text:
Facebook Purges Thousands of Fake Accounts, Business Pages Lose Fans
September 27, 2012 8:23 AM
comment(s) - last by
Fake account purge cuts Likes for many pages
We'd wager that most Facebook users have seen friend requests from fake accounts before. Typically, these accounts have a single picture of an attractive woman and no other content to speak of. The same fake accounts are often used to game the Facebook "Like" system making businesses and other content appear more popular than they really are.
Facebook began purging
this week, and the result has seen some business pages loss tens of thousands of fans. Social game developer Zynga is the owner of one Facebook fan page that lost a huge number of fans.
The page for Zynga's Texas HoldEm Poker saw its fan count drop by 96,000. Facebook is removing illegitimately created accounts and deleting Likes added by malware, compromised accounts, or from deceiving users.
The purging of fake accounts is part of Facebook's integrity improvements that were announced last month. Facebook stated, “On average, less than 1% of Likes on any given Page will be removed.”
While 96,000 is a lot of Likes to lose, Zynga has 63 million fans. If you do the math, losing 96,000 fans is only 0.15%.
Other businesses are reporting a more significant loss due to the crackdown on illegitimate accounts.
reports that one business owner claims his page went from 7,100 Likes per day to 5,800 per day for an 18% decline.
Eliminating fake accounts and Likes should be a good thing for both Facebook users and businesses because it will allow users to get a better idea of how popular something is, and it will allow brands to get a more accurate idea of how fans perceive posts and content about their brand.
This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled
9/27/2012 12:38:54 PM
only an idiot would advertise on facebook. no legit people click on the ads, it's all bots designed to pump up the click-throughs to make facebook money. this is really obvious and so easy for facebook to make happen under the table. And if they really wanted to prevent it they would employ techniques to stop the bots (not that hard). Removing a few million fake accounts does nothing but help their public image, the scam continues of course!
"There's no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share. No chance." -- Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer
Facebook Reports 8.7 Percent of Active User Accounts are Fake
August 2, 2012, 9:23 PM
Facebook CEO Called President Barack Obama to Complain About NSA Spying
March 14, 2014, 1:40 PM
Quick Note: Google Drive 100GB, 1TB Plans See Major Price Cuts
March 13, 2014, 2:45 PM
Target Missed Early Warning Signs of Holiday Data Breach
March 13, 2014, 1:45 PM
Amazon Increases Prime Subscription to $99/year Starting March 19
March 13, 2014, 8:23 AM
Bitcoin King's American Accounts Get Frozen
March 13, 2014, 3:00 AM
Time Warner Cable CEO Says Merger with Comcast is a "Dream Combination", Will Increase Innovation
March 12, 2014, 2:37 PM
Most Popular Articles
Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 Made Wild Altitude Changes
March 14, 2014, 9:21 PM
Tesla Motors Calls New Jersey Out on New Rule Against Its Direct Sales Model
March 11, 2014, 12:01 PM
Hack Reveals Fallen Bitcoin CEO's Posh Tokyo Penthouse
March 10, 2014, 4:28 PM
HTC One Leaks: LED Smart Cover, Carrier Models, Google Play Ed.
March 11, 2014, 5:30 PM
Apple Authorized to Seek $40 Per Device Against Samsung
March 13, 2014, 4:31 PM
Latest Blog Posts
Tesla vs. BMW: Who Has the Safer EV?
Feb 1, 2014, 2:56 PM
Justice Leaks Details of Next HTC One Two Flagship Phone
Dec 5, 2013, 4:04 PM
Global Cyber Espionage Concerns Reveal Growing Cyber Armies
Nov 29, 2013, 11:04 AM
Is The Period Becoming an Expression of Anger?
Nov 26, 2013, 2:02 PM
NSA and Congress -- You Will Never Kill the Constitution, It's an Idea
Nov 10, 2013, 2:00 PM
More Blog Posts
Copyright 2014 DailyTech LLC. -
Terms, Conditions & Privacy Information


text:
LG Optimus 2X (LGP990) users have finally received the Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) update in India. LG started rolling out the ICS update for Korean users back in August and for European users, earlier this month. The LG Optimus 2X launched in India last April with Android 2.2 (Froyo) on-board and later received the Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) back in November. LG confirmed the ICS update for the device soon after that. Continue reading “LG Optimus 2X Android 4.0 update now available in India”
LG Electronics (LG) has started rolling out the remote customer care services for the LG Optimus series of smartphones globally. This includes Remote Call application and the LG FOTA (Firmware Over-the-Air) system to diagnose software problems and offer software upgrades direct to the user’s mobile phones. Continue reading “LG rolls out Remote Maintenance Services for Optimus smartphones Globally”
Earlier this year at CES 2011, LG officially announced the LG Optimus Black which is an amazing looking phone and its main feature is the 4-Inch NOVA touchscreen display which is clearer, brighter, and less power consuming as compared to other displays, that’s what LG said. The phone was recently launched in Singapore and it’s also available in India. Continue reading “Orange UK to launch LG Optimus Black”
LG recently launched two new Android powered phones under the Optimus series and both are dual-core phones. One is the LG Optimus 2X and other is LG Optimus 3D. LG Optimus 3D is the first Android powered phone to come with glasses-free 3D display which is quite impressive. We heard that the device will start shipping in June and it looks like we heard right. Well-known UK online retailer known as Clove has officially announced the price and release date of the LG Optimus 3D. Continue reading “LG Optimus 3D priced in UK, launching next month”
LG Optimus 2X is the first ever dual-core device which was launched by LG this year. It’s currently available in USA via T-Mobile where it’s known as T-Mobile G2X. What’s the difference between these two devices? The hardware is same but T-Mobile one is running stock version of Android which is also known as Vanilla. Optimus G2x is now available for purchase, but people who bought this phone have only one question, when there device will get Gingerbread? Well, someone on Twitter lost his patience and asked T-Mobile about it. Continue reading “T-Mobile Optimus G2x will receive Gingerbread soon, says T-Mobile”
A few days ago, we told you that LG is planning to launch a new phone at the MWC, and it will be known as the LG Optimus 3D. Now our friends over at Phandroid got their hands on an image of LG phone, and they are claiming it that it’s LG Optimus 3D. Continue reading “LG Optimus 3D leaked”
LG Optimus 2X was launched by LG last month, and it’s the first phone to come with Nvidia Tegra 2 processor, and there is no doubt in it that it’s a very powerful phone. A few days back, we told you that UK retailer eXpansys is carrying the LG Optimus 2X for £499 Sim-Free. Continue reading “LG Optimus 2X now available for free via Vodafone UK”
Last month, LG officially launched their first ever Android device with Nvidia Tegra 2, which is a super fast dual-core processor, and the device is known as LG Optimus 2x. Continue reading “LG Optimus 2X up for pre-order in UK for 499 pounds”
LG officially announced the availability of the powerful Optimus 2X. This handset will be available from next month in Europe.
Last week, LG officially unveiled the world’s first dual-core smartphone, LG Optimus 2X, but the price and availability of this handset were still unknown. Recently we posted that, the price of Optimus 2X have been unofficially revealed by CDon, a popular online retailer in Sweden. This handset is expected to come with a price tag of $730. And now, LG officially announced the availability of this smartphone. Continue reading “LG Optimus 2X Hitting Europe In January 2011”
CDon, a popular online retailer in Sweden has unofficially revealed the price of the world’s first dual-core smartphone, LG Optimus 2X. You can pre-order this handset for 4999 SEK (approx. €555/$730).
Last week, LG announced the world’s first dual-core smartphone, LG Optimus 2X. The manufacturer did not mention the price of the device, but CDon, a popular online retailer in Sweden has unofficially revealed the price of the device. CDon is currently taking pre-orders of this amazing dual-core smartphone in Sweden. Continue reading “LG Optimus 2X Up For Pre-Order In Sweden For €555”

domain: news


text:
China is not living up to its commitments to purchase U.S. seafood under the 2020 trade agreement between the two sides, according to a trade analyst at a U.S. fishery trade body.
June 14, 2021SCF Group
Shrimp industry executives may have their work cut out to predict how 2021 will pan out given the uncertainties stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic and logistics challenges
June 10, 2021SCF Group
Click below to hear the thoughts of Jim Gulkin, CEO and founder of Siam Canadian Group, on UCN's 2021 shrimp market outlook webinar on May 26
June 3, 2021SCF Group
A “perfect storm” of factors have combined to mean key global markets for farmed shrimp are likely to remain short of product for the rest of 2021, panelists on Undercurrent News’ latest webinar agreed.
June 2, 2021SCF Group
With the current pandemic crisis in India expected to dampen vannamei shrimp supply in the coming months, importers in the key US and EU markets have been left wondering which,
May 31, 2021SCF Group


text:
Nissan GT-R reached India ahead of November launch; takes power from a 3.8 litre twin turbo V6 engine churning out 570 PS
Nissan started taking pre-booking for the upcoming GT-R earlier this month, and now the car has finally landed in India ahead of the launch. A total of six Godzilla (Nissan GT-R is popularly known as Godzilla for its sheer power) arrived at the Mumbai airport last week, and the car is about to launch in the first week of November. Nissan announced the launch of the GT-R while showcasing the powerful car at the 2016 New Delhi Auto Expo earlier this year.
The all new Nissan GT-R made its global premiere at the New York Motor Show earlier this year, and immediately after the unveiling the car grabbed people’s attention. The new generation model comes with some styling changes both at exterior and inside the cabin, but the iconic silhouette of the supercar remains similar.
The car comes with a pre booking amount of whopping Rs. 25 lakhs, while the price tag is Rs. 2 crore. Also the reports suggest that the first lot of the car has been already sold in India despite such a huge price tag. On the design front the car comes donning sharp swept back headlamps, aggressive front grille with Nissan’s signature chrome garnished V motion grille.
It also comes sporting new design alloy wheels, while the rear fascia of the car signature quad circular taillights and quad titanium exhaust system. The muscular looking car gets a redesigned interior which comes with a larger touchscreen infotainment system. The touchscreen infotainment system gets lesser buttons compared to the previous model.
Power source for the car is a 3.8 litre twin turbo V6 engine churning out 570 PS of peak power and 637 Nm of peak torque. The car deliver 20 PS of extra power compared to the previous model. A six speed dual clutch transmission enables the car to reach 0 – 100 kmph in less than 3 seconds. The car stands against the rivals like Audi R8, Porsche 911.
Source: Autocar India


