or Treat Studios is proud to announce our Christmas Horror Ornaments! Decorate your holiday tree with your favorite Horror horror icons! Each sold separately, in a collectors box! Coming soon!!"
Unfortunately, for the time being, that's about all they had to say. The company has released two photos of the ornaments so far, which shows off each character in the line. The Christmas tree decorations are from the bust up to the head and feature a pretty amazing amount of detail that true fans are sure to appreciate. They've gone with the classic Leatherface from Tobe Hooper's original The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, with Michael Myers looking closer to the John Carpenter 1978 version, as opposed to the version from the new sequel, which features a much more weathered mask. Jigsaw and Sam don't really have a lot of variations to play with.
This makes for an interesting selection of characters. Michael Myers is the most obvious one, seeing as the new Halloween is currently making a killing at the box office and has revived love for the franchise. Leatherface, on the other hand, hasn't been featured in a movie for years (even though a reboot may be in the works) but he still remains popular amongst horror die-hards. Jigsaw revived the long-dormant Saw franchise last year and, frankly, the Billy puppet just always looked cool. As for Sam, Trick 'r Treat has truly gained cult status at this point and the bag-headed creepy figure is its calling card.
Currently, there is no word on how much these ornaments are going to cost. Nor is it clear when exactly they're going to go on sale, as the company hasn't even listed them on the site yet. It also hasn't been revealed if there will be additional characters, or if it will be limited to these four. Those interested in getting their hands on one, or all of them, should keep on an eye out on TrickOrTreatStudios.com. Be sure to check out photos of the new horror Christmas ornaments below.


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RBI to launch first pilot for retail digital rupee on December 1; SBI, ICICI Bank and six other banks identified for participation
The Reserve Bank of India will launch the first pilot for retail digital Rupee (e₹-R) on December 01, 2022, it said on Tuesday. The pilot would cover select locations in closed user group (CUG) comprising participating customers and merchants. The e₹-R would be in the form of a digital token that represents legal tender. It would be issued in the same denominations that paper currency and coins are currently issued.


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Of all the new home consoles on the market, the Xbox One is arguably the most forward facing but, according to Microsoft Studios’ Phil Spencer, it could have been dramatically more forward facing. He is claiming that Microsoft came very close to creating a digital only Xbox One, before backlash against Microsoft’s DRM forced changes.
“There was a real discussion,” said Spencer, “about whether we should have an optical disc drive in Xbox One or if we could get away with a purely disc-less console…”
Bandwidth issues in addition to the sheer size of modern AAA video games put the kibosh on that idea for now, but Spencer admits that the extreme negative reaction to an ‘always-online’ Xbox One played a large part in the decision to stick with discs for the foreseeable future.
“So we decided – which I think was the right decision – to go with the Blu-ray drive and give the people an easy way to install a lot of content,” explained Spencer. “From some of those original thoughts, you saw a lot of us really focusing on the digital ecosystem you see on other devices – thinking of and building around that.”
This confirms for me that, in terms of how content is delivered to us, both the Xbox One and the PS4 are really transition consoles. Throughout the course of this current generation I expect more and more consumers to access content digitally. In fact, I expect that these consoles will be the last home consoles that use disc-based content.


