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The ventes of detail in Australiennes have been augmented since March 2010 after the last 14 months, which constitutes an alarm signal for consommation that does not force the house to come as a surprise to its interior. this week.
Data on Wednesday showed retail sales rose a modest 0.4% in March compared to February, when they rose just 0.2%. Sales of A$35.31 billion ($23.53 billion) were up 5.4% from a year earlier, but the figure was down from the 6.4% growth recorded in February.
However, the number was just above median expectations for a 0.3% monthly increase.
While consumers are spending more on food and eating out, they have spent less on apparel, home goods and supermarkets due to cost-of-living pressures and rising borrowing costs.
The burden of mortgage payments is expected to grow further after the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) raised interest rates to 3.85%, a level not seen in a decade, on Tuesday, surprising markets and the majority of economists who had expected a long break.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Jim Chalmers said on Wednesday the increase was a “stark reminder” of the economic challenges facing the country, and called for restraint in the federal government’s budget due next Tuesday to avoid exacerbating the problem, inflation in Australia.
“This is a stark reminder of the challenges facing our economy, in particular the challenge of inflation. And a really tough day for Australians who are already under the pump.”
Marcel Thelliant, an economist at Capital Economics, estimates that sales volumes may have fallen about 0.5% in the first quarter, compared to the previous quarter.
“While retail sales values rose at a decent pace in March, we believe sales volumes fell by the most since the closings in the fourth quarter of 2021, and there is still room for weakness,” Theliant said.
We expect consumption growth to slow to around 0% on a quarterly basis in this quarter and the next.
Reserve Bank of Australia Governor Philip Lowe warned that the central bank could not take too long to bring inflation under control, after the RBA stuck to its forecast that inflation is likely to return to the upper end of its target range of 2-3% compared to the middle. 2025.
Markets are now pricing in a one in three possibility of a further 4.10% rally by August, on top of the 375 basis point rally since May last year.
($1 = 1.5004 Australian dollars)


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Steam School, an award-winning education programme that broadcasts into schools and homes across the UK has welcomed guests from Virgin Galactic and Under Armour as part of its Fashion Futures season.
Live from Spaceport America in New Mexico, Jameel Janjua – a member of the Virgin Galactic spaceship pilot corps – introduced students to the company’s mission to open space, making it more accessible to civilians in future.
During the 30-minute broadcast, Jameel discussed the innovation behind their brand-new spacesuits and answered questions from students live across the UK, as well as sharing the story behind his training with tips and advice for aspiring astronauts.
In another episode, the sustainability team at Under Armour – the American sports equipment company – joined students to discuss product innovation and how the company is working hard to protect the planet. Michael Levine, Under Armour’s Vice President of Sustainability answered questions about their efforts to reduce the impact of their operations and gave a motivational talk on what we could all be doing to help the environment.
“Fashion Futures has been a fantastic season and I’m proud that Steam School has been able to continue supporting schools with amazing content and world-class guests throughout the pandemic” says founder Jade Parkinson-Hill. “Our mission is to inspire the next generation of inventors, digital creatives and tech entrepreneurs by connecting them with the likes of Virgin Galactic and Under Armour. The feedback so-far has been outstanding and we’ve got more phenomenal guests joining us throughout the rest of the school year!”
Other contributors across the season included sustainable fashion platform Make Thread; Sahrye Cohen from San Francisco – an inspiring tech couture designer and author of “Make It, Wear It!” – a book for makers, crafters and cosplayers; and Rachel Feinberg, CEO and co-founder of Ateyo – a Los Angeles fashion company creating high-performance clothing for gamers.
Early next week, Steam School will be announcing the line-up for its upcoming ‘Metaverse’ season which will include major names from the world of virtual reality, gaming, and social media.

domain: news


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Canmakers attended Cannex 2007 in force, looking out for the latest ideas in manufacturing technology. Top executives from Crown, Rexam, Ball, Impress, Kian Joo, Daiwa, Exal, Can-Pack, Grupo Zapata, Envases Universales, Pacific Can, Toyo Seikan and many others could be seen eyeing the latest equipment.
The show kicked off with a provocative message from Bill Barker, Rexam’s chief executive for global beverage can operations.
“Seven years ago they were predicting the demise of the can but the canmaking world woke up and became more market driven,” said Barker. “The industry is working with better equipment, better materials and with a high level of operating excellence with a myriad of new products that add value to brands.”
Machinery on show included CarnaudMetalbox Engineering’s 3400 beverage can necker making its world debut, Hinterkopf’s H240 decorator, Can Man’s X1 welder, and Custom Machining Corporation’s new end lining machine.
The Canmaker Conference provided a forum for news from the markets and companies presenting their latest ideas. Highlights included ORG’s Wei Qiong, who offered the latest data on the Chinese canned food markets.
Finally, Impress’s chief executive Francis Labbé hosted a press conference in which he revealed that the company was setting up a strategic partnership with ORG. It was an appropriate finale: Labbé first met the ORG top brass during the Cans of the Year Awards dinner at The Canmaker Summit in Spain last year.
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With the clock ticking down to Thursday’s vote, David Richardson and David Groundwater of the Federation of Small Businesses set out what they want council elections to deliver for small firms in the north and north-east.
If you run a small business, have you given any thought to Thursday’s local authority elections?
No? Well perhaps you should, for councils are the big beasts of Scotland’s local economies, and who gets in will help determine what your council does and how it spends its/your money.
Right now, the number-one priority has to be kick-starting local economies after the dark days of the pandemic.
‘Many businesses are in a bad way’
With the Russian threat, weak world trade and travel, inflation, shortages of goods and staff, and uncertain consumer demand, many businesses are in a bad way.
Indeed, our latest Federation of Businesses Scotland (FSB) research, undertaken in March and April, found the average Scottish small and medium-sized enterprise is less optimistic now than a year ago.
North and north-east firms may be down but they certainly aren’t out.
Given proper support, they can and will adapt and survive, and much of that support must come from their local councils.
FSB Scotland has produced a series of election manifestos called The Power of Local, in which we list some low-cost, high-impact measures new councils can adopt to really help their businesses, economies and communities.
First up, there’s the immense spending power of our councils, both in purchasing goods and services for their own use and in the personal spending of their staff.
We are asking councils to increase the value of goods and services they buy locally by a modest 2% per annum.
Taking the Highlands as an example, that would see an additional £5.8 million pumped into the local economy in year one.
Local authorities in The Press and Journal area employ more than 50,000 people.
Their wage bills are eye-wateringly large – about £335m in the Highland Council area alone.
For the past two years most council staff have been working from home, making it far harder for them to buy goods on high streets and much easier to buy them online.
We call for councils to return staff to their offices urgently to give our city and town centres a significant financial boost.
While on this subject, we also want them to protect vitally important but vulnerable city and town centres by blocking out-of-town developments for the next five years, unless there is absolutely no alternative.
Councils can do much more to help by creating joined-up online systems in areas such as licensing and non-domestic rates, and by exercising extreme caution when implementing new schemes such as that concerning short-term lets.
And more grant support should be targeted at helping businesses on their journeys to net-zero.
But it’s not just about protecting existing firms. If we want to maintain vibrant, well-balanced and growing populations, we must ensure all parts of our region are seen as go-to places to start up and grow businesses.
That’s as true of Shetland’s north isles as it is of Aberdeen, where the number of registered businesses has fallen by 5.3% since the last council election.
More money should be invested in Business Gateway services to encourage start-ups, offering targeted support for areas with significant untapped potential – such as women-led firms.
If we want to maintain vibrant, well-balanced and growing populations, we must ensure all parts of our region are seen as go-to places to start up and grow businesses.”
Finally, while no-one was prepared for Covid, the commitment from their councils and local businesses was obvious.
Both were able to think outside the box and work together to overcome major obstacles.
It is vital this is not forgotten and that councils continue to strengthen their ties with smaller businesses for years to come.
So, if you were of the opinion Thursday’s elections are not for you, please think again. Who wins could make a big difference to your business.
David Richardson is development manager for the FSB in the Highlands and Islands. David Groundwater has the same role for the business group in the north-east.


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SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica—Hilton Garden Inn broke ground on their latest hotel project in Costa Rica, the Hilton Garden Inn San José Sabana. The hotel, which is expected to be completed in April of 2015, is owned by Stanley Rattner, president, Desarrolladora Parque la Sabana.
The official ceremony took place on Monday, February 11, with the Mayor of San José, Johnny Araya, Alan Roberts, vice president, brand performance and sales support, Hilton Garden Inn, senior executives from Hilton Worldwide, local dignitaries, and the hotel and business community in attendance.
The 118-room hotel will be part of Sabana Business Center, a 20-story mixed-use complex comprising offices, retail stores and shared parking. The hotel will take up floors 12 to 20, with food and beverage services and over 10,000 square feet of meeting space.
“We are pleased to be able to deliver the industry-leading Hilton Garden Inn to the San José market,” said Adrian Kurre, global head, Hilton Garden Inn. “The Hilton Garden Inn San José Sabana will be part of an exciting mixed development while still adhering to the high standards for which the brand is known. This complements our international growth strategy well, specifically in the Central and South American markets.”
The property will be the brand’s second hotel in Costa Rica, joining the Hilton Garden Inn Liberia Airport. Currently, the brand has four hotels open and seven hotels in the development pipeline in Central and South America.