text:
Shaul Jolles is bidding to run a clearinghouse that would make sure that businesses wanting to use the new .corp, .llp, .llc and .inc Internet domain names are legal companies.
Jolles said his 9-month-old DOT Registry LLC would provide credibility to the new extensions by verifying information about buyers with state agencies.
“I see this as real estate — a creative type of real estate,” Jolles said.
DOT Registry has spent more than $3 million applying to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers to be a generic top-level domain, which would give the company the ability to sell the four extensions. It has competition in each category — 30 in all.
ICANN coordinates Internet assignments with privately held registries but doesn’t directly assign domains itself.
If approved, DOT Registry plans to set up a Kansas City headquarters with 100 jobs, mainly in sales and marketing.
Jolles said it could be a lucrative business because “millions of U.S. companies don’t have a website yet.”
He said he has the support of various secretary of state offices. In letters to ICANN, state officials cited concerns about illegitimate companies claiming to be legally registered corporations.
“While we have concerns about the use of these extensions ... our members respectfully request that they be approved with restrictions that would attempt to protect legitimate businesses and consumers from confusion or fraud,” wrote Beth Chapman, Alabama Secretary of State and president of the National Association of Secretaries of State. “We feel it is important that NASS members be consulted by DOT Registry or other applicants regarding policy related to the registering and identifying of businesses as this process moves forward.”
Michele Jourdan of ICANN said decisions are expected to come in the first half of 2013. The organization can ask multiple bidders for a domain extension to reach settlements or risk an auction.
“We are prepared to go to auction,” said Jolles, who traveled to Prague on June 19 for ICANN’s 44th public meeting to discuss possible partnerships or settlements with competitors.


text:
Google Password Manager generates new combinations of passwords every time anyone tries to log in on your device to avoid the so increasing data and privacy breaches.
Product Manager Patrick Nipper wrote in the Company blog “Google Password Manager instantly generates and auto-fills unique passwords when you sign in to your Google account in Chrome from a computer, Android, or iOS device.
Today we’re introducing five new features that make Password Manager even more secure, useful, and easy to use.“
These 5 added Google features will create more dynamic use of Google password manager’s advanced security and comfort for its customers.
Previously, Google hid Password Manager behind settings menus, making it less convenient to find.
Google Password Manager now has a dedicated home in Chrome on the desktop, making it easier to review all saved online credentials or change password settings.
You can now create a desktop shortcut for Google Password Manager, too. Now inconvenience of finding a password manager behind setting menus is no longer a pain.
Biometric authentication was previously only used in Android now you get the same feature on a desktop, now there is an extra layer of security whether its face recognition or fingerprint sensor
Different pins for multiple logins were a headache before but now you can save notes about the same
Now importing passwords is easy as Google added the option of connecting with another password manager.
Furthermore, finding reused and weak passwords on iOS has become even easier with the recent update from Google.
Now, you can utilize Google’s password auditing feature to identify and address these security risks directly from your iOS device.
I started my career as a freelance content writer, back in 2012. With a flair for language, grammar and literature, I have constantly improved my skills. Branding has always been my favorite niche. Having written tons of content pieces, I possess enough knowledge about the branding world. My write-ups are research-backed, in-depth, and informational. A keen desire to explore things both from the consumer’s and business’s point of view is what sets me apart.


text:
Russia Manufacturing PMI in June
According to a report by Markit Economics, the final Russia Manufacturing PMI has again entered into the contraction zone in June after showing a huge contraction in May. It was 49.5 in June compared to 49.8 in May. The June figure didn’t meet the preliminary market estimate of 50.2.
The Russia Manufacturing PMI in June was mainly due to the following factors:
- Production volume and output growth declined in June.
- Factory output and new business orders both declined for the first time since July 2016.
- Export orders in the manufacturing sector weakened in June as international demand weakened.
- Employment in the manufacturing sector fell more in June after falling significantly in May.
Weaker consumer sentiment and lower business confidence due to intensifying trade tensions weighed on Russia’s economic activity in June. Declining manufacturing activity is signaling that the economy’s domestic demand has been falling gradually.
ETF performances in June
In the next part of this series, we’ll analyze the performance of the Russia Services PMI in June.
The final Markit Brazil Manufacturing PMI entered the contraction zone in June. It was 49.8 in June compared to 50.7 in May.
After opening on a bearish note on Wednesday, Tesla (TSLA) was trading with 4.8% losses for the day, near $195.25 at 1:16 PM ET.
With voting conducted in seven phases panning six weeks, India’s (EPI) elections have been a grand affair—to say the least. Tomorrow is the day of the results.
Qualcomm (QCOM) stock fell more than 10% in the first half of trading on May 22 after it lost its licensing lawsuit with the US FTC (Federal Trade Commission).
Apple (AAPL) suffered a setback recently when the US Supreme Court allowed an antitrust lawsuit against the company to proceed.
Today doesn’t seem to be a good day for electric vehicle companies. Earlier today, NIO stock hit an all-time low of $4.00.
The cannabis sector has been struggling to find direction on May 22, with cannabis stocks trading on a largely mixed note in the first half.


text:
Stanley Printmiller (L) and Bill Ackman
Coupang, called Amazon of South Korea, nearly doubling from its $ 35 per share price shortly after it opened on Thursday lunchtime on the New York Stock Exchange.
The stock later reduced those gains, closing nearly 41% at $ 49.25 per share, giving Coupang a market cap of $ 84.5 billion.
Printmiller, the billionaire CEO of the Duquesne Family Office, was a long-time pre-IPO investor in the Seoul-based company. Kevin Warsh, an advisor to Druckermiller, told CNBC’s Becky Quick. Warsh, a former Federal Reserve Governor, joined the board of directors of Coupang in 2019. Warsh owns a total of 280,662 shares of Coupang, according to a Filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Ackman, the billionaire who runs Pershing Square Capital Management hedge fund, personally invested in Coupang, a source close to the situation, CNBC said. It is unclear when this investment was made. But a Reuters report in 2014 mentions Ackman as an investor.
Coupang raised $ 4.6 billion in its initial public offering, the largest so far in the US this year. The company sold 130 million shares on Wednesday night at $ 35 each, above its target range of $ 32-34.
The company was founded in 2010 by Bom Kim who continues to serve as CEO. Other investors are Masayoshi Son’s SoftBank group.
“When we talk about Coupang for what it is, it’s Amazon, but it’s Amazon with one UPS attached to it with With the Dash, with Instacart, with a little shot Netflix and it’s all integrated on this technology platform with an extreme level of customer focus, “he said Lydia Jett, Investment partner at SoftBank Vision Fund and member of the Coupang Board of Directors since 2018.
SoftBank’s Vision Fund owns around a third of Coupang invested billions of dollars into the company. In an interview on CNBCs “Squawk Alley” Jett said it didn’t take long to realize Kim is a top notch founder who deserves support.
“When I met Bom and spent three days with him in Seoul, I was overwhelmed by his company’s customer understanding and focus, the innovation that was taking place,” said Jett. “I knew that this company was doing something radically different from its competition and that customers were responding,” she added. “You can see that in the company’s numbers.”
Coupang’s total sales in 2020 were $ 12 billion, up nearly 91% year over year. In 2020, the company posted an operating loss of $ 527.7 million – an 18% decrease from 2019 and a decrease of nearly 50% from 2018.
The company was ranked # 2 on the CNBC Disruptor 50 list last year.


text:
12 November 2013
Gas prices could soar this winter if the national supply runs short during another cold snap, an energy expert has warned.
Industry analyst Peter Hughes told Sky News that a "perfect storm" last March of extreme weather and the shutdown of two major pipelines caused prices to double. And that could happen again because the Government has refused to support the storage of more gas.
"It foreshadows things to come," he said.
"The situation in terms of the risks will only get worse as North Sea production runs down and demand rises.
"That's the double whammy. And if you don't have more storage that translates into real vulnerability."
Britain currently stores enough gas for 13 days of supply. But Germany has reserves to last 69 days, in case there is a problem with the supply from countries such as Russia.
Source: Sky News


text:
From the New York Times: Even Reusable Bags Carry Environmental Risk
They dangle from the arms of many New Yorkers, a nearly ubiquitous emblem of empathy with the environment: synthetic, reusable grocery bags, another must-have accessory for the socially conscious.
But the bags, hot items at upscale markets, may be on the verge of a glacier-size public relations problem: similar bags outside the city have been found to contain lead.
“They say plastic bags are bad; now they say these are bad. What’s worse?” asked Jen Bluestein, who was walking out of Trader Joe’s on the Upper West Side with a reusable bag under her arm on Sunday.
“Green is a trend and people go with trends,” Ms. Bluestein said. “People get them as fashion statements and they have, like, 50 of them. I don’t think people know the real facts.”
There is no evidence that these bags pose an immediate threat to the public, and none of the bags sold by New York City’s best-known grocery stores have been implicated. But reports from around the country have trickled in recently about reusable bags, mostly made in China, that contained potentially unsafe levels of lead. The offending bags were identified at several stores, including some CVS pharmacies; the Rochester-based Wegman’s grocery chain recalled thousands of its bags, made of recycled plastic, in September.
Concerns have proliferated so much that Senator Charles E. Schumer, a New York Democrat, sent a letter on Sunday to the Food and Drug Administration, urging the agency to investigate the issue.
Climate-change-conscious shoppers at one of Manhattan’s culinary meccas on Sunday said they were chagrined that yet another good intention had gone awry.
“Bummer! We’re still not doing the right thing,” said Shelley Kempner of Queens, who was looking over the produce at Fairway on Broadway at West 74th Street. She prefers a reusable bag, she said, because she “likes the idea of not putting more plastic into the environment.”
Read entire article here h/t to Tom Nelson
George Carlin was prescient in his view of plastic bags:


text:
Gartner recently published its preview on the technology trends of 2013 that will govern IT strategies and have enterprise decision makers brainstorming in boardrooms. Truly, 2012 has been a stupendous year with technology trends evolving at a speedy pace along with the profusion of smartphones, tablets, other mobile devices, high-speed cellular connectivity, private and public clouds, cloud platforms for almost every aspect of IT – PaaS, IaaS, SaaS, DaaS … and network virtualization.
Technology has created a metamorphosis of sorts. Communication has evolved and supporting devices have become accessible to masses. The mobile, cloud and web market has received a complete facelift.
Gartners’ Take on Technology Trends in 2013
Gartner defines a strategic technology as ‘one with the potential for significant impact on the enterprise in the next three years. Factors that denote significant impact include a high potential for disruption to IT or the business, the need for a major dollar investment, or the risk of being late to adopt.’ Key trends for 2013 include:Mobility & IT Consumerization
In China, web users on smartphones exceed those using the web via PCs. The phenomenon will become global by 2013, Gartner predicts. In the enterprise space too, IT will be unable to restrict the devices coming in (possibly, iOS, Google and Windows 8 in that order). Applications will not be standardized for Windows but will have to be developed to work on disparate devices, form factors and platforms. Moreover, 80% of the phones sold in mature markets will be smartphones.Long-term shift to platform agnostic solutions
Touch-optimized mobile applications will gain prominence and there will be move (over time) from native mobile apps to platform agnostic technology (HTML5) that works on heterogeneous devices. The current milieu of native, web, HTML5, hybrid, special, Message and NoClient will continue for a while with native apps predominating.Cloud storage
Users will gradually move away from physical hard disks to personal clouds for storing their personal content. Anytime, anywhere access to information on any device will be the mantra. Accordingly, there will be renewed emphasis on cloud management, security and mobile device management.Rising popularity of Enterprise App Stores
Recently, Google launched Google Play Private Channels for enterprises to launch their apps to private users. More enterprises will launch enterprise app stores to do away with OS vendor restrictions, licensing terms and expense. IT may soon adopt the role of ‘market manager providing governance and brokerage services to users and potentially an ecosystem to support apptrepreneurs.’The Internet of Things (IoT)
IoT is the extension of mobility to more than smartphones and tablets. Devices such as car sensors, machine and cloth chipsets, healthcare boards, etc., will tap into the Internet via NFC, data networks, WiFi, LE or Bluetooth. Along with the new range of devices and apps, will come new challenges.Cloud Management by IT
IT is seeing the rise of the internal cloud services brokerage (CSB) role whose task is to facilitate provisioning and consumption of inherently distributed, heterogeneous and complex cloud services for their internal users and external business partners.Strategic Big Data
From data to data warehouse is going to be the need of the day with increase in data volume, velocity and complexity. Traditional data stores will give way to file systems, content management systems, data marts, and the like.Actionable Analytics and In-memory Computing
Real time analysis and statistical information available on mobile devices via cloud services will create transformational opportunities, drive proactive critical actions, and synergize communication. Vendors will create solutions on this theme to make the approach mainstream.Integrated Ecosystems
Multifunctional appliances, cloud-based marketplaces and brokerages, and mobile OS vendors will drive a move towards integrated ecosystems versus isolated heterogeneous approaches.
Other trends that we think could become important in 2013 are open source software, NoSQL databases, private clouds, and unconventional security solutions.
So, eager to learn why your business MUST take notice of Mobility ? Or want to decide which app is a right fit for your business? Download your choice !


text:
“Those jobs aren’t coming back.” That’s what Steve Jobssaid when President Obama asked him whether Apple would ever consider manufacturing its popular products in the U.S. But Jobs’ successor, Tim Cook, has other ideas. In interviews with Bloomberg Businessweek and NBC News, Cook has revealed that in 2013, Apple will invest $100 million in manufacturing computers in the U.S. “I don’t think we have a responsibility to create a certain kind of job,” Cook told Bloomberg. “But I think we do have a responsibility to create jobs.”
Cook didn’t specify which product would be manufactured in the U.S., though it’s been notedthat the new iMac already bears the label “Assembled in the U.S.A.,” making it a likely contender. Cook acknowledged that Apple won’t literally make the products, but would continue its practice of hiring contractors to manufacture various elements. Cook also reminded his interviewers that some components — such as the iPhone’s glass screen — are already being made in the U.S.


text:
Tech giant Amazon’s CEO and founder Jeff Bezos may not be able to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his ongoing visit to India, as has been expected for the past month.
According to an ET report, Amazon contacted the Prime Minister’s office seeking an appointment, but the company informed about the improbability of the meeting last month.
A source told the publication that the Indian government may have canceled the meeting with Bezos to calm fears among Indian traders, who have been aggressively protesting against Amazon and Flipkart for FDI violations, discounting, seller bias and other issues.
With Delhi elections coming up next week, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) “doesn’t want to give political ammunations to the opposition,” the report claimed.
The traders have been frustrated with ecommerce platforms — Amazon and Flipkart — and their policies. Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), representing many of these traders, had written to finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, commerce minister Piyush Goyal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Competition Commission of India (CCI) among others.
Ahead of Jeff Bezos’ visit to India, thousands of small-scale traders union and associations, including CAIT, decide to organise a countrywide protest against ecommerce. Bezos is in India to attend the ongoing Amazon’s SMBhav event to encourage more startups, small and medium businesses, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), weavers, artisans and women entrepreneurs to join its platform.
CAIT has accused ecommerce platforms of not being noncompliant of India’s new foreign direct investment (FDI) policies, which were implemented in February 2019.
The traders body CAIT had highlighted three main violations of the FDI policies. First, the foreign entity funded ecommerce platforms are not allowed to B2C business, where the platform is used to directly selling to consumers through its subsidiaries. CAIT has emphasised that ecommerce platforms, owned by foreign companies, can only take up the role of the mediator with the registered sellers.
Second, ecommerce platforms are able to offer discounts, even though they maintain that they do not control inventory. Third, ecommerce platforms offer discounts ranging from 10% to 80%, which influences the market price as well.
The government had acknowledged the importance of a level playing field and therefore, it decided to update the FDI policies. In addition, the government is pushing for a National Ecommerce Policy, Personal Data Protection Bill, which will also affect ecommerce.


text:
Apple Cuts Fees Charged to Streaming Services in App Store
November 18, 2016
Apple is halving the amount it charges streaming services to sell video on its App Store, in response to widespread discontent among content partners. Earlier, Apple tried unsuccessfully to create its own live TV service, but instead released an app that relies on programs from streaming services including HBO, Hulu and Showtime. Apple is now cutting its share from 30 percent to 15 percent. Some non-video apps will also dip to 15 percent after the customer has been a subscriber for a year.
Bloomberg reports that Apple’s “hefty cut of sales” for content on its App Store has “long angered partners, some of whom have accused the technology giant of anti-competitive behavior.” Next month, Apple will also debut a new app for TV shows and movies; both moves reflect “the growing importance of video to Apple” as it tries to “make its devices a hub for watching video by pooling television shows and movies from multiple apps in one place.”
Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr would not comment for the record.
According to Bloomberg, “some video partners have already been paying 15 percent of monthly subscription fees to Apple,” and the rate will be extended “to all subscription video services” on the new TV app. Up until now, some content providers on the App Store have raised prices to compensate for Apple’s 30 percent cut. YouTube Red subscription service, for example, costs $12.99 on iPhones and iPads compared to $9.99 elsewhere.
Apple is focusing more on generating revenue from the App Store, Apple Music and iCloud in the face of declining iPhone sales. Bloomberg surmises that, “the move may also speak to the growing competition in providing video apps,” pointing out that Amazon.com is now selling “other companies’ video apps as an add-on to its Prime delivery service, which also includes an on-demand video library.”
No Comments Yet
You can be the first to comment!
Sorry, comments for this entry are closed at this time.


text:
Independent family business Everards of Leicestershire has provided an update on its response to the Covid-19 challenge along with some future plans.
Stephen Gould, Managing Director, shared that the business has three prime objectives in dealing with this issue:
1. Protecting and supporting the health, safety and welfare of Employees, Everards Business Owners (Tenants) and their Staff and Communities
2. Retaining Everards talented Business Owners and attracting the finest Business Owners to join Everards
3. Ensuring that coming out of this Pandemic, Everards as a business is strong, fit, remaining innovative and well prepared to compete in the future
The support of the Government in contributing to the delivery of these objectives is much valued and appreciated. Stephen Gould said, “Through the fine work of the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) and UK Hospitality, the Government realised early that the hospitality industry would be severely impacted by lockdown measures and responded well to that reality. I would expect the same logic to follow in terms of a new, refreshed package of Government support for the Hospitality sector, as inevitably it will be one of the last sectors to fully come out of lockdown measures”
Everards has responded to the challenge in a number of ways:
– 70% of Employees have been furloughed on full pay which will be reviewed at the end of May. The business reports that the Government’s portal to process payments has worked very well
– Directors salaries have been cut by an average of 30% and the full year Dividend payment to shareholders cancelled
– The Everards Family Foundation have donated £50,000 to Age UK Leicester Shire & Rutland. The money will directly support older people in Everards local community who find themselves in greater need during the Covid-19 crisis and will provide essential services including befriending calls, collecting essentials like food and prescriptions, and getting people to hospital appointments
– Business Owner Rent payments have been cancelled (not deferred) for both April and May. Stephen Gould shared the announcement to all Business Owners via video stating that “We are aware that the provision of Government Grants for some Business Owners was put in
place to contribute to business expenses including rent. However, wage support payments are only being processed in the next few days (so cash for wages have had to be provided by Business Owners to date) and around 30% of grants are yet to be paid so it is viewed to be too early to consider charging a proportion of grants received to rent”. This position will be reviewed again at the end of May
– The construction of Everards new Brewery, Beer Hall and Offices at Everards Meadows continues. Kier Construction have implemented additional social distancing measures and work within the Site Operating Procedures drawn up by the Construction Leadership Council aligned with the latest Public Health England guidance. The primary consideration here is the Health & Safety of the workforce and the public. This has been a monumental effort from all at Kier and also Briggs (who are building and installing our new brewery equipment) and Everards are grateful for all their hard work. These changes will naturally cause some delay. However the business expect the building to be completed by November. Everards has decided to delay the actual fit-out of the Beer Hall and Offices until early 2021 with a plan now to open to the public in Spring 2021
Looking ahead, Gould emphasised the following:
-We are encouraging some local authorities to process the payment of grants to all eligible Business Owners by the end of April
-The Government needs to act now to support those Business Owners operating pubs with a Rateable Value above £51,000 who are not receiving grants. This is time critical. Gould adds, “Working with the Industry, the Government needs to find a solution to this challenge without delay. Otherwise many businesses in this Rateable Value category will fail due to not having enough liquidity”.
– The extension of the Coronavirus job retention scheme to the end of June has been very welcome. We hope to see further plans laid out to support sector jobs for the length of the pub closures but also once they are open again as increased social distancing measures would continue to impact business owner’s income.
– Gould also shares, “The plan to come out of lockdown needs really careful thought. A rushed approach makes no sense for anyone and we support the BBPA’s call for a minimum of three, ideally four, weeks notice. If Pubs are to be one of the last sectors to come out of lockdown then a new, refreshed package of Government financial support for the pub industry needs to be created and communicated by the end of May. In turn this will give Companies, Business Owners and their communities confidence and belief in a bright future for pubs”.
Erika Hardy, Head of Marketing
07921 875 625


