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Pledge launches platform for non-profits to accept crypto donations
Fundraising platform Pledge has started allowing non-profit organisations to accept donations in cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Tether. It also allows the instant conversation of crypto to a fiat currency. Entities can start accepting crypto donations in minutes, with no technical experience, crypto wallet, or KYC required.
Crypto prices today: Bitcoin, ETH falls 5%
Bitcoin is currently trading at $40,151.3, a 5.12% decline over the previous day. Ethereum is down 5% over the last 24 hours to $3,020.11. Solana fell 7.64% to $102.73, while Cardano is trading lower by 6.42% at $0.952. Avalanche (AVAX) fell 3.6% to $77.818. The global crypto market cap stands at $1.86 trillion, a 4.65% decline over the previous day.
CoinSwitch disables all crypto purchase options on app
CoinSwitch Kuber has disabled all modes of payments for purchasing crypto purchases on its platform, including bank transfers. This move will have a significant impact on the platform’s trading volumes which saw over 14 million users in 2021. Two days earlier, Coinbase had to disable the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), which was the only crypto purchase option on its platform.
Coinbase to produce Bored Ape Yacht Club animated short films
The Bored Ape Yacht Club plans to officially expand into the entertainment world. It will create a series of animated short films produced by Coinbase, entitled “The Degen Trilogy.” The films will feature characters based on the Bored Ape Yacht Club, a collection of 10,000 disinterested-looking ape NFTs.
Uniswap Labs forms Crypto Ventures Wing
Uniswap Labs, the company behind Ethereum-based decentralized exchange, has launched a venture wing to invest in projects across Web3. It has previously invested in 11 crypto projects, including Aave, Compound Protocol, and MakerDAO. The venture unit’s focus will range from infrastructure to developer tools and consumer-facing applications.


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The notorious Kim Kardashian/Ray J celebrity sex video is about to make online history. On Feb. 28, All Adult Channel will premiere Vivid Entertainment's Kim Kardashian Superstar as an exclusive download-to-burn purchase at www.alladultchannel.com/kimk.
"This is the first time that any adult title has been made available for instant download-to-burn on the same day and date as the DVD release," All Adult Channel's director of marketing and merchandising Lawrence Novitch said in an exclusive interview with AVN. "It's a landmark moment, and we're tremendously excited to be part of it. Adult download-to-burn sales have been doing well, all things considered, but Kim Kardashian Superstar is by far the most high-profile release ever to premiere in this format. It's going to be an explosive event."
All Adult Channel's download-to-burn service uses exclusively-licensed software called FluxDVD, which compresses and then decompresses the digital video signal while the file downloads. This process translates to a markedly faster download time.
"Our burn process is very unique," Novitch said. "On other sites, it might take eight to fifteen hours to download the whole file. The difference here is that with a fast connection, you get an exact replica of the DVD in less than two hours. Once you download that [FluxDVD] software you can immediately buy the title, and it will automatically download and burn simultaneously. That's the beauty of this program."
Through its partnership with All Adult Channel, Vivid began offering download-to-burn adult movies in May 2006. The service represents a significant step in bridging the gap between the PC and television, allowing consumers to burn movies to DVD from downloadable internet files. While Hollywood has been reluctant to embrace the technology for fear of hurting DVD sales, major studios including MGM, Sony and Universal have since followed Vivid into the download-to-burn market.
"We have a great relationship with the people at All Adult Channel and its parent company Cinema Now, and they are the ones who initially licensed the technology," Vivid co-chairman Steven Hirsch told AVN. "The Hollywood studios weren't comfortable with the burn solution, at least initially; we always look at new technologies and want to be the first guys out there giving it a chance. We jumped on [download-to-burn] pretty quick, and subsequently, the Hollywood studios have come around and are starting to give them more movies."
The Fast and the Furious: Toyko Drift became the first mainstream day-and-date release for DVD and download-to-burn via Cinema Now's service. "The Fast and Furious day-and-date was a huge hurdle," Hirsch said. "With the Kim video, we want to emphasize that the price is the same for download-to-burn as it is for retail DVD. All Adult Channel is not undercutting the suggested retail price of $39.95."
"Until the DVD is no longer needed and you have Internet Protocol Television (IPTV), the perfect solution is what we have right now," Novitch told AVN. "Basically, you can download the movie, burn it to DVD, walk over to your television and watch it."
All Adult Channel currently offers 278 hardcore movies for download-to-burn purchase, including titles from Vivid, Red Light District, Elegant Angel and New Sensations. Vivid's Ancient Secrets of the Kama Sutra has scored the highest number of downloads to date, though sales for the nascent medium remain modest.
"I think it takes time with a new technology for people to become comfortable with it and use it on a regular basis," Vivid co-chairman Steven Hirsch told AVN. "It'll be interesting to see what happens with the Kim Kardashian title. We look forward to this day and date test, but we want to make it clear they will not be undercutting the suggested retail price."
According to Vivid's national sales manager Howard Levine, a staggering 800,000 internet users have opted in to view a Kim Kardashian Superstar trailer since the company launched its site www.kimksuperstar.com on Feb. 7. The site is currently ranked by Alexa.com at 4,528.
"This is unbelievably huge," Levine told AVN. "Nobody will be disappointed by this video; they're going to watch it over and over again. Unlike the Paris Hilton tape, this one is crystal-clear and really well lit – and the sex is off the hook."
With the release of Kim Kardashian Superstar less than two weeks away, the question is: how will download-to-burn revenues compare to standard DVD sales?
"That's an excellent question, and we're going to be looking at it closely," Novitch replied. "As people get more inclined toward looking at clips on the internet, my feeling is that it's just going to blow up."
Look for more exclusive AVN.com coverage of this story in the days ahead.

domain: news


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Another Google product is being sunsetted, with the simple version of its Gmail service set for retirement in early 2024
Alphabet’s Google has confirmed that the basic HTML version of the Gmail service will be axed in 2024.
Google announced in a support document that the stripped down version of Gmail will be switched off in January 2024. People still using the basic version will be switched to the ‘Standard’ Gmail interface that is used by most people.
Gmail’s basic HTML version was designed so it could be loaded more quickly than the much more modern ‘Standard’ version of Gmail, that offers additional features such as a spellchecker, chat, importing of contacts, keyboard shortcuts, and support for rich text format etc.
Basic HTML Gmail
Besides faster loading, the basic or stripped-down HTML version of Gmail was also suitable for outdated PCs, laptops and mobile phones that utilise slower internet connections.
For example, the basic HTML version of Gmail was a useful option for people utilising slow 3G connections.
3G mobile networks of course are being switched off in many countries at the moment.
Earlier this month BT, the owner of the EE mobile division, announced it will commence a nationwide 3G switch off in January 2024 and plans to complete the process by March 2024.
The basic version of Gmail was also designed to run in legacy browsers.
Google of course has retired or sunsetted many products over the years.
In June 2022 it announced that its messaging service, Google Hangouts would be sunsetted later in 2022.
Prior to that in February 2022 it was announced that Google Currents (formerly known as Google+) was to wound down, with Spaces taking its place.
Google has shut down products such as its RSS reader, Wave, and other projects such as Google Code.
More recently Google retired its Pixel Pass phone upgrade program and Nest Secure.


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China, the world's largest industrial robot market for the second year running in 2014, aims to become one of the leading manufacturers of the machines by 2030, trade delegates were told on Thursday.
The goal was set out at the annual meeting of the China Robot Industry Alliance in Yongchuan, Chongqing.
Last year, 57,000 such machines－a quarter of the robots made around the globe－were sold in China, a 55 per cent increase from the previous year.
South Korea, Japan, the United States and Germany were the other major markets last year, according to the International Federation of Robotics.
Demand for robots in China has been increasing at an annual rate of 58.9 per cent since 2009 because of rising labour costs and a shortage of workers, and the country became the world's top buyer in 2013 with orders for 37,000.
Foreign companies dominate the Chinese market and sold 40,000 industrial robots last year, about 70 per cent of total sales.
Domestic manufacturers have been catching up rapidly since 2005 as more than 700 companies have entered the field. It is estimated that the number will reach 1,000 this year.
In the past two years, Chongqing's Yongchuan district has attracted 65 robot makers to its Phoenix Lake Industrial Park, and it plans to have 200 robot companies by 2020.
"Both Chongqing and Chengdu in Sichuan province are major manufacturing bases and they will have a very strong need for robots," said He Minjia, president of Guangzhou CNC Equipment, one of the groups that has set up a company in Yongchuan. "We see a huge potential here."
Industrial robot manufacturing is one of 10 key sectors that will benefit first from the newly released national plan called Made in China 2025.
The plan, under the direct supervision of Premier Li Keqiang, is designed to make breakthroughs in bottleneck areas so that the country can play an even more important role in the global manufacturing chain.
Thanks to the national policy support and huge market potential, "we predict that China can become one of the strongest industrial robot makers by 2030", said Song Xiaodong, the industry alliance's secretary-general.By that time, the country will have a complete industrial chain and will be a world-leading research and development centre as well as a high-end manufacturing base for robot bodies and key components, he added.
In China, industrial robots are often used to move and load objects and for soldering, welding and assembling during the manufacture of electrical and electronic equipment and automobiles.
However, in 2013, there were only 3 robots for every 1,000 Chinese manufacturing workers, compared with the world average of 6.2.
Zhang Xiangmu, director of the equipment department at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said Chinese robot manufacturers cannot follow the same development paths as traditional equipment makers.
"We have time pressure as the foreign makers are occupying not only the high-end market but also the low-to-medium market," he said.
"Chinese companies must make some breakthroughs, otherwise we will always follow behind others."
Yao Zhiju, the alliance's deputy head, said the technical gap between China and the leading countries is not very large.
China started to build and use industrial robots in the late 1970s when the industry was just taking off globally, he said.
"But it was not good timing for the development of the industry, as the country still had a lot of cheap labour," Yao said. "China has fairly good research power in robot development."
The real gap exists in the areas of quality, reliability and accuracy, he added.
This year, the country will establish a national quality evaluation centre for industrial robots in an effort to improve the technical level.
"The sector is now very hot and we should be careful not to make it too hot," he added.