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News, analysis and tips on the Google Android operating system, and devices and apps that use it.
Looking for phones? CNET's reviews of the best phones include photos, video, and user reviews.
Google's mobile OS reigned supreme in the third quarter with 84 percent of global shipments, says research firm Strategy Analytics. And then there are the warning signs.
The search giant is aiming to bring phones that cost less than $100 to "the next five billion" in the emerging markets. First stop: India.
Between April and June, a whopping 255.3 million Android-based smartphones were shipped worldwide.
Google makes a play to be the center of the wearable universe, cars that communicate to each other, and what beacons in your favorite store can do for you.
Once a thing dreamed about in sci-fi, voice-controlled computers are a reality. But consumers may not realize the price they pay for living in the future.
Finnish smartphone manufacturer Jolla has passed its Indiegogo crowdfunding target -- in just over two hours -- for its first tablet, a 7.9-inch slate that runs Sailfish OS, rather than Android.
You can use a Bluetooth or NFC device to unlock your Android phone. Here's how.
The Korean electronics giant is shifting gears again with its troubled mobile operating system. It's now aiming for affordability as a key characteristic of Tizen smartphones.
An update lets the photo cataloging and editing software handle raw files from the Nikon D750, Canon 7D Mark II, Panasonic LX100, and Apple's latest smartphones.
Some of India's biggest brick-and-mortar retail chains are refusing to sell Android One devices, due to Google's handling of online sales, as well as low profit margins, says a report.


text: In pics: Design sketches of Hyundai Creta facelift revealed in Indonesia 5 Photos . Updated: 21 Oct 2021, 02:36 PM IST HT Auto Desk 1/5Hyundai Indonesia recently revealed design sketches of Creta facelift that will launch in the country soon. The same Creta facelift is expected to touch down on Indian shores at some point next year.Hyundai is underlining the Parametric Jewel Grille on the face of the Creta, along with Parametric Jewel Hidden DRL. 2/5Hyundai facelift gets boomerang-type rear light and High-Mounted Stop Lamp (HMSL) which is the right combination for a futuristic exterior appearance, says the company. 3/5Expect a long list of updates on the inside of the Creta facelift. The design sketch reveals a vertically-oriented central display screen, D-cut steering wheel, three-dimensional patterned speaker grille and a Silver Bezel around the gear knob.Expect the SUV to also get feature additions at unveil. 4/5Hyundai had given Creta a minor design update in Brazil earlier this year. But the model for Indonesia is a proper facelift. 5/5The latest Creta in India was launched in 2020 and has continued to be a segment leader in the mid-size SUV space.


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Carrols Acquiring 221 Burger King, Popeyes Units
Burger King’s largest franchisee in the U.S. has agreed to buy 166 more Burger King units and 55 Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen locations in a $238 million merger deal with Memphis-based Cambridge Franchise Holdings.
Syracuse, N.Y.-based Carrols Restaurant Group will increase its total restaurant count to about 1,070. The targeted Burger King and Popeyes units are in 10 Southeastern and Southern states.
Under Carrols’ existing agreement with Restaurant Brands Int’l., Burger King’s parent, it is pre-approved for expansion and holds first right of refusal for development in 20 states until it reaches 1,000 restaurants. As part of the deal, Memphis-based Carrols has also agreed to develop 200 new Burger King stores over the next six years and to remodel or upgrade some locations to the “Burger King of Tomorrow” image.
As of Jan. 1, Carrols operated 849 Burger King restaurants. It has operated Burger King units since 1976.


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CECRA will not be enough to save investors in the commercial space
Last week, a newly formed advocacy group, the National Coalition of Commercial Property Owners, called for changes in how commercial investors receive assistance while COVID-19 continues to shackle Canadian businesses. In the group’s eyes, the Canada Emergency Commercial Rent Assistance (CECRA) program, rather than keeping commercial owners afloat, is actually punishing them by making it harder to collect rent and cover their obligations to lenders, utilities and municipalities.
A better solution, according to NCCPO spokesperson Ryan Giles, would involve provinces providing direct financial support to small business owners in the form of a monthly cheque, a system already in place in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Nova Scotia. Giles explains that businesses in those provinces have been receiving payments of $5,000 or more a month.
With CECRA so far receiving a lukewarm response, Giles says a provincial direct payment program could increase the national program’s reach by eliminating its greatest sticking point: commercial tenants needing to provide 25 percent of their monthly rent. It sounds like a hell of a discount, but as Giles says, many of those businesses “can’t even afford that 25 percent if they’ve had no revenue for the past two months.” A direct payment could help businesses meet CECRA’s 25 percent rental obligation.
One of the more delicate issues facing commercial property owners and tenants involves evictions. Many provinces have discouraged or banned owners outright from evicting struggling tenants. At first glance, such measures seem beneficial to commercial owners – there’s no need to find new tenants at a time when the commercial space is struggling – but NCCPO’s stance is that blanket non-eviction measures do more harm than good.
“For us, non-eviction measures do nothing to help struggling tenants pay their bills. It would just make it harder for us to collect our rent and pay our mortgage bills,” Giles says, stressing that commercial owners are not looking for ways to show their tenants the door. “We have no intention or desire to evict our tenants. A move like that would make little sense.” Direct payments to businesses, if they make CECRA more attractive for tenants and owners, would potentially make such non-eviction orders unnecessary.
The commercial real estate sector is undoubtedly in need of assistance. With the future of thousands of small businesses still up in the air, a cash infusion may be just what it needs to survive.


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|A vet said the lamb’s deformity may have been caused by too much vitamin A in its mother’s diet. © CEN|
April 24, 2015 – DAGESTAN, RUSSIA – Proud owner Blasius Lavrentiev’s shock soon turned to delight after he was offered 10 times the normal price for her
A lamb born with a face ‘like an angry old man with a big nose’ has avoided the chop after a circus made an offer for her.
Proud owner Blasius Lavrentiev’s shock soon turned to delight after he was already offered 10 times the normal price for her.
Sheep farmer Lavrentiev, 45, from the village of Chirka close to the Republic of Dagestan in south-western Russia, had been waiting all week for his prized ewe to give birth.
|The farmer said described the lamb as a “little beauty”. © CEN|
He said: “We had quite a tough winter and when I noticed she was pregnant I was delighted as it meant I would be able to sell the lambs and start making some money again.
“But when I went down to see how it was going I nearly died from shock when I saw what looked like the hairy face of an old man staring up at me.
“Her parents are both normal looking sheep so I have no idea how she ended up looking like this.”
Now the human-faced lamb has become the talk of the village.
Neighbour Dementi Galkin, 65, said: “I’ve seen some weird stuff in my time, but nothing like this.
“She looks like an angry old man with a big nose.”
Villager Dana Mishina, 56, said: “She is both freaky and sweet.
“I don’t know what to make of it really. But she terrifies my grandchildren.”
“It will be interesting to see what she looks like when she gets older.”
Local vet Dorofei Gavrilov, 49, said: “From what we can make out the anomaly is the result of the farmer giving the lamb’s mother too much vitamin A.
Proud owner Lavrentiev however has found his shock turn to delight after he was already offered 10 times the normal price – from a local circus – and several other enquiries have also come in since then.
He said: “Whatever has caused it she’s a little beauty and I definitely won’t be selling her for anyone’s dinner table either as the buyers want her on display.
“She’ll be staying with us until then.” – Daily Mirror.


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HALLMARK CHANNEL GIVES ONE LUCKY VIEWER THE CHANCE TO BE ENVY OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD WITH FIRST ANNUAL HOLIDAY HOME DECORATION SWEEPSTAKES
Promotion Presented by Balsam Hill and Toyota
NEW YORK, NY – September 4, 2018 – Today, Crown Media Family Networks launched its first annual Holiday Home Decoration Sweepstakes, a new promotion that will culminate in an interior and exterior transformation of one lucky family’s home into a Christmas wonderland. Hallmark Channel will heavily support the promotion on-air, including regular mentions on the network’s daytime lifestyle program, Home & Family, as well as online and across social media. Balsam Hill®, the leading provider of premium realistic artificial Christmas trees and holiday décor, and Toyota, a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. and North America for 60 years, have signed on as marquis sponsors for the competition.
“Our ‘Countdown to Christmas’ event has become one of our viewers’ most-beloved holiday events, and we are always exploring ideas to enhance their experience in a way only we can,” said Bill Abbott, president & CEO, Crown Media Family Networks. “Hallmark Channel’s first-ever Holiday Home Decoration Sweepstakes aligns perfectly with both our programming and our sponsors’ seasonal messages, and we look forward to building this initiative into a key annual tradition for many years to come.”
Beginning today, viewers may enter the Holiday Home Decoration Sweepstakes once per day online and can earn the opportunity to win bonus entries in one of two ways: through shares on Twitter and by participating in Balsam Hill’s exclusive virtual room decorating experience. In addition to the grand prize, beginning September 21, viewers may also enter a second online holiday sweepstakes that will award five winners per week a $500 gift card and a seven-inch Balsam Hill Miracle Flame™ Pillar Candle.
On October 15, up to five finalists will be introduced online, and consumers can vote for the home they feel is most deserving of a holiday make-over through October 19.
During the first week of November, Hallmark Channel and a decorating team, led by Home & Family’shome décor expert Ken Wingard, will descend on the winner’s home and launch a full-scale holiday makeover with Balsam Hill products, which will be transported by Toyota. The final result will be unveiled on-air during Candace Cameron Bure’s highly-anticipated new Hallmark Channel original holiday film, A Shoe Addict’s Christmas, on Sunday, November 25. The following day, the winning home will be prominently featured in a Home & Family segment, which will introduce viewers to the lucky family and share behind the scenes footage of the entire decorating process.
Allison Bennett, (212) 445-6692, AllisonBennett@crownmedia.com
ABOUT HALLMARK CHANNEL
Hallmark Channel, owned by Hallmark Cards, Inc., is Crown Media Family Networks’ flagship 24-hour cable television network, distributed nationwide in high definition (HD) and standard definition (SD) to 87 million homes. As the country’s leading destination for quality family entertainment, Hallmark Channel delivers on the 100-year legacy of the Hallmark brand. In addition to its signature new, original movies, the network features an ambitious lineup of other new, original content, including scripted primetime series, such as “Good Witch,” “When Calls the Heart” and “Chesapeake Shores”; annual specials including “Kitten Bowl”and “Hero Dog Awards”; and a daily, two-hour lifestyle show, “Home & Family.” Additionally, Hallmark Channel is the exclusive home to world premiere presentations of the acclaimed Hallmark Hall of Fame franchise. Dedicated to helping viewers celebrate life’s special moments, Hallmark Channel also offers annual holiday programming franchises, including “Countdown to Christmas,” “Countdown to Valentine’s Day,” “Summer Nights,” “Fall Harvest” and “Winterfest.” Rounding out the network’s diverse slate are some of television’s most beloved comedies and series, including “The Golden Girls” and “Frasier.”
For more information, please visit www.crownmediapress.com
To visit the network website, please visit www.hallmarkchannel.com
© Copyright 2017. All Rights Reserved.