text:
These Star Wars Sex Toys Will Make You Feel the Dark Side of the Force
On Dec. 15, 2017 Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, the latest installment of the space opera franchise, will hit screens in America. And so to celebrate, Geeky Sex Toys has released a line of Star Wars sex toys so that you can experience The Force in a (w)hole new way.
The Star Toys line includes several light-up dildo lightsabers, a penetrable “Hand Solo” toy that looks like Han Solo trapped in carbonite, a “Dark Side” bondage kit, a mouth ball-gag shaped like the Death Star, several character-shaped vibrators that somehow got past copyright infringement lawyers, a “laser sword” flogger and a C-3PO buttplug. And if you’ve ever wanted to bottom for a 900-year-old Jim Henson muppet-slash-Jedi master, good news — there’s a dildo made to resemble Yoda’s dick!
Here’s a quick peek at Geeky Sex Toy’s line of Star Wars sex toys:
They also have an Orgasms of the Galaxy line based on Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy and a Dick and Horny line based on Rick and Morty, the sci-fi series that may actually feature American animation’s first-ever pansexual character.
Geeky Sex Toys was also the retailer behind the 2016 Pokémoan dildos and buttplugs — tagline: “Gotta get ’em all!” — that became popular around the release of the augmented reality smartphone game, Pokémon Go, a game which also spawned Pokémon Go dick pics.
The Game of Moans dildo as well as a whole bunch of other Game of Thrones-themed sex toys including a dildo shaped like Jon Snow’s sword, dragon egg bullet vibrators and a wolf-tail buttplug for some frisky Direwolf action.
And if you’re really geeky (in a sexy kind of way), you might enjoy learning some fun facts about orgasms, like the six parts of the brain stimulated during orgasm!


text:
Maidenhead, United Kingdom -- Sixty-nine percent of shoppers expect a brand’s online store, mobile app and physical store to offer same pricing, discounts and sales, according to a survey by SDL that looked at the mobile and social media habits of consumers in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Singapore.
The survey also found 62% of respondents use a mobile device at a brand’s physical location to compare products and prices. And, nearly one third of respondents in all locales use a brand’s mobile app or web site when looking to learn more about a brand from their mobile device. These results confirm that consumers function seamlessly across channels when interacting with brands and as part of their experience is an expectation of consistency and value.
SDL Campaign Management & Analytics also found the “showrooming” trend is still very much relevant, with 77% of respondents confirming they “showroom.”
The online survey also looked at how consumers are using social media when interacting with brands. Key findings include:
- A third of U.S., U.K., Australian and Singapore respondents have claimed promotions on social media.
- More than half of respondents (58%) share positive experiences and seek advice from friends and family when they talk about brands on social media.
- U.K. respondents complain about service on social media more than U.S., Australian or Singapore respondents.
- When they do express feedback, Facebook is the most popular choice across all locations.
“It’s clear from the survey results that consumers want brands to improve the dynamic between online, mobile and in-store to meet up with their expectations of a consistent experience,” said Joe Stanhope, chief strategy officer, SDL Campaign Management & Analytics.


text:
Earlier this month, Sony said it had shipped 17.3 million PS5 consoles to retailers by the end of December. And Ampere research director Piers Harding-Rolls thinks almost all of those units made their way into consumers’ hands last year.
“Sony ended 2021 with PS5 cumulative sell-through reaching 17.1 million units, around 1.7 times the performance of Xbox Series sales,” the analyst said in a research note this week.
“At this early stage the global sales momentum is with Sony, but it will be frustrated that its potential has been undermined by product availability.”
Xbox Series X/S systems continue to sell faster than any previous generation of Microsoft consoles, according to the company’s gaming boss Phil Spencer.
Previously, Niko Partners senior analyst Daniel Ahmad estimated that Xbox Series X/S shipments topped 12 million by the end of 2021, but Harding-Rolls believes the platform’s actual sold-to-consumers installed base was significantly lower than that.
“Microsoft ended 2021 with its Xbox Series family of devices reaching cumulative sell-through of 10.3 million units,” he estimated. “This is on a par with the previous generation Xbox One cycle.”
Harding-Rolls said substantial Xbox Series X shortages last year were partially offset by greater availability of the Series S console.
“The cheaper, less powerful Xbox Series S has experienced much better availability and alongside Xbox Game Pass, has driven unprecedented adoption of this digital-only device. Ampere estimates that cumulative sell-through for Series S was ahead of Series X at the end of 2021.”
Harding-Rolls recently said he expects PS5 to outsell Xbox Series X/S consoles two-to-one this year. He has forecast 18 million sales for Sony’s console in 2022 and nine million sales for Microsoft’s systems.
However, he expects Switch to be the year’s leading console with 21 million sales.
Switch recently overtook Wii to become Nintendo’s best-selling home console of all-time with shipments totalling 103.54 million units as of the end of last year.
Harding-Rolls has estimated that around 99.7 million units were sold to consumers as of the end of 2021.


text:
Digital agency Concept Digital has undergone a revamp. The digital arm of Concept Group that also has agencies such as Scarecrow and Eleven will be now called Spiider Digital Hub. The company has also unveiled a new logo as part of the revamp.
The inspiration for the new name has been drawn from the impression of the digital space resemble a cobweb, with several interconnected functions.
Commenting on the new look, Kushal Sanghvi, managing director, Spiider Digital Hub, says, "The change is not just cosmetic. Ours is a company that has been perceived to be an expert when it comes to financial clients. We wish to change that perception and get more involved with brands from different verticals."
As part of the revamp, Spiider Digital Hub has also developed in-house social media measurement tools that will aid in studying digital consumption patterns. Sanghvi adds, "There are several agencies that provide a range of digital services. The differentiating factor in Spiider's offering will be that we will provide digital solutions that will be based on our social media mapping tools to ensure better brand engagement."
The agency, with its new look and feel, now has 35-40 digital experts who will work out of Mumbai, Delhi, and Bengaluru offices. The agency has also made a couple of senior appointments to strengthen the creative and management team.


text:
Huawei's Mate 10 Pro has earned positive reviews from people who've had a chance to use the new phone. But Huawei's latest flagship phone is also getting rave reviews from people who've never laid hands on it, and that's proving to be a bit of an embarrassment for the China-based phone maker.
Five-star reviews of the Mate 10 Pro have started popping up on Best Buy, with the phone earning an average rating of 4.9 stars out of 5 from 108 reviews as of earlier today (Feb. 13). That's a pretty impressive rating for a phone that's still only available for pre-order and won't actually ship until Feb. 18.
9to5Google, which was the first to spot the spike in positive user reviews for an unreleased product, points the finger at a Huawei promotion as the root of that outpouring of support. A since-deleted post on Huawei's Facebook page encouraged members to post why they wanted to use a Mate 10 Pro in the user review section of Best Buy's site for the chance to win a free phone.
As of this writing, Best Buy seems to have purged all user reviews from the Mate 10 landing page, though cached versions of that page still show the overall rating based on user reviews. The user posts we screen-capped before they disappeared are overwhelming positive... and clearly posted by people who've never handled the phone they're reviewing.
"I have the mate 9, and I'm amazed. I definitely think the mate 10 pro is going to make the best phone," reads one five-star rave while another says that "If I had the money, this is definitely what I would get, and I appreciate any chance at winning one of my own."
We've asked Best Buy to clarify its policy on user reviews of products that have yet to ship to consumers and will update this story once we hear back.
For its part, Huawei says there's "confusion" around its efforts t o recruit beta testers for its products. In a note to Tom's Guide, a spokesperson told us that beta testers are only loaned devices that remain the property of Huawei. The spokesperson also told us:
"Huawei's first priority is always the consumer and we encourage our customers to share their experiences with our devices in their own voice and through authentic conversation. We believe there is confusion around a recent social media post reaching out to recruit new beta testers. While there are reviews from beta testers with extensive knowledge of the product, they were in no way given monetary benefits for providing their honest opinions of the product. However, we are working to remove posts by beta testers where it isn't disclosed they participated in the review program."
Avi Greengart, research director for consumer devices at GlobalData, said the review flap "sounds like an ill-considered marketing attempt gone awry." Still, it could have an impact on U.S. shoppers' perception of Huawei, Greengart notes, since the phone maker isn't a scrappy startup looking to make a name for itself but a global giant with phone sales comparable to Apple and Samsung in other parts of the world.
"The direct channel for flagship phones for non-Western brands is pretty small, and [the people who buy those phones] do follow these sorts of stories," Greengart said.
The flap over user reviews that aren't really reviews is the latest stumble for Huawei as it tries to launch the Mate 10 Pro in the U.S. The phone maker had been expected to line up a U.S. carrier to offer the phone, but right before CES last month, word got out that AT&T had walked away from such a deal. (Huawei reps cast it as a mutual decision when we talked to them in January.)
Verizon reportedly declined to offer the Mate 10 Pro as well, and legislation has been introduced in Congress that would block government agencies from buying phones and services from Huawei and ZTE, another phone maker based in China.
While some shoppers prefer the flexibility of buying their phones unlocked, it's a challenge for device makers since the vast majority of consumers still get their devices through carriers. Up until now, Huawei has been entirely dependent on offering its phones through U.S. retailers such as Best Buy, Amazon and others. A controversy over the veracity of user reviews isn't going to help Huawei get more of a foothold in the U.S.
Editors' Note: Updated at 7:30 p.m. ET with analyst comments.