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Twice now, my business partner and I have watched Rishi Sunak, knowing the fate of our business rested in his hands. Where furlough brought tears of relief, last week was accompanied by a slowly mounting flux of dread, anger and disappointment.
We run a group of house-party themed bars in London called the Little Door & Co. We started six years ago with a tiny budget and, in March, we were on the brink of opening our third site. This week, we are fighting to keep our venues open and to keep jobs for our team – people who aren’t just our employees, but our family and our friends – people who have built a business with us from the smallest of foundations.
The odds are stacked against late-night operators
Companies fail in crises. But what needs to be brought to light is how skewed the odds are against bar businesses. The plight of hospitality, and its vast importance to our economy and cultural fabric, has been well covered during this pandemic. The media and government, however, have treated our industry with one brush. Hospitality is not a blanket term. Bars are different from other businesses – and we have been hit much harder.
The most recent support from the chancellor is a drop in the ocean of what is needed. Frankly, it’s insulting to even label it as help.
There is the simple, damning maths of how the restrictions affect us. More than 60 per cent of our sales happen after 10pm and with no breakfast or lunch trade.
Whereas a restaurant can operate with 70-80 per cent of its usual covers (the industry term for individual diners or customers), under social distancing, bars work to standing capacity; one of our venues has a capacity of 240 and we can barely manage 80 covers. Our bread and butter is large group celebrations. To rub salt into these wounds, typically more than 40 per cent of our annual profit comes from Christmas parties.
The ‘viable business’ idea is flawed
And then there is the Government support! The VAT cuts only apply to food – when more than 80 per cent of our sales come from drinks. Eat Out to Help Out negatively impacted us, changing people’s social patterns and reducing weekend revenue. The new job retention scheme barely makes sense for salaried staff, let alone part-timers who make up the majority of our team – and will be most exposed without income. And, less than a month ago, the Government urged us to start investing in a future that has been cut dead in its tracks.
The chancellor said his scheme was designed to support only “viable” businesses – but if we aren’t considered a viable business, then who is? Our revenues have grown extensively year on year. We have risen from nothing to employ almost 70 people. We are lucky to be well funded by supportive investors.
The simple truth is if we are facing our darkest hours, it’s not one or two of your favourite bars that will shut, it will be an entire sector wiped out – and the late night economy, the life blood of our vibrant cities, brought to its knees.
Jamie Hazeel is the managing director of Little Door & Co


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Ford?s Ranger compact pickup has been in the lineup since 1993 and represents the best-selling line of compact pickups in...
Taste, as they say, is subjective.
Read This Article
Reporter's Notebook is our live-coverage of what's happening on the show floor.
Flying cars and a Mustang Shelby GT500 Shooting Brake, now we've seen it all.
You can't talk on your cell phone in California—home of the wildly popular game "Bluetooth?