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Chinese internet giant Tencent Holdings may choose to divest more and pursue fewer acquisitions this year, as Beijing tightens oversight of the country’s Big Tech firms, South China Morning Post reported, citing analysts.
During the last year-end meeting, Pony Ma Huateng, the founder and chief executive of Tencent Holdings, said that his company should do its job without crossing any lines.
Chinese authorities have continued the crackdown on the high-tech sector under anti-monopoly law. Tencent, in particular, is one of the corporations that received the heaviest penalties.
According to a statement by China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), Tencent-backed China Literature and Shenzhen Hive Box were fined 500,000 yuan ($79,000) for the first time in December 2020 for not reporting past deals correctly for antitrust reviews. Since then, this agency has penalized Tencent multiple times under China’s 2008 anti-monopoly law.
In 2021, China authorities prevented Tencent from merging Huya and DouYu, the country’s top two video game streaming sites. Had it been done, Tencent would get a market share of 70% in the video game live streaming industry.
Tencent was fined 500,000 yuan ($79,000) for its 2018 investment in the online education app Yuanfudao on Mar 12, 2021, though the regulator determined the deals themselves are not anti-competitive.
In August 2021, Tencent’s music streaming business terminated all exclusive licensing deals with global record labels to abide by the SAMR orders. Subsequently, the company was fined $79,000 for owning over 80% of music library resources in China.
At the annual central economic work conference last December, China signaled that they would be loosening the crackdown on Big Tech. Still, earlier this month, China slapped fines on Alibaba, Tencent, and Bilibili while SAMR targeted 43 unreported deals involving tech giants.


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Connect with top gaming leaders in Los Angeles at GamesBeat Summit 2023 this May 22-23. Register here.
If you thought that getting apps noticed was tough on the iPhone, it’s even harder on Android phones. That’s why PapayaMobile is unveiling its Android App Of The Day, an app-marketing program, today.
PapayaMobile, the Beijing-based mobile social platform for Android apps, will use it to help Android users sift through the chaff to find cool apps on a daily basis.
Those apps will be featured either for free or at a discounted price of 99 cents for one day only. Such price promotions may not seem earthshaking, but they’re a tried-and-tested way of grabbing attention in other app marketplaces. The first featured app is Basketball Shot, which lets you while away the time playing hoops.
The problem for Android developers is that the top 50 list is the best way to get noticed on Google’s official Android Market. But the top 50 list rarely changes and so it isn’t fluid enough to include the hottest or the coolest new games that are just getting started. As a result, many phone makers in places such as China are creating their own secondary app stores with more ways to get apps discovered.
GamesBeat Summit 2023
Join the GamesBeat community in Los Angeles this May 22-23. You’ll hear from the brightest minds within the gaming industry to share their updates on the latest developments.
“It’s a worldwide problem, though it’s bigger in Asia because that is where the phones are selling,” said PapayaMobile chief executive Si Shen in an interview. “We did this because we found that it was hard to get our own apps discovered.”
PapayaMobile started as an app maker. It has since created a platform that can be used to add social features such as sharing, leaderboards or challenges to games, in the hopes that those will make friends more likely to tell friends about the app. The company competes with rivals such as Aurora Feint and Scoreloop.
Shen said that the focus for PapayaMobile’s App of the Day is quality. To be eligible, developers have to use PapayaMobile’s software development kit, which gives the developers access to a network of more than 4 million Android users who are fans of apps in PapayaMobile’s network. The company expects to see developers from around the globe participate in the program.
Most of the apps will be 99 cents, unless they do not require a download, in which case they can be offered for free. (That’s a restriction on the Android Market). Apps can also be offered for free if they are downloaded from a website and not directly from the Android Market. Developers can submit their apps for free if they enroll in the program by September 12. At some point in the future, developers may have to bid to be included in the offer.
In theory, once an app is featured, it can see a lot of traffic in one day and then spread in a viral fashion through word of mouth. Companies such as RockYou are seeing good results with “deal of the day” programs on Facebook, while Aurora Feint does something similar for the iPhone, so this effort might also do well.
Shen, a former mobile product manager for Google in China, started PapayaMobile in 2008 with Wenjie Qian. The company has 30 employees and it raised $4 million in funding from DCM.
Getting content noticed is a challenge for everyone making apps. We’ll cover the topic intensely at DiscoveryBeat 2010, our upcoming conference at the Mission Bay conference center in San Francisco on October 18.
GamesBeat's creed when covering the game industry is "where passion meets business." What does this mean? We want to tell you how the news matters to you -- not just as a decision-maker at a game studio, but also as a fan of games. Whether you read our articles, listen to our podcasts, or watch our videos, GamesBeat will help you learn about the industry and enjoy engaging with it. Discover our Briefings.


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The Big Story
Apple announces iOS 7, 'biggest change' since the original iPhone
looks funny, but it works.
22 days ago on Size matters: how I went from an iPhone to a really big Android phone
what is the most important part for a human being? If not for eyes, how about ears, nose or mouse?
maybe mr cook prefer for d*cks.
22 days ago on Tim Cook teases 'profound' opportunity in wearable tech, says Google Glass won't have mass appeal


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PROVIDENCE – The R.I. Revenue Department collected $1.4 million in May through the state’s 5 percent hotel tax, a sum 17.5 percent higher than the $1.2 million collected a year earlier in May 2013, according to the latest revenue report.
The state hotel tax requires hotels to charge a 5 percent tax on the rental of rooms in the state and, together with the separately levied 1 percent local hotel tax, represents a fair gauge of hotel activity in Rhode Island during a given period.
The Revenue Department noted in the May report that an anomaly in the May 2013 data skewed the year-over-year growth rate in hotel tax collections. After correcting for the anomaly, collections rose 9.2 percent year over year rather than 17.5 percent.
Revenue Director Rosemary Booth Gallogly said the May collections are “cause for some optimism that the business travel market and the consumer tourism market are bouncing back after pausing during April,” a welcome development at the start of the peak summer season.
Hotel tax collections also improved on a fiscal year-to-date basis, rising 5.2 percent during the five months through May, or 4.5 percent after adjusting for the May 2013 data anomaly. Year-to-date collections totaled $14 million in May, compared with $13.3 million for the same period last fiscal year.
Tax revenue from the state hotel tax is divided among regional tourism districts, the Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau, the R.I. Convention Center Authority, and the state and its 39 municipalities.
Join PBN for the best networking event and party of the winter - January 15, 2015 - the Book of Lists Party at the Providence Public Library. Reserve your spot by December 31st and get a holiday gift from PBN!
PBN's annual Book of Lists has been an essential resource for the local business community for almost 30 years. The Book of Lists features a wealth of company rankings from a variety of fields and industries, including banking, health care, real estate, law, hospitality, education, not-for-profits, technology and many more.


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Brin Bucknor, managing director of VNU Business Publications, has won a Periodical Publishers Association award for the role he played in discussions with the Royal Mail over its controversial size-based pricing scheme.
Bucknor was presented with the Chairman’s Award for encouraging the Royal Mail to adapt its plans to change the pricing structure from one based on weight to one based on size.
The proposals prompted concerns of closures and higher postal costs among magazine publishers, who feared their titles would not fit within the required measurements.
PPA chairman and chief executive of Reed Business Information Keith Jones praised Bucknor’s achievement in what he described as one of the most difficult times to date. “Brin Bucknor has quietly and effectively led the work of the postal contract group as its chairman during one of its most difficult times.
“We have seen initial price hikes of up to 150 per cent brought down closer to realistic levels, the introduction of a special category for A3 magazines, the removal of a highly restrictive criterion requiring an item to be sufficiently flexible to go through a letterbox and we are still working hard to secure a more realistic measure for whether an item is uniform – flat – across the face than the impossible 2mm currently proposed,” he said.
Before presenting the award to Bucknor, Jones said: “Brin, what you have done – working closely with our excellent team in the PPA executive – is a shining example of what a trade association should be about. On behalf of us all, thank you.”
Bucknor has worked in the magazine industry for almost 20 years, having begun his career as a sales executive.
The award is presented every year by the PPA to an individual who has made a noteworthy contribution to the magazine industry and the PPA.
By Ruth Addicott