text:
UK incumbent telco BT is to offer free YouView set-top-boxes to new BT Infinity customers with no TV subscription required. The hybrid set-top-box, supported by BT, BBC, ITV, Channel Four, TalkTalk, Arqiva and Channel 5, has a retail price of £299.
BT Total (ADSL and ADSL2+) customers will also receive a free YouView box when subscribing to the BT Vision 'TV Essential' package at £4 a month. All new customers will be required to pay an activation fee of £49, a delivery charge of £6.49 and will need to enter a 12 month minimum term contract.
From 26 October, all BT TV and broadband packages will offer access to YouView. Existing BT customers who are out of their minimum term contract will be given the option to upgrade to YouView for a one-off fee of £49 plus delivery charge.
TalkTalk is also offering a free YouView STB with no monthly subscription fee to TalkTalk Plus customers, which it has already made available. TalkTalk Plus is offered at £14.50 per month in addition to £9.50 line rental, for a minimum 18 month term. An activation fee of £20 is also charged.
TalkTalk stopped marketing its IPTV service in early 2011, with YouView now being its main TV proposition, unlike BT which has continued to improve its own IPTV service, BT Vision. TalkTalk is also offering a free 12 month subscription to LOVEFiLM Instant in addition to access to premium content, including Sky Sports and Sky Movies with no minimum contract term. TalkTalk customers will not be able to access BT Vision on-demand packages.
At year-end 2011, BT broadband services reached more than 8.58 million homes across the UK, with 62,000 of these being FTTH homes (BT Infinity). Although BT Infinity is not yet available country-wide, IHS Screen Digest understands that BT aims to have more than 66 per cent of homes passed for access to BT's FTTH by 2015. Assuming BT continue to offer free YouView boxes to new customers, BT could potentially reach more than 1.4m homes with YouView via BT Infinity.
BT Vision had initially been offered as a free DTT top-up proposition, moving to a mix of free and pay TV offers, and most recently moving completely to an entirely subscription-based paid-for TV business model. The new YouView offer to BT Infinity customers sees BT Vision go back to their previous strategy of offering a free TV proposition to some customers. BT originally dropped its free TV offer after it emerged that many customers were signing up to get the free box, then churning from the service, resulting in elevated costs for the telco. The minimum contract BT now requires customers to enter into should mitigate this to a large extent.
Although BT is not planning to migrate customers to the YouView box from their existing platform yet, running the two platforms side by side, uptake of YouView is likely to be higher. The Vision+ box is available for £90 and requires an activation fee of £40, or free if you enter a 12 month term subscription of £12.50 a month. YouView will be more widely marketed - being backed by other media and telecoms groups, and also being available at retail. The relatively high cost of the STB as a standalone product is also likely to act as an incentive to take up BT Infinity, if it is available in the area. Customers would be able to receive BT infinity and YouView services for as little as £18 a month. BT's standard broadband (16Mb) triple play package is also available for the same price at £18 per month.


text:
Sweetest Day is around the corner which means it is time to share romantic expressions, acts of charity and kindness. One way to show your love is to gift someone with flowers and there is a new flower shop, Detroit Flower Company, that can help you with all your floral arrangements.
Narshay Wright, lead florist of Detroit Flower Company, chatted with Kim DeGiulio about the inspiration behind the floral company.
Wright says the owner Ja’Nye Hampton was the mastermind behind Detroit Flower Company. She says Hampton has always been passionate about flowers and wanted to bring something new to the community.
The lead florist says what makes their flower arrangements unique is the love, creativity and positivity that goes into them. She says their “magical roses” are the most popular bouquet, which are hand-dyed.
Wright says social media has had a significant impact on their success. She says as soon a new bouquet is posted online costumers come into the flower shop wanting to buy.
Detroit Flower Company is passionate about Detroit and the community. She says they use local vendors and have plans to get their hands dirty in more community service projects.
Watch the video above for full interview and more details about Detroit Flower Company.


text:
The date that Trader Joes recalled its Creamy Salted Valencia Peanut Butter was September 22. The date that the CDC announced that Trader Joe’s Peanut Butter had sickened 29 people in 18 states was also September 22. Nonetheless, Trader Joe’s recall announcement, posted on the FDA’s website, states as follows:
Out of the utmost caution and care for our customers, Trader Joe’s is voluntarily recalling its Creamy Salted Valencia Peanut Butter because of potential contamination with Salmonella. At this time, no confirmed illnesses directly linked to this product have been reported to Trader Joe’s.
While we have no confirmed information that suggests this peanut butter is unsafe to eat, there is nothing more important to us than the health and safety of our customers and crew, and the quality of our products.
That is called playing fast and loose with the facts. I won’t waste time speculating why Trader Joes denies the link between its peanut butter and this salmonella outbreak. Any observer of outbreaks and recalls knows that it is something like, “no product has tested positive, so it could not have been us.”
The more prudent course would have been to acknowledge the problem, which is clearly based on solid epidemiological proof, and focus on why the problem occurred. In its September 22 statement, the CDC states “Fourteen (100%) of 14 ill persons interviewed report shopping at Trader Joe’s locations across the United States. Twelve (86%) of 14 ill persons report eating Trader Joe’s Valencia Creamy Salted Peanut Butter made with Sea Salt in the week before becoming ill.” Recall notices are really not the right forum to conduct public relations.
Peanut butter outbreaks have a nasty habit of getting big. In 2006/2007, ConAgra’s Peter Pan and Great Value brands of peanut butter caused 715 illnesses. And in 2009, peanut products, including peanut butter, from Peanut Corporation of America sickened at least 716.


text:
Great Britain’s food regulators are calling for a nationwide review of all meat-cutting plants after the discovery of serious incidents at production facilities of two major suppliers, 2 Sisters Food Group and Russell Hume.
The announcement came just days after the Food Standards Agency (FSA) was criticized by a parliamentary committee for failing to take definitive action to improve standards following an undercover investigation last year by The Guardian and ITV. The Guardian reported the nationwide review on Feb. 1.
Further, the government has pledged to require closed-circuit television cameras to be installed in all meat cutting plants.
In the wake of the investigation, 2 Sisters, the country’s largest supplier of supermarket chicken, shut its West Bromwich chicken site for five weeks this past autumn for staff retraining.
In January, Jamie Oliver’s Italian restaurant chain and Wetherspoon pubs were among businesses caught up in a meat recall scandal at Russell Hume when FSA inspectors said they had found serious issues during a surprise visit to the company’s Birmingham premises on Jan. 12. Since then, meat production has been suspended at Russell Hume plants, the Guardian reports.
FSA Chairwoman Heather Hancock and Food Standards Scotland Chairman Ross Finnie issued a joint statement, saying: “In the last six months the FSA and FSS have faced two serious incidents involving major players in the meat sector. People rightly expect food businesses to keep to the rules, rules designed to keep consumers safe and to sustain public trust in food – and food businesses have a duty to follow the regulations.”
“In the light of these recent incidents,” the statement continued, “the FSA and FSS will be taking forward reviews of cutting plants and cold stores used for meat. Further details will be published later this month and the results will be fully available to the public.”
An investigation into meat processing factories was expected, The Guardian reported, but the scale of the problems that have emerged since September prompted regulators to expedite the launch.
Last year’s hearings into 2 Sisters by Parliament’s Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee were a direct response to The Guardian and ITV undercover footage from 2 Sister’s West Bromwich chicken plant, The Guardian reports. The footage showed poultry being dropped on the floor and returned to the production line, as well as an instance of labels recording the slaughter dates of birds being changed.
2 Sisters has denied the footage showed any food safety breaches and said it temporarily suspended production three days later because of process failures, adding that its “internal investigation has shown some isolated instances of non-compliance with our own quality management systems.”
Said a spokesman for 2 Sisters: “We welcome any further reviews the FSA would wish to carry out at all cutting facilities in the UK.”
The FSA said its investigation into Russell Hume includes examining the “extended use of ‘use by’ dates, and the food safety management system that the business has in place.” The regulator also launched its own, ongoing investigation into 2 Sisters.
“Our investigation into the major non-compliances we found at the Russell Hume plants in England and Scotland is intensifying,” said Jason Feeney, chief executive of the FSA.
“We have already stopped these plants producing meat products, have ensured the withdrawal and disposal of the products and now we are looking at the root cause of the incident and any culpability.”
Feeney said there is no indication people have gotten sick from eating meat supplied by Russell Hume.
The company did not respond to invitations from The Guardian to comment.
(To sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety News, click here.)


text:
redesign of the PSN Store, but there are plenty of other features people are clamoring for from the service. Peter Dille, Senior Vice President of the PlayStation Network, has written a post on the PS.Blog letting everyone know that they are listening and that features are coming. Specifically, he confirms that in-game XMB is coming this year, along with a video download service (for North America) and "other community-related services."
There's lots of exciting stuff to come this year then, not to mention Home which will (literally) add a whole new dimension to the PlayStation Network. Dille promises that more information on the video download service will be coming "very soon" and states that we should "stay tuned" for "more announcements on the expanding community functions within PLAYSTATION Network in the near future." Trust us, Peter (can we call you Peter?). We've been "tuned" for over a year now. Let's here more about those features ASAP, please.
Lastly, the PlayStation Network cards are finally getting released in the US. They're shipping out to retailers this Spring and will allow you to add either $20 or $50 to your PSN wallet. Handy for those of you who don't have a credit card.
[Thanks to everyone that sent this in!]