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Mercedes-Benz has ordered a recall of its A-Class vehicles, with owners unable to deactivate high beam lights after using the lever to switch them on.
The issue occurs when drivers turn on the high beam function using a manual stalk on the steering column, once activated; the high beams can no longer be turned off in the same manner with the stalk.
Mercedes-Benz has said that the high beams can only be switched off by turning the rotary light switch which controls all headlights on the car.
The concern is that drivers may not realise their high beams have stayed on, and could potentially dazzle the vision of other oncoming drivers.
MY2019 A-Class vehicles are affected, with the German manufacturer calling out 597 vehicles to be repaired.
Affected owners are urged to contact their local Mercedes-Benz dealership for a free software update to rectify the issue.
Find a full list of affected VIN numbers here.
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WatchPro recently announced its Watches of the Year 2012 – the 10 winning timepieces and 90 highly commended watches that we felt boasted commercial appeal, innovation and had wowed consumers and retailers alike over the past 12 months.
Now we are showcasing a watch a day that made the cut in 2012, continuing with our highly commended timepieces from the Fashion Watch of the Year category. Today we’re showcasing Holler, a new British-based brand that takes inspirations from old R’n’B and soul 12" record cover artwork.
Highly Commended Fashion Watch of the Year – Holler Crazies Womack
The Holler brand was created by an avid music fan who was inspired by old soul and urban record labels.
The Crazies collection, references the album covers of old soul and rhythm and blues 12” records, and these sizeable 52mm watches have become standouts among this year’s fashion watch offer, with quirky picture dials that reference black music legends such as Bobby Womack, Walter Jackson and Clarence Carter.
The timepieces are like nothing else on the market in the UK right now, and WatchPro has long been coveting the Womack watch with its quirky, clown-like dial design and playful use of colour, which contrasts its otherwise classic style.


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Austrac has opened a "enforcement inquiry" into Entain, citing anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorism funding (CTF) concerns, and has warned that it may examine other operators as well.
Austrac stated in a statement that the inquiry follows a "extensive supervisory effort" of Entain's actions. It will determine whether Entain has met its duties under Australia's AML/CTF Act.
According to Nicole Rose, CEO of Austrac, all businesses, including those in the gaming industry, must comply with AML and CTF rules in order to prevent serious criminality.
“Reporting entities have a responsibility to ensure they identify, assess and manage risks of money laundering and terrorism financing, develop adequate processes and devote the necessary resources to comply with their AML/CTF obligations,” said Rose.
Austrac also stated that the probe against Entain may lead to further inquiries into other Australian bookies.
It went on to say that it would be unable to comment further at this time.
Entain was fined £17.0m (€20.3m/$20.6m) by the GB Gambling Commission less than a month ago after the Commission discovered social responsibility and AML violations.
The total fine of £14.0m was levied on LC International Limited, the company that operates Entain's online gaming businesses, including Coral.co.uk and Foxybingo.com.
The remaining £3.0 million is related to Ladbroke's Betting & Gaming Limited, Entain's retail bookmaker business.
By fLEXI tEAM


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Karachi: Ahmed Ali Sirohey, the Deputy Ambassador of Pakistan at Nigeria stressed the importance of Nigeria as a big market for Pakistani Pharma Products. In the year 2012, approximately US$1.1 billion worth of medicines were imported by Nigeria, he informed while addressing a reception in honour of leading Nigerian Pharma industrialists led by Ahmed Ibrahim Yakasai which was hosted by Nadeem Chandna, Chairman South Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PPMA).
Sarohi emphasized that this was the right time for the Pakistani exporter to enter the Nigerian market as after two to three years later it would become very difficult as the local manufacturers’ establish themselves in the business. He informed that the present Director General of NAFDAC (The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control) was a Nigerian government agency under the Federal Ministry of Health that was responsible for regulating and controlling the manufacturer, importation, exportation, advertisement, distribution, sale and use of food, drugs, cosmetics, medical devices, chemicals and packaged water.
He explained further that the People of Nigeria rated Pakistani Pharma products equal to European Countries; even the Indian Doctors prefer to prescribe Pakistani medicines. He urged the audience to visit Nigeria and witness the magnitude of the opportunity awaiting them. He said that a large number of Indian and Chinese companies were doing business and now European companies had also stepped into the market.
He assured his assistance and services to Pakistani exporters. In reply to a suggestion to include PPMA Recommendation letter for getting visa, he replied that he would see the possibility of doing the needful and demanded PPMA to appoint a focal person for liaisons.
Ahmed Ibrahim Yakasai addressed the audience and invited Pakistani exporters to do business with Nigeria. He also invited Pakistani exporters to market their products in Nigeria. He expressed gratitude towards PPMA for providing the occasion to meet important personalities that would be helpful for strengthening the relation and business between Pakistan and Nigeria.
Nadeem Ahmed Chandna welcomed all guests and thanked them for their interest in Pakistani Pharma sector. Former Chairman PPMA Dr. Kaiser Waheed also spoke.


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By Daniel Hunter
Businesses in Greater Birmingham have called for urgent measures to bring down inflation, which has soared to 2.9% from 2.7% in the previous month.
Birmingham Chamber of Commerce Group (BCCG) said the increase was not a surprise. The expectation was that it would rise higher and was blamed largely on fuel costs. A rise in clothing and footwear costs are also to blame.
Steve Brittan, president of Birmingham Chamber, said: "Further stabilisation of the inflation rate is needed for businesses to build confidence.
"Runaway prices can stifle investment plans and the two per cent inflation target set by the Monetary Policy Committee is escaping us. Rising inflation, coupled with slow economic growth and high employment, is a deadly combination for business. Even minor price rises can harm business confidence."
Join us on


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3 Tech Titans Making Noise: Apple’s Supply Woes, BlackBerry’s New Z30, Microsoft’s Windows 8.1 Prices
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL): ”We will have grotesquely unavailable inventory,” one source told AllThingsD, regarding a huge shortage of iPhone 5S supply when the new phones hit stores Friday. Another source expects relatively low shipments, adding that demand could be less than expected thanks to interest in the 5C. If you’re waiting for the 5C — which took pre-orders — “supply there appears to be significantly better,” AllThingsD says.
BlackBerry (NASDAQ:BBRY): BlackBerry has launched the Z30, a 5-inch upgraded edition of the Z10, in Malaysia, one of its strongest markets. In addition to the larger screen, the Z30 will also boast a bigger battery and a 1.7 gigahertz processor. Sales in the U.K. and the Middle East are set to go live next week, although the company didn’t provide details about pricing and U.S. availability.
Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT): Though the updated version of Microsoft’s Windows 8 — Windows 8.1 — will address many issues over its predecessor, it’s pricing will remain largely unchanged. A basic version of the operating system will run around $120 and a Pro version for $200. Seeking Alpha points out that Microsoft – citing customer “feedback” — is providing a “full version” of Windows this time around, and not requiring that buyers have an older version installed. Windows 8 users get the upgrade for free.


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Samsung launches a dedicated 360-degree video Website to rival Facebook and YouTube
Now that Samsung has officially launched its 360-degree camera, it’s also launching a site where you can upload your videos.
The site is called Samsung VR, and replaces Milk VR which was limited to ‘influencers’ in the VR space. In opening Samsung VR up to the masses, the company clearly thinks it can corner an exciting new market.
Samsung is naturally limiting the app to its devices, but claims it now offers an ‘end to end’ solution for VR.


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Plastic straws are a major part of the problem and the MCS is campaigning for a reduction in single-use plastic and encouraging consumers to ‘refuse the straw’ and for businesses to stop handing them out.
The good news is that many leading bars and restaurants across the UK have already made a move against straws. For example, Wetherspoons has switched to paper straws and All Bar One has pledged to ban plastic straws in all its UK outlets.
The government is also implementing changes and, earlier this year, the Prime Minister launched the 25 Year Environment Plan, outlining steps for a cleaner, greener Britain – with avoidable plastic waste eliminated by the end of 2042.
The London Evening Standard also launched The Last Straw campaign which is appealing to all food and drink businesses across the capital to ban plastic straws or to plan to phase them out by the end of 2018.
Two billion plastic straws are used in London every year and, by taking the Last Straw Pledge, companies can play a significant role in tackling the city’s waste problem. The campaign was praised by Secretary of State for the Environment, Michael Gove as he announced that a UK-wide ban on plastic straws is soon set to be introduced.
Why ban plastic straws?
Plastic straws are not biodegradable and will remain in the environment for hundreds of years. The devastating consequences of plastic on the ecosystem have been widely documented. Sea turtles and other marine life often mistake plastic bags and straws for food and this can lead to severe injuries and even loss of life.
A recent YouTube video, seen by more than 16 million people, showed a sea turtle struggling as a plastic straw was removed from its nostril with a pair of pliers. This shocking video has highlighted the hazards of single-use plastics and demonstrated the adverse effect they are having on the planet and natural world.
Plastic straw alternatives
According to the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA), the UK uses 8.5 billion single-use plastic straws every year; the highest number in Europe. Finding an alternative is therefore important for consumers and for businesses.
Recently, the BBPA produced guidance for companies and licensees to help them significantly reduce the use of plastic straws and move to alternative materials. It highlights some of the benefits and challenges of each material type, focusing on the most commonly used plastic straw alternatives including paper, wheat, metal/glass reusable and biodegradable plastic straws.
Although most of these alternatives are more expensive, only offering them on request to customers will help to alleviate the costs.
Plastic packaging recycling future
Plastic recycling has grown considerably in recent years, yet still more needs to be done to help the environment.
Many UK supermarkets are supporting WRAP’s Courtauld Commitment 2025 and are making steps to reduce packaging. Some have introduced ‘plastic-free’ aisles where fruit and vegetables are sold loose.
According to the British Plastics Federation (BPF), only 26% of all plastic used in the UK ends up in landfill. In terms of plastic packaging, 45% of all plastic packaging used in the UK was recycled in 2016 – this is an improvement of 15% from 2015.
The Plastics Industry Recycling Action Plan (PIRAP) is an industry action plan to increase the recycling of plastics, which is a whole value chain approach including initiatives to increase collection; improve sorting; and develop end markets for recycled plastics.
WRAP is also adding impetus to the plastic waste fight with its new Recycle Now campaign. Recycle Now is calling upon consumers to close the ‘plastic gap’ which sees only 58% of plastic bottles currently recycled in the UK, despite 99% of local authorities collecting bottles at kerbside, and increased public appetite to generally recycle more.
Across Europe, the issue is also being addressed as the EU plans to make all plastic packaging recyclable or reusable by 2030.
If you would like further advice on recycling plastics please contact firstname.lastname@example.org