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While the global smartphone market suffered a lot at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, younger and less saturated markets in the tech industry have been impressively successful in maintaining their growth levels over the past couple of years.
Smart speaker sales, for example, have only recorded one quarterly year-over-year decline in market history…until the first three months of 2022. That’s right, the The first quarter of this year hasn’t been great for the Amazon-dominated sector, which, somewhat surprisingly, contracted 4.5% compared to the first quarter of 2021.
This seemingly shocking contraction is less surprising when you consider that Alibaba, Baidu and Xiaomi are three of the world’s top six sellers. These companies rely almost entirely on domestic manufacturing and sales, both of which proved problematic between January and March 2022 due to “ unprecedented resurgences of COVID-19 that interrupted the daily lives of many Chinese people ”.
The double-digit declines of all three have greatly contributed to Apple’s rise to the sellers’ podium, even though Amazon and Google still look untouchable in their respective gold and silver medal positions. Naturally, it would be grossly unfair to attribute the rise of the HomePod mini to further lockdowns in China and other market “disruptions” caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, especially when one accounts for another remarkable feat achieved by the smaller Siri-powered speaker.
For the first time , Apple has the world’s only best-selling smart speaker model , beating Amazon’s fourth-generation Echo Dot and Google’s Nest Mini, both of which are significantly more affordable than the HomePod mini. A total of 4.5 million units of the HomePod mini were sold during the first quarter of 2022 , representing a 12.7% share of a total of 35.3 million units, which is a quite an incredible accomplishment for the manufacturer of a single connected speaker (after the withdrawal of the “standard” HomePod).
Amazon and Google still leading the market
With many more models under their belts, Amazon and Google hold 28.2% and 17.2% shares , respectively, after fairly modest single-digit growth numbers from the first quarter of last year.
Looking ahead, the aforementioned top three Chinese players are expected to bounce back…at the earliest by mid-2023, while the top three global vendors will have to overcome their own challenges…one way or another. Specifically, the US market is starting to show clear signs of saturation, making life very difficult for Amazon, Google and Apple, the latter also having to worry about “ the exhaustion of opportunities to sell HomePods to its customer base “. iPhone ”.
In other words, the astonishing and somewhat unexpected success of the HomePod mini could be short-lived , with its maker’s growth likely to “slow down significantly” in 2023. It remains to be seen whether Apple will try to ride the surf. this wave of global popularity… one way or another and release a new smart speaker by then. In the meantime, Amazon and Google should focus on “selling additional devices to consumers or encouraging them to update older models” as the existing user base is unlikely to expand further.


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Jordan to launch 2nd package to stimulate economy
AMMAN, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- Jordan will launch on Monday the second package plan to stimulate the economy, state-run Petra news agency reported Sunday.
The new package will include incentives in several vital sectors to complete the first package to boost economy and investment, alongside a set of managerial and financial reforms.
The package will also order the integration and cancellation of independent entities as part of Jordan's efforts to enhance economic reform, ensure the efficient budgeting and cut administrative red tape.
Jordan's economy grew by 1.8 percent in the second quarter of 2019, which is slightly lower than a forecast by the International Monetary Fund, which expected the figure to be 2.3 percent.


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A digest of important news from sources selected by our local editors. Delivered weekday mornings.
Boston-Power Inc., a maker of next-generation lithium-ion batteries, has announced an expansion of its production capabilities for its Sonata line of rechargeable batteries through a partnership with GP Batteries, a consumer battery maker based in China and part of Gold Peak Industries (Holdings) Ltd.
Financial terms of the deal was not provided.
Under terms of the five-year agreement, GP Batteries will dedicate its lithium-ion battery factory in Taiwan exclusively to the production of Sonata batteries. Using technology and material supplied by Boston-Power, the factory will double its monthly production in 2009. Boston-Power and GP Batteries will also undertake a joint research and development effort to expand the capacity and performance of Sonata cells, according to a company statement.
The agreement comes one month after Boston-Power announced the receipt of $55 million in funding and in anticipation of the Sonata battery being included in the next generation of laptops from Hewlett Packard Co., due in the first quarter of 2009.
In conjunction with the expansion of production facilities in China, Boston Power has also appointed James Tsoi as general manager of the company’s operations in Asia.
Founded in 2005 by CEO and former Mass High Tech Women to Watch Honoree Christina Lampe-Önnerud, Boston-Power has developed an environmentally friendly battery, with better performance characteristics than traditional technologies, according to company documents. Investors have provided the firm with more than $125 million in total funding since its inception. Investors include Foundation Asset Management, Oak Investment Partners, Venrock, GGV Capital and Gabriel Venture Partners.
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While sparkling boots, and covetable tweed two-pieces are sure to become classics, the moment everyone will be talking about is Karl's final look. The second black bride in Chanel history walk the runway. (Alex Wek previously stole the show as Chanel's bride during the fall 2004 couture show wearing a feather cape). Keep scrolling for all the must-see moments from the show.
Haute couture fashion week is currently underway in the French capital, from head-turning celebrity sightings to stunning model moments on the runway, it's little wonder that all eyes are on Paris right now.
In what is rumoured to be his last show for the iconic fashion house, Karl Lagerfeld went back to basics for his fall 2018 collection. The 84-year-old turned the Grand Palais into a modern shopping promenade. The catwalk was a pavement lined with book stalls and various members of the photogenic Kroenig family lined the sidewalk, one of whom is Lagerfeld’s godson, all wearing grey Chanel merch-style sweaters.


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Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (NYSE:BABA) could be serving more than half the Chinese population in the next decade, according to Jefferies analysts. They view the whole ecommerce industry in a positive light and see Alibaba as especially promising.
Alibaba to see rapid growth
In a report dated Oct. 27, 2014, analyst Cynthia Meng and the rest of the team at Jefferies point out that Alibaba holds 80% of the gross merchandise volume market share in China even though it sells to less than a quarter of the population. As a result, they initiated coverage of the company with a Buy rating and $118 per share price target, saying that the company will probably be selling more than half of the Chinese population in ten years.
What can past market crashes teach us about the current one?
The markets have largely recovered since the March selloff, but most would agree we're not out of the woods yet. The COVID-19 pandemic isn't close to being over, so it seems that volatility is here to stay, at least until the pandemic becomes less severe. Q2 2020 hedge fund letters, conferences and more At the Read More
The Jefferies team said the changing demographics support their view that ecommerce will grow over the next decade. For example, internet users are moving toward the 30+ age group. They also noted that there’s a structural shift from traditional retail to online shopping and that the proliferation of affordable smart devices means that mobile shopping will continue growing.
TMall, mobile help Alibaba grow
The analysts said a mix shift toward TMall and also growth in mobile monetization will drive Alibaba’s growth to push the percentage of the Chinese population the company serves from less than 25% to more than 50%.
They’re estimating a compound annual growth rate of 36% for Alibaba’s revenue between the 2014 and 2017 fiscal years. They think growth in commission revenues from TMall will be the main driver. In addition, they note that mobile gross merchandise volume was 32.8% of Alibaba’s total volume in the first fiscal quarter of 2015, growing by 21 percentage points year over year. The Jefferies team believes that the mobile monetization rate will narrow the gap with the PC monetization rate.
International upside for Alibaba
One of the reasons they see TMall as being so important for Alibaba is because of the “growing appetite for foreign brands among Chinese consumers.” The TMall Global online property reduces the cost, delivery time and language barriers in international online shopping. They estimate a 5% to 12% upside to their 2016 fiscal year revenue estimate for Alibaba based on international shopping through TMall Global.


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“The most interesting trend when it comes to U.S. international travel is the growing impact of the Millennial generation,” says Resonance Consultancy President Chris Fair.
New York, NY (PRWEB) February 05, 2015
American international travel has been on the rise since hitting a recession-induced nadir of 59.2 million travelers in 2011. While the number of Americans traveling overseas has been relatively stagnant over the past decade, U.S. international travel is growing again as the U.S. economy recovers and more Millennials begin to travel abroad. In fact, recent estimates by the U.S. Office of Travel & Tourism Industries for January through November of 2014 show that international outbound travel from the U.S. jumped 9.8% over the same period year prior, putting the country on track to surpass 65 million international travelers and set a new all-time record for international travel.
According to the 2015 Resonance Report: Portrait of the U.S. International Leisure Traveler, the Top 10 countries Americans plan to visit on vacation in the next 12-24 months are:
1. Canada (29%)
2. Mexico (28%)
3. Italy (27%)
4. England (24%)
5. France (23%)
6. Germany (19%)
7. Spain (15%)
8. Ireland (15%)
9. Bahamas (13%)
10. Greece (13%)
The online survey was conducted by Resonance Consultancy in November 2014 with 1,256 recent U.S. international travelers 18 years or older with household incomes of $50,000 or more.
When it comes to the types of vacations U.S. international travelers are interested in, Millennials (18-34) and Middle Age travelers (35-64) are most interested in visiting beach resorts and major metropolitan cities while Seniors (65+) are most interested in cruise vacations.
“The most interesting trend when it comes to U.S. international travel is the growing impact of the Millennial generation,” says Resonance Consultancy President Chris Fair. “Millennials now account for 30% of all international leisure travelers and they show much higher levels of interest in visiting less traditional destinations in Asia, South America and Central America than older travelers.”
While safety is the #1 criteria for all age groups in choosing a vacation destination, Millennials are much more cost-conscious than older travelers and also the group that considers ‘opportunities to learn something new’ to be very important in choosing a vacation destination.
About Resonance Consultancy
Resonance Consultancy creates destination development plans, strategic marketing and competitive place branding identities for leading travel & tourism companies and organizations around the world. The principals of Resonance have completed more than 100 travel & tourism studies, reports and plans in 70 different countries. To learn more about Resonance Consultancy, please visit http://www.resonanceco.com