text:
Johnson Controls has announced the winners of the CEM Systems Business Partner of the Year Awards, EMEA, 2018. Winners were honoured at CEM Systems’ annual security conference, held 23—24 May at the Galgorm Resort & Spa, Northern Ireland. Net-Ctrl received the Business Partner of the Year Award for the UK and Ireland South region.
“Johnson Controls is very fortunate to be involved in many exciting and often iconic access control projects around the world and 2018 is no exception” said Philip Verner, regional sales director, Building Technologies & Solutions, Johnson Controls. “Through customer endorsements and the support of our committed Approved Reseller channel, we have successfully opened up CEM Systems innovative access solutions to many new sectors and territories throughout Europe, Middle, East and Africa (EMEA). The 2018 Business Partner of the Year Awards are not only given to our top EMEA business partners for high levels of sales, but are given in recognition for their ongoing commitment to accredited CEM Systems training, joint marketing initiatives and their tireless endeavour to go above and beyond when delivering successful customer projects within their respective regions.”
For the UK & Ireland, South region, Net-Ctrl received the Business Partner of the Year award in recognition of their success within the education sector. As a relatively new channel partner, Net-Ctrl has promoted CEM Systems products at various education events this year and has successfully won a number of prominent UK school security projects including Bradfield College.


text:
Bitpoint Japan finds part of stolen cryptocurrency
Mon, 15 Jul 2019, 05:50 am UTC
Bitpoint Japan, which recently suffered a major hack, has discovered a part of the stolen funds, The Mainichi reports.
The cryptocurrency exchange announced last week that it lost approximately $32 million in the hack which was detected on the night of July 11. Bitpoint had suspended all transactions and services soon after the hack.
The incident affected holdings in five different cryptocurrencies including bitcoin, XRP, Litecoin, ether, and bitcoin cash held in the hot wallet.
According to the media report, the exchange has found 250 million yen (approximately $2.3 million) worth of cryptocurrencies lost in the hack.
In its second report on the incident, Bitpoint said that the stolen cryptocurrencies were discovered on exchanges operating overseas that were using a trading system provided by Bitpoint Japan.
With the recovery of 250 million yen worth of crypto, the company’s revised estimate of initial loss stands at 3.02 billion yen.
Bitpoint said that it is continuing with its investigations and plans to establish measures to prevent any such incidents in the future. It is also examining the impact on the consolidated performance of the company and will release the details as soon as possible.
<Copyright © TokenPost. All Rights Reserved. >


text:
Jennifer Lopez celebrated her dancer boyfriend Casper Smart‘s 25th birthday Friday night with an intimate dinner party – and a giant ass pickup truck.
“Jennifer had planned a fun day to celebrate Casper’s birthday,” a source says of the day that ended with Smart’s customized white Dodge Ram truck.
J. Lo “knew that Casper really wanted a truck, and Casper was very excited about the generous gift,” says the source. Lopez herself also Tweeted:
“@BEAUcasperSMART ‘Beau has a birthday we’re so glad we hope it’s the happiest Birthday Beau ever has!’ #singingtweet. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEAR!!!”
After a shopping trip and lunch in Beverly Hills, the smitten couple continued the birthday celebration with a fun dinner at Cecconi’s in West Hollywood.
With a group of friends, they enjoyed Northern Italian comfort food, including pasta, fish and wine in the restaurant’s private Butterfly Room.
The birthday boy even brought his present along for the celebration.
Casper Smart “was so excited about his new truck that he decided to drive it to dinner,” adds the source. “She was smiling about Casper’s excitement.”
Bottom line: It pays to be Jennifer Lopez’s rebound plaything.


text:
Waterlines, by Daniel Rothbart, will make its debut on the historic Gowanus Canal on Saturday, June 28, at 4:30pm.
The Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club held The Gowanus Challenge Canoe, Kayak, Paddle-board and Rowboat race
WATCH TedXGowanus LIVE TODAY ONLINE BY CLICKING HERE!
A new era has come to Gowanus.
After a decade in the making, Whole Foods Market celebrated the grand opening of its much-anticipated and first Brooklyn, New York, store on Tuesday, December 17th, 2013.
Down Home Radio Show and The Jalopy Theatre are proud to announce the 6th Annual Brooklyn Folk Festival taking place Friday, April 18th through Sunday, April 20th, 2014!
For the competitors at the U19+ Eastern Finals at Gore Mountain, it is the World Cup and Olympics rolled into one.


text:
Some people may think there's nothing sexier than a delicious slice of hot pizza. But one couple have taken that to the next level and combined their love of pizza with their love for each other and their love of being, er, naked for an engagement photo shoot.
Jozmen and Felicia Robinson posed completely naked in their photo shoot, strategically placing pieces of pizza in front of each others bodies.
The personal trainers wed in September this year and apparently, the nature of their shoot surprised no one.
"When my mum saw it, she wasn't very surprised." said Jozmen told The Post. Jozmen also works as a firefighter and according to his Instagram page likes to show off his uniform when he can, adding in "I've been pretty naked for my whole life".
"We're both just very naked people" agreed Felicia, 32. "If you see him at the pool, he's wearing the shortest shorts, and I'm wearing the smallest bathing suit."
Jozmen's reasoning behind the unusual shoot was pretty understandable. "I thought "we're going to get in the best shape of our lives, so let's get this picture" he said.
The pizza theme wasn't a random craving after a long day, it's a special food for the pair. Jozmen proposed to Felicia last year by writing the words 'marry me' on a pizza in toppings.
Although the exact toppings of the proposal pizza are unknown, their love of each other and pizza is very obvious.


text:
- Subscribe NowLimited Time Offer
Obama cites Austin's tech focus as a model for U.S. cities
Send this to a friend
During Thursday’s tech trip, President Barack Obama repeatedly said Austin could serve as a model for other U.S. cities.
He said the schools, universities and entrepreneurial spirit all contribute to Austin’s thriving technology culture. At Manor New Tech High School he cited the national companies such as Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) and General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) establishing local tech centers.
“Folks around here are doing something right,” Obama said. “I’ve come to listen and learn.”
Later in the day, he mentioned several local companies to illustrate his point.
One of them, Pflugerville-based Community Cars Inc., was founded by CEO Stacy Zoern and first reported by the Austin Business Journal in early 2011. The company develops a vehicle called the Kenguru that it plans to sell for about $25,000.
“There was a young woman who is in a wheelchair and physically disabled but is just incredibly inspired to make sure that she’s not in any way confined by that situation,” Obama told workers at Applied Materials Inc. (Nasdaq: AMAT). “And she’s basically designed and is now manufacturing a car that people in wheelchairs can just drive their wheelchair right into the car and start driving.”
Community Cars is scheduled to produce 250 vehicles this year, Zoern has said.
Christopher Calnan covers technology, finance and clean energy for the Austin Business Journal. Subscribe to the Energy Inc. newsletter
If you are commenting using a Facebook account, your profile information may be displayed with your comment depending on your privacy settings. By leaving the 'Post to Facebook' box selected, your comment will be published to your Facebook profile in addition to the space below.
- Most popular
- St. Elmo's Market and Lofts clears hurdle; Saxon Pub could join the mi
- Whittington name May carry on — introducing the grandchildren
- Google announces pricing details for Austin Fiber service
- Austin tiny house on eBay for starting bid of $37,800
- Entrepreneurs Hurley and Yoshida combine to form Honest Dollar
- Mysterious deal for Omelettry site emerges; relocation delayed
- EZCorp plans major corporate headquarters in Rollingwood
- Peached Tortilla nears grand opening of brick-and-mortar store
- Texas breaks jobs record for third consecutive month
- ABOR: Home sales stay strong heading into the holiday season
A weekly look at the entrepreneurship scene of Central Texas
Vice President of Waste Processing, Disposal, and Recycling CSI Executive Search | Texas
Land Development Project Manager SouthStar Communities | Austin, TX
Investment Advisor South Texas Money Management, Ltd. | Austin, TX
Work For: ChannelAdvisor ChannelAdvisor | Morrisville, NC
Channel Sales Executive Houston Business Journal | Houston, TX


text:
Today, there are three technology trends driving the future of the semiconductor industry. The first is the move to open-source, which is fast becoming the new standard for producing high-quality solutions, enabling designers to focus on their differentiation and innovation.
Next, is the growth of smart applications for industrial and the IoT markets, which are increasing the demand for cost-effective AI, compute, and HMI silicon. Specifically, these markets are looking for graphics and AI silicon in an area-efficient footprint with an improved performance/cost balance.
Third, there is the rapid expansion of reliable, high-speed connectivity to the edge.
All are providing new opportunities for companies building innovative hardware solutions for emerging and established applications.
Click here to read more ...


text:
In accordance with the New York State mandate, Ashly Audio has temporarily closed its factory in Webster, NY as of March 23, 2020.
Although the main office will be closed until the company can safely allow its team to return to the building, its system design, customer service, sales, dealer support, and shipping teams are still actively working remotely.
Ashly Audio's support team remains available via phone and email, in addition to the new chat option on its web site, and at the new toll-free number: 1-800-705-2101.
"We continue to monitor the situation with our local health departments and state government," said a company representative. "But, rest assured, Ashly will continue to maintain the top-level service you have come to expect since 1974."
Inventory Availability and Shipping
Ashly is shipping all in-stock products for immediate delivery, and many custom configured products will still be available with minor delays. For those with questions about a current order, potential order, or product availability, the company's sales support can be reached via phone or email ( email@example.com).
Ashly's Customer Support Team is available Monday through Thursday, 8am to 5pm ET via email (firstname.lastname@example.org) or phone.
The company has also added webchat to Ashly.com and is available to respond on social media channels.
Ashly's internal sales team, distributors, and U.S. Rep network are ready to help clients and prospects. The internal sales team can be reached at email@example.com or via phone.
The company says Ashly University will be kicking off soon, and multiple classes and training sessions will be available each week on a variety of subjects.
To learn more about training or to register, visit ashly.com.
To stay up to date with the impact of coronavirus on pro AV, subscribe to our enews.