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- Vipera Acquires SoftTelecom for $1.5 Million
- FutureVault Appoints John D. Orr as New CEO.
- Handle Financial’s PayNearMe Partners with Blackhawk Network.
Around the web
- CrowdFlower earns Gartner “Cool Vendor” status for Information Innovation and Governance.
- Braintree surpasses one billion transactions per quarter milestone.
- Infosys wins three out of seven Catalyst Awards at TM forum Live.
- Baidu and PayPal announce strategic partnership.
- International Air Transport Association chooses fraud prevention technology from Featurespace.
- Top Image Systems announces eFlow AP 5.2 integration with SAP S/4HANA.
- Wipro and Compuware partner to launch mainframe center of excellence.
- Agreement Express ranked among top 100 technology companies in British Columbia by Business in Vancouver.
- SearchUnifiedCommunications features Bluescape in its look at use cases for digital collaborative whiteboards.
- Pendo Systems announces trio of new hires to support a “banner year” for the company.
- Central Bankshares now uses Jack Henry’s Banno for online banking.
- UN Migration Agency Selects Kony to Accelerate Digital Strategy to Reach More Migrants.
This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.


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A hugely popular Lincoln restaurant has left customers buzzing with excitement after announcing it is opening a drive-thru collection service.
Damon’s in Doddington Road, like many other restaurants in the city, was forced to close as part of the Government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
However, after the latest guidelines were issued, many have now set upon reopening for deliveries and collections.
And Damon’s is no different, with bosses revealing a drive-thru collection service will be in operation from Thursday, May 21.
A post on the Lincoln restaurant’s Facebook page read: “After much consideration and detailed preparation we are in a position to reopen again on Thursday, May 21 2020, for our 'Drive Thru' Collection Service!
“We'll be serving a limited menu to help the smaller kitchen teams maintain social distancing.
“As ever all our menu items will be prepared fresh daily in house to our famous recipes and cooked fresh to order, for our collection service.”
The announcement has gone down well with almost 2,000 people telling of their delight at the news.
Aiden Meanwell wrote: “Thursday’s tea sorted.”
Wayne Kitchen said “boom,” while Sally Booth posted to simply say “wow.”
Emma Feast said: “OMG ribs” and Samantha Penney added: “Amazing”.
Sophie Evans said: “Buzzing,” and Luke Austin added: “Yesssssss.”
Meanwhile, Ethan's Japanese steakhouse has revealed it will not be able to offer the same facility and will remain closed.
A post on Facebook from the business said: "Unfortunately, due to the current circumstances, we cannot offer the 'Drive Thru' option from Ethan's, mainly down to speed and types of food prep."


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Supported by the new visa that the government plans on introducing to draw high-spenders
In the midst of the pandemic, several luxury hotels in Thailand have placed their odds on the local government’s plan to attract high-spending tourists through a cleverly calculated five-star quarantine that will help ease the impact of the outbreak on the travel and tourism industry, reported Bloomberg.
In Bangkok alone, six luxury hotels including Capella, Four Seasons and Kempinski have either already resumed operations or are planning to in the near future. With the introduction of the new visa that targets high-spenders, long-stay visitors and medical travellers, these hotels are hoping to see the most benefits.
This new visa will also help Thai economy to recover since the kingdom is currently facing one of the worst recessions to date due to the loss of tourists, who were responsible for bringing in USD62 billion into the economy in 2019.
Deepak Ohri, the chief executive officer of Lebua Hotels & Resorts, agreed that appealing to travellers who can spend more and stay longer in the country can soften the losses.
“The pandemic has given Thailand the opportunity to hit reset on how the tourism industry will look after COVID-19,” he added.
Beginning this month, tourists who were able to get the new visa will be able to enter Thailand since it closed its borders in March. These travellers will be obliged to remain in Thailand for at least 90 days, including the required 14-day quarantine, which they can do in a luxury hotel. After completing these days, they will be able to travel around the country.
“These groups of travellers have the highest potential of increasing money spent on lodging and dining, which can help boost the economy, especially during these difficult pandemic times,” said the head of the Tourism Authority of Thailand Yuthasak Supasorn.
“We have about 800 to 1,000 Chinese tourists who are ready to travel here on private jets in the first phase of reopening,” he concluded
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The firm's knack for crafting landmark transport hubs and socially sustainable developments has established it as one of Malaysia’s foremost practices


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What a tête-a-tête.
Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin met with French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, while vacationing in Paris.
The “Peaches” singer, 27, shared a photo to Instagram with the politician, 43, and their wives at Macron’s Élysée Palace office on Monday.
Bieber dressed to impress in a black pinstripe suit and blue Nike kicks. He opted for no tie, instead wearing a few layers of chain necklaces.
Meanwhile, Baldwin, 24, looked chic in a brown pencil skirt and a coordinating crop top. The model finished off her look with a sleek ponytail and strappy nude high-heels.
Macron, for his part, wore a gray suit with a blue tie, and Brigette, 68, stunned in a white dress and a matching jacket.
It was unclear what prompted their get-together with the Macrons, as Bieber shared the photo without a caption or explanation, leaving fans curious.
“Why is Justin Bieber with the French president ?” one fan asked in the comments section.
“it’s the question that every French people is asking 😂,” someone else agreed.
Other Instagram users called out Bieber and Baldwin’s fashion choices, calling them “inappropriate” for the occasion.
“With all the money you guys have you should’ve dressed up more classy that’s a disrespect to that president,” one person wrote.
“You should be more formal when you visit politicians,” another commented.
Bieber and Baldwin, who married in 2018, were spotted making the rounds in the City of Lights earlier in the day. The Grammy winner enjoyed a meal with a view of the Eiffel Tower at Carette tea room, and the model took a stroll on Avenue Montaigne, E! News reported.
The pair reportedly then met up at the Kith store and later dined at the very “romantic” Dinand by Ferdi restaurant.


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London-headquartered personal finance management (PFM) solution provider Meniga has partnered with the United Overseas Bank (UOB), to help the bank’s users of its digital challenger bank better manage their finances.
UOB announced its plan to launch a Digital Bank in August, when it revealed that the challenger bank would be powered by AI, machine learning, and data analytics, among other things, by using in-house and third-party expertise. Next to Meniga, UOB partnered with Personetics in July for its new venture.
Here are the two services UOB Digital Bank will launch with the help of Meniga:
- By categorizing purchases, customers can stay on top of their spending. UOB Digital Bank will use Meniga’s services to allow its customers to categorize transactions. They can use personalized hashtags to track spend across a variety of categories, like coffee, for example. Ultimately, this provides customers with a more specific look into their spending habits over time.
- UOB Digital Bank also wants to help consumers budget their money. It aims to help its customers make better financial decisions, by providing them with personalized insights into their spending. An individual who spends a lot of their money on eating out may be prompted as to whether they’d like to set a budget for this spending category, for instance. When a customer opts into budgeting, UOB will nudge them with alerts reminding them to stay on track.
This marks Meniga’s first partner in Southeast Asia, indicating its success in other markets. Meniga’s other partner banks, include Canada-based Tangerine, Swedbank, and Santander. Expanding its client base allows Meniga to further increase its revenue, which will likely lead to future success for the company.
Additionally, the fact that an Asian bank sought out a European PFM solution provider may suggest that Europe is at the forefront when it comes to offering such services. In the future, we may see more Asian banks connect with the likes of Meniga.


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Uber API Closing Down
Today Uber announced to developers that public access to their API will close down on June 13th, 2019. Not only did they give developers only a one week notice, but they also released the anouncement a week after Lyft closed down their API. Uber provided a form to request access to the API.
How does this affect Surge?
We have filled out the form requesting access to the Uber API. At this time, we can only assume we will not be getting approval and will lose access to the Uber API.
For the time being, Surge will continue to work. We have disabled all In-App-Purchase options.
We will continue to post updates on the blog as this develops.Back


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I recently bookmarked the Total Investor blog. It is has become my favorite aggregation sites for economic and investing news. Yesterday, they featured a video clip: Marc Faber On CNBC: “Marc Faber is expecting an ‘ultimate crisis’ that will ‘clean the system. ‘If you pump money into the system and you create large fiscal deficits, you create volatility,’ Faber said'”
Items from The Economatrix:
Making Sense of Second Quarter Earnings, So Far “As you can see, a consumer retrenchment is happening here. And in my opinion, that is an even bigger story than the individual earnings reports or big profits from Wall Street firms. It’s going to dictate how quickly (or slowly) our economy turns around, and it has major implications for all the stocks in your portfolio.”
Bernanke Sees “Tentative Signs” Economy Is Stabilizing, Says Rates Will Stay Low Tentative, unsure; uncertain; not definite or positive; hesitant. Synonyms: doubtful, probationary, provisional .
Schoon: Goldman Sachs–A Vampire on the Jugular of America “The US claims the US Treasury still holds approximately 7,000-8,000 tons of gold but has not allowed a public audit of its reserves since 1954; and since 1999 the UK and Swiss have seen their gold reserves decimated as bankers freely sold their gold in order to cap the rise in the price of gold to keep the banker’s paper money scheme intact. This is perhaps the last opportunity for private investors to purchase gold when it is being diverted from public treasuries in order to keep gold prices artificially low. These publicly subsidized prices will not be available forever; for when the banker’s Ponzi-scheme of paper money collapses, gold will never again be this cheap.”