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IBM empowering Shiseido Beauty Consultants with mobile platform
IBM has announced its collaboration with global cosmetics manufacturer Shiseido Co. Ltd. to provide its nearly 10,000 Beauty Consultants in Japan with mobile apps designed to provide new customer services, customer-centric product improvements and social innovations.
Shiseido Group, headquartered in Japan, manages businesses with operations in 89 countries and regions in Europe, the Americas and Asia. It selected the IBM MobileFirst Platform to develop and secure an enterprise app for its "Beauty Tablet." The mobile app built on the IBM MobileFirst Platform has multiple modules and increasing capabilities for internal operations. Integrated to Shiseido's back-end systems, this app is a Beauty Consultant's one-stop mobile solution for communications, scheduling, reporting and other tasks that increase productivity.
One module in the app creates a virtual community for Beauty Consultants to learn from each other. By sharing photos, tips and tricks, and commenting on each other's work, Beauty Consultants across Japan can build a greater sense of pride and teamwork, the company said. Social data analytics identify best practices and incorporate knowledge and know-how into future training and helps raise the bar for building consistent service and skills among Beauty Consultants.
"We are marking the 80th anniversary of the Shiseido Beauty Consultant — a role that continues to transform the relationship between the customer and our products. With new mobile apps, Shiseido Beauty Consultants continue to engage customers with 'Omotenashi' (the Japanese spirit hospitality) to differentiate the Shiseido customer experience," said Chikako Sekine, corporate executive officer, Shiseido Co. Ltd., in the announcement. "IBM is a valuable partner, supporting our company's long-term vision to continuously enhance our brand value and drive growth and leadership in the global beauty industry."
Since deploying the Beauty Tablet in 2013, Shiseido said it continues to support Beauty Consultants in Japan with the latest mobile enterprise use cases. The IBM MobileFirst Platform enables Shiseido to continue to provide Beauty Consultants with access to new services and allows them to incorporate feedback into future product innovation and increase collaboration.
"With more consumers expecting personalized experiences across every channel, brands must empower their salespeople with the tools and insight to provide greater customer service," said Phil Buckellew, vice president, enterprise mobile, IBM. "IBM's partnership with Shiseido will help maximize and accelerate its mobile strategies to drive greater brand differentiation and higher levels of engagement."


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I want to find the next Trulieve (TRUL-CSE) in the cannabis space. The stock has hit new highs over $30/share recently! After a five year rollercoaster of stock charts, chewing through BILLIONS in investor equity, Trulieve has what every investor wants:
- A business model that works
- A management group that can execute
The high level model that is now shown to be the best is:
1. Be in the USA.
2. Focus on one state, and OWN that state (Florida). Have critical mass.
3. Vertically integrate—control your product quality and your retail brand—which will give MUCH better profit margins.
That is clearly a difficult task, as TRUL is truly the only real long term investor success in the sector. All the cannabis stocks had big runs in 2017 on hype and hope, but now, only TRUL is putting up the numbers investors want to see.
Numbers like flawlessly opening 60 retail dispensaries, by almost tripling cash flow YoY (297%) to $77.8 million, and increasing revenue guidance on top of that by 20%, and EBITDA guidance by 40%. CHA CHA CHA!!
And shareholders have been rewarded, with the stock now at around $30.
If the Democrats win the White House in November, the Market will price in that these companies will be able to access the regular banking system for their business and get a US listing for their shares—both of which would send multiples soaring in this high growth industry (pardon the pun).
The company I’m watching closely is a new IPO that’s due out this fall—Gage Growth Corp. The trading symbol will be GAGE.
“Gage is well on its way to owning the state of Michigan like Trulieve owns Florida”, says Gage President, Fabian Monaco. They have five operating stores now, another 5 almost built and plan to open one a month from now through to the end of 2021! He says they will be following the same business model as Trulieve.
“When you look at Trulieve and what CEO Kim Rivers has been able to do with their target market, it’s phenomenal. She is building her brand and catering to that particular category of the market, and doing exceptionally well doing it.
“And so for us, we thought the same thing, dominate one particular market—Michigan. When we get to 25-30 stores, which we think is the sweet spot for Michigan, we can go to other states. But it’s not like we’re going to wait until the end of our growth cycle to then go to another state. When we feel it’s right, we’ll start moving.”
Michigan is a huge market, surprisingly bigger than Illinois, Monaco adds. Recreational use got started near the end of 2019 but has recently hit its stride with strong monthly sales figures as of July.
Gage is moving fast–by the end of their 2021 build out, they expect to have a dispensary within an hour’s drive of 90% of the state’s population–where over 70% of the people are 21+ and able to consume under the new recreational rules.
That’s a staggering figure when compared to other states. Also—“Michiganders” consume the most flower per capita in all of the US.
Gage is quickly capturing the market and so far, so good. “Sales growth is exploding”, says Monaco. January revenue was roughly $1.5 million but now that’s almost $5 million a month—which is what you would expect with a new store opening almost every month.
But he says more importantly, Gage’s customer retention and “basket size” (how much each customer buys at one time) is going up and is consistent.
“The big basket sizes are also driven by our product drops. So every week, we try to drop new product that’s coming out of our cultivation facility. The way we’re getting new product from our cultivation facility every week.
With these regular product drops, you could see $300, $400 basket sizes—where people rush to go and get the new strain or the strain that they’re really a fan of, that only comes on a five to six week rotational basis.”
“I think that continually drives the basket size upwards”. Gage’s average basket size has been $175+ for the past four months straight—an industry leading stat.
Sales is one thing, cash flow is another. The key for Trulieve—and for Gage, says Monaco—is having an integrated model where you grow and sell your own products.
“To capture profit margins, you have to have your own supply. Right now, it’s a very, very tight market for supply in Michigan. If you’re one of those companies that only has retail as an example, right now, it’s tough to get product—and your margins are lower than you’d want them to be.
“That’s just because you have to pay up to get rec (recreational) product. It’s difficult enough to get medical product, but now (that) rec has started to gain steam, and I think it overtook medical in the month of July.
“You must have your own supply. The ones that have their own supply or at least have a dedicated partner on a wholesale basis—they are the ones that are doing really, really well at retail level with good margins.”
Rising sales and EBITDA is just what the Market wants to hear, and Gage is working hard to go public as quickly as possible. Monaco, a former investment banker and lawyer, says audits are done and the prospectus is mostly complete.
Before going public they’ll be looking to tap into the large US retail market for investors. They are now finalizing that process in the US.
“In the last couple years, the retail investor opportunity has exploded. There are a whole variety of people that have been, and are continuing to invest in the markets. We see a lot of the buying and a lot of the growth coming from the retail investor in the cannabis space. Often times, these same retail investors are the consumers of products and services they are not only buying in their everyday lives but also investing in.”
Their timing is perfect. Their own business is doing very well, while Trulieve’s stock is doing very well, and everyone is expecting a more liberal set of rules around cannabis in the US in the coming years, regardless of the US presidential election winner.
Being the Trulieve of Michigan is a great meme for investors to grab, but I asked what Monaco would be telling investors is about the big differentiator of Gage amongst all the other cannabis players.
“Predominantly it’s operational expertise. If you take a look at the dispensary performance of our competitors, or if you take a look at average basket size of our competitors, that in and of itself is going to be a strong differentiating factor when you look at how we are performing in those areas of our business.
“But if you then take a look at the amount of capital invested into our business, and what we’ve been able to produce with that amount of capital versus everyone else, it’s a stark and substantial difference as well.”
The cannabis sector is becoming mainstream in the US—where stocks are being valued on traditional metrics like revenue, cash flow and profits. At the same time, there is no glut of product in much of the country, and the legal market is increasing every month.
Time will tell, but as stocks like Compass this week are showing us, the Market wants these new high growth sectors of cannabis & psychedelics. I’ll be watching Gage closely on its IPO.


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Profit at Sirius XM Radio grew by more than 50 percent in the third quarter, and its subscription numbers hit a high of 21.3 million, the company reported on Tuesday. But analysts were disappointed by Sirius’s subscription growth rate, and the stock fell 3.35 percent for the day, to $1.73.
For the three months that ended Sept. 30, Sirius had $763 million in revenue, up 6.3 percent from the same period last year, and $104 million in net income, or 2 cents a share, up 54 percent from last year.
The earnings beat financial forecasts of 1 cent a share. But the 334,000 new subscriptions added in the quarter fell short of expectations of 350,000 to 400,000.
Next year Sirius will raise its base subscription rate by 12 percent, to $14.49 a month. Some investors worry that the change could further slow growth. In a conference call with analysts on Tuesday, Mel Karmazin, the company’s chief executive, said it did not expect the price increase to turn away new customers.
“We believe we have many, many years of subscriber growth ahead of us,” Mr. Karmazin said.
One number in Sirius’s report that caught analysts’ attention was a net decrease of 30,000 in the number of customers who had canceled or failed to renew promotional subscriptions. These promotions, mostly in the form of free trials that come with new cars, have been a reliable source of new users. In the third quarter last year, for example, they brought in 77,000 accounts.
The rate at which Sirius converts the promotions into paid accounts is high, at 44.4 percent for the current quarter. But that number has been slipping. For the same quarter last year, 48.1 percent of those users signed up for paid subscriptions.
Barton E. Crockett, an analyst with Lazard Capital Markets, said that the loss of promotional subscriptions was at least partly attributable to car sales patterns for the quarter, as well as to a shortage of new Japanese cars on the market this summer.
“They had good growth in subscriptions this quarter, but a shade light of what we and others were expecting,” Mr. Crockett said. “Part of it seems more noise and mechanics than anything really in the fundamentals.”
The company did not change its guidance numbers for 2011. It is expecting to add a total of 1.6 million subscribers for the year, and is projecting $3 billion in revenue. So far this year it has gained 1.16 new subscribers and reported $2.2 billion in revenue.
For 2012, it expects a 10 percent revenue growth, to $3.3 billion.