text:
A pair of friends who have their own YouTube channel set about creating the world’s “worst Airbnb” by plonking a mattress in the middle of a field, only to get an “insane” amount of interest from prospective guests.
YouTubers Rhys Simmons and Jamie Kamaz videoed the prank for their “Passion Squad” channel after finding it hard to find an Airbnb property at the right price.
Their intentionally shoddy offering consisted of a mattress, bedside table, lamp and two wines glasses filled with water – all obtained for free via Facebook marketplace – placed in a field in North London.
Having used the Null Stern Hotel in Switzerland, known for its outdoor aesthetic, as their inspiration, the pair described the “property” as being created in the image of “one of the most exquisite and unique hotels in Europe. It has got easy access to wildlife, some fresh air, and peace”.
Although they didn’t expect anyone to actually want to stay at their al fresco pad, the duo were surprised to receive numerous enquiries from prospective guests.
“Myself and some mates came together to create the worst Airbnb ever seen,” Simmons told The Mirror.
“But to our surprise when we uploaded this thing on to Airbnb, we had an insane amount of interest for people to come and stay within our establishment.”
He added: “This was an insane accomplishment. To create the worst Airbnb in the world and then get a crazy amount of requests to stay is something that we will never forget.
“You never know, we may have to open this thing up for full-time business.”
One-night bookings around Halloween have been cancelled in a bid to prevent house parties, with customers who had already paid for one-night rentals on those nights told their bookings have been scrapped and their money refunded.
The listing garnered a surprising amount of interest
Two and three-night reservations around Halloween will also be looked at by the Airbnb team, who may take action if the property is located near to the guest’s own home and they don’t have a history of positive reviews on the platform.


text:
Israeli cybersecurity company Cato Networks has announced the completion of a $200 million financing round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners with the participation of existing investors Greylock, Acrew Capital, Coatue, Singtel Innov8, and Shlomo Kramer. The financing was raised at a company valuation of $2.5 billion, up from $1 billion at its most recent financing round last November. This brings to $532 million, the total amount raised by Cato Networks.
Tel Aviv-based Cato Networks was founded in 2015 by its president and COO Gur Shatz and its CEO Shlomo Kramer, one of the founders of Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (Nasdaq: CHKP) and the founder of security company Imperva, which was acquired by Thoma Bravo for $2.1 billion.
Cato Networks has developed Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) technology to secure all enterprise edges - sites, mobile users, and cloud resources - with one global cloud-native platform. The new funds will enable Cato to expand sales, technology, and business growth to further support the security and global networking needs of large enterprises.
The company has 400 employees including 240 in Israel. Cato Networks reports that it has over 1,000 customers, up from 650 at its financing round last November.
Kramer said, "Cato is at the forefront of SASE transformation. Large enterprises are deploying Cato as their global network to reap the operational and business benefits of Cato’s proven and mature SASE platform. Cato is rapidly expanding its service capabilities, global footprint, and sales and marketing teams, while preserving our unique DNA of agility, simplicity, and ease of doing business that is so valued by customers and partners."
Lightspeed Venture Partners partner Yoni Cheifetz said, "Cato has seen an amazing adoption of its SASE platform by increasingly larger enterprises. What started as a disruptive innovation and a novel idea, is now a fast-growing business that is at the heart of enterprises’ mission critical operations. We are delighted to partner with Cato and support its mission of delivering optimal and secure access to all users, locations, and applications - everywhere."
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on October 19, 2021.
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd., 2021.


text:
(ATF) The recent jump in real interest rates could hurt China’s economy, smothering its nascent recovery, with consumption and manufacturing investments lagging but the central bank’s liquidity accommodation should provide a buffer.
China’s government bond market yields have shot up since the lows of April to 2020 highs last month on a combination of factors. The 10-year yield rose 70 basis points to 3.16%, but has since eased to 2.96%.
This came at a time when inflation continued to fall as supply outruns demand and producer prices under deflationary pressure, pushing up real interest rates.
China's economic data for July indicated an unbalanced recovery, and that extraordinary policy support would be needed. And although the industrial sector has been remarkably resilient, it has been driven by buoyant global demand for technology and medical equipment arising from the global pandemic.
Stimulus spending lifted infrastructure investment and rising household savings propped China's property market.
At the same time, consumers are lagging behind in this recovery with retail sales still below the levels for the same period last year. Before the coronavirus pandemic, monthly retail sales had been growing at close to 8% year-on-year.
Manufacturing investments remain soft easing by about 1% in July. The fall would have been greater without investment in the electronics and medical-related sectors which were aided by robust global demand and policy support in these areas.
State-owned enterprises boosted investment in all sectors 14% in July compared with 3% for private firms. SOE investments outpaced private firms for some time now, stretching back to 2019, S&P said.
Social distancing blamed
“Social distancing – enforced or voluntary – suppresses demand for business and consumer services, holding back jobs. The purchasing managers' index (PMI) for services indicate most firms asked are still reporting fewer jobs,” S&P’s chief economist for the Asia-Pacific Shaun Roache said.
“The service sector and private firms are the engines of job growth in normal times. It seems too early for China's economy to have to deal with rising real interest rates, a more onerous debt-servicing burden, and tightening financial conditions,” he said.
While the rebound in rates could be explained by earlier-than-expected exit of monetary easing, bond supply pressure, and positive surprises in economic data, any further rise will be capped by actively managed liquidity.
“We expect PBoC to maintain the current neutral stance and actively manage liquidity impacts from government bond issuances,” BofA Securities said in a note.
“July economic activity data surprised on the downside and showed the recovery pace was indeed slowing, which in turn suggest less upward pressure on yields from developments of economic fundamentals.”
BofA Securities analysts have forecast a year-end target of 3% for the 10-year bond.
Last month’s China Central Depository & Clearing Co report sparked speculation the central bank may have been secretly buying government bonds in the market. But the PBoC's balance sheet showed that its claims on government were unchanged in July at 1.53 trillion yuan.
“While some investors might be disappointed by the fact that PBoC wasn't offering market reliefs by buying CGBs, on the brighter side, it has been taking the traditional route by providing liquidity,” BofA Securities analysts said referring to the central bank’s heavy funds injections.
“While we and our economists don't expect the recent signs of weaker momentum in economic recovery will drive PBoC towards easing in the near-term, it certainly strengthens the case that they should keep liquidity accommodative for the rest of 2020, a key assumption for our CGB yields forecast.”


text:
News @ JSI
Ten Years Delivering Products to People
March 6, 2017
For ten years, the USAID l DELIVER PROJECT, implemented by John Snow, Inc., worked to improve the health and well-being of communities around the world. The project strengthened the supply chains that health systems depend on, delivering technical assistance to 65 countries, and medicines and health supplies to 114 countries. From 2006–2016, the project shipped over 8.5 billion health products that enabled countries to provide family planning, protect against malaria, limit the spread of pandemic threats, and support vital maternal and child health programs.
Using a partnership approach, the project improved access to priority public health products in-country by redesigning supply chains, strengthening local institutions, scaling innovations, fostering collaboration, and improving data visibility and use. The USAID l DELIVER PROJECT was a global leader in strengthening supply chains that address the world’s most pressing health issues.
JSI is proud to have contributed to these results and remains committed to improving global health through strong supply chains that use innovative and sustainable approaches to delivering health products to people. To learn more about the USAID l DELIVER PROJECT and to see the results, impact, and innovations, please visit deliver.jsi.com.


text:
The recession has hit chef Gordon Ramsay where it hurts – his pockets, as his restaurants in Britain have suffered a 90 percent drop in profits.
Proving that even celebrities are not immune from the effects of the economic crisis, Ramsay’s company pre-tax profits tumbled from STG3.05 million ($6.21 million) in 2007 to STG383,325 ($779,987.79).
The renowned chef blamed the drop in profits on an over-ambitious expansion and the closure of key London restaurants such as the Savoy Grill, with the luxury hotel shut for refurbishment.
Speaking on the loss, Ramsay said that while the financial year ending 2008 was tough on the group, they have “regrouped and learnt some valuable lessons and the business has now returned to a position of strength.”
People who read this, also liked:
Reinventing your business


text:
An entrepreneur in Ivory Coast has created the country’s first locally-made smartphone, which aims to improve accessibility with voice commands in local languages for users who can’t read and write.
Founder Alain Capo-Chichi said he wanted to create the phone to help people like his parents, who are illiterate, use features like transferring money and sending messages.
Alain said he has created the Open G phone to help people like his parents, who are illiterate, use features like transferring money and sending messages, thus creating a solution for Africa’s uneducated populace who have previously faced a major challenge in accessing key features that comes along with these phones.
The locally-made smartphone joins the list of other locally-made smartphones produced in other countries in Africa.
Africa recently joined the list of countries with locally manufactured smartphones globally in 2019, when Rwanda launched a locally-made phone by Mara Group.
The group recorded an important feat as it became the first to manufacture the first-ever ‘Made-in-Africa’ smartphone model. The phones named “Mara Phones” were launched on October 7, 2019, in Kigali, Rwanda and as a result gave a boost to the country’s ambitions of becoming a regional technology hub.