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In today’s ExchangeWire news digest: Twitter turns to programmatic advertising as worth plummets; TikTok CEO to lead new app; and Dentsu’s global ad report shows slowed growth.
Twitter is outsourcing ad monetisation to ad tech
For the first time, Twitter is making its advertising inventory accessible for purchase in the open programmatic market. This move could aid in alleviating some of the company’s monetary shortfalls – Twitter is now worth just 33%, USD$15bn (~£12.13bn), of what Elon Musk originally paid for the social media platform.
TikTok CEO to head new app, Lemon8
In attempts to circumvent backlash over the company’s Chinese ownership, TikTok is placing its Singapore-based CEO, Shou Zi Chew, in charge of its new social media app, Lemon8. The app, a Pinterest-like platform for lifestyle content, launched in the US and UK last February. It gained popularity with nearly one million US downloads in late March to early April, making it one of the top 10 most downloaded apps.
Dentsu releases Global Ad Spend Forecast 2023
Dentsu’s latest ad spend forecast shows that global ad spend in 2023 is expected to grow at a slightly slower rate than previously predicted due to macroeconomic factors, with a slight decline in advertising spend at constant prices. However, the outlook for 2024 is more positive, with a projected increase driven by major events like the UEFA European Championship and the presidential election. Digital ad spend will continue to grow, but at a lower rate than usual, with single-unit increases becoming the norm in the coming years.
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Fact of the day
75% – the percentage of internet-connected TV viewers across Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico that watch ad-supported streaming TV.


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Hapag-Lloyd Acquires Stake in the Spinelli Group
German container liner Hapag-Lloyd on Thursday announced it has completed its acquisition of a minority stake in Italy-based logistics company the Spinelli Group as global shipping firms continue to expand their port presence amid prolonged supply chain disruption.
The deal was first announced in September but remained subject to the approval of antitrust authorities.
With today’s closing, Hapag-Lloyd has acquired a 49% stake in one of Italy’s leading terminal and transport operators. The Spinelli family will continue to hold the majority stake of 51%.
Financial details of the sale were not disclosed.
Hapag-Lloyd is among a number of the world's largest container shipping companies, including Denmark's A.P. Moller Maersk and France's CMA CGM, that have been acquiring terminals and other land-based ports and logistics assets to help protect against supply chain crunches
Most recently, Hapag-Lloyd agreed to acquire a 100% stake in the terminal business of Chile-based SM SAAM for $1 billion. The company also has stakes in JadeWeserPort in Wilhelmshaven, the Container Terminal Altenwerder in Hamburg, Terminal TC3 in Tangier, and Terminal 2 in Damietta, Egypt, which is currently under construction.


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DirecTV beats estimates on higher fees, loses subscribers
DirecTV, the No.1 U.S. satellite TV provider, reported a quarterly profit above analysts' expectations as it earned more from each subscriber in the United States.
But the company, being bought by AT&T Inc for $48.5 billion, lost subscribers for the second quarter in a row to competitors, including cable companies that offer broadband along with video at a discount.
"(DirecTV) always bravely claimed that having best-in-class video would always be enough, but even the bulls knew that eventually the music would stop," MoffetNathanson analysts Craig Moffett wrote in a note.
DirecTV said it lost 28,000 net subscribers in the United States between June and September because of promotional discounts by rivals, compared with 139,000 net subscriber additions a year earlier.
Analysts had expected it to add 66,000 users, according to market research firm StreetAccount.
Dish Network Corp, the second-largest U.S. satellite TV company, reported lower-than-expected quarterly revenue on Tuesday as it lost pay-TV subscribers due to increased competition.
"Cable companies come with broadband, which is more and more demanded by consumers, and in some cases, Comcast in particular, (offer) a much better video product to go with that broadband," Pacific Crest Securities analyst Andrew Hargreaves told Reuters.
"And that combination is gaining subs."
Comcast Corp added 315,000 net high-speed Internet subscribers in the third quarter, a 5.8 percent increase over a year earlier.
DirecTV's U.S. revenue rose 5.4 percent to $6.51 billion as price increases on programming packages boosted average revenue per user by 4.8 percent.
Net income attributable to the company fell to $611 million, or $1.21 per share, in the quarter ended Sept. 30, from $699 million, or $1.28 per share, a year earlier.
Excluding items, the company earned $1.33 per share, beating the average analyst estimate by 3 cents, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Revenue rose 6.3 percent to $8.37 billion. Analysts on average expected $8.3 billion.
Revenue from Latin America, which accounts for about a fifth of total revenue, rose 9.5 percent.
DirecTV shares were down marginally at $87.42 on the Nasdaq.


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Intel Corp. Earnings: 3 Things to Watch For
Intel is scheduled to report its quarterly earnings results on July 15. The company's share price has tumbled over the past month, as there have been a number of data points to suggest that the PC market -- to which Intel is highly levered -- may be faring worse than the company had expected.
On July 15, Intel will not only tell us how it did during its second quarter, but it will also give us insight into what investors should expect from the balance of the year. Here are three things that I believe investors should pay close attention to when the company releases its results and hosts a conference call to discuss said results.
State of the PC marketThe first thing investors will want an update on is the state of the PC market. Intel had initially expected PC sales in 2015 to be flat to 2014 levels, but then revised its estimates to down by mid-single digits. An analyst with RBC recently predicted that PC unit shipments will slip by 8% this year, constituting a high-single-digit decline.
Although a quarterly earnings call isn't the appropriate venue to go into detail on the company's long-term expectations and strategy with respect to the PC market, I am going to be listening intently for any further details on Intel's long-term strategy here.
In particular, Intel said in late 2013 that it planned to slash PC-related spending by 5% in 2014. I would be very interested to know if Intel plans to implement further cuts to try to keep PC operating margins relatively high as it invests in new areas.
More precision in the data centerDuring Intel's investor meeting presentation last year, company executives said it expected its data-center group to grow sales in excess of 15% with operating profit moving up at an even quicker pace. In the first quarter of 2015, this business unit grew by 19.2%.
With the second quarter now behind the company, it will be interesting to see if Intel provides more precise guidance for the revenue and operating profit growth for this division this year. I think investors would have plenty to be excited about if this division is expected to grow between 17% and 19% for the year, while something on the order of 15%-16% would be solid, but not quite an upside "surprise."
Mobile progress -- still on track for an $800 million loss reduction?Although Intel no longer breaks out the results of its Mobile and Communications group, management has said it plans to reduce its losses in this division by $800 million during 2015. I expect an update on Intel's progress toward achieving that goal during the earnings call.
Although Intel seems to be shipping the 3G variants of its integrated applications processor and cellular baseband, a recent report from DigiTimes claims that the company's LTE parts have been pushed out to early 2016.
If this winds up being the case, then will Intel be able to hit its loss-reduction target for the year in the mobile market?
I hope that during the call, Intel can update investors on its mobile processor ramp plans for the remainder of the year and whether there is any change to the mobile-related financial guidance that it has given for the year.
The article Intel Corp. Earnings: 3 Things to Watch For originally appeared on Fool.com.
Ashraf Eassa owns shares of Intel. The Motley Fool recommends Intel. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Copyright 1995 - 2015 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.


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Following the cancellation of the SLC, S-Class Coupe and S-Class Convertible, Mercedes is apparently looking to further simplify its hugely complex lineup in the coming years. It’s a known fact that this will reduce the number of compact cars from seven to just four, but some of the larger vehicles are also at risk. Car and driver cite sources within the automaker as saying the three-pointed star plans to revamp its portfolio.
As previously reported, the C-Class Coupe and Convertible as well as the E-Class Coupe and Convertible will morph into a pair of CLE models. The CLS isn’t long for this world either, as the German luxury brand apparently intends to drop the swoopy sedan next year. Also, the AMG GT 4-Door Coupé is not far behind, with CD reporting that Mercedes will eliminate the BMW M8 Gran Coupe competitor by the middle of the decade.
We’ve also heard rumors about which days the wagons were numbered and there seems to be some truth to that. Nothing is official at this point, but the launch of the E-Class Estate in 2024 will surprisingly be the last of its kind. Mercedes would stop selling wagons altogether around 2030, implying that the C-Class Estate and CLA Shooting Brake are also living on borrowed time. It’s believed the latter will get a next-gen model later this decade and retire without a successor at the end of its run.
Mercedes intends to launch next-generation GLC and GLE Coupe derivatives, but these would be the last. In total, CD heard from “top managers” that of the 33 body styles currently available, only 14 will survive. It’s unclear exactly what “body styles” means in this context, but it sounds like real automotive carnage.
While some of these Benz models might go the way of the dodo, enthusiasts can take comfort in knowing that more AMGs are on the way. Mercedes also wants to bolster Maybach’s portfolio and could even make a classy V-Class minivan. According to the same report, new additions to the lineup could include a double-cab G-Class pickup, a revival of the iconic 300 SL Gullwing and a “racy speedster” based on SL.