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iPad has graphics 'bottleneck'
One developer working on the iPad has openly said that the there is a potential bottleneck in the iPad's graphics processor.
Pangea Games CEO, Brian Greenstone told Develop that the graphics chip in the iPad was "a mobile chip, and not really designed for such a high resolution screen".
Greenstone added: "The processor is super-fast, but the graphics chip can get bottlenecked, and that has been the challenge."
Given that the iPad is still so new developers seem to be exploring the best ways to exploit the new platform.


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A new service has been launched by the Capital One credit card company with the aim of tacking the issue of identity theft, it has been announced.
Identity theft can often cause consumers to face added credit card debt problems due to fraudulent activity and Capital One will now aim to alert its customers to any unusual activity on their account via email.
The service is to be operated with help from the Equifax company and has been designed to operate as an “early warning system” for credit card users looking for further protection against fraudsters.
Srini Gopalan, UK senior vice president of Capital One, commented: “We recognise that, although the issue of ID theft is serious, customers don’t always have time to regularly check their credit file for unusual activity that might suggest they have been victim to this crime.
“This new ID alert service gives additional reassurance for our customers and makes our ID theft protection service even more robust and valuable.”
According to the Home Office, anyone who believes they may have been a victim of identity theft should contact their financial services provider as soon as they can.


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The National Council of Managing Directors of Licenced Customs Agents (NCMDLCA) has appealed to the Federal Government to take urgent steps towards stopping additional shipping charges being levied by shipping companies on imported cargoes in the country.
The group stated that by the imposition of the charges called “the government and port taxes”, the shipping companies were violating the provision of the Convention of World Trade Organisation (WTO) Articles VIII 3(b).
The agents, through a petition addressed to the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi and signed by its national president, Mr Lucky Amiwero, claimed that the additional shipping charges were introduced through a circular dated October 28, 2016 by shipping companies to their customers which is now being implemented.
They claimed that the illegal “government & port taxes,” imposed additional N38,000 per container on any importer contrary to the provisions of the legislative instruments and the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by all the stakeholders.
According to the NCMDLCA members, the provision of the law authorises the carrier to hand over the goods to the consignee at the port of discharge without any cost, as all costs are embodied in the freight paid by the importer based on the law.
Amiwero expatiated: “Any other charges introduced by the shipping companies, contravenes the provision of the convention of WTO Articles VIII 3(b), the domestic laws and regulation, the practice constitutes very high percentage of charges that is not tied to service, which is a contributory factor to the high clearing cost that necessitate the diversion of Nigerian bound vessels to neighbouring West African ports.
“The shipping line is an agent to the carrier who are double agent in Nigeria, collecting from their principal-(carrier) and from the Nigeria importers, shipping line charges, without any operational cost like the provision of the following: Non-provision of terminal space, non -provision of equipment, non-provision of security and non-provision of staff.
“There is the need to stop the present increase and any other charge that is not tied to services in line the United Nations Convention on Carriage of Goods by sea (Ratification and Enforcement) Act 2005, WTO Articles VIII and the various domestic laws and regulation in Nigeria.”
It would be recalled that the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) accused shipping companies and terminal operators recently of sabotaging the nation’s economy through illegal excessive charges which, they claimed, were increasing the the cost of doing business at the nation’s ports.
A past president of the association, Olayiwola Shittu, bemoaned the ugly development when the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Ms Hadiza Bala-Usman paid a courtesy visit to the group in Lagos.
He said: “There is also the sea protection levy that is also being charged by the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA). At the end these charges are transferred to the consumer, making life unbearable for them
“Shipping companies and terminal operators are reaping us off charging all manners of fees. They believe Nigeria is big and they can get all the monies they want from the country to service other West African region. We have it on good authority that what the shipping companies get from Nigeria is what they rely on for survival because of the next- to-nothing charges they get from other countries in Africa.
“Again, the demurrage they are charging in Nigeria; they don’t have the facility to support it, they are required to have holding bays they don’t have. It does not matter if the fault is theirs or not – you are still charged demurrage. Their charge is the cause of the high cost of doing business at the port and this is affecting the Nigerian economy”, Shittu lamented.
The association therefore appealed to the NPA boss to help in improving the lighting system at the nation’s ports to facilitate timely clearance of cargoes, especially at night.


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The bee has buzzed its way to Europe bringing with it, the popular chicken joy, juicy burgers, tasty fruit pies and delicious rice meals.
Filipinos from all over Europe flocked to the opening of Jollibee’s first European store in Milan for a taste of the fried chicken and spaghetti from back home. The branch is in the very center of the city of Milan, near the iconic Duomo di Milano (Milan Cathedral) .
Patrons lined up outside the store, some coming from Turin, Rome, Venice and Florence and even other parts of Europe like Switzerland and Denmark.
“I was excited when I learned that Jollibee will open here, even if I traveled for four hours,” said customer James Abanilla.
Swiss national Frank Fausch said he and his family traveled five hours from Swtizerland to Milan.
“I know that it’s good so we want to taste again,” he said.
Italy is home to the seventh biggest population of expatriate Filipino workers, with close to 272,000 people working there in 2013, according to data from the Commission on Filipinos Overseas.
Jollibee Milan has an all-Filipino crew. Labor Sec. Silvestre Bello said he hoped the company would expand to other parts of Europe, bringing more job opportunities to Filipinos.
“It is a symbol of Filipino ingenuity, that we can really hold our own when it comes to entrepreneurship,” he said.


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The age of the Internet of Things (IoT) is upon us, as consumers move away from PCs to devices that are always connected and sharing information about their daily lives.
Yet the pace of development of this technology has moved so quickly that security problems are making headlines much more frequently than in any other period in technology history.
Just in the last week, security researchers at Proofpoint uncovered what they believe might be the first ever IoT cyber-attack whereby smart appliances such as routers, home entertainment centres and fridges were used to send out over 750,000 malicious emails.
"Hackers are more likely to install malware on smart appliances as they know that people are less concerned about their security. I mean, who would think your fridge would send out spam emails? This will give them more time to run their bots and go undetected," Yuval Ben-Itzhak, the CTO of AVG Technologies told IBTimes UK.
Closer to the money
Before we had the recent trend for smart appliances, it was the smartphone explosion which had been dominating technology trends, and according to Ben-Itzhak, hackers made the shift from PCs to smartphones because these devices are "much closer to the money".
"In the time before smartphones, as a hacker if I stole your credit card details, I'd still need to go online and sell it or use it in a transaction.
"[Once] my malware is on your mobile number, I could start to send you premium SMS text messages and charge you a £1-a-message, and mostly, [consumers] aren't going to notice it on their monthly bills as it's such a small amount and doesn't change your total bill by much."
Difficult ot protect
Hackers are similarly interested in smart appliances and wearable tech as not only can botnets run on IoT devices undetected, but the data being transmitted over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth can easily be hijacked, particularly since it is difficult to install security products on these devices.
A key problem, Ben-Itzhak mentions, is that there are so many different companies creating wearable technology, and none of it is designed to work with products from other companies.
"We want to see a horizontal platform whereby the consumer can monitor all their connected devices, where they can receive centralised information and alerts, so they know when to take action to secure their privacy," he said.
Next wave of technology
In order to achieve this, the whole industry needs to come together, says Ben-Itzhak, otherwise consumers have a lot to lose.
"Usually, getting agreements on standards within the industry and getting vendors to implement those standards takes many, many years, and today, the [rate of new] technology has sped up so much that the industry doesn't have time to come to an agreement, so my concern is that once the standards have been agreed on by the industry, it will be time for the next wave of technology."
Ben-Itzhak believes that in order for his company and other security vendors to provide adequate protection on these smart, connected devices, manufacturers need to open up their platforms:
"There needs to be openness between products and companies, using APIs, so that security can be monitored. Wearables are going to be moving very fast, so we recommend that wearable tech companies [make] their platforms open to let companies focusing on security plug in and provide [monitoring] information so that the consumer is not left vulnerable while standards are being decided."


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Fresh information on the mysterious collaboration.
Since the announcement that Drake and Nike are releasing a collection titled Nocta, it has been sported by celebrities and reposted on social media without much of the important information about the collection. That has now changed.
The American sportswear giant has released product shots of the pieces that will be releasing on Nike website on December 19 along with a pricing list so you know how much to set aside in order to cop your favourite item. Releasing in the collection is a puffer jacket and tracksuit in either university gold or black colourways along with two monochrome sock offerings.
The full pricing list for the release will be:
NOCTA Puffer Jackets: $400 USD
NOCTA Hoodies: $120 USD
NOCTA Fleece Pants: $110 USD
NOCTA Crew Socks: $30 USD
See some detailed photos of the garments below and be sure to keep posted on the mysterious NOCTA website.
PHOTO CREDIT: Nike


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Kendall Jenner has an enviable body, and she likes to flaunt it! But she decided to delete a recent photo of herself in a pool, seemingly naked. Was it too racy?
Kendall Jenner may be the fashion world’s latest “It” girl, but that doesn’t mean she always likes wearing clothes! The 19-year-old stunner may have taken things a bit too far though, with a recent Instagram photo.
The reality star posted a racy pic of herself in a pool, and appears to be naked, showing off her back and long legs. Though Kendall often posts seductive pictures for her millions of followers, she seemed to have a change of heart about this one, and deleted it shortly after it was posted.
Kendall often flaunts her toned figure on her social media profile, and maybe it’s in response to critics who once laughed at her for wanting to become a model!
She recently told V magazine "You have no idea how many doors closed on me and how many adults were either initially reluctant to take a chance working with me or who outright laughed at me behind my back.”
“It was kind of hard because all I was doing was going on go-sees, trying my best to break into this business as a teenager," said Kendall
But it seems the beauty, who has walked the runway for everyone from Chanel to Givenchy, is having the last laugh, so why not post some sexy pics on Instagram?
What are your thoughts on the photo Kendall deleted? Was it too seductive? Let us know in the comments section below.