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Someone anonymous (naturally), asked me how a newbie might go about buying something from a darknet market like Agora, Evolution, the Middle Earth Market. Thedark web economy has a huge impact on phishing. New tools coming on the market can influence the scope and style of phishing attacks. The darknet market has set a new revenue record in 2022, bringing in a total revenue of darkweb market billion in cryptocurrency. Dream Market Shutting Down Come April 30, 2022, one of the Dark Web's top marketplaces will go dark according to a message on the site. The darkweb market. Treasury Department sanctioned the darkweb marketplace Hydra Market, the same day Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office. The notorious deep web marketplace known for facilitating the trade of illicit goods and services has been resurrected. The Dutch National Police took over a darknet market and is trying out a new strategy for deterring sellers and buyers of illegal goods.
Police Shut Down 'Hydra,' One of the Largest Dark Web Marketplaces. German authorities seized and shut down Hydra, a Russian-language darknet market, and seized. We monitor larger markets (with 100 or more listings) that are in Though not the first darknet market to operate, the Silk Road was by. Without darknet markets links, this blog is not complete, after brief introduction televend market of darkweb marketplace, you should know what major darknet stores you can. Report reveals a booming business for Dark Web vendors selling everything from emails to hacked crypto accounts. Empire Market is the biggest marketplace on the dark web in the Western Hemisphere and dominates the English-speaking market. It is popular due. The Fraud Related section of the Evolution Market before it vanished. Reachable only via the Tor network (darkweb market. the dark web or darknet). One of the largest darknet markets, White House, announced the market is retiring as the administrators say the team has reached its goal.
The appeal of televend market link the Dark Web lies largely in the anonymity it provides. This is why a majority of Dark Web marketplaces cater to illicit commerce. Demand for dark web data and televend market url services reached new peaks on cybercriminal marketplaces at year-end 2022, according to new Flashpoint. Last year, Hydra accounted for around 80 percent of all darknet market-related cryptocurrency transactions. It also received an estimated darkweb market. German authorities said Tuesday they seized 25 million worth of bitcoins while shutting down a darknet marketplace. A popular dark web marketplace for the sale of illicit goods is alleged to have stolen 30 million in customer funds in what is likely to be. From DIY fraud kits through to unlicensed gym candy, darknet markets are home to purveyors of all manner of illegal and semi-legal products. By A Bracci 2022 Cited by 18 Dark web marketplaces (DWMs) offer access to the shadow economy via specialized browsers, like Tor 13. DWMs offer a variety of goods including.
Police Shut Down darkweb market 'Hydra,' One of the Largest Dark Web Marketplaces. German authorities seized and shut down Hydra, a Russian-language darknet market, and seized. We monitor larger markets (with 100 or more listings) that are in Though not the first darknet market to operate, the Silk Road was by. By KH Kwon 2022 Cited by 6 Trade Collectives: An Exploration of Darkweb Market Subreddits in which illicit market users co-orient themselves to respond to a. Drugs are estimated to account for around two-thirds of darknet market activity. Dec 18, 2022 A darknet market is a commercial website on the dark web. AlphaBay, the largest criminal marketplace on the dark web, according to Europol, was the leading online market for illegal drugs. The drug trade has become increasingly deterritorialised thanks to a global network of dealers darkweb market and traffickers who have taken their activity. Dream Market Shutting Down Come April 30, 2022, one of the Dark Web's top marketplaces will go dark according to a message on the site.
Of the servers used to run Russian dark web marketplace Hydra. administered Hydra's servers, which allowed the market to operate as. Darknet markets are sites on the dark web where people can buy or sell illicit goods and services online. Transactions in darknet markets are. Drugs are estimated to account for around two-thirds of darknet market activity. Dec 18, 2022 A darknet market is a commercial website on the dark web. As Rutwij Kulkarni said above, there are numerous darknet markets that sell a variety of products, including drugs, guns, and fake documents. I've updated this. A popular dark web marketplace for the sale of illicit goods is alleged to have stolen 30 million in customer funds in what is likely to be. Recently dark web marketplace made an abrupt exit after being subject to a heavy DDoS attack campaign, and extortion attempts. Anybody can simply buy them for around 5000 USD on darknet markets. More information about CutletMaker ATM malware is available to customers.
Empire Market Darknet
Praise: "Frase injects a sorely needed dose of reality to the conversation, and darkweb market the result is invigorating. The records of nearly half a million payment cards of Indian banks are being sold for $9 apiece on the Joker's Stash, one of the most popular underground card shops, Singapore-based cybersecurity company Group-IB has warned. Televend systems work to provide automated alerts and messages to both users and vendors. If you must, use a virtual machine to do so, as this will isolate the file form the rest of your OS. Active since 2003, we are more than just another hacker wargames site. In its first version using django for administration and creation of dashboards, there was a great difficulty in its use. Money: Specify the repayment currency you’d want to pay with. Redditor claims to have been a customer of NOD, among other sellers, and to have been searched, arrested & charged on 2013-10-08, with (apparently) another pseudonymous Redditor reporting state charges & posting his indictment. This will ensure that the window color (or the title bar) blends well with the in-app dark color. Powered by Seos technology, the HID Mobile Access solution delivers a more secure and convenient way to open doors and gates, access networks and services, and make cashless payments using phones and other mobile devices. An Australian citizen is being investigated after German prosecutors took down what they say is the world’s largest illegal marketplace on the dark web.


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Hirsch Springfield Park recently carried out a massive renovation on their SMEG stand, and to relaunch the stand they are holding a Bunny Chow Competition in partnership with The Weekly Gazette.
Saturday, 7 November at 12:00, will see three contestants battling it out for the title “Hirsch Springfield Park Bunny Chow Champion 2015”. Commenting on the competition, Hirsch’s Springfield Park PR and Marketing Officer, Bianca Hauser said “Each contestant will have one hour to cook, and will have to prepare a mouth watering and inovative Bunny Chow for three judges. Judging the competition is SMEG’s KZN Regional Manager, Andrew Lawrence, Hirsch CEO, Allan Hirsch and Masterchef South Africa’s Joan Mitchell.”
Commented Joanni “I am looking forward to seeing what the finalists will prepare and think this is a wonderful initiative on behalf of Hirsch’s and SMEG to show off their amazing new SMEG stand”
Hirsch’s and SMEG are inviting the community to support the finalist, and enjoy the day with some great specials on SMEG and other brands instore.
For more information on the weekend, contact Bianca on 031 242 2600 or email@example.com


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Ayra Starr, a well-known Nigerian musician, received numerous comments from fans after posting a recent video of her bedroom.
The Mavin sensation took to TikTok, sharing details about her dress and showing off the serene outdoor scene at her current location. She casually mentioned that she is currently enjoying a 5-day holiday break.
In the video, Ayra Starr displays her bedroom while dressed in her usual stylish attire.
She quickly takes fans on a fashion tour, showcasing the designers behind each piece of clothing she wore.
What sparked discussion was when she lifted her top to reveal and discuss her bra-like knickers combination, which accentuated her curves.
Ayra Starr, a well-known Nigerian musician, drew a flurry of comments from fans with her recent bedroom video.
Fans who saw her TikTok video on Instagram couldn’t stop themselves from commenting on her bedroom reveal, resulting in a whirlwind of thoughts and reactions.