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Consumers' use of health apps and wearables in Norway increased in past two years, Accenture survey finds
Jun 9, 2016
OSLO; June 9, 2016 –The number of consumers who use wearables and mobile apps for managing their health increased in the past two years, according to the results of a survey by Accenture (NYSE: ACN).
Specifically, the number of consumers in Norway who use health apps increased from 30 percent in 2014 to 33 percent today, and the number of consumers who use wearables increased from 15 percent to 19 percent during the same time. These Norway findings are part of a seven-country survey of roughly 8,000 consumers – including 800 in Norway – with select findings compared to a similar survey of physicians.
Growing Use of Health Apps and Wearables
Digital tools, such as wearables and mobile apps, are becoming part of interactions between doctors and patients. Of the approximately one in five consumers in Norway in the most-recent survey who were asked by a doctor to use wearables to track their health, such as fitness (20 percent) or vital signs (24 percent), the majority (80 percent) followed their physician’s recommendation. The majority of consumers (60 percent) and doctors (70 percent) alike said that using these devices helps a patient engage in their health.
Nearly a third (29 percent) who use health apps have discussed or shared mobile app data with their doctor in the past year. Consumers most frequently use mobile apps for diet/nutrition (cited by 52 percent), fitness (39 percent), medication reminders (19 percent) and health or condition tracking (18 percent).
While over three fourths (76 percent) of Norwegian consumers said they would be at least somewhat willing to share wearable or app data with doctors, far fewer (24 percent) said they would be willing to share that data with their employers.
Use of Virtual Care
More than one third (34 percent) of consumers in Norway said they prefer virtual doctor appointments to face-to-face doctor appointments if it meant they could see a doctor quickly – though two-thirds (66 percent) would still wait longer to see a doctor in person. In fact, consumers in Norway rely primarily on healthcare professionals, not mobile health tools, more than consumers in the other countries surveyed. Only 11 percent of Norwegian consumers in the most recent survey noted that they rely primarily on mobile health tools. However, Norwegian physicians and consumers alike believe that virtual visits provide benefits for patients, such as lower costs (58 percent of consumers vs. 79 percent of doctors) and convenience for patients’ schedules (50 vs. 80 percent), while in-person visits provide quality care to patients (67 percent of consumers vs. 83 percent of doctors).
“Digital tools are empowering patients to take charge of their health and interact with the system on their own terms,” said Geir Prestegård, who leads Accenture’s Norway health business. “Healthcare providers will need to weave digital capabilities into the core of their business model so that it becomes embedded in everything they do.”
Accenture commissioned a survey of roughly 8,000 consumers in seven countries to assess their adoption and attitudes toward digital health tools, electronic health records and their healthcare providers’ electronic capabilities. The seven countries represented were the United States (2,225 respondents), Australia (1,013), Brazil (1,006), England (1,009), Norway (800), Saudi Arabia (852) and Singapore (935). The survey was conducted by Nielsen between November 2015 and January 2016. Where relevant, the survey refers to select findings from a similar physician survey to compare doctor and consumer responses.
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Q&A with Klaude Bulte, general manager of the Kyiv-based SAS Radisson, who is optimistic about hotel expansions despite world financial troubles
Klaude Bulte serves as general manager of the Kyiv-based SAS Radisson, a member of the Rezidor Hotel Group.
A native of Belgium, Bulte arrived in Kyiv this summer to manage Radisson hotels in the country after a decade of experience within the group. Most recently, he managed the Reykjavik Radisson in Iceland.
In this Kyiv Post interview, Bulte said he has noticed that world economic and financial troubles are just starting to affect business. But, he remained optimistic, saying that the Rezidor group plans to open several new hotels in Ukraine in the coming years.
KP: What has Radisson’s experience been in Kyiv?
CB: We’ve now been open for three years. We were the first international chain to open a hotel in the four-star segment. At the moment, 95 percent of our clientele are business travelers from the United States, Britain, Europe and Russia.
Kyiv is an unknown tourist destination, but has high potential. The government just needs to promote Ukraine better.
KP: What is your occupancy rate?
CB: During the business week –Monday through Thursday – we are nearly fully-booked. Overall, our weekly occupancy is about 65 percent.
KP: How is the ongoing financial crisis affecting your business?
CB: We are looking very closely at our business segments. The banking segment is being hit hard at the moment.
You will also see construction-related business go down, because if you cannot borrow money, it is difficult to invest in new development.
We do expect that the crisis will change people’s behavior when they book hotels. Money will become a key consideration, and they will reconsider booking a reservation in a five- or four-star hotel.
At this point, we do not know how far it will go. But what we are seeing is that bookings are coming very late. People have become much more careful about booking in advance.
KP: So will this put downward pressure on hotel rates?
KB: Compared to other cities, Kyiv is highly-priced. But the prices are a reflection of the market and the relatively low level of competition.
KP: Regular travelers to Kyiv opt for apartment services. Are you in direct competition with them?
KB: Definitely. We notice that those who travel here a lot are definitely looking for long-term and less-expensive options, like apartments. The apartment services have also become more sophisticated with their advertising and English language websites.
KP: Is the Rezidor Hotel Group planning any projects in Kyiv?
KB: Yes, we are looking at four properties for our three star Park Inn product. The first will be near Boryspil. Ground has already been broken and it should open in two years. The other three locations will be announced when the papers are signed.
Our group believes that Ukraine’s three-star segment is underdeveloped.
KP: Do you expect the arrival of low-cost airlines to stimulate the tourism industry in Ukraine?
KB: By itself, no.
The infrastructure needs to be significantly improved. For starters, the airports need to be modernized. I come from Iceland, a country of 350,000 people, and its airport is much larger than the one in Kyiv, and very modern.
Secondly, there need to be many more three-star hotels available so that people coming here for a short vacation can stay somewhere for a reasonable price.
Lastly, the country needs a comprehensive promotion campaign.
Ukraine will have a chance at becoming a significant tourist destination only when these steps are taken.
KP: What is your mid-term forecast for Kyiv’s hospitality market?
KB: There will be many more international hotel chains opening operations in Kyiv and throughout the country. This will be good for Ukraine. It will drive up competition and lower room prices. It will attract more visitors and provide a boost to the country’s lagging tourism industry.
But to speed up this process, Ukraine must stabilize its government and reduce the bureaucratic red-tape that significantly delays and curtails hotel development projects.


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The government's Consumer Price Index (CPI), a measure of inflation in the economy, rose 0.3 percent in October, well above the Federal Reserve's inflation target.
But a closer look at the numbers shows the increase was largely confined to just two areas – energy and housing. Gasoline prices, which were abnormally high in October, accounted for about a third of the increase in the CPI.
The cost of putting a roof over your head rose 0.2 percent in October and is up 3.2 percent over the last 12 months. Housing costs are rising even as the housing market experiences a slowdown in sales. Robert Frick, corporate economist with Navy Federal Credit Union, isn't overly concerned about the rising numbers.
“Inflation came in hot at 0.3 percent, but a big reason was gas costs, which are dropping now and will cool inflation in November's report,” Frick told ConsumerAffairs. “Core inflation - which subtracts energy and food costs - has risen just 2.1 percent from a year ago, dropping a bit from last month’s annual figure. That's the number to watch, and it shows inflation continues to be subdued, only rising gradually over the last few months.”
Food prices were lower
In fact, there were a number of categories last month where costs did not rise. Food costs were down 0.1 percent. New cars and trucks were priced 0.2 percent lower, but used vehicles saw a surprising 2.6 percent increase.
Utility costs were down 0.6 percent, as much of the country was between air conditioning and heating seasons last month. Medical care was up 0.2 percent for the second straight month.
“If the Fed is looking to inflation as a reason to raise rates next year, inflation isn't cooperating,” Frick said. “With the economy expected to cool more in 2019, only rising wages would give the Fed hawks ammunition to raise rates.”
A pause in the Fed's raising-raising campaign would not only give relief to Wall Street, it would provide a respite to consumers with large credit card balances who see their interest rate go up every time the Fed hikes its federal funds rate.


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Don't miss the latest stories
Nike Files Lawsuit Against Maker Of ‘Satan’ Air Max 97s Filled With Human Blood
By Izza Sofia, 30 Mar 2021
Image via MSCHF
Nike has come after the New York-based company that produced the Air Max 97 Satan Shoes, which reportedly contains a drop of human blood as part of a collaboration with rapper Lil Nas X.
Nike has filed a lawsuit against MSCHF Product Studio Inc, stating that the company has infringed on and diluted its trademark with the black-and-red, devil-themed shoes. The complaint does not name Lil Nas X as a defendant in the suit.
The sneakers are customized Nike Air Max 97 sneakers that contain red ink and “one drop of human blood “ in the sole, according to the website. The back of one shoe says “MSCHF” while the other reads “Lil Nas X.” The laces are tagged with bronze pentagram-shaped charms.
The shoes are also printed with “Luke 10:18” to imply the biblical passage: “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.”
NBC News reported that all 666 pairs of the sneakers, which are priced at US$1,018 per pair, were sold out after they went on sale on Monday.
Nike, in its lawsuit filed in a federal court in New York, says the shoes were produced “without Nike’s approval and authorization” and that it was “in no way connected with this project.”
“There is already evidence of significant confusion and dilution occurring in the marketplace, including calls to boycott Nike in response to the launch of MSCHF’s Satan Shoes based on the mistaken belief that Nike has authorized or approved this product,” the lawsuit states.
Nike has requested the court to immediately stop MSCHF from fulfilling orders for the shoes and has asked for a jury trial to seek damages.
Nike is suing MSCHF over the blood shoes: pic.twitter.com/inFLwU8k0q— Kevin Draper (@kevinmdraper) March 29, 2021
[via NBC News, cover image via MSCHF]
More related news
Also check out these recent news


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Goodman’s Jewelers reopens for the first time in months
Owner John Hayes recalls walking into his store as the damage was happening.
“The tops were completely broken, some of the fronts were broken,” he said, pointing to his glass jewelry cases.
Hayes said there was about $60,000 in damages and about $25,000 in stolen merchandise.
“All the damage has been repaired,” Hayes said. “Blaine and Tina from Don’s Home Furniture refinished our cases for us.”
Hayes said even though many of his shelves are still empty and there are still fixtures that need to be repaired, he wanted to open at the beginning of this month to signify his fresh start.
“It’s really a good feeling to see merchandise in our cases,” he said. “This is what I do. It’s my life. I’ve been here for 37 years. I worked for Bob and Irwin before I bought this store. This is home, my second home.”
Hayes said it will probably be another several months before he is fully stocked up on inventory again, but being able to finally reopen gives him a sense of “relief” and “Being able to get back to feeling normal again.”
COPYRIGHT 2020 BY CHANNEL 3000. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.