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Facebook has outlined its 10-year plan at the second day of its F8 conference, with the social behemoth eyeing off artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR).
In the opening keynote of the day, Facebook's chief technology officer, Mike Schroepfer, talked about how the network's ultimate goal is to connect everyone and how it can continue to do that by developing new platforms such as AI and VR.
These platforms are at the end of the plan, meaning we can maybe expect them sometime in 2026. However Facebook's director of applied machine learning, Joaquin Quiñonero Candela, explained that it is already dabbling with AI, building a 'backbone' which already powers much of the Facebook experience.
The business is currently focusing on building systems that can understand images at the individual pixel level, which could lead to greater functionality for visually impaired people, creating things such as talking pictures. Facebook is also focusing on real-time video classification, which would allow computer vision techniques to watch videos and, in real-time, understand and classify what's in them without using tags or surrounding content.
Facebook also announced at F8 that it's recently established social VR team is investigating how people interact with VR, as well as exploring the technology's long-term use possibilities.
The company is looking to crack some of the VR challenges which include working on combining a sense of presence with the ability to interact with the environment and communicating through body language as well as voice.
On day one of F8, Facebook outlined that is was finally launching the beta phase for bots in its Messenger app. These bots will soon allow people to to book hotel rooms, check flight details and get shopping receipts.
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at firstname.lastname@example.org


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Google Maps, eBay and Amazon no longer offer app support for the Apple Watch, suggesting the much-hyped wearable could be struggling for sales.
Eagle–eyed Apple watchers have noticed that the three major apps, all of which have been available since the Apple Watch launched two years ago, are now not available in the App Store.
Losing the ability to shop through Amazon and eBay on your wrist may not be a huge loss.
But Google’s decision to pull its app has repercussions for those looking to get from A to B using a service that’s less clunky than Apple’s own mapping service.
For its part, Google stated: "We removed Apple Watch support from our latest iOS release but expect to support it again in the future."
It could well be that Google is waiting for Apple to launch the Series 3 version of its Apple Watch, which is said to act as a standalone device, rather than requiring a connection to an iPhone.
However, the move by some of tech’s biggest names is unlikely to allay fears that the Apple Watch simply isn’t popular enough to warrant its own apps.


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Random thoughts going into the weekend ...
Is this "Top Pick" of Sandisk (SNDK) from Pacific Crest for real? The company had a huge beat for the second quarter three weeks ago, popped almost 20% the next day and is almost back to where it was before the huge beat. My take is that with Sandisk going into the sweet part of its year from a business point of view, the analyst at Pac Crest is onto something with his/her Top Pick.
Why did Tesla (TSLA) decide on such a small offering even after it boosted the number of shares for sale to 2.69 million from 2.1 million, thus raising about $650 million? At the rate Tesla burns through cash, it will require another raise in the first half of next year. Or, was it sending the Street and investors a message that this is it? After this raise, will there be no more need for secondary market financing in the foreseeable future?
Chatter is that Twitter (TWTR) is going to set up a triumvirate for the top job at the company and that Jack Dorsey will function as CEO of both Twitter and Square. At Twitter, he will be co-head honcho with Adam Bain (my pick for the sole CEO job) and Ev Williams, co-founder of Twitter. Twitter shares are up slightly as a result, but I fail to see how a somewhat cleaned-up Jack Dorsey replacing himself as the CEO is cause for celebration, do you? In addition, I bet the folks at Square are not too happy either. Lose-lose, anyone?
With today's economic data showing that producer prices came in at 0.2% in July versus expectations for a rise of 0.1%, and with wholesale prices excluding food and fuel rising 0.3% in July versus an expected 0.1%, is it all systems go for Janet "Rebel" Yellen and company for a rate hike in September?
So, is the Greece saga finally over and can the rest of the world finally move on? The Greeks signed off on austerity measures and are now ready to receive their $95 billion from the philanthropists in the eurozone. Love thy neighbor, indeed.
As usual, nary a week goes by when we don't have something to say about the Chinese authorities. This week they left the stock markets alone and even ignored the dastardly dark-side hordes (aka short sellers), but this time they decided to really stir the global pot. So, this past Tuesday they decided to devalue/re-calibrate/revise/tinker/adjust/whatever word one would like to use the pegged rate of the yuan lower by 1.9% against the U.S. dollar. How boring life would be without the fun folks in the quasi-communist Chinese politburo?
With that, I wish all of you a safe and fun-filled weekend.


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E3, the annual gaming expo held in Santa Monica, is being kicked off this week, and teh internets are rife with speculation. There’s been a few announcements already – namely that far from generous PS3 price cut – but what else can we expect from the gaming expo to end all gaming expos?
From our Sony PlayStation site, PSPSPS.tv –
– July 11th will see the official SCEA E3 press conference (downloadable on the PlayStation Network), and will no doubt contain the new Metal Gear Solid 4 trailer.
– Ninja Gaiden Sigma developer Tecmo has spoken to GameSpot over their dislike of the new E3 format…


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You can't blame Microsoft for wanting to avoid another run-in with the feds -- and that seems to be the primary impetus for its big privacy announcement on Wednesday. The Internet's biggest advertiser made a splash with the news that it won't buy ads on any site that doesn't post "comprehensive privacy statements."
Congress -- fired up by constituents' outrage over spam and fear that their online behavior is being tracked -- has made plenty of noise about regulating privacy on the Net, with some politicians suggesting that the industry needs to do what's right by consumers or face regulation. As Senator Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, put it in April: "The last thing you want is for us to come in with a heavy hand ... and that's where it's headed." Meanwhile, the Federal Trade Commission is currently preparing its Internet privacy recommendations for Congress.
This is the climate in which Microsoft has announced the strategy of pulling its big bucks -- the company spent more than $34 million on Net advertising in 1998 -- from any site that dares mess with consumers' right to privacy. The goal is "to make the Web a safer place for customers," explains Microsoft spokeswoman Melissa Covelli.
How closely will Microsoft monitor the privacy policies and their enforcement?
Still, the "wizard" that could keep unscrupulous Web sites from abusing visitors' personal information has yet to be created.


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By Josephine Oguntoyinbo
Ondo State Government has warned against indiscriminate display of vehicles in unauthorized places within Akure metropolis as any car dealer caught will be sanctioned.
The Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Prince Solagbade Amodeni, who gave the warning while inspecting some car locations in Akure,the state capital to ensure full compliance with government’s directive advised the car dealers to comply with physical planning rules and relocate to the ultra modern Auto Mart along Akure-Ilesha express road.
The inspection team led by the Commissioner visited places like Oyemekun Road, Fiwasaye to Agbogbo axis down to Ilesha road, through Oyemekun road and to Oke-Aro in Akure in a bid to ascertain the level of compliance by car dealers with government’s directive.
While on the inspection, vehicles displayed in some unauthorized places without government’s approval were confiscated and towed to the ministry’s headquarters by the enforcement team of the ministry.
It would be recalled that the ministry had held several meetings with Car Dealers Association to sensitise and inform them of government’s decision concerning vehicles displayed within the heart of the city without proper approval.
The ministry equally embarked on sensitisation through the media on the need for them to move to the Auto-mart.
Meanwhile, the two weeks deadline given to them to vacate has expired on September 18.
Speaking with newsmen after the inspection tour, Prince Amodeni expressed displeasure over non compliance of some car dealers with government directive stressing that there are 11 slots and enough space to accommodate vehicles at the Auto Mart garage in Akure.
He affirmed that any car confiscated and towed to the ministry will attract huge fines and owners thereafter will be charged to court.
Reacting to the development, the state Secretary, Car dealers Association, Mr. Olumide Balogun commended the present administration for the initiative even as he urged car dealers to comply with government’s directive.
The Secretary, who informed that some of the dealers have since moved to the Auto-Mart noted that it will be an added advantage for those outside the Auto-Mart if they move in.
According to him,empty spaces are in the Auto-Mart enough to accommodate vehicles displayed in indiscriminate places in the town.
Others who spoke urged the government not to be deterred in its efforts to make Akure a beautiful capital city, by enforcing its directive on car dealers irrespective of who is involved.
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CENTRI’s Atonomi and Assess-IoT Partner to Improve Security in IoT Technology
The Internet of Things has come a long way in just a few years. A few years ago most IoT devices were designed to collect data and stream it back to the manufacturers. Today, however, diverse IoT devices are capable of working with each other and doing much more. Unfortunately, risk factors such as security and trust continue to hinder this progress.
Assess-IoT and CENTRI Technology have forged a partnership that will see them work together to improve security and trustworthiness in enterprise-grade IoT systems.
Meeting The Future Needs Of IoT
For companies, the Internet of Things is another technological gift that promises to improve efficiency and so much more. However, most companies are skeptical in spite of the technology’s appeal. This is because the networking and data-sharing involved in IoT make it vulnerable to security breaches. Considering the rise in cyber attacks on businesses all over the world, the risks outweigh the potential benefits.
IoT has to guarantee security and trustworthiness to go main-stream. This is what CENTRI Technology and Assess-IoT hope to achieve by pooling their specialties in diverse related fields.
Assess-IoT has vast experience. The company offers specialized consultancy services to businesses seeking to adopt IoT for commercial purposes. Its services are designed to aid with strategic analysis and the development of business IoT models.
Assess-IoT will handle the marketing bits of the more secure and trustworthy IoT system that will arise from this partnership. It will also help with developing the ideal enterprise-grade IoT system.
CENTRI Technology’s Contribution
CENTRI Technology has also specialized its services to IoT and will be working through its subsidiary, Atonomi. CENTRI Technology develops a wide range of software products for IoT device manufacturers, software developers, and other IoT professionals. Security is one of the pillars of this company’s services – it aims to ensure that data is protected on all stages right from production to consumption. It utilizes industry-standard compression and encryption security technology as opposed to standards-based security infrastructure.
— Atonomi (@atonomi) November 1, 2018
CENTRI Technology will be leveraging the benefits of Blockchain technology for this particular project through its Atonomi subsidiary. Atonomi is the unit tasked with developing Blockchain-based software products. It is also the original developer of the Universal Trust Environment for the Internet of Things. This system is designed to enable devices to be inter-operatable and improves networking, thus enhancing the capabilities for IoT. It also validates immutable device identity so as to keep hackers and digital eavesdroppers out.
Warm Sentiments From Both Sides
Representatives from both companies were optimistic of what this new partnership may help achieve. Peter Hunt, the CEO of Assess-IoT, said that CENTRI Technology was the best pick for this new project thanks to its advanced technology systems. He was also confident that both companies have what it takes to actually achieve these goals. Don DeLoach, COO and President of CENTRI Technology, was also optimistic of the future saying that his company has what it takes to back Assess-IoT’s services and plans.
The Internet of Things may be the next cornerstone of technological advancement. However, it will first have to overcome security concerns. Assess-IoT and CENTRI Technology are planning to expedite this process with their latest partnership designed to boost security and trust in IoT systems.