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India's Modi urges democracies cooperate to make cryptocurrencies safe
Information about India's Modi urges democracies cooperate to make cryptocurrencies safe
By Rupam Jain
MUMBAI (Reuters) -Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged cooperation between the world’s democracies to ensure cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin do not “end up in the wrong hands”, delivering the comments while his government drew up new rules for digital currencies.
Modi did not elaborate on those fears in his speech delivered virtually to the Sydney Dialogue, a forum focused on emerging, critical and cyber technologies.
But authorities in India and elsewhere have flagged the dangers of cryptocurrencies being used by terrorist groups and organised crime, and the destabilising risk they posed to national economies.
After extolling the opportunities presented by cyber age technology, Modi sound a note of caution regarding digital currencies.
“Take cryptocurrency or Bitcoin, for example. It …


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Some pet owners will tell you the worst part about a vacation is missing Fido or Fluffy back home.
Well, now there's a product for them. Two, in fact. And a Twin Cities company is marking its territory in what smells like a potential patent infringement case.
Burnsville-based Anser Innovation has been working for years on PetChatz, a wall-mounted system that includes a camera, speaker, microphone, and even a treat dispenser, all of which are operated remotely.
It's a little like setting up a Skype session with your pet, City Pages says. PetChatz illustrates how it works with a video:
Nick Halter of the Business Journal discussed it with FOX 9.
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An interesting twist in the rollout was reported by the Pioneer Press, which says a Silicon Valley company called PetziConnect is selling its own lower-priced alternative to PetChatz.
A PetChatz unit sells for $350 while PetziConnect, which has no screen for the pet to see the owner, sells in the $170 to $190 range, the Pioneer Press says.
Securing the patents for the two-way communication technology at the heart of PetChatz has been a focus for Anser Innovation. The company's founder, Lisa Lavin, tells the Pioneer Press Anser is not pursuing any legal action at the moment, but she promised that "we will be protecting our intellectual property."


text: The Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce has announced the formation of an alliance with CMG Asia Life Assurance to offer Mandatory Provident Fund (MPF) services to its 4,000 corporate members. This is the first time a business association has linked with an insurance company to offer provident fund business. In addition, the chamber and CMG Asia have submitted an application to the Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority for approval of their Chamber CMG MPF product. Sales could begin in February if approval is given. 'There is a real need among our members for MPF solutions,' chamber chairman Tung Chee-chen said. 'And they have indicated they would like the chamber to further respond to their needs. 'The alliance with CMG Asia, which would provide one-stop MPF services, would offer professional services to our members.' Mr Tung said the chamber would not force members to buy its product, and they were free to choose other providers. Non-chamber companies could also buy the product, he said. Chamber director Eden Woon Yi-teng said 75 per cent of members were small and medium-sized enterprises which would be most affected by next year's launch of the proposed fund plan. The plan requires the 300,000 companies which do not have a pension scheme to set up a fund plan for their staff. Under the alliance, CMG Asia would be the trustee, administrator and investment manager of the fund product. It would also provide a telephone hotline for chamber members on fund-related information. CMG Asia managing director Gary Bennett said the alliance would provide many opportunities for fund business. It would also help ensure that CMG Asia achieved its target of securing 20 per cent market share in fund provision, he said. Formed in 1861, the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce is the largest and oldest business organisation in the SAR. Its 4,000 member companies have a combined 1.5 million employees.