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An increase in failed payment transactions in February caused a 4.83 per cent decrease in the value of cashless transactions to N37.67tn from the N39.58tn that was recorded in January 2023.
This came as the usage of epayment gateways recorded a 41.29 per cent month-on-month increase according to new data from Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System.
In February, cashless gateways were used 901.46 million times, in January, they were used 638 million times. Despite an increase in usage, the total value of cashless transactions fell in February, indicating an increase in the number of failed transactions.
The NIBSS has not updated its efficiency platform portal, which states the number of failed transitions and more, since 2020, making it hard to report the number of failed transactions.
As the major payment switch in the country, the NIBSS records cashless transactions from the Nigeria Instant Payment System and Point of Sales terminals. In February, the total NIP (instant payments) fell to N36.79tn from N38.772tn in January.
Despite the scarcity of naira witnessed in the month, the data from NIBSS revealed that the value of PoS transactions grew from N807.16bn in January to N883.45bn in February.
Usage of mobile transfers, which serve as the primary payment gateway for many Nigerians, soared by 69.87 per cent from 108.14 million times in January to 183.69 million times in February.
While usage grew drastically, transaction value only grew marginally by 7.88 per cent from N2.37tn in January to N2.56tn in February. This mirrored the experience of many Nigerians in the month, who had to grapple with multiple failed mobile transactions.
Since the Central Bank of Nigeria announced its naira redesign policy and withdrawal limits, in 2022, Nigerians have had to adopt electronic forms of transactions.
While announcing its policy, the apex bank said, “The maximum weekly limit for cash withdrawals across all channels by individuals and corporate organisations shall be N500,000 and N5m respectively.”
It added, “Customers should be encouraged to use alternative channels (Internet banking, mobile banking apps, USSD, cards/POS, eNaira, etc.) to conduct their banking transactions.”
However, the pressure of increased electronic payment has overwhelmed the banking sector, leaving many customers waiting and stranded.
Nigerians have been on Twitter, tagging banks, and complaining about failed transactions. Recently, the Vice President of the Nigerian Association of Small-Scale Industrialists, Seun Kuti-George, told The PUNCH, “I made a payment to someone one morning and they did not received the alert immediately.
“I had to leave the goods there until the next morning hoping that the fellow would get alert by then. If it was an emergency or a matter of life and death or a matter of contract that will be cancelled, I would have lost that.”
Many bankers have suggested that some of these failures have been because the NIBSS didn’t increase its capacity for the increase in the volume of transactions.
A First Bank banker, who spoke on condition of anonymity, disclosed that the NIBSS had been witnessing more downtime because of the pressure of transactions.
According to the banker, this downtime has been affecting outflow and inflow of transfers. The banker stated that the payment switch has to increase its capacity in order for it to handle the pressure from the CBN’s policy.
A source in the payment industry, recently told The PUNCH that increases in mobile transfers are because of pressure and a lack of robust infrastructure.
The source said, ““I don’t think we are ready for this. I think the infrastructure is not robust enough to carry out the volume of transactions we intend to do.
“With that said, what I believe is over time, the infrastructure will catch up. This will probably happen because the CBN will put pressure on the banks and financial institutions to invest more.”
Some experts have also stated that a lot of failing transactions are a result of poor network infrastructure. The President of the Bank Customers Association of Nigeria, Dr Uju Ogunbunka, recently told The PUNCH, “You know the banks do not provide network services. Based on what we found out, there was a failure in the network system.”


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Start-up Ideas that MAGNETS Money scattered in YOUR STREETS
Thursday 20 June 2013
Africa rising - but who benefits?
By Alexis AkwagyiramBBC Africa
18 June 2013 Last updated at 05:01
Many of the fastest growing economies in the world are in Africa.
The continent's future appears to be bright, but do growth figures reflect an improving quality of life?
It is a story that is being told with increasing frequency.
Against the backdrop of a prolonged slump that has brought financial paralysis to much of the Western world, experts have identified Africa as having many of the world's fastest-growing economies.
Some point to the fact that high growth rates should be viewed in context, since African economies - mostly relatively small - are expanding from a low base, making improvements seem disproportionately impressive.
But, while the US and UK struggle to emerge from prolonged recessions and European nations such as Greece and Spain experience mass unemployment, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank say countries such as Ghana, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Mozambique are experiencing a boom.
Many have ascribed this trend to what they believe are burgeoning middle classes in many nations.
The African Development Bank's (AfDB) chief economist Mthuli Ncube has described this trajectory as "unstoppable."
For renowned economist Jeffrey Sachs, the mobile phone has become a symbol of this apparent new dawn. He has described it, and the access to the internet that it can bring, as the single most transformative tool for development.
It's good to talk
More than 70% of adults in Nigeria - the continent's most highly populated country - own a handset.
And in Kenya the widespread use of mobile phone payment software has opened up opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses by providing ease and flexibility where transactions and banking are concerned.
Farmers, for example, can receive the latest market prices with a single text message or gather information about sales and stock.
The ubiquity of mobile phones in Africa has also created a new breed of entrepreneur that can be found in cities as far apart as Dakar, Dar es Salaam and Durban - the vendor selling air time.
Salim Evoudidi, one such salesman in the Democratic Republic of Congo, seems to typify the type of aspirational worker said to be driving the emerging middle class.
He arrives at his regular spot on a busy street in the capital, Kinshasa, beside other air time vendors, at around 0700 and works for nearly 12 hours every day.
"I have a family, I have a wife and four children. I've been able to send three of them to school and rent a house for us," he says.
"I've been doing this job since 2005 - so, for seven years. There is an evolution. There are more and more customers - Congolese people spend a lot on telecommunications."
Mr Evoudidi's ambition is to start a business, and he hopes the money he makes in his current venture will generate enough money to provide a launch pad.
The notion of "Africa rising" - the term that journalists have coined when referring to the idea of economic development on the continent - has, for some, become hackneyed, with bloggers now calling it a meme.
The Economist, which famously labelled Africa the "Hopeless Continent" in 2000, inverted that idea more than a decade later for special coverage looking at what it now considers to be the hopeful continent.
But, beneath the surface of what appears to be a good news story in a part of the world previously portrayed in the Western media as being ravaged by war and famine, questions remain.
What constitutes middle class status? And does that term really point to a heightened quality of life?


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Especially as of late, pink is just about obligatory as a color choice for handsets. Even if it’s offered in 23 other colors, there remains a surprisingly huge group of people who just won’t buy it if it isn’t pink.
Well, anyone who has been holding out for a pink Curve is in luck: According to Engadget, Verizon will be offering the pinked out BlackBerry for $99 bucks after rebate on a 2 year contract, starting sometime in the next few days (possibly as early as tomorrow).
No fanfare for the new color, Vz? If this were launching on T-Mobile, the pink curve would be known as the BlackBerry Curve Baby-Girls-Bedroom or something.


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Groupon (GRPN) on Wednesday said it would give retailers wider access to analytics about customers and profit, but Wall Street didn't seem impressed as shares continued to fall.
Groupon shares were down 4%, near 5, in afternoon trading Wednesday. The stock, which went out at 20 in its November 2011 IPO, has traded below 10 since July amid competition from such Internet giants as Google (GOOG) and LivingSocial, whose owners include Amazon.com (AMZN).
The Chicago-based daily deals company will provide retailers in the U.S. and Canada the number of Groupon subscribers who see their promoted deals, the company said in a statement on Wednesday. Those retailers also will see more data about customers who buy the deal: location, gender and age.
"Until today only the largest companies had access to this kind of information," Amit Koren, the company's director of merchant products, said in a statement, "and now we're providing these powerful analytics to every local business that works with Groupon."
Groupon says it will offer a "profit calculator" that will show the "cost-effectiveness of each Groupon promotion."
Wall Street analysts mostly say to hold Groupon shares, with 21 of the 26 analysts polled by Thomson Reuters giving the company that rating. Three analysts rate it underperform, or sell, and two a buy.
Groupon was "the single worst performer in our coverage universe in 2012," RBC Capital Markets analyst Mark Mahaney wrote in a report. And the company's attempts to drum up new business with e-commerce and mobile payments "did not assuage these concerns."
Groupon is scheduled to release its Q4 results after the close Feb. 27.
"We expect an in-line quarter driven by Groupon Goods but continuing macro weakness in Europe pressures international revenue and hinders turnaround efforts," wrote Brian Pitz, a Jefferies Equity Research analyst, in a recent research note.