text:
It’s an exciting day to be Jeff Glueck. The Foursquare CEO just dropped two major announcements – first being that his location data platform has raised one of the largest investments ever in the location tech space, an impressive $150 million, and the other that his company has made its maiden acquisition. Foursquare is buying location analytics firm Placed from Snapchat’s parent Snap.
With this acquisition, Foursquare will become the #1 player to offer Attribution services in the market, adding on to its leading position as a provider of location-aware developer tools. Placed, meanwhile, will be able to leverage Foursquare’s global map of 105 million POI’s across 190 countries and tap into its measured audience of over 100 million monthly devices in the United States. David Shim, founder of Placed, will join Foursquare as its President.
You may recall, Snap had acquired Placed in June 2017 to bolster Snapchat’s ‘Snap to Store’ feature which allows advertisers to see where Snapchat users go after seeing a sponsored location-based advertisement. As such, Placed will continue to be a Snap preferred attribution partner to demonstrate visitation lift and provide insights for Snap advertisers, Glueck clarifies.
Between Foursquare and Placed, the location service providers will have more than 1,000 brands as clients – more than 50% of which are Fortune 100 companies. By making this acquisition in the attribution space, Foursquare is accelerating its mission to offer a complete toolkit of location-aware services. According to Glueck, Foursquare is focusing on five key areas of geo-contextual technologies:
- Developer Tools: Using geo-context to build smarter apps and customer engagement
- Analytics: Including consumer insights for planning
- Audiences: Empowering businesses to reach the right consumer segments for their message
- Attribution: To test and learn which messages, segments and channels work best
- Consumer: To showcase what’s possible via Foursquare apps and inspire innovations around contextual location
Glueck points out that Placed and Foursquare are the only players in the location space to be working with actual consumer on-the-ground confirmations, and that Foursquare’s long-time admiration of Placed has played a major part in this acquisition. “The first-party ‘truth set’ approach is unique to Placed and Foursquare, raising the bar in an industry where inaccurate geofencing and junk source data have been all too common. It exemplifies the engineering-centric and data science-first cultures the companies have in common,” Glueck says.
Foursquare is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.
Now read about the other major geospatial acquisition to happen this week: CARTO acquires Geographica to focus on geospatial consulting services


text:
Now you can have 360-degree walkthroughs of the Indian streets on the go through Genesys' WoNoBo mobile app. The app is available on Google Play store for free.
The WoNoBo mobile app features 14 Indian cities. The company plans to expand it to 54 cities in the near future. The app also has access to over 10 million ‘points of interests’ such as hotels, retail outlets, monuments, parks, etc. and view the interiors of key locations as well
“The WoNoBo App makes it possible for Indians to share aspects of their lives in a manner that simply hasn't been possible before. We are India’s first and only 360 degree view service on the mobile platform. Users can share their schools, colleges, offices, favourite restaurants and just about anything else they love about India's cities. Users can also access over 10 million ‘points of interests’ such as hotels, retail outlets, monuments, parks, etc. and view the interiors of key locations as well,” says Sajid Malik, CMD, Genesys International.
"There are a number of potential use cases for the WoNoBo App that we hope businesses and individuals will exploit to the fullest extent. We hope something as mundane as sending someone directions, for example, will be a whole lot easier from now on," adds Amit Mehta, Head of Products and Marketing, WoNoBo.com.
Download the WoNoBo app for free from Google Play store.


text:
A recent report has suggested that the launch of Apple Music‘s lossless service has caused Spotify to alter its plans for the release of its HiFi tier. Spotify initially announced the HiFi tier, which would offer lossless audio quality, two years ago and had planned to release it in 2021. However, no release date has been provided as of yet.
According to The Verge, Spotify has had a HiFi tier available for over a year but plans changed when Apple Music and Amazon revealed lossless music at no additional cost. The report is based on an interview with Spotify co-president Gustav Soderstrom conducted by Decoder and additional information obtained by The Verge. Although Soderstrom confirmed that the HiFi tier is definitely coming, he did not provide any details on when it would be released.
“We announced it, but then the industry changed for a bunch of reasons,” Soderstrom said. “We are going to do it, but we’re going to do it in a way where it makes sense for us and for our listeners. The industry changed and we had to adapt.”
When pressed for more information on why the release was delayed, Soderstrom did not mention competitors or label deals specifically. However, the report suggests that Spotify had hoped to offer lossless music at a higher-paid tier and may still do so. This tier would be a revenue driver and could offer even more functionality, such as spatial audio.
Despite the setback caused by the introduction of Apple Music’s lossless service, it seems that Spotify is still committed to releasing its HiFi tier in the future. While the interview focused on Spotify’s new TikTok-like format, there was no mention of a specific release date or any intention to include spatial audio or other formats.


text:
Archive for the ‘Business Advice’ category
In a connected economy, every employee should be seen as a node, an expert in their own domain.
How we made it in Africa speaks to experts about what entrepreneurs should know before becoming a franchisee in Africa.
Divine Ndhlukula, founder of Securico in Zimbabwe, shares the business lessons she has learnt that have helped grow her company.
Java’s CEO Kevin Ashley shares with How we made it in Africa the reasons for the company’s success.
Great rewards can come from smaller risks and smaller disruptions.
Accurately evaluating how much a business is worth is the most challenging part of the buying and selling process.
“Brand is the business of business,” says Kenya’s Eva Muraya.
Recent economic turbulence has forced many companies to challenge their propensity for risk-taking.
How we made it in Africa speaks to Hans van Aardt, founder of software company Microworks.
Sir Winston Churchill once said, “I’m going to give a long speech today. I haven’t had time to prepare a short one.”
Johan Kilian talks about his decision to become a Pie City franchisee.
Entrepreneur says playing sports taught her to be disciplined in business.
Let’s be honest: Africa is rising, but most Africans are still figuring out how to catch up.
The economy is changing, and that means our vision of success should as well.
“There is a wariness about South Africans and how they do business.”


text:
Anytime you redefine the boundaries, you are refining them for everyone else that follows you.
The single currency revived from $1.1778 to $1.1824 despite German ZEW Economic Sentiment for November showed evidence of a renewed slowdown in the German economy. The European Central Bank President Lagarde's speech, due at 13:00 GMT, may provide a clear directional bias to the common currency.
The British pound vaulted to $1.3273, due to growing optimism that Britain and the European Union will agree a long-sought-after trade deal.
The safe-harbour yen seesawed at 105.23 against the greenback as financial markets reaction has become more tempered because there are several logistical hurdles to making the drug available like shipping at extremely cold temperatures.
The Aussie soared to $0.7306 although Westpac Consumer Sentiment for November fell to 2.5%, 11.9% prior.
South Africa's rand plummeted to 15.57 per dollar, after local police issued a warrant for the arrest on corruption charges of Ace Magashule, a top official of the governing African National Congress party.
The Mauritian rupee stayed put at 40.35(selling) on the local market.
17:00 - EUR - ECB President Lagarde Speaks


text:
Deloitte LLP has been appointed to the administration of a chain of bars and clubs across England and Wales.
Daniel Butters and Adrian Berry have been appointed joint administrators to Atmosphere Bars and Clubs Limited, Atmosphere Topco Limited, Atmosphere Bars & Clubs (Kent) Limited and Atmosphere Bars and Clubs (Lancs) Limited.
Butters, a partner at Deloitte, said: “Unfortunately, as a consequence of cash flow problems, the decision was taken by the directors of Atmosphere Bars and Clubs to place the company into administration.
“We are continuing to trade the business and all venues remain open whilst seeking a sale as a going concern.”
Atmosphere Bars and Clubs, founded in 2010, operates 24 licensed premises, including 19 Chicago’s Bars, three Modello bars and two nightclubs.
The business operates from Milton Keynes and has 75 full-time and 418 part-time employees.
In January 2013, Atmosphere Bars and Clubs chief executive Paul Harbottle stepped down, replaced by former Searcy’s managing director, Christian Rose.
A statement released to market said: “Paul has implemented a number of strategic, commercial and operational initiatives that have improved the underlying performance of the business, leaving Atmosphere Bars and Clubs in a strong position for the future.”
Atmosphere Bars and Clubs completed the sale of Pure nightclub, Portsmouth, to Invincible Leisure ltd in February 2013, following the sale of Gregory’s nightclub, Nantwich, to Chester Bars ltd in November 2012.


text:
Apple’s capitalization could exceed $2 trillion in 24 months
January 03, 2020 @ 12:07 +03:00
The Apple stock (NASDAQ: AAPL) closed at $300.35 officially on Thursday, bringing the total valuation of the company to $1.33 trillion. But, data shows earnings remained flat while the stock doubled in the past year. Since last year, the PE ratio of Apple soared significantly and it shows that the stock is rising mostly based on sentiment.
Investors are becoming increasingly confident in the long-term trend of Apple and the company’s strategy to deal with the plateauing smartphone market. The iPhone 11 was a home run in regard to popularity and demand in key markets such as the U.S. and China. Despite Apple boosting production to meet with unexpectedly large demand, early estimates put iPhone sales in 2019 to be at around 180 million. That is a substantially lower number compared to previous years in 2017 and 2018. From January to December 2018, Apple shipped 208 million devices.
How Much Further Can It Go? Some analysts, like Wedbush’s Dan Ives, see the market cap of Apple hitting $2 trillion in the next 24 months. To put it simply, Apple showed that it can survive slowing growth of the smartphone market and that it can aggressively target new markets like audio and streaming. Assuming that the low-interest rate and relaxed financial conditions keep investors happy throughout the year, Apple may still have significant room for additional growth.
Apple Stock is Insanely Overvalued Based on This Key Metric, CCN, Jan 3


text:
The hackers launched at least seven attacks targeting exchanges and investment firms and laundered the money through an intricate web of DEXes and mixers.
Africa has seen massive growth since June last year, with the need for cheap remittances, rise of P2P platforms, and savings needs leading the adoption, according to Chainalysis.
Kenya has ranked first in the world for P2P volume for the second year in a row and fifth for adoption – local traders and startup founders share their views.
According to the latest report by Chainalysis, ransomware attacks have led to over $80 million in ransom payments globally in the first four months of 2021.
Five digital currency providers account for roughly 55% of the illicit funds transacted in the digital currency ecosystem–find out why.
In 2020, the revenue raked in by darknet marketplaces hit a record-high of nearly $2 billion–the one marketplace that led the charge was...
The Chainalysis report revealed that illicit activities only accounted for 0.34% of all digital currency activity, or roughly $10 billion.
Law enforcement officials in the United States have led a coordinated international law enforcement action to disrupt a sophisticated form of ransomware known as NetWalker.
A new report from Chainalysis has discovered that digital currency related crime signficantly declined from 2019 to 2020.
Chainalysis has released a 2020 darknet markets report and discovered that the total number of marketplaces decreased while revenue increased.
The growth has been fueled by an increase in demand from public sector agencies as more governments become interested in the digital currencies space.