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When the iPhone was introduced in January of 2007, it caught the mobile phone industry flat-footed. The hardware on the market was archaic compared to the iPhone and the operating systems running on them were years behind Apples iPhone OS.
Even prior to the release of the iPhone , Google saw an opportunity to massively increase the amount of eyeballs seeing its mobile ads in a project called Android. Android, a linux-based mobile OS that had been purchased by Google in 2005, was quickly polished up, priced irresistibly and offered as a lifeline to manufacturers floundering for an option.
Thus, Apple’s biggest current mobile competitor was born. But, even though Android was far beyond where most mobile operating systems were in 2007, it was still well behind Apple’s iPhone OS. This put the pressure on for Google to increase the speed of its development and to improve its capabilities to offer a viable alternative.
But the way in which Google managed to take Android from an unreleased experiment to a shipping product so quickly may now be coming back to bite them on the proverbial butt and, in the end, may cost more than the billions it has spent or lost making Android the ubiquitous mobile platform it is today.
Hunter to hunted
Google has come a long way since it began its life as a company producing a search tool and that has never been more evident than it has after the events of this week. The company whose public motto was once ‘don’t be evil’ has demonstrated that its internal policy may have been more along the lines of ‘whatever it takes’.
This week, Google’s SVP David Drummond posted a treatise on the company’s official blog effectively accusing Apple, Microsoft and Oracle of trying to strangle the innovation of Android with patents. In doing so, Drummond set off a flurry of discussion about the validity of software patents and how the whole system is broken. That very well may be true, but unfortunately, it’s the system that we have, and Google has grown to be one of the biggest companies in tech while leveraging that very same system.
That’s why it’s unsurprising that Microsoft immediately shot back with a rebuttal to Drummond over his claims that Microsoft and Apple had conspired to deprive Google of the trove of Novell patents won by the companies, along with a group of other buyers. Microsoft’s head of legal counsel Frank Shaw apparently took umbrage with this accusation and produced a letter showing that Google was in fact invited to participate as a member of Microsoft’s group, but rejected the offer. Shaw’s explanation of why Google didn’t participate? “Because they [Google] wanted to buy something that they could assert against someone else.”
Google is in effect playing the victim here by decrying the acquisitions of patents from Nortel and Novell by big meanie consortiums made up of Microsoft, Apple and other players in the telecommunication industries. This is incredibly ironic considering that Google is itself the owner of thousands of technology patents, some of them for products created in-house to be sure, but many of them purchased in previous auctions.
In the case of the Novell auctions, Google had a very simple reason for not participating in a joint bid. They were not interested in an even playing field, only one where they had an advantage. If Google was not able to purchase the patents on its own to use as leverage against other companies, then it figured it was not worth it.
You would think that Google couldn’t get any more blatant about its desire for dominance and its disregard for what actually constitutes competition and parity, but this week, Drummond’s complaints about ‘hostile’ patent attacks were made even more ironic by two internal Google communications that reveal just how willing it was to disregard other companies patents while establishing Android’s market dominance.
Letters of note
The two communications that have surfaced this week came about 5 years apart, one in October of 2005, before Android was publicly released, and one from the summer of 2010.
In the first, an email from Android’s head Andy Rubin, Rubin is commenting on the fact that it may not be able to obtain licensing to use code from Sun’s Java platform.
If Sun doesn’t want to work with us, we have two options: 1) Abandon our work and adopt MSFT CLR VM and C# language – or – 2) Do Java anyway and defend our decision, perhaps making enemies along the way
In the end, Rubin and co decided to proceed with Java because it would have taken a prohibitively long time for them to re-write the Java segments of Android using C and .NET technologies. When Oracle subsequently acquired Sun, it also got the Java language and that is where the suit that Oracle is now pursuing against Google came from.
Oracle is pursuing Google for its unlicensed use of Java in both the Android mobile OS and its desktop replacement Chrome OS. Something that never would have happened if Google hadn’t been pursuing such an aggressive timeline with Android.
The second email was written by Tim Lindholm, a Google engineer and former Sun employee, in August 2010.
What we’ve actually been asked to do (by Larry [Page] and Sergey [Brin]) is to investigate what technical alternatives exist to Java for Android and Chrome. We’ve been over a bunch of these, and think they all suck. We conclude that we need to negotiate a license for Java under the terms we need.
Subsequent to its initial inability to gain a license for Java, Google decided to follow Rubin’s second plan of action and just go ahead with it anyway and deal with the consequences later. In the end, Java became such a big part of the Android OS that it was impossible to keep up with the release schedule and demands for new versions of the OS as well as go back and rewrite all of the segments of Android that required Java.