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The lights went on for me while standing in a long line with my two sons a few weeks ago.
Video games are the new rock stars.
We were standing outside a tiny game store in North Vancouver, hours before the mall opened, to pick up the newest Super Smash Bros game for Wii.
The lineup wasn’t for the chance to buy the game – my oldest son had pre-ordered and paid for the game months earlier. The lineup was simply to pick up the game, as early as possible, on March 9th, the day it was released.
For pretty much the same reasons people my age, who grew up in the 60’s and 70’s, lined up outside the record store to get the latest LP by a cool band. I could, and did, spend hours in the local record store, flipping through album after album.
How much things have changed in one generation is striking.
Today, even finding a record store is difficult. In the US alone, 2,700 record stores closed between 2003-2006. Some people are starting to speculate that video games could save the music industry.
US video games sales have jumped 34 percent in February to 1.33 billion dollars. In their heyday, US-wide record sales were roughly 14 billion annually, according to RIAA figures.
In less than three months, Harmonix’s video game Rock Band notched 2.5 million song downloads at around two bucks per — twice as much as a regular iTunes song retail. (Yahoo news)
My kids have never been to a record store. They’ve never used a turntable. They have no idea what a double album is. They don’t even have audio CD’s. Their music is on their iPod – music is just files. But they have a lot more music at hand than I did at their age, and they’re aware of far more bands that I ever was.
What I realized standing in line on March 9th is this: my kids’ relationship to video game is almost identical to my relationship to music growing up in the 60’s ad 70’s.
Recent surveys show that two-thirds of parents are worred about their kids use of video games. One of the big fears parents identify with video games is how long their kids spend playing.
But is this any different than it was in my day ?
When Woodstock: Music from the Original Soundtrack and More first came out in 1970, I was 13. It was a three record set, and I could listen to it from start to finish, two or three times at a sitting. Years later, I recall my cousin Roland travelling from St. Boniface to visit me in Calgary. For the entire two weeks he stayed with me, he never once left my apartment. He never got to the rockies, never witnessed big sky country, or flirted with any big boned gals. Instead, he sat with headphone on, listening to my advance release copy of Pink Floyd’s The Wall, over and over and over.
My parents were convinced that the music I listened to as a teenager was ushering in the demise of society as we know it.
This wasn’t even a radical position.
Rock music was responsible for teen pregnancy, vandalism, the F word, the decline of morals in general, and mine in particular. For a while, I stored a couple of crates of records that one of my friends wasn’t allowed to have in his house. His parents banned them from sight, fearing his imminent moral decay at the site of a big breasted woman on the cover of a Santana album.
Instead of realizing that artists were reflecting the world the saw around them, many parents were convinced that lyrics, album art and ‘subliminal messages’ were leading us all into chaos.
But how about a quick reality check.
What was the lasting impact of all those artists who were intent on leading us on an irrevocable march into depravity ?
This is a list of the top 10 selling artists the year I graduated high-school, 1974.
- Barbara Streisand
- Terry Jacks
- Ray Stevens
- Paul Anka
- Grand Funk Railroad
- Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods
- Carl Douglas
- Billy Swan
- John Denver
(source: Joel’s Whitburn’s Pop Annual – data from Billboard magazine)
These are the people my parents and all their friends feared would ruin my generation ?
I suspect that in 35 years, when we look back at the rock stars of the day – the video games – we’ll wonder what all the fuss was about.
(cross posted to my blog at At Large Media)


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In the FT, Chad Bown warns that the Obama administration risks unleashing a global “crisis-driven mob mentality” that will impose numerous trade protections if the US imposes new import restrictions on Chinese tires under its “China safeguard” law. He highlights a number of concerns, but this one stood out:
[A] little-known loophole in the rules governing China’s 2001 WTO accession makes it easy for a global protectionist response to spread faster and further than that which took hold in 2002. Nowadays, once any one country imposes a China safeguard on imports, all other WTO members can immediately follow suit, without investigating whether their own industries have been injured.
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Inside this week's SN you'll find a multipage supplement about supermarket video with a number of news articles concerning which way that business is going.
The news about video sales in supermarkets has been fairly good this year, and seems to be trending upward. According to SN's seventh annual State of the Industry Report published earlier this year, the share of business flowing through supermarkets has been holding up reasonably well.
Supermarkets' share of rental, in the universe of all classes of retail trade, is about 15.6%, representing a decline of about 0.5% in each of the past two years, while sell-through remains flat at a 12.7% share.
For much of this year, the conventional wisdom has been that these shares would hold through the year, but now there's reason to believe supermarkets' video business may take off.
As you'll see by taking a look at this week's supplement, the reasons have to do with something new and something old.
What's new is new titles. Supermarket retailers are looking forward to a banner fourth quarter in terms of both sell-through and rental. The flow of new titles has already started with the biggest title of the batch -- "Titanic" -- which will street tomorrow. A number of children's titles will be released at the same time. Many of these titles should remain strong through the year-end holiday period.
Indeed, it's without precedent that so many titles are being released in or just before the fourth quarter: "The number of titles is just tremendous. It's unprecedented that there is this much product being released," one distributor told SN.
"There are a lot of opportunities and challenges as well. It's creating a bit of a bottleneck of product that will hit all at the same time in the fourth quarter. Supermarkets are going to have to make decisions on which titles they are going to bring in. There will be some supermarkets that will have to pass on some titles because they just won't have the floor space," he said.
What's old is old titles. Many supermarket retailers are discovering there's new business to be had from old titles. That's because they can be stocked in copious quantities, they can be retailed at low price points and they produce high margins. Many titles can be sold for less than $10, an attractive price for supermarkets, although videos selling for $14.95 and 19.95 are successful too.
"The budget-priced segment has grown dramatically. As more and more live-action films are put out at lower prices, we are seeing that consumers are accepting them. We are seeing a general shift in the category on price point," said one studio executive.
"We are just on the edge of this market. I don't see many of our competitors doing a lot with it yet so I'd say that there is a golden opportunity for people who can stock it, rotate it and do a good job with it," said a retailer.
Take a look at this week's video supplement to learn more about how this category is once again on the move, and moving profits for supermarket retailers.


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Expanding its affordable smartphone lineup, Huawei today launched the Honor 6X in India. The new smartphone comes with a dual-lens camera and is debuted with a starting price of Rs.
Lenovo is enhancing its K6 Power with 4GB of RAM. The new variant will be debuted in India on January 31 at a price of Rs. 10,999. The Lenovo K6
Apple Airpods might just be a dream for you. But MediaTek is set to partly fulfill your dream and provide you some affordable alternatives to the innovative Airpods through its
To address the demand for massive data storage, Kingston has debuted at CES with its DataTraveler Ultimate GT. The new offering comes with 2TB of storage and is touted to
Coolpad has launched the Mega 3 in India with triple-SIM support. The Chinese company has also brought its Note 3S to the Indian market to take on Xiaomi Redmi Note
Lenovo has launched the K6 Power in India. Originally announced at the IFA in September, the new smartphone comes with a price tag of Rs. 9,999. The Lenovo K6 Power is
Samsung has announced its plans to acquire Harman International Industries for $8 billion. The new deal will empower the South Korean company to grow its automotive platform that would take
While the ban imposed on Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000 notes is drastically affecting the lives of many, mobile wallet service MobiKwik has emerged as one of its prime beneficents.


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What you need to know
- A Cloud PC service by Microsoft is reportedly in the works.
- A new report suggests its launch is now just a few months away.
- It could launch as soon as summer 2021.
According to a new report from ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley, Microsoft is apparently gearing up to launch its Cloud PC service, which could arrive as soon as this summer.
Foley states that she's hearing the tech giant may be aiming for a June or July launch of the service, potentially to coincide with Microsoft's Inspire conference, which will be held from July 14 through July 15 as a digital event.
Reports on Microsoft's Cloud PC service date back to last year, when the Azure-powered project was first rumored to be coming as soon as spring 2021. Now that spring 2021 is winding to a close, summer is the next best bet for any big announcements and service launches.
Details on the service are scarce, but ZDNet mentions that Microsoft plans to sell its new cloud service at a "flat per-user price." It will be a managed Microsoft 365 experience, which makes sense given that its core functionalities are reportedly giving users remote access to a Windows desktop wherein they can utilize software such as the suite of useful programs that fall under the umbrella of Microsoft Office.
As mentioned in a Microsoft job posting with some relevance to the upcoming Cloud PC service, the goal of the service is to provide users with an always accessible, always up-to-date Windows experience that will enable productivity from anywhere.
Get the Windows Central Newsletter
All the latest news, reviews, and guides for Windows and Xbox diehards.
Robert Carnevale is the News Editor for Windows Central. He's a big fan of Kinect (it lives on in his heart), Sonic the Hedgehog, and the legendary intersection of those two titans, Sonic Free Riders. He is the author of Cold War 2395. Have a useful tip? Send it to firstname.lastname@example.org.


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18 February 2019
Xiaomi came into focus by imitating Apple’s products to the core. In fact, its’s founder Lei Jun had openly admitted that he is a fan of Steve Jobs and even copied his unique dressing style too. Anyone who’s been following tech space knows that Steve Jobs used a signature parting phrase “One More Thing” when it seemed like the end of the presentation and would announce another major product. In a recent Weibo post, Xiaomi’s official have teased about “One More Thing” slated to be launched with the upcoming Mi 9 launch on February 20.
This new product is going to be a new Mi Router, as confirmed by the official Mi Router handle on Weibo. Though we do not have much information about the upcoming router, it looks like this is not going to be an iterative update. The Weibo post says that this is going to be a “never seen before product.”
Xiaomi apart from making smartphones makes a lot of lifestyle products and other accessories which includes smart LED TVs, Routers, electric scooters, shavers etc. The Mi Routers were first launched in 2013 and Xiaomi has launched multiple iterations of the routers since it is one of the highest selling devices after its phones and TVs.