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NEW YORK, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- New York's Department of Financial Services on Tuesday uncovered more details about tightening control over virtual currencies like bitcoin, as money laundering and terrorist financing accusations as well as computer hacking haunt the young market.
New measures that will be adopted include consumer disclosure rules, capital requirements and a framework for permissible investments with consumer money, said Benjamin Lawsky, director of the department, in a speech at the New America Foundation in Washington.
"Our objective is to provide appropriate guard rails to protect consumers and root out money laundering without stifling beneficial innovation," said Lawsky, adding that New York welcomes "those who want to do this the right way."
"The really tricky question for regulators is how we structure those types of rules in light of the fact that the funds these firms hold are not denominated in dollars or other forms of traditional fiat currencies," Lawsky said.
He hoped that his department could release the regulations in this spring or summer, noting that the supervising body would seek public comment once it had published the plan.
Also on Tuesday, Canada said it would carry out tougher rules on money laundering and terrorist financing to closely monitor the use of virtual currencies.
Bitcoin, a form of digital e-money stored in a virtual wallet, bypasses banks, allowing users to remain anonymous for online and offline purchases. It has been heating up around the world since it was created by Satoshi Nakamoto in 2008, but the nascent industry has been deeply disturbed by problems and turbulence recently.
It is difficult for police to obtain the password to the virtual wallet for Bitcoin storage, and users' identities are also hard to trace on websites which serve as platforms for those illegal trades such as deals of drug, weapon and other services.
Furthermore, Bitcoin uses cryptography to control transactions between the users and therefore the process is independent from banks or financial institutions.
On Tuesday, the Bitcoin Foundation confirmed in a statement that unknown computer hackers had launched "denial-of-service" attack to the program that runs the virtual currency, forcing the two bitcoin exchanges, Bitstamp and Mt. Gox, to temporarily halt withdrawals by customers.
On Sunday, Swedish media revealed that Bitcoin has become a common medium of exchange in illegal drug deals in Sweden. It was used in at least six transactions in Sweden last year by drug dealers.
The price of bitcoin took a nosedive in past months, with prices varying dramatically from one exchange to another. It was quoted at 645 dollars per coin on Bitstamp's exchange, down 6 percent on Tuesday.


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Top tech startup news for today, Tuesday, April 16, 2019
Below are some of the top tech startup news stories for today, Tuesday, April 16.
Peer to peer (P2P) lending platform Welendus raises new funds to accelerate growth and expand into India. London, U.K.-based Welendus has raised new funding from Unicorn Ascension Fund and Pontaq to accelerate growth and expand into India. The amount of the deal was not disclosed. Founded by CEO Nadeem Siam, Welendus is a peer-to-peer short-term lending platform authorised and regulated by the FCA. The company offers lenders an opportunity to lend (as short-term loans) to a large pool of borrowers. Investors have the ability to choose the risk profile of their borrowers, which in turn determines the annual return on their investment. Borrowers can choose to borrow money starting from £50 and up to £500 with instant decision and same day funding.
Checkerspot raises $13 million Series A funding round. Checkerspot, a materials innovation startup, has competed a $13 million Series A financing. The round was led by Builders VC, with participation from Breakout Ventures, Viking Global Investors, KdT Ventures, Plug and Play Ventures, Sahsen Ventures, and Godfrey Capital, among others. Co-founded by Charles Dimmler and Scott Franklin, Checkerspot Checkerspot is a materials innovation company that that integrates biotechnology, chemistry and fabrication to expand the palette of materials available to product designers, and enable a more intentional way to design performance materials for specific applications.
Flowspace secures $12 million in Series A funding to advance its cloud software platform, expand network and accelerate growth. Flowspace, an on-demand warehousing and fulfillment technology startup, today announced it has raised $12 million in Series A funding to advance its cloud software platform, expand network and accelerate growth. The round was led by Silicon Valley-based Canvas Ventures, with participation from Moment Ventures, 1984 Ventures and Y Combinator. Flowspace had previously raised $3.4M in seed funding.
Digital health venture capital (VC) funding hits $2 billion in Q1 2019: Reports. Venture capital (VC) funding, including private equity and corporate venture capital into Digital Health (Healthcare IT) companies in Q1 2019, came to $2 billion (B) in 149 deals versus $1.4B in 142 deals in Q4 2018, according to a new report from Mercom Capital Group, llc, a global communications and research firm. Venture capital (VC) funding, including private equity and corporate venture capital into Digital Health (Healthcare IT) companies in Q1 2019, came to $2 billion in 149 deals compared to $1.4 billion in 142 deals in Q4 2018. VC funding in Q1 2019 was down 19% compared to the same quarter of last year (Q1 2018) when nearly $2.5 billion was raised in 187 deals.
Walmart partners with subscription-based children’s clothing startup Kidbox to offer personalized style from more than 120 premium kids’ brands. Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, announced its joining forces with subscription-based children’s clothing startup Kidbox, to offer Walmart.com customers an exclusive, curated stylebox for kids, with the option to receive seasonally, without a styling fee. As part of the partnership agreement, the new Walmart Kidbox stylebox will offer Walmart.com customers personalized style from more than 120 premium kids’ brands, including BCBG, Butter Super Soft, C&C California and Puma. The stylebox will include four to five fashion items for $48 – which is approximately 50% off the suggested retail price for the group of bundled items.
Leverton launches AIaaS for data extraction and contract analytics. Leverton, the provider of proprietary AI-powered technology for data extraction and contract analytics, announced today, the launch of LEVERTON’s Artificial Intelligence as a Service (“AIaaS”). The new solution enables any organization to automate the extraction of structured data from corporate and legal documents, saving countless man hours while revealing opportunities that would be impossible to find using manual processes. Built using its patented deep learning algorithms, the AIaaS solution enables businesses with complex, voluminous documents and contracts, to benefit from automation – by training their own AI models.
Panorama Medicine raises $3.7 million to accelerate drug discovery using genomics and artificial intelligence. Panorama Medicine (Panorama), a genomics and computing powered drug discovery company focusing on RNA therapeutics, has raised a $3.7 million seed round to expand its scientific team, build a robust screening and big data discovery platform, and continue drug development efforts. The round was by WI Harper Group and a number of other leading venture capital firms. Founded last year by leading scientists in RNA genomics and computational biology, CEO and co-founder, Mingfu Zhu, and co-founder Dr. Yi Xing, Panorama Medicine is a VC-backed startup founded by a multidisciplinary team of world-renowned computational and experimental RNA biologists.


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An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: On Tuesday, a Reddit user named “nhciao” posted a series of artistic QR codes created using the Stable Diffusion AI image-synthesis model that can still be read as functional QR codes by smartphone camera apps. The functional pieces reflect artistic styles in anime and Asian art. […] In this case, despite the presence of intricate AI-generated designs and patterns in the images created by nhciao, we’ve found that smartphone camera apps on both iPhone and Android are still able to read these as functional QR codes. If you have trouble reading them, try backing your camera farther away from the images.
Stable Diffusion is an AI-powered image-synthesis model released last year that can generate images based on text descriptions. It can also transform existing images using a technique called “img2img.” The creator did not detail the exact technique used to create


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Yamagata prefectural police uniform bid rigging or public entry into five companies on November 22, 16:52
The Fair Trade Commission had inspected five companies, including local department stores, on suspicion of violating the Antimonopoly Act, allegedly having repeated rigging over bids for uniforms of Yamagata Prefectural Police ordered by Yamagata Prefecture. I understand.
On-site inspections were conducted by five companies, including Onuma, a department store in Yamagata City, Midori Safety Yamagata, a clothing store, and Nakai, a department store in Fukushima City.
According to officials, the five companies are suspected of violating the Antimonopoly Act as they repeatedly rigged bids for Yamagata Prefectural Police uniforms and winter clothes ordered by Yamagata Prefecture.
The amount of orders for uniforms in Yamagata Prefecture amounts to around 100 million yen per year, and five companies are suspected of discussing the contractor in advance several years ago at the latest to prevent a drop in the order price. The Fair Trade Commission is working to clarify the actual situation.
“Midori Safety Yamagata,” who has undergone on-site inspections, commented, “It is true that we have undergone on-site inspections and we will fully cooperate with the inspections.”