Google had several more chances over the years to reach an agreement with Sun for Java, but each time Google felt that the offer was too costly, or Sun feared the impact of licensing Java to Google on the other deals that it already had in place.
If you’re interested in a great dissection of how these two emails might affect the Oracle vs. Google case, definitely check out Florian Mueller’s post at FOSS Patents.
In the end, Google’s desire to hasten the production of Android and to spur its enormous growth to even greater heights caused them to look for ways to take shortcuts. Once the project was established and they found that they couldn’t get the licensing they needed, it looks as if they just willfully infringed on Sun’s (now Oracle’s) patents on Java.
This, folks, is what we call irony.
The sincerest form of flattery
Google’s CEO Eric Schmidt joined Apple’s board of directors in November of 2006. At the time, Android was still very much a twinkle in Google’s eye and the iPhone was being prepared for its January 2007 debut. Behind the scenes, Apple and Google were working together to integrate Google’s search, maps and YouTube products into the fabric of the iPhone. Then, in November of 2007, Google announced its Android project publicly as a platform that other phones would run on.
As you can see in the video above, early Android devices looked nothing like the iPhone and instead were reflections of where the world’s other manufacturers of smartphones were in terms of design thought at the time. That hideous mutant-BlackBerry-looking Android device never actually made it into production. Google announced the first Android device, the distinctly different touch-screen T-Mobile G1 manufactured by HTC, in September of 2008.
Just over a year later, in August of 2009, Eric Schmidt and Apple parted ways. The reasons for Schmidt leaving were explained by an Apple statement that Google and Apple were just too much in competition in the mobile space as well as the desktop space now that Google had entered the market with Chrome OS.
In his book In The Plex, author Steven Levy attributes the split to the animosity felt by Steve Jobs after he witnessed very distinctly iPhone features like ‘pinch-to-zoom’ being demonstrated on Android devices at Google’s headquarters. Although Schmidt stayed on for a year after Android first arrived on a phone, he was left more and more consistently out of the loop and was not privy to Apple’s plans for the iPad at all, reportedly at Jobs’ insistence.
Pinch-to-zoom was actually not present in the T-Mobile G1, although Android was indubitably capable of multitouch as it appeared on the Motorola Droid the very next year.
The damage was done, although we may have yet to see the end of it. Apple began making small moves, like mapping company Placebase, ditching Skyhook and Google for location data and preparing a traffic service of its own, that are preparing it to divest itself of much of Google’s presence on the iPhone via its Maps product.
The real cost for Google
Google stands to lose money in the billions if the patent suit brought against them by Oracle goes in the wrong direction. This alone would be bad enough, but Google has cash, they can pay out and move on if they need to. The impact of a ruling against them in the Oracle suit has a longer shadow than just a settlement.
In addition to Oracle, Android is also under attach either directly or indirectly by suits brought against manufacturers like HTC and Samsung by Apple. Although Apple is ostensibly going after those makers for copying the design of the iPhone, there are components of the suits that implicate the Android OS just as much as the hardware itself. This could in effect have the ability to block Android hardware from being sold in the US, and, if Apple was so inclined, force Google to pay its primary rival a licensing fee for every copy of Android shipped, as it currently does with Microsoft.
Google makes money from ads, not Android. But every pair of eyeballs that are landing on an Android device is potential revenue that comes in. The question is whether or not the revenue from those devices, estimated to hover around $150m/yr, will be enough to offset the fact that Google makes nothing on licensing Android, which it gives away, and next to nothing on Android apps like Gmail, which it forces Android licensers to install on their devices.
If things don’t go Google’s way in the patent courts over the next 18 months or so, they could be looking at a situation where they’re paying out hundreds of millions of dollars a year just to be able to give Android away for free. No matter how much money Google makes elsewhere, that can’t seem like a good business plan.
In the end though, it’s Google’s partnerships like the one it has with Apple that may end up being the most painful cost of all when it comes to the price of its success. Google makes an incredible amount of money serving ads to desktop users, but the mobile market is growing by leaps and bounds and will at some point surpass even laptops as the platform of choice for computing on the go. Android has enjoyed incredible success so far, but its survival is by no means assured, especially if Google’s early indiscretions in its development come back to haunt it.
Google stands to lose billions of dollars in direct costs, but the long-term costs of Google becoming persona non-grata to Microsoft, Apple, Oracle and any other potential partner in the mobile space may end up being the harshest loss of all. Google had better hope that its gambles with Android’s future pay off, because that may soon be the only platform that you see with a Google product on it.


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According to the EPA, Intel acquired 2,502,052,000 kWh from solar and wind energy sources. The company said that those 2.5 billion kWh are the equivalent of equivalent environmental impact of taking more than 340,000 passenger cars off the road each year, or avoiding the amount of electricity needed to power more than 215,000 average American homes annually.
Following Intel in the ranking are Kohl's Department Stores (1,524,656,000 kWh), Walmart (872,382,088 kWh), Whole Foods Market (800,257,623 kWh), and Johnson & Johnson (553,565,521 kWh).
The tech sector has slipped in the ranking as Cisco is the second IT company only at rank #15 (268,644,637 kWh), Sprint at #26 (176,000,000 kWh), Dell at #43 (114,536,440 kWh) and Google at #47 (103,403,137 kWh). However, these numbers only tell half the story, as Intel's huge purchase covers only 88 percent of the company's energy use. while Kohl's covers 100% and Whole Foods even 106 percent, while Walmart is at just 28 percent.
Cisco's green energy coverage is 27 percent, Sprint is at 5 percent, Dell at 28 percent, and Google at 5 percent.
Intel has been ranked by the EPA as the largest green energy buyer since 2008, when the company reported purchases of 1,302,040,000 kWh and 46 percent coverage of its total energy use.


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"We have quality used books, movies, music, video games and we carry a wide variety (of merchandise)," said owner Michael Hughes. "Our books are (from) good condition to like new. We carry some new books too."
The bookstore offers everything including fiction, general history, Colorado history, Christian books, home repair, crafts, rare and collectible books, as well as books written by local authors. The store also carries handcrafted furniture and items, candle holders, candles and more.
Hughes said he decided to move downtown for three reasons; one, to feel like part of the community. The second and third reasons are because most of the customers told him they wished he was downtown and because customers said they meant to stop at the bookstore, but were headed out of town as they drove by the store.
Originally, he began selling books online, but when he collected numerous books, he said he needed another outlet.
"I felt like I wanted to get more involved with people instead of sitting in a room doing Internet stuff," Hughes said.
That's when he opened the storefront on the highway for about 15 months before moving it to the downtown area.
House of Deals is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.


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July 20, 2020
The Czech Republic is slowly opening foreign travel based on classifying countries on their coronavirus risk. After months tourists can now enjoy the freedom they missed during the global pandemic as they get ready to travel to Prague.
June 12, 2020
The ongoing pandemic has disrupted travel across Europe. The measures taken by governments all over the continent almost universally included the closure of borders - only locals could enter the countries, and foreigners were only allowed in if it was an essential business.
June 08, 2020
The jewel of the Czech Republic, Prague is a vibrant city that’s jam-packed with cultural attractions and world-class restaurants — but the experience is definitely dampened if you’re weighed down with a bunch of luggage.
May 28, 2020
Prague is one of the liveliest tourist destinations offering a vibrant nightlife, historical landmarks. Czech Republic is slowly easing up on the lockdown measures imposed due to the pandemic outbreak of COVID-19. Outdoor activities have started resuming albeit gradually. However, many people are still unsure of what exactly to do within the ambit of lockdown rules. Here are a few safe things to do.


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To celebrate the opening of their first Japanese boutique, Acne is set to release a 100% Swedish scarf exclusively available in their new shop. Illustrated with emblematic Stockholm images, the scarf brings “a touch of Nordic style to Japan”.
On Thursday December 13, Acne opened its first Japanese boutique in the ultra-hip Aoyama area of Tokyo. To celebrate the new shop, Jonny Johansson the brand’s founder and creative director has designed a patriotic scarf, announcing he wants to bring “a touch of Swedish style to Japan”. English artist, Benjamin Seidler illustrated the most well-known icons of Stockholm for the scarf, including actress Greta Garbo’s face (born in Stockholm in 1905), sculptor Carl Miles’ God’s Hands, the capital’s city hall built in the 1920s and the Lilla Nygatan 23 building where Acne’s headquarters are located. In pastels, the silk scarf will be sold in the Japanese Acne boutique as well as online.


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New Holland celebrates 20th Anniversary of CX Flagship combine
- The most awarded conventional combine in the world with 33 awards won and more than 20,000 machines sold since it was first launched in 2002
- A strong heritage of productivity-boosting features such as the award-winning Ultra-Flow™ staggered drum
- Now available with the brand-new FD2 Flex Draper® header, the first offering from New Holland’s partnership with MacDon Industries .
New Holland is celebrating the 20th Anniversary of its CX flagship range that has defined super conventional combine harvesting. Since its launch, it has constantly raised the bar on capacity, flexibility and harvest quality. A true technology leader, the CX has pushed the boundaries of innovation, collecting 33 prestigious awards during its long career. The more than 20,000 units sold across the world testify to a success that continues to this day. The CX combine is on display on New Holland’s stand at the SIMA exhibition in a special livery commemorating this important milestone.
Lars Sorensen, New Holland Global Product Combine Leader, said: “When we launched the CX, back in 2002, it made a huge impression on first sight with its curvy lines breaking tradition with the boxy shape of combine harvesters of the time. It was a fitting start for a combine range that would go on to introduce countless ground breaking innovations and become the most awarded strawwalker combine in the world.”
A history of groundbreaking innovations built on a strong heritage
The CX combine flagship range was born of the strong legacy of New Holland’s harvesting excellence, which includes groundbreaking features such as the brand’s rotary separator introduced in 1972, the integrated armrest since 1993 and the biggest threshing drum in the industry, with a 750mm diameter, launched in 2001.
The 20-year history of the CX is punctuated by the industry’s most prestigious accolades, including the Machine of the Year title at the Agritechnica and SIMA Innovation Awards. It was the first to be designed for precision farming, and in the last 10 years alone, its productivity has increased by 17% and its excellent crop-to-crop versatility have been further improved.
The CX range never stopped innovating, and in 2020 it launched on the market the Ultra-Flow™ staggered drum – the first new drum concept in the industry since the launch of self-propelled combines in 1952. This unique threshing drum design, which uses 16% less total threshing power, reducing fuel consumption and increasing the combine’s capacity by up to 15%, was awarded the Silver Medal at the Agritechnica Innovation Awards 2019. The CX is a true technology leader, with advanced solutions such as the Nutrisense nutrient analysis technology that helps farmers make informed decisions to market their crops more profitably – adding a Silver Medal from the SIMA Innovation Awards 2021 to its crowded award cabinet.
Today the CX combine remains at the top of its game, offering customers the industry-leading Opti-Speed™ auto-adaptive variable speed strawwalkers, SmartTrax™, Opti-Fan™, Opti-Clean™ and Opti-Spread™ technologies, the best-in-class comfort of its Harvest Suite™ Ultra Cab, the power and fuel efficiency of the HI-eSCR ECOBLUE 2.0™ FPT engine. The benefits: outstanding capacity, superior harvest quality, lower operating costs and absolute driving pleasure.
New FD2 FlexDraper® delivers high capacity and speed
The CX is now available with the brand-new FD2 Flex Draper, the first offering from New Holland’s partnership with MacDon Industries that features a unique float response, more header flex and ultimate cutting capacity to deliver a superior harvesting experience. Designed with the objective to make harvest easier, the FD2 Flex Draper takes the stress off operators by integrating easy set-up and operation.
The FD2 Flex Draper utilizes the MacDon Active Float System which ensures the float response navigates over ground fluctuations with up to 70% more flex. The MacDon ClearCut™ High-Speed Cutting System provides customers the torque and durability to power through the most challenging cutting conditions. The MacDon Active Crop Flow featured as part of the FD2 Flex Draper provides head-first delivery of crops along the side drapers toward the FeedMax™ Crop Feeding System to ensure efficient feeding and improved threshing performance.
New Holland’s partnership with MacDon Industries, announced in 2021, began over a shared interest in creating harvesting equipment to help farmers increase in-field performance and decrease running costs. This is the first step in the partnership, and the two brands will continue to work together to develop best-in-class harvesting products.
Joost Vannieuwenborgh, New Holland Business Product Line Manager Combines said: “The CX Series is the latest generation in a long line of high performing conventional combines which began in 2001 with the launch of the first CX models and has been characterized by constant innovation. The new CX Series remains true to this heritage; it is the highest capacity conventional combine in the world, featuring the best of New Holland’s technologies.”