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Bank to Allow Deposits Via the iPhone
Private bank USAA is planning to update its iPhone application to provide its customers with the ability to deposit checks directly from their iPhones. Customers will need to take a picture of both the front and back of the check, and then send the pictures to the bank. The bank will then use its electronic systems to derive the account number, amount, etc. To prevent fraud, customers will have to have both a checking account and some type of insurance product with USAA to take advantage of the system. The bank suggests people destroy, file or void the checks once they've been photographed and sent in.
Apple Says iOS 12 Will Be Faster, Work Better On Older iPhones
Jun 4, 2018
Apple today announced iOS 12, its next-generation platform for the iPhone and iPad. Apple says it spent time improving the performance of the operating system, which in claims will work well on iPhones and iPads that went on sale as far back as 2013.
Google Launches Multi-Purpose File-Wrangling App
Dec 5, 2017
Google today released the final version of Files Go, its new file-management app for Android. The app serves multiple purposes: it includes a file browser, local file transfer tool, and a tool to help free up storage on your phone.
BlackBerry Makes BBM Privacy Features Free
Apr 4, 2016
BBM users now have more control over their messages thanks to an update BlackBerry made available to Android, BlackBerry, and iOS devices. All three platforms now have unlimited use of the Retract and Timer features.
Huawei Hopes AI-Assisted Camera Will Set Mate 10, Mate 10 Pro Apart
Oct 16, 2017
Huawei today announced the Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro, the Chinese company's flagship smartphones heading into the end of the year. The Mate 10 (left) and Mate 10 Pro (right) are high-end devices with curved glass panels front and back, and a metal frame in between.
How about you...
Iphone sending pictures
Delete The Picture Too
I have an account with USAA


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Lightroom finally adds direct photo import on iOS
See the original posting on The Verge
Adobe announced its December updates to its photography apps today, and among the most significant is the ability to direct import photos on Lightroom for iOS and iPadOS. iOS and iPadOS 13.2 now allows raw files to be directly imported into Lightroom from cameras and memory cards. Previously, importing photos to Lightroom required transferring photos to the iPad camera roll first, then Lightroom, and then deleting the photos from the camera roll after to save space. Now, users will be able to bypass the iOS camera roll entirely, and imports can happen in a single step.
Its a long-awaited feature users have asked for since Lightroom for iOS was released, but delayed until the iPad could support external storage connectivity. Earlier this…


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3. Oculus Rift is a finished product
You can buy an Oculus Rift headset on the Oculus website today, and there are thousands and thousands of the headsets already being used out in the world. But Oculus Rift is not being sold for general consumer use. The headset available today is a developer kit designed to help software makers create cool things for the Rift. Oculus VR has yet to announce a date for the launch of a consumer version of the Rift.
4. Oculus Rift is the only VR headset around
Oculus Rift is synonymous with 'consumer VR headset,' and for good reason: It's far and away the most polished, least janky solution around. But that doesn't make it the only solution around. A wide range of companies are developing virtual and augmented reality headsets of their own, including game-industry heavyweights like Sony (of PlayStation fame) and Valve (creators of the Steam PC gaming platform). Valve's been shy about unveiling its tech to the public, but the devs that tried it at Steam Dev Days in January were exceedingly enthusiastic, to say the least.
There's a shade of truth in this myth, however. Most of those far-flung Oculus Rift competitors are still looking pretty rough. But more headsets are coming &madsh; just like the consumer version of the Rift itself.
5. Kickstarter backers got screwed by Oculus' $2 billion Facebook sale
No. Just... no. The Oculus Rift is a stunning success story, the latest poster child for Kickstarter's mission to fund hopes, dreams, and potential. Kickstarter is not a toy store or a place to look for equity in up-and-coming companies.
You can be mad about Oculus' selling out to Facebook, but to say that sale bastardizes the Kickstarter ideal is just plain wrong.
Sign up for Computerworld eNewsletters.


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The logistics and transport industry is calling for more transparency from state Governments following the temporary closure of the NSW and Victorian border, with the Victorian Shadow Minister for Ports and Freight voicing concerns that delays in obtaining permits have the potential to disrupt the already fragile supply chain.
The Federal Government has announced a $240 million funding injection to help keep international freight routes and flights operating under its International Freight Assistance Mechanism (IFAM), that is anticipated to extend until the end of 2020.
Western Australia Transport Minister Rita Saffioti has invited industry and the public to have their say on the draft South West Supply Chain Strategy that will prioritise future road, rail, air and port infrastructure requirements for the South West region.
The Western Australian Government has secured funding by the Commonwealth Government, announcing a $10 million dollar upgrade for key freight roads in the Wheatbelt area.
Toll has launched its new $17 million logistics facility that is located in one of Australia’s fastest growing urban areas.
DP World, a leading enabler of global trade, has completed the early stages of integration with TradeLens a blockchain-based digital container logistics platform, jointly developed by A.P. Moller – Maersk. Read more
The Australian Logistics Council (ALC) is calling on all state and territory governments to make the suspension of operational curfews on freight and logistics activities established in response to COVID-19 permanent. Read more
The $125 million Port of Melbourne’s Port Rail Transformation Project (PRTP) is set to go ahead and take effect on June 1 this year.
Australia Post has revealed parcel volumes have almost doubled in the last four weeks, up by 90 per cent compared to last year, as more householders shop online as they self-isolate.
Etihad Cargo has partnered with the Australian Government to deliver critical aircraft services to Australia. Read more


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Twitter confirmed a “significant” round of funding led by venture company DST Global today. In a post on the corporate blog, Twitter said several existing investors were also involved and that the resources would be used to innovate and expand internationally.
Neither party is providing further details, but AllThingsD reports the deal is likely to be worth $400 million plus perhaps $400 million in secondary funding. This investment model means that early investors, founders and employees can cash out at this point. DST Global has used this investment strategy before with companies including Facebook, Groupon and Zynga.
The influx of funding comes on the heels of Twitter getting more serious about its Sponsored Tweets program. On Thursday the company said it was making these micro-messages “easier to see” by placing them at or near the top of users’ timelines, providing the user follows the relevant brand, business or charitable organization. It also said this would ensure these consumers would “be among the first to get a special announcement, access to exclusive content or a great offer.”
Among the company’s participating in this sponsorship opportunity are Dell, Groupon, HBO, LivingSocial, Microsoft Xbox, Red Bull, Sephora, Starbucks, Summit Entertainment’s “50/50”, and TNT. Sponsored tweets for some non-profit organizations will also appear in the timelines of their followers, including charity: water, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Room to Read, The American Red Cross and Water.org.
Twitter’s financing post – http://tinyurl.com/3vlkxqw
AllThingsD post – http://tinyurl.com/4yy6yh7
Twitter’s Sponsored Tweet post – http://tinyurl.com/3wr4a9g


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In this week’s Solar News Roundup, SunPower acquires SolarWorld Americas, and Apple announces that their global facilities are 100% powered by clean, renewable energy.
In this week’s Solar News Roundup, JinkoSolar invests in a new Florida factory for NextEra Energy, and RGS Energy announces a move towards Dow solar shingle installations.
In this week’s Solar News Roundup, a college in Hawaii looks to become the first 100% renewable campus in the U.S. with solar power, and regulators in Arizona decide to put a hold on new gas plants in favor of cleaner energy sources.
Newer, more efficient solar panels and inverters have been in the news recently, but advancements in solar technology aren’t limited to standard equipment. Energy storage is also moving closer to mass-market adoption, and more installers are offering solar batteries and solar panel battery banks (a.k.a. solar-plus-storage) as an option for homeowners.
Solar-plus-storage systems include a battery that captures and stores the excess solar energy generated by the PV system, opening up the possibility of going “off the grid” – a tempting proposition for homeowners who want to sever their connection with utility companies by using renewable energy. As solar batteries become cheaper and more accessible for homeowners, more people are wondering, “Can I use solar batteries to go off the grid with my solar panel system?”
In this week’s Solar News Roundup, we check out a new industry report on energy storage’s big 2017 and promising 2018, plus New York’s ringing endorsement of community solar and a clean energy future.
Homeowners, solar companies, and industry advocates alike were given a big Christmas gift in 2015 when Congress approved the 2016 federal spending bill and extended the solar panel tax credit. The December 18 bill contained a 5-year solar tax credit extension, which makes solar more affordable for all Americans. Wondering how this impacts you? EnergySage has the answers.
In this week’s Solar News Roundup, we explore the massive price drop in high-efficiency solar panels over the past year, plus an early indication that solar battery systems are a viable solution for peak electricity demand.
Until just recently, Texas was not even among the top 10 states for solar energy, thus many were surprised when the Lone Star State was ranked #3 in the U.S. for solar jobs in 2017. Texas is adopting solar at one of the fastest rates in the country, and for good reason. Prices have continued to drop, and a number of utilities across the state launched or extended major incentive programs for solar PV systems recently. In this article we’ll break down Texas solar prices and use a case study to explain how comparison shopping can help homeowners get a better deal.
PG&E’s new rate schedule affects utility’s entire coverage area in 2018. Whether you have solar panels on your roof, are considering solar, or don’t have any plans to generate your own electricity, the time-of-use (TOU) rates will have an impact on your monthly electricity costs. Currently, all PG&E customers have the option of switching to TOU rates or remaining on their existing rate schedule. However, if you are a new PG&E customer or move to a new address, you’ll have to choose a new TOU plan. The best option for your home depends on your electricity use habits.


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Two CQ mates hunt through a busy shopping centre to find the perfect last-minute gift for the new missus - back-up...
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24th Dec. 2019 12:12 AM
IF YOU haven’t started buying Christmas gifts, today is the day to cross some big ticket items off the list.
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29th Nov. 2019 5:11 AM
A pop-up shop is the first of many new shopping options in Proston, a community working to ensure its survival.
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21st Nov. 2019 4:11 PM
Timing is everything to make sure a pop-up shop thrives
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21st Nov. 2019 10:11 AM
THIS pop-up Christmas shop has the perfect handmade gifts for every loved one.
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10th Nov. 2019 12:11 AM
CCIQ head of industry Dan Petrie says confidence in business had been "lacklustre” all year until things finally...
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27th Dec. 2018 5:12 AM
Interesting survey results show trends in shopper spending and attitude
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22nd Dec. 2018 11:12 AM
Columnist Jordie Lynch says retail workers deserve our respect this Christmas season.
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18th Dec. 2018 2:12 PM
"We always hope that it's busy and we get through a good trade to make up for the more quiet times of the year.”
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18th Nov. 2018 12:11 AM
FROM jewellery to clothes, gadgets and home-wares Warwick has gone nuts for shopping this Christmas season.
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21st Dec. 2017 4:12